Just a recap over the discussion yeatserday evening on what beneficiaries are getting extra ….. some people seeming to speaking 'about' beneficiaries without any knowledge not 'for them'.
Clearly none of you know someone receiving a job seeker benefit, so I asked someone.
Winz dont seem to itemise these things, so his benefit this week compared to what was granted last year has risen by $72.65 per week from $218.98.
A Winz letter says the extra winter benefit is now $40.91 pw., thus the rise in the standard benefit received pw is $31.76
[Clearly, you’re an idiot engaging in bad faith begging to be banned. To be clear – we’re talking facts and not opinions or a difference in ideas. I’m in receipt of Job Seeker entitlement and do not receive the $ amount announced by the government. The reasoning behind that has been explained to you in through a umber of previous comments. Good-bye.] – B
For example if you were receiving TAS the total amount might have gone down when the base rate increases, but gone up a bit with the Winter Energy Payment.
If you are in state housing you will get the full benefit of the base rate increases, and you would also get the full increase if you aren't so disabled that your weekly disability costs are over $61/week. Yay for you! Aren't you lucky to be so healthy because you can be wealthy(er) too.
Ironically if you have say $200,000 in the bank you will also take the full increase. NZ is not a good place to be simultaneously weak or unwell and have no money.
Just read they are considering extending the wage subsidy…imagine the howls of outrage if that subsidy were paid at the same rate as JSS!
as someone on assisted living benefit(was called invalid benefit) we got $25 extra a week at beginning of lockdown. that makes a big difference and is the biggest increase in the 20 yrs that I have had. this increase was mostly ignored by people NOT on a benefit, but believe me, that and the increased winter heating payout has made life a lot easier. most of this money is spent every week locally, and is a master stroke by grant robertson. this money circulates in the economy and trickles up. growing things from the bottom up will always work better than trickledown myths.
Contrary to what some are claiming, I think this government has shown more compassion for beneficiaries – including those who are disabled – than has been seen for many years. It couldn't happen overnight but now it is happening and should be applauded not criticised.
that's not what is being debate Anne. What is being pointed out is that not all beneficiaries got the full $25. If that were acknowledged these conversations would go differently, not least because some of us could stop wasting our time correcting comments that are factually wrong and that have political implications.
What I don't understand is why people will rightfully celebrate the beneficiary getting $25 but won't talk about the one that got $2 and the personal and political implications of that.
Umm… I'm not sure but I think you may have misinterpreted my comment. As a pensioner, I received an increase in my pension and also the generous winter power payment and I'm grateful for it as indeed is woodart.
My understanding is all beneficiaries were treated equally. If some weren't then there will be a reason for it. Maybe they are paying back a loan from Winz in which case the weekly increase may have reduced the amount they owe.
That's just a thought. Don't know whether it is correct.
I can tell you exactly why it is (and we have been explaining for 2 days now). It's because the calculation for TAS claws back the increase. TAS is the hardship grant paid to many beneficiaries in the most poverty. I can't remember if AS does too, and there is also the issue of the abatement rate.
Labour know this, it's not a mistake, it's by design. I think they did a *really good thing making the WEP higher, because that is a direct cash transfer that is unaffected by the calculations used by WINZ, and I suspect this was intentional because it means less political fall out than if they'd raised benefits by $65/wk. But it's only for the winter and afaik won't be this much next year.
There are plenty of reasons to critique what Labour did with this and critiquing it doesn't mean that Labour did nothing. It just means there are still important problems in the system and the way things are being handled and we should be talking about those.
So is that cause to turn our critical faculties off?
Nobody is saying increasing the main benefit rates was the wrong thing to do, and it's great people are noticing the difference. All weka is saying, surely, is that by definition those receiving the TAS payment are the poorest in our community, but do not enjoy the $25 increase. Some will actually receive no increase at all.
"Contrary to what some are claiming, I think this government has shown more compassion for beneficiaries – including those who are disabled…"
That may well be the case, but it's not the issue right now.
The greater the disability-related expenses a person has the greater the likelihood that person receives the TAS payment, which in turn means they will not receive the full $25 increase when it comes to the overall weekly payment. Those who receive $25 or more of TAS will in all likelihood see no increase to their weekly payment as a result of the $25 increase to the main benefit rate.
Given that the winter fuel allowance is temporary and basically goes to power companies, if $25 a week makes life "a lot easier", then something's very wrong.
For those who actually wound up receiving $25, it should amount to 'lolly money' in the scheme of things- not a lifeline.
Interestingly, of those commenting here who I know for a fact are in receipt of welfare entitlements (myself included), not one has indulged in any effusive rosy specs commentary along the lines of your comment.
Odd that… must be just so many ungrateful ingrates, aye? 👿
"As someone on assisted living benefit(was called invalid benefit) we got $25 extra a week at beginning of lockdown. that makes a big difference and is the biggest increase in the 20 yrs that I have had. this increase was mostly ignored by people NOT on a benefit, but believe me, that and the increased winter heating payout has made life a lot easier. most of this money is spent every week locally,"
This is also my experience.I sympathise for those needing TAS due to their circumstances and understand the $25 is eaten up in abatement but at least the WW payment is $40 pw this winter. Hopefully if Labour is successful this coming election there can be more improvement for the beneficiary's lot
Do you regard a maximum weekly addition of $25 to be much more than an elastoplast being stuck on a major arterial bleed?
Given that $25 is probably around what many a worker might absently spend on take-away coffee in a week, doesn't it strike you as an insult that those in receipt of social welfare entitlements – who apparently need their children to be given fruit at school, and who apparently need food banks and budgeting advice, and who apparently require that the state (or some corporate partnership) feeds their children at school – are expected to be grateful and to now pipe down on the dollar amount of those entitlements?
As I wrote elsewhere, $150 added to core benefit levels might begin to address the punitive imposition of poverty on those claiming their so-called "welfare" entitlements. The offer of a cup of coffee a day equivalent on the other hand….
Nice one, woodart. Can I ask, was that $25 for a couple? Do you get TAS or Accommodation Supplement?
I agree raising benefits is a good thing. The problem is how to do that without some of the poorest people getting the least raise (which is what appears to have happened).
live alone, cant speak for couples. very small amount of acom supplement, cheap old cottage. do wonder at others who say they didnt get the $25. wonder if their bene has deductions in it for ? some peoples finance (dis) organisation makes you shake your head.
Yes, once someone is getting TAS and AS, there are complicated formulas to calculate how much they get paid, and these mean that when the core benefit is raised, less supplementary benefits are paid sometimes. It's complex. I'm hoping to do a post on it, but there's a fair bit of maths and research involved. Upshot is that there are beneficiaries who got a few dollars increase not the full $25.
When I was on a benefit the winter energy payment meant so much to our family. And for a beneficiary an extra $25 a week makes a tremendous difference.
Have been wondering if any bene bashers are now on a benefit and getting a bit of a wake up call as to how difficult it actually is and how resourceful one must become.
When I started working again one of the first things I brought were council rubbish bags, something we couldn't afford before. Sounds silly but it was a big deal, prior to that I'd sneak down to the park every couple of days and put our rubbish in the council bin.
However, he was criticised for publicly downplaying the seriousness of the virus, even as he privately sold equities and warned a private North Carolina business group of the stark risks it posed.
I guess members of their version of the Cabinet Club got their money's worth.
Membership to join the Tar Heel Circle costs between $500 and $10,000 and promises that members "enjoy interaction with top leaders and staff from Congress, the administration, and the private sector," according to the group's website.
Here's a little test for Minister Robertson since unemployment is his primary target, and o course since he put himself in the same league as Prime Minister Fraser. Here's the unemployment figures during and after WW2:
1938 34,000
1939 19,000
1942 2,000
1945 1,000
1946 1,000
1947-9 negligible
Cited in WB Sutch, The Quest for Security, sourced from Labour Department statistics.
This government should give a target of what it wants to achieve here.
Targets are good. Good fodder for the media. If the number of unemployed is 116,000 (March 2020 figure) and Robertson says he has a target of 100,000 the headlines will be "Robertson happy for 100,000 to be unemployed." There'd be stuff from Paul Goldsmith about Robertson having no plan and no ambition.
If the number drops to 100,001 the attacks will be about how he failed. If the number drops to 79,000 it would because the solid foundation that Bill English left had come into play. If Robertson had ambition and a plan and the unemployed number was to go down to 30,000 and it only dropped from 116,00 down to 40,000 Todd McClay would be going on about 'abject failure.'
Without a number Goldsmith can say Robertson doesn't care. The good thing about that is Goldsmith not having something specific to hang his facile arguments on.
Pretty hard to set a target while you still working out how big the start number will be . Itll be 6 months atleast before the layoffs finish ,ofcourse it is possible it wont be as bad as predicted if we are in level 1 in 3 weeks and domestic tourism cranks up .
Beef ,lamb ,dairy and logs are good we just need the germans out eating kiwi venison and the rural sector will be chugging along strongly .
3Blue1Brown (one of the very best YT math channels) has put up a short must watch on Contact Tracing and Tracking without compromising identity or location. It's only 7 min and as always with Grant, highly visual and accessible.
The Australian uptake is over 30% now and growing. I'm using it and I'm satisfied the app and the law around it are far less intrusive than say Google or FB.
It isn't perfect, but it is what we have to deal with the immediate crisis we know we have. As against the very unlikely risk of your privacy being compromised.
Is that a retraction in full of the comment that triggered the moderation or an admission that you can’t be bothered taking responsibility for your comments and simply walk away?
AFAIK, you have never been banned before. Bans are a last resort if a commenter fails to correct their behaviour here after and despite having been warned, for example.
The problem you have here is quite solvable. I made the case the other night that use of Aspirin, VitC, VitD and Zinc and are reasonable ideas and it's easy to find sources to back this up. The latter three items are really quite non-controversial, and I'm availing myself of them personally.
But you stepped over a line when you suggested specific doses of Aspirin that are clearly outside of usual limits. Incognito has made it clear that this site is not going to be used to promote unproven medical experimentation.
Keep in mind there is an awful lot of dangerous quackery out there, and the moderators have the unenviable task of trying to keep the tide of it from flooding this site. They have to draw a line somewhere, and rather than make fine judgements on a case by case basis (which no-one but a real expert really can do), it's fairest and simplest to just say no to anything that looks like a medical recommendation.
Before anyone starts complaining about the moeny to buy new C-130J transports, just remember that they'll have a fifty year lifespan and the previous fleet has given fantastic service for 55 years.
The slowing down pace of change in military technology is well illustrated with these Hercules transports. The Hercules first flew in 1954, and was itself a scaled up C-123, and aircraft that first flew in 1949. So the basic layout of the aircraft is over seventy years old.
Given the accelerating implosion of the Anglo-Saxon empire – the spectacle of it's two main protagonists shambolic and chaotic pandemic response will surely have lasting geo-political consequences, the USA and the UK are clearly busted flushes at the moment – it would be foolish to think that an ANZAC (+ Singapore?) alliance as a strong middle power might not have to defend itself without much expectation of help at some time in the next fifty years against an expansionist and imperialist China, so these transports represent a good investment IMHO.
The C130 is the most important Defence Force aircraft in its fleet and always has been.
I was working in a 24/7 capacity at the RNZAF base, Whenuapai during and in the aftermath of Cyclone Bola. C130s were pounding the route to Gisborne all day and night delivering equipment, medical and food supplies plus boots on the ground. I recall watching tractors and other heavy equipment being loaded and it brought home to me how essential they are in times of natural and man-made catastrophes. We haven't experienced the latter in NZ yet but the way the US is heading, together with their puppets in the UK and elsewhere, it might not be long.
These differences include new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 D3turboprop engines with Dowty R391[5]compositescimitar propellers, digital avionics (including head-up displays (HUDs) for each pilot), and reduced crew requirements. These changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40% greater range, 21% higher maximum speed, and 41% shorter takeoff distance.[6] The J-model is available in a standard-length or stretched -30 variant.
From the outside, there’s not a lot of difference between the two, although one telling difference is in the planes’ four propellers. On the C-130H, there are four blades on each propeller. On the C-130J, there are six blades.
The “J” is also faster. It’s top speed is 417 mph, up from 366 in the “H.” And it can hold more weight (164,000 pounds vs 155,000 pounds) and travel farther (2,000+ miles vs 1,208 miles at “maximum normal payload”).
Inside, the differences are more clear. The C-130H requires a minimum crew of five, with two pilots, a navigator, engineer and loadmaster. The more modern C-130J needs only three crew members, two pilots and a loadmaster.
Inside the planes, you could fit 6 pallets, 92 combat troops or 64 paratroopers in the C-130H. Or 8 pallets, 128 combat troops or 92 paratroopers in the C-130J.
That range increase is impressive. If max loaded, it means a 130J can fly ~3200km compared to the existing ~1800km. Which means that when we need to respond to the islands there will be a lot more payload being able to to be carried. Currently they drastically lighten the load if they want to fly the 2872km between Auckland and Samoa.
Always remember catching a ride on one from down south to Auckland in in the early 1980s at night. It was exhausting and somewhat terrifying because it wasn't flying particularly high. But it got me to the funeral on time.
I did an all day trip down to Wigram via Wellington and back to Auckland in an Andover in 1988. Spent the trip in the cockpit with the crew. Beautiful weather, fantastic views. Fascinated by the piloting techniques. Wouldn't fancy the trip in bad weather though.
Interesting reading the soical media kick back against big tourism. A lot of people think as an industry it priced New Zealanders out of their own country in favour of over-charging foreigners, and there is quite a lot of resentment that the industry is now demanding taxpayer money.
I think it is also that the benefits are not equitably shared, while increases in costs are burdened onto local residents and ratepayers, whether that be environmental and/or infrastructure upgrades. There was an interesting Guardian article recently about Barcelona during lockdown, which follows several years of Barcelona residents protesting about the high tourist numbers affecting their quality of life.
There is also the issue of whether employment in this industry is robust and equitable, or a fairweather occupation.
I must admit I feel pretty enthusiastic that the opportunity to enjoy NZ as it used to be a couple of decades ago. Employment in a lot of this industry seemed to depend on work visa holders which suggest that it wasn't paying very well plus I never quite jelled with the amount of infrastructure we seemed to be paying for or the RW vision of Milford sound.. AFAIK there was a lot of yoyo money in the sector. Yes it needs a basic amount of government money but not too much as the international side doesn't look like it's returning anytime soon.
I'd actually like to see a little bit more tech if possible (IP pad ordering systems in restaurants etc) to up the productivity and increase the resilience of the sector
And interestingly the Australian figures this month show a net gain from the tourism shutdown … because there are no Australian's going overseas spending money.
I’m not sure how the NZ numbers will balance out, because our visitor numbers were almost as large as our total population, but it will be up there.
And aligning with Molly’s comment above, I’d be very interested to know exactly what fraction of the visitor spend in NZ actually stayed here. I get the impression a lot of it was just pumped back overseas in vertically integrated operations.
NZers overseas spend about half of what the tourism spend is in NZ. A bit over half of our tourism is domestic, where the Aussie split is about three quarters domestic, so their industry is in a much better place to survive this.
It's curious because we are a cheap destination with generally cheap products and services.
Not sure what you’re referring to but for Europeans we’re not a cheap destination relative to other choices and our hospitality industry is expensive compared to many if not most European places. Groceries here in NZ are most certainly not cheap.
I'd like to give a big shoutout to Winston Peters for closing down so many racetracks across New Zealand.
In particular, a huge thanks for shuttering Auckland's Avondale Racecourse. This has been a decaying blight for two decades, propped up only by Jockey Club selling off more and more slices of its land.
This is a huge greenfields opportunity to rebuild and expand the whole of Avondale.
Demolish those old stands with dynamite tomorrow!
I'm sure hoping to see Kainga Ora (and not those wastrels at Panuku) to get in there with a masterplan for the entire site, putting in proper parks, more cycleways than roads, easy bus stops, medium-density warm houses … and in general do there what they did a decade ago at Hobsonville.
Twyford's had his eye on it for a while, so I hope he overrides those dorks at Auckland Council. As Hobsonville shows there's plenty of room for both parks and people.
Not going to be a mall Duke. Panuku are redeveloping the Avondale Town Centre for that. The racecourse is slated to be redeveloped into medium density housing as Ad has said. Good to see that finally there seems to be some cut through in this. Winston’s in his element at the moment isn’t he?
There is a well patronized market in the weekend at the Avondale Racing Club. Lovely fresh fruit and veges at good prices. I'd hate to see that disappear ; not sure where else they could put it.
In the past few months, the CCP's propaganda effort has gone from clumsy and aggravating, to infantile and moronic. The list of nations China has deliberately gone out of it's way to piss off is quite spectacular; inviting a global anti-Chinese backlash of unprecedented dimensions. Three decades of soft-power building has been demolished in the past three weeks. Why?
What is Xi up to? Because we can assume the CCP is not a pack of total morons, they must be working to a plan. There seem to be two possible explanations; one is using the global anti-Chinese backlash to enflame anti-foreigner nationalist activity within China. Put simply, Xi is trying to get the world pissed off at China so that China becomes pissed off at the world.
This feels … extreme. Yet the CCP's diplomatic actions, across so many consistent fronts, cannot be ignored. There must be an explanation for them. My sources (and confirmed by persistent suggestions elsewhere, is the COVID disaster in China was much larger than admitted to, and the CCP knows it is facing an internal crisis. The response will be massive internal repression, led by their security forces, but implemented largely by the people themselves. The precedent for this lies within our lifetimes; the Cultural Revolution, The Great Leap Forward and of course Tiananmen Square.
The second purpose may have been hinted at a few days ago, when CCP media articles made it clear that China 'had options' to trading with Australia for iron ore and beef, such as Brazil. Wedging off large segments of a disintegrating global trade order into China's sphere of influence by feeding antagonisms, roughly splitting away from the G20 nations at a point where the USA has no interest, or capacity even, to repair the rifts. The goal may be to proactively divide the world into two trade camps, one Sino-centric, the other US based.
The question for Australia and NZ is going to be, into which camp will we be placed?
Kow-tow in public! It reassures our forelock tuggers! Or so our official advisors believe. 🙄
"The unredacted briefing also sets out the prioritisation order for the minister’s calls to his counterparts in other countries. At the top of the list, to be called within one week, were Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, Singapore, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Fiji. The next tier down, to be called within two weeks, included the US, China, Japan, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, and Mexico."
Treating the US & China as second-tier nations is lateral thinking on such a scale as to leave me awed at the superb mental faculties of the advisors. Well done! Give those people a raise!
And putting them on the same level as PNG & Mexico does indeed reflect the comparable random violence produced within those nations. When informed, Trump & Xi will no doubt gulp & think, "I see, we're not so civilised really, eh? Must do better!" Supplying moral guidance into our foreign policy, subtly so as not to offend. Such clever officials.
"The MFAT spokeswoman said the ministry would carry out a thorough investigation of the inadvertent disclosure. However, after reviewing the document's contents they believed they had become less sensitive with the passage of time." Well yes, Xi & Trump have had plenty of time to absorb the message & moderate their behaviour accordingly… 😑
Donald Trump has threatened to “cut off the whole relationship” with China, as tensions between the US and China continue to rise over the origins of COVID-19.
“I’m very disappointed in China. I will tell you that right now,” Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox Business. “There are many things we could do. We could cut off the whole relationship. Now if you did, what would happen? You’d save $500 billion.”
It came in response to a question about whether the US should refuse Chinese nationals student visas for sensitive science areas.
I'm betting the CCP is aware that a de-facto 'cut off' of the global relationship with China is already happening. I've written it before, the one thing that will ensure the destruction of the CCP, is for the USA to go home; which Trump is now openly mouthing. Rather than trying to prevent the tide from going out, Xi Xinping is going to proactively play the tactic of using the momentum of your opponent to whatever advantage he can find. That will mean seizing control, doubling down on repressing internal dissent, and expanding their sphere of influence as aggressively as deemed possible.
All this was going to happen anyway, COVID 19 is accelerating them to warp-speed.
As for NZ, I can only feel for any CCP diplomat confronted with Winston in full obfuscate mode … he’s more than a match for them.
Trump on Xi: “I have a very good relationship (with him) but … right now I don’t want to speak to him.” Folks will empathise, after several weeks cooped up with their families.
Interesting to see the bit in that report where they refer to Trump as a "giant baby". That was the Trump blimp, actually. But maybe they can't tell the difference between the two? One full of helium, the other full of hot air…
To futher analogise, the Labour-Green-First government is like the Popular Front in Spain against the capitalists, catholics, monarchists, traditionalists and the miltary. That is probably why it cannot seem to get anything done.
China's road and beltway is slated to cost between US$4 and US$8 Trillion. US corporations have been given in excess of US$4 trillion with no strings attached.
That's a lot of $$ US corporations have at their disposal to compete in one way or another with China's new "silk roads" that the US are not a part of.
Meanwhile, ordinary US citizens are being thrown under the bus – unprecedented levels of unemployment, bugger all contingency plans by government that might provide for people suddenly in dire straits (2 x $1200 cheques for those who can negotiate the eligibility hurdles in a country where 1/3 of renters couldn't pay rent in April can't be said to 'cut it'), and millions upon millions losing health care along with their jobs.
Anyone might think the idea of corporate America was to let America burn and launch itself into a brave new world that’s free of any nation state constraints or social obligations.
Anyone might think the idea of corporate America was to let America burn and launch itself into a brave new world that’s free of any nation state constraints or social obligations.
why yes, yes that is exactly what this is. And it ain't the US alone. I look at England.
not just wait until the statistics indicate that all is good.
I don't agree at all. Muttonbird is quite correct. We MUST wait, but we can plan while we are doing that.. Ask how many kiwi's would enjoy going back to level 3 or 4? The answer will be none of them, and the 'two country bubble' won't happen until both of us have long strings of zero cases, with the ability to jump very quickly on any increase in numbers.
I agree with Muttonbird. We don't even know at this stage how well we have done, and Australia seems to be moving upwards now in new infections, while we are (temporarily?) at Zero.
Indiana is the fool rushing in where angels fear to tread.
Listening to the reaction to the budget since yesterday it is apparent there is many competing narratives and complaints but there is one fairly common area of note….the perceived lack of an overarching plan.
On the face of it this would appear to be a legitimate observation especially as we are in the process of spending the next decade or two's income.
However we are less than 4 months from an election and while I expect little of substance from National, Act or NZ First I would hope that before then both Labour and the Greens can present a comprehensive and detailed plan for the electorate to support.
Currently even those calling for such appear disjointed and vague in what it is that is desired but as Susan Krumdieck noted this morning on RNZ we know what we need to do,we need to start now, and we can learn on the job….but first we need a plan.
Time to front Labour and Greens (coz no one else is going to do it)…and you've had more than enough time to sort one out.
People always say that Pat, usually those who don't support the current government.
How can all the disparate elements of a budget be linked into a cohesive plan?
All I know is I hated all of the mean-spirited budgets of Bill English while there were many elements of yesterday's effort I liked-free school meals, more state houses (English sold them off), a billion for NZ Rail, a billion for green issues, no f*ck*n tax cuts….and so on.
if we dont address CC with that spend then when will we?
Never.
This budget was the one presenting the perfect opportunity to either (in Jacinda's badly chosen words) “tackle climate change head on” , or at least surreptitiously line up the ducks.
Neither of those things have happened.
Hell, every statement from government I'm aware of has been couched in terms of economic recovery – ie, re-establishing what went before. The cunning community board members who "made it to the big time" are our government are woefully lacking are the end of us.
the ducks may be surreptitiously lined up but the manifestos of both Labour and the Greens need to clarify that….I suspect that neither had a comprehensive plan previously and while dealing with covid havnt devoted any resources to it so it unlikely they will produce one in time for the election…3 years wasted?
Maybe they are wisely assuming that it would be dumb to commit to some hare-brained scheme when we have yet to find out what Covid19 has yet to surprise us with?
But don't claim that it was intentional! As I remember, he was scathing about the Values Party, and never cared about the environment, except for his personal rose garden.
It was definitely intentional. The priority at the time was to remove New Zealand dependence on Oil as the country had been importing inflation triggered by the Opec price hikes (as had most countries). But saying 'Think Big' was unintentional is about as bright as complaining that subsequent governments lost money on the infrastructure, its completely beside the point.
I think you are confusing Muldoon's good idea of reducing NZ's dependence on imported oil with something Muldoon never even considered. Did he ever utter the word 'decarbonise'?
Not even the Values Party existed when Think Big started, let alone the Greens, and concern about carbon.
I agree with your general point here about Muldoon and decarbonisation. Just want to point out that the Values Party started in 1972 (also the year that the Limits to Growth report came out). Think Big was coined in 1977. Muldoon would have been aware of these things, even if he was ignoring them.
Interesting – I stand corrected about time of Values Party, which I should have known. Well, I knew it, but I confused Think Big with the earlier Kapuni Pipeline.
I just couldn't quite remember Muldoon looking anything like a conservationist.
“Such lunacy is a clear byproduct, first and foremost, of the proverbial anxiety that the US has suffered from since China began its global ascension,” it said on Friday. “Trump seems insane right now or may have some psychological problems,” another editorial wrote."
De-carbonising the country completely is only possible if we don't build the 6000 homes for the homeless or the extra 4000 for state housing. It is only possible if trucks don't move the material to build them or put fridges and stoves or beds in them. It is only possible if food grown for 4.7 million people is left to rot in the fields.
Electric transport is great but is only part of the answer, it would mean the government would need to buy every family pretty much an electric vehicle amounting to a cost that would dwarf the Covid response. And all this for a technology that still has 10 years at least to run before it's products are efficiently mature enough not to be redundant after a few years.
Electrified transportation will happen eventually, but how do we get rid of concrete, steel, aluminium and even bloody plastic or even grow, harvest and machine and transport wood.
The only answer that could possibly solve this problem is to kill off at least 80% of us.
Anybody keen to go into an election, which also costs a huge amount of of even more precious metals for computers etc and energy, on that platform?.
Something like a 15-20% ongoing annual drop in energy that produces carbon while using the remaining carbon budget to put in place those things that will be required in a world around at least 2 degrees warmer than before, doesn't entail genocide.
Apply the carbon budget to construct housing 'fit for purpose' and produce whatever manufactured products there may be to last, rather than to throw away and replace.
It's just maybe still do-able. But government has been kicking the can down the road, is still kicking the can down the road, and the end of the road is most definitely in sight.
Love you acute footnoters above but what matters the most? There are right wing finance types talking about sparking the next growth phase. But this prognostication leaves aside reality which none of us can humour anymore. Exherently, climate change is imperative. Inherent involves our souls. It is 't'cause', as my Lancashire socialist ancestor called it, of our age. Really hate the foolishness of us at the wall of reality approaching us. I don't have children, most of this is worry about the discomfort of my old age. Our socialist ancestors would understand and fight like fuck against the challenge. But we mumble and mrrble.
Strange I associate talking for the people with starving yourself. Seeing those who've enriched themselves as officially for the people. Let alone vile America. I will always see gaining materially being against idealism.
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
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Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
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Just a recap over the discussion yeatserday evening on what beneficiaries are getting extra ….. some people seeming to speaking 'about' beneficiaries without any knowledge not 'for them'.
Clearly none of you know someone receiving a job seeker benefit, so I asked someone.
Winz dont seem to itemise these things, so his benefit this week compared to what was granted last year has risen by $72.65 per week from $218.98.
A Winz letter says the extra winter benefit is now $40.91 pw., thus the rise in the standard benefit received pw is $31.76
[Clearly, you’re an idiot engaging in bad faith begging to be banned. To be clear – we’re talking facts and not opinions or a difference in ideas. I’m in receipt of Job Seeker entitlement and do not receive the $ amount announced by the government. The reasoning behind that has been explained to you in through a umber of previous comments. Good-bye.] – B
The rise depends on a number of things.
For example if you were receiving TAS the total amount might have gone down when the base rate increases, but gone up a bit with the Winter Energy Payment.
If you are in state housing you will get the full benefit of the base rate increases, and you would also get the full increase if you aren't so disabled that your weekly disability costs are over $61/week. Yay for you! Aren't you lucky to be so healthy because you can be wealthy(er) too.
Ironically if you have say $200,000 in the bank you will also take the full increase. NZ is not a good place to be simultaneously weak or unwell and have no money.
Just read they are considering extending the wage subsidy…imagine the howls of outrage if that subsidy were paid at the same rate as JSS!
as someone on assisted living benefit(was called invalid benefit) we got $25 extra a week at beginning of lockdown. that makes a big difference and is the biggest increase in the 20 yrs that I have had. this increase was mostly ignored by people NOT on a benefit, but believe me, that and the increased winter heating payout has made life a lot easier. most of this money is spent every week locally, and is a master stroke by grant robertson. this money circulates in the economy and trickles up. growing things from the bottom up will always work better than trickledown myths.
Great to hear your real experience of the difference.
I concur with Ad woodart.
Contrary to what some are claiming, I think this government has shown more compassion for beneficiaries – including those who are disabled – than has been seen for many years. It couldn't happen overnight but now it is happening and should be applauded not criticised.
that's not what is being debate Anne. What is being pointed out is that not all beneficiaries got the full $25. If that were acknowledged these conversations would go differently, not least because some of us could stop wasting our time correcting comments that are factually wrong and that have political implications.
What I don't understand is why people will rightfully celebrate the beneficiary getting $25 but won't talk about the one that got $2 and the personal and political implications of that.
Umm… I'm not sure but I think you may have misinterpreted my comment. As a pensioner, I received an increase in my pension and also the generous winter power payment and I'm grateful for it as indeed is woodart.
My understanding is all beneficiaries were treated equally. If some weren't then there will be a reason for it. Maybe they are paying back a loan from Winz in which case the weekly increase may have reduced the amount they owe.
That's just a thought. Don't know whether it is correct.
I can tell you exactly why it is (and we have been explaining for 2 days now). It's because the calculation for TAS claws back the increase. TAS is the hardship grant paid to many beneficiaries in the most poverty. I can't remember if AS does too, and there is also the issue of the abatement rate.
Labour know this, it's not a mistake, it's by design. I think they did a *really good thing making the WEP higher, because that is a direct cash transfer that is unaffected by the calculations used by WINZ, and I suspect this was intentional because it means less political fall out than if they'd raised benefits by $65/wk. But it's only for the winter and afaik won't be this much next year.
There are plenty of reasons to critique what Labour did with this and critiquing it doesn't mean that Labour did nothing. It just means there are still important problems in the system and the way things are being handled and we should be talking about those.
So is that cause to turn our critical faculties off?
Nobody is saying increasing the main benefit rates was the wrong thing to do, and it's great people are noticing the difference. All weka is saying, surely, is that by definition those receiving the TAS payment are the poorest in our community, but do not enjoy the $25 increase. Some will actually receive no increase at all.
"Contrary to what some are claiming, I think this government has shown more compassion for beneficiaries – including those who are disabled…"
That may well be the case, but it's not the issue right now.
The greater the disability-related expenses a person has the greater the likelihood that person receives the TAS payment, which in turn means they will not receive the full $25 increase when it comes to the overall weekly payment. Those who receive $25 or more of TAS will in all likelihood see no increase to their weekly payment as a result of the $25 increase to the main benefit rate.
Given that the winter fuel allowance is temporary and basically goes to power companies, if $25 a week makes life "a lot easier", then something's very wrong.
For those who actually wound up receiving $25, it should amount to 'lolly money' in the scheme of things- not a lifeline.
Interestingly, of those commenting here who I know for a fact are in receipt of welfare entitlements (myself included), not one has indulged in any effusive rosy specs commentary along the lines of your comment.
Odd that… must be just so many ungrateful ingrates, aye? 👿
"As someone on assisted living benefit(was called invalid benefit) we got $25 extra a week at beginning of lockdown. that makes a big difference and is the biggest increase in the 20 yrs that I have had. this increase was mostly ignored by people NOT on a benefit, but believe me, that and the increased winter heating payout has made life a lot easier. most of this money is spent every week locally,"
This is also my experience.I sympathise for those needing TAS due to their circumstances and understand the $25 is eaten up in abatement but at least the WW payment is $40 pw this winter. Hopefully if Labour is successful this coming election there can be more improvement for the beneficiary's lot
Do you regard a maximum weekly addition of $25 to be much more than an elastoplast being stuck on a major arterial bleed?
Given that $25 is probably around what many a worker might absently spend on take-away coffee in a week, doesn't it strike you as an insult that those in receipt of social welfare entitlements – who apparently need their children to be given fruit at school, and who apparently need food banks and budgeting advice, and who apparently require that the state (or some corporate partnership) feeds their children at school – are expected to be grateful and to now pipe down on the dollar amount of those entitlements?
As I wrote elsewhere, $150 added to core benefit levels might begin to address the punitive imposition of poverty on those claiming their so-called "welfare" entitlements. The offer of a cup of coffee a day equivalent on the other hand….
I d rather labour win the next election than shell out $150 per week and lose the next election to the nactoids
So noble of you. Hopelessly wrongheaded. But noble nonetheless…I guess.
Nice one, woodart. Can I ask, was that $25 for a couple? Do you get TAS or Accommodation Supplement?
I agree raising benefits is a good thing. The problem is how to do that without some of the poorest people getting the least raise (which is what appears to have happened).
live alone, cant speak for couples. very small amount of acom supplement, cheap old cottage. do wonder at others who say they didnt get the $25. wonder if their bene has deductions in it for ? some peoples finance (dis) organisation makes you shake your head.
Yes, once someone is getting TAS and AS, there are complicated formulas to calculate how much they get paid, and these mean that when the core benefit is raised, less supplementary benefits are paid sometimes. It's complex. I'm hoping to do a post on it, but there's a fair bit of maths and research involved. Upshot is that there are beneficiaries who got a few dollars increase not the full $25.
Weka we received $25 each and the winter warmth payment. We are on the pension.
Do you get TAS or Accommodation Supplement patricia?
Yes 🙂 Woodart 🙂 I'm hearing you on that.
When I was on a benefit the winter energy payment meant so much to our family. And for a beneficiary an extra $25 a week makes a tremendous difference.
Have been wondering if any bene bashers are now on a benefit and getting a bit of a wake up call as to how difficult it actually is and how resourceful one must become.
When I started working again one of the first things I brought were council rubbish bags, something we couldn't afford before. Sounds silly but it was a big deal, prior to that I'd sneak down to the park every couple of days and put our rubbish in the council bin.
And not leave it strewn about the place, ideally in a place of natural wonder or beauty spot. Call yourself a kiwi lol
One of the senators accused of pandemic insider trading quits.
I guess members of their version of the Cabinet Club got their money's worth.
[further googling]
Oh snap it really is their Cabinet Club:
good news , but it seems to be "temporarily stepped down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, "
Quits makes it sound like hes resigned in disgrace – why is the BBC doing clickbait headlines
Thats where the Nats got their Cabinet Club idea from
argh shit you're right, didn't read closely enough.
Anyway, I'm sure our CC didn't give people access to non-public information. Totes above board, I'm sure.
Good illustration of how these things are operated by the corrupt (as opposed to our "honourable" members), though.
More to this than meets the eye.
https://www.emptywheel.net/2020/05/14/as-richard-burr-rushes-to-release-volume-five-the-fbi-closes-in/
https://twitter.com/blakesmustache/status/1260966209257963522?s=20
https://twitter.com/jeffstrabone/status/1260766846556536832
That would indeed be consistent with the repugs' current attitudes to democracy.
Who would have thought that the alleged pandemic insider-trader would be to ethical for those fuckers…
Here's a little test for Minister Robertson since unemployment is his primary target, and o course since he put himself in the same league as Prime Minister Fraser. Here's the unemployment figures during and after WW2:
1938 34,000
1939 19,000
1942 2,000
1945 1,000
1946 1,000
1947-9 negligible
Cited in WB Sutch, The Quest for Security, sourced from Labour Department statistics.
This government should give a target of what it wants to achieve here.
Targets are good. Good fodder for the media. If the number of unemployed is 116,000 (March 2020 figure) and Robertson says he has a target of 100,000 the headlines will be "Robertson happy for 100,000 to be unemployed." There'd be stuff from Paul Goldsmith about Robertson having no plan and no ambition.
If the number drops to 100,001 the attacks will be about how he failed. If the number drops to 79,000 it would because the solid foundation that Bill English left had come into play. If Robertson had ambition and a plan and the unemployed number was to go down to 30,000 and it only dropped from 116,00 down to 40,000 Todd McClay would be going on about 'abject failure.'
Without a number Goldsmith can say Robertson doesn't care. The good thing about that is Goldsmith not having something specific to hang his facile arguments on.
Without a target no one can hold them to account at all.
Which is weird for a democracy that's going tits up and $50b down a hole.
Pretty hard to set a target while you still working out how big the start number will be . Itll be 6 months atleast before the layoffs finish ,ofcourse it is possible it wont be as bad as predicted if we are in level 1 in 3 weeks and domestic tourism cranks up .
Beef ,lamb ,dairy and logs are good we just need the germans out eating kiwi venison and the rural sector will be chugging along strongly .
to Ad at 3 : Seems to me the reality of the gap at 1939 would have been on account of beginning of WW2.
From 1945 or shortly after, 3% loans for ex-servicemen which were designed to ensure employment.
Yes and a lot more benefits besides, with a whole bunch less abatement and qualifier nonsense.
Target should be full employment, a phrase last heard from a government minister during the 1984 election campaign.
As you highlight, when there is a war on all the political impediments to finding everybody work rapidly vanish.
3Blue1Brown (one of the very best YT math channels) has put up a short must watch on Contact Tracing and Tracking without compromising identity or location. It's only 7 min and as always with Grant, highly visual and accessible.
Great video. Key point for me is that it is open source.
Australia's tracing app is not open source and the uptake is low.
The Australian uptake is over 30% now and growing. I'm using it and I'm satisfied the app and the law around it are far less intrusive than say Google or FB.
Various tech sector spokespeople have backed it similarly. And the source code is available.
It isn't perfect, but it is what we have to deal with the immediate crisis we know we have. As against the very unlikely risk of your privacy being compromised.
Could you please respond to your moderation if you like to keep your commenting privileges? For your convenience: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-05-2020/#comment-1711567. Thank you.
It's ok. I think I'm just not a match for this site. Have fun guys.
Is that a retraction in full of the comment that triggered the moderation or an admission that you can’t be bothered taking responsibility for your comments and simply walk away?
AFAIK, you have never been banned before. Bans are a last resort if a commenter fails to correct their behaviour here after and despite having been warned, for example.
Unless they are banned without warning.
The exception that proves the rule. All commenters must read the policy 😉
Important for us all to be moderate. 🙂
I hear ya.
thanks
@ A
The problem you have here is quite solvable. I made the case the other night that use of Aspirin, VitC, VitD and Zinc and are reasonable ideas and it's easy to find sources to back this up. The latter three items are really quite non-controversial, and I'm availing myself of them personally.
But you stepped over a line when you suggested specific doses of Aspirin that are clearly outside of usual limits. Incognito has made it clear that this site is not going to be used to promote unproven medical experimentation.
Keep in mind there is an awful lot of dangerous quackery out there, and the moderators have the unenviable task of trying to keep the tide of it from flooding this site. They have to draw a line somewhere, and rather than make fine judgements on a case by case basis (which no-one but a real expert really can do), it's fairest and simplest to just say no to anything that looks like a medical recommendation.
If you can work with that, then all will be fine.
Hi A, FWIW, I enjoy reading yr comments.
Like politics, it can be wrong to be right too early.
Also I can see the position the mods are in, feeling responsibility for what is published here.
Before anyone starts complaining about the moeny to buy new C-130J transports, just remember that they'll have a fifty year lifespan and the previous fleet has given fantastic service for 55 years.
The slowing down pace of change in military technology is well illustrated with these Hercules transports. The Hercules first flew in 1954, and was itself a scaled up C-123, and aircraft that first flew in 1949. So the basic layout of the aircraft is over seventy years old.
Given the accelerating implosion of the Anglo-Saxon empire – the spectacle of it's two main protagonists shambolic and chaotic pandemic response will surely have lasting geo-political consequences, the USA and the UK are clearly busted flushes at the moment – it would be foolish to think that an ANZAC (+ Singapore?) alliance as a strong middle power might not have to defend itself without much expectation of help at some time in the next fifty years against an expansionist and imperialist China, so these transports represent a good investment IMHO.
The C130 is the most important Defence Force aircraft in its fleet and always has been.
I was working in a 24/7 capacity at the RNZAF base, Whenuapai during and in the aftermath of Cyclone Bola. C130s were pounding the route to Gisborne all day and night delivering equipment, medical and food supplies plus boots on the ground. I recall watching tractors and other heavy equipment being loaded and it brought home to me how essential they are in times of natural and man-made catastrophes. We haven't experienced the latter in NZ yet but the way the US is heading, together with their puppets in the UK and elsewhere, it might not be long.
They have been incredibly useful, especially with their range.
Looking at the J model, there are significiant improvements, especially for us down in this part of the world.
Wikipedia
Fort Bragg report
That range increase is impressive. If max loaded, it means a 130J can fly ~3200km compared to the existing ~1800km. Which means that when we need to respond to the islands there will be a lot more payload being able to to be carried. Currently they drastically lighten the load if they want to fly the 2872km between Auckland and Samoa.
And anything is better than those Andovers 🙂
Good God. Are those Andovers still flying. 😮
Nope. It looks like they finally dropped out of 42 squadron in 1998.
Always remember catching a ride on one from down south to Auckland in in the early 1980s at night. It was exhausting and somewhat terrifying because it wasn't flying particularly high. But it got me to the funeral on time.
I did an all day trip down to Wigram via Wellington and back to Auckland in an Andover in 1988. Spent the trip in the cockpit with the crew. Beautiful weather, fantastic views. Fascinated by the piloting techniques. Wouldn't fancy the trip in bad weather though.
Interesting reading the soical media kick back against big tourism. A lot of people think as an industry it priced New Zealanders out of their own country in favour of over-charging foreigners, and there is quite a lot of resentment that the industry is now demanding taxpayer money.
I think it is also that the benefits are not equitably shared, while increases in costs are burdened onto local residents and ratepayers, whether that be environmental and/or infrastructure upgrades. There was an interesting Guardian article recently about Barcelona during lockdown, which follows several years of Barcelona residents protesting about the high tourist numbers affecting their quality of life.
There is also the issue of whether employment in this industry is robust and equitable, or a fairweather occupation.
I must admit I feel pretty enthusiastic that the opportunity to enjoy NZ as it used to be a couple of decades ago. Employment in a lot of this industry seemed to depend on work visa holders which suggest that it wasn't paying very well plus I never quite jelled with the amount of infrastructure we seemed to be paying for or the RW vision of Milford sound.. AFAIK there was a lot of yoyo money in the sector. Yes it needs a basic amount of government money but not too much as the international side doesn't look like it's returning anytime soon.
I'd actually like to see a little bit more tech if possible (IP pad ordering systems in restaurants etc) to up the productivity and increase the resilience of the sector
And interestingly the Australian figures this month show a net gain from the tourism shutdown … because there are no Australian's going overseas spending money.
I’m not sure how the NZ numbers will balance out, because our visitor numbers were almost as large as our total population, but it will be up there.
And aligning with Molly’s comment above, I’d be very interested to know exactly what fraction of the visitor spend in NZ actually stayed here. I get the impression a lot of it was just pumped back overseas in vertically integrated operations.
NZers overseas spend about half of what the tourism spend is in NZ. A bit over half of our tourism is domestic, where the Aussie split is about three quarters domestic, so their industry is in a much better place to survive this.
It's curious because we are a cheap destination with generally cheap products and services.
I think it's more a reflection that most New Zealanders can't afford holidays that are more than utterly basic .
The weekend away, for the average family costs about $1-2000. If you want to go interisland then probably double that.
For many I think it's just time at home.
Anyone remember the purpose of the Tourist Hotel Corporation?
As I recall it was to build flash hotels for tourists in this country, because private investors werent coming to the party.
It was broken up 30 years ago this year.
And, as always, owned by oligarchs through holding companies.
Go back to when it began, not when it finished.
Not sure what you’re referring to but for Europeans we’re not a cheap destination relative to other choices and our hospitality industry is expensive compared to many if not most European places. Groceries here in NZ are most certainly not cheap.
I'd like to give a big shoutout to Winston Peters for closing down so many racetracks across New Zealand.
In particular, a huge thanks for shuttering Auckland's Avondale Racecourse. This has been a decaying blight for two decades, propped up only by Jockey Club selling off more and more slices of its land.
This is a huge greenfields opportunity to rebuild and expand the whole of Avondale.
Demolish those old stands with dynamite tomorrow!
I'm sure hoping to see Kainga Ora (and not those wastrels at Panuku) to get in there with a masterplan for the entire site, putting in proper parks, more cycleways than roads, easy bus stops, medium-density warm houses … and in general do there what they did a decade ago at Hobsonville.
Most will likely remain as open space/sports fields as it is now. Do we really need more big box strip malls along a busy highway.
Twyford's had his eye on it for a while, so I hope he overrides those dorks at Auckland Council. As Hobsonville shows there's plenty of room for both parks and people.
Not going to be a mall Duke. Panuku are redeveloping the Avondale Town Centre for that. The racecourse is slated to be redeveloped into medium density housing as Ad has said. Good to see that finally there seems to be some cut through in this. Winston’s in his element at the moment isn’t he?
There is a well patronized market in the weekend at the Avondale Racing Club. Lovely fresh fruit and veges at good prices. I'd hate to see that disappear ; not sure where else they could put it.
Ad,
A good idea.
Unfortunately your 'grassroots' members in the provinces think otherwise.
(myself, I am neither for nor against racecourse consolidation).
Such principle you have.
My principle is squash gambling until it dies.
Peters is giving them palliative care and the ability to squeeze their own painkiller button.
In the past few months, the CCP's propaganda effort has gone from clumsy and aggravating, to infantile and moronic. The list of nations China has deliberately gone out of it's way to piss off is quite spectacular; inviting a global anti-Chinese backlash of unprecedented dimensions. Three decades of soft-power building has been demolished in the past three weeks. Why?
What is Xi up to? Because we can assume the CCP is not a pack of total morons, they must be working to a plan. There seem to be two possible explanations; one is using the global anti-Chinese backlash to enflame anti-foreigner nationalist activity within China. Put simply, Xi is trying to get the world pissed off at China so that China becomes pissed off at the world.
This feels … extreme. Yet the CCP's diplomatic actions, across so many consistent fronts, cannot be ignored. There must be an explanation for them. My sources (and confirmed by persistent suggestions elsewhere, is the COVID disaster in China was much larger than admitted to, and the CCP knows it is facing an internal crisis. The response will be massive internal repression, led by their security forces, but implemented largely by the people themselves. The precedent for this lies within our lifetimes; the Cultural Revolution, The Great Leap Forward and of course Tiananmen Square.
The second purpose may have been hinted at a few days ago, when CCP media articles made it clear that China 'had options' to trading with Australia for iron ore and beef, such as Brazil. Wedging off large segments of a disintegrating global trade order into China's sphere of influence by feeding antagonisms, roughly splitting away from the G20 nations at a point where the USA has no interest, or capacity even, to repair the rifts. The goal may be to proactively divide the world into two trade camps, one Sino-centric, the other US based.
The question for Australia and NZ is going to be, into which camp will we be placed?
We can continue to defeat binary robots by triangulating! Hey, check this out: "“New Zealand does not – and should not – always agree with China,” it said in a sentence deemed sensitive enough to be withheld from the public." https://www.newsroom.co.nz/politics/2020/05/15/1171117/sensitive-foreign-affairs-briefing-published-online
Kow-tow in public! It reassures our forelock tuggers! Or so our official advisors believe. 🙄
"The unredacted briefing also sets out the prioritisation order for the minister’s calls to his counterparts in other countries. At the top of the list, to be called within one week, were Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, Singapore, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Fiji. The next tier down, to be called within two weeks, included the US, China, Japan, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, and Mexico."
Treating the US & China as second-tier nations is lateral thinking on such a scale as to leave me awed at the superb mental faculties of the advisors. Well done! Give those people a raise!
And putting them on the same level as PNG & Mexico does indeed reflect the comparable random violence produced within those nations. When informed, Trump & Xi will no doubt gulp & think, "I see, we're not so civilised really, eh? Must do better!" Supplying moral guidance into our foreign policy, subtly so as not to offend. Such clever officials.
"The MFAT spokeswoman said the ministry would carry out a thorough investigation of the inadvertent disclosure. However, after reviewing the document's contents they believed they had become less sensitive with the passage of time." Well yes, Xi & Trump have had plenty of time to absorb the message & moderate their behaviour accordingly… 😑
It's tough to write predictions, when reality catches up with them so fast.
I'm betting the CCP is aware that a de-facto 'cut off' of the global relationship with China is already happening. I've written it before, the one thing that will ensure the destruction of the CCP, is for the USA to go home; which Trump is now openly mouthing. Rather than trying to prevent the tide from going out, Xi Xinping is going to proactively play the tactic of using the momentum of your opponent to whatever advantage he can find. That will mean seizing control, doubling down on repressing internal dissent, and expanding their sphere of influence as aggressively as deemed possible.
All this was going to happen anyway, COVID 19 is accelerating them to warp-speed.
As for NZ, I can only feel for any CCP diplomat confronted with Winston in full obfuscate mode … he’s more than a match for them.
Trump on Xi: “I have a very good relationship (with him) but … right now I don’t want to speak to him.” Folks will empathise, after several weeks cooped up with their families.
Interesting to see the bit in that report where they refer to Trump as a "giant baby". That was the Trump blimp, actually. But maybe they can't tell the difference between the two? One full of helium, the other full of hot air…
Try this one – deep fake from kimmel
https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/1260095521189847040
It is uncanny how changing the face but leaving the protestations still make sit like trump denials…
It is going to be a long six months for China until the US election.
No doubt two senarios one for Trump as President and the other Biden. Either way growth is going to take a hit.
The world is being reshaped on so many levels. It would be nice if leaders strive for peace and to reduce indifference.
Makes sense to have the discussions before getting to the demands.
We'll be in both, like Franko's Spain, because the billionaires will want their boltholes.
Yes, Franco's Spain.
To futher analogise, the Labour-Green-First government is like the Popular Front in Spain against the capitalists, catholics, monarchists, traditionalists and the miltary. That is probably why it cannot seem to get anything done.
I'm loving the sound of hearing the kids at the playground, what a joyful noise!
Hehehehe, for sure, kids in a playground having fun is one of the best noises in the world.
However…I'm loving being back in the office with adults, no children and no "mummmmm can I have…" 🙂 🙂 🙂
Food for thought?
China's road and beltway is slated to cost between US$4 and US$8 Trillion. US corporations have been given in excess of US$4 trillion with no strings attached.
That's a lot of $$ US corporations have at their disposal to compete in one way or another with China's new "silk roads" that the US are not a part of.
Meanwhile, ordinary US citizens are being thrown under the bus – unprecedented levels of unemployment, bugger all contingency plans by government that might provide for people suddenly in dire straits (2 x $1200 cheques for those who can negotiate the eligibility hurdles in a country where 1/3 of renters couldn't pay rent in April can't be said to 'cut it'), and millions upon millions losing health care along with their jobs.
Anyone might think the idea of corporate America was to let America burn and launch itself into a brave new world that’s free of any nation state constraints or social obligations.
why yes, yes that is exactly what this is. And it ain't the US alone. I look at England.
Australia has reported 30 new Covid-19 cases today.
New South Wales +8, Victoria +20 and Queensland +2.
https://covidlive.com.au/
…and a lot of pressure to ease up. We are a long long way from establishing a two country bubble.
And this shows that we need to be so vigilant in Level 2.
I hope you agree that we should be planning something to create the 2 country bubble and not just wait until the statistics indicate that all is good.
Australia has not done what is required to deserve to be in a bubble with NZ.
I don't agree at all. Muttonbird is quite correct. We MUST wait, but we can plan while we are doing that.. Ask how many kiwi's would enjoy going back to level 3 or 4? The answer will be none of them, and the 'two country bubble' won't happen until both of us have long strings of zero cases, with the ability to jump very quickly on any increase in numbers.
I agree with Muttonbird. We don't even know at this stage how well we have done, and Australia seems to be moving upwards now in new infections, while we are (temporarily?) at Zero.
Indiana is the fool rushing in where angels fear to tread.
Why court-stacking matters. Wisconsin's Republican-aligned supreme court strikes down the Governor's stay at home order as illegal and people flock to bars. What a crazy sh*tshow.
Listening to the reaction to the budget since yesterday it is apparent there is many competing narratives and complaints but there is one fairly common area of note….the perceived lack of an overarching plan.
On the face of it this would appear to be a legitimate observation especially as we are in the process of spending the next decade or two's income.
However we are less than 4 months from an election and while I expect little of substance from National, Act or NZ First I would hope that before then both Labour and the Greens can present a comprehensive and detailed plan for the electorate to support.
Currently even those calling for such appear disjointed and vague in what it is that is desired but as Susan Krumdieck noted this morning on RNZ we know what we need to do,we need to start now, and we can learn on the job….but first we need a plan.
Time to front Labour and Greens (coz no one else is going to do it)…and you've had more than enough time to sort one out.
People always say that Pat, usually those who don't support the current government.
How can all the disparate elements of a budget be linked into a cohesive plan?
All I know is I hated all of the mean-spirited budgets of Bill English while there were many elements of yesterday's effort I liked-free school meals, more state houses (English sold them off), a billion for NZ Rail, a billion for green issues, no f*ck*n tax cuts….and so on.
People always say what?
We are in the process of spending our working capital for the next decade or two…if we dont address CC with that spend then when will we?
if we dont address CC with that spend then when will we?
Never.
This budget was the one presenting the perfect opportunity to either (in Jacinda's badly chosen words) “tackle climate change head on” , or at least surreptitiously line up the ducks.
Neither of those things have happened.
Hell, every statement from government I'm aware of has been couched in terms of economic recovery – ie, re-establishing what went before. The cunning community board members who "made it to the big time" are our government are woefully lacking are the end of us.
the ducks may be surreptitiously lined up but the manifestos of both Labour and the Greens need to clarify that….I suspect that neither had a comprehensive plan previously and while dealing with covid havnt devoted any resources to it so it unlikely they will produce one in time for the election…3 years wasted?
Maybe they are wisely assuming that it would be dumb to commit to some hare-brained scheme when we have yet to find out what Covid19 has yet to surprise us with?
a hare brained scheme isnt whats needed but a commitment is…and preferably before the election.
Any effort to fight climate change, or de-cabonise the economy, or any of that stuff needs a "Think Big" style program.
Anything else, you are just wasting your time (and taxpayer money).
Rob Muldoon de-carbonised the economy more than any other clown (or clown-ette) after him.
But don't claim that it was intentional! As I remember, he was scathing about the Values Party, and never cared about the environment, except for his personal rose garden.
"But don't claim that it was intentional!"
It was definitely intentional. The priority at the time was to remove New Zealand dependence on Oil as the country had been importing inflation triggered by the Opec price hikes (as had most countries). But saying 'Think Big' was unintentional is about as bright as complaining that subsequent governments lost money on the infrastructure, its completely beside the point.
I think you are confusing Muldoon's good idea of reducing NZ's dependence on imported oil with something Muldoon never even considered. Did he ever utter the word 'decarbonise'?
Not even the Values Party existed when Think Big started, let alone the Greens, and concern about carbon.
It sounds like something from Star Trek 😉
I agree with your general point here about Muldoon and decarbonisation. Just want to point out that the Values Party started in 1972 (also the year that the Limits to Growth report came out). Think Big was coined in 1977. Muldoon would have been aware of these things, even if he was ignoring them.
I did find this though,
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1261266283032530944
Interesting – I stand corrected about time of Values Party, which I should have known. Well, I knew it, but I confused Think Big with the earlier Kapuni Pipeline.
I just couldn't quite remember Muldoon looking anything like a conservationist.
Any effort to fight climate change, or de-cabonise the economy, or any of that stuff needs a "Think Big" style program.
Not necessarily. Cut emissions from energy by 15- 20% per year on an ongoing basis and adapt to the new unfolding environment.
“Such lunacy is a clear byproduct, first and foremost, of the proverbial anxiety that the US has suffered from since China began its global ascension,” it said on Friday. “Trump seems insane right now or may have some psychological problems,” another editorial wrote."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/15/global-report-trade-deal-fears-after-trump-threat-to-cut-china-ties-over-covid-19
may?
De-carbonising the country completely is only possible if we don't build the 6000 homes for the homeless or the extra 4000 for state housing. It is only possible if trucks don't move the material to build them or put fridges and stoves or beds in them. It is only possible if food grown for 4.7 million people is left to rot in the fields.
Electric transport is great but is only part of the answer, it would mean the government would need to buy every family pretty much an electric vehicle amounting to a cost that would dwarf the Covid response. And all this for a technology that still has 10 years at least to run before it's products are efficiently mature enough not to be redundant after a few years.
Electrified transportation will happen eventually, but how do we get rid of concrete, steel, aluminium and even bloody plastic or even grow, harvest and machine and transport wood.
The only answer that could possibly solve this problem is to kill off at least 80% of us.
Anybody keen to go into an election, which also costs a huge amount of of even more precious metals for computers etc and energy, on that platform?.
I've just seen a $240m project built without a single truck moving a thing.
Stop with the genocidal crap.
Do something useful and tell the greens that their next coalition negotiation has to include a limit of 2030 on all imports of ICE cars.
"I've just seen a $240m project built without a single truck moving a thing."
What was that?
Something like a 15-20% ongoing annual drop in energy that produces carbon while using the remaining carbon budget to put in place those things that will be required in a world around at least 2 degrees warmer than before, doesn't entail genocide.
Apply the carbon budget to construct housing 'fit for purpose' and produce whatever manufactured products there may be to last, rather than to throw away and replace.
It's just maybe still do-able. But government has been kicking the can down the road, is still kicking the can down the road, and the end of the road is most definitely in sight.
Love you acute footnoters above but what matters the most? There are right wing finance types talking about sparking the next growth phase. But this prognostication leaves aside reality which none of us can humour anymore. Exherently, climate change is imperative. Inherent involves our souls. It is 't'cause', as my Lancashire socialist ancestor called it, of our age. Really hate the foolishness of us at the wall of reality approaching us. I don't have children, most of this is worry about the discomfort of my old age. Our socialist ancestors would understand and fight like fuck against the challenge. But we mumble and mrrble.
Strange I associate talking for the people with starving yourself. Seeing those who've enriched themselves as officially for the people. Let alone vile America. I will always see gaining materially being against idealism.
Kia Ora Newshub
Online goods that the Ion age Awsome.
A lot of happiness on the Moana cool.
The wild life enjoying less human activity is cool.
Its sad that the African wildlife is suffering though.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Awsome to see more money invested in Te Tairawhiti roads they have been in bad condition for years.
Aroha koha the 600 bails of hay donate to Hawksbay farmers from Wairapa farmers.
Let's hope that the Pacific Island will be part of Aotearoa travel bubble soon.
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Kia Ora Newshub.
That's is good the extra funding for carers.
Some people are foolish believing 5G is that bad.
Megan droughts we should listen to our scientists.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Te whi Haka and Vodafone team up to help keep tangata practicing safe conduct is awesome.
The easiest way for some to make money is to steal it the Wahine art being used with out her permission is just sad.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Sports is about jobs they are professionals no.
Schools open today for all tamariki the Mokopuna are happy.
Remember interest rates are the lowest they have ever been that changes every thing.
I can see the money greasing the cogs.
That shows humanity should take the other big issues Our scientists have been warning us about the negative effects for many decades very seriously.
Some people are like sheep 5G.
Ka kite Ano.