Middle class welfare! The new target group for National. Having belted beneficiaries, de-unionised workers, they're now after the middle class.
They're wrong on two counts. First, the Tesla meme is an exaggerated reaction to a policy that moves NZ car owners towards fuel efficiency and renewable energy.
Second, the middle class are the "mum and dad investors", those "ordinary hard-working kiwis" and middle of the road voters. National mocks them at their peril.
"the luvies who want to drive a Tesla to lunch" indeed!
All they'll have left are the one per centers and their 10% wannabes to compete with ACT for.
Or are we seeing a new rural conservative party arising out of the ashes of National as the middle class hate meme and the 'luvies to lunch' seems to indicate a rural bias there.
Which brands do hybrids? I know Toyota are working on a hybrid ute but it may not be available for a while and as you say, Ford Ranger don't do one. Do Mazda or Mitsubishi do them?
Looking through the main car sites, there doesn't seem to be any hybrid alternatives at the moment for utes, so I guess diesel Ford Rangers, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Tritons will all remain in the top 10 selling vehicles for a while yet.
All well and good Ad if you live in USA…………..and even then production starting middle of 2022!
"Right now it seems that this Lightning will only be available in America, with left-hand drive production kicking off in the middle of 2022. We're reached out to Ford New Zealand for comment, but we won't be holding our breath for the electric truck. "
They are very practical vehicles for throwing timber in the back along with a wheel barrow and a ladder. Try doing that with a Nissan leaf. So often is a need. Currently in NZ there seems to be no alternative and probably the Hybrid Toyota Hilux will most likely be the first available non diesel option in NZ but probably wont be until 2022 at earliest.
Yes, there are a few that * need * a double-cab ute – or at least, a double-cab ute is the most practical vehicle for them.
I suspect they're a small minority of double-cab ute purchasers. Certainly of the double-cab ute owners I know, the majority of them are quite open that a station wagon or van would be much more practical, with a trailer for the very rare big loads, but the tax benefits and image of the ute swung it for them. Oh, plus towing the boat, although they don't mention that bit to the IRD.
After all, all these various groups of people managed just fine in the times not very far back when double-cab utes weren't the domineering feature of our roads.
Pop down to any country golf course and see how many tradies, rural estate agents and farmers have used their "work essentials" to get them to golf. And the farmers are probably using pink diesel to power them as well …
Now I've never owned a new ute and never will I guess, but there are valid reasons to turn you utes over every 3 years or so due to thier resale value falling off a cliff after that
Pat – yes RUC, but the diesel that fills the tanks of the farm ute is not from the local bowser. It is delivered in bulk to the farm for the tractors and some of it finds its way into the ute's tanks.
The whole reason for ruc's is because it's the simple way for road tax to be gathered when huge amounts of diesel is not for rd usage . I'm picking more than a few farmers pay alot of ruc while not actually on the nzta road network.
Funny how many of the ones in the supermarket carparks or on a school run have neither trade tools or advertising. I guess they're all undercover tradies.
BTW, since 2019 the rav4 has had a hybrid option, so low emission. the farmers and tradies can all buy them.
I wonder if toyota do the black trim and tints for extra, like some of the other road tanks? Gotta look butch, but as soon as it's about emissions then "omagerd I haz no cash" lol
You letting your bias show , I just firmly believe that social good taxs need to be avoidable to be fair . And ite are hands down the best option for us out here .
Got my ute 2nd hand ,got mint tints btw bit of a midlife c thing😀
The number of people who will "need" to buy a new 4wd in the (maybe) months between when the fees start and when more varieties of low/no-emission (therefore rebated) 4wd come on the market will be very small indeed.
I suggest it will be much smaller than the listed number of 4wds sold in 2020, which was Jimmy's response to my "who needs to urgently buy a 4WD?" I doubt anywhere near that number were in a sudden, urgent need to have a new 4wd that day.
Thing that interests me more is how the 2nd hand market will be affected. Theory 1 is that prices will increase as utes/4WDs become less available. Theory 2 is that prices will drop as there will be an excess on the market due to Aucklanders buying EVs rather than SUVs. We're all guessing atm.
I'm less optimistic about the EV 4WD market than you. I want to hope I am wrong, but the whole thing is shifting deck chairs on the Titanic, so I should probably shut up.
Well here you go McFlock. Seems like Jacinda has been given incorrect info. regarding the availability of electric / hybrid utes. Farmers and some tradies if they need a ute are not going to have any electric option for over two years. And if you think the Ford Lightning will be available in two years time right hand drive, I have a bridge to sell you.
"Toyota has since confirmed it has no plans to bring any electric utes into New Zealand within the next two years."
If you require machinery for your business, like a farm, isn't that a tax-deductible expense?
Same for tradies, I thought that's the reason many tradies have to top-of-the-range utes with sports-package etc. Surely that's the only version suitable for the job they have to do.
I think it's essential long-term to reduce the number of gas-guzzlers coming into the country now. Those cars – the majority of those are not used on farms (Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger have the highest sales in NZ) – will be on the road for the next 15 to 20 years. Same with busses: Wellington Council should have been forced to replace the trolley buses with fully electrical ones. Instead we got more polluting (incl. noise as a form of pollution) ones, that will be around for a long, long time.
what size ranch do you have that needs a 500 k range? our farm vehicles (utes and four wheelers) hardly ever do more that 80-100 k a day, and thats going between five different farmblocks and moving stock twice a day(currently doing that and grazing drycows). electric would suit us perfectly.as for towing power, electrics have unbeatable torque figures ,so towing is fine.
A gisborne coast farmer going to the sale in Napier would chew some ks in a day I expect. Pulling a 3 tonne trailer loaded up would take some grunt dontya think.
Interesting point BW and I'm afraid I don't see farmers as the enemy. A lot of farming communities have been gutted by big biz buying up and forest planting or running industrial cow size cow farms.
Yes there appear to be hybrid utes coming (but the toyota mentioned below may well not qualify because the other toyota hybrids are not actually plug in). Work vehicles are also tax deductible which lessens the impact – or purchasing off the second hand market.
What do you think would be the best transitional policy until electric and hybrids are more readily available in that sector.
Just let them claim back the tax until such time there are atleast 2 or 3 models available that can do the job.
Shit if I was in the position to I'd buy an electric tomorrow, I cant wait till our 4 wheelers are electric , one gets sick of the constant noise of the motor.
Not quite the quad you're bouncing around on right now, but close. Won't be long before some chinese company decides to do a standard traditional quad in electric, if they haven't already. Then it's just a matter of someone importing it.
Fantastic result overnight, our men's cricket team convincingly beating England to win a rare test series and return to the number one spot in rankings.
6 first choice players were rested or injured and they still won in a canter. Great bowling, solid batting and disciplined feilding from our side was met with tardy fielding, sub-standard wicket keeping and poor batting.
We take confidence and momentum into the Test Final vs India on Friday.
They have been wary for a while,the BCCI pulled all the strings they could to get the final in Southampton, the home of world cricket ( yeah right ) and the most spin friendly pitch in England. Let’s put Ajax’s and Ish in the lineup and bowl the manipulators out of contention. Now that would be irony.
It's not just the announcement of the riding and walking bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, the directive to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to investigate opening a lane on the bridge for people on bikes, walking, scootering, or the various announcements that this Government will now not be sinking resources into specific road building projects that will bake in carbon emissions and poor health for the community for decades to come.
Indeed, rather than looking at isolated local proposals, look at the overall picture that is emerging, which is pretty good from my PoV.
I don't imagine that this is particularly easy for Wood. It has taken a long time for anyone in power to really get moving on this journey, which is a pretty good metric that challenging the status quo is hard when you want to collaborate and make it stick.
It's not just about wanting it to happen, you need to keep your values front and centre, have the right amount of power at the right time, good relationships, as well as being confident in the evidence in the face of a very loud opposition to change.
And on this issue it is only going to get louder as experts like Dr Kirsty Wild show us. I suspect it has been as much about convincing those who want to keep the status quo in his own party as anything – transport mode shift is not simply a party political issue, it's about values, identity and emotions.
Well said. It really puzzles me that quite a few commenters here run the neo-liberal ruler over proposals like hardcore economists of the NZI and focus relentlessly on cold hard dollars, business plans, and ROIs. No values in sight but plenty of negative emotions on display.
The linked article by Dr Kirsty Wild is very good too and the word “bikelash” is a perfect description of the anti-cycling bridge hysteria we have witnessed lately, here on TS and elsewhere.
Two very good reads and highly recommended, as they filled a few gaps in my understanding, which is still vast and huge.
Yes – this bikelash thing seems very peculiar. Here in Aus I can see and use plenty of cycling oriented infrastructure and I'm not seeing any particular reaction to it. Maybe there are some merits to being a pack of feral racist rednecks after all. /sarc
Yes Redlogix, they (Aus) came at it from a health and fitness angle, and added exercise parks along the routes. Great example in Hervey Bay from the Urangan Pier to the Esplanade. Another advantage is five times our population to help bear costs.
A good leverage to get government to act to help 'ghost' houses to be used, inhabited, managed competently and lawfully, and insured. There is one empty in Nelson where the children cannot agree on parents' estate terms and the house sits empty for years.
Something went wrong when I put up this and then made change. I got my previous comment back. This is what was meant to go under yours Patricia.
I read of a small town in Austria with nice scenery and needing some business. They established some lovely walks, in a loop which became popular and brought business. They had stops on the walk with seats at a view, and an attraction at each stop, also exercises to do – part of a health plan, where if you stayed two weeks say and did part of the walks, and ate to a special diet, you went away feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.
That would be better than having madmen, women and children, throw themselves onto bikes and streak about the place, or ride side by side blocking access, or hare up hill and down dale in races or doing bike tricks. Inevitably there will be more accidents from being on two wheels than two legs.
Well a bikelash is hardly surprising. Don't get me wrong I am not interested in building more grand road projects (the Key holiday highway being a good example) . Putting more money into public transport yes.
But
massive funding for a preferred leisure/health activity for a few people – not interested
massive funding for a harbour crossing that benefits a very limited geographic area – not interested
massive funding for a transport means used by very few people even if the current usage trebles- not interested.
massive funding for projects that a good number of the community are physically unable to access – not interested
This funding is being taken from a community that is constantly being told there is not money for hospitals, leaking schools, feeding kids, housing etc.It smacks far too much of entitlement by a very small group not a green solution for the many. Even down to the ‘why do we have to look at any cost benefits analysis” lines being run.
All of those are used by few travellers, most physically unable to access them, all involve huge volumes of capital both private and public, all achieve minimal returns if measured by kind of trips taken on average, all are subsidised up to their eyeballs.
When you scroll down to the Auckland modeshare maps by data meshblock, you can see that the areas with the most investment over the last two decades are the areas where public transport use is over 60%, and those areas are:
And for that amount of subsidy per trip, and all of that capital, Auckland is barely holding steady against the car as a preferred means of getting to work. The 2018 Census Journey to Work stats show:
Private vehicle use in Auckland is slightly above that nationally but it has some down more, dropping from 72% to 70% in 2018.
Buses have increased share by 1.1% to 7.1%, trains have gone from 1.7% to 3%. That means a combined bus and train increase of 2.4%. Combined with ferries, PT is sitting at 10.7% share of journeys to work.
Working from home has also gone up but only by 0.9% so not as much as it has nationally.
Like Nationally, the overall share of walking and cycling has decreased but only just and it looks to be a reflection of other modes growing more strongly.
If we are do defeat carbon saturation against the worst of our carbon debts, we are going to keep throwing $$billions of public subsidy against all kinds of non-car modes for decades. That will take all available modes, forming new networks, using lots of capital.
The arguments you are using are the same ones I’ve heard used for decades, against any mode that competes against the car.
If bikes are so great why did people ever shift to cars? And last time I looked most of NZ still lived outside Auckland – but hey we should be so grateful that we want to pay for the bridge that is used by a small group of people from a very confined geographic area. We’d be better off shifting businesses to smaller towns.
Rather than this mode shifting just up the public transport and maybe have bus lanes only on some of the mojor routes. No cars and no expensive outlay for an unproven mode shift.
Cars are certainly a superior form of transport to the truck, horse, train, bicycle, scooter, and to walking, if you live in a city in which:
– Central government completely reversed investment in rail and trams, and towards motorways and cars, since 1949 when Labour were voted out, totalling hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars
– all the tramlines were been stripped out 60 years ago
– all the planning over 70 years had huge industrial areas separated by tens of kilometers from residential areas
– passenger rail was stripped down so bad that they were close to just scrapping it in the 1990s
– bus transport was privatised and essentially left for dead since the late 1980s
– RUC was unable to be used on rail for multiple decades
– cities were spread out and high rises were discouraged until the 1970s
– road design favoured the car for nearly a century
– cities were dominated by National-aligned majorities and mayors
– where National-led governments since 1949 (ie over 50% of Parliamentary dominance) actively undermined public transport .. until the second term of the Key government.
And as a result we have the most car-dominated urban environment in the OECD, one of the most car-saturated, most carbon-polluting, and in public health we have the third most obese city in the world.
I've said before, the horse people resisted the car… forcing cars to have a person walking in front yelling "Car coming" so they would not scare the horses.
Now we need bells on the bikes.. especially in shared spaces. Pedestrians will need to be aware how quiet EVs are, when sharing spaces.
It worries me that Sydney has about 4x the Auckland population, has a better climate for riding more year round, and is a flat bridge, and yet the cycle traffic per day is around 2,000 people. It's hard to imagine even 1,000 people using this in Auckland especially on a day like today.
By cutting down refining in NZ, and relying on that done in other countries and having to be shipped here, people may have to cycle if transport systems are curtailed by fuel problems. Business will be given some leniency presumably. But we are getting more dependent on imports to keep the country going.
With imported refined fuel there can be possible consequences if it isn't good quality (there has been fuel here – diesel? -that had some substance polluting it.) We are importing mostly unrefined fuel now, but we control our refining systems.
We should be continuing with the refinery to ensure an intelligent cross-over to other fuels, and encouraging diminishing individual trip numbers with public transport – could be small local tuk-tuks and encouraging taxi circles with neighbourhoods using group trips to bus hubs, or where there are few buses available.
Transport companies could be encouraged to reform their business style to use rail where it provides good value for both entities. We have to plan for the South Island where high seas will threaten the present main line, and roads can be blocked by slips and ruined bridges. Co-ordination and forethought, not precipitate business action would be wise.
"The agreement includes provision for third party access to unutilised capacity on its Refinery to Auckland Pipeline (RAP). Refining NZ remains focused on concluding negotiations with its only other current refinery customer Mobil," the company said..
"Refining NZ processes a range of crude oils imported from offshore markets to produce premium and regular petrol, diesel, aviation and kerosene, and fuel oils for our oil company customers (BP, Mobil and Z Energy). The Marsden Point oil refinery supplies around 70% of New Zealand fuel demand, delivering fuel to Auckland through the Refinery to Auckland Pipeline (RAP), to Northland from the Marsden Point site and to other parts of New Zealand through coastal shipping vessels," the company says…
Refining NZ is pushing ahead with plans to stop refining operations at New Zealand's only oil refinery at Marsden Point, Northland.
Depending on various approvals the company is looking at switching to an import-only model by the middle of next year.
"On current estimates, a final decision in Q3 2021 would enable a conversion to occur by mid-2022." …
James said the company had been working hard on the detailed planning about "exactly how we might run an import terminal operation", and what other opportunities there might be for the site.
"Marsden Point has huge potential being a large industrial consented site, with deep water port access, large electricity and gas connections and a highly skilled workforce. We want to explore what the best opportunities are for the site, for our region, and for New Zealand."
Leaders at the G7 summit in England have been told to demonstrate the “global will” to tackle climate change by David Attenborough.
The television naturalist said the scientific response to the Covid-19 pandemic had demonstrated what was possible when there was a “clear and urgent” goal.
But the fight against climate change was as much a “political and communications” challenge as a scientific one, he said in a video address.
And the G7 is also expected to commit to increasing their contributions to international climate finance, to help developing countries deal with the impact of climate change and to support sustainable growth.
But environmentalists have warned that previous climate finance targets have already been missed, and that aspirations to conserve 30% of our land and sea lack any form of plan as to how the areas will actually be protected.
Ahead of his address to world leaders, Sir David had said: "The natural world today is greatly diminished. That is undeniable."
"Our climate is warming fast. That is beyond doubt. Our societies and nations are unequal and that is sadly is plain to see."
…
On Saturday night, the leaders enjoyed a beach BBQ in Carbis Bay and witnessed a flypast by the Red Arrows.
Critics questioned the display by nine aerobatic jet aircraft amid the summit’s focus on climate change.
Maybe a 'spend & consume' strategy will limit global warming to 1.5˚C – time will tell.
I'm wandering around in short sleeves and the woolly hats sitting on the bike ( a stones throw from ruapehu), it's hard not to think 1.5° is already in the rearview mirror.
Not so good for NZ winters. We benefit from the cold in all sorts of ways – keeping the bugs down for one. And some trees and plants need freezing as part of their growth cycle.
Thanks Grey – good in NZ winters for some cold-sensitive people who enjoy the outdoors, even the odd winter dip, and don't have much fruit'n'veg in their diets.
Wearing sensible clothes in winter here would help. Schoolkids don't like wearing raincoats, girls abandon long sleeves in favour of shoestring straps the minute some sun peeps through. Miniskirts come and go, hardly covering any leg, just leggings are worn instead of under trousers, jeans are worn though they are just cold cotton and wouldn't stop a snowman freezing. Getting away from computers or studying small oblongs, weird habit, would mean a short walk which is what I will have to do this winter.
Have you worked in an op shop, and seen the stuff there that is passed over because 'not everyone is wearing it'?
Alternatively some op shops CHARGES are Too High. They need to find a way, about a month after every new season changeover, and people dash in to get the best stuff, to have families that are known to be needy come in on a closed morning say, and get all the family something warm and a few extras for just a few dollars; good to pay something then they don't feel like absolute beggars.
But people often don't buy useful stuff in reasonable condition. I think even amongst the hard-up there is a dress code that governs the choices.
Yes that bug thing makes my skin crawl! Mainly at the thought of the combination of us and CC killing the world. And yet so many people go blithely on.
…Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,…
Faces along the bar
Cling to their average day:
The lights must never go out,
The music must always play,…
This is an example of how womens lib didn't finish its task of improving conditions for women, gaining proper respect and understanding for their vital role in guiding their children and being in a mutual nurturing partnership with their partner, attaining reasonable and secure standard of living, and realising a full life in the community.
For men, there was a 4.4 percent drop in those in less secure jobs, and only a slight 0.2 percent decrease in those in permanent work….
Contract work Pffftttt.
But she'd like something more secure – a permanent part-time job.
"I'd prefer that over doing the contracting work, purely because you just don't know how much money's coming in every week and when it's going to stop, because at any stage they can actually turn around and say we've got no more work for you."
But permanent jobs that she can fit around her kids are hard to come by.
"There's probably quite a few mums that feel the same way. We all want to work and we've got the skills to work. It just means that we have to find employers that are keen to actually take us on."
Here is a very excellent interview with author Jenny Chan, talking about her book on contemporary industrial Chinese workers and the dire conditions in the mega factories they work in while making so much of what we all consume….strangely enough this issue is never really brought up any more, even throughout this current anti-China moment…very strange.
Hi Adrian. I have visited factories in a number of locations in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and into the Pacific (although obviously not since early 2020). I have visited factories in China that would do any country proud in terms of workers conditions, but I have also visited many that were stuck in a time warp of shocking conditions, both in the factories themselves and in worker hostels/accommodation. I have walked out of more than one in utter disgust.
What kind of administration gets its Justice Department to secretly investigate one of its own top lawyers while said top lawyer is still serving with zero hint of any kind of impropriety or disloyalty?
Is it just me, or does it really look like the only criteria Repugs use for selecting their presidents is whether their choice can be bad enough to make previous Repugs look better in hindsight? I mean geez, trying to dig dirt on McGahn is waay lower than even anything Nixon tried.
A good leverage to get government to act to help 'ghost' houses to be used, inhabited, managed competently and lawfully, and insured. There is one empty in Nelson where the children cannot agree on parents' estate terms and the house sits empty for years.
Geoff Williams of Rotorua's council is enviably adept at flannel with his outward looking internally appointed 7 outcome focused deputy ceos blahblahblah.
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The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
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December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
A new poem by Freya Turnbull. Hunger Song – After Kaveh Akbar (Untitled With Hunger And Matcheads) I hold my age in ripped fishnet hold an empty vessel oldyoung body cracks like gunshot like killa i was a father ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Australian National University View of the Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station.NASA Earth must have experienced something exceptional 10 million years ago. Our study of rock samples from the floor of the Pacific Ocean has found ...
Troy Rawhiti-Connell reviews Kia Tupu Te Ara, a documentary chronicling the meteoric rise of Aotearoa’s groundbreaking metal band. “Two brothers attempt to storm the world of thrash metal with the Māori language, despite the fact they’re both still teenagers,” reads the synopsis of Kent Belcher’s documentary, Kia Tupu Te Ara. ...
Three freelance writers have been awarded grants to work on their ambitious journalism projects. In January, The Spinoff announced the Vince Geddes In-Depth Journalism Fund, supported by the Auckland Radio Trust (ART). The fund was established to provide much-needed financial and editorial support to talented freelance journalists, empowering them to ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga China has confirmed details of its meeting with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown for the first time, saying Beijing “stands ready to have an in-depth exchange” with the island nation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters during his ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2023 strategic foreign policy assessment, “Navigating a shifting world”, accurately foresaw a more uncertain and complex time ahead for New Zealand. But already it feels out of date. The ...
Our parliamentary throuple may be the longest running in the country, but cracks are showing. Gabi Lardies wonders if differing attachment styles may be to blame. Though no one ever anticipated happiness or roses in the three-way coalition, the relationship has wobbled on for over a year without breaking up. ...
As Mike White’s dark satire returns for a third season, we look back on some of The White Lotus’s most memorable characters. The White Lotus looks like a dream holiday, but this resort is anything but paradise. Set in an exclusive five star hotel resort, HBO’s award-winning series is a ...
Analysis: Would the last scientist to leave the building please turn out the lights? Because the confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr as US Secretary of Health suggests we’re heading back to the dark ages.It’s a sad irony that President John F Kennedy propelled America into the space age; now his nephew ...
The crux of my message today is that New Zealand needs to bend two curves. One is the long-term economic growth trajectory, which needs to bend upwards to expand our productive capacity and national real incomes. The second is our net public debt ...
Away from the tense scenes on the paepae, under a closely guarded canvas tent, te iwi Māori do the real work of Waitangi: talking. We were invited inside to listen. ...
The Jono & Ben star is self-aware and surrounded by extraordinary women in Three’s latest local comedy series. The first episode of Vince, written by and starring Jono Pryor, opens with intrigue, a loincloth and a man in the middle of some kind of breakdown. As the titular character, a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Barclay, ARC Future Fellow and Professor, Macquarie University Wikimedia “1,000 Letters and 15,000 Kisses” screamed the headline in an 1898 edition of the English newspaper, the Halifax Evening Courier. Harriet Ann McLean, a 32-year-old laundry maid, was suing Francis ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lena Wang, Associate Professor in Management, RMIT University Supplied/AppleTV+ The highly anticipated season two of Severance, released in weekly instalments, has continued to draw interest among viewers around the world. A gripping psychological thriller, this TV series provides an extreme ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of South Australia VLADIMIR VK/Shutterstock Conducting scientific studies is never easy, and there are often major disasters along the way. A researcher accidentally spills coffee on a keyboard, destroying the data. Or one ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jude MacArthur, Senior Lecturer, School of Critical Studies in Education, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Phil Walter/Getty Images Seven new charter schools are opening their gates, and ACT leader and Associate Education Minister David Seymour – the politician responsible for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Kilby, PhD candidate in Education, Monash University Charles Parker/ Pexels , CC BY If your young child asks “what’s the meaning of life?” you might laugh it off (how cute!) or freeze in panic (where do I even begin?). It’s ...
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300331693/government-offers-8625-discount-on-evs-reviving-policy-killed-by-nz-first
I ask you to put aside your enmity for farmers and consider how unfair it is to tax farmers for buying Utes when there is no viable other option.
We carry dogs ,chemicals,chainsaws and alsorts of other things you really dont want in the back seat.
And who the hell would be seen in the Tesla ute!!
This policy is not designed for the productive economy. It’s middle class welfare for the luvies who want to drive a subsidised 80k Tesla to lunch.
Middle class welfare! The new target group for National. Having belted beneficiaries, de-unionised workers, they're now after the middle class.
They're wrong on two counts. First, the Tesla meme is an exaggerated reaction to a policy that moves NZ car owners towards fuel efficiency and renewable energy.
Second, the middle class are the "mum and dad investors", those "ordinary hard-working kiwis" and middle of the road voters. National mocks them at their peril.
"the luvies who want to drive a Tesla to lunch" indeed!
All they'll have left are the one per centers and their 10% wannabes to compete with ACT for.
Or are we seeing a new rural conservative party arising out of the ashes of National as the middle class hate meme and the 'luvies to lunch' seems to indicate a rural bias there.
There is a rebate is also available for hybrid vehicles. There are hybrid utes available. You don't all have to have a ranger.
Which brands do hybrids? I know Toyota are working on a hybrid ute but it may not be available for a while and as you say, Ford Ranger don't do one. Do Mazda or Mitsubishi do them?
I know that the hybrid toyota hi lux is just about here, if not already here.
From August last year.
The 4×4 hybrid technology is well developed – just the addition of a different body, and enough people demanding them.
Looking through the main car sites, there doesn't seem to be any hybrid alternatives at the moment for utes, so I guess diesel Ford Rangers, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Tritons will all remain in the top 10 selling vehicles for a while yet.
Might change quicker than you expect. Supply and demand, mate.
With an $8k sweetener on offer, maybe some non-traditional names might see their opportunity to get their foothold in NZ. Like Great Wall, or LDV.
Both you and Jacinda seemed to believe the EV Hi Lux just about here. I tend to believe Toyota.
Toyota NZ CEO Neera Lala was lying in when he said we hope to have Hilux hybrid enter the market before the end of next year?
Well he certainly isn't saying it now!
How far away are electric utes? | Stuff.co.nz
Ford does the Ford 150, already launched and produced now.
They are already swamped with orders.
All well and good Ad if you live in USA…………..and even then production starting middle of 2022!
"Right now it seems that this Lightning will only be available in America, with left-hand drive production kicking off in the middle of 2022. We're reached out to Ford New Zealand for comment, but we won't be holding our breath for the electric truck. "
https://www.driven.co.nz/news/ford-s-all-electric-f-150-lightning-combines-practicality-and-impressive-performance/
So the gap between vehicles already in the country and that being available in mid-2022 is… how long?
Who needs to urgently buy a 4wd?
I think you're dreaming if you think that will be available in NZ in 2022.
Who needs one now? Seems like a lot of builders, electricians, plumbers?, Farmers and other trades people. Look at top vehicle sales in NZ for 2020.
https://www.autocar.co.nz/autocar-news-app/revealed-new-zealand-s-10-most-popular-cars-of-2020
"Need" is something different than "purchased for image or tax rort reasons".
They are very practical vehicles for throwing timber in the back along with a wheel barrow and a ladder. Try doing that with a Nissan leaf. So often is a need. Currently in NZ there seems to be no alternative and probably the Hybrid Toyota Hilux will most likely be the first available non diesel option in NZ but probably wont be until 2022 at earliest.
Well, the fees won't begin until 2022, so that's convenient timing, innit.
Yes, there are a few that * need * a double-cab ute – or at least, a double-cab ute is the most practical vehicle for them.
I suspect they're a small minority of double-cab ute purchasers. Certainly of the double-cab ute owners I know, the majority of them are quite open that a station wagon or van would be much more practical, with a trailer for the very rare big loads, but the tax benefits and image of the ute swung it for them. Oh, plus towing the boat, although they don't mention that bit to the IRD.
After all, all these various groups of people managed just fine in the times not very far back when double-cab utes weren't the domineering feature of our roads.
Pop down to any country golf course and see how many tradies, rural estate agents and farmers have used their "work essentials" to get them to golf. And the farmers are probably using pink diesel to power them as well …
@logie…pink diesel isnt a thing in NZ…we have RUC instead
Now I've never owned a new ute and never will I guess, but there are valid reasons to turn you utes over every 3 years or so due to thier resale value falling off a cliff after that
Pat – yes RUC, but the diesel that fills the tanks of the farm ute is not from the local bowser. It is delivered in bulk to the farm for the tractors and some of it finds its way into the ute's tanks.
The whole reason for ruc's is because it's the simple way for road tax to be gathered when huge amounts of diesel is not for rd usage . I'm picking more than a few farmers pay alot of ruc while not actually on the nzta road network.
@logie…very possibly so but that makes no difference to the RUC incurred.
Funny how many of the ones in the supermarket carparks or on a school run have neither trade tools or advertising. I guess they're all undercover tradies.
BTW, since 2019 the rav4 has had a hybrid option, so low emission. the farmers and tradies can all buy them.
I wonder if toyota do the black trim and tints for extra, like some of the other road tanks? Gotta look butch, but as soon as it's about emissions then "omagerd I haz no cash" lol
You letting your bias show , I just firmly believe that social good taxs need to be avoidable to be fair . And ite are hands down the best option for us out here .
Got my ute 2nd hand ,got mint tints btw bit of a midlife c thing😀
that lots of townies own utes and 4WDS isn't a good reason not to support country people owning them.
https://twitter.com/LewSOS/status/1404270199419801600
there's politics too,
https://twitter.com/LewSOS/status/1404274193466728454
The number of people who will "need" to buy a new 4wd in the (maybe) months between when the fees start and when more varieties of low/no-emission (therefore rebated) 4wd come on the market will be very small indeed.
I suggest it will be much smaller than the listed number of 4wds sold in 2020, which was Jimmy's response to my "who needs to urgently buy a 4WD?" I doubt anywhere near that number were in a sudden, urgent need to have a new 4wd that day.
Thing that interests me more is how the 2nd hand market will be affected. Theory 1 is that prices will increase as utes/4WDs become less available. Theory 2 is that prices will drop as there will be an excess on the market due to Aucklanders buying EVs rather than SUVs. We're all guessing atm.
I'm less optimistic about the EV 4WD market than you. I want to hope I am wrong, but the whole thing is shifting deck chairs on the Titanic, so I should probably shut up.
Well here you go McFlock. Seems like Jacinda has been given incorrect info. regarding the availability of electric / hybrid utes. Farmers and some tradies if they need a ute are not going to have any electric option for over two years. And if you think the Ford Lightning will be available in two years time right hand drive, I have a bridge to sell you.
"Toyota has since confirmed it has no plans to bring any electric utes into New Zealand within the next two years."
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/06/clean-car-package-toyota-new-zealand-shuts-down-jacinda-ardern-s-claim-company-is-talking-about-bringing-in-ev-utes.html
Seems like you're conflating electric and hybrid, which your link doesn't do:
If you require machinery for your business, like a farm, isn't that a tax-deductible expense?
Same for tradies, I thought that's the reason many tradies have to top-of-the-range utes with sports-package etc. Surely that's the only version suitable for the job they have to do.
I think it's essential long-term to reduce the number of gas-guzzlers coming into the country now. Those cars – the majority of those are not used on farms (Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger have the highest sales in NZ) – will be on the road for the next 15 to 20 years. Same with busses: Wellington Council should have been forced to replace the trolley buses with fully electrical ones. Instead we got more polluting (incl. noise as a form of pollution) ones, that will be around for a long, long time.
By all means tax townies lux's, and the more intelligent tradies I know use Van's, they are a far better fit for their type of cargo.
But until there is a selection of ev Utes with 500 is of distance and towing power , remove it from rural utes.
what size ranch do you have that needs a 500 k range? our farm vehicles (utes and four wheelers) hardly ever do more that 80-100 k a day, and thats going between five different farmblocks and moving stock twice a day(currently doing that and grazing drycows). electric would suit us perfectly.as for towing power, electrics have unbeatable torque figures ,so towing is fine.
A gisborne coast farmer going to the sale in Napier would chew some ks in a day I expect. Pulling a 3 tonne trailer loaded up would take some grunt dontya think.
Interesting point BW and I'm afraid I don't see farmers as the enemy. A lot of farming communities have been gutted by big biz buying up and forest planting or running industrial cow size cow farms.
Yes there appear to be hybrid utes coming (but the toyota mentioned below may well not qualify because the other toyota hybrids are not actually plug in). Work vehicles are also tax deductible which lessens the impact – or purchasing off the second hand market.
What do you think would be the best transitional policy until electric and hybrids are more readily available in that sector.
Just let them claim back the tax until such time there are atleast 2 or 3 models available that can do the job.
Shit if I was in the position to I'd buy an electric tomorrow, I cant wait till our 4 wheelers are electric , one gets sick of the constant noise of the motor.
Not sure when the policy comes in but we may see a peak in petrol buying before then?
People are thick it seems a no brainer to by ev if you can , just the service fees alone must be a huge saving.
Not quite the quad you're bouncing around on right now, but close. Won't be long before some chinese company decides to do a standard traditional quad in electric, if they haven't already. Then it's just a matter of someone importing it.
https://electrek.co/2021/02/06/awesomely-weird-alibaba-ev-of-the-week-40-mph-electric-dune-buggy/
Don't worry, we all know there'll be an except-for-farmers clause.
Fantastic result overnight, our men's cricket team convincingly beating England to win a rare test series and return to the number one spot in rankings.
6 first choice players were rested or injured and they still won in a canter. Great bowling, solid batting and disciplined feilding from our side was met with tardy fielding, sub-standard wicket keeping and poor batting.
We take confidence and momentum into the Test Final vs India on Friday.
Who misses out on selection will be interesting.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/jun/13/england-left-trailing-on-and-off-pitch-by-clear-thinking-new-zealand
Yes I reckon India may be more than a little wary of little old NZ.
They have been wary for a while,the BCCI pulled all the strings they could to get the final in Southampton, the home of world cricket ( yeah right ) and the most spin friendly pitch in England. Let’s put Ajax’s and Ish in the lineup and bowl the manipulators out of contention. Now that would be irony.
Well I guess this highlights the danger of both smoking and huffing.
A possible NZ entry for the Darwin awards.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125398527/coroner-issues-huffing-warning-following-death-of-teen-in-deodorant-fireball
A great article on the Minister of transport and the transformation that is happening right now.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/politics/jess-berentson-shaw-michael-wood-a-new-leader-in-a-time-of-change
Indeed, rather than looking at isolated local proposals, look at the overall picture that is emerging, which is pretty good from my PoV.
Well said. It really puzzles me that quite a few commenters here run the neo-liberal ruler over proposals like hardcore economists of the NZI and focus relentlessly on cold hard dollars, business plans, and ROIs. No values in sight but plenty of negative emotions on display.
The linked article by Dr Kirsty Wild is very good too and the word “bikelash” is a perfect description of the anti-cycling bridge hysteria we have witnessed lately, here on TS and elsewhere.
Two very good reads and highly recommended, as they filled a few gaps in my understanding, which is still vast and huge.
Yes – this bikelash thing seems very peculiar. Here in Aus I can see and use plenty of cycling oriented infrastructure and I'm not seeing any particular reaction to it. Maybe there are some merits to being a pack of feral racist rednecks after all. /sarc
Yes Redlogix, they (Aus) came at it from a health and fitness angle, and added exercise parks along the routes. Great example in Hervey Bay from the Urangan Pier to the Esplanade. Another advantage is five times our population to help bear costs.
A good leverage to get government to act to help 'ghost' houses to be used, inhabited, managed competently and lawfully, and insured. There is one empty in Nelson where the children cannot agree on parents' estate terms and the house sits empty for years.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444698/newtown-house-fire-burnt-property-s-manager-says-complaints-made-for-years
Something went wrong when I put up this and then made change. I got my previous comment back. This is what was meant to go under yours Patricia.
I read of a small town in Austria with nice scenery and needing some business. They established some lovely walks, in a loop which became popular and brought business. They had stops on the walk with seats at a view, and an attraction at each stop, also exercises to do – part of a health plan, where if you stayed two weeks say and did part of the walks, and ate to a special diet, you went away feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.
That would be better than having madmen, women and children, throw themselves onto bikes and streak about the place, or ride side by side blocking access, or hare up hill and down dale in races or doing bike tricks. Inevitably there will be more accidents from being on two wheels than two legs.
Greywarshark, yes, now at 80 that I could do that. Lol Biking trails less my thing.
Well a bikelash is hardly surprising. Don't get me wrong I am not interested in building more grand road projects (the Key holiday highway being a good example) . Putting more money into public transport yes.
But
massive funding for a preferred leisure/health activity for a few people – not interested
massive funding for a harbour crossing that benefits a very limited geographic area – not interested
massive funding for a transport means used by very few people even if the current usage trebles- not interested.
massive funding for projects that a good number of the community are physically unable to access – not interested
This funding is being taken from a community that is constantly being told there is not money for hospitals, leaking schools, feeding kids, housing etc.It smacks far too much of entitlement by a very small group not a green solution for the many. Even down to the ‘why do we have to look at any cost benefits analysis” lines being run.
On that criteria you provide, Auckland would have:
https://at.govt.nz/media/1966910/simpler-fares-zone-map-web-sept-2016.pdf
All of those are used by few travellers, most physically unable to access them, all involve huge volumes of capital both private and public, all achieve minimal returns if measured by kind of trips taken on average, all are subsidised up to their eyeballs.
When you scroll down to the Auckland modeshare maps by data meshblock, you can see that the areas with the most investment over the last two decades are the areas where public transport use is over 60%, and those areas are:
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2020/03/17/2018-census-travel-to-work-results/
And for that amount of subsidy per trip, and all of that capital, Auckland is barely holding steady against the car as a preferred means of getting to work. The 2018 Census Journey to Work stats show:
If we are do defeat carbon saturation against the worst of our carbon debts, we are going to keep throwing $$billions of public subsidy against all kinds of non-car modes for decades. That will take all available modes, forming new networks, using lots of capital.
The arguments you are using are the same ones I’ve heard used for decades, against any mode that competes against the car.
If bikes are so great why did people ever shift to cars? And last time I looked most of NZ still lived outside Auckland – but hey we should be so grateful that we want to pay for the bridge that is used by a small group of people from a very confined geographic area. We’d be better off shifting businesses to smaller towns.
Rather than this mode shifting just up the public transport and maybe have bus lanes only on some of the mojor routes. No cars and no expensive outlay for an unproven mode shift.
Cars are certainly a superior form of transport to the truck, horse, train, bicycle, scooter, and to walking, if you live in a city in which:
– Central government completely reversed investment in rail and trams, and towards motorways and cars, since 1949 when Labour were voted out, totalling hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars
– all the tramlines were been stripped out 60 years ago
– all the planning over 70 years had huge industrial areas separated by tens of kilometers from residential areas
– passenger rail was stripped down so bad that they were close to just scrapping it in the 1990s
– bus transport was privatised and essentially left for dead since the late 1980s
– RUC was unable to be used on rail for multiple decades
– cities were spread out and high rises were discouraged until the 1970s
– road design favoured the car for nearly a century
– cities were dominated by National-aligned majorities and mayors
– where National-led governments since 1949 (ie over 50% of Parliamentary dominance) actively undermined public transport .. until the second term of the Key government.
And as a result we have the most car-dominated urban environment in the OECD, one of the most car-saturated, most carbon-polluting, and in public health we have the third most obese city in the world.
I've said before, the horse people resisted the car… forcing cars to have a person walking in front yelling "Car coming" so they would not scare the horses.
Now we need bells on the bikes.. especially in shared spaces. Pedestrians will need to be aware how quiet EVs are, when sharing spaces.
+1
It worries me that Sydney has about 4x the Auckland population, has a better climate for riding more year round, and is a flat bridge, and yet the cycle traffic per day is around 2,000 people. It's hard to imagine even 1,000 people using this in Auckland especially on a day like today.
You mean to say Sydney Harbour Bridge actually has a bike lane, why didn't we think of that?
By cutting down refining in NZ, and relying on that done in other countries and having to be shipped here, people may have to cycle if transport systems are curtailed by fuel problems. Business will be given some leniency presumably. But we are getting more dependent on imports to keep the country going.
With imported refined fuel there can be possible consequences if it isn't good quality (there has been fuel here – diesel? -that had some substance polluting it.) We are importing mostly unrefined fuel now, but we control our refining systems.
We should be continuing with the refinery to ensure an intelligent cross-over to other fuels, and encouraging diminishing individual trip numbers with public transport – could be small local tuk-tuks and encouraging taxi circles with neighbourhoods using group trips to bus hubs, or where there are few buses available.
Transport companies could be encouraged to reform their business style to use rail where it provides good value for both entities. We have to plan for the South Island where high seas will threaten the present main line, and roads can be blocked by slips and ruined bridges. Co-ordination and forethought, not precipitate business action would be wise.
Some Marsden Point facts:
…[Refining NZ] The company said its agreement with Z Energy is for an initial term of 10 years.
"The agreement includes provision for third party access to unutilised capacity on its Refinery to Auckland Pipeline (RAP). Refining NZ remains focused on concluding negotiations with its only other current refinery customer Mobil," the company said..
Sydney is actually a really scary place to ride around off the few purpose built cycle paths.
Maybe a 'spend & consume' strategy will limit global warming to 1.5˚C – time will tell.
I'm wandering around in short sleeves and the woolly hats sitting on the bike ( a stones throw from ruapehu), it's hard not to think 1.5° is already in the rearview mirror.
Apparently not; yet!
Good for NZ winters; not so good for Aussie summers.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-02/queensland-braces-for-more-hot-weather-with-record-temperatures/12914932
Not so good for NZ winters. We benefit from the cold in all sorts of ways – keeping the bugs down for one. And some trees and plants need freezing as part of their growth cycle.
Thanks Grey – good in NZ winters for some cold-sensitive people who enjoy the outdoors, even the odd winter dip, and don't have much fruit'n'veg in their diets.
And in Aussie the summer heatwaves could keep the bugs down – who knows.
Wearing sensible clothes in winter here would help. Schoolkids don't like wearing raincoats, girls abandon long sleeves in favour of shoestring straps the minute some sun peeps through. Miniskirts come and go, hardly covering any leg, just leggings are worn instead of under trousers, jeans are worn though they are just cold cotton and wouldn't stop a snowman freezing. Getting away from computers or studying small oblongs, weird habit, would mean a short walk which is what I will have to do this winter.
Then there are the kids whose families can't afford good wet weather gear.
Have you worked in an op shop, and seen the stuff there that is passed over because 'not everyone is wearing it'?
Alternatively some op shops CHARGES are Too High. They need to find a way, about a month after every new season changeover, and people dash in to get the best stuff, to have families that are known to be needy come in on a closed morning say, and get all the family something warm and a few extras for just a few dollars; good to pay something then they don't feel like absolute beggars.
But people often don't buy useful stuff in reasonable condition. I think even amongst the hard-up there is a dress code that governs the choices.
Dunno about any of that. Just that some families report not being able to buy wet weather gear for kids because of financial restrictions.
Yes that bug thing makes my skin crawl! Mainly at the thought of the combination of us and CC killing the world. And yet so many people go blithely on.
The penguin's fomenting.
https://fyi.org.nz/request/15777-communications-with-staff#incoming-59161
Is Pengy entitled to info about communications in a non office of the PM capacity?
This is an example of how womens lib didn't finish its task of improving conditions for women, gaining proper respect and understanding for their vital role in guiding their children and being in a mutual nurturing partnership with their partner, attaining reasonable and secure standard of living, and realising a full life in the community.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444662/more-women-working-in-precarious-jobs
Official figures show that in the March quarter, the number of women in casual, fixed-term or temporary roles was up 4.4 percent on a year earlier. There was a 2.2 percent drop in women in permanent roles.
For men, there was a 4.4 percent drop in those in less secure jobs, and only a slight 0.2 percent decrease in those in permanent work….
Contract work Pffftttt.
But she'd like something more secure – a permanent part-time job.
"I'd prefer that over doing the contracting work, purely because you just don't know how much money's coming in every week and when it's going to stop, because at any stage they can actually turn around and say we've got no more work for you."
But permanent jobs that she can fit around her kids are hard to come by.
"There's probably quite a few mums that feel the same way. We all want to work and we've got the skills to work. It just means that we have to find employers that are keen to actually take us on."
And now we have this deprivation that affects everyone.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444669/taranaki-food-charity-introduces-lottery-system-to-manage-demand
Here is a very excellent interview with author Jenny Chan, talking about her book on contemporary industrial Chinese workers and the dire conditions in the mega factories they work in while making so much of what we all consume….strangely enough this issue is never really brought up any more, even throughout this current anti-China moment…very strange.
Dying for an iPhone
Hi Adrian. I have visited factories in a number of locations in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and into the Pacific (although obviously not since early 2020). I have visited factories in China that would do any country proud in terms of workers conditions, but I have also visited many that were stuck in a time warp of shocking conditions, both in the factories themselves and in worker hostels/accommodation. I have walked out of more than one in utter disgust.
Interesting gypsy. We can look to you for some reliable information about some things we don't read much about.
Wow.
What kind of administration gets its Justice Department to secretly investigate one of its own top lawyers while said top lawyer is still serving with zero hint of any kind of impropriety or disloyalty?
Is it just me, or does it really look like the only criteria Repugs use for selecting their presidents is whether their choice can be bad enough to make previous Repugs look better in hindsight? I mean geez, trying to dig dirt on McGahn is waay lower than even anything Nixon tried.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/apple-trump-doj-don-mcgahn_n_60c635dee4b08ecb9afac078
Sounds a little like Nicky Hagar's treatment here when he spoke truth to power.
Unlike Nicky Hagar, I would be very surprised to see the US DoJ issue an apology and an undisclosed compensation.
Would be great if I were proven wrong on this one.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018798993/finding-wellington-s-next-top-mould-el
Howsing – looking at what people are complaining about in Wellington.
A good leverage to get government to act to help 'ghost' houses to be used, inhabited, managed competently and lawfully, and insured. There is one empty in Nelson where the children cannot agree on parents' estate terms and the house sits empty for years.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444698/newtown-house-fire-burnt-property-s-manager-says-complaints-made-for-years
Geoff Williams of Rotorua's council is enviably adept at flannel with his outward looking internally appointed 7 outcome focused deputy ceos blahblahblah.