Open mike 15/11/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 15th, 2022 - 46 comments
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46 comments on “Open mike 15/11/2022 ”

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  1. arkie 1
    15 November 2022 at 8:25 am

    Regarding climate change adaptation, one of the ways we can all contribute individually and as a country, is to reemphasise the importance of repair and goods that can last enough to be repaired. Organisations like this are a fantastic source of knowledge, skills and community:

    In a world of fast fashion, cheap appliances and quick-to-outdate electronics, a group of repairers is urging people to think twice before tossing things into the landfill.

    Repair cafes are an international phenomenon that began in the Netherlands in 2009, and were first set up in New Zealand in 2016. The current edition has ramped up since the pandemic, supported by Doughnut Economics Advocates New Zealand.

    Charging nothing but with a koha encouraged, the volunteer repairers do their best to fix all sorts, saving people money, and a trip to the dump.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/478745/repair-cafe-volunteer-says-bring-in-your-stuff-and-give-it-a-second-life

  2. Jenny are we there yet 2
    15 November 2022 at 8:54 am

    What do people think about this?

    We grow crops to make air travel sustainable.

    The next airline industry solution to air travel pollution. (after offsets)

    Making Air Travel More Sustainable Is Actually Way Easier Than We Think

    Tony Ho Tran – 2h ago

    …..One estimate from The Guardian found that taking a long-haul flight generates more carbon emissions than a single person would create in an entire year.

    ……we can drastically cut carbon emissions in airplanes by replacing conventional jet fuel with biofuels….

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/making-air-travel-more-sustainable-is-actually-way-easier-than-we-think/ar-AA1465oI

    What if, instead of unworkable scams, we tax air lines for the full cost of their carbon emissions making air travel so expensive that we have to forgo air travel and take the train instead.

    • Sabine 2.1
      15 November 2022 at 9:11 am

      What train would you take to get to OZ or Singapore, or the US / Europe for that matter? The underwater train?

      • Jenny are we there yet 2.1.1
        15 November 2022 at 2:23 pm

        Following Greta Thunberg's example. I have sworn off flying. I will not be going to OZ or Singapore, or the US / Europe anytime soon.

        For travel between cities I will be boarding an intercity road bus rather than an Airbus A320

        Howsabout you Sabine, bus or plane to Wellington?

        • Belladonna 2.1.1.1
          15 November 2022 at 4:47 pm

          Two significant elements to that pledge not to travel internationally.

          Did you previously (i.e. pre-pandemic) regularly take either business or holiday trips overseas?

          Do you have any reason now (during and/or post-pandemic) to travel internationally? (e.g. family or friends overseas; business requirements to travel; bucket list of things that you want to do with your life, etc.).

          Because, it's really easy to notionally 'give up' something that you actually have no intention of doing.

          • Jenny are we there yet 2.1.1.1.1
            16 November 2022 at 6:18 am

            Not regularly. But yes, I have had reason, and still do occasionally have reason to travel internationally.

            So it is a hardship for me to give it up.

            But putting the question of international travel to the side for a moment, I do have a much more pressing need to travel nationally, and it is a sacrifice for me to forego air travel. (which I enjoy for its convenience and comfort).

            How about you, do you travel within New Zealand?

            When there are other options for national travel, do you choose to fly?

            • Belladonna 2.1.1.1.1.1
              16 November 2022 at 5:11 pm

              Not travelling much at all, anywhere, ATM.

              Rarely travel by air in NZ – and usually, only for work (when they would rather pay my airfare, than pay for me to travel for a day (or most of a day), and then do the work. i.e. my boss would prefer not to pay for 3 days, out of town, only one of which is productive; and rather chooses to pay for 1 day of productive work and 2 airfares.

              However, I don't travel by inter-city bus or train either – I pretty much drive.
              Reasons: more than one person travelling; Covid contagion concerns (that may be emotional, rather than logical); poor PT links at the 'other' end of the travel (so I'd have to hire a car anyway); limited holiday time, which I'd rather spend doing things or seeing people, than stuck on a bus.

              • Jenny are we there yet …
                16 November 2022 at 5:29 pm

                I get it. This country's public transport network is sub-optimal.

                The saying goes:

                'A rich country is not where poor people have a car, but where both rich and poor ride the subway'

                (Read; bus, train, PT generally)

                Unfortunately, in this country if you don't have a drivers license or access to a car you are pretty much a second class citizen.

                • Belladonna …
                  16 November 2022 at 7:59 pm

                  Really the country's PT transport only works for travel to and from the CBD in large cities; or for people who have unlimited time, and very limited budget.

                  I don't know if that's a 'fixable' problem. Yes, we can all quote overseas cities where PT works (I've lived in some of them, and never felt the need to own a car). Unfortunately, those cities are outweighed – even in their own countries – but the village and rural areas – where you need a car (unless you want to be trapped at the mercy of a very limited bus link).

                  https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35491464

    • Stuart Munro 2.2
      15 November 2022 at 9:43 am

      A great deal of air travel is discretionary – Zoom, though imperfect, ought to be the first choice over flying in in person.

      Air freight, the hidden reason for subsidizing Air New Zealand (a lot of exports use it) could be developed using unmanned lighter than air drones. The Zeppelin trip to Oz would use far less carbon, and still be well within the freshness lifetime of meat or seafood.

      Our neglected shipping industry would have been good about now too. Although Maersk's entry is better than nothing, they don't seem to be about to generate disruptive change that will favour the environment.

  3. Adrian 3
    15 November 2022 at 10:13 am

    Physics would prove that a airship, because it takes longer with a lighter payload would use almost the same amount of fuel per tonne carried as an aircraft. The old work/energy conundrum, and then add in a good stiff headwind. There are bugger all easy answers in the real world and there are good reasons why they have never been more than a novelty.

  4. Jenny are we there yet 4
    15 November 2022 at 10:48 am

    15,000 demonstrators detained for taking part in the recent protests in Iran against the regime, are being held in police detention.

    In shocking move, the Iranian government has overwhelmingly voted they all be executed.

    …….Women have led the protests, setting their headscarves on fire and cutting their hair in solidarity, and were later joined by men and teenage boys. Hundreds of people protesting Amin's death were killed by police, and thousands were arrested in the past eight weeks.

    There have been previous mass protests in Iran, but none of the size—and the length—of the current one. Back in 2009, millions took to the streets after a disputed presidential election.

    Solidarity for the protesters is also growing, with Reuters reporting that Iran's water polo players refused to sing the national anthem at a competition in Thailand on Tuesday and prominent actor Taraneh Alidoosti expressed her support for the protests by posting a photo of herself with her hair uncovered by the mandatory headscarf.

    https://www.newsweek.com/iran-protesters-refuse-back-down-15000-face-execution-1758578

    It will be a test of wills whether the regime will be able to carry out this dreadful death sentence, or the whether the protests will grow be an even larger challenge to the regime, causing the regime's enforcers to lose their nerve to carry out this mass execution.

    He Tangata, He Tangata, He Tangata.

    • Patricia Bremner 4.1
      15 November 2022 at 11:59 am

      crying Kia Kaha.

    • alwyn 4.2
      15 November 2022 at 3:44 pm

      That story claims that the Parliament called for them to be executed. In para 3 it says "the country's parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of the death penalty for protesters.".

      However a little further on it greatly mutes the claim when it says "to treat those, …. in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time," the letter read. Lawmakers added that such a punishment – the methods of which were not specified……"

      Where does the story give any evidence that they were calling for all 15,000 to be executed?

      • Jenny are we there yet 4.2.1
        16 November 2022 at 7:01 am

        The Iranian parliament has voted for the death penalty for people convicted of protesting against the regime.

        https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-votes-to-execute-protesters-says-rebels-need-hard-lesson/ar-AA13SNuc

        There are currently 15,000 people convicted of protesting being held in prisons in Iran.

        The logistics of installing the needed apparatus and related procedures to execute that many people on this scale will take some time. Decisions will have to be made over burying or releasing the bodies to their relatives.

        More likely, these executions will be carried out piecemeal.

        A start has been made.

        …….27 year old Kurdish Rapper Saman Yasin has been sentenced to death for joining the anti-hijab protests. The first among the detainees.

        https://in.mashable.com/culture/41792/iran-issues-mass-execution-of-15000-detained-anti-hijab-protestors-sophie-turner-and-others-express

        • alwyn 4.2.1.1
          16 November 2022 at 9:29 am

          Thank you. This story is a bit later than the other one you linked to which was about the letter and does confirm the death sentences explicitly.

          Bastards aren't they? Still they have form for this. In 1988, under orders from Khomeini there were an estimated 30,000 people murdered in a couple of months.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_executions_of_Iranian_political_prisoners#Estimates_of_the_number_of_fatalities

          • Jenny are we there yet 4.2.1.1.1
            16 November 2022 at 11:16 am

            Thank you.

            Your point is well taken. The vast majority of Iran's parliament signed a letter demanding the death penalty for protesters. No formal legislation was enacted.
            As the majority of MPs support the death penalty for the protesters in their custody it would be a foregone conclusion if it had been.
            Instead Iranian lawmakers informally called on the judiciary and machinery of state to impose and carry out this death sentence on protesters.

            There is a historic parallel. The Holocaust was never formally ordered in German parliament either. But needless to say it was carried out anyway.

            There is a certain logic to this, as Bob Dylan wrote "The executioners hand is always well hidden".

            No one wants to be formally recorded as having voted for genocide. And so the chain of command is always kept murky. Going down the ranks, the prison guards who actually have to carry out these executions can point out that they were following the orders from above. But try and follow that order back up the chain of command and it becomes very hard to find anyone who actually gave the order.

            P.S. The closest historians have ever been able to come in identifying who actually ordered the Holocaust, was the secret Nazi leaders Wansee conference of 1942.
            But in 1942 the Holocaust was already in full swing especially in the East. Wansee delegates mostly discussed how to more efficiently conduct this mass murder.

      • Jenny are we there yet 4.2.2
        16 November 2022 at 7:17 am

        Despite this terrible order, and the first of these death sentences against detainees about to be be carried out, the protests have intensified.

        Iran Protesters Refuse to Back Down as First Execution Sentence Handed Down

        BY GIULIA CARBONARO

        …..On November 13, an unidentified protester received the death penalty in the first instance of that sentence coming in the trials against people who were arrested for demonstrating….

        ……Iran Human Rights warned that "at least 20 protesters are currently facing charges punishable by death per official reports"….

        https://www.newsweek.com/iran-protesters-refuse-back-down-15000-face-execution-1758578

  5. X Socialist 5
    15 November 2022 at 11:26 am

    Aotearoa 2022.

    A salute to brave people.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300739233/four-teenagers-one-adult-charged-after-jewellery-store-heist-in-central-auckland

    In my opinion, it won't be long before the public form groups of vigilantes.

    Labour has received much odium over law and order issues. And rightly so. But what's National going to do? Will the crims care? Or will they see things as just one set muppets being replaced with another set of muppets? indecision

    • bwaghorn 5.1
      15 November 2022 at 11:38 am

      Your as thick as the am show tv host .

      Labour isn't doing anything blah blah blah.

      They got arrested dummy.

      • X Socialist 5.1.1
        15 November 2022 at 12:13 pm

        ''They got arrested”

        Well, no shit Sherlock. Case closed. Lets all move on. Everything is kapai.

      • Jimmy 5.1.2
        15 November 2022 at 1:05 pm

        They got arrested. Good. Now lets get a decent judge that doesn't release them so they can do the same again next week.

      • Herodotus 5.1.3
        15 November 2022 at 7:13 pm

        You are a piece of crap – Have you every worked in a place that has experienced such an event ?? You remind me of a physiologist who turned up a week or 2 later the bank that was robbed in the 1990's I was at twice in 2 weeks to tell everyone that such events whilst being traumatic down played the 2 robberies. They were given their marching orders by the manager for the total inappropriateness of their comments.

        What of those who have experienced and faced now with the aftermath – They got arrested, tell that to the workers and others who were there !! You sound like Hipkins removed and just parroting talking points – NO REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE or UNDERSTANDING. There is a major cost/toll being paid that is unseen and not valued.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 5.2
      15 November 2022 at 1:00 pm

      In my opinion, it won't be long before the public form groups of vigilantes.

      In your opinion wink

      I will be pleased if your opinion doesn’t come to pass. How about you?

      • X Socialist 5.2.1
        15 November 2022 at 2:24 pm

        Talk of the devil. I thought I'd listen to Today FM. I haven't listened to them since they sacked Peter Williams(?). The topic being covered was the above heist I posted on. There was talk on vigilantism, bravery, crime in general, should you intervene during a robbery, the alarming rate of officers quitting the force etc? ( Today FM 1.42 PM)

        Mark Mitchell rang in. His talk:

        1- Political support for the police.

        2- Changes in Police hierarchy.

        3- Having other agencies do their share regarding criminal processing. And not having everything dumped on the police.

        4- A look at the justice system.

        5- No quick fixes.

        6- Return of Three Strikes.

        I have no problem with vigilante action. When the police don't act as a criminal deterrent, why shouldn't the innocent fight back as they did in the above case?

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/471379/400-percent-increase-in-ram-raids-few-prosecutions-police-data

        • Drowsy M. Kram 5.2.1.1
          15 November 2022 at 4:01 pm

          1- Political support for the police.

          2- Changes in Police hierarchy.

          Maybe that's because Mitchell believes the current "Police hierarchy" doesn't provide the right kind of 'support' for front line police, but "Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Darfur" we're not, and never will be.

          I have no problem with vigilante action.

          To repeat my question (@5.2), would you be pleased if vigilante action doesn't become (more) common in Aotearoa New Zealand. Or would you be pleased if vigilantism does became more common?

          Bear in mind that the only countries in which a vigilante’s actions are not illegal are those in which the Rule of Law has fundamentally broken down. Are we getting there, and, if so, why?

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigilantism

          Vigilante groups in the Nordic countries
          Abstract
          One of the main defining characteristics of a state is that it successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within its territory. Recently, a number of organised groups in the Nordic countries have declared that the state is no longer fulfilling its part of the social contract of providing security to the citizens against crime and threats from foreigners (and Muslims in particular), and in particular their alleged sexual harassment of local women. As a consequence, these vigilante groups challenge the state’s monopoly of violence. “If the State does not defend us, we will do it ourselves – with all necessary means”, the Danish group “Daneværn” puts it. A similar movement, “Soldiers of Odin”, has popped up in Finland, with offshoots in Norway. In Sweden, the neo-Nazi Swedish Resistance Movement is also patrolling to provide safety in the streets, as they claim. The core activists are well-known faces from far-right and anti-Islam movements but some of the groups also attract people with no such ties. This paper will discuss why and how these vigilante groups from the far right have emerged and had a boost recently, and how they are clashing with another form of vigilante group from the extreme left. Militant anti-racists such as Anti-Fascist Action see it as their mission that there will be “No Nazis in our streets!”. They do not obey the state’s monopoly on violence either.

          Taking the law into one’s own hands? On the nature, organization and rationale of vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities in Europe

          We live in peaceful times, in a comparatively peaceful country, and yet the temptation of vengeance and violence is ever-present. Imho, Kiwis need (more?) vigilantes like we need a hole in the head – or a ‘good’ ol’ tarring and feathering.

          https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/#/

  6. bwaghorn 6
    15 November 2022 at 11:34 am

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/130412293/12000-hectares-approved-for-sale-to-overseas-investors-for-forestry

    I've never been a single issue voter but will be this election.

    Any party that wants to stop the ridiculous situation of a foreign oil company among other polluters buying our land to plant treed has vote.

    Even if it has to be act.

    • roy cartland 6.1
      15 November 2022 at 1:07 pm

      ACT would obstruct the progress of free trade like that?

      • bwaghorn 6.1.1
        15 November 2022 at 4:16 pm

        No idea what acts opinion on this is ,but labour thus far are all talk,

        • arkie 6.1.1.1
          15 November 2022 at 4:48 pm

          The Greens:

          Foreign investment should benefit Aotearoa New Zealand

          • Only New Zealand citizens and permanent residents should be able to buy land.
          • International businesses with significant local operations should pay fair tax and meet the same corporate responsibility and sustainability standards as local businesses.
          • Foreign investment controls should be tightened to encourage productive investment and discourage speculative investment or simply buying up New Zealand assets to export profits.

          https://www.greens.org.nz/trade_and_foreign_investment_policy

  7. logie97 7
    15 November 2022 at 11:47 am

    Ex military and perfed policemen.

    We hear of (usually after a serious event) that former NZ servicemen or police have been involved as independents (or even as contractors/advisers) in trouble spots around the world. Some have gone in, made a fortune (National's Mark Mitchell as an example) and settled back into life here.

    Do any of these individuals go with the approval of our governments, or is it on their own initiatives. And further, do they pose a threat to our own independent foreign policy if and when they need bailing out.

  8. arkie 8
    15 November 2022 at 1:08 pm

    Auckland Action Against Poverty have a petition directed to the Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Jacinda Ardern, and Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni:

    Take seven steps toward a fairer future for all of us

    People in Aotearoa want to see a fairer future where everyone has the resources they need to build the lives they want for themselves and their families. We’re calling on you to take these seven steps to unlock people and whānau from the constraints of poverty:

    1. Increase core benefit levels to the standard of liveable incomes
    2. Raise the minimum wage to the living wage
    3. Increase the Disability Allowance
    4. Overhaul relationship rules
    5. Remove sanctions
    6. Wipe debt owed to the Ministry of Social Development
    7. Improve supplementary assistance and urgent grants

    https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/take-seven-steps-toward-a-fairer-future-for-all-of-us-1

    Please sign to put pressure on the Government to take more action to address poverty and inequality.

  9. Poission 9
    15 November 2022 at 2:41 pm

    Covid cases rise topping 4000 highest daily rate since August.Population reduction program continues with excess mortality rising to 15% (similar to Australia at 14%)

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/478769/daily-covid-19-cases-top-4000-for-first-time-since-august

    https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/excess-mortality-p-scores-average-baseline?country=NZL~AUS

    Covid minister mumbling as usual,although 77 m of the covid contingency fund has been sent to Mahuta for training for 3 waters governance.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018866028/government-says-no-plans-at-this-stage-for-annual-covid-19-booster-for-most-people

    • satty 9.1
      15 November 2022 at 3:15 pm

      It was very quiet around COVID recently, so I checked on the FT Covid tracker over the weekend. Surprised no real actions have been taken and we even allow cruise ship with significant COVID cases to unload and roam the cities without any precautions (same as Australia). What we do for a couple of dollars from the tourists using the cable car…

      We were so keen to save all those lives and now we just "let it rip".

  10. SPC 10
    15 November 2022 at 3:51 pm

    Media has been spared a war with the Governor of Arizona.

    Kari Lake resented having to read the news about Trump's election defeat. She said she would war on media if she was elected. Media have been reporting that peace has been preserved.

    The defeated candidate's resume says – decades working in media, failed political career. Since Fox has abandoned Trump her options are Truth Social and being sponsored by Thiel to do podcasts on Rumble.

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    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
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