Open mike 14/11/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 14th, 2019 - 85 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

85 comments on “Open mike 14/11/2019 ”

  1. Herodotus 1

    Net Migration Dec 2017 = 52 646

    Sept 2019 = 54,623

    https://www.interest.co.nz/property/102531/migration-added-54623-people-countrys-population-year-september

    Thanks for this traffic and the news that the housing market is taking off – Labour is the govt and we have all these issues that they were to address – Thanks for doing Nothing – Deliver on the vision you sold us at the election.

    In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually.

    https://www.labour.org.nz/immigration

  2. marty mars 2

    I agree with this analysis

    The police hope a new strategy will bring down Māori over-representation in criminal justice statistics.

    …Te Huringa o Te Tai is a refreshed version of The Turning of The Tide strategy, released in 2012.

    Julia Whaipooti, a justice reform advocate who is part of an independent advisory group appointed by Justice Minister Andrew Little says “The one thing I’d be critical about that is that it puts it on Māori … in order to do that, the onus needs to be on police to change how they practise, where they patrol, and how they exercise discretion.”

    …But Whaipooti says the introduction of armed police patrol trials flies in the face of what the police strategy sets out, by introducing armed police in areas with predominantly brown populations.

    “This seems really contradictory in terms of what the police actions are showing, to what their strategy says that they’re doing.

    “The strategy comes out and says we want to work differently with Māori… and then at the same time, they release a policy which has not done any of that.”

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018722027/police-maori-strategy-a-re-turning-of-the-tide

  3. Andre 3

    Oh wow. Giuliani's latest talking point to … ummm … defend America's prolapsed rectum is that only a part of his phone call to Ukraine's president was about extorting Ukraine into smearing his political opponent.

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rudy-giuliani-op-ed-wall-street-journal_n_5dcbc31ae4b0d43931cc8308

    • WeTheBleeple 3.1

      Like when Ronnie Biggs only spent part of his day robbing that train. Hence jumping the wall and only doing part of his sentence. Trump's 'smart', he's built his own wall to jump over. Not sure he thought about the reception he'll get on the other side though.

      If nothing else, he's exposed the utter fraud that is the Republicans feigning any interest in ethics, morals, their country or their constituents. Just more self-obsessed Tory corporate sock puppets from where I'm sitting.

      The enemies of the Earth.

  4. marty mars 4

    The truth does come out sometimes.

    When the congresswoman Ilhan Omar called Donald Trump’s top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, a white nationalist in April, the chorus of outrage from Republicans could not have been louder.

    … The attacks on Omar were puzzling to anyone who knew about Miller’s role pushing hard-right immigration policies in the White House, but now a Southern Poverty law Center report analyzing 900 leaked emails between Miller and staff at Breitbart news reveal that she was right all along.

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/13/stephen-miller-white-nationalist-emails-ilhan-omar

    • Sabine 4.1

      I guess 'white male working class with economic anxiety ' sounds so much less threatening and ugly.

  5. The Chairman 6

    The investigation into how Budget-sensitive material was accessed at the Treasury has hit a hurdle. Yet, despite that, it is expected to be completed within or near the original budget of $250,000.

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/11/14/909069/budget-bungle-continues

    Does anybody else find the original time frame (months) and cost of this investigation to be excessive?

  6. Adrian Thornton 7

    The Great French cyclist from the heroic era of cycle racing the eternal second Raymond Poulidor has sadly passed today. Known fondly by his legion of fan over the decades by his nick name Pou-Pou, his career (unfortunately for him) spanned the reigns of two of the greatest cyclist the world has ever known, firstly Jacques Anquetil (5 times winner of the Tour de France) and then 'The Cannibal" Eddy Merckx, regarded as the greatest all round rider in the history of the sport.

    Poulidor was adored by the public for his humble demeanor off the bike, but his ferocious fighting spirit on in the saddle, his epic shoulder to shoulder battle with Anquetil during the 1964 Tour de France on the mountains of the Puy de Dome is remembered as one of the classic stages on the history of the TdF.

    http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6ai6ynbPk1qaahfxo1_1280.jpg

    The story goes that when Poulidor visited Anquetil on his death bed in 1987, Anquetil told his greatest rival the he would now have to finish second yet again.

    He will be sadly missed

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYksA7loH0o

  7. Robert Guyton 8

    David Suzuki says:

    "I believe that that’s the challenge: to give Nature the chance, not impose human technology, and try to manage our way into the future. Give Nature — which has had 3.8 billion years to evolve — give Nature a chance, and my hope is that she will be far more generous than we deserve."

    https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/why-we-cant-lose-hope-dr-david-suzuki-speaks-out/

    • Sabine 8.1

      yeah, nah, not gonna change anything.

      seriously this 'give this a chance' is simply just a really cheap cop out to 'get the fuck of your lazy arse and learn how to do the same with less and if you can walk, walk'.

      • Robert Guyton 8.1.1

        Funny, characterising David Suzuki as someone offering a "cheap cop out". You'll find a reading of the whole article instructive.

        • Sabine 8.1.1.1

          well Mr. Suzuki might believe that people get out of their cars and walk, and he might even advocate for this (something i don't dispute) but 'this give nature a chance' is failing because people a. don't give nature a chance – in fact where ever they can they concrete/tar it over so they can park their cars and drive them too, and b. walking? that is for suckers. As the same people that pave everything over to park their cars only ever jog, on a well paved road.

          nature? she dying and we are doing a bang of job on killingher.

      • Pingau 8.1.2

        David Suzuki is arguing for that – to consume less and walk more. And arguing that we cannot rely on technology to save us as it is technology that got us into this mess in the first place. You want less carbon in the atmosphere? – consume less, especially fossil fuels and highly polluting products. Plant trees and allow regeneration of natural environments to take place.

  8. Peter 9

    I heard Simon Bridges talking about the news out today about discussions around TVNZ and RNZ.

    He is concerned that "Where it took an editorial line – and it inevitably would – that would become the received wisdom … a liberal democracy needs many voices that check each other."

    No doubt he is happy when the 'received' wisdom comes from big, reputable, authoritative sources with minor others presenting different voices. NZME with Hosking and co. = good, a big united TVNZ/RNZ = bad.

    voiceshttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/403255/no-mandate-for-creating-single-public-broadcaster-simon-bridges

    • AB 9.1

      No surprises – he is routinely embarrassed on RNZ and is no friend of the platform. And structurally-speaking, it's in the right's interest to have those opinions formed inside corporate media, and sympathetic to establishment economic interests, as the dominant ones the public is exposed to. They'd drown RNZ in a bathtub if they thought they could get away with it.

      The Nats success in this endeavour requires that the public has no working concept of private power. The mantra of "sate bad, private good" requires that the state be identified as the locus of oppressive power, whereas the private is characterised as just other people like us. In reality the purpose of the state (including, the state broadcaster) is to free us from domination by private power.

  9. Macro 10

    Just a quick review of why the US are now in an Impeachment Inquiry:

    Trump%20Ukraine%20review%20Funds%20release

    • Nic the NZer 10.1

      Why are Ukraine and Russian forces in conflict? Is the Ukraine attempting to recover Crimea? Is providing more weapons to Ukraine expected to de-escelate or to escelate this situation and the military toll there?

      • Andre 10.1.1

        The conflict is the Ukraine is because Pootee is trying recover the glory days of the grand Soviet Empire by incrementally grabbing bits of former Soviet states here and there.

        That's so he can truly be a leader on the world, instead of just the head thug of a rundown trailer park with a petrol station that does double-duty as a liquor store. With nukes.

        • aom 10.1.1.1

          Actually Andre, it sounds as though Volodymyr Zelensky is getting the message that it makes more sense to talk with, or even side with Russia since its NATO sponsor has proved itself ineffectual, other than by giving tacit support to Ukraine's Nazi militias. Of course, being big on democracy, one would have thought that you would have supported the Crimean vote to join with Russia. Those matters sorted, would you care to reflect on which thug is waging war on democratic South American states that refused to be yoked by the IMF, while at the same time, creating endless mayhem in the Middle East – Putin?

        • Nic the NZer 10.1.1.2

          If your going to answer then do read the question. Several soldiers were killed this year, where were they (presumably Ukraine/Crimea). Who escellated to the point of that occurring?

          • Andre 10.1.1.2.1

            Was your question a rhetorical device that you think you already knew the answer to?

            The simple fact is in both Crimea and the Donbas, russian military forces (read up about little green men et al) made an uninvited and unwanted appearance in Ukraine territory, and are still there. There are zero Ukrainian military forces in Russian Federation territory.

            No matter how much diversionary smoke gets blown, those two simple facts make Russia the aggressor in an act of territorial expansion.

            • Nic the NZer 10.1.1.2.1.1

              So yes the Ukraine military is trying to recapture Crimea hence the casualties?

              • The Al1en

                Erm, no, the russians are on ukrainian soil outside of the annexed crimea, so more a continued defensive operation rather than an offensive push to recapture lost territory.
                Which is, of course, like a decision to ally with nato and the EU, as a sovereign nation, their self determined right.

              • Andre

                No. The current hotpots are where Russia is trying to grab part of eastern Ukraine. It's a long way away from Crimea.

      • Adrian 10.1.2

        Because the Carpathian mountains and the Balkan mountains are to the west of Ukraine and it is all flat country as the southern part of Great European Plain, right to the gates of Moscow. Even today mountain ranges and water barriers are vital for security. If the Ukraine sides more with the west then Western troops would only be hours from Moscow and with a 3000 kms open country approach that makes it very vulnerable.

        Russias only friend when invaded is winter which has saved it at least twice, once each from France and Germany.

        • Adrian Thornton 10.1.2.1

          That is a great point, not to mention that from the Russian point of view (rightly or wrongly) any defense of Russia would hinge on the Russian Black Sea Fleet being fully functional.

          Here is a good discussion on the situation of USA/Russia/Ukraine…

          Ukrainegate impeachment saga worsens US-Russia Cold War

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpASSqz1hGc

          • Karol121 10.1.2.1.1

            Interesting (video clip) caption.

            Could it have something to do with NATO perhaps?

            surprise

            Using “but” during a telephone conversation usually implies that a condition must be met, or that there is some proviso.

            Such as; “We can, but we would want, or insist on.”

            If simply including words such as; “we would like you to”, then context can be more widely interpreted.

          • Brigid 10.1.2.1.2

            What an exceedingly wise and knowledgeable man.

            "We want to promote democracy, particularly constitutionalism, as opposed to political caprice in the former Soviet territories. That's been official Amercan policy. Why then would you support the overthrow by a street mob..there were plenty of neo-facists among them….[of] a leader who had been by all ratifying monitoring organisations freely and fairly elected.. especially when he'd agreed to move elections up within 9 months..

            Why would the United States therefore immediately, this being President Obama, support what was essentially a street coup,

            It's a blow to constitutionalism, the cause we claim to be promoting.

            That was a turning point, it was a message about what the United State was prepared to send. It was a very important moment and it was very wrong headed…

            ….Its sets a precedent for American behaviour"

            Those who as so pigheadedly Russiaphobic would do well to listen to this video and gain themselves some knowledge.

            • Karol121 10.1.2.1.2.1

              Actually Brigid, I couldn't agree with you more with regard to Russia phobia and the suggestion of manipulation in relation to interpretation pertaining to constitutional matters.

              But global dynamics will always significantly influence interpretation of a myriad of things related to ideals, both domestic and foreign.

              Russia does tend to get a hammering, but when observers can overlook a lot of the self fueled media hype, along with much of the fear mongering in relation to Russia generally, viewed in balance, it is evident that both the USA and Russia play a very interesting game of chess.

              Axiomatic, although not as economically strong as either the USA or the PRC, Russia does now to have an edge in relation to both global and regional influence which the United States of America seems to have fallen well behind on in many regions. Perhaps, in part, due to the amount of of distrust that has been created again and again, through various administrations in relation to foreign policy and influence.

              Quite sad really, when you consider that for many, the USA was once respected as a model of liberty, security and good intentions, correctly or incorrectly as the case may be.

              On the telephone wording, my point was that just a word or two out of place, or misinterpreted can change both perspective and dynamic considerably, though nothing at all may have changed in reality, or "on the ground."

        • Stuart Munro. 10.1.2.2

          And who do you suppose wants to invade Russia?

          While Putin has been in power the boot has always been on the other foot.

          • McFlock 10.1.2.2.1

            Funny how a 3000km depth makes Russia "very vulnerable", too.

            Nobody tell the Germans or the French, lol

            • Stuart Munro. 10.1.2.2.1.1

              There's some humour in the historical perspective too – the Ukraine isn't so much part of Russia – as Russia is historically part of the Ukraine.

            • Adrian 10.1.2.2.1.2

              It's width actually and width is very hard to defend as the invader has all the options and the invaded needs to be able react over in this case about 3000kms , The reason why the Normandy landings were effective as they were spread over quite a distance with numerous "feint " attacks.

            • Adrian Thornton 10.1.2.2.1.3

              @ McFlock , Are you fucking serious..26 million Russians died defending their homeland from a fascist invasion made up of various hostile European nations in World War Two….are you laughing out loud at that are you?, personally I don't find that funny at all.

              The only reason countries like NZ didn't lose twice as many men in that conflict is that the Russians had already broken the fascists back on the Eastern Fronts by the time we landed in Normandy….maybe you should show them some respect for that at least.

              • McFlock

                No, I'm laughing at you two trying to make Putin look like anything other than an aggressor who murders his political opponents.

                • Adrian Thornton

                  No that's not what you said..or laughed at

                  "Funny how a 3000km depth makes Russia "very vulnerable", too.

                  Nobody tell the Germans or the French, lol"

                  I said nothing about Putin.

                  • McFlock

                    not to mention that from the Russian point of view (rightly or wrongly) any defense of Russia would hinge on the Russian Black Sea Fleet being fully functional.

                    This would be the "defense of Russia" in 1942 that you were talking about?

                    • Adrian Thornton

                      Any leader of Russia is going to feel exactly the same about the Ukraine as part of their defense strategy, so no I am not talking about Putin, I am talking about any Russian leadership generally, and further, as I made clear, and you even quoted, I said "rightly or wrongly", so was making no defense of Putin, just pointing out a fact…don't you get the difference?

                      And yes I could have been talking about WW2, or now..that was my point.

                    • McFlock

                      Except applying it to WW2 would be factually incorrect.

                      And I'm not arguing that Russian leaders in the past have not also invaded or occupied the Ukraine. It's a recurring historical conflict.

                      But saying the equivalent of "his predecessors did it, too" is a minimisation of what Putin is doing now. Which is invading a sovereign nation.

                      You get pissy when the yanks do it, why aren't you equally outraged when the Russians do it?

    • joe90 10.2

      Disgusting pricks have gone full George Soros done did it.

      https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1194774142790381573

      #ImpeachmentHearings

  10. Alan 11

    Year of delivery?

    Average national house price – highest ever

    Immigration – higher than last year

    • The Chairman 11.1

      The left are once again discovering Labour are the party we can count on to let us down.

      • Incognito 11.1.1

        The Chairman is once again confirming he is the commenter we can count on to put Labour down.

        Your trolling needs to stop! Alan’s comment had more substance than your lashing out. Get a grip or leave.

        • The Chairman 11.1.1.1

          I'm not trolling. I'm expressing my genuine opinion on an open forum.

          Do you have something against free speech and people expressing their political opinion?

          • Incognito 11.1.1.1.1

            Your comments @ 6, 11.1, and 11.1.2.1, have no substance, are not constructive, and don’t stimulate healthy debate. You have been trolling this site for too long IMO. Start packing your bags with your ‘free speech’ and ‘political opinion’ if you cannot or don’t want to make positive and constructive contributions to the discourse here.

          • McFlock 11.1.1.1.2

            We're just trying to help you lift your game. If we don't point out that you come across as a tory troll who delights in trying to sow alarm and despondency amongst "the left", how can you expected to rectify your inability to deliver constructive criticism instead of incessant moaning?

            Your constant failing in this regard is a blight on progressive discourse and serves only to provide comfort to tories. Hopefully our raising of this issue will help you end your track record of disappointment.

            We merely provide a public service.

      • Robert Guyton 11.1.2

        And special thanks to The Chairman for his sterling work revealing all of Labour's failings. Without his constant soulful moaning and his tireless efforts to undermine our confidence in the Labour Party, where would we be?? The Chairman puts the wet in blanket, the stick in mud and the boot into Labour at every opportunity.

        • The Chairman 11.1.2.1

          Labour via their failings undermine our confidence in them.

          • The Al1en 11.1.2.1.1

            Ironic! I have full confidence your repeated attempts to undermine them expose all your failings.

          • Incognito 11.1.2.1.2

            You only speak for yourself here! Stop your trolling!

            • In Vino 11.1.2.1.2.1

              Absolutely agree.

              I have accused Concern Troll Chairman of blowing his own cover so many times that I have given up doing so, because all he does is over-protest about how genuinely 'Left' he is, then try to spread more gloom.

              Chairman, please give in to the vast majority here, and cease your bleatings. It must be pretty obvious by now that your influence is zilch, or even the opposite of what you want.

      • solkta 11.1.3

        OMG what's that smell?

      • Adrian Thornton 11.1.4

        @The Chairman, True that, except I had no illusions going in…unfortunately.
        Don’t worry about these Labour Party sycophants, they are very easily upset, as well they should be, defending the centrist free market ideology of this New Labour Party gets harder and harder for them as it becomes more and more obvious that the project has run it’s course..straight on to the rocks…hence their hysterical out bursts at any dissent.

        • weka 11.1.4.1

          If you can't tell the difference between people fucked off at someone trashing an online community, and political sycophancy, maybe your political analysis isn't up to scratch either. I can't see anyone in this thread that objects to useful critique of Labour (don't know Alan). Lots of regulars here don't even vote Labour.

          I don't quite have my moderator hat on, but you may as well know I'm getting annoyed at the bullshit going on in comments like this. Have a go at the politics. When you start spraying shit around about fellow commenters, you'll get moderator attention.

          • Adrian Thornton 11.1.4.1.1

            I happen to agree with lot's of the critique's that The Chairman levels at Labour..that is what a political forum is for…the way The Standard is going you lot are going to be talking to each other in an extremely small box soon (and in case you haven't noticed it's getting pretty close to that now), and the echoes will probably start to hurt even your ears..or maybe not.

            When was the last time you came on here and defended me when the piles of shit get sprayed at me…I will tell when..never thats when.

            I will say what I believe on The Standard when and how I want, so don't threaten me, unless you are prepared to threaten the commenters who attack me for my political positions the same way.

            [you know how this works. So consider this a formal warning. There two moderators who consider TC a liability for the site and it has absolutely nothing to do with his politics. It’s about his pattern of behaviour. It doesn’t matter if you agree with that or not, other than how that affects what you post and whether that gets moderator attention.

            You can say and do whatever you like here, but don’t complain when you get moderated for breaking the rules and ignoring what moderators say. If you are getting harrassed, please let me or one of the other mods know. We don’t all read everything on site.

            Commenting is at a low point at the moment, in terms of numbers. Maybe in terms of content as well. My long experience both here and elsewhere online is that the one sure thing that will put people off is shit fights instead of debate. Both Incognito and I are putting too much time into fighting stupid fires at the moment. I’d rather be writing posts. Posts will always take precedent over comments, for obvious reasons.

            I’m running out of patience for explaining all this to long term commenters who should know better and who still don’t take notice when it’s spelled out for them. Fastest way to get a ban is to waste moderator time. – weka]

            • Incognito 11.1.4.1.1.1

              There’s a difference between warning and threatening.

              Please give a sign to moderators when you feel someone is personally attacking you instead of your political position. I concur that these lines blur all too often but we are not omniscient nor omnipresent.

            • weka 11.1.4.1.1.2

              mod note above.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 11.1.4.1.1.3

              IMHO the main problem with The Chairman critiquing left-leaning political party policies/MPs is that The Chair is not commenting in good faith.

              Until The Chairman increases the ratio of their 'comments critical of right-leaning parties' to 'comments critical left-leaning parties' (in Government or opposition), I'll continue to believe that they are a concern troll bent on promoting National party kleptocrat attack lines.

              The ratio of The Chairman's ‘anti-right’ comments to "relentlessly soggy" ‘anti-left’ comments currently stands at about 1 in 1000, so they wouldn't need to do much to bolster their "lefty" "more left than most" credentials. Or they can continue to reap the rewards of being "as transparent as a transparent thing".

              • solkta

                So transparent that you could pin some tentacles on him and call him a jellyfish.

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF7ftI-_fMA

              • Siobhan

                " the ratio of their 'comments critical of right-leaning parties' to 'comments critical left-leaning parties' "

                I too am 'guilty' of this Thought Crime.

                I almost never comment on The Republicans, the Tories or National…simply because they are not the parties, nor do they have philosophies, that I have any interest in as they simply stand for everything I abhor..

                In other words, to my mind, it goes without saying that I object to their actions. And complaining about them would be pointless.

                I do regularly criticise NZ Labour, NZ Greens, the Centrist arm of UK Labour and the Democrats regularly..simply because they are parties that I feel are best able to deliver change and create equality..and their failure to enact real progres is a daily disappointment.

                There are a number of people on this site I would consider 'trolls' on the basis of their abusive tone, The Chairman is not one of them.

                And if he is a concern troll, which I very much doubt, then credit where credit is due, his arguments and comments are better thought out and far more considered than many folk around here…

                • Drowsy M. Kram

                  Have my doubts – until The Chair can just once bring themself to refer to "Jacinda" as PM Ardern, we'll have to agree to disagree re their motives.

            • The Chairman 11.1.4.1.1.4

              The way The Standard is going you lot are going to be talking to each other in an extremely small box soon (and in case you haven't noticed it's getting pretty close to that now), and the echoes will probably start to hurt even your ears..or maybe not.

              Indeed, Adrian. Could explain the increase in comments over at the Daily Blog. Although, I suspect Save NZ posting there (were they banned from here?) has also helped in lifting the numbers commenting over there.

              On a side note, thanks again for your support. Sorry it got you a warning.

              • Incognito

                FYI, last time SaveNZ had been banned for 6 months for making deliberate defamatory comments and putting the site at legal risk. TDB can have them and keep them, thanks.

    • Peter 11.2

      I've been reading some blog sites attacking Ardern. It seems her hopes to do something about mental health services haven't been fulfilled either. Maybe a good election result might do something for the symptoms even if the underlying problems aren't sorted.

  11. Matiri 12

    Here in Murchison at the top pf the South Island we have had an unusually wet spring with weeks and weeks of rain. The slugs are playing havoc with my vegetable garden.

    More concerning than my slug problem, this week has seen the closure of SH6 north of Murchison, for several days due to torrential rain causing a series of slips involving enormous rocks. SH6 reopened at 1pm today, however there has just been another rockfall closing SH6 south of Murchison, which hit a vehicle. Sadly it is reported someone has died.

    We are going to more of these weather events causing havoc with the infrastructure that we all take for granted.

    • marty mars 12.1

      Yep agree. We always stop in Murch on the way down the island – good spot.

    • weka 12.2

      Controversial opinion but I think there are quite a few places in NZ that need to plan around not having road access at times. A big quake will do that so we should be thinking about this anyway, but I'm not sure how many people have gotten to grips yet with the huge cost of regular big slips from rain. I don't know if this is solvable in the long term by constructing roads in different places, but in the short and medium term it seems like something we may as well get used to and plan for.

      • weka 12.2.1

        Food supply lines shouldn't be too hard, but jobs are going to be a tough one for people that travel a lot. Maybe we should be relocalising economies too, for this and all the good reasons, and moving away from a driving culture.

  12. Karol121 13

    This global warming matter, and responses to it.

    The solution could be as simple as a few mandatory forms filed online, and a direct debit authority.

    We entrust our political leaders and government generally to find solutions to daunting problems when there is a crisis or serious issue of some sort. Yes?

    So. Just as with tobacco related issues, foreign speculation fueling the rise of housing costs and property market values, and like so many other things that political government especially seems to need to respond to, the following could be the ultimate solution by governments regionally and internationally:

    Firstly. Express concerns via the internet and with some street protests and marches.

    Secondly. Go back to doing what you ordinarily do.

    Thirdly. Sit back and relax.

    BECAUSE THEY CAN JUST TAX GLOBAL WARMING OUT OF EXISTENCE

  13. AB 14

    A useful primer on Latin American coups if you've got the time or interest in it. Bananas in 1954, lithium in 2019. Time and technology moves on, but some things are constant. It is after all true what we learnt in Sunday school – that it's the love of money that turns humans into evil, sadistic chimps. (apologies to chimps)

    • Karol121 14.1

      But where would we be without it AB? Money, that is.

      Actually, money is one of the best indicators in relation to people's position, disposition, behavior, perception and so many other things.

      It really seems to be a reflection of general human behavior in relation to it's acquisition, disposal (what it is spent on), how it is managed or mismanaged, and how well it can be used with which to manipulate.

      It is almost a mirror.

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    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    8 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    8 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    11 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    14 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    19 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
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