Open mike 16/01/2020

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 16th, 2020 - 64 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

64 comments on “Open mike 16/01/2020 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Herodotus 1
    16 January 2020 at 7:23 am

    Perhaps when we have govt depts making such announcements as "Total international spend is expected to reach $14.8 billion in 2024, up 40% from 2017." and how well our economy is to benefit from such growth we should now expect to accompany the impact of any govt decision towards GHG, And understand should there be an increase where the offset is to be sourced from ? Otherwise without reporting the "Cost" how can we expect there to be any action to restore our planet ?

    https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/5c05b7bfce/nz-tourism-forecasts-2018-2024-report.pdf

  2. A 2
    16 January 2020 at 7:46 am

    Yes, I know it's David Icke BUT he is the first one to gather + comment on a recent case where a teenage girl falsely accused a group of men of a gang rape in the news. Here he is covering the other deeply disturbing side of the story. #boycottcypress

    • A 2.1
      16 January 2020 at 8:23 am

      Found a mainstream link buried in the SERPs. The complainant has been trapped in the country for over 5 months now after reporting a gang rape to police.

      https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/07/a-defining-moment-teenagers-fight-for-justice-galvanises-cypruss-feminists

      In a trial that had been repeatedly postponed, proceedings had been dominated by what was described as the court’s predilection for “gender stereotypes, classic rape myths and victim bashing”.

      But it was Israeli women, also appalled by the way the Briton had been portrayed at home, who, Cypriot activists say, emboldened them to take risks.

      “They were more daring than us,” said Gregoriou. “They were able to say ‘we believe you’ when here we could only talk about the young woman not being given a fair trial. They had a wisdom and dynamism that has proved how important these transnational bonds really are.”

  3. Robert Guyton 3
    16 January 2020 at 7:57 am

    Letter to the editor; The Southland Times 16 Jan 2020

    OMV critics use oil too

    Does Environment Southland councillor Robert Guyton ride a pushbike or walk from his place of abode or, horror of horrors, drive a petrol-tax guzzling motor car, to Environment Southland meetings?

    Does he also claim travel allowance from us poor, long-suffering ratepayers?

    Len Lind of Stewart Island

    Councillor Robert Guyton replied:

    Len has spotted my weakness; I'm just like everybody else! I too have to use petroleum products in order to live; it's unavoidable, they are everywhere! Len seems to believe that I should never criticise the activities of the big oil companies; their spills, accidents and massive contribution to climate change, because I drive a car and have plastic lenses in my glasses. We're all in the same boat when it comes to reliance on fossil fuels; we’re all compromised but should that disqualify us from talking about the damage the industry causes? I don’t think Len really wants to silence everybody; he himself feels he has the right to criticise in public. He got me thinking though, about what I have already done to reduce my use of oil and top of that list comes my decision never to fly again in an aircraft; I think that will make at least some difference. And thanks to Len’s reminder, I’ll get my old bicycle back onto the road again; the chain’s a bit rusty but a little oil should fix that.

  4. Sabine 4
    16 January 2020 at 8:30 am

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wildfires-california-amazon-indonesia-climate-change_n_5dcd3f4ee4b0d43931d01baf

    So when this OZ fire season ends end of this summer (hopefully) how much will be left over of the flaura and fauna of this continent?

    And when the fires start again in Sept, will the rest be burned then? And to be honest is that what is wanted by those that call the shots? Allow for such environmental degradation that the Scot Morrisons of this planet can simply throw their hands up and declare that 'nothing much can be done, its to late' and drilling will resume as buisness as usual?

    Because really, when these fires are extinct – 180+ currently still burning and mainly not being contained, not much will be left over, those critters that survived will need to be fed, watered if they are to survive. As for the humans, has anyone in OZ yet dared to put a realistic estimate to the damage the fires caused? And i am not looking for another 2000 houses burned 🙂 a proper estimate maybe by a insurance company? And then looking at the article i linked too (yes its huffpost, only read if if it passes the purity test 🙂 ) what about the estimated losses world wide.

    the world is burning and all our selected overlords play a fiddle. In the meantime, 'we can't breathe' is a thing now.

    • Tony Veitch (not etc.) 4.1
      16 January 2020 at 11:51 am

      I couldn't agree more, Sabine.

      There was a link posted on The Standard the other day, the last paragraph of which I found profoundly chilling:

      "Millennials and the children we call Generation Z face the horrifying prospect that they will get stuck with the tab for humanity’s centuries-long rape of planet Earth, the mass desecration of which radically accelerated after 1950. There is an intolerably high chance that today’s young people will starve to death, die of thirst, be killed by a superstorm, succumb to a new disease, boil to death, asphyxiate from air pollution, be murdered in a riot or shot or blown up in a war sparked by environmentally related political instability long before they survive to old age."

      https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/13/1909613/-Climate-models-suggest-global-food-system-crisis-at-hand-dust-bowl-scenarios-now-locked-in?utm_campaign=trending

    • alwyn 4.2
      16 January 2020 at 11:59 am

      "how much will be left over of the flaura and fauna of this continent? "

      Well, quite a lot actually. Up till now about 63,000 sq kms has been burnt. The area of Australia is 7.7 million hectares so the amount subject to the fires is about 0.8 percent.and more than 99% has not been touched. Now that is a huge amount of land, and a great tragedy, but the answer to "will the rest be burned then?" is NO and to "not much will be left over" the answer is nearly all of it will be untouched.

      • RedLogix 4.2.1
        16 January 2020 at 12:22 pm

        That would be a fair answer if Australia was all one kind of landscape. But it isn't, at least 80% of it would be fairly barren and open outback, with a sparse vegetation at the best of times. It rarely burns unless a particularly wet spring has allowed a lot of grass species to flourish.

        What we have seen burn this year are the eucalypt forests in the alpine and coastal regions, and the fraction of these that have been severely damaged is substantial. Worse still in many places it's old temperate forests that have never burned before which are being destroyed. These eco-niches are not adapted to fire, have a very poor capacity for recovery, once they're lost, they will never return.

        Species like the Bogong moth, already under pressure will have a flow on effect to already highly endangered fauna such as the pygmy mountain possum. And places that have been reliably lush for generations, are no longer. As with almost everything to do with climate, the story is more complex than you are implying.

        • alwyn 4.2.1.1
          16 January 2020 at 6:20 pm

          "What we have seen burn this year are the eucalypt forests in the alpine and coastal regions".

          I assume you mean that these areas are not usually affected by bush fires. I will have to take your word for it as far as New South Wales. I am not really familiar with that state. However for Victoria the areas that have been burnt out appear to be generally similar to other recent major bush fire seasons such as 2008-9, 2006-7 and 2003-4 when about 500,000 ha, 1,200,000 ha and 1,300,000 ha burned. The latter two years would seem to be of a similar scale to the current season's numbers. 2009 didn't hit the same area of land but it was of course Black Saturday with 173 deaths.

          They are also on much the same area as the previous monsters such as 1939-40 (2,000,000 ha) and the daddy of them all in 1851 when 5,000,000 ha went up in flames.All of these fires affected the NE and Gippsland regions of the state, just like the current lot. Thus it doesn't seem to be unusual for the alpine and coastal forests to be badly affected in Victoria.

          There have been other major fires than affected the NW of course, which has been pretty well spared this year.

          https://www.ffm.vic.gov.au/history-and-incidents/past-bushfires

      • satty 4.2.2
        16 January 2020 at 12:58 pm

        (Luckily) Australia is 7.7 million sq km large, so 100 times larger than 7.7 million hectares. The burnt area was 63,000 sq km or 6.3 million hectares; the latest numbers have been over 10 million hectares burnt or around 100,000 sq km. As a comparison, 100,000 sq km is Canterburry + Otago + Southland!

        • dv 4.2.2.1
          16 January 2020 at 1:05 pm

          Apparently the burnt area is the size of Ireland!!!

          • Adrian 4.2.2.1.1
            16 January 2020 at 3:06 pm

            At the moment Australia is the victim of a positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole where the warm water is in the west of the IO and does not produce any rain over Oz. It is like the Pacific's El Nino /La Nina, it slops around every 4 or 5 years or so. The LN/EN is about every 7 years, probably because its a bigger ocean. Sometimes the positive or negative IOD phase coincides with a LN or EN phase and causes even more problems. Both systems are wind driven.

            But wait there's more, the Southern Annular Mode of westerly winds that rotate around Antarctica are further north in the current mode stopping the big Aussie summer anti-cyclones from picking up cooler damp air from the Southern Ocean, these are the big highs that eventually drift over us giving us nice warm calm summer weather, but not this year, the SAM is too strong bequeathing us these bloody cold South Westers and Easterlies, and squeezing the central Aussie highs rotating over the desert making them hotter and hotter.

            The SAM is probably caused by the wobble in the Earth's rotation which in turn is probably caused by the Earth's molten iron core slopping around. Another bloody thing to worry about. Lets Stop the Slop!

            Last years "Beast from the East "in northern Europe is a similar phenomenon.

            So its not all Climate Change just weather and it has been doing it for millenia, not Melania, shes just a temporary aberration thank Christ.

            For what its worth, a few hours ago around midday there, SE Australia was cooler and a lot wetter than NZ, Hobart 11Degrees, Melbourne 18, Sydney and Brisbane 22, ( where they are breaking out the jerseys) . Fancy that.

            It's just weather and if we didn't have it redistributing warmth and moisture around the globe fuck all of anything could live here.

        • alwyn 4.2.2.2
          16 January 2020 at 2:15 pm

          "7 million hectares". Oh dear, why does that always happen? Yes, square kms. And I read it over a couple of times looking for silly mistakes like that. At least I got the calculation right though.

          I'm not saying it isn't a huge amount of land. It is. However when it is compared to the total land area of Australia it doesn't really justify the somewhat hyperbolic questions I highlighted in the final sentence.

  5. joe90 5
    16 January 2020 at 8:45 am

    GOP cockroaches plan to scuttle around in the dark..

    https://twitter.com/sarahdwire/status/1217202438031257602

    The Standing Committee of Correspondents vigorously objects to restrictions being considered on press access during the upcoming Senate trial of President Trump.

    The Standing Committee sought to address our concerns with the Sergeant at Arms and with Rules Committee before final decisions were made, but decisions are being made quickly as plans for the trial are completed and we are hearing that nearly every suggestion has been rejected

    Our suggestions were rejected without an explanation of how the restrictions contribute to safety rather than simply limit coverage of the trial.

    The restrictions that are being considered exceed what occurred during the Clinton trial 20 years ago, with fewer ways for press to speak to senators and even a magnetometer being installed within the Senate Press Gallery to ensure electronics are not brought into the chamber.

    The no electronics in the chamber rule has existed for many years, reporters don’t violate it, and we’ve never needed an extra layer of screening to ensure it is followed.

    Installing a magnetometer means the Senate trial will have a soundtrack of “beep, beep, beep” as 90+ reporters walk in and out all day. There is no additional safety or security brought by bringing such a device into reporter work space

    It also gives the impression that it is being done mostly to protect Senators from the bright light of the public knowing what they are doing in one of the country’s most important moments.

    The Standing Committee requested an exemption to the no technology in the chamber rule so that we can provide the public with up to the moment information without having to walk out of the chamber, but we’re hearing that request has been denied.

    I grasp that there is precedent, but few things in Washington are more momentous than an impeachment trial and the American public deserves to have eyes in the room.

    Reporters will be kept in pens, meaning only senators seeking out press coverage will get covered.

    Currently we can walk with Senators as they enter the chamber, wait for them outside of meetings or lunches. It leads to a diversity of voices. Penning us means people across the country might not hear from their senator.

    https://twitter.com/sarahdwire/status/1217204300260216835

    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1217202438031257602.html

    • Kevin 5.1
      16 January 2020 at 9:03 am

      They seem to be going to extraordinary lengths to protect someone who has done nothing wrong… /s

      • Sabine 5.1.1
        16 January 2020 at 9:58 am

        They are not protecting "him" they are protecting themselves.

        Trump is now wholesale owned by the Republicans (who will last longer then Trump imo) and he owes them, bigly some people say, super duper bigly.

        He is the pen that signs their legislations, Tax cuts for the Ueberrich, gutting of social security, gutting of environmental regulations, their god before government etc etc etc. Essentially the Republicans done a 'back to the past' replaced one old senile man with another old senile man, heck its all the Presidents Man. 🙂

        but again, this Kabuki Theatre in the US, or Russia for that matter will have no importance when the world burns and runs out of the stuff that we humans need so deseperatly to live.

        Btw, did you hear that the entire Russian parliament 'resigned'? King Putin, long he may live and his future clones.

          • francesca 5.1.1.1.1
            16 January 2020 at 10:40 am

            Or to put it more accurately, an article that expands on your comment

          • Dennis Frank 5.1.1.1.2
            16 January 2020 at 10:55 am

            "Putin announced that he appointed Mikhail Mishustin, the head of Russia's Federal Tax Service, as the new Prime Minister." Just guessing, makes sense that a competent bureaucrat gets jumped up to become top bureaucrat.

            Presuming the guy has actually established a system for selective wealth-extraction as required, and enough time has passed for Putin to agree that the system works. He's a systems engineer.

            "In 1989, he graduated from the STANKIN, majoring in system engineering, and then in 1992, he completed postgraduate studies at the same Institute. After graduating from graduate school, he began working as a Director of a test laboratory, and later headed the Board of the International Computer Club (ICC), a public non — profit organization."

            "In 1998, he joined the state service as an assistant for information systems for accounting and control over the receipt of tax payments to the head of the State tax service of the Russian Federation. Then he worked at the rank of Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for taxes and duties, head of the Federal Agency for Real Estate Cadastre within the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, and head of the Federal Agency for Managing Special Economic Zones."

            "In 2008, he left the civil service on his own and returned to business — this time in the field of investment. In February 2009, he joined the personnel reserve of the President of Russia." Putin likes competence.

          • joe90 5.1.1.1.3
            16 January 2020 at 11:37 am

            The move would give any future President less power than Putin currently holds. But why would Putin weaken the position of the president if he would want to run for another term?

            To get around presidential term limits. Handing presidential powers to parliament makes PM the highest office in the land. Poots snares himself another term as PM and bingo, he's the leader of Russia, again.

  6. Andre 6
    16 January 2020 at 9:13 am

    In the 80s the ideas of big union and centrally planned economies etc were rejected in favour of letting the market rule (and there actually were good reasons to be unhappy with the way things were). But that change hasn't turned out well either. So what lies beyond?

    The Roosevelt Institute examined work from more than 150 thinkers in order to distill a new progressive vision for the United States. There’s no one set answer. But instead of a world where capital returns will always outpace wage gains, the progressive worldview puts in place higher taxation. It focuses on robust antitrust enforcement instead of allowing for corporate concentration, puts power back into the hands of organized labor, and ensures women and people of color are included.

    “This isn’t just a flash in the pan — this is really based on a lot of work by a lot of preeminent scholars and thinkers and policy experts,” Wong, who authored the paper outlining the positive vision for a progressive worldview, said.

    She identified the various critiques of neoliberalism that are embedded with positive progressive solutions and distilled them into four groups. It’s not a cohesive progressive answer, but instead a set of four broad categories of answers, many of which work in concert.

    https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/1/15/21065823/neoliberal-progressive-economic-vision-roosevelt-institute-papers-warren-sanders

    • Dennis Frank 6.1
      16 January 2020 at 9:57 am

      So "it’s time for a broad-based, democratic effort for the government to shape the economy and foster the public good." True.

      "The theory at the center of the “new structuralist” belief system is that government rules structure markets, and a new set of rules is needed to foster more equality and widely shared prosperity. A major plank of this is tied to antitrust enforcement and a government that prevents a wider range of merger types and considers a broader set of stakeholders when deciding whether to approve a deal. It also entails higher taxes on the rich and corporations, and measures such as a potential financial transaction tax; it also puts limits on corporate governance matters, such as stock buybacks."

      Increasing stakeholder involvement and financial transaction tax are both essential. Rules operate as guidelines only, however, since lack of effective enforcement has consistently discredited the concept of government regulation. A theory that offers no solution to corporate capture of governance is clearly inadequate.

      "The basic theory is that the government can be more efficient at providing certain public goods, not less" but in what way is this not utopian?? Anyone would think it had been written by some Democrat seller of snake oil.

      "The paper points to the Green New Deal as a prime example of the approach: a public-investment-led initiative that employs different policy tools to promote innovation, equity, jobs, and decarbonization." Promotion is different to delivery. Since Democrats are famous for non-delivery, this is typical.

      "Implementing the types of policies being proposed in progressive circles isn’t going to happen overnight, or without some real electoral and institutional shifts first. That’s where the economic democratists come in. They argue that economic reform hinges on participatory democracy, where unions are strengthened, communities are activated, and public agencies are open and transparent."

      That one looks more promising – yet still rendered ineffective by woolly leftist language. Vague intentions won't get them far. Explanations of what is going to change, and how that change will be delivered, remain necessary. Obviously it's wonderful that the liberals have figured out where they went wrong 30 years too late, and I hope they get their act together before we all die.

      • RedLogix 6.1.1
        16 January 2020 at 10:57 am

        We've had this stale debate over the relative role of the state and the market since … well Adam Smith. The argument usually degenerates because everyone presumes that somehow if you automatically have more 'state' this means an equal measure of 'market' has been displaced, and vice versa.

        Yet obviously the state is not a one for one substitute for markets. As Arnold Nordmeyer acerbically observed "Do we want the state to run corner dairies?". The two forces may overlap to a degree, but their crucial differences complement each other. Specifically the state is good at long term investment, high risk, and wide scope. If politically the state cannot tolerate the failure of an enterprise and therefore implicitly underwrites it, then it probably should be in public hands. By contrast private capital is really good at running business for short term cash flow, low risk, small scope enterprise … the daily stuff of feeding and clothing us for example.

        If we were a lot clearer about this distinction we might be able to sell it better.

        Also in the bigger picture I would suggest this binary model omits a crucial actor, an omission that explains why the debate has become so stale. The role of community in moderating and regulating the excesses of both state and market has been consistently ignored. Well at least until quite recently, it’s a good sign that many thinkers are now working with this notion.

        • Dennis Frank 6.1.1.1
          16 January 2020 at 11:36 am

          I would suggest this binary model omits a crucial actor, an omission that explains why the debate has become so stale. The role of community in moderating and regulating the excesses of both state and market has been consistently ignored. Well at least until quite recently, it’s a good sign that many thinkers are now working with this notion.

          Yes, I think the binary model had the fatal flaw of tacitly assuming that voters are mere passive recipients of largesse.

          If you frame the community as players in the political game, you acknowledge their agency as being proactive. That's where participatory democracy comes in.

    • RedLogix 6.2
      16 January 2020 at 10:17 am

      A generally good read, but then I stumble over ideology like this:

      Recent research by leading thinkers studying racial inequality has exposed the shortcomings of this theory by analyzing data on employment, income, and wealth disparities for people of color. At every level of education, people of color experience higher rates of unemployment, are paid less than their white counterparts, have fewer assets than their white counterparts, and accrue less wealth.

      Well for 'leading thinkers' they seem remarkably resistant to actual data. Consistently all the data shows East Asian Americans as substantially the highest income group. (Setting aside 'Australian Americans' as probably an outlier group of academics and/or professionals). Nor does it explain dramatic differences between groups such as Nigerian Americans with household incomes around $60k compared with Somali Americans at a miserable $24k.

      Nor are they willing to look at data showing that white working class males are the big group in the USA with a falling life expectancy. For certain some white people are doing exceedingly well, as you might rationally expect in a society where white people remain a numerically dominant group. But to then lazily imply this means all white people are unfairly advantaged across the whole of the USA, just flies in the face of ordinary people's experience.

      The white American man who I worked with last year, whose wife was scared of his meth-addicted brother in law running out of control, with him stuck on site thousands of miles away, plus a catalog of other intractable worries … would spit on this article … and vote Trump.

      Yes ethnicity plays a role in outcomes, but to grossly simplify it down to a 'white privilege' narrative oversimplifies a complex story.

      • Sacha 6.2.1
        16 January 2020 at 11:06 am

        Australian Americans' as probably an outlier group of academics and/or professionals

        Actors 🙂

      • joe90 6.2.2
        16 January 2020 at 12:39 pm

        plus a catalog of other intractable worries …

        Who killed the Knapp family?

        http://archive.li/iVmzL

        • RedLogix 6.2.2.1
          16 January 2020 at 12:53 pm

          Great link thank you. I've skimmed through it fast; it seems to capture something very like what my now ex-colleague told me first hand over a beer or two.

          “We have to stop being obsessed over impeachment and start actually digging in and solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place,” Andrew Yang argued in the last Democratic presidential debate. Whatever you think of Yang as a candidate, on this he is dead right: We have to treat America’s cancer.

          FWIW in terms of Dem candidates, Bernie had my total support last time, but I think he was mistaken to run a second time. Tulsi Gabbard won my heart with her Joe Rogan podcasts. Andrew Yang won my head with his Universal Income, his backing for next gen nuclear and his clear headed ability to cut to the essence of the big story as above. There is hope, but the Dem machine is doing it's best to crush it.

  7. Chris 7
    16 January 2020 at 11:10 am

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/118823041/whether-and-how-labour-might-win-a-second-term

    Bernard Hickey has left out one very important variable, which is how well Bridges and his mates execute a filthy lies campaign leading up to the election and whether the media buys it, i.e. whether what happened to Corbyn and UK Labour will happen to Ardern.

    • Sanctuary 7.1
      16 January 2020 at 11:27 am

      The sleeper issue for this election campaign is going to be the links between the National Party and the Chinese Communist Party – https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/01/us-democracy-watchdog-freedom-house-accuses-mp-todd-mcclay-of-echoing-china-to-justify-mass-detentions-in-xinjiang.html

      Expect NZ First to swiftboat the Nats on this, and while NZ First and the Nats are slinging mud at each other over funding Labour to pick up votes from disgusted New Zealanders.

      • Graeme 7.1.1
        16 January 2020 at 11:49 am

        Gets even murkier when you look at who made the criticism reported in the Newshub piece.

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

        According to the Freedom House Financial Statement 2016, Freedom House "was substantially funded by grants from the U.S. Government", with grants from the United States government accounting for approximately 86% of revenue.[5]

        Below are the organizations and entities who funded Freedom House in 2016:[5]

        • Government of the United States – $24,813,164 (85.5%)
        • International public agencies – 2,266,949 (7.8%)
        • Corporations and foundations – 1,113,262 (3.8%)
        • Individual contributions – 1,113,262 (2.8%)

        In its 2017 and 2018 financial statements, Freedom House once again disclosed that it "was substantially funded by grants from the U.S. Government." In 2017, the organization received $29,502,776, 90% of its total revenue that year, from the US government.[36] In 2018, the US government gave Freedom House $35,206,355, or 88% of its annual revenue.[37]

        So a shot across the bows from Uncle Sam. Must be some really interesting discussion going down in the inner reaches of the National Party right now.

        Wonder if a very slickly produced political add pops up just before the election featuring little blue pandas dancing across the bottom of the screen.

    • Muttonbird 7.2
      16 January 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Hickey describes how MMP has locked in what public policy was present at its inception. And how Centrists act as a handbrake on major policy changes.

      Contrary to what Centrists believe of themselves being pragmatists who generate consensus and "just get shit done", the opposite is true. Centrists are obstacles to both progress from the left and to reaction from the right. Consequently nothing gets done.

      Hickey's thoughts on risk-taking and staying safe in the centre echoes the article Sanctuary posted yesterday which was a critique of the roles of Centrists within UK Labour in the spectacular undermining of Jeremy Corbyn.

      What confuses me about the replies is the vain belief from Centrists they actually get shit done. They don't get shit done, they just prevent others from getting shit done.

      • Dennis Frank 7.2.1
        16 January 2020 at 9:43 pm

        True some of the time. We have a center-left coalition govt. It gets shit done whenever the leftists and centrists within it agree on proposed legislation. Then the agreed proposals get passed into law to prove it.

        I realise you're unlikely to claim that they have no such track record of progress made. Perhaps you just don't want to admit to yourself that the three parties have proven themselves to be genuinely progressive by enacting their legislation?

        Get real instead. Telling the truth earns respect. Seeking refuge in partisan delusions achieves the opposite.

        • Muttonbird 7.2.1.1
          16 January 2020 at 10:00 pm

          I think they've tinkered and patched up a few risk-free things but you have to be deluded to believe this is a government of progress. There is nothing "genuinely progressive" about it. The left of centre part has made some noises but as Hickey correctly states it is the centrist part of the government, NZ First, which has acted as a handbrake to progress.

          I can only assume that this government's glacially meek movement on social fairness and social infrastructure progress looks positively dynamic – almost dangerous – to a staid Centrist such as yourself!

          • Dennis Frank 7.2.1.1.1
            17 January 2020 at 11:09 am

            😎 Oooh, truth hurts (a little). The staid bit comes from putting oneself out to pasture in retirement. However I have actually spent a lifetime watching self-professed radicals drop off the pace.

            That learning curve is all about how mass movements actually work. When progressives blame each other for not being radical enough, they focus on division instead of common ground. When the masses divide amongst themselves, the control system doesn't need to do divide and rule against them. They've already disempowered themselves!

            Several decades of watching that shit happen imposes a fundamental learning about mass psychology. So you get to appreciate whatever gains result from consensus.

  8. Dennis Frank 8
    16 January 2020 at 11:24 am

    The binary party structure of democracy in the USA was seen as evil by one of the founding fathers. This from a letter written by John Adams in 1780: "There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution."

    They ignored him and built evil into their system anyway. It's why the Democrats supported slavery during the 19th century. They had to oppose the Republicans, who wanted to free the slaves. It's why the Democrats worked with organised crime in the 20th century – to oppose Republicans who wanted to eliminate it. The American middle class got eliminated via the gfc & predatory lending, authorised by govt regulators appointed by both parties. Their system incorporates the deep state, who eliminate whistle-blowers by whatever means necessary. It's a puppet show that no longer compels collective belief.

    To gauge the extent of alienation, we need suitable research. "Carroll Doherty is director of political research at Pew Research Center." He presents some here: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/26/key-findings-on-americans-views-of-the-u-s-political-system-and-democracy/

    "A large majority of the public (67%) says “their side” in politics has been losing more often than winning in recent years on issues that matter to them." Yet losing is good, according to the poll. "About six-in-ten Americans (58%) say democracy is working well in the U.S., though just 18% say it is working very well. At the same time, a majority supports making sweeping changes to the political system: 61% say “significant changes” are needed in the fundamental “design and structure” of the U.S. government to make it work in current times."

    So most Americans think the system is working well because it is turning them into losers. Remarkable, eh? Who'da thunk they were that clever?

  9. Incognito 9
    16 January 2020 at 1:06 pm

    'The blob', a huge marine heatwave, killed nearly a million seabirds in the biggest known die-off of its kind

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-01-16/blob-seabird-murre-die-off-climate-change-marine-heatwave/11867264

    • Sabine 10.1
      16 January 2020 at 4:06 pm

      a very stable genuis.

      however what is not mentioned is how much money the orange hairball made of all this misery.

  11. Dennis Frank 11
    16 January 2020 at 3:37 pm

    "A New Plymouth business owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by a failed oil and gas company is calling on the government to force the parent company to sell its remaining New Zealand assets to help repay creditors." https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/407474/creditor-calls-for-government-to-step-in-over-tamarind-taranaki-collapse

    Can the govt actually do that??

    "Tamarind Taranaki went into receivership just before Christmas after its $300 million offshore drilling campaign at the Tui oil field failed. It owes creditors about $484m. Matt Hareb owns an excavation company which had the contract to transport drilling waste from Tamarind Taranaki's operation. The business, which employs about 10 staff, is owed more than $500,000. Hareb said it would take years for it to recover."

    Limited liability is part of the design of the capitalist system. Being able to dodge debt is hard-wired. I can't see how the govt can enforce moral culpability.

    "Hareb Excavating is one of 82 creditors, of which 72 are unsecured, many of them small Taranaki-based firms." Destroying local small business is a frequent consequence of corporates using smart lawyers. Like big fish eating small fish, it's normal. Social darwinism rules, okay?

    "The government is owed between $100m and $155m for Tamarind's share of decommissioning costs for the Tui oil field." So the big fish is gonna rip off the taxpayer too? Whoopee, what fun!

    "Other creditors spoken to by RNZ described the Tamarind collapse as tantamount to "daylight robbery" and said a "heck of a lot of people had got done over"." Capitalism divides users into screwers and screwees though, eh? Nobody can claim the system is based on the concept of a fair deal, can they? Exploitation is the entire point.

    "The government has an obligation to look at this" reckons my local Nat MP. "Minster of Energy and Resources Megan Woods says Tamarind's acquisition of the Tui permit in 2017 had exposed a gap in the Crown Minerals Act." " "The government has now closed this loophole with an amendment to the Crown Minerals Act," she said. Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted is a good move.

  12. soddenleaf 12
    16 January 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Food waste. Food in held longer for sale to mitigate it being wasted. Supermarket sell stuff they were throwing away. More produce goes off at home, increasing food waste tonnage and carbon credits going more often to supermarkets. Profits for retailers skyrocket as they keep increasing the amount of sub standard produce sitting in shelves waiting to be brought and then throw out as it's gone off by the time it reaches homes. I know this because it keeps happening, bad meat, old carrots, yuck throw out, never used to throw out a onion, potato, used to use them all or nearly. not now. Food waste is a self forefilling prophesy that forts consumers and radically increases supermarket profit. Supermarket go to their suppliers, who know this and start selling their non export food, or returned from china unsold food, in big PR specials. To the point that either you buy for a local producer of buy the imported good if in Auckland before they get shipped to the new food deserts.

    The solution is to force a percentage of all local food to be sold locally. Given the bulk deals that should mean cheap good food, that then if not sold be sold even cheaper to restaurants etc way before it goes off. Most food I see is old.

      • soddenleaf 12.1.1
        20 January 2020 at 1:57 pm

        There are already business that already sell cheaper fresher goods and will sell unsold vegies cheaper to save putting them back on the truck. They exist in many places, not enough though. They are call market stalls, and instead of getting old food that's been ship to Auckland, and back, or worse. They sell local food locally. Now some councils did away with them, and so super markets don't need to sell the freshest, selling processed fresh Fox's that are processed to send their nutrients and energy to their skins, and remain attractive for longer shelf life. Foods that once brought go off. I brought a carrot before Christmas, a week later came to roast it, it had gone off. This is my point targeting a negative only rewards more of the same. Target food miles, if my carrot has gone unsold in China then mark it as such so I have informed choice when it's put on nz shelves. Save the planet and sell fresh local goods with simple cloud data.

  13. Sabine 13
    16 January 2020 at 6:46 pm

    maybe if all the food would be a bit cheaper people would actually buy a bit more.

    there is quite a bit of 'food insecurity' aka 'hunger' in the developed world, and a lot of it is to do with the fact that it is too expensive.

    maybe we could remove GST from food. All of the food.

  14. Eco maori 14
    17 January 2020 at 11:11 am

    Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.

    https://youtu.be/YgFyi74DVjc

  15. Eco maori 15
    17 January 2020 at 6:27 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub. .

    A photo speaks a thousand words.

    Suborbital flights from Dunedin that will be great for the economy.

    Kaikoura getting putea from the Provincial growth fund they will be happy.

    Ka kite Ano

  16. Eco maori 16
    17 January 2020 at 6:54 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    Pangawerewere tukutuku.

    Kai pai for Rugby league setting up training for the tamariki there is a lot of talent Rangatahi in Aotearoa that just need a bit of guidance.

    Football is a good game for the Rangatahi to get into.

    Ka kite Ano

  17. Eco maori 17
    18 January 2020 at 10:56 am

    Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.

    https://youtu.be/94dBVPpymac

  18. Eco maori 18
    18 January 2020 at 6:27 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub.

    People need to learn to respect Orca and other creatures of Tangaroa I have a great yarn of A Orca encounter He was a huge Bull.

    Its sad that people are drowning because they can't swim.

    The only way to fix Manuka harbour is for the city to put money in plant mangroves and clean up their water that goes into the water course I have seen them they are a big mess

    Ka kite Ano.

  19. Eco maori 19
    18 January 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    Condolences to Piri Whanau.

    There should be respect given to Te uri taniwha wanting to protect their old cultural sights.

    It would be sad to lose a mokopuna lets hope the Authorities carry on doing their mahi and find Jamie Kaiwai.

    The Pacific Island are suffering from the effects of Global Warming sea-level rise.

    I think the government should respect Ngapuhi opinion and wishes.

    Ka kite Ano.

  21. Eco maori 21
    19 January 2020 at 6:27 pm

    Kia Ora Newshub.

    Yes the housing short will effect the students and poor badly. The students will have to have 2 unrelated per room.

    That's is cool carers get more money for looking after there challenged love ones.

    Mana Wahine that's A great reason to march for Wahine equality.

    The oil barons.

    That's swam of locus looks huge can cause havoc in Africa.

    Ka kite Ano.

  22. Eco maori 22
    19 January 2020 at 6:52 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.

    Piri will have a huge hakari.

    I,,, we need Maori to look after Maori tamariki wellbeing aroha and understanding is needed for the correct care of our mokopuna.

    Mana Wahine.

    Ka pai for your Wakarma journey in Tamiki Makaru.

    Ka kite Ano

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    17 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    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
    16 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
    19 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
    23 hours 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-26T23:37:12+00:00