Open Mike 15/01/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 15th, 2019 - 88 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

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 …

88 comments on “Open Mike 15/01/2019 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Pete George 1
    15 January 2019 at 7:40 am

    More on PR versus substance – from Stacey Kirk at Stuff: No amount of photoshop will paste over broken promises or scandal in 2019

    Problems arise though, when the photoshopping – both metaphorical and literal – is carried out with a bit too much gusto.

    Just ask Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who found himself the butt of ridicule when his staff botched an unnecessary photoshop job, by pasting hip new sneakers over his tired old kicks.

    Mistakenly giving the embattled leader two left feet in the process was just too good for the internet to let slide. More seriously, the gaffe served to highlight the level of detail a leader’s army of press secretaries will go to, to control their image.

    New Zealand’s politicians are no different in that regard.

    Whether it’s Clark Gayford breaking a month-long Instagram hiatus to poke self-deprecating fun at his “christmas belly”, National leader Simon Bridges guzzling a beer in a floral shirt, or Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern signing on for a round of soft media in the gossip mags.

    None of these images tell us anything worth knowing about them. All are designed to give the illusion that they do.

    Sadly, in the case of women, it’s more closely aligned to the subject’s looks. But as it applies to male political leaders, it could perhaps be more accurately described as the “beer test”, as in “he seems like a good guy to have a beer with”.

    Hence the beer gut, the drinking shot, and myriad softly-lit photo shoots.

    But that only gets a politician so far and this is the year where the rubber hits the road for the leaders of both major parties.

    The Government’s stalled as long as it can with sundry working groups. The trouble with appointing experts to these things is that they’re incredibly earnest in their responsibilities to come up with solutions.

    Solutions which cost money, of which the Government has plenty but still not enough to fulfil the promises it’s made.

    Health, mental health, education reform, justice reform, public service pay, climate change and tax issues are all crying out for bold decisions and tankers of cash.

    For the Opposition, getting through the inevitable return of Jami-Lee Ross unscathed, and avoiding a significant drop in the polls, will be what decides Simon Bridges’ leadership.

    It looks likely it will be a make or break year for the leadership Bridges. More of the same is not going to do it.

    It could also be the making or breaking of the current Government. They will have to make tangible moves on fulfilling a number of significant promises.

    perhaps the media will shift more focus from PR onto substance too. There are signs this may be happening from some of them, but there is little sign yet what the Prime Minister’s priorities and plans will be, and her Government is yet to get going in a crucial year for them.

    • WeTheBleeple 1.1
      15 January 2019 at 10:29 am

      Maybe it’s all a kneejerk reaction to Keys cult of personality.

      Clark Gayford isn’t a politician so you need to retract that BS. Then after actually talking about MP’s (being in social media means you aint working) you bring in the opposition to appear balanced.

      Kind of dishonest wrapped in cheese.

      You got nothing but you’re gonna have a jab anyway.

      Real class.

      • Sacha 1.1.1
        15 January 2019 at 10:35 am

        He’s just quoting a disgraceful hack from parliament’s press gallery. That’s who you need to complain about.

      • Muttonbird 1.1.2
        15 January 2019 at 10:40 am

        That Stacey Kirk is dreadful. I suspect Scott Morrison’s helpers were trying to cover the branding of his shoes rather than their age.

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    15 January 2019 at 7:47 am

    Make or break for Bridges?
    How could he possibly make it???
    You’ve seen his “Chrissy-drinks” photo.

    • Pete George 2.1
      15 January 2019 at 8:05 am

      Could be make or break for James Shaw and climate change measures – he has to start coming up with substantial and credible and affordable plans or many Green supporters and potential supporters will be disillusioned (there’s already some signs of that).

      It could also be make or break for the Green Party, whose less popular social reform faction seems to get much more media attention than their environmental faction. A split vote may make 5% difficult to achieve. There were warning signs last election.

      • Robert Guyton 2.1.1
        15 January 2019 at 8:15 am

        Nah, they’ll be fine. It’s Bridges who’ll be sweating bricks. No one’s got his back and it’s a knife-magnet. His yapping in the House is annoying all those inside and even his own “family” think he needs time on the porch. What can he do, cease his constant wimpering and hope to allowed to stay inside, or bark louder to convince the Household he’s indispensable as a guard dog?
        There’s really nothing a dog can do.

        • Sacha 2.1.1.1
          15 January 2019 at 10:38 am

          Could be make or break for the new Conservatives! Lack of solid backing makes 5% unlikely and it’s not clear which electorate the Nats will gift them – or if the coat-tailing provisions will survive long enough for it to pay off.
          (How am I doing at this distraction thing?)

        • patricia bremner 2.1.1.2
          15 January 2019 at 10:53 pm

          Robert priceless lol.

      • Kevin 2.1.2
        15 January 2019 at 10:43 am

        ‘Affordable’?

        Does life just pass you by in a blur Pete?

        Where are well beyond the point where CC policies need to be affordable.

      • lprent 2.1.3
        15 January 2019 at 12:10 pm

        …many Green supporters and potential supporters will be disillusioned…

        Always a problem for political parties. Even in opposition you can’t be all things for all people. It gets harder in government. And all political parties are coalitions internally. They are always annoying supporters.

        This is why Labour often leaks support to the Greens and NZ First and there are the floaters who leak between NZ First, Labour to and from National.

        However the harder line Green supporters have the same problem as the remaining hardline NAct supporters. Where are they going to go? Their choice really is to vote for their best party to:-

        1. express vaguely something like their views and hope.
        2. not vote – something that extremists don’t usually do.
        3. waste their vote on a party that has no hope of hitting the threshold – which most of the time is a zero sum game (the extremists from all angles generally cancel themselves out). Think mana, conservatives, and united future (the beige extremists).
        4. get involved in a viable political party and try to shift their positions.

        With the greens of all flavors, once you get outside of the flaky fashion voters (useless damn voters for any party to pursue in my opinion), then they usually do something like 1 or 4 and almost invariably within the Greens.

        It is pretty damn apparent to any green voter that they either figure out how to tolerate each other ( for instance the the conservationists and social equity crowds ) or they they just forget about having any say in parliament.

        This isn’t exactly rocket science. After all the Nats are a complete anathema to almost every consistent green voter I have ever run across outside of the fashion victims. National have a very long and extended history of being environmental and social terrorists – and are complete hypocrites about it. And they don’t think that Labour is much better.

        Sure in theory a new party could form. But that is so virtually impossible with a 5% threshold that I feel it is unlikely to happen. I suspect that any attempt to do so will just cause the Green supporters to vote tactically to make sure that National won’t get in (and I think that a lot of NZ First voters feel the same way).

  3. cleangreen 3
    15 January 2019 at 8:24 am

    “It could also be the making or breaking of the current Government. They will have to make tangible moves on fulfilling a number of significant promises.

    perhaps the media will shift more focus from PR onto substance too. There are signs this may be happening from some of them, but there is little sign yet what the Prime Minister’s priorities and plans will be, and her Government is yet to get going in a crucial year for them.”

    Yes to all that pete, I agree fully.

    Jacinda made us vote for her on her solid performance with her famous “auckland town Hall speech” which still remains to be largely fulllfilled in it’s promises made.

    Things such as “Climate Change” ‘This is my generations nuclear moment’ – has been left on the back burner along with getting regional rail freight moving again, because labour in their last time in Government in 2008 bought the rail back for us all, and now in power she has done little to restore regional rail freight, as it and free up roads for tourists and Kiwi people to travel fafer, but all we see so far is Labour pouring more god money after bad into minior alterations to make roads better for trucks so that is dumb as trucks are now wrecking our climat change emisions targets.

    Next was Labour Jacinda promised was to bring us a Government that was a softer, gentler, caring, inclusive, considerate and transperant Government who will listen to our concerns, and provide ousing for all and jobs, but this was the basic plan Jacinda made us believe, and sadly so far the opposite has occurred here.

    The clock is ticking jacinda so please make this wish come true for us all this year. ‘Lets do this’. – (Jacinda called her plea as in pre-election 2017.)

  4. Dennis Frank 4
    15 January 2019 at 8:46 am

    Latest examination of US imperialism leads to surprising identification of the cause: https://exhalantblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/14/generals-gathered-in-their-masses-the-expansion-of-empire-continues-unabated/

    “But while official Washington united in opposition, new polling data from Morning Consult/Politico shows that a large plurality of Americans support Trump’s Syria withdrawal announcement: 49 percent support to 33 percent opposition.” https://theintercept.com/2019/01/11/as-democratic-elites-reunite-with-neocons-the-partys-voters-are-becoming-far-more-militaristic-and-pro-war-than-republicans/

    “That’s not surprising given that Americans by a similarly large plurality agree with the proposition that “the U.S. has been engaged in too many military conflicts in places such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan for too long and should prioritize getting Americans out of harm’s way” far more than they agree with the pro-war view that “the U.S. needs to keep troops in places such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan to help support our allies fight terrorism and maintain our foreign policy interests in the region.””

    Greenwald reports the evidence that the real warmongers are the Democrats: “But what is remarkable about the new polling data on Syria is that the vast bulk of support for keeping troops there comes from Democratic Party voters, while Republicans and independents overwhelming favor their removal. The numbers are stark: Of people who voted for Clinton in 2016, only 26 percent support withdrawing troops from Syria, while 59 percent oppose it. Trump voters overwhelmingly support withdraw by 76 percent to 14 percent.”

    • Gabby 4.1
      15 January 2019 at 8:52 am

      Let’s wait and see if the withdrawal happens in praxis franxie. Til then it’s just words.

  5. Dennis Frank 5
    15 January 2019 at 8:51 am

    There’s a cold shower of reality falling on all those here who keep pretending that the Democrats are the good guys:

    “Democratic policy elites in Washington are once again formally aligning with neoconservatives, even to the point of creating joint foreign policy advocacy groups (a reunion that predated Trump). The leading Democratic Party think tank, the Center for American Progress, donated $200,000 to the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and has multilevel alliances with warmongering institutions.” https://theintercept.com/2019/01/11/as-democratic-elites-reunite-with-neocons-the-partys-voters-are-becoming-far-more-militaristic-and-pro-war-than-republicans/

  6. francesca 6
    15 January 2019 at 10:04 am

    There is zero evidence that the Ukrainian political consultant ..note ..Ukrainian not Russian, Konstantin Kilimnik , has ties to the Russian security services.
    The long bow being strung here is that when Kilimkin applied for his job at the International Republican Institute(strongly associated with the US govt), he was perfectly open about where he learned his fluent English…at a Soviet military school ,pretty standard for Soviet citizens, and later worked as a translator for the Russian army.He was jokingly referred to as GRU.and not considered a security risk
    Kilimnik worked for Manafort’s consultancy in Ukraine, which was advising Yanukovich to turn towards the west and pursue admittance to the EU.Yanukovich straddled a line between Russia and Europe and tried to play both off against each other as a way to tread water
    (In the event, the EU aid package didnt weigh up against the loss of Ukraine’s biggest trading partner, Russia , some 60 billion dollars down according to Yanukovich’s own treasury advisors.The Russian offer along with cheap gas was the only workable one.
    When Yanukovich pleaded with the EU to cut him a better deal, they refused.)

    So working with an American flash Harry who’s advising a Ukrainian despot to turn west is apparently the work of a “Russian operative”… but these are the times we live in , where journalism is in thrall to partisan, old and tired geopolitical agendas .
    And we the consumers have to pretend not to gag on outlandish bullshit .
    Repeat after me, Black is White
    Here’s the Nation , rather more Democrat aligned than Republican

    https://www.thenation.com/article/manafort-no-smoking-gun-collusion/

  7. Andre 7
    15 January 2019 at 11:42 am

    Heh. The most libertarian free-marketeer in the US Senate rejects the services available from his home free market and goes to a foreign country with a socialist system and socialized service providers to get his medical care.

    https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/14/rand-paul-canada-surgery-neighbor-attack-1099485

  8. greywarshark 8
    15 January 2019 at 12:16 pm

    I think we are going to have to bring back the death penalty. Such behaviour as this mean that this person should never be let out into society again. With a planet full of people, and not able to look after the innocent and vulnerable now, those who cross over into viciousness have no place in the world and should be humanely put down.

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/380139/jayme-closs-kidnap-suspect-tells-police-he-picked-her-at-random

  10. greywarshark 10
    15 January 2019 at 12:17 pm

    What’s that about adam. Can you explain its relevance?

  11. DJ Ward 11
    15 January 2019 at 12:30 pm

    Some men are so smart they can out smart scientists by decades. Even after death they can continue to show how smart they were.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/health/2017/10/science-backs-up-hugh-hefner-s-number-one-rule.html

    • Molly 11.1
      15 January 2019 at 9:07 pm

      What is the purpose of this comment? The objectification of women by one man is supported by others who regard sexual objectification as meritorious?

  12. soddenleaf 12
    15 January 2019 at 1:11 pm

    Yellow shirts argue for tax reform… …on the rich. How about banning foriegn multi millionaires? over say 100 million from travel overseas. Those individuals that rich are incapable of spend even a smidgen in a foreign country, except on homes,so reek havoc to the global economy in inequality, and it’s not like their numbers are growing, in fact wealth is falling to fewer and fewer. When there is a threat to the people our leaders must act… …and it’s not like the wealthy will have it hard, they are swimming in money, they can fly the four star French chef over and simulate the world economy for a change. And it’s not like they are thick, they have the ability to give to charity, raise wages of faithful employees, or family…etc. Why would we create and maintain a system of economic value, that allows value to be acrued, yet then once acrued inhibits wider wealth dissipation, or we could, as the yellow shirts want, just tax them more to pay for the troubles tgey are producing. although a few Saudi princes kept at home might have redirected their locus of perception and saved a journalist.

    • DJ Ward 12.1
      15 January 2019 at 3:25 pm

      These are the present tax rates in France.

      Up to €9,807: 0%
      €9,807–27,086: 14%
      €27,086–72,617: 30%
      €72,617–153,783: 41%
      €153,783+: 45%

      ………………
      In addition to the basic rates of income tax those fortunate few with a taxable income of upwards of €250,000 pa are liable for a special tax called contribution exceptionnelle sur les hauts revenus.

      This tax is at the rate of 3% on income up to €500,000, and at the rate of 4% on income above €500,000.

      Married couples and those in a civil partnership are exempt up to €500,000, when they then become liable at the rate of 3% to €1m, and 4% above this figure.

      The tax is imposed on net income, after determination of the tax liability under the standard scale rates.
      …………….

      They also rebate tax liability for dependants.
      A couple with 2 kids pay no tax until €47,452

      So how are the rich not paying there fair share of tax. They are already not far off the only ones paying.

      In practice, less than 50% of inhabitants in France pay any income tax at all; only around 14% pay at the rate of 30%, and less than 1% pay at the rate of 45%.

      My guess is the ones protesting are in that 50% figure and pay no tax.

      • soddenleaf 12.1.1
        17 January 2019 at 4:03 pm

        Tax was lowered on the wealthiest. Still you miss the point, great wealth can buy real estate in nz that harms our economy, pushing up housing costs for citizens here. The idea is either raise taxes on the wealthy, or stop them travelling and using that wealth to collude, distort and open unproductive relationships. Sure we want the good investments just have the debate also about the bad. giving someone bragging rights over multiple homes, boats, etc in multiple dominion is wealth pollution. Look a fail maker who moves here and invests great, a psuedo journalist who never made a buck anyone actually needed… …why expose ourselves to wealth acquired by colluding in foreign. We don’t allow free movement of people, why should we want fire movement of wealth people who have all the same spectrum of infalliabilities just more money to damage economies.

        John Key millionarie exception brought in dotcom… …really can’t we debate now was that good policy, is it good to have nonproductive ownership…

  13. greywarshark 13
    15 January 2019 at 3:18 pm

    Get down where you belong NZs – where tourism is king and queen or Irish or something. Tote that barge, lift that rubbish, joyride in a car and you’ll really be rubbished.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz//nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12190151&ref=clavis
    Bad tourists: Group refused to pay for food in restaurant ‘scam’, bullied staff

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12190060
    Worst flight we’ve had’: Alleged chaos on travellers’ flight to NZ

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12189846
    ‘I’ll knock your brains out’: Unruly tourists dump rubbish at Takapuna Beach, threaten locals
    (This from a 9 year old?)

    Guess what – all the same group. The Brits won the pools and came to rubbish us,
    supposed to be Irish but who knows. For the reporter this was the gift that kept on giving. Watch out they might be headed your way and ready for some hooliganism.

    soddenleaf says what about banning multi millionaires?
    What about getting $100 per tourist up front, plus an insurance policy against damage and possible costs they incur in this country. We don’t know actually how much profit we get from this people invasion. And then if there is profit, how much of it stays in NZ. Bet they set up here as foreigners, get cheap people from overseas, arrange to receive all their country’s people so they can speak their own language, so easy, and then pocket everything and send the profit to a tax haven with us getting diddleysquat and I don’t know what that is, but it looks like trouble!

      • greywarshark 13.1.1
        15 January 2019 at 4:44 pm

        Bruce That’s very informative – I had heard that some Chinese were getting offered very cheap tours, but finding that they were subject to stand-over tactics by tour organisers.

        I wonder if countries are allowed to set up their own tourist offices in China.
        This would ensure that the idea of being shown the country to the Chines as guests being cared for by the host country might go down well. With more Chinese speakers being churned out of course to talk face to face with the people.

        • Bruce 13.1.1.1
          15 January 2019 at 5:22 pm

          I don’t think so , but it’s easy to see the country from local perspective esp now with google maps, not sure about China but here we just pick a place thats looks interesting and try to find the bus, truck or whatever to get there. And if your lucky enough to get lost and end up in the hands of the locals to get back to civilisation the fun really begins. These days though, I stay around one area so have to wait till it looks like rain, head off into the hills, get caught in the rain find shelter, wait for some locals to take pity on me and take me home. I used to feel uncomfortable with the disparity in wealth and circumstance but have since learned that the hill people have no idea of how we live and are quite content in their lives and are happy to share, there are always ways to appropriately respond.

          • greywarshark 13.1.1.1.1
            15 January 2019 at 5:57 pm

            Have you ever toured in the Shansi province north of Xian? I was fascinated by the story of the little woman missionary Gladys Aylward who managed to raise her own money to get herself to a mission in China in that province.

            She went by sea, then railway, then sea again, and I think finally by donkey
            to a lower mountain walled township. They seemed to be very able people, in a hard climate. The remote mountain villages had scattered gardens of millet as their main food I think. I have thought of going there but it is getting off the main tourist drag and of course I have to save up a fair bit.

            Have you been there? I think she was in Feng Yang. Or have you been to where Rewi Alley established a school over in the west?

            • Bruce 13.1.1.1.1.1
              15 January 2019 at 7:01 pm

              No never into China, Mong la on the border in Shan State but it’s just a casino so no interest back to Kentung.
              It’s only the airfare that costs and with an eye on the specials you can get to Bangkok for under a thousand and then 30 or 40 a day is ample. 12 to 15 for nice room, I’m fussy and immune suppressed so choosy. Meals are dollar or two, buses are generally safe $40 gets 1000 ks . Just stay as long as possible to dilute the airfare cost .

        • Graeme 13.1.1.2
          15 January 2019 at 10:22 pm

          It’s an international problem, not just Chinese. All group / package tourism markets have this aspect.

          Probably the most blatant is the cruise ship industry who are there to fleece their punters in every way they can and demand huge commissions from any outside operator they might throw a few crumbs to.

    • joe90 13.2
      15 January 2019 at 4:15 pm

      Spare a thought for Mediterranean tourist spot locals. They’ve had decades worth of the same shit.

      • greywarshark 13.2.1
        15 January 2019 at 6:04 pm

        Mmm. Venice has been cutting down hard on day trippers etc. I Think that NZ is fooled a bit – we are making money from dairying – but what is the net return when you deduct the lost or damaged resources. Tourism – what clever ways of siphoning off profits and minimising taxes and the crowds needing resources!

        Try to set up some hiousing project and a fair proportion of the group are from
        the USA. When can we have our own country as a resource for ourselves? Of course what Maori have been asking for years.

    • OnceWasTim 13.3
      15 January 2019 at 4:30 pm

      We could set up a little enclave in Todd McClay’s Rotovegas and call it Benedorm.
      Just think of all the opportunities for development and growth going forward.
      It’d be a ‘win win’ situation for all. We could even schedule a RoNS extension from Paengaroa and capture the cruise ship market calling in at Tearwronga

    • DJ Ward 13.4
      15 January 2019 at 4:39 pm

      The tourist spend was $11.8 billion.
      There were 3,733,707 visitors.

      So each visitor spends $3160.

      So if they are charged $100, if >1 in 31.6 visiters decides not to come to NZ then we loose income.
      If you use tax gained from the activity at the immediate level you have GST but also Tax on wages, fuel, Buisiness profits, etc. Once you count flow on activity like the worker spending wages the Tax generated begins to add up. It should be similar to the result. The % of the economy the government takes in taxes. Our Tax to GDP rate is 32%.

      So the government gets about. $1,011 a tourist.
      Tax vs Levi. If >1 in 10 tourists doesn’t come to NZ the Government gets less taxes.

      Other issue.
      How much does the tourist have to spend. If they only have $3160 then they including the Levi will still spend $3160. So it won’t be $3160, plus all of the $100.
      So the income figure, and tax figure would be affected by that change in figures.

      It could end up generating more revenue if numbers are less affected, and spend is less affected by an additional $100 levy.

      • greywarshark 13.4.1
        15 January 2019 at 4:56 pm

        But nothing expands exponentially. The way we are is one of the pleasures of coming here. Are we too nice? We will gradually get sourer as numbers mount.
        And the hospitality industry is dependent on tourists, and they are poorly paid.
        Revenue isn’t everything, it can’t buy us pristine water for instance.

        And some visitors don’t spend a lot, are quite poor, these are woofers. And they often are very genuinely interested in the country and people and put a lot of effort into helping horticulture etc.

        • greywarshark 13.4.1.1
          15 January 2019 at 6:09 pm

          Just taking averages is interesting but not really informative. Some nations spend more than others according to the stats.

          A lot of Australians come here for short holidays; some are Kiwis and stay with family. Not much to feed the hopeful tourist businesses. Then the very wealthy, do they go off to a remote hacienda and fish fine trout or something.
          Not much expenditure for the locals, except for the guide to the best spots.

      • OnceWasTim 13.4.2
        15 January 2019 at 6:17 pm

        Plus @DJW, each tourist shits on average 1kg per day, and the average length of stay is between 19 and 22 days.
        So lets be fair and say the average excrement load per tourist is 20 kilograms.
        So lets multiply that by the record breaking 3.7 million tourists per year.
        That’s approximately 74,000,000 kilograms of shit per annum or 74,000 tonnes looking for prospects.
        Admittedly some of it will be high quality shit but a lot of it will be pretty average but it seems to me there must be a business opportunity for some entrepreneurial ‘type’ such as yourself.

        Money money money ……etc.

        Oh, and by the way “Once you count flow on activity like the worker spending wages the Tax generated begins to add up.”
        I could probably arrange for a few Dalits to come and assist with the enterprise if you’d like – strictly below minimum wage of course and they’ll spend all they earn.

        • DJ Ward 13.4.2.1
          15 January 2019 at 6:46 pm

          Well as a former minimum/low wage worker for a good part of my early life I had to make hard choices. I left a Job that over time was paying OK to study, living on the bones of my arse as it took to September to get a allowance approved. I moved city ariving with $5 to my name to start a new job that led to my position today. I abandoned that job to study a subject I needed to learn but new little about. I worked 8 to 12 hour night shifts and studied during the day. I moved city again and luckily got a job I wanted, again with nothing. My pay effectively doubled but your making a mistake if you think I don’t know how hard it is.

          Money, money, money!

          As a stay at home dad that chooses to work part time so I can have a quality life with my kids while they are young, I got my priorities and balance spot on.

          • OnceWasTim 13.4.2.1.1
            15 January 2019 at 6:58 pm

            Yes I know @ DJ. Some of us have had similar experiences and so if everybody just pulled themselves up by their bootstraps like you and me, the world would be a much better place.
            It’s so good to be able to just sit back in the knowledge we’re both the self-made man

            • DJ Ward 13.4.2.1.1.1
              15 January 2019 at 7:48 pm

              Yep. The Trump and Bush Senior hard worker driven types with the silver spoon are rare. The rest like Bush junior not so much.

              There is other rarities like Musc.

              The hard parts of life help show the value of the free things all around you.

              My brother who I had to take custody when I was 19 left school young to go on the independent youth benifit, on the day he qualified. Eventually he decided to do something with himself. He door knocked, offered his services for free to a business starting by sweeping the floor. Obviously that’s exploitation by the buisness but he learnt a skill that led to a job, a better job, his present job where he earns over 6 figures, flash vehicle, and boss to about 60 staff.

              • OnceWasTim …
                15 January 2019 at 8:22 pm

                Yea yea, understand mate. Fully! Fully!
                But you know what? as me dear ole mum said on her death bed just before she popped her clogs …. she said “son, I know its been a hard life with that useless git of a father of yours and all, and I couldn’t have done it without ya. I’m proud of ya son”

                And I said “yea mum, I know ya struggled but I didn’t get where I am today with all that bleeding heart liberal stuff”
                And I thought, if I an do it, ANYBODY can!

                And just before she departed this glorious world, she said “son, just remember, ya don’t owe noone nuttin”.
                I ‘ve remembered that to this very day. It’s what drives me in every thing I do

                • Tony Veitch [not etc.] …
                  16 January 2019 at 5:32 am

                  I just love it when sarcasm goes right over the recipient’s head!

                  Well done, OwT.

        • DJ Ward 13.4.2.2
          15 January 2019 at 7:18 pm

          One way to look at it is they helped to capture 74,000 tonnes of carbon rich matter. Doing a good deed for climate change. Sequestered.

          All all up to our poo production strategy to save the world.

  14. JO 14
    15 January 2019 at 4:05 pm

    And if anybody still thinks Orwell’s 1984 is fiction, that things are more extreme in the US and similar conditions can’t happen here… where have these dreamers been since 1984? Chris Hedges nails it.

    ‘Neoliberalism argues that the essence of freedom is free enterprise, while never addressing workers’ surrender of basic freedoms. Neoliberalism holds out the promise, which has not been true since before the Industrial Revolution, that workers can become self-employed if they are hardworking and innovative. We all have the ability to achieve economic independence or become industry leaders if we draw on our inner resources, according to the neoliberal mantra, one popularized by mass culture. […] This is a con.’

    https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-private-governments-that-subjugate-u-s-workers/

    • DJ Ward 14.1
      15 January 2019 at 4:58 pm

      Well you can start your own Buisiness if you like can’t you. I’m self imployed. I was a worker on a wage. I was a worker on a salary. But I’ve always had the choice to be self employed, or start a Buisiness. Starting a Buisiness however takes commitment, hard work, and the willingness to risk ones own money and pay taxes on profits.

      What does the worker risk?
      Men get paid more for the risky jobs they do vs females low risk jobs, shows worker risk gets rewarded.

      People who start Buisiness.
      The very same people who create those modern day slavery workers jobs.
      Imagine what the workers would do if nobody created jobs.
      You are the master of your own destiny in a free society.
      Change job it it’s not making you happy.
      No guarantees, but with a good social system to help the unfortunate, or lazy.

      If you wish to start a Buisiness there is free classes, and grants. There’s nothing stopping you, other than your own glass ceiling.

      • greywarshark 14.1.1
        15 January 2019 at 6:16 pm

        To a certain extent that’s right. But it takes a careful man or woman to keep a business going. Got to get paid and be carefully regular checking and working out payments with the strugglers and others. You actually have to have some spare money or assets to get started. Lots of businesses go down because they are under capitalised, and can’t get that extra loan to tide them over. You are in a business that needs your skills. So good luck with that.

        If you have a family your children might never see you and you slave away all hours, and have to live on tick while you work at getting the money in. And if the business doesn’t work out, it can sap all your energy. You have a change of lifestyle, have to give up your house and buy a caravan and start all over in another direction.

  15. Morrissey 15
    15 January 2019 at 4:39 pm

    “Good on you for cutting him off, Wallace!”
    Wallace Chapman, Hero. Or is he?
    The Panel, RNZ National, Tuesday 15 January 2019
    Wallace Chapman, David Cormack, Janet Wilson, Caitlin Cherry

    First item for the day: a discussion about the wisdom or otherwise of police car chase policies. The “expert” for this topic was one John Lambert, an Australian road safety expert. However, this came to an abrupt end when Lambert claimed that Maori were more likely to break the law than Pakeha. This elicited gasps from David Cormack and host Wallace Chapman, who said: “We can’t accept that” and quickly got rid of him. He then condemned “that bizarre and woeful comment.”

    Five minutes later…..

    WALLACE CHAPMAN: A lot of responses about the gentleman from Australia. A lot of people hated the way I cut him off, but then a lot of people said “Good on you for cutting him off.”

    DAVID CORMACK: Good ON you for cutting him off, Wallace!

    “Good on you for cutting him off, Wallace.” So why, Wallace, did you let that scumbag Lee Child get away with the most disgusting bilge?
    https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/03/wallace-chapmans-simpering-interview.html

    We note you said nothing to challenge Marilyn Garson….
    https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/04/wallace-chapman-is-repeatedly-failing.html

    or these fools….
    https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/03/sue-moroneys-dismal-delusional-anti.html

    But now you’ve grown a backbone. That’s encouraging.

    • fender 15.1
      15 January 2019 at 5:53 pm

      You will never be 100% happy with any reporter, journalist or media commentator other than the handful of ones you idolize. I’m sure the file you have on Wallace is better ranked than the one on Mora, so be thankful there’s been a change on The Panel 🙂

      • Morrissey 15.1.1
        15 January 2019 at 6:04 pm

        I “idolize” some reporters, do I?

        I expect them to do their job, which is to understand their subject to an expert level, report the facts, and to rigorously hold politicians and propagandists to account. Some reporters—Glenn Greenwald, Jon Stephenson, Nicky Hager, Robert Fisk, Jeremy Scahill—do exactly those things. Some, on the other hand—Jim Mora, Rachel Maddow, and as I showed in those three references, Wallace Chapman—fail to do those things.

        Yes, I’m thankful there’s been a change on The Panel. Today we saw a new Wallace Chapman. Time will tell whether he keeps challenging people like he did John Lambert this afternoon, or whether he will be as supine and indolent as he was when he let Lee Child vomit his disgusting views.

        WALLACE CHAPMAN: Ha ha! I mean: “Painful and real disincentive against holding pistols again until they have healed, which could be a long time depending on their approach to nutrition and antisepsis.” [nervously] Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

        LEE CHILD: Ha ha ha ha! Well, that’s the thing with Reacher. He’s got a heart of gold, but he’s not a goody-goody. You know, he will get the job done in the most brutal way imaginable. Which I think also resonates with people.

        WALLACE CHAPMAN: Ha ha ha!

        LEE CHILD: I mean, people are FED UP with all these rules—

        WALLACE CHAPMAN: Ha ha!

        LEE CHILD: I mean, if you want to do something, just DO it.

        WALLACE CHAPMAN: [laughing timidly] Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm. ….

        https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/03/wallace-chapmans-simpering-interview.html

      • Morrissey 15.1.2
        15 January 2019 at 9:21 pm

        Having said all that, one has to admit that THIS is a great reporter….

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkkWx2d36Us

  16. A 16
    15 January 2019 at 5:27 pm

    Gang members break into a property you own, say they own it (they don’t), and move in.

    Police are brought in and those squatting in the property are trespassed, but tough shit for you the property owner because nothing else happens and you run out of money paying for the mortgage, and legal bills.

    I’m all for tenant rights but the scale needs balance if only to stop incidents like this, rare though it is. WHY AREN’T THEY ARRESTED FOR TRESPASS AGAIN? Useless cops.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12188893

    This could happen to anyone of us and needs sorting asap.

    • greywarshark 16.1
      15 January 2019 at 6:20 pm

      Did you notice that the gang used to own the property. They don’t now as they got bankrupted? Or had it taken off them when they got had on drug dealing.

      But they had built it themselves. If we had legalised marijuana back then they could have been encouraged to drop the meth and go legit on quality, tested grass.
      If only.

      • tc 16.1.1
        15 January 2019 at 7:37 pm

        If Aunty had bollocks she’d be uncle. What you say about that eh ?

        If green was legal they’d still be pushing meth as it’s addictive, green has less repeat business. If if if if…..laws been broken, end of story.

        • greywarshark 16.1.1.1
          15 January 2019 at 8:21 pm

          Yes I know, a little dream. My quote – ‘If wishes were horses, beggars would
          ride.’ If only, about the saddest most evocative words there are in the language.

  17. greywarshark 17
    15 January 2019 at 8:29 pm

    Gathering support for new ideas, working teams for new projects?

    http://betterworktogether.co/

  19. Eco Maori 19
    16 January 2019 at 10:43 am

    After I read this story I new google shonky + tara Iti golf club and sure enough he is linked in this mess he goal was to serve his rich amercian m8 he would have bulldozed through all the laws we have to protect OUR indangered animals to get this golf club built and worse still the named the club after the Bird that they are causing the EXTINCTION of both links below. We have a obligation to protect these TARONGA birds of Aotearoa FROM the greedy wealthy men
    New Zealand’s rarest bird on the brink of extinction: ‘This is a crisis year’
    A disastrous breeding season has plunged one of the world’s rarest birds even deeper into crisis.
    The critically endangered fairy tern/tara iti, the country’s rarest native bird species with fewer than 40 individuals, has had only three chicks hatch this season.
    New Zealand Fairy Tern Charitable Trust convenor Heather Rogan says one chick has gone missing, which could make this the worst breeding season in at least 27 years.
    The Department of Conservation maintained on Monday that all three chicks were alive and well. If that’s the case and they all fledge, this would still be the worst season since 1996-7, the last time three chicks fledged.

    The luxury Tara Iti Golf Club has been built nearby and exclusive housing developments are planned in the old Mangawhai Forest, bought by Te Uri o Hau in its Treaty settlement. As part of the developments, a public reserve is to be created.
    “It just seems one thing after the other has been piling pressure on,” says Rogan.

    It appears, however, that DOC has dropped the ball. A 10-year fairy tern recovery plan was produced in 2005 but the recovery group was disbanded before the term was finished.
    “If all the things that were in there had been followed, we might be a bit better off,” says Rogan.
    (Iftikar didn’t know why the group was disbanded.)
    SLOW PROGRESS
    Progress also seems slow. DOC called a meeting of interested groups in March last year to discuss some of the strategies and priorities for saving the fairy tern. A recovery group was one of the top priorities, yet it’s still not established.
    Looking back five years, the Fairy Tern Trust, set up in ka kite ano links below. P.S I can see the money mens spin doctors are using the media one story I found stated the Tara iti had a good season what lies the alt right throw at us.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/109953299/new-zealands-rarest-bird-on-the-brink-of-extinction-this-is-a-crisis-year

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105059172/sir-john-key-lobbied-government-for-overseas-buyers-ban-exemption

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-fZwprjBkw

  20. Eco Maori 20
    16 January 2019 at 11:17 am

    The moon
    Giant leaf for mankind? China germinates first seed on moon
    A small cotton shoot is growing onboard Chang’e 4 lunar lander, scientists confirm
    A small green shoot is growing on the moon after a cotton seed germinated onboard a Chinese lunar lander, scientists said.
    The sprout has emerged from a lattice-like structure inside a canister after the Chang’e 4 lander touched down earlier this month, according to a series of photos released by the Advanced Technology Research Institute at Chongqing University.
    “This is the first time humans have done biological growth experiments on the lunar surface,” said Xie Gengxin, who led the design of the experiment, on Tuesday.
    Plants have been grown previously on the International Space Station, but this is the first time a seed has sprouted on the moon. The ability to grow plants in space is seen as crucial for long-term space missions and establishing human outposts elsewhere in the solar system, such as Mars.
    Harvesting food in space, ideally using locally extracted water, would mean astronauts could survive for far longer without returning to Earth for supplies.
    The Chang’e 4 probe – named after the Chinese moon goddess – made the world’s first soft landing on the far side of the moon on 3 January,

    Chang’e 4 is also equipped with instruments developed by scientists from Sweden, Germany and China to study the lunar environment, cosmic radiation and the interaction between solar wind and the moon’s surface.

    Sign up for Lab Notes – the Guardian’s weekly science update
    Read more

    The lander released a rover, nicknamed Yutu 2 (Jade Rabbit), that will perform experiments in the Von Kármán crater.
    The agency said four more lunar missions are planned, confirming the launch of Chang’e 5 by the end of the year, which will be the first probe to return samples of the moon to Earth since the 1970s. ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/15/china-germinates-first-seed-on-moon-cotton-shoot-change-4

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

  21. Eco Maori 21
    16 January 2019 at 1:00 pm

    One simple — but really hard — solution to stop climate change
    Health
    One simple — but really hard — solution to stop climate change

    Search »
    International Edition+
    U.S.
    Arabic
    Español
    Set edition preference:
    U.S.
    International
    Confirm

    One simple — but really hard — solution to stop climate change

    US carbon emissions on the rise again 06:24
    (CNN)There may actually be a way to keep the worst of climate change at bay, but it’s going to take a herculean effort, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
    Climate change is well underway already, the time to act and limit its human causes is now, many studies have shown. This latest report maps out what it may take to get there.

    Antarctica ice melt has accelerated by 280% in the last 4 decades
    It posits that if the world was to phase out its “carbon-intensive infrastructure” at the end of its design lifetime starting from the end of 2018, there’s a 64% chance that the planet’s peak temperature can remain below the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Above that, scientists predict the planet will see even more extreme weather events such as wildfires, droughts, floods, massive animal die offs and food shortages for millions. The planet is already two-thirds of the way there, with global temperatures having warmed about 1 degree Celsius.

    To keep the global median temperature within this optimal 1.5 degree-Celsius limit, according to this study, change would have to happen across all sectors, not just in the energy sector. Power plants would need to be replaced, but so would gas and diesel-fueled cars, aircraft, ships and and industrial plants. Even cows would have to go — essentially, anything that contributes to global warming.
    Under this scenario, infrastructure such as power plants wouldn’t have to be scrapped and replaced with a non-carbon emitting technology — at least, not immediately. The researchers are talking about a “design lifetime.” In the case of power plants, the average lifetime based on historic data, is about 40 years. The average lifetime of a car on the road now is more than 11 years, according to Consumer Reports, but could last for about 200,000 miles, or 15 years, US estimates show. Once they wear out, stop working or die, they’d be replaced with technology or products that do not contribute to climate change Ka kite ano link below

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/15/health/climate-change-phase-out-infrastructure-study/index.html

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRLJscAlk1M

  22. Eco Maori 22
    16 January 2019 at 2:41 pm

    The sandflys must be in the kaka every time Eco Maori goes outside they play with there sirens ana to kai ka kite ano

  23. Eco Maori 23
    16 January 2019 at 2:58 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

  24. Eco maori 24
    16 January 2019 at 3:54 pm

    I see the alt right reporters are using cunning sly tact ticks to scare people off the ideas that a fare tax system in Needed .I SAY that it’s is need a tax on people who can afford it .The way s honky has setup the tax system a the minute the people who are broke are paying a higher tax % than a person making millions in proffets in the share market and that ain’t correct. The the more money the government gives the wealthy they take that money out of the system under there mattresses. The more money the government’s give the poor the money keeps flowing through the systems and is good for a capitalist based system. The wealthy people let there greed replace any logically humane way of thinking with bigotry. Ka kite ano. P.S we need to make this country fare that will fix some of the problems we have now links below
    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/366876/two-options-proposed-for-taxing-capital-gain
    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/359921/cap-gains-would-cut-house-prices-increase-ownership-study

  25. Eco maori 25
    16 January 2019 at 4:16 pm

    Goods need to be made to last a life time not 2 to 5 years
    frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the warranty runs out, it gives up the ghost.

    You can’t repair it and can’t find anyone else to at a decent price, so it joins the global mountain of junk.

    You’re forced to buy a replacement, which fuels climate change from the greenhouse gases released in the manufacturing process.

    No captionPhoto: 123RF
    But help is at hand, because people in Europe and parts of the USA will soon get a right to repair – of sorts.

    Libby Peake is senior policy adviser at Green Alliance, a UK charity and environmental think tank, she tells Summer Times it’s a problem all over the world.

    “The right to repair movement really stems from consumer frustrations with products that break long before they should and can’t be repaired because it’s either too expensive, or it’s too much of a hassle. Increasingly, it’s because products aren’t designed to be repaired,”
    She says consumer goods such as washing machines are often designed with sealed drums that prevent consumers and repairers from accessing parts that would be easily and cheaply replaced, such as ball bearings. Faced with the choice of an expensive repair, consumers often choose to simply buy a new machine – “and it’s no wonder”, she says.

    The movement started in the United States, where lawmakers in Massachusetts passed legislation that forced car manufacturers to provide information to consumers which would allow them to make repairs to vehicles themselves.

    Increasingly, it’s moved into consumer electronics. Eighteen states across the US have now passed legislation for the right to repair and now the European Union is gearing up to do the same. Already, the EU is looking at improving product standards for things such as fridges, washing machines, dishwashers and televisions.

    No captionLibby Peake. Photo: Supplied
    Ms Peake says the movement would be hugely beneficial to the environment.

    “There are massively environmental consequences to the growing mountain of electronic waste that’s being created. It’s the fastest growing waste stream – not just the products, but the manufacturing itself which includes mining, water, and electricity use. It’s an energy intensive process.”

    Previously the EU had focused on the eco-design directive which dictates standards on energy use, for instance LED lightbulbs and electricity or water use. Now it’s moving onto resource efficiency, product lifetime and the ease of repair.

    Peake says several manufacturers have protested the proposed changes and argue only professional repairs should be conducted on their products. But the legislation has support from higher-end manufacturers who believe that if everyone were forced to meet minimum standards, it would make the industry more competitive and drive the least efficient products off the market.

    Planned product obsolescence used to make sense for manufacturers to force new purchases of defunct electronics, but consumers are increasingly in favour of long-lasting products and Speake says their frustrations will begin to hit manufacturer bottom lines as consumers seek out more robust products. Ka kite ano

    Peake says, now that jumps in technological advances have decreased, manufacturers could design things like phones and televisions with disassembly in mind, so the parts can be re-used or recycled. In terms of the losses they would incur by selling more robust phones for example, she says manufacturers may need to pivot to charging for things like software upgrades or repair services.

    “People are increasingly sick of ‘take, make, dispose’ economy we’ve got. They want something that’s much more circular and doesn’t damage the planet so much – and ultimately – doesn’t damage their wallets.

  26. Eco maori 26
    16 January 2019 at 5:48 pm

    Here is a link to vote for Steven Adams to become the first Kiwi to get into the NBA AllStars Kia kaha kite ano he need Aotearoa tau toko. Link below.

    https://vote.nba.com/#/confirm

  27. Eco Maori 27
    16 January 2019 at 6:45 pm

    Kia ora Newshub
    History is in the making in Britain
    Cryto currency is getting hacked Alot costing them billions they must have some power full computers to achieve that.
    A fire at sea in Australia one has to be careful as on Tangaroa a fire at sea is a nightmare never seen one tho.
    It must be a bad feeling knowing that you have a short time to live I could not fathom it.
    Falling in love can turn Papatuanukue upside down.
    A ride a horse in fast food outlet in Australia that’s a cool photo there are no shops were I rode my horses.
    Tom its good to see one of the Football Ferns best players come back to play for them under a new coach. Ka kite ano

  28. Eco Maori 28
    17 January 2019 at 9:27 am

    Time to listen to the people who’s only interest is saving OUR Papatuanuku and not the amount of interest there share’s are making while they are poisioning our Earth
    WE HAVE TO MAKE THE COMPANYS AND CONSUMERS PAY MORE so there is a good price payed for plastic waste reclycling that will provide jobs and $$ for poor people .
    1 billion is a drop in the bucket . NZ need to invest that amount alone let alone the hole planet investing 1 billion and trying to grab positive head lines in the media
    Industry alliance sets out $1bn to tackle oceans’ plastic waste
    Greenpeace sceptical about corporate polluters as alliance launched to reduce waste
    Forbes, global plastics project leader at Greenpeace, said: “This is a desperate attempt from corporate polluters to maintain the status quo on plastics. In 2018 people all over the world spoke up and rejected the single-use plastics that companies like Procter & Gamble churn out on a daily basis, urging the industry to invest in refill and reuse systems and innovation. Instead of answering that call, P&G preferred to double down on a failed approach with fossil fuel giants Exxon, Dow and Total [which] fuel destructive climate change.”
    He added: “Make no mistake, plastics are a lifeline for the dying fossil fuel industry, and this announcement goes to show how far companies will go to preserve it.”
    Rob Kaplan, chief executive of Circulate Capital, which invests in recycling and other projects to reduce plastic waste, said businesses would provide the answer to plastic waste, but it would take many billions in investment. “There is no silver bullet to the plastic problem. Different parties are trying to push their own agenda, but there does not seem to be an alternative at present,” Ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/16/industry-alliance-sets-out-1bn-to-tackle-oceans-plastic-waste

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT4Qbp89nIQ

  29. Eco Maori 29
    17 January 2019 at 10:55 am

    I hope this Goverment is going to back renewable Energy as fast as the Papatuanuku needs to . So we can guarantee a bright clean happy future for ALL Eco Maoris Wero to this Goverment.
    Low-carbon electricity from wind and solar farms will be cheaper than gas and effectively subsidy-free by 2020, says the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).
    In a new report, the government’s official climate change advisor says that low-carbon supplies will be the most cost-effective way to fill the looming generation gap in the 2020s, as the UK’s ageing coal and nuclear plants retire. A more flexible grid will be a crucial complement to this shift.
    However, the CCC also rows back from the stretching 2030 power decarbonisation target it once advocated, citing delays to the deployment of nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS). The report is a prelude to the CCC’s fifth carbon budget advice. On 26 November this advice will recommend a UK emissions cap for the five years from 2028 to 2032. S&P Global reports the cost of solar with battery backup dropped precipitously in 2018. In a few cases in the sunny Southwest region of the United States, several tenders for solar plus storage came in at under $30 per megawatt-hour last year. Stand alone prices for installed battery storage — based on a 20 megawatt-hour system with 4 hours of storage — dropped 40% from the previous year to $357 per kilowatt-hour and are expected to keep falling. Bloomberg New Energy Finance projects a further 52% reduction by 2030.Such tumbling prices have led Wood Mackenzie to forecast that as the market for solar plus storage matures, it could put more than 6,400 MW of new natural gas-fired peaking capacity in the US at risk by 2027. “I can beat a gas peaker anywhere in the country today with a solar-plus-storage power plant,” says Tom Buttgenbach, CEO of developer 8minutenergy Renewables. “Who in their right mind today would build a new gas peaker? We are a factor of two cheaper.”
    Progress in battery storage was uneven around the world last year. South Korea has put significant incentives in place, which have led to a boom in that country. So much so, in fact, that Korean battery manufacturers have dedicated much of their production to meeting that demand at the expense of automakers hungry for EV batteries and residential storage products.
    “When you see projects now being planned at over 1 GWh in scale, when only 18 months ago a 300 MWh installation was something to behold, you know you have entered a new era,” says Simon Moores, managing director of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.. “It has been quite interesting to watch the battery makers’ dilemma of where to send the lithium ion cells. Of course they have contracts to honor with automotive producers, but the order inquiries from [energy storage] producers have been incredible.”
    Some CleanTechnica readers have been wondering why Kia and Hyundai have such low production targets for their newest EV offerings. The clamor for battery cells to meet the energy storage demand may be part of the reason for those low numbers.
    “Even though progress was uneven, there was a much greater consensus in 2018 over the importance of energy storage, even in the near term, in major markets,” says Logan Goldie-Scot, head of energy storage at Bloomberg NEF. “In 2017, there were still a lot of people talking about how energy storage was not necessarily a competitive solution and was going to be limited. I hear those conversations much less now. Energy storage is now becoming Ka kite ano links below P.S I say The NZ Goverment should be investing in solar and wind on the industrial and roof top solar make the power companys pay a net metering price that is the same as they charge us for the power.

    https://cleantechnica.com/2019/01/13/solar-storage-half-the-cost-of-gas-peaker-plants-8minuteenergy/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZhhlqVOd6g

  30. Eco Maori 30
    17 January 2019 at 11:01 am

    The sandflys have found away to block my post fools on my computer this is my HUAWEI phone Ka kite ano

    • Eco Maori 30.1
      17 January 2019 at 11:10 am

      A post from my phone gets them to stop there bullstuff you see people I post a post putting down the alt right and there sirens went off = alt right climate change denieing red necks the sandflys are ka kite ano

  31. Eco Maori 31
    17 January 2019 at 11:03 am

    S&P Global reports the cost of solar with battery backup dropped precipitously in 2018. In a few cases in the sunny Southwest region of the United States, several tenders for solar plus storage came in at under $30 per megawatt-hour last year. Stand alone prices for installed battery storage — based on a 20 megawatt-hour system with 4 hours of storage — dropped 40% from the previous year to $357 per kilowatt-hour and are expected to keep falling. Bloomberg New Energy Finance projects a further 52% reduction by 2030.
    Such tumbling prices have led Wood Mackenzie to forecast that as the market for solar plus storage matures, it could put more than 6,400 MW of new natural gas-fired peaking capacity in the US at risk by 2027. “I can beat a gas peaker anywhere in the country today with a solar-plus-storage power plant,” says Tom Buttgenbach, CEO of developer 8minutenergy Renewables. “Who in their right mind today would build a new gas peaker? We are a factor of two cheaper.”
    Progress in battery storage was uneven around the world last year. South Korea has put significant incentives in place, which have led to a boom in that country. So much so, in fact, that Korean battery manufacturers have dedicated much of their production to meeting that demand at the expense of automakers hungry for EV batteries and residential storage products.
    “When you see projects now being planned at over 1 GWh in scale, when only 18 months ago a 300 MWh installation was something to behold, you know you have entered a new era,” says Simon Moores, managing director of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.. “It has been quite interesting to watch the battery makers’ dilemma of where to send the lithium ion cells. Of course they have contracts to honor with automotive producers, but the order inquiries from [energy storage] producers have been incredible.”
    Some CleanTechnica readers have been wondering why Kia and Hyundai have such low production targets for their newest EV offerings. The clamor for battery cells to meet the energy storage demand may be part of the reason for those low numbers.
    “Even though progress was uneven, there was a much greater consensus in 2018 over the importance of energy storage, even in the near term, in major markets,” says Logan Goldie-Scot, head of energy storage at Bloomberg NEF. “In 2017, there were still a lot of people talking about how energy storage was not necessarily a competitive solution and was going to be limited. I hear those conversations much less now. Energy storage is now becoming

    • Eco Maori 31.1
      17 January 2019 at 12:10 pm

      I deleted this post above because my first one went up 15 minutes later its part of my first one ka kite ano

  32. Eco Maori 32
    17 January 2019 at 12:40 pm

    Ikea Investment in New Plastic Recycling Technology at Port of Amsterdam
    Plastic Recycling Amsterdam, a collaboration between Umincorp and Milieu Service Nederland, is constructing a new plastics recycling plant is to be built at the Port of Amsterdam.
    Plastic Recycling Amsterdam (PRA), a collaboration between Umincorp and Milieu Service Nederland, is constructing a new plastics recycling plant is to be built at the Port of Amsterdam.
    The organisation explained that the new facility, which can be expanded on a modular basis, will initially process 17,000 tonnes of plastics annually and prepare them to be reused.
    The development is part of its move expand its circular plastics hub. Once operational it will first wash incoming plastic waste, shred it and then route through a magnetic bath. Using Magnetic Density Separation (MDS) technology, the plastics can be separated with a purity of 99% because different plastics have different weights.
    The technology was originally developed at Delft University of Technology. The sorted plastics can then be processed into high-quality new packaging materials.
    According to PRA the technology also represents a breakthrough in sustainable plastics recycling. Compared with traditional plastics, 90% of CO2 and 75% of costs in the supply chain are saved by using this circular process.
    “With its existing large-scale collection of plastics and the growth of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area in the years ahead, the Port of Amsterdam is the ideal location for
    establishing PRA,” commented Jaap Vandehoek, CEO of Umincorp.
    Last week, Ingka, Ikea’s parent company, announced last week that it will invest in Umincorp.
    “We are determined to make the difference in plastics recycling with our unique MDS technology and the recent investment by Ingka Group,” said Vandehoek
    Roon van Maanen, Director Circular & Renewable Industry at Port of Amsterdam added: “PRA transforms recyclable plastics into raw materials for new plastics, while non-recyclable plastics are converted into transport fuel by Integrated Green Energy Solutions Amsterdam, which is also established in our Port. Ka kite ano limks below

    https://waste-management-world.com/a/ikea-investment-in-new-plastic-recycling-technology-at-port-of-amsterdam

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFZS3Vh4lfI

  34. Eco Maori 34
    17 January 2019 at 4:43 pm

    There you go whano I went to the courthouse to sort my false fines I get a paper take it to the bank expecting it to be filed. Because ECO MAORI trust no system I check it out today and what do you know the sandflys have been in the bank after me and flashed there shiny badge and bin the papers I filed to pay there false fine I will load the payment by Internet banking. The only system these redneck sandflys want to share with Maori is there jail system everything else they keep the best for them selves and let Maori have what falls of the side of their overflowing plates and encourage US to fight over it Ka kite ano

  35. Eco Maori 35
    17 January 2019 at 6:41 pm

    Kia ora Newshub like the professor said the information is on the Internet.
    Australia is behaving badly the way they are treating the People who imagrated their and locking them on Manu Island treating them worsted animals.
    Its up to the Auckland Council to make sure that there suburbs are clean and healthy without rubbish making the place smell. Was that a advert advertiseing that ladys miss fortunes WTF that’s not on hope that PBS gets sued but one has to have heaps of money to get justice in NZ. Newshub we need to move away from plastic waste wrapping product ASAP.
    That’s cool that the kuia got some of her belongings back Ana to kai the offenders got name and shame on the net.
    That a natural phenomenon A ice disk in Main America
    I seen the story of that boy down a borehole hope they find him safely and unhurt. Even though China.s plants ended up freezing on the far side of the Marama it still gives a sign that plants can grow on the moon. Ka kite ano

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Climate scientists would make more money in other careers
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 hours ago

  • Chris Trotter: Nostalgic for a joyous Left
    I WAS A CAPTAIN COOK MAN, Grant Robertson was a Robbie Burns man. If you know anything about the great student pubs of Dunedin in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, those allegiances should tell you a lot. While I was at varsity, the “Cook” had a reputation for entertaining more ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago

  • Spray, spray, spray. There we go. Problem solved.
    Good old WD40. Is there nothing it can't do?Door squeaking? No problem, WD-40.Chewing gum stuck to the carpet? No worries, WD-40. Crayon marks? Spanner rusted up? Zipper won't undo? WD-40. WD-40. WD-40. It can even waterproof your shoes, I hear.(More Than A Feilding makes no warranty as to the efficacy of WD40 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago

  • Taxpayers might be piste off, as govt lending to ski field is lifted to $50m – but more corporate ...
    Buzz from the Beehive The distributions of two dollops of corporate welfare have been proudly announced in government press statements today, but neither mentions or relates to the further taxpayer funding for ski fields on the skids. The government’s official website tells of $7 million being provided to boost aerospace ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 hours ago

  • The police know they suck at the OIA
    In recent years I've done a long series of posts poking into police OIA data and how it hides how badly the police suck at carrying out their obligations under the Act. And in a response to a recent request, it seems the police have been doing the same. A ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on National’s disdain for the Press debate
    Christopher Luxon evidently thinks this election is SO in the bag that he can afford to spurn the still-undecideds, the entire South Island, and the old Christchurch money that still reads the Press and shops at Ballantynes. We should all shed a tear for the National Party candidates across the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    9 hours ago

  • ELIZABETH RATA: Two Treaties of Waitangi – the Articles Treaty and the Principles Treaty
    Elizabeth Rate writes – There are two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi.  The first is the 1840 Treaty – the ‘Articles Treaty’. The second is what I call the ‘Principles Treaty’. It dates from 1986 when the principles were first included in legislation. Astonishingly, the parliamentary ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: When it's ok to borrow to invest
    Mayor Wayne Brown, a Northland land-banker himself, appears relaxed about borrowing to invest in land but not in, for example, transport infrastructure and services. File photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: You couldn’t make this stuff up. A mayor determined to cut council debt by selling shares in a monopoly business because ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago

  • How well do our Rapid Transit Stations perform
    As we invest in our public transport network, it’s critical that we not only invest in transformative projects like the City Rail Link, but that we also get as much use as we can out of the network we already have – which will also maximise the outcomes of those ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    15 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Ten reasons Labour’s support has halved
    The Labour Government was elected with 50 per cent of the vote three years ago, but current opinion polls show their vote could halve in this year’s election, which would be one of the biggest plunges in political history. Most polls have Labour on about 26 per cent. And the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    15 hours ago

  • Elizabeth Rata: Two Treaties of Waitangi: The Articles Treaty and the Principles Treaty
    Commentary There are two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi.  The first is the 1840 Treaty – the ‘Articles Treaty’. The second is what I call the ‘Principles Treaty’. It dates from 1986 when the principles were first included in legislation. Astonishingly the parliamentary representatives who inserted the word ‘principles’ ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    15 hours ago

  • Climate Emergency!
    It’s hard not to become a bit blasé towards climate change headlines. Flooding kills hundreds - blah. Catastrophic droughts - blah blah. One-in-a-hundred year events happening every year - blah blah blah.The earth had its highest temperature on record - again. Think we’ve read that one.So many articles telling us ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    16 hours ago

  • The Kākā Project: The economics of sufficiency
    The Kākā’s climate correspondent and had a chat with environmental historian and author Catherine Knight about why ‘feel good' actions like recycling and owning an electric car are unlikely to be enough to create a transition to zero emissions, let alone a just one. Knight says comments like ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    17 hours ago

  • Chippy misses a chance
    National leader Christopher Luxon has pulled out of any rescheduling of tonight’s Press debate, which has had to be cancelled because Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has Covid. The cancellation has given National an excuse to avoid a debate, which was always going to be a risk for Luxon. But ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    18 hours ago

  • The Angry Majority.
    The People's Champion vs The People's Prosecutor: It is the news media’s job to elicit information from politicians – not to prosecute them. Peters’ promise to sort out TVNZ should be believed. If he finds himself in a position to carry out his threat, then it will only be because ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Verrall is chuffed by govt’s latest push into pay equity while Woods enthuses about an $11m spend ...
    Buzz from the Beehive The headline on a ministerial press statement curiously expresses the government’s position when it declares:   Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers. Is it not enough to declare just one commitment? Or is the government’s commitment to pay equity being declared sector by ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • A very worthy coalition partner for Seymour and Luxon
    There have been 53 New Zealand Parliaments so far. The 39th of them was elected in 1978. It was a parliament of 92 MPs, most of them men. The New Zealand Music Awards that year named John Rowles Male Vocalist of the Year and — after a short twelve months ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Labour still protecting the status quo
    Aotearoa has a cost of living crisis. And one of the major drivers of this crisis is the supermarket duopoly, who gouge every dollar they can out of us. Last year, the Commerce Commission found that the duopoly was in fact anti-competititve, giving the government social licence to fix the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on National’s myths about the desolated state of the economy
    Familiarity breeds consent. If you repeat the line “six years of economic mis-management” about 10,000 times, it sounds like the received wisdom, whatever the evidence to the contrary. Yes, the global pandemic and the global surge in inflation that came in its wake occurred here as well – but if ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Hapless Hipkins and his racism
    Michael Bassett writes – Without so much as batting an eyelid, Chris Hipkins told an audience on Saturday that there had been “more racism” in this election campaign than ever before. And he blamed it on the opposition parties, National, Act and New Zealand First. In those ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: The ‘recession’ has been called off, but some households are still struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates. Brian Easton writes – Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Richie Poulton's lament
    “You can't really undo what happens during childhood”, said the director of the Dunedin longitudinal study. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Richie Poulton, the director of the world-leading Dunedin longitudinal study showing how devastating poverty in early life is, died yesterday. With his final words, he lamented the lack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • North-western downgrades
    This is a guest post from reader Peter N As many of us know, Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi are well into progressing works on the northwestern interim “busway” with services to kick off in just over a month from now on Sunday 12th November 2023. Some of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Has Webworm Found New Zealand’s Weirdest School?
    Hi,Before we talk about weird schools people choose to send their kids to, a few things on my mind. I adored the Ask Me Anything we did last week. Thanks for taking part. I love answering your weird and nosy questions, even questions about beans.I am excited and scared as Mister ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • Another mother of a budget
    A National government would make spending cuts on a scale not seen since the 1990 – 96 Bolger government.That much was confirmed with the release of their Fiscal Plan on Friday.Government spending is currently high as a percentage of GDP — as high as it was during the Muldoon ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • A crucial week starts as early voting opens in the NZ Elections … it’s been a ride so far. Are y...
    Chris Hipkins down with Covid, at least for 5 days isolation, National continue to obfuscate, ACT continues to double-down on the poor and Winston… well, he’s being Winston really. Voters beware: this week could be even more infuriating than the last. No Party is what they used to be ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 24, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 30, 2023. Story of the Week We’re not doomed yet’: climate scientist Michael Mann on our last chance to save human civilisation The renowned US ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Clusterf**ck of Chaos.
    On the 11th of April 1945 advancing US forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald near Weimar in Germany. In the coming days, under the order of General Patton, a thousand nearby residents were forced to march to the camp to see the atrocities that had been committed in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The party of business deals with the future by pretending it isn’t coming
    Years and years ago, when Helen Clark was Prime Minister and John Key was gunning for her job, I had a conversation with a mate, a trader who knew John Key well enough to paint a helpful picture.It was many drinks ago so it’s not a complete one. But there’s ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: September (+ Old Phuul update)
    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    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:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    7 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 week ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Youth justice programme expands to break cycle of offending
    The successful ‘Circuit Breaker’ fast track programme designed to stop repeat youth offending was launched in two new locations today by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis. The programme, first piloted in West and South Auckland in December last year, is aimed at children aged 10-13 who commit serious offending or continue ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Major milestone with 20,000 employers using Apprenticeship Boost
    The Government’s Apprenticeship Boost initiative has now supported 20,000 employers to help keep on and train up apprentices, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced in Christchurch today. Almost 62,000 apprentices have been supported to start and keep training for a trade since the initiative was introduced in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Government supporting wood processing jobs and more diverse industry
    The Government is supporting non-pine tree sawmilling and backing further job creation in sawmills in Rotorua and Whangarei, Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said.   “The Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan identified the need to add more diversity to our productions forests, wood products and markets,” Peeni Henare said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Government backing Canterbury’s future in aerospace industry
    The Government is helping Canterbury’s aerospace industry take off with further infrastructure support for the Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete, Infrastructure Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “Today I can confirm we will provide a $5.4 million grant to the Tāwhaki Joint Venture to fund a sealed runway and hangar ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Updated forestry regulations increase council controls and require large slash removal
    Local councils will have more power to decide where new commercial forests – including carbon forests – are located, to reduce impacts on communities and the environment, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “New national standards give councils greater control over commercial forestry, including clear rules on harvesting practices and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-10-03T09:41:51+00:00