Anyone notice how little energy we're getting out of the southern ocean in terms of weather front formation?
The 10 day forecast through to 23 June shows slow moving Tasman lows, which is great for moisture (finally!), but not the deep southern energy that will bring snow and hence snow packs.
Yes, I certainly do notice that. It's been the case for a while now; at least, it's been patently obvious to those of us living in the far south; at first we said, "sleeping dragon', knowing it was just building, ready to burst upon us the way at always has done, only it doesn't any more; our weather is tame compared to what it was. Both encouraging and concerning at the same time.
Yeah, strange days in Whakatipu. I'm looking out my window at a green, sort of growing lawn, this time of year it would normally be browned off by the frost. Go onto a north facing hill and there's quite a bit of growth, and grazed out paddocks are coming back green after a week or so.
The way the forecast models are looking there's not going to be any change from this pattern until maybe early July, maybe… So no natural snow for southern skifields, and temperatures too warm for any meaningful snowmaking until after the school holidays.
This could get rather interesting around the town.
Apparently there is a anomaly around the Antarctic, saw a technical explanation I didn’t understand and didn’t talk about nearby land masses. Will see if I can find the tweets.
Build to need i agree (though what constitutes need will cause debate e.g. cycle bridges)….build in the knowledge that everything built creates emissions and consumes limited resources in its construction and importantly in its maintenance.
edit
And also build to last for just 50 years rather than the 100 years someone mentioned previously. Everything changes rapidly so be prepared with Plan B if a weather event happens or with a sea bridge, a ship loses steering or something and wipes out essential parts.
Think Picton – Mikhail Lermontov, Italy – dozy navigation also there etc. And possibly government-sponsored terrorism, Rainbow Warrior v France, USA v Iran. We are not immune from that even if we are dancing away from Covid19.
I used to have thoughts like that whenever Rick Astley and anyone out of the Stock Aitken and Waterman school of mid 1980s music was pushed into my ears in a supermarket.
But helpfully I didn't run the country at the time.
In your case, mozzie, I think we'd be happy to find you somewhere you could learn to just post once, before progressing to something much much more difficult such as wit (relatively speaking).
"In New Zealand, about 50 percent of our overall homeless population are women, which is internationally quite rare…
Women had an average of 2.6 children, while men had an average of 1.6 children.. Four out of every five women were Māori while for men, two thirds were Māori
Dr Fraser said the statistics showed the welfare system was not working. "It really just shows our benefits aren't high enough. They need to be higher, they need to be easier to access.
"These are really vulnerable people and their children deserve the best possible start in life that they can, but they're clearly not getting that if their mums are so stressed out and needing that wrap-around housing support."
It offers rebates of up to $8,625 for a new electric car and up to $5750 for a plug-in hybrid car – but will not be given on cars that cost $80,000 or more. Cars had to have at least a three-star safety rating to be eligible.
Fees on higher emitting vehicles will start from January 1, 2022.
i guess they set 'affordable' until it hits 79.999.99 NZD……..oh boy.
Well i guess the new minimum wage will making the buying of such a car within a year totally affordable. Totally. Or else those making that amount should just cycle from South Auckland to their jobs. But then maybe when all those that can not afford to buy a new car between now and Jan 2022 are to be 'fined' out of car ownership, rather then 'incentivised in' via cheap to free and punctual, safe and regular public transport. Something we are still not able to provide pretty much anywhere in the country.
But i hope that the Middleclass in NZ that changes things is very happy and pleased and totally not ashamed of the fact that the lower class is financing their Middle Class status to great measure. Maybe Labour needs to rename itself the "Middle Class Party of Aotearo".
And last but least, read the article to the end, and realise that not word not one pixle was used on 'bicycles, or buses, or trams, or any other form of public transport'. It is not the 'tradies subsidizing teslas', it is the poor NZ who needs a car because they have no public infrastructure what so ever that is subsidizing the schmucks in Wellington, and the million dollar burbs in Auckland.
Or in words that some might understand better, The tax payer from South Auckland is financing a new car or several new family cars for the likes of Mike Hoskins and everyone in his ‘class’. The Upper Class. The Middle class gets a treat for buying the used cars of the likes of Mike Hoskins, and the proletariat is financing all of it.
Stats NZ (link to Excel sheet on this page) sez the median gross household income for Auckland year ended 30 June 2020 was $104,821 – and the mean gross household income was $128,138.
But yeah, plenty of opportunity there for $15,000 cars. Or even a $50,000 car every few years. It might just need a sacrifice of a few expensive holidays.
It might just need a sacrifice of a few expensive holidays.
There’s a lot of pent-up money because people had to cancel their overseas holidays in 2020 and also this year. So, let’s spend it on a Tesla or some other vital material wealth.
Gotta admit, every now and then I sneak a fantasy peek at Tesla's NZ inventory list. They seem to be shifting them a lot faster now than even just a few months back, let alone last year.
Sabine this was a Green Policy which was stymied by NZ First. It is designed to encourage the greater buying of electric and hybrid vehicles by those who can make the choice, as most of us have never purchased a new car and need more second hand choices.
In your usual fashion you poke the Government instead of looking at the intended outcomes James Shaw and Julie Anne Genter were aiming for. There is so much bile in your system it is clouding your judgement and causing many to be turned off posting, but then that is perhaps your goal? There is no suggested "Other" way.. just bile.
What got left out of Sabine's critique of the article might be important.
"and about $3,500 for used cars."
"Rebates of up to $3,450 will be given to those who buy used electric cars and $2,300 for plug-in hybrids. From January, smaller rebates will also be offered to buyers of other low emission cars."
"Wood said those fees would not apply to cars already in the country, which meant low-income families who relied on cheaper second-hand cars would not face the fee."
"Petrol cars with lower emissions – such as a Toyota Rav 4 or Suzuki Vitara – would not face fees."
It means that people that have the means get government tax rebates as per the cars the y buy.
As i said Incognito
The rich can get up to 8700 NZD per vehicle they purchase, the not so rich can get a few grand less, and the rest of the country that can't afford a used or a new electric or hybrid vehicle and is dependend on an old gasguzzler get to pay for the boondoogle.
And not a single word and pixle was extended to the announcment of the Government and dear Green Co leader Shaw to the tax rebates commuters that use public transport will get with the purchase of an annual bus ticket. – Got any comment to that?
And thus you discuss me and the details of the money, and rest assured Mike Hoskins and his wife and their children could easily buy a car for each of them, rake in the 8700 max per vehicle and thus get 5 for the price of 4 all courtesy of those that actually pay taxes in this country.
Good grief, this is the best national government we could get. Maybe that is why it is so appreciated by Middle Nuzilind.
No, this government should be looking at being fair.
So this particular announcement should have been coupled with an announcement for the many that use public transports. Tax rebates for both.
Is that really so hard to understand?
Disclaimer, i don't own a car, never did. I am a public transport user, a walker, a cycler, i ride share etc.
So in my opinion this announcement will do very little to encourage people that don't have the money to buy up and into a better car generation to use buses and trains instead. But i guess that was never the point. It is however nice to know that we are not so broke as a country to not give away a few tax incentives to people who already aren't known for paying much taxes.
Sabine asseverates, "the rest of the country that can't afford a used or a new electric or hybrid vehicle and is dependent on an old gasguzzler get to pay for the boondoogle."
The article Sabine quotes says "Petrol cars with lower emissions – such as a Toyota Rav 4 or Suzuki Vitara – would not face fees." They don't pay for the boondoogle. Nor do people who keep their cars, gas guzzlers or no.
The article also says that those who buy a car already in the country do not pay the fee- "low-income families who relied on cheaper second-hand cars would not face the fee."
Funny how people get things wrong. ACT's Seymour says that Tesla buyers will get all this money, but the announcement limits the EV/hybrid fees to cars below $80,000.
for what its worth, i must be too poor as i don't know many people who can afford that much for a car, but then i am proud proletariat and i know my place :).
What i am saying is that those that don't get tax rebates – are the ones that finance tax rebates generally the tax paying working public, many who are not in a financial position to take the government up on its offer. And in this announcement there is no mention of tax rebates for people that use public transport all year round, or those that have bought a decent bicycle to ride all year round. – Care to comment on that?
What it does is it affords a tax incentives to people that can buy an EV or lower emission vehicle in the time. Are you one of these people ? Because then you may are biased in your assumption.
Did you miss the bits where the funding for the rebates is going to come from fees loaded onto the highest emitting vehicles such as Ford Ranger Codpiece Editions? That the whole programme is set up to be zero cost to the government? That it only affects the cost to those buying freshly imported vehicles (new or used), that it will not have direct effects on the used vehicle market within NZ?
That is not at all what i missed. As i said, many that drive high emission vehicles are not forcibly in a postion to actually change their cars. For a starter. So yeah, again those that can't afford to buy a decent car get to subsidze those that don't need a hand out. Maybe they should have targeted the group that drives old and high emission vehicles with that incentives.
Did you miss where i advocate for tax rebates for people that commute? Have you got a comment to that? You know, incentives people out of gazz guzzlers or other cheap polluters by making public transport cheap?
Those not in a position to change their cars are completely unaffected by this emissions fee and rebate scheme. They can continue driving the cars they already have in exactly the same way they are doing now. Yes, you have completely missed that part of it.
Public transport users are already heavily subsidised, and very likely will continue to get ever more subsidies. Just by tweaking where NZTA spends money. Where does NZTA get its money? Almost entirely from road users. But that's a completely separate funding give and take from this emissions feebate scheme. And the way road users subsidise public transport users means there's already a pretty good argument the poor family from Otara that drives because public transport just can't work for their workplaces and schedules is already subsidising the hi-falutin mirror-glazed office denizens of central Auckland.
Where the money for public transport comes from
The NZ Transport Agency and public transport 2013The NZ Transport Agency’s investment in land transport comes mainly from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) – a three-year funding pool, currently at $9.3 billion. Other sources include local authorities, developers, landowners, and the Crown (government). These funding sources are combined and paid out on a three yearly basis through the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).Who contributes to the NlTF?Anyone who owns or runs a motor vehicle invests in land transport, and therefore in public transport. New Zealand’s road users contribute to the $9.3 billion NLTF through fuel excise duty (around 52%), road user charges (39%), and motor vehicle registrations (6%). The rest comes from people who lease or buy state highway property. By law, NLTF money has to be invested in land transport.
snip
How we invest through the NlTP
Investments of more than $1.7 billion will be paid out through the 2012-15 NLTP for public transport services, infrastructure and planning. This amount is over 15% of the total NLTP, and includes the money from our regional and territorial authority partners.
We pay out 50% of the subsidy for urban buses, and between 40% and 60% of the subsidy for the Total Mobility scheme (help for people with impairments who cannot use public transport).
About 80% of all Tesla sales are Model 3s. You can get a new one of these in New Zealand for just under $70,000.
64% of all the new battery electric cars sold in New Zealand in March 2021 were model 3 Tesla vehicles. So a lot of Tesla buyers will certainly be cashing in. They won't get "all" the money but I would like to see your evidence that Seymour really made that statement and used those words. How about a link for him saying that?
Context should give you that I was quoting from the article that I was quoting higher in the comment which linked to the comments I made to Sabine' article available in her original comment.
I was wrong is saying all Teslas were outside the $70 grand range. There is a cheaper model at $69 grand so Seymour is not wrong.
There was a hefty price drop on Tesla models announced 19//4/21, less than a month ago dropping the entry model to below $70 grand.
Thank you for replying. No I didn't get any hint from the context, but I now see where you were getting it from. Seymour was coming close to your interpretation but it isn't that much divorced from the reality of the 64% numbers implication.
Thanks, Alwyn. How many EV or hybrids, bought in NZ are second-hand as opposed to new Teslas? I'm asking whether new Teslas are a significant part of total EV sales.
I have a second hand Leaf. Three people I know have the same. I know of no Teslas. One mechanical buff I know- I saw his EV today….. a second hand EV ute that he converted to be an EV from a petrol ute using a Leaf battery and some sort of lower-powered electric motor.
I'm not at all sure whether I am reading this correctly but if I am there were 427 more new-import pure EVs at the end of March than February and 256 more used-import EVs for the same period. That would seem to make New Tesla vehicles about half of all the EVs registered in the month.
I'm not sure where to get the number of used Tesla cars though. Be very cautious with my calculation though. I'm not at all sure on whether I am reading these numbers correctly.
I have noticed a great increase in the number of Tesla cars in Wellington this year. That probably is only due to the fact that a Tesla is very distinctive and I tend to notice them. I don't think I would recognize a Leaf at a glance.
We have a hybrid Camry and an ICE Jazz. We use about 4.6 l/100 Km in the Camry and 5.7 l/100 Km in the Jazz. The Jazz is all around town usage in a hilly Wellington. Those aren't too bad for fuel consumption really.
And thus you discuss me and the details of the money, and rest assured Mike Hoskins and his wife and their children could easily buy a car for each of them, rake in the 8700 max per vehicle and thus get 5 for the price of 4 all courtesy of those that actually pay taxes in this country.
Happy to discuss. You have an issue with Mike Hosking, which is why you can’t stop ranting about him. In fact, my diagnosis is that you have Mike Hosking Syndrome. And please leave his children out of your tirades; what have they done to you to deserve your scorn? A very low blow by anyone’s standard.
You obviously didn’t read the press release from Government on this announcement. Doesn’t surprise me, because ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?
“We’ve already committed to policies that will make a difference, like the Clean Car Import Standard, decarbonising the public transport bus fleet and revitalising rail, but we have to do more.
Surprisingly, there was nothing in the announcement either about the movie on the Christchurch mosque shootings, but maybe that was just an oversight or a deliberate omission by “Government and dear Green Co leader Shaw”, if you’re inclined that way, as you clearly are.
But then again, this announcement was on “Clean car package to drive down emissions”. PT is already heavily subsidised and you obviously didn’t know this or deliberately left it out of your comments because it obviously doesn’t suit your narrative.
… it is the poor NZ who needs a car because they have no public infrastructure what so ever that is subsidizing the schmucks in Wellington, and the million dollar burbs in Auckland.
Coming from you, calling them “schmucks” is quite something. Of course, your comments are completely disconnected from reality and it just shows your blind envy and hatred for people whom you don’t even know.
Or in words that some might understand better, The tax payer from South Auckland is financing a new car or several new family cars for the likes of Mike Hoskins and everyone in his ‘class’.
Oh, that’s right, only the poor pay taxes and the rich evade and avoid their dues. FYI, Mike Hosking has no class.
“Importantly the policy only applies to new and used cars arriving in New Zealand, so the existing second hand market of cars that lower income families tend to purchase from will not be affected.
Do you want NZ to become “a dumping ground for millions of "dirty second-hands"”.
Oh, that’s right, only the poor pay taxes and the rich evade and avoid their dues. FYI, Mike Hosking has no class.
“Importantly the policy only applies to new and used cars arriving in New Zealand, so the existing second hand market of cars that lower income families tend to purchase from will not be affected.
Do you want NZ to become “a dumping ground for millions of "dirty second-hands"”.
No Mike Hoskins is part of the 'Upper Class'. You or anyone else liking him or not has got nothing to do with that, that status is based on income and he has that income. Secondly, he and his wife are be financially flush enough to take the government up on this offer to buy a brandnew vehicle for each and everyone of their whanau and this will then be a nice discount if you can get it. – Or do you dispute that reality?
Next, NZ is already a dumping ground for millions of dirty second hands, as most Kiwis can't afford anything better, and this country does not builds its own vehicles. So by essence every vehicle is imported and NZ will thus become its burial ground. – Or do you dispute that reality?
As for who pays taxes in this country, are you now saying that the rich do pay their full share of taxes and thus we don't need to tax the rich? Because it is not the poor that depend on puplic transport that are being offered tax incentives to get out of their unwarrnated, unlisenced, dangerous cars that they drive because that is all they can afford, and that is the only transport they have due to systematically underfunding of the public transport. – Or do you dispute that reality?
I do hope that you are able to at least think a bit further then "labour good' everyone else who don't agree is bad. It makes you look deeply lazy and conformist.
The best way to get the roads free of cars for cyclists is to get people into public transport. And a really good way of doing that is to make it cheap, safe, fast, reliable and often. And by paying the people that drive the buses, and such a decent wage. Unless of course we are too broke for that.
Looking at the list of comments on the right hand side I realise that your icon is a nice colour Sabine, and you have so many there will soon be enough to wallpaper a small room.
I do hope that you are able to at least think a bit further then "labour good' everyone else who don't agree is bad. It makes you look deeply lazy and conformist.
You can read my mind like an open book, but you’re too illiterate to understand the words.
The best way to get the roads free of cars for cyclists is to get people into public transport. And a really good way of doing that is to make it cheap, safe, fast, reliable and often. And by paying the people that drive the buses, and such a decent wage. Unless of course we are too broke for that.
Do you know what zero cost to the Government means?
Do you know what “Clean car package to drive down emissions” means?
Do you think it has anything to do with saving the lives of penguins?
I don’t, which is why I stay on topic and you’re all over the place with your comments. It is not that people disagree with your opinions, it is that they have pointed out what you have missed and what you got wrong. Unfortunately, there’s quite a lot of it and sadly, you simply ignore it, as usual. You call yourself “proud proletariat” but your comments are not helping anybody.
I cannot dispute your ‘reality’ because it is all true, in your head.
I fear this is a policy being rapidly over run by events. Much cheaper electrics and hybrids are coming onto the market fast.
The whole of life cost of running electric and hybrid vehicles compares very very well with running an equivalent ICE vehicle. So much so that if you have the money (and a bit of solar on the roof makes it even better) frankly you are nuts to not buy electric unless there are range issues where a hybrid is the best answer. I simply would not have subsidised the high price vehicles – maybe a cap at around $32k if you have to do this at all. It would have been far better to do a smaller ongoing subsidy to lower the buy price for the cheap vehicle market with maybe some limited repayment through slightly higher rego. fees. You want the people who spend $5k to $15k on vehicles being able to get the lower running costs of small electrics not continuing to use ICE vehicles And with no run out market the new market for ICE cars is likely to collapse quite quickly.
This looks like a trickle down vehicle market where the wealthier get the subsidy and the poorer wait for the left overs.
As to fleet vehicles – given the economics I'd give about an 18mth grace period then wack them with the tax system if they haven't changed over from ICE.
I see that it only applies to plug in hybrids according to the news story
If a country with one of the highest vaccination rates on the planet is struggling with the Delta variant, imagine countries with low vaccine coverage.
It's just more evidence to get your jabs when they are offered to you.
With two doses of a coronavirus vaccine showing good protection against infection from the Delta variant, the government is seeking to get more jabs into arms. Currently, 55.4 per cent of the adult population has had two doses. (from the ft link in the tweet joe90 linked)
Dr. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the large share of those waiting for approval came as a surprise.
[…]
"Yes, it's kind of a formal stamp of approval, but I don't think it really provides much more than what we already know," he said. "We have more data on vaccine safety than with any other vaccine, even before the review of the full approval."
Here in the Waikato there is virtually no information being given out by the DHB for those of us in Group 3 except to say they will contact us. Been waiting since early May – not a dicky bird.
"Currently, 55.4 per cent of the adult population has had two doses".
Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could say the same about New Zealand? We are at about one tenth of that figure aren't we?
And wouldn't it be wonderful if we were actually being offered the jabs instead of being told, basically, Shut up and wait. Don't call us. We'll call you at some future time. Maybe.
Fuck me you're a clueless selfish whining twat, alwyn. Clue for the clueless: it’s not all about you.
You are not at risk of getting covid at the moment, unlike those in the UK or just about anywhere else.
Getting our population vaccinated will be a good thing economically for those reliant of foreign warm bodies arriving here, but really for just about everyone else here, economically it's ticking along similarly to how it would be without covid. A little bit of patience is in order.
"You are not at risk of getting covid at the moment".
Really? When we have thousands of people who have been in Melbourne and who are allowed back without any isolation at all I am entitled to be worried.
After all, Melbourne was meant to be safe too, wasn't it? Look how that has turned out? I am of an age, and with a suitably compromised state of health to be concerned. But you say that I'm not at risk and you know, or at least claim to know all about such things.
I can assure you that there is no way that I plan to take up your offer to "fuck you" as you so delicately put it. On the other hand I don't mind suggesting that you get fucked.
Their struggle could well become our struggle. The longer the virus runs rampant in unvaccinated people and populations with low vaccination rates, the higher the chances of new variants evolving that might be resistant to existing vaccines. Looker after Number One only is the most shortsighted thing to do, as it generally is anyway.
Making good progress in my burg. 0800 booking secures group 3's and over 50 Māori an appointment within a week and supply dependent after 4pm walk-ups, afaik all over 16's, are available.
Beggars belief that these top flight world leaders, including the queen, would be allowed to gather and hob- nob unfettered in this stinking plague pit.
Originally the delay between doses was three weeks IIRC. As was used for the phase 3 trials.
When the UK started running short with the AZ, they decided to delay the second dose to 12 weeks to free up those doses for other people to get their first dose. Since then, it seems they've decided the longer delay actually gives a better immune response. But now they're closing the gap between doses to try to get more people double-dosed as quickly as possible because of the new variants.
The Herne Bay set will be pleased with the government. Last week they got the billion dollar bike bridge to bayswater, this week they got a subsidised Tesla.
Sorry folks in the rest of Auckland where your roads have been cancelled and now your subsidising someone else’s Tesla.
Similar point made in an excellent Listener article this week, when they compared the 'bike bridge' to the private 'green school' funding. “The Greens cannot credibly claim to be the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised when they’re seduced into showboating projects such as this.”
“The Greens cannot credibly claim to be the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised when they’re seduced into showboating projects such as this.”
Intriguing quote Gypsy. I cancelled my Listener subscription earlier this year, so perhaps you could check for me – did the author(s) of that "excellent Listener article" happen to indicate which political party, if not the Greens, they think is "most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised"? Perhaps the Māori party?
They didn't pass that judgement, I'm afraid. I believe their point was to highlight the hypocrisy of paying for education and cycling for the wealthy while championing the cause of the downtrodden. You know, the old 'actions speak louder than words' thing?
So then it's possible that the Greens are (still) "the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised"? Disappointing that the author(s) didn't clarify what they believed in their otherwise "excellent article" – how difficult could it be?
The author(s) are right, of course: hypocrisy – there’s a lot of it about.
It's possible they still are. The authors point is that they may no longer be able to credibly claim to be. But to be fair you haven't read the article.
To be fair I made that clear, and the quote you provided is confirmation that the decision to cancel my Listener sub was a good one, so thanks for that.
"It's possible they still are." "…they may no longer be able…"
Still relatively good then – they’ve got my party vote until it’s shown that the Greens are no longer “the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised” – could be a looooong wait.
James Shaw accepted that, while there were green positives in relation to the green school, the funding model supported was a mistake.
Maybe we need more honest parties like the Greens in parliament.
Meanwhile gypsy you ignore all of the positive work being done by the Greens on climate change and poverty. Take s look at their proposal for a wealth tax for instance…. something Jacinda and Robertson are far to neo-liberal to contemplate.
Proposals are not 'positive work being done'. The funding of a school for the wealthy was an actual policy put into action and supported by the Green party.
No, Drowsy – just a light-weight, cheap shot at the Greens with no serious analysis of any party's social policy.
When Pamela Stirling became Editor of the Listener, Chris Trotter related in a recent post that she said that the Listener would cease being the mouthpiece of the Alliance Party. Chris then said she had since pretty well transformed it into a mouthpiece for the National Party.
I saw this editorial as confirming what Chris wrote.
You are misinformed or do have a selective memory.
“Just to be clear, never, ever was this a 100 per cent grant – not at all,” Chris Edwards, Green School New Zealand chief executive, said on Wednesday. “The application was for a 25 per cent grant – the rest was a series of loans.”
I didn't claim the school received a 100% grant. I described the money as 'funding'. James Shaw himself described the decision as an error of judgement, and went on to say this:
"So again I apologise. I apologise to parents, to teachers, to unions. I apologise to Green Party members who have been working tirelessly in their communities to make sure that the Green’s are a party the next Government and have felt demoralised by this decision. I apologise to the schools in Taranaki who quire rightfully want the best for their children. And I want you to know, all of you, that I have listened to your concerns."
Gypsy – you knew all that which you have just quoted, and that James Shaw had clearly stated that it was an error of judgement… Yet you sneakily used it to back up the Listener Editorial which I have described as a cheap shot, but which you described as 'excellent'.
I think we can all see where you are coming from, Gypsy.
… paying for education and cycling for the wealthy … [my italics]
Make of that what you will, but to me you were lying by omission to tell the full story, which would make you a hypocritical troll, in my book. This seems to a hallmark of commenters who have an engrained anti-Green Party bias. Quoting from a propaganda magazine that is not accessible to others here is very poor form but goes with the trolling, I guess.
The fee only occurs if you buy in a vehicle from overseas- cars already in NZ don't pay a fee. The fee occurs if you choose to buy a petrol /diesel car with more than low emissions.
You get a fee paid to you if you choose to buy a car that is new or second hand and it's an EV or a hybrid and costs less than $80,000.
You avoid paying a fee if you choose to buy a car with low emissions.
You neither pay or receive a fee if you choose an EV of hybrid costing over $80,000 or if you choose a low emissions vehicle.
There are choices. You can choose to subsidise, or not.
The bit about changes "that improved how investigations were managed" – were they part of the results from the suggested programme, or did the project take so long to get off the ground that other managers implemented a workaround that turned out to be better than the proposed project?
Or maybe it just took so long to get going that it became obsolete before it started lol.
I was unclear what all these groups needed to "investigate" or was it a dodge to cover up prying into the personal affairs of their fellow citizens without checks nd balances.
The 2 year delay at the start probably sunk it – they attempted to tender in 2016 and then the only company which met the requirements went into liquidation.
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Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
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http://metvuw.com/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain®ion=swp&noofdays=10
Anyone notice how little energy we're getting out of the southern ocean in terms of weather front formation?
The 10 day forecast through to 23 June shows slow moving Tasman lows, which is great for moisture (finally!), but not the deep southern energy that will bring snow and hence snow packs.
Yes, I certainly do notice that. It's been the case for a while now; at least, it's been patently obvious to those of us living in the far south; at first we said, "sleeping dragon', knowing it was just building, ready to burst upon us the way at always has done, only it doesn't any more; our weather is tame compared to what it was. Both encouraging and concerning at the same time.
Yeah, strange days in Whakatipu. I'm looking out my window at a green, sort of growing lawn, this time of year it would normally be browned off by the frost. Go onto a north facing hill and there's quite a bit of growth, and grazed out paddocks are coming back green after a week or so.
The way the forecast models are looking there's not going to be any change from this pattern until maybe early July, maybe… So no natural snow for southern skifields, and temperatures too warm for any meaningful snowmaking until after the school holidays.
This could get rather interesting around the town.
Same up here at ruapehu, freaky june weather, not complaining to much was good for shearing last week .
Usually the rock n roll weather starts after the shortest day ,but we haven't even had a taste of winter yet.
Apparently there is a anomaly around the Antarctic, saw a technical explanation I didn’t understand and didn’t talk about nearby land masses. Will see if I can find the tweets.
https://twitter.com/scottduncanwx/status/1403370165195128833?s=21
I hope that simply means our big cold hit is in August ie later, harder, and shorter.
Getting in training for the Hump Ridge for later.
There is an explanation by Ben Noll .
1 There is a strong polar vortex (pv)operating.
2 The pv is found when the southern oscillation is positive.
3 The exceptional cold anomaly in the Antarctic (-6.9c) moves all indicators the SH is around -0.6 and the global anomaly is 0.
https://twitter.com/BenNollWeather/status/1403719990394556422
yeah, its muggy alright, but sadly no drops are falling.
Build less, not more.
Yes.
With some exceptions to that rule. Projects pandering to my personal interests and hobbies is a good place to start
[typo fixed in e-mail address]
Build better, and build to need rather then status.
Build to need i agree (though what constitutes need will cause debate e.g. cycle bridges)….build in the knowledge that everything built creates emissions and consumes limited resources in its construction and importantly in its maintenance.
edit
And also build to last for just 50 years rather than the 100 years someone mentioned previously. Everything changes rapidly so be prepared with Plan B if a weather event happens or with a sea bridge, a ship loses steering or something and wipes out essential parts.
Think Picton – Mikhail Lermontov, Italy – dozy navigation also there etc. And possibly government-sponsored terrorism, Rainbow Warrior v France, USA v Iran. We are not immune from that even if we are dancing away from Covid19.
"And also build to last for just 50 years rather than the 100 years"
Are you sure you have that the way round you intended?
That upcoming Hollywood treatment of the Christchurch massacre
I wonder if they'll show the dramatic sequel involving Chelsea Clinton at the vigil in New York….
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-17/hillary-clintons-daughter-accused-of-stoking-islamophobia/10909366
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faiK4M7LXc4
Kim Jon Un wants to crack down hard on anyone listening to K-Pop with hard labour and work camps.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/300331611/kim-jong-un-calls-kpop-a-vicious-cancer-that-merits-work-camp-execution
I used to have thoughts like that whenever Rick Astley and anyone out of the Stock Aitken and Waterman school of mid 1980s music was pushed into my ears in a supermarket.
But helpfully I didn't run the country at the time.
Could Kim Jong Un send Chance the Rapper to a labour camp? He might learn to write something witty and clever there?
Could Kim Jong Un send Chance the Rapper to a labour camp? He might learn to write something witty there.
In your case, mozzie, I think we'd be happy to find you somewhere you could learn to just post once, before progressing to something much much more difficult such as wit (relatively speaking).
Baby steps.
Ah yes.
You can be sure to be well informed by reading the entertainment sector of any publication. That's for sure.
These are the women that women and concerned men should be advocating for:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444596/homeless-women-more-likely-than-men-to-be-younger-maori-and-sole-parents-study
The Otago University research analysed data of nearly 400 men and women who were homeless before being re-housed by Housing First services…
"To address the issue to the best of our ability, we need to know more about the different experiences of different groups, and that includes women.
"In New Zealand, about 50 percent of our overall homeless population are women, which is internationally quite rare…
Women had an average of 2.6 children, while men had an average of 1.6 children..
Four out of every five women were Māori while for men, two thirds were Māori
Dr Fraser said the statistics showed the welfare system was not working.
"It really just shows our benefits aren't high enough. They need to be higher, they need to be easier to access.
"These are really vulnerable people and their children deserve the best possible start in life that they can, but they're clearly not getting that if their mums are so stressed out and needing that wrap-around housing support."
Such a kind and gentle government.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-feebate-govt-confirms-rebates-for-buyers-of-electric-cars-but-petrol-car-buyers-will-cop-it/TEJ3V5CF72YFTT5NPQTOWJ3AAE/
i guess they set 'affordable' until it hits 79.999.99 NZD……..oh boy.
Well i guess the new minimum wage will making the buying of such a car within a year totally affordable. Totally. Or else those making that amount should just cycle from South Auckland to their jobs. But then maybe when all those that can not afford to buy a new car between now and Jan 2022 are to be 'fined' out of car ownership, rather then 'incentivised in' via cheap to free and punctual, safe and regular public transport. Something we are still not able to provide pretty much anywhere in the country.
But i hope that the Middleclass in NZ that changes things is very happy and pleased and totally not ashamed of the fact that the lower class is financing their Middle Class status to great measure. Maybe Labour needs to rename itself the "Middle Class Party of Aotearo".
And last but least, read the article to the end, and realise that not word not one pixle was used on 'bicycles, or buses, or trams, or any other form of public transport'. It is not the 'tradies subsidizing teslas', it is the poor NZ who needs a car because they have no public infrastructure what so ever that is subsidizing the schmucks in Wellington, and the million dollar burbs in Auckland.
Or in words that some might understand better, The tax payer from South Auckland is financing a new car or several new family cars for the likes of Mike Hoskins and everyone in his ‘class’. The Upper Class. The Middle class gets a treat for buying the used cars of the likes of Mike Hoskins, and the proletariat is financing all of it.
Did you know the median household income p.a.in Auckland in 2020 is $140,000, for rest of NZ its $114,000
yes no one can afford at $15,000 car at all
No I don't know that.
Stats NZ (link to Excel sheet on this page) sez the median gross household income for Auckland year ended 30 June 2020 was $104,821 – and the mean gross household income was $128,138.
But yeah, plenty of opportunity there for $15,000 cars. Or even a $50,000 car every few years. It might just need a sacrifice of a few expensive holidays.
There’s a lot of pent-up money because people had to cancel their overseas holidays in 2020 and also this year. So, let’s spend it on a Tesla or some other vital material wealth.
Gotta admit, every now and then I sneak a fantasy peek at Tesla's NZ inventory list. They seem to be shifting them a lot faster now than even just a few months back, let alone last year.
We all have our weaknesses but mine is not Teslas, I have to confess.
https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/auckland/StandardOfLiving/Household_Income
Infometrics would use official information – the link is a time series table and easier to read without Excel
Your infometrics link says mean household income, not median.
It doesn't say where it gets its information from – I wouldn't assume anything about where it comes from.
Sabine this was a Green Policy which was stymied by NZ First. It is designed to encourage the greater buying of electric and hybrid vehicles by those who can make the choice, as most of us have never purchased a new car and need more second hand choices.
In your usual fashion you poke the Government instead of looking at the intended outcomes James Shaw and Julie Anne Genter were aiming for. There is so much bile in your system it is clouding your judgement and causing many to be turned off posting, but then that is perhaps your goal? There is no suggested "Other" way.. just bile.
What got left out of Sabine's critique of the article might be important.
"and about $3,500 for used cars."
"Rebates of up to $3,450 will be given to those who buy used electric cars and $2,300 for plug-in hybrids. From January, smaller rebates will also be offered to buyers of other low emission cars."
"Wood said those fees would not apply to cars already in the country, which meant low-income families who relied on cheaper second-hand cars would not face the fee."
"Petrol cars with lower emissions – such as a Toyota Rav 4 or Suzuki Vitara – would not face fees."
Thank you for adding that; it obviously didn’t fit her usual vitriolic
rantnarrative.yes, it does.
It means that people that have the means get government tax rebates as per the cars the y buy.
As i said Incognito
The rich can get up to 8700 NZD per vehicle they purchase, the not so rich can get a few grand less, and the rest of the country that can't afford a used or a new electric or hybrid vehicle and is dependend on an old gasguzzler get to pay for the boondoogle.
And not a single word and pixle was extended to the announcment of the Government and dear Green Co leader Shaw to the tax rebates commuters that use public transport will get with the purchase of an annual bus ticket. – Got any comment to that?
And thus you discuss me and the details of the money, and rest assured Mike Hoskins and his wife and their children could easily buy a car for each of them, rake in the 8700 max per vehicle and thus get 5 for the price of 4 all courtesy of those that actually pay taxes in this country.
Good grief, this is the best national government we could get. Maybe that is why it is so appreciated by Middle Nuzilind.
This government should do nothing because someone will miss out according to sabine
No, this government should be looking at being fair.
So this particular announcement should have been coupled with an announcement for the many that use public transports. Tax rebates for both.
Is that really so hard to understand?
Disclaimer, i don't own a car, never did. I am a public transport user, a walker, a cycler, i ride share etc.
So in my opinion this announcement will do very little to encourage people that don't have the money to buy up and into a better car generation to use buses and trains instead. But i guess that was never the point. It is however nice to know that we are not so broke as a country to not give away a few tax incentives to people who already aren't known for paying much taxes.
You forgot about 'the nurses'…. early starts late finishes and all that
Sabine asseverates, "the rest of the country that can't afford a used or a new electric or hybrid vehicle and is dependent on an old gasguzzler get to pay for the boondoogle."
The article Sabine quotes says "Petrol cars with lower emissions – such as a Toyota Rav 4 or Suzuki Vitara – would not face fees." They don't pay for the boondoogle. Nor do people who keep their cars, gas guzzlers or no.
The article also says that those who buy a car already in the country do not pay the fee- "low-income families who relied on cheaper second-hand cars would not face the fee."
Funny how people get things wrong. ACT's Seymour says that Tesla buyers will get all this money, but the announcement limits the EV/hybrid fees to cars below $80,000.
and you will have seen that i mentioned the price ticket. You can get some nice cars for 79.999
according to this the cheapest comes in at 49.900
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/evs/124395353/lowest-to-highest-every-new-electric-car-you-can-buy-in-nz-in-2021
for what its worth, i must be too poor as i don't know many people who can afford that much for a car, but then i am proud proletariat and i know my place :).
What i am saying is that those that don't get tax rebates – are the ones that finance tax rebates generally the tax paying working public, many who are not in a financial position to take the government up on its offer. And in this announcement there is no mention of tax rebates for people that use public transport all year round, or those that have bought a decent bicycle to ride all year round. – Care to comment on that?
What it does is it affords a tax incentives to people that can buy an EV or lower emission vehicle in the time. Are you one of these people ? Because then you may are biased in your assumption.
Did you miss the bits where the funding for the rebates is going to come from fees loaded onto the highest emitting vehicles such as Ford Ranger Codpiece Editions? That the whole programme is set up to be zero cost to the government? That it only affects the cost to those buying freshly imported vehicles (new or used), that it will not have direct effects on the used vehicle market within NZ?
That is not at all what i missed. As i said, many that drive high emission vehicles are not forcibly in a postion to actually change their cars. For a starter. So yeah, again those that can't afford to buy a decent car get to subsidze those that don't need a hand out. Maybe they should have targeted the group that drives old and high emission vehicles with that incentives.
Did you miss where i advocate for tax rebates for people that commute? Have you got a comment to that? You know, incentives people out of gazz guzzlers or other cheap polluters by making public transport cheap?
Those not in a position to change their cars are completely unaffected by this emissions fee and rebate scheme. They can continue driving the cars they already have in exactly the same way they are doing now. Yes, you have completely missed that part of it.
Public transport users are already heavily subsidised, and very likely will continue to get ever more subsidies. Just by tweaking where NZTA spends money. Where does NZTA get its money? Almost entirely from road users. But that's a completely separate funding give and take from this emissions feebate scheme. And the way road users subsidise public transport users means there's already a pretty good argument the poor family from Otara that drives because public transport just can't work for their workplaces and schedules is already subsidising the hi-falutin mirror-glazed office denizens of central Auckland.
Most public transport is heavily subsidized
Oppd I see Andre beat me to it with a far better effort
Thanks mac1; as good as Readers Digest's "How to increase your word power."
About 80% of all Tesla sales are Model 3s. You can get a new one of these in New Zealand for just under $70,000.
64% of all the new battery electric cars sold in New Zealand in March 2021 were model 3 Tesla vehicles. So a lot of Tesla buyers will certainly be cashing in. They won't get "all" the money but I would like to see your evidence that Seymour really made that statement and used those words. How about a link for him saying that?
My links are
https://yourcar.co.nz/new-car-quotes/tesla-model-3-342/spec
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/evs/124764306/these-are-the-most-popular-electric-and-electrified-vehicles-in-nz
Context should give you that I was quoting from the article that I was quoting higher in the comment which linked to the comments I made to Sabine' article available in her original comment.
I was wrong is saying all Teslas were outside the $70 grand range. There is a cheaper model at $69 grand so Seymour is not wrong.
There was a hefty price drop on Tesla models announced 19//4/21, less than a month ago dropping the entry model to below $70 grand.
Thank you for replying. No I didn't get any hint from the context, but I now see where you were getting it from. Seymour was coming close to your interpretation but it isn't that much divorced from the reality of the 64% numbers implication.
Thanks, Alwyn. How many EV or hybrids, bought in NZ are second-hand as opposed to new Teslas? I'm asking whether new Teslas are a significant part of total EV sales.
I have a second hand Leaf. Three people I know have the same. I know of no Teslas. One mechanical buff I know- I saw his EV today….. a second hand EV ute that he converted to be an EV from a petrol ute using a Leaf battery and some sort of lower-powered electric motor.
I'm not at all sure whether I am reading this correctly but if I am there were 427 more new-import pure EVs at the end of March than February and 256 more used-import EVs for the same period. That would seem to make New Tesla vehicles about half of all the EVs registered in the month.
I'm not sure where to get the number of used Tesla cars though. Be very cautious with my calculation though. I'm not at all sure on whether I am reading these numbers correctly.
https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/fleet-statistics/sheet/monthly-ev-statistics
I have noticed a great increase in the number of Tesla cars in Wellington this year. That probably is only due to the fact that a Tesla is very distinctive and I tend to notice them. I don't think I would recognize a Leaf at a glance.
We have a hybrid Camry and an ICE Jazz. We use about 4.6 l/100 Km in the Camry and 5.7 l/100 Km in the Jazz. The Jazz is all around town usage in a hilly Wellington. Those aren't too bad for fuel consumption really.
Happy to discuss. You have an issue with Mike Hosking, which is why you can’t stop ranting about him. In fact, my diagnosis is that you have Mike Hosking Syndrome. And please leave his children out of your tirades; what have they done to you to deserve your scorn? A very low blow by anyone’s standard.
You obviously didn’t read the press release from Government on this announcement. Doesn’t surprise me, because ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/clean-car-package-drive-down-emissions
Surprisingly, there was nothing in the announcement either about the movie on the Christchurch mosque shootings, but maybe that was just an oversight or a deliberate omission by “Government and dear Green Co leader Shaw”, if you’re inclined that way, as you clearly are.
But then again, this announcement was on “Clean car package to drive down emissions”. PT is already heavily subsidised and you obviously didn’t know this or deliberately left it out of your comments because it obviously doesn’t suit your narrative.
Coming from you, calling them “schmucks” is quite something. Of course, your comments are completely disconnected from reality and it just shows your blind envy and hatred for people whom you don’t even know.
Oh, that’s right, only the poor pay taxes and the rich evade and avoid their dues. FYI, Mike Hosking has no class.
Do you want NZ to become “a dumping ground for millions of "dirty second-hands"”.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/06/nz-risks-becoming-dumping-ground-for-dirty-petrol-cars-if-ban-comes-too-late-climate-change-minister-james-shaw.html
I’d rather listen to dear Mr Shaw than the reckons of an ignorant simpleton. Any time.
Bye bye for now, I’ve got work to do.
No Mike Hoskins is part of the 'Upper Class'. You or anyone else liking him or not has got nothing to do with that, that status is based on income and he has that income. Secondly, he and his wife are be financially flush enough to take the government up on this offer to buy a brandnew vehicle for each and everyone of their whanau and this will then be a nice discount if you can get it. – Or do you dispute that reality?
Next, NZ is already a dumping ground for millions of dirty second hands, as most Kiwis can't afford anything better, and this country does not builds its own vehicles. So by essence every vehicle is imported and NZ will thus become its burial ground. – Or do you dispute that reality?
As for who pays taxes in this country, are you now saying that the rich do pay their full share of taxes and thus we don't need to tax the rich? Because it is not the poor that depend on puplic transport that are being offered tax incentives to get out of their unwarrnated, unlisenced, dangerous cars that they drive because that is all they can afford, and that is the only transport they have due to systematically underfunding of the public transport. – Or do you dispute that reality?
I do hope that you are able to at least think a bit further then "labour good' everyone else who don't agree is bad. It makes you look deeply lazy and conformist.
The best way to get the roads free of cars for cyclists is to get people into public transport. And a really good way of doing that is to make it cheap, safe, fast, reliable and often. And by paying the people that drive the buses, and such a decent wage. Unless of course we are too broke for that.
Looking at the list of comments on the right hand side I realise that your icon is a nice colour Sabine, and you have so many there will soon be enough to wallpaper a small room.
You can read my mind like an open book, but you’re too illiterate to understand the words.
Do you know what zero cost to the Government means?
Do you know what “Clean car package to drive down emissions” means?
Do you think it has anything to do with saving the lives of penguins?
I don’t, which is why I stay on topic and you’re all over the place with your comments. It is not that people disagree with your opinions, it is that they have pointed out what you have missed and what you got wrong. Unfortunately, there’s quite a lot of it and sadly, you simply ignore it, as usual. You call yourself “proud proletariat” but your comments are not helping anybody.
I cannot dispute your ‘reality’ because it is all true, in your head.
I fear this is a policy being rapidly over run by events. Much cheaper electrics and hybrids are coming onto the market fast.
The whole of life cost of running electric and hybrid vehicles compares very very well with running an equivalent ICE vehicle. So much so that if you have the money (and a bit of solar on the roof makes it even better) frankly you are nuts to not buy electric unless there are range issues where a hybrid is the best answer. I simply would not have subsidised the high price vehicles – maybe a cap at around $32k if you have to do this at all. It would have been far better to do a smaller ongoing subsidy to lower the buy price for the cheap vehicle market with maybe some limited repayment through slightly higher rego. fees. You want the people who spend $5k to $15k on vehicles being able to get the lower running costs of small electrics not continuing to use ICE vehicles And with no run out market the new market for ICE cars is likely to collapse quite quickly.
This looks like a trickle down vehicle market where the wealthier get the subsidy and the poorer wait for the left overs.
As to fleet vehicles – given the economics I'd give about an 18mth grace period then wack them with the tax system if they haven't changed over from ICE.
I see that it only applies to plug in hybrids according to the news story
If a country with one of the highest vaccination rates on the planet is struggling with the Delta variant, imagine countries with low vaccine coverage.
https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1403423583641210880
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1403423583641210880.html
Yes, I saw that speculated yesterday. 90% of the new infections are all Delta Variant. The fucking virus is not finished yet with us humans.
It's just more evidence to get your jabs when they are offered to you.
And there goes the but more data…
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's latest vaccine monitor report, nearly a third — 32% — of unvaccinated adults are waiting for full FDA approval of a vaccine before getting it.
Dr. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the large share of those waiting for approval came as a surprise.
[…]
"Yes, it's kind of a formal stamp of approval, but I don't think it really provides much more than what we already know," he said. "We have more data on vaccine safety than with any other vaccine, even before the review of the full approval."
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/full-fda-approval-drive-covid-19-vaccinations-experts/story?id=78048166
Trying hard to organise my vaccination but best case scenario is currently second week of August.
This is Auckland Central.
Meanwhile…
Here in the Waikato there is virtually no information being given out by the DHB for those of us in Group 3 except to say they will contact us. Been waiting since early May – not a dicky bird.
When …….
right. 🙂
"Currently, 55.4 per cent of the adult population has had two doses".
Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could say the same about New Zealand? We are at about one tenth of that figure aren't we?
And wouldn't it be wonderful if we were actually being offered the jabs instead of being told, basically, Shut up and wait. Don't call us. We'll call you at some future time. Maybe.
Fuck me you're a clueless selfish whining twat, alwyn. Clue for the clueless: it’s not all about you.
You are not at risk of getting covid at the moment, unlike those in the UK or just about anywhere else.
Getting our population vaccinated will be a good thing economically for those reliant of foreign warm bodies arriving here, but really for just about everyone else here, economically it's ticking along similarly to how it would be without covid. A little bit of patience is in order.
"You are not at risk of getting covid at the moment".
Really? When we have thousands of people who have been in Melbourne and who are allowed back without any isolation at all I am entitled to be worried.
After all, Melbourne was meant to be safe too, wasn't it? Look how that has turned out? I am of an age, and with a suitably compromised state of health to be concerned. But you say that I'm not at risk and you know, or at least claim to know all about such things.
I can assure you that there is no way that I plan to take up your offer to "fuck you" as you so delicately put it. On the other hand I don't mind suggesting that you get fucked.
Alwyn, you sound almost sick with worry – I for one hope you pull through.
Andre
Their struggle could well become our struggle. The longer the virus runs rampant in unvaccinated people and populations with low vaccination rates, the higher the chances of new variants evolving that might be resistant to existing vaccines. Looker after Number One only is the most shortsighted thing to do, as it generally is anyway.
Making good progress in my burg. 0800 booking secures group 3's and over 50 Māori an appointment within a week and supply dependent after 4pm walk-ups, afaik all over 16's, are available.
Where do you live? Nobody in Wellington seems to have the faintest idea when over 75's are going to get the option?
Perhaps I can move into your neighborhood.
Whanganui.
UK….is struggling with the Delta variant … but in Cornwall,
luckily, G7 attendees appear immune.
Beggars belief that these top flight world leaders, including the queen, would be allowed to gather and hob- nob unfettered in this stinking plague pit.
Have they not heard of Zoom?
Bets on how many of them aren't fully jabbed?
Bojo might be one, having had it, but I'm betting the others were near the top of the queue.
"others were near the top of the queue."
You mean like all the many and varied Health Ministers, and Covid 19 Minister we seem to have who were getting done back in March.
Yes.
I do mean like that.
BloJo got his first late March. It's AZ, so he's probably close to getting his second.
Merkel mid-March with AZ, dunno about second dose
Biden second dose of Pfizer in January.
Trudeau first dose AZ late April
Macron says he's been vaccinated but haven't found further details
Suga fully vaccinated with Pfizer early April
Draghi got first AZ jab end of March.
So mostly not fully vaccinated.
how long before the second dose with AZ? Didn't think it was all that long, but haven't been looking too closely.
Originally the delay between doses was three weeks IIRC. As was used for the phase 3 trials.
When the UK started running short with the AZ, they decided to delay the second dose to 12 weeks to free up those doses for other people to get their first dose. Since then, it seems they've decided the longer delay actually gives a better immune response. But now they're closing the gap between doses to try to get more people double-dosed as quickly as possible because of the new variants.
Dunno what other countries are doing.
interesting.
Zoom's for ordinary people. And red-shirts.
https://twitter.com/kevinguilfoile/status/1403376339319668736
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/covid-19-outbreakcloses-hotel-hosting-g7-summit-delegation-2021-06-10/
Children's learning game – Which one is not like the others? Interesting about red shirts joe90 – hadn't known that and funny (not) in this context.
They do look as if they've just been beamed down. Using Tesla Star Transport I presume.
The Herne Bay set will be pleased with the government. Last week they got the billion dollar bike bridge to bayswater, this week they got a subsidised Tesla.
Sorry folks in the rest of Auckland where your roads have been cancelled and now your subsidising someone else’s Tesla.
Herne Bay has resisted the shared path for over a decade.
Herne Bay people don't stoop to a car worth only $80k.
Try a different suburb for imagined grievance.
Similar point made in an excellent Listener article this week, when they compared the 'bike bridge' to the private 'green school' funding. “The Greens cannot credibly claim to be the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised when they’re seduced into showboating projects such as this.”
Intriguing quote Gypsy. I cancelled my Listener subscription earlier this year, so perhaps you could check for me – did the author(s) of that "excellent Listener article" happen to indicate which political party, if not the Greens, they think is "most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised"? Perhaps the Māori party?
They didn't pass that judgement, I'm afraid. I believe their point was to highlight the hypocrisy of paying for education and cycling for the wealthy while championing the cause of the downtrodden. You know, the old 'actions speak louder than words' thing?
So then it's possible that the Greens are (still) "the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised"? Disappointing that the author(s) didn't clarify what they believed in their otherwise "excellent article" – how difficult could it be?
The author(s) are right, of course: hypocrisy – there’s a lot of it about.
It's possible they still are. The authors point is that they may no longer be able to credibly claim to be. But to be fair you haven't read the article.
To be fair I made that clear, and the quote you provided is confirmation that the decision to cancel my Listener sub was a good one, so thanks for that.
Still relatively good then – they’ve got my party vote until it’s shown that the Greens are no longer “the party most dedicated to the vulnerable and marginalised” – could be a looooong wait.
Fair enough. At the moment mine will cancel yours out, but heh, you never know.
James Shaw accepted that, while there were green positives in relation to the green school, the funding model supported was a mistake.
Maybe we need more honest parties like the Greens in parliament.
Meanwhile gypsy you ignore all of the positive work being done by the Greens on climate change and poverty. Take s look at their proposal for a wealth tax for instance…. something Jacinda and Robertson are far to neo-liberal to contemplate.
I don’t want to derail this thread, but I’m curious how you found the new Cromwell-Clyde ride.
If you do reply, feel free to make it a standalone comment 😉
It was excellent.
You need an ebike or you have to be super fit. We rode the whole way from old Cromwell which is 43k and took 4 hours with stops.
You can start a few km closer to Cromwell amongst the vineyards at Bannockburn.
We had a car at each end. Friends have swapped keys at the half-way point.
Olivers is excellent for a beer/fud at the end.
The only downside is the noise of the traffic on the road across the lake.
Ta
Proposals are not 'positive work being done'. The funding of a school for the wealthy was an actual policy put into action and supported by the Green party.
No, Drowsy – just a light-weight, cheap shot at the Greens with no serious analysis of any party's social policy.
When Pamela Stirling became Editor of the Listener, Chris Trotter related in a recent post that she said that the Listener would cease being the mouthpiece of the Alliance Party. Chris then said she had since pretty well transformed it into a mouthpiece for the National Party.
I saw this editorial as confirming what Chris wrote.
You are misinformed or do have a selective memory.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/122640790/green-schools-117m-from-govt-never-ever-been-a-100-per-cent-grant-ce-says
I didn't claim the school received a 100% grant. I described the money as 'funding'. James Shaw himself described the decision as an error of judgement, and went on to say this:
"So again I apologise. I apologise to parents, to teachers, to unions. I apologise to Green Party members who have been working tirelessly in their communities to make sure that the Green’s are a party the next Government and have felt demoralised by this decision. I apologise to the schools in Taranaki who quire rightfully want the best for their children. And I want you to know, all of you, that I have listened to your concerns."
Gypsy – you knew all that which you have just quoted, and that James Shaw had clearly stated that it was an error of judgement… Yet you sneakily used it to back up the Listener Editorial which I have described as a cheap shot, but which you described as 'excellent'.
I think we can all see where you are coming from, Gypsy.
You said this:
Make of that what you will, but to me you were lying by omission to tell the full story, which would make you a hypocritical troll, in my book. This seems to a hallmark of commenters who have an engrained anti-Green Party bias. Quoting from a propaganda magazine that is not accessible to others here is very poor form but goes with the trolling, I guess.
The fee only occurs if you buy in a vehicle from overseas- cars already in NZ don't pay a fee. The fee occurs if you choose to buy a petrol /diesel car with more than low emissions.
You get a fee paid to you if you choose to buy a car that is new or second hand and it's an EV or a hybrid and costs less than $80,000.
You avoid paying a fee if you choose to buy a car with low emissions.
You neither pay or receive a fee if you choose an EV of hybrid costing over $80,000 or if you choose a low emissions vehicle.
There are choices. You can choose to subsidise, or not.
Some people don’t like others having choices because it is only fair if all people have the same choices. They’re living in Fantasy Land.
This sounds interesting though i haven't as yet read it.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444634/internal-affairs-intelligence-and-investigation-system-panned
It set out in 2013 to set up a system that let investigators in five different units share intelligence.
"The ultimate outcome… will be to enable efficient single and multi-unit investigations," it said.
Instead, after a series of hurdles, eight years on it has spent about $2 million on the intelligence side of things.
Obvious why it didn't work – they hadn't spent enough millions on it! Everyone else just pours the $ on, with a cherry on top. /sarc
Heh, interesting.
The bit about changes "that improved how investigations were managed" – were they part of the results from the suggested programme, or did the project take so long to get off the ground that other managers implemented a workaround that turned out to be better than the proposed project?
Or maybe it just took so long to get going that it became obsolete before it started lol.
I was unclear what all these groups needed to "investigate" or was it a dodge to cover up prying into the personal affairs of their fellow citizens without checks nd balances.
Any ideas anyone?
Depends on the units involved. They mentioned passports, so there's one aspect. There's also financial stuff, like gambling, lotteries, and some international financing/laundering regulations.
The 2 year delay at the start probably sunk it – they attempted to tender in 2016 and then the only company which met the requirements went into liquidation.
To Ben Purua and all others who have and will turn their lives around: RESPECT!
Kia kaha
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/125383822/ben-purua-went-to-prison-for-manslaughter-at-16–farming-has-changed-his-life