Open mike 16/06/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 16th, 2021 - 46 comments
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46 comments on “Open mike 16/06/2021 ”

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  1. Robert Guyton 1
    16 June 2021 at 7:31 am

    “It's extraordinary. I've never seen anything like this in my 20 years work in the flu surveillance area,” ESR virologist and flu expert Dr Sue Huang said."

    I predicted here on TS that this would happen 🙂

    'Extraordinary' lack of seasonal flu in New Zealand, ESR virologist says

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125442512/extraordinary-lack-of-seasonal-flu-in-new-zealand-esr-virologist-says

    • Matiri 1.1
      16 June 2021 at 8:41 am

      We've been doing the Flutracking survey each week for a few years, they also ask Covid questions now too. There was a distinct lack of flu during lockdown too.

      https://info.flutracking.net

    • weka 1.2
      16 June 2021 at 9:28 am

      we really should use this as an opportunity to cement into society the behaviours that limit cold and flu spreading. Better sick leave would help.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 1.2.1
        16 June 2021 at 10:00 am

        The main reason is the lack of inwards air travel who dont go through the 2 week isolation -quarantine. It peters out by time people with flu leave.

        But the other things are important too, I use the supermarket sanitiser on way out, and the reduction of air spreading by ill people using sick leave – which was increased recently

        • weka 1.2.1.1
          16 June 2021 at 10:06 am

          I don't udnerstand your first paragraph, can you please say that in a different way?

          • ghostwhowalksnz 1.2.1.1.1
            16 June 2021 at 11:28 am

            Quarantine system prevents flu from spreading after arriving from overseas, which is also what experts are saying

        • greywarshark 1.2.1.2
          16 June 2021 at 10:15 am

          I use the supermarket sanitiser on the way in so that I don't add my bacteria to the things I touch, trolley, goods looked at and replaced etc. I thought that was best. Yet you use it going out?

          • Jimmy 1.2.1.2.1
            16 June 2021 at 10:19 am

            Use it on the way in and on the way out…………….problem solved.

            • greywarshark 1.2.1.2.1.1
              16 June 2021 at 10:57 am

              That's not what I was asking. Don't state the obvious eh.

            • McFlock 1.2.1.2.1.2
              16 June 2021 at 2:07 pm

              bit harsh on the hands, no?

              I tend to wear gloves all the time when out and about anyway. Bloody doorknobs. Not latex, just normal gloves. Bung sanitiser on them regularly, but the hands themselves less often.

      • bwaghorn 1.2.2
        16 June 2021 at 11:31 am

        10 days sick leave is more than enough.

        • Patricia Bremner 1.2.2.1
          16 June 2021 at 2:05 pm

          Bwaghorn, Yet there are many infectious conditions requiring longer quarantine than a fortnight.

          Glandular Fever/Epstein barr virus, Shingles, Rheumatic Fever, and many operations require a longer recovery.

  2. Ad 2
    16 June 2021 at 9:07 am

    National completely agrees with you about EV's. We should expect to see strong pushback against Labour Ministers and MPs at the National Agricultural Fieldays which start tomorrow. Not sure if any of the Greens are fronting.

    https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2106/S00102/biting-the-hand.htm

    Last night Toyota made a public statement that it won't be bringing in electric utes in the foreseeable future.

    Of course that's just a competitive gift to Ford and Volkswagen, but also means Toyota will be supporting a very long second hand and parts market here for the Hilux.

    Anyone working in the farming or rural community or indeed the construction and tradie sectors knows that it is pretty pathetic to call utes a status symbol. It's the thing you need to do your work, and it's not replaceable. That's one reason why nearly every vehicle manufacturer has stopped making sedans.

    So there's no need to worry, National will repeal the scheme you are worried about, and will of course also get rid of all that cycleway investment.

    You may also find that rural communities will need to organise their own collective responses to transport solutions, since their regional and local councils are dominated by National Party people. That I suspect will be up to a few charismatic individuals.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    • weka 2.1
      16 June 2021 at 9:15 am

      They don't agree with me, I support the feebate scheme and think it's not going nearly far or fast enough. If you can't be bothered to read a post and make an effort to understand it, then don't bother using it to derail to your own agenda.

      • Ad 2.1.1
        16 June 2021 at 9:30 am

        Weka at some point you are going to have to grow a skin rather than moderating anyone who says Boo to you. You put out a set of fact-free rhetorical questions, doing exactly what I said you did.

        You agreed at length with the GenZero commentary against utes. So I commented on that.

        You questioned the focus on cities rather than on isolated communities. So I commented on that.

        You wondered whether rural communities could organise themselves with their own solution. So I commented on that.

        Stop driving engagement away.

        • weka 2.1.1.1
          16 June 2021 at 9:59 am

          "Weka at some point you are going to have to grow a skin rather than moderating anyone who says Boo to you."

          Why though? You flat out lied about National agreeing with me, why should I let something like that stay under my post?

          The points you are making about rural communities would work if you related them to the post. You've got useful perspectives to bring for sure, from a range of experiences, but the rhetoric you use is just too problematic. Stop blocking your own engagement.

          Btw, I disagreed with Gen Zero dude,

          https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1404265443464945668

          • greywarshark 2.1.1.1.1
            16 June 2021 at 10:55 am

            Kirk Serpes – Another master of the sweeping assertion which limits opportunity to discuss possible moves to fit the future.

            'Everyone did pretty fine 20 years ago' – meaning nothing – pub talk! 'without a massive ……vehicle' – ditto, emotional language. 'Nobody needs' – personal opinion based on ? | 'grotesque luxury item' – emotional language and opinion again | 'Taxed much much higher than proposed' – Could be sound idea but lacking factual information to assist judgment of idea.

        • Bearded Git 2.1.1.2
          16 June 2021 at 11:30 am

          Agree As …Weka jumping down people's throat's just a little too quickly….love the Standard tho.

      • Shanreagh 2.1.2
        16 June 2021 at 9:31 am

        Weka, thank you for your post here and thread. As a townie only once removed from farming stock I think we need to work on ways to influence uptake of ideas and transport in the rural sector.

        We need to get away from BAU. I will be thinking about your post as I go about my day and will comment later.

    • greywarshark 2.2
      16 June 2021 at 10:18 am

      Your argument that utes are not a status symbol is not valid I think. I remember the Queen Street farmers going in for deer and venison with their Range Rovers in da city.

      Also utes look like a manly vehicle, driven by a bloke for all seasons and reasons, salt of the earth. People don't necessarily sift through their thinking for the emotional base.

      • mac1 2.2.1
        16 June 2021 at 11:14 am

        Late in my teaching career I bought a secondhand ute. I joked with my colleagues about finally becoming a 'real bloke'. It was useful for carrying horse manure to the plot, gravel for the driveway, political hoardings, bikes, pine cones and firewood- all sorts.

        But the reaction from the boys was interesting. There was a group, I suspect rural lads, who approved the ute. It was 'blokey', practical, functional, cheap to buy.

        You're right, greywarshark, we have to recognise the 'emotional base' for it informs what we buy, how we vote, and more.

        Wise politicians respect this. Adsters know it. Con men use it.

        • Patricia Bremner 2.2.1.1
          16 June 2021 at 2:14 pm

          We have a Toyota Ractis ..it fits in with emissions, has huge room in the rear when you lay the two back seats down. It easily carried a wheel chair/ walker/ toiletting chair two suitcases and sundry bags. At times two cubic m of pine, or rubbish and trimmings for the dump etc. So we are amused when people say they "need" a ute.

  3. Shanreagh 3
    16 June 2021 at 9:43 am

    It just seems to my eye Ad, that your comments are nay-saying and not made on the basis of how to find a way forward using this new technology. Seems focused on BAU.

    Sure we all need to know the status quo, known by all policy analysts of status quo or do nothing. It is always put in but we are a progressive people & there is always a better way than the status quo, no matter how minor the tweak.

    You get bouquets rather then brickbats if you focus your doubts on saying:

    'What if' or 'what will happen' or 'have we thought about'

    From that people will be able to pick out the possible things that might not work and be able to work on them. Being able to see all sides means we will be able to design systems and policies without undue negativity hiding or clouding them.

    Weka’s thread
    https://thestandard.org.nz/climate-transition-transport-and-the-rural-road-tumbleweeds/

    • weka 3.1
      16 June 2021 at 10:05 am

      thanks for that. It's my reading of Ad's position that he is green tech BAU and anti-powerdown, and thus the middle ground and most useful pathways is lost. I suspect this underlies his hard man entry into commenting under my posts. That I also have little time for.

      Completely agree about the importance of being able to see all sides in designing our best responses.

      Look forward to hearing your thoughts later.

  4. Byd0nz 4
    16 June 2021 at 10:34 am

    I'll stop polluting with my old banger when the militaries of the world denounce all military activity and embrace peace and a moneyless one world political system. Cough cough.

    • RedBaronCV 5.1
      16 June 2021 at 8:25 pm

      Who on earth is advising Labour for FFS. Shouldn't they mean "only home" for the peeps who wind up moving from Napier to Auckland sell and buy again and pay an increaed price? If you can't afford a mortgage then you are unlikely to be able to afford the rent either.

  6. greywarshark 6
    16 June 2021 at 10:41 am

    I'm dipping into Slavoj Zizek's In Defense of Lost Causes. Interesting. Have to use the little gray cells. One para in chapter on revolutionary terror:

    There is thus, beyond all cheap jibes and superficial analogies, a profound structural homology* between Maoist permanent self-revolutionising, the continuous struggle against the ossification of state structures, and the inherent dynamics of capitalism.

    • Definition of homology for those of us who don't use it in daily language.
      Under – 'What is homology in simple words'! –
      The similarity of a structure or function of parts of different origins based on their descent from a common evolutionary ancestor is homology. Analogy, by contrast, is a functional similarity of structure that is based on mere similarity of use. merriam-webster.com

    He goes on to look at China's 'true' Cultural Revolution, beyond the 'violent …outbursts of a Red Guardist' which is – 'the permanent dissolution of all life-forms necessitated by capitalist reproduction? Today, the tragedy of the Great Leap Forward itself, is the repeating itself as the farce of the capitalist Great Leap Forward into modernisation, with the old slogan "an iron foundry in every village" re-emerging as "a skyscraper in every street."

    It is the reign of contemporary global capitalism which is the true Lord of Misrule…p198

  7. bwaghorn 7
    16 June 2021 at 11:51 am

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300334128/national-party-all-out-of-love-for-returning-mp

    National are the gift that keeps giving!

    I know a few whanganui nat voters who cant stand the woman, a assumed it was cause she was brown but maybe theres something to it.

    • joe90 7.1
      16 June 2021 at 1:29 pm

      One National MP told Newsroom she “sailed her own waka’’ and seemed to think the party should be honoured she had agreed to join, rather than being grateful for the opportunity to be in Parliament.

      This is the grasping, self interested Harete for I've known for years. To a fucking T.

  8. greywarshark 8
    16 June 2021 at 11:56 am

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444836/america-s-cup-team-nz-rejects-government-auckland-council-s-hosting-offer
    The offer involved cash and in-kind support worth about $99 million.

    Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said Aucklanders would be disappointed Team NZ was looking to move the next regatta overseas.
    Team NZ wanted twice what was on offer, Goff said.
    "That clearly was not sustainable in the post-Covid environment.

    "While I understand Team New Zealand have to think about their commercial interests, I share Aucklanders' disappointment that the Cup is looking like it is going overseas.

    "Council invested $113 million in infrastructure for this year's successful America's Cup and made a huge effort to deliver it on time and on budget.

    These are the people who concentrate on their mahi – making money and enjoying themselves. They have taken NZ for a ride which started before 1984 but has intensified since then. They are the wealthy and self-centred, who have been robbing the world for the things they want since the major colonial times.

    The yachties are too big for their NZ boots. Let them put on their 7 league boots then and stride the world. And don't come back in the future asking for more largesse. Climate change poverty will be on our shoulders then, and a burden that the ordinary people won't be able to sail away from. And we don't want it made worse by wealthy people darting here and there like butterflies sipping at any good thing till it is used up, (with nothing left for young moth-ers, to which future we are on our way right now).

    • alwyn 8.1
      16 June 2021 at 1:47 pm

      We should all be grateful that Phil hasn't, apparently, got the chance to throw another $99 million into the great gaping hole that is America's Cup racing. What he should be doing now isn't complaining that they want to go elsewhere. He should be apologising to the Auckland Ratepayers for the $113 million that he wasted last year.

      Standing there on the dais of shame should be the Prime Minister stepping up and asking forgiveness for the $140 million that the New Zealand taxpayer also wasted on the stupid idea.

      That would be at least as appropriate an apology as would one for the dawn raids of the 1970s. This one, unlike the 1970s event still has available the prime perpetrators of the fiasco. They are not, unlike Kirk, Rowling and Muldoon, long dead.

    • McFlock 8.2
      16 June 2021 at 2:45 pm

      lol – Awesome photo. That look, and that guard of the purse

      https://twitter.com/secondzeit/status/1404956799707488256

      • greywarshark 8.2.1
        16 June 2021 at 4:04 pm

        Grate! Marvellous image. He's saying – You must understand our POV.'

        And she is thinking 'Hey up, don't crowd me. I'm not a soft touch. It's the country's money you are talking about. We have different sort of priorities and prestige to consider',

    • Patricia Bremner 8.3
      16 June 2021 at 4:24 pm

      1000% Greywarshark. Love the "7 league boots". It is a hole of greed.

    • RobbieWgtn 8.4
      16 June 2021 at 5:12 pm

      $685M for a bridge cycleway or 3 Americas Cup challenges @$200M ea. ?

      Investment in the America’s Cup brings massive tax take and ongoing benefit to our country.

      No virtue signalling petty envy either.

      • woodart 8.4.1
        16 June 2021 at 5:37 pm

        "massive tax take and ongoing benefit to NZ" neither of those claims has ever really stood up. a good sound bite but nobody has ever told us HOW MUCH benefit.

      • Patricia Bremner 8.4.2
        16 June 2021 at 7:29 pm

        Who benefits?

    • Pohutukawakid 8.5
      16 June 2021 at 11:04 pm

      And Rod Stewart supposedly got the best part if a a million bucks for an appalling rendition of his theme song.

  9. greywarshark 9
    16 June 2021 at 12:52 pm

    Question to haunt us:

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018799446/larry-keating-investigating-corruption-in-the-amazon

    Was there a link between the brutal attacks on conservationists Sir Peter Blake and Captain Pete Bethune in Brazil?

    In his new documentary, The Garden of Evil, Larry Keating investigates the possibility that the attacks, both of which happened in the Amazon but 16 years apart, might have been the work of powerful criminal organisations with involvement in illegal logging, drug trafficking, and the export of endangered animals.

    And looking at the viciousness of rampaging men corrupt and out of the control of subduing law enforcement in Brazil, we can imagine how they might have behaved in NZ in the early days. If you were Maori then, you would probably have signed up with the Brit authorities so they could get control of these unprincipled b…ards that had landed like locusts destroying the cultural rules and Maori societies.

    Here is a quote from The Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington/Nugi Garimara about the way that the same villainous sailors behaved in Australia early on:

    The aboriginal camp was going about its daily life and then there was a loud boom. They immediately thought of an incident when relatives were shot as the men tried to prevent the white raiders from kidnapping the women.

    'Kundilla and his family had heard how their brothers and uncles were killed by ruthless white pirates, desperados and escaped convicts. Those cruel and murderous men came ashore and stole Aboriginal women and kept them on board their ships as sexual slaves, then murdered them and tossed their bodies into the ocean when their services were no longer required. These renegades made up the crews of the American whaling ships which hunted for whales and seals on the southern coast of Western Australia.' p.4

  10. greywarshark 10
    16 June 2021 at 2:24 pm

    This is interesting for Hone Harawira's viewpoint to get Maori on the up and up.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/matangireia/story/2018791582/series-2-episode-4-hone-harawira-matangireia

  11. Adrian Thornton 11
    16 June 2021 at 2:46 pm

    Great news for the Progressive Socialist left…..

    Pedro Castillo is declared the new President of Peru

  12. Foreign waka 12
    16 June 2021 at 9:18 pm

    I just saw this and it is interesting how similar the stories are to what we see in NZ.

    https://youtu.be/7hn2b5-50go

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    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
    19 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
    21 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
    24 hours 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

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