Open mike 14/02/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 14th, 2022 - 42 comments
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42 comments on “Open mike 14/02/2022 ”

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  1. weka 1
    14 February 2022 at 7:10 am

    Please use the dedicated post for discussion about the anti-mandate Convoy protest rather than Open Mike.

    https://thestandard.org.nz/convoy-protest-day-seven/

  2. observer 2
    14 February 2022 at 8:15 am

    This is quite a long read, but it is a real eye-opener. In England and Wales there are still prisoners serving "indefinite sentences", for relatively minor crimes. It was introduced by Blair's Labour, and later removed, but the consequences live on. Suffering totally out of proportion to the original offences. Shameful, and not well known, even in the UK.

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/families-plea-over-barbaric-indefinite-prison-sentences-for-minor-crimes/

    • lprent 2.1
      14 February 2022 at 10:29 am

      This is the cost of stupid legislation. I am surprised that hasn't been knocked out with the UK HRA

      The 3 strikes legislation had exactly the same issue here. See Fitzgerald v R [2021] NZSC 131

      Andrew Geddis and Sarah Jocelyn described the case as

      Fitzgerald involved an appeal against the application of New Zealand’s “three strikes law”, which apparently mandated that repeat serious violent or sexual offenders receive mandatory maximum prison sentences for their “third strike” offence. Mr Fitzgerald’s third strike involved a low-level indecent assault (kissing a woman on the cheek) that would normally (having reference to his personal circumstances and offending history) receive a prison sentence of a few months at most. However, the three strikes sentencing provision required that, “[d]espite any other enactment”, the High Court “must sentence [Mr Fitzgerald] to the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed” for the offence, being a term of seven years. In light of both the relatively minor offending involved and Mr Fitzgerald’s extensive mental health challenges, this sentence was deemed to be “so disproportionately severe as to breach s 9 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.” (Fitzgerald, at [3]). Notably, the Crown did not dispute this conclusion, instead arguing that the seven-year term still must be imposed as the relevant provision clearly conveyed Parliament’s intention that the maximum sentence apply in each and every third strike case.

      The Supreme court decided that this violated s6 of the NZBORA with some pretty strong language.

      The majority did not then accept that a New Zealand Parliament could ever have intended to “impose sentences that are so grossly disproportionate that they shock the national conscience and breach s 9 of the Bill of Rights”. (Fitzgerald, at [123], [128]-[130] per Winkelmann CJ; [203] per O’Regan and Arnold JJ; [247] per Glazebrook J). Had Parliament really wanted to create so severe a consequence, it would need to use much more explicit statutory language to achieve its end. The Fitzgerald majority therefore held that the relevant third strike sentencing provision could be read in conjunction with section 9 of NZBORA as an available meaning under section 6, effectively changing it to say:

      “Despite any other enactment (but not including the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990) … the High Court must sentence [Mr Fitzgerald] to the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed … but must not do so if this would result in disproportionately severe punishment under s 9 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.” (Fitzgerald, at [323] per William Young J (emphasis in the original)).

      This was exactly the type of problem expected with 3 Strikes, and only a malevolent arsehole could expect that someone with mental health issues stealing a kiss while not in his right mind should result a seven year sentence.

      Personally, I’d like to take any person supporting that and force them to get their mental health checked. They are obviously crazy.

      • Craig H 2.1.1
        14 February 2022 at 12:28 pm

        Agree, looks like they took a useful concept ('Imprisonment for public protection' (IPP) is essentially the same as our preventive detention), but then set the bar to qualify far too low and also made it too hard to get parole ('license' to use their legal term).

        I think there's room for a nuanced approach for serious recidivist offenders, and Parliament, the NZ courts and the Parole Board have done reasonably well in this sphere, but if a law lecturer wanted a textbook example outside the USA of stupid outcomes from overly-strict sentencing and poor application, this English effort (and our 3 strikes law) would be excellent.

  3. Ad 3
    14 February 2022 at 8:46 am

    Interesting to see Minister of Finance Robertson actively considering further support for the hospitality industry, following the letter from Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick.

    Maybe Robertson is just having a Nordmemeyer Black Budget moment and figures he has to chug further taxpayer dollars down the throats of the beer barons to stop their howling.

    For the most part our hospitality industry is built on the tourism industry.

    "Prior to March 2020, international tourism was New Zealand’s largest foreign exchange earner, and with the year ending 2019, the 3.8 million international visitors added $17 billion into our economy. That was 20.1 per cent of all New Zealand’s foreign earnings. The industry’s value to the economy was bigger than agriculture and similar to the financial services industry, growing at a considerable pace for many years and projected to grow further. Then in March 2020, COVID hit. Our borders were and remain closed to international tourists."

    New Zealand Needs International Tourism Back ASAP | Scoop News

    Yet here we are in February 2022 in our third year of crisis, and we have a spectacularly growing economy, historic unemployment lows, productivity increases, wage increases, and other economic sectors are performing, and retraining is absorbing, all those who used to be employed in the hospitality sector.

    We haven't needed the great majority of the tourism industry at all.

    The ordinary suburban bar is going the way of the ordinary suburban dairy, and the downtown bars will come back in a limited form to meet the existing background demand level.

    No need to do more Minister.

    • Graeme 3.1
      14 February 2022 at 10:32 am

      I’m waiting for a hospo leader to call for the return of lockdowns, well wage subsidy and resurgence payments anyway.

      • Ad 3.1.1
        14 February 2022 at 12:22 pm

        Graeme my chops at hospitality do not in any way reflect on dedicated people like yourself who made businesses out of high-creativity high-productivity businesses like high end landscape painting. Nothing but kindness and respect to you.

        • Graeme 3.1.1.1
          14 February 2022 at 8:13 pm

          Just as much creativity in a kitchen, and pressure. Perfection, now, and every time.

          Surprisingly that end of hospo is looking like surviving but in a trimmed back form. The outfits that make 2c on a glass of beer, not so much. The bar game is cut throat here, a couple of cents on a beer net, works ok when the punters are streaming through, but when it stop, 'hello Mr Receiver' Happens every downturn, and some new ones come along every cycle and it repeats. This one could be quite entertaining.

          On a more positive note there's plenty in the industry who are looking to the future and thinking about what that may entail. What was Fiordland Travel, then went through a succession of rebrands to now become Real NZ has shrunk it'self back to live with mainly the domestic market. Recovery won't be quick, easy or uniform.

          “What the lack of international visitors has really shown us is we have to make New Zealand available for New Zealanders first, and then share it with the world.”

          https://crux.org.nz/community/stephen-england-hall-how-covid-will-change-nz-tourism-forever/

      • Craig H 3.1.2
        14 February 2022 at 12:32 pm

        The industry has discovered (as Australia did) that there is very little government appetite for large scale monetary support for businesses when there is no lockdown, and meanwhile, people don't go out much when there is a raging pandemic, regardless of government lockdowns or otherwise.

        • Shanreagh 3.1.2.1
          14 February 2022 at 2:47 pm

          meanwhile, people don't go out much when there is a raging pandemic, regardless of government lockdowns or otherwise.

          very true Craig H.. It was coming back reassured by not having to have a side of Covid with your meal ie having vaccinated servers etc but I think Omicron has put paid to that for a while.

  4. Blazer 4
    14 February 2022 at 9:43 am

    U.S really has its hands full these days…Russia over there,China,Iran,Nth Korea…

    Reacting to China's soft loan programme …..

    US to reopen Solomon Islands embassy amid moves to counter China | News | Al Jazeera

  5. Ad 5
    14 February 2022 at 9:44 am

    Finally the trucking lobby has the temerity to challenge government's great Kiwirail cash suck-hole.

    Report lays down the facts – road trumps rail – Transporting NZ

    Once Fonterra kills off coal-fired boilers, you may as well shut the Ohai-Invercargill line, shut the Westport-Christchurch line, in fact put a question mark over the South Island network.

    New Zealand probably makes more money just converting the lot of them to cycleways anyway.

    • Blazer 5.1
      14 February 2022 at 9:56 am

      Wow and who is responsible for that 'impartial' report?

      The trucking companies have had lobbyists working overtime on politicians for decades.

      Very generous donors to both the Natz and Labour.

      Efficient coastal shipping and rail would help ease road congestion and wear ,and freight costs.

      I'm guessing you probably work for…Mainfreight.

      • Ad 5.1.1
        14 February 2022 at 12:30 pm

        Our coastal shipping is so efficient that it is shrinking every year, and they are gouging its customers. Why Fonterra doesn't buy its own ships?

        I've dedicated years to two major rail projects, and I'm pretty satisfied with their results.

    • weka 5.2
      14 February 2022 at 10:00 am

      Once Fonterra kills off coal-fired boilers, you may as well shut the Ohai-Invercargill line, shut the Westport-Christchurch line, in fact put a question mark over the South Island network.

      New Zealand probably makes more money just converting the lot of them to cycleways

      Well at least we know that you think the issues is about making money, rather than say climate action.

      • Ad 5.2.1
        14 February 2022 at 12:20 pm

        Kiwirail's big ingredient is coal. As an SOE they are required to be profitable.

        You should do the Otago Rail Trail.

        • weka 5.2.1.1
          14 February 2022 at 12:22 pm

          Pulling up the CO rail lines was criminal. The bike track is fine, no reason why we can't have both.

          Kiwirail's big ingredient is coal. As an SOE they are required to be profitable.

          Yes, neoliberalism is a block to climate action.

          • Ad 5.2.1.1.1
            14 February 2022 at 12:27 pm

            Not sure why it was a crime.

            If the removal of coal kills off the non-trunk parts of Kiwirail, it's no bad thing. We don't use semaphore now either.

            The Otago rail line failed first because the Roxborough fruit growers who used to use it chose trucking instead. The Wairoa line which NZF saved was helped by local customers banding together.

            • McFlock 5.2.1.1.1.1
              14 February 2022 at 12:38 pm

              CO rail line was killed off while the tourist boom was happening. How does that work? Privatisation and mismanagement, and minimal capital expenditure.

              The removal of the hundred mile limit was a major factor, but rail to central otago could have serviced the tourism industry nicely, as a midlevel between the planes and the buses.

              • Ad …
                14 February 2022 at 2:39 pm

                They had a dedicated tourism rail line from Dunedin to Middlemarch.

                It was nice while it lasted, but COVID has pushed it the way of movie theatres, DVD rental shops, corner dairies, midbrow restaurants, and travel agents.

                This is the new world.

                • McFlock …
                  14 February 2022 at 3:37 pm

                  Yeah – but who wants to end up in Middlemarch?

                  Although it'll probably reopen in a year or two – lots of pressure on the council to keep that one on life support.

                  Train to Kingston and Earnslaw as a start to your q'town holiday… That could work. If the line existed. So all a bit moot, I guess.

                  • Ad …
                    14 February 2022 at 3:47 pm

                    There was never a train to Queenstown or its airport, Wanaka or its airport, so moot for tourism indeed it is.

                    The Kingston-Garston excursion is a lot of fun, as was the Dunedin-Middlemarch, Dunedin-Karitane, and Christchurch-Westport ones.

                    Just another part of the world we've lost.

                    • McFlock …
                      14 February 2022 at 3:51 pm

                      It did go to kingston, though, didn't it? Or was that always a random line in the middle of nowhere that never actually got a connection to the rest of the network?

                      edit: fair call, my geography might be well off. In my defense, I only lived in the area as a kid, not as a cartographer 🙂

                    • aj …
                      14 February 2022 at 6:44 pm

                      It did go to kingston, though, didn't it?

                      Invercargill to Kingston. Entirely pulled out from Branxholme (just north of Invercargill) to Fairlight. (not Garston)

                    • Graeme …
                      14 February 2022 at 8:22 pm

                      The rail went to Kingston because Invercargill and Dunedin were competing to get the gold business and money. Invercargill got rail to Kingston long before rail got into Central. Dunedin hasn't got over it.

            • weka 5.2.1.1.1.2
              14 February 2022 at 3:38 pm

              Not sure why it was a crime.

              We knew about climate change at the time.

              • Ad …
                14 February 2022 at 3:50 pm

                To claim that pulling up central Otago rail lines was bad for climate change you would need some facts.

                The useful thing about the trucking lobby report is that it points a questioning finger at a sacred cow: rail.

                The same debate is going to be had about light rail in Auckland. Sure, plenty of forecast benefits. But there's a lot you can do that's faster and with greater network advantages with $14b.

                • Poission …
                  14 February 2022 at 3:55 pm

                  For 14 b you could put solar on every house in NZ,with enough leftover for network up grades and smart switch on/off connections.

                • weka …
                  14 February 2022 at 4:00 pm

                  the argument we are having hinges on whether you believe that climate action can be meaningful via green BAU, or whether you believe it can only be meaningful at this point via the Powerdown.

                  So industry bods can produce all sorts of research and reports on options, but if they're not centering worst case scenarios in that, then they're missing the point. To give a somewhat superficial example (just because I was thinking about this the other day), I remember when there was an argument about whether cloth nappies or disposable nappies were greener, and that was framed and counted in BAU terms (and thus not sustainablity).

                  You have a lot of knowledge and experience with infrastructure and business and thus a good handle of some of the transition issues. But imo you don't have a good handle on how urgent and serious the situation is, and how far behind we are. Your focus is on how to keep society stable in the transition. Mine is on how to stop ecosystem collapse. Best bet is something in between I guess.

              • aj …
                14 February 2022 at 10:43 pm

                Dunedin hasn't got over it.

                But they did get the gold money mostly, in the end. The CO Rail went all the way into the heart of gold country, Cromwell.

                "In a two month period in 1862, two gold miners called Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly collected 34 kilograms of gold from the Cromwell Gorge"

            • Graeme 5.2.1.1.1.3
              14 February 2022 at 8:29 pm

              The Clyde Dam extended the Central Otago rail line's life by about 20 years. A lot came up on the rail. But it was slow, 30 – 50 km/hr. Our cement was supposed to come up by rail, most ended up trucked from Dunedin because the rail couldn't keep up.

        • Blazer 5.2.1.2
          14 February 2022 at 12:32 pm

          I thought they just announced a profit of…$42million.

  6. Graeme 6
    14 February 2022 at 10:41 am

    Heads up for people on older phones who are using Rippl to scan into locations.

    Remember to sign out of the location.

    Partner got a notification on it to call Healthline. Exposure at the supermarket. Turned out it was the morning after she had been there, and the app had kept her signed in for 1059 minutes.

    All got sorted in the end but it took an hour’s fast thinking and talking.

    But the app works, just got to use it right

  7. weka 7
    14 February 2022 at 12:01 pm

    175 comments on a post by lunch time. Like the good old days 😎

  8. adam 8
    14 February 2022 at 1:42 pm

    Steven Donziger being shafted again by the corporation. Us anarchists are right – there is no law. Only rules which suit those who have all the guns.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzRbRExqOQY

  9. Patricia Bremner 9
    14 February 2022 at 1:49 pm

    Congratulations Ryan Fox Well played 2nd DP World victory.

    • aj 9.1
      14 February 2022 at 6:47 pm

      Pity the commentators played a little into the MIQ thing and couldn't pronounce Adern's name right, if I heard correctly.
      Although the DP Tour commentator team is totally superior than their American counterparts, and are a joy to listen too most of the time.

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  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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