Open mike 15/03/2020

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 15th, 2020 - 136 comments
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136 comments on “Open mike 15/03/2020 ”

  1. observer 1

    Two insights from Stuff this morning (I don't need to link to the home page do I?):

    One is from Steven Joyce, and after translation it basically says "I prepared this rant earlier but had to hastily rewrite it on Saturday evening after the government's response, and that's why it makes no sense". It would save him – and us – time if he was honest and just said "I don't know what they're going to do next but I'm already against it, because that's my job".

    The second is from a Covid-19 patient, and after translation it basically says "Joyce has no idea what he's talking about". That one *is* worth reading.

    • I won't waste my time reading it. The man who was the gNatz wonderboy, but who actually fucked up everything he touched – from the Ministry for Everything to Novapay.

      …… about as 'innovative' as a degree in animal buggery

    • Sacha 1.2

      Linking to each article is not hard. Which are on the home page changes all the time.

    • Climaction 1.3

      You have to admit that Steven Joyce makes an excellent point about how the PGF could be better spent during a crises like what we are facing. And Liam Danns comment that the government should spend 2.5 billion seems almost miserly.

      but 2.5b plus the 2b balance that appears to be left in the PGF would make 4.5b, which is the equivalent of almost 7 weeks of international tourism spending, which would be an amazing start given the travel restrictions

      • observer 1.3.1

        I don't think it's an excellent point at all. On Tuesday the government will announce a major economic package, which will inevitably include support for businesses in the regions, especially those reliant on tourism.

        It doesn't matter in the slightest if that is called the Shane Jones Fund or the Totally Different Steven Joyce Fund. It's government cash to save jobs.

        What Joyce forgets to say is "this is possible because I was wrong about the 11 billion dollar hole, sorry, my bad".

        He also manages to tout his brilliance without once acknowledging that borrowing more is not only an option, but now a short-term necessity. Again, that would require a large helping of humble pie, which Joyce can never stomach.

        • Climaction 1.3.1.1

          Blah blah blah My names observer and I don’t like Steven Joyce so he can’t be right about anything.

          Infantile bullshit

          why borrow when useless spending can be reallocated?

          • observer 1.3.1.1.1

            Why borrow? Because even if every cent was allocated to everything you want, that would be nowhere near enough.

            Listen to Wayne on the Covid19 thread:

            "I reckon the govt will need around $40 billion in economic stimulus over the next twelve months. Current annual govt receipts are around $100 billion. These will drop to $60 to 80 billion as the economy retracts, but the govt will need to spend at least $120 billion, instead of the planned $100 billion.

            It will push up govt debt to around 50 to 60% of GDP.

            But there is no choice."

            • Climaction 1.3.1.1.1.1

              Who said don’t borrow? You may have assumed that I meant it’s only a binary choice, it isn’t. Borrow freely. Just don’t borrow to protect non-essential or essentially wasteful current spending.

        • greywarshark 1.3.1.2

          It's great that you are keeping an eye and advising on this observer. It's beyond some people's IQ limit to comprehend.

      • Incognito 1.3.2

        … would make 4.5b, which is the equivalent of almost 7 weeks of international tourism spending …

        Really? Just like Joyce, I don’t think you’re any good with bigly numbers.

  2. Ed 2

    Thank goodness for a sane government like ours.

    Meanwhile in the UK….

    Boris Johnson would appear to be playing Russian roulette with the lives of the vulnerable in the U.K.

    The Tory government's plan assumes catching the virus gives you immunity. This is not yet proven (indeed anecdotally not true) and potentially a major flaw in the plan.

    As the article below argues, “The human species never developed “herd immunity” to polio or smallpox or any virus, really — ever, despite millennia of death and illness and misery.”

    The British government’s Coronavirus strategy, in other words, is founded on the most surreal and astonishing kind of pseudoscience.

    They think that everyone getting sick magically confers resistance on a nation. That is not how disease works. Herd immunity is what happens after large-scale vaccination, as a viral infection subsides."

    https://eand.co/why-britains-coronavirus-strategy-is-literally-one-of-the-most-insane-things-in-modern-history-45c755f1db2d

    • Sabine 2.1

      well it would kill the NHS – great for selling this awesome assett

      it would kill a whole bunch of old people, invalids, chronic ill people etc etc, also win.

      We only have human rights because we give them to us, and when we then consider that others need less rights in order for us to survive, then that is the reaction you get. I would like to point out that Boris Johnson is simply mimicking the Shitface of the US who also would like for people to continue as if there is nothing and if they get ill they should either die quick and silently or heal themselves in their hovels and then go back to work.

      • SPC 2.2.1

        The sacrifice of those old who die, and those poor who make capitalism so profitable. Boris is just channeling his Balliol Etonian education, training boys to run both the class order and empire.

        And so soon after his gratitude to the north for not trusting in socialist answers.

        • McFlock 2.2.1.1

          Heh.

          The thought occurred of a comparison with those societies that had traditions (often just colonial fantasies) of leaving their weak – the old, injured, or feeble babies – to die in the elements for the good of the community, culling the non-producers as it were.

          Tory capitalism does that too, and blames the victims for their own demise.

  3. Observer Tokoroa 3

    We don't know how Lucky we are !

    Yes – we have got all the gormless gluttons of the National Party to put up with – but we do not have the everlasting Eccentricity of the English.

    Boris Johnson the most absurd leader of the 60 Million English, has ditched Science, has vomited and shat on common sense, and made himself and every member of Merry England a global laughing Stock.

    Read this:

    Why Britain’s Coronavirus Strategy is Literally One of the Most Insane Things in Modern History.

    See: Ed – above!

  4. Stunned Mullet 4

    The official advice from the NHS/government in the UK doesn't quite match Ed's link.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

  5. Janet 5

    So you think everyone arriving in NZ from tonight onwards is going self – isolate for 14 days ….. Ha Ha Ha

    How , within the family home , in a hotel , in a hut in the forest ?

    • Stunned Mullet 5.1

      Perhaps utilise this method from Israel ?

      'Israel to Track Coronavirus Patients' Phones as Cases Spike to 193'

      ttps://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/coronavirus-cases-in-israel-spike-to-164-nearly-2-500-medical-officials-quarantined-1.8671075

    • I Feel Love 5.2

      I've had to cancel an overseas trip as it would have meant going somewhere, spending 2 weeks in a hotel room, then coming home again.

      • RedLogix 5.2.1

        I urgently needed to come back to NZ for family matters, but now it's impractical for the same reason. There will be millions of similar decisions people will have to make, that will collectively pile up consequences everywhere.

    • observer 5.3

      Please read up on what is happening before your "ha ha ha".

      Will everyone self-isolate? No. But everyone will be be able to be tracked. The latest patient spells this out very clearly in his story. It worked.

      It's the weakest debating point to say not "everyone" wears a seat belt in a car so we shouldn't bother making it compulsory. A rule is introduced, the vast majority follow it, and risk is reduced. You won't get universal compliance outside a dystopian dictatorship, but that's no reason to do nothing.

      • Janet 5.3.1

        Thank you but I have been reading and reading and reading for weeks ….

        Human nature is the problem. What I am waiting to see now is someone I know is coming home to NZ from the States in about a weeks time. He already has said he will self isolate FOR A WEEK …… Question? Does his wife stock up the house and leave the car at the airport then him home alone for 14 days , because if she doesn't and he gets sick then she too becomes a victim ? Will be interesting to see what happens.

        • anker 5.3.1.1

          Janet, re your friend……seriously dob him in. Exercise your civic duty if someone is suspected of not obeying isolation rules……they can then be quaranteened.

          There are very good guidelines on the MOH Covid 19 website regarding self isolation and living with others……….

          I am waiting for some savvy tourist operators to offer self isolation holidays in some of NZ. lovely spots. A stand alone home, with places to walk, swimming pool etc in the middle of nowhere. Food delivered. Wouldn't be too bad.

        • aom 5.3.1.2

          Janet – there is, no doubt, some existing legislation that would allow for confinement in a prison cell for more than 14 days for those who don't give a stuff about the safety of others.

        • greywarshark 5.3.1.3

          I have read the advice that others in the house with someone who is self-isolating but not showing signs of illness can go about their ordinary round, but keep a distance, a metre I think, and the person would be expected to mostly stay in their room, have separate bathroom if possible. Separate cutlery, crockery, glasses, cups etc. Surfaces, door handles, light switches, given a damp wipe and dried. Thinking about using tissues to handle CDs, all that would control spots of possible transmission if there was infection.

          Good hygiene, hand washing routine, paper towels might be best. Towels haven't been mentioned, but damp hand towels used twice would be good carriers. Separate everything soap, toothpaste, toothbrush for the person, is the expectation for people to behave like sensible and responsible citizens.

          I haven't seen this set out in a list, just a general mention. But it would be useful to point to it for those who are living with someone in self-isolation. They shouldn't have to be doing all the instructing.

    • Sacha 5.4

      How

      Ten thousand people have already managed to self-isolate in NZ.

    • KJT 5.5

      Best excuse to go sailing, ever!

    • mary_a 5.6

      @Janet (5) … You have obviously missed something. Please go back and read the PM's statement on how the self isolation will be practised and monitored.

  6. joe90 6

    Idiots went and bought up all the hand sanitiser they could find. Amazon and eBay shut the door on their profiteering. TradeMe?

    Now, while millions of people across the country search in vain for hand sanitizer to protect themselves from the spread of the coronavirus, Mr. Colvin is sitting on 17,700 bottles of the stuff with little idea where to sell them.

    http://archive.li/v1DKw

  7. A 7

    Who will be the bank to donate a portion of additional funds made from the tap n go feature on credit/eftpos cards during the virus of 2020? There are multiple community charities in serious need that support people in a myriad of ways.

    From memory retailers pay $0.80 per transaction where you don't enter your pin to avoid germs and opt to tap instead. They must be swimming in transaction fees with people stocking up.

    • alwyn 7.1

      I think you are exaggerating the fee. I think it is, based on this article, about 1.1% on debit cards. Your number would imply an average transaction of about $90. This is above the maximum amount of $80 for such transactions.

      https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/10/07/846601/banks-on-notice-over-no-paywave-dysfunction-1

      Doesn't mean I approve of the size of the fee mind. I think it is obscene and I have told my bank in writing that I never use the feature and will object to any charge that has not been approved with a pin entry. Don't know how I would get on if one came up mind but I will complain to the Banking Ombudsman if it was to happen.

      • alwyn 7.1.1

        Correction. Average transaction would have ti be about $73. That is less than the maximum of $80 but not by much.

        Thick finger problem with the divide and multiply keys on a calculator.

  8. mpledger 8

    In the USA, people are going round buying up all the hand sanitizers they can find and selling it on Ebay/Amazon at extortionate prices.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

    • Peter 8.1

      Fair enough. I have it on good authority we're put on planet earth to make as much money as we can.

      When things calm down those who've made a bundle in that scheme can be honoured at the White House.

    • Gabby 8.2

      Don't they have soap over there?

  9. Sanctuary 9

    It is a distinctly Kiwi form of voluntary self-isolation being proposed. Voluntary for those who agree, compulsory for everyone else. Just like school camps really.

  10. Paaparakauta 10

    What's this about a racehorse called Coronavirus ?

    It sounds like a mean critter ..

  11. Janet 11

    Seems we may have a cruise ship with corona virus on board. Seize the ship reassign it to be a dedicated floating corona virus hospital ! It won,t have anything better to do for a while .

    • Alice Tectonite 11.1

      Coronavirus isolation on a cruise ship in port. What could possibly go wrong?

      • KJT 11.1.1

        It's at anchor. No alongside berths for cruise ships in Akaroa.

        • Alice Tectonite 11.1.1.1

          Assumed that Janet's idea of turning it into a floating isolation hospital would involve it being taken somewhere where it could dock at a wharf or quayside (like the Diamond Princess in Japan). All in all a pretty terrible idea …

          • RedLogix 11.1.1.1.1

            Yeah. Cruise ships are notorious for disease outbreaks already. Cabins too small, plumbing not ideal for preventing virus spread, same with ventilation systems, and multiple common systems like big kitchens and services that are obvious points of weakness.

    • SPC 11.2

      Maybe the government could exchange health services for lease of a cruise ship for the homeless.

    • McFlock 11.3

      Japanese tried that. Worth a go, big mistake.

  12. RedBaronCV 12

    And this little nugget from the Guardian. Privatising elective surgery while allowing the NHS to be potentially overrun by coronavirus because social distancing is not being promoted. Great way to use available medical staff and resources.

    Fortunately I can see other sectors of the UK just ignoring Boris and getting on with suppressing high risk activities.

    “NHS England will this week issue new guidance to hospitals and clinical commissioning groups on working with the private sector to carry out more non-urgent operations on NHS patients to free up beds”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/coronavirus-nhs-private-hospitals-join-forces-academics-warn-over-strategy

  13. Anker 13

    Janet, our fantastic early acting PM ensured that none of those people were allowed to dis embark last night. Isn’t that/she good.

  14. SPC 15

    This will certainly test the nimbleness and planning ability of sports administrators.

    1. Kudos to the Phoenix for anticipating and planning for having to play remaining games in Oz (in front of no crowds albeit no home semi-final now possible).

    2. Super Rugby …

    Maybe they should consider bumping up the schedule for the remaining games between home teams and hold those.

    3. UK Rugby and Football …

    After a break return to completing the 2019-2020 season later in the 2020 calendar year. Consider reducing the 2020-2021 comp into one with one round.

  15. Observer Tokoroa 16

    The Republicans are silent

    They have gone through the upside down mongrel speech, by which their beloved Idiot, Donald Trump, bypasses anyone in the Globe at any time.

    But the Donald is not the real Nitwit. He suffers from a horrendous gulf ball disorder, and has lost any normal brain power. Although he does keep his everlasting Bullying. Possibly other pastimes too.

    The real Brainless lot are the Republicans. They don't know sickness from vomit. They don't even know their own names. For they do not Speak.

    They are a Virus in upside down action. And have no intention of doing anything for this collapsed United States of America.

    Stupidity is all they have. Republicans only ever want Stupidity.

  16. Muttonbird 17

    Farrar watch:

    A few thoughts…he's distancing himself and his paymasters from their recent politicising of the government response. He's doing this by collectivising and relabelling it "public" pressure.

    My recollection of recent days is that the public haven't said anything much – just a couple of entrepreneurs, one a toymaker, Mowbray, and the other the Trademe guy Sam Morgan.

    There's been plenty of media pressure of course but they are in the business of creating controversy in order to sell papers.

    I think Farrar and National are happy to see the economy tank as much as possible under Labour's watch – he'll use it closer to election.

  17. Fireblade 18

    The virus situation is getting scary. We are fortunate to live in NZ right now, but I'm very anxious and frightened to be honest.

    Please take care everyone.

    • RedLogix 18.1

      For what it's worth I completely empathise with that; it's entirely normal and justified to be at anxious about this.

      Two thoughts. People naturally vary in their response to negative events and threat. Some people just shrug it off, others are intensely affected and most people lie on a spectrum between. Don't be disconcerted by others who don't react like you do; sometimes strong fear is useless and paralysing, other times it's informative and drives the correct response. Only with hindsight do we know which people were right.

      Don't run away from it, confront it now, find out as much as you can and try to understand what is really happening. Treat it as an interesting opportunity to learn. Get the emotional impact over early, before any potential crisis really hits home, and if and when the virus does hit you'll be much stronger and more likely to deal with it rationally.

      Sorry if this sounds a bit bromidey, but I hope it is of some help.

      Cheers

  18. RedbaronCV 19

    Time to turbo charge the role of unions in the workplace again? At least( even if it is by skype) there would be a freer and more realistic discussion of who is going to suffer and how much they will need instead of an employer driven profit focus. Heaven forbid but places may decide to allocate the funds available for wages rather more equitably so the top end takes the biggest hit – why not?

  19. Robert Guyton 20

    David Farrar: "’Im much more satisfied with the Government’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic than I was a week ago."

    I

    d

    i

    o

    t.

    • McFlock 20.1

      I'm sure that the Prime Minister was eagerly monitoring the situation and is now greatly relieved that her government's response to this crisis has lately achieved some level of satisfaction from that fucking tool.

  20. Adrian Thornton 21

    And meanwhile the est Dems and MSM liberal media continue to demand that everyone go along with their bizzaro Alice in Wonderland craziness….although it seems plenty of people on TS are happy as pigs in shit to go along with their weird fantasy make believe world, says volumes about how easy it is to corral huge parts of any population..pretty depressing to witness in real time though…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxhsV_6dWVs

    • The Al1en 21.1

      So you're saying potential Sanders voters are easily led by the media? You're so special you can see through it all and not be affected. If only everyone would be like you, though you know what they say when it's everyone else that's crazy and you're the only sane one.

      Looking at all the polls, which broadly mirror those in Illinois, it really does, for better or worse, seem like a clear rejection by the voters of Bernie's run.

      From real clear politics.

      Illinois Democratic Primary:

      Emerson – Biden 57, Sanders 36, Biden +21

      Gravis – Biden 63, Sanders 25, Biden +38

      • Adrian Thornton 21.1.1

        What are saying? that you seriously don't see that Biden is suffering from some kind of age related cognitive decline?..you don't have to be special to see that obvious truth.. just have eyes that can see and ears that can listen..I assume you are still in possession of those facilities..maybe try using them for a change.

        • McFlock 21.1.1.1

          You have to be pretty special to make that the biggest egg in your omlette.

          Even if it were anything other than the cognitive bias of the left's equivalent of the Ancient Mariner, voters do seem to prefer to vote for Biden.

          • RedLogix 21.1.1.1.1

            biggest egg in your omlette.

            Given that POTUS has their finger on the entire US nuclear arsenal; it seems a pretty big egg to me. And there are plenty of video clips out there showing Biden behaving quite erratically under pressure.

            Wouldn't it be ironic if the world came to look back on Trump with a nostalgic fondness ….devil

            • McFlock 21.1.1.1.1.1

              Biden's managed to get down to two candidates in the primaries without a dozen sexual assault allegations and stopping a debate to assure the nation his penis is of adequate size.

              When you hit rock bottom, everywhere is up.

              • RedLogix

                Jeeze search engines are amazing. Given the left insist there is zero excuse for this sort of thing, the Dems really do have to dump him.

                And as low as Trump is, it’s a failure of imagination to think he is the worst humans can be. Rock bottom is a fair bit further down the stack of turtles man.

                • McFlock

                  I'm sure there can be worse people than dolt45. They'd have to make a massive effort, though. And Biden ain't anywhere close.

                  Not in sexual assault allegations, not in "erratic behaviour", and not in gross incompetence. .

                  • RedLogix

                    So unlike a whole bunch of other accused men I can think of, you're giving Biden a free pass on the sexual allegations because … Democrat?

                    • McFlock

                      Who says free pass?

                      I'm just saying that a dude who isn't on audio boasting about grabbing women by the pussy is a step up from the current guy, and people seem to be voting for the small step up (in that regard) rather than voting for the nice guy who managed to use his political skills in senate to name a couple of post offices and get a CoL increase for veterans.

                    • RedLogix

                      I'm just saying that a dude who isn't on audio boasting about grabbing women by the pussy

                      Correct me if I'm wrong, but have any of the women involved come forward with assault allegations? By contrast we have a number of women making direct allegations of inappropriate behaviour around Biden and the left insists that all women must be believed all the time. Except apparently when Democrat.

                      The lack of moral consistency is kind of obvious. Personally I've always argued that the sexual interactions between the sexes is complex, nuanced and fraught; this is an arena where we should tread cautiously and with proportionality. But whenever I've openly advocated this, I've been shouted down as a virtual rape apologist.

                    • McFlock

                      Correct me if I'm wrong, but have any of the women involved come forward with assault allegations?

                      You're joking, right? Did you forget it all, or were you not paying attention?

                      Use your fabled google powers. The extensive list of allegations against the current oaf even has its own wikipedia page. And yeah, it goes well beyond what women have complained about with Biden. I know this doesn't compute for you, you've previously made that very clear.

                      But hey, Sanders is the better human being. Trouble is, Biden is the better politician and people are voting for him. In a perfect world Sanders would already be president and running for reelection.

                    • RedLogix

                      Yes there is a solid history of these allegations. I was careless in framing that point. Still the point remains, if the same allegations raised against Biden were made against any Republican, there would be a massive left wing response.

                    • McFlock

                      Well, depending on intent he's close to the Al Franken Line, sure.

                      Does he meet it? Probably not. Should people vote for Sanders instead? Well, probably. But if Sanders can't beat a degenerate senile Cosby-esque fiend like Biden, how the fuck will he beat a fiendishly clever totally healthy and completely nonracist nonsexist non-rapist demigod like dolt45? You can't vaccinate against covid-19 with "I told you so" any more than you can vaccinate against covid-19 with the flu vaccine, no matter what people with a natural talent for science might say.

          • The Al1en 21.1.1.1.2

            And by some number if you look at the recent polling data.

        • The Al1en 21.1.1.2

          Quite clearly, I'm saying the voters appear to have made up their minds, and despite your best intentions otherwise, it's almost done for Bernie.

          The interesting thing, which you didn't pick up on, is how the media can sway the democratic voters, but not you. Surely if one believes in the message, it doesn't disappear with negative election ads, after all, it hasn't for you, has it?

          All that shows, to me, is the Sander's vote from '16 was anti Hilary and not much more. It says heaps about the electorate as a whole they prefer someone with "age related cognitive decline" to the alternative. Politics is always about the numbers, and those landslide opinion polls speak so much louder than your rhetoric.

      • KJT 21.1.2

        Yeah. The unrelenting propaganda against Sanders has no effect, of course.

        • The Al1en 21.1.2.1

          But then you and Thornton haven't fallen for it, have you? So are you saying those who voted Bernie in 2016 are thick and easily led?

          • RedLogix 21.1.2.1.1

            Given that I strongly supported Sanders in 2016 (against considerable pushback here I might add) … then yes I think that is exactly what KJT must be implying cheeky

            • KJT 21.1.2.1.1.1

              We all know that well funded, "rightish" campaigns, are not above using psychological techniques from advertising, combined with outright lies, to remain in power.

              That doesn't say that people are thick.

              It says that the manipulation and propaganda techniques, especially when there is a lot of money to pay for them, are too good.

              It would be much better for democracy, if that money was kept out of politics.

              It wasn't long ago that the people here, claiming Biden is the result of "well informed" voters, were claiming that the working class voters that voted for Brexit, were manipulated thicko's. Cognitive dissonance, much!

        • McFlock 21.1.2.2

          They call Sanders a commie, and they call Biden doolally. Meh.

    • Gabby 21.2

      I'm not going along with anything, not being a yanker and all.

  21. David Mac 22

    If I said the things I say in here in some counties I could be looking at the inside of a cell before sunrise. Many of us could be. Traitor! Your case will be heard in 2023.

    I miss John Clarke, I think we should produce a $17 dollar note in his honour. I think he is our John Lennon. We don't know how lucky we are.

    • David Mac 22.1

      I think money collectors the world over would be intrigued by a limited run official NZ Govt $17 dollar note. A device to embrace the memory of one of our most favorite square pegs in a round hole.

      We need to find some creative ways of keeping the overseas dollar flowing…without touching.

  22. joe90 24

    Getting real.

    – Police began closing off access to the Philippines’ sprawling and densely populated capital of Manila on Sunday, imposing a quarantine that officials hope will curb the nation’s rising number of coronavirus cases.

    Officers armed with rifles blocked off main roads into the city of some 12 million as domestic flights to and from Manila were halted early Sunday for a monthlong isolation of the capital.

    Mass gatherings and school at all levels have also been called off, but delays and exceptions have led public health experts to question how effective President Rodrigo Duterte’s measures will be.

    https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/15/asia-pacific/philippines-manila-coronavirus-infections-doubles/#.Xm3vnHLRWUk

    • RedLogix 24.1

      Good. Now if the WHO had not entirely blown it's credibility the past two months, what I would want to see is a set of standard global rules that enforced a common set of travel rule, social distancing and shut down of non-core economic activity … across the whole planet …. for 3 – 6 weeks.

      Get this bastard bug by the throat and throttle it now. Go hard, go early will be the least damaging choice now.

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    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    8 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
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