Open mike 16/08/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 16th, 2022 - 73 comments
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step up to the mike …

73 comments on “Open mike 16/08/2022 ”

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  1. Ad 1
    16 August 2022 at 6:50 am

    Can we cut the bullshit and get back to running the country please.

    • AB 1.1
      16 August 2022 at 12:02 pm

      Right wing ideology attracts sociopaths and left(ish) wing ideology attracts self-imagined messiahs. Who didn't know that already?

  2. Jimmy 2
    16 August 2022 at 7:39 am

    I've run out of popcorn! Bought a whole lot when Uffindell was happening, but now need to re-stock due to Sharma.

  3. Jimmy 3
    16 August 2022 at 8:41 am

    I didn't realise Uffendell was that distressed. Sharma certainly isn't as he seems to be on the offensive.

    • Mac1 3.1
      16 August 2022 at 8:54 am

      "Sharma also said he has fallen into a cycle of depression and had begun to contemplate suicide". https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/mp-sharma-unleashes-fresh-wave-allegations

      Illness of this type is not a popcorn event but a time for friend, family, collegial and professional support- to have time off, to rest and rebuild spiritually.

      Ardern offered the best advice that I could have had in my times of depression- "…. Gaurav is a valued member of the team, " and "we want to make sure he is getting the support he needs," she said.

      What Churchill referred to as 'the black dog" is not enjoyable.

      • logie97 3.1.1
        16 August 2022 at 1:45 pm

        Just saying.

        Would it not be a an opportunity for "openness" for the caucus to invite the journalists who have been posting on this story to be in on the forum?

        It seems to me that, while the source of information for the press is Mr Sharma alone, the journalists carrying the story should have complete access to the deliberations.

        Otherwise the Labour Party will remain at the mercy of whatever Mr Sharma has to say next. If he loses to the caucus, he will continue to pursue his side of the story and feed the media continually. On the other hand, if he is seen to be treated fairly and reasonably, the press would have to cover and examine his statements accordingly.

        • Louis 3.1.1.1
          16 August 2022 at 6:54 pm

          "the journalists carrying the story should have complete access to the deliberations"

          God no! that would be madness.

    • Bearded Git 3.2
      16 August 2022 at 9:22 am

      The Herald has seized on Sharma's sad rant to deflect from the Uffendell disaster. Talk abut false equivalence.

      • gsays 3.2.1
        16 August 2022 at 10:11 am

        Similarly there is a lot of talk about Sharma around these parts and not a lot of korero about Lorck.

        • Sacha 3.2.1.1
          16 August 2022 at 1:13 pm

          Maybe Lorck has not been running her mouth off to media?

          Meanwhile I note there is a dedicated discussion about Sharma rather than duplicating it here.

          • gsays 3.2.1.1.1
            16 August 2022 at 1:29 pm

            My observation was more about what folk like to talk about, not what the various bullies/victims have to say.

            If Lorck has done what has been alleged, it's not surprising she is keeping her head down.

            • Louis 3.2.1.1.1.1
              16 August 2022 at 1:41 pm

              The claims are being investigated, so neither Lorck nor the Labour party can talk publicly about it. Hard to see how moving furniture and being a one time sober driver constitutes bullying.

            • Sacha 3.2.1.1.1.2
              16 August 2022 at 3:43 pm

              My observation was more about what folk like to talk about…

              Conversations tend to rely on things being published. No publicity, no discussion. Pretty basic.

      • Grantoc 3.2.2
        16 August 2022 at 3:36 pm

        Bearded Git

        The rest of the media ran with the Sharma story in the same way that the NZ Herald did.

        And I dispute that any of the media (including the NZ Herald) 'seized on Sharma's sad rant to deflect from the Uffendell disaster'.

        More like Sharma saw an opportunity to take advantage of a story about MPs' and their apparent bullying of others to air his own grievances about being bullied in the Labour party caucus.

        Unfortunately for Labour and its acolytes (Except for Sharma, who appears to be reveling in the media spotlight) the Uffendall story got put to bed by the Nat's (for now at least), and the media turned to the emerging Sharma story. Sharma seems dead keen to keep on stoking it up – even as I write this.

        You have to also say that Sharma has proven to be a pretty shrewd tactician in all this too, and seems to know how to manipulate the media to his own ends.

        The story's got nothing to do with 'false equivalence'.

  4. Anker 4
    16 August 2022 at 11:07 am

    If Sharma's claims about bullying are accurate (and I don't know if they are), then this is very bad and will likely sink the ship. Just my opinion of course

    • alwyn 4.1
      16 August 2022 at 11:27 am

      As soon as the lynching has been organised and the Caucus meets Sharma will "be gone by lunchtime" as somebody once said. Well in a month anyway.

      The PM will announce that he will be expelled from the House in her most kindly manner. As the song goes. "The Caucus made me do it. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it". Then she will tell him he has to go and about the middle of September tell the Speaker he is out.

      • Jack 4.1.1
        16 August 2022 at 11:42 am

        A good summary.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1.2
        16 August 2022 at 11:46 am

        As soon as the lynching has been organised and the Caucus meets Sharma will "be gone by lunchtime" as somebody once said.

        Might "somebody" be a former Gnat leader – perhaps one Don Brash? He's all heart.

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/don-brash-gone-at-lunchtime/4INSDMPA3VY7CFF22FJS4DN6LE/

        You could be right re Sharma – not unlike Jami-Lee? Another one bites the dust?

        https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/08/national-s-previous-scandals-under-scrutiny-after-sam-uffindell-amits-to-violently-assaulting-boy-at-school.html [Jami-Lee Ross, Todd Barclay, Hamish Walker, Andrew Falloon, Jake Bezzant, and (my personal favourite) Merv ("I'm that confused") from Manurewa]

      • bwaghorn 4.1.3
        16 August 2022 at 12:09 pm

        I'm going to bet you one imaginary chocolate fish that Ardern doesn't expell him, wrap him up in cotton wool thick enough to protect everyone and deselect him next election is my reckons

        • alwyn 4.1.3.1
          16 August 2022 at 12:38 pm

          "wrap him up in cotton wool".

          I really don't think that is possible. She has got to keep him quiet and I don't think he is going to do that voluntarily for another 14 months. I don't think he will go quietly unless he is fed a scalp. Would Ardern drop Kieran McNulty onto the back benches to appease him? I think that that would be the minimum he would take. The alternative is to promote him but I can't see that happening.

          The only way I can see to get rid of him is to tolerate another month of his complaints and then have him out of the House. He isn't like Louise Wall where a well paid sinecure will shut him down. He is very highly qualified and can immediately get another job that will pay him far more, and is far more prestigious, than what he has now.

          At the moment though I think his pride has been very badly dented by his treatment by people he, justifiably I would think, believes are not nearly as capable as he is. He wants utu.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1.3.1.1
            16 August 2022 at 1:00 pm

            He wants utu.

            No shortage of NZ pollies wanting utu, but be careful what you wish for wink

            Ross response created seed of destruction for Bridges [25 May 2020]
            He [Jones] says it’s too early to say how new National Party leader Todd Muller will perform…

          • Louis 4.1.3.1.2
            16 August 2022 at 1:03 pm

            You appear to have forgotten what started this. What about the staff that complained about Dr Sharma's repetitive controlling and bullying behaviour? A mp doesnt get put under management and is barred, albeit temporarily, on hiring staff, for nothing.

          • LibertyBelle 4.1.3.1.3
            16 August 2022 at 3:05 pm

            "Would Ardern drop Kieran McNulty onto the back benches to appease him?"

            Not a chance, IMHO.

          • Louis 4.1.3.1.4
            16 August 2022 at 3:54 pm

            "Would Ardern drop Kieran McNulty onto the back benches to appease him?"

            On what grounds? Why should the PM do that?

            • alwyn 4.1.3.1.4.1
              16 August 2022 at 4:05 pm

              Why? Why don't you just reread the sentence you are quoting? I am not suggesting that she should, and much less than she will. I do think it would require something like that to shut him up for the rest of his time as an MP.

              • Louis …
                16 August 2022 at 6:49 pm

                I did read what you wrote, hence the question. So you're suggesting the PM should throw a minister under a bus just to appease Sharma?

          • Robert Guyton 4.1.3.1.5
            16 August 2022 at 5:42 pm

            How wrong can a man be!

        • alwyn 4.1.4.1
          16 August 2022 at 6:44 pm

          She would appear to not care what he might say. I guess that she is betting on the idea that he will not put up with the loneliness of his future in parliament and that he will quit of his own accord.

          I don't think he will go quite so quietly but I don't know him so perhaps she is right. We shall see.

          • Louis 4.1.4.1.1
            16 August 2022 at 6:51 pm

            That's just your opinion not based on any facts at all.

            • alwyn 4.1.4.1.1.1
              16 August 2022 at 8:05 pm

              Of course it is my opinion. Have I ever said anything that makes you think I have some special insider status? I assure you I am not a bosom buddy of the PM and someone in whom she confides her secrets.

              Are your comments here about what may happen in the future based on anything else? Have you ever heard of Niels Bohr? He was one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. One of his immortal comments was “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future!”.

              About the only thing I have found to be reliable when predicting what politicians will do in the future is to assume that whatever they do will be the thing that is best for them. There are very few occasions when that assumption will lead you astray.

              • Louis …
                17 August 2022 at 3:22 am

                No, and I never thought you were, but you are inclined to write your opinions as though they are facts, when they are not. The rest of your comment is a bit of a tedious rant.

                • alwyn …
                  18 August 2022 at 5:47 pm

                  The comment you are complaining about causes you to object that is "just you opinion" Now you appear to be complaining that I write my opinions as if they are facts.

                  Well that comment contained 64 words. It included

                  "She would appear", "I guess that", "I don't think" and "perhaps she is right".

                  How much more do I need to put in to make you realise that they are only my opinions?

      • mikesh 4.1.5
        16 August 2022 at 7:03 pm

        Can she constitutionally expel him from the house given that he was elected by the people of Hamilton West? He hasn't actually been convicted of a criminal offense.

        • alwyn 4.1.5.1
          16 August 2022 at 7:15 pm

          Yes she can. Have a look at the 2021 bill.

          The original waka jumping bill of 2001 didn't allow it but the later one that Labour put through, alone, in 2021 applies to all MPs.

          • Belladonna 4.1.5.1.1
            16 August 2022 at 8:13 pm

            However, I'd be very surprised if Ardern did.
            The last think Labour want is a bye-election, especially in a seat they'd be likely to lose, and with a possible independent MP who would take it as a god-given opportunity to grandstand.

            Suspending him from caucus is a very canny move, politically. He's completely sidelined, and unlikely to get any media time, once he's emptied his shot locker of allegations – think of how ineffective JL Ross was in the same situation; but she doesn't have to risk fallout from a distracting bye-election campaign.

            • alwyn 4.1.5.1.1.1
              16 August 2022 at 8:20 pm

              The December date is particularly cunning. She can advise him that she plans to evict him from the house about the time the House rises in mid-December. Then she can put the boot in in mid-January while everyone is still on the Summer break.

          • alwyn 4.1.5.1.2
            16 August 2022 at 8:14 pm

            I apologise. I should have offered you a link to the bill.

            https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2017/0006/latest/DLM7478605.html#DLM7478606

            Clause 55(A).1 says it applies to all members who were elected as representatives of a party, which includes Sharma.

            Clauses 55(C) and 55(D) say what she has to do. It would take about a month to action as he gets 21 working days to say why he is a good boy.

    • Louis 4.2
      16 August 2022 at 1:09 pm

      To date, Dr Sharma has not offered up any proof to his claims. But what about the staff that have complained about him?

      • LibertyBelle 4.2.1
        16 August 2022 at 7:24 pm

        'Proof' is an unreasonable expectation when dealing with claim and counterclaim. However Sharma's claims are not without varying degrees of support.

        His claim that caucus members (excluding him) were invited to meet last night, and did in fact meet, have been verified.

        His claim that there is bullying within the Labour Party and Parliament is at least supported by screen shots of text messages, until those are either verified or discredited.

        And at least one other Labour MP has claimed "there were bullying issues within the party, as well as Parliament".

        • Louis 4.2.1.1
          17 August 2022 at 3:36 am

          Of course proof' is a very reasonable expectation Libertybelle, particularly when the claims are defamatory and slanderous. I thought everyone would know that. It is irrelevant that he has support from some, he still needs to back himself with the proof. It was an informal meeting. He didn't attend the formal caucus meeting on Tuesday, despite setting a time that would suit him. The anonymous screenshots with no dates didn't do anything to support him. "And at least one other Labour MP has claimed" again not verified. You seem to have forgotten what got Dr Sharma in this position, his controlling and bullying of staff and his refusal to correct his behaviour.

          • LibertyBelle 4.2.1.1.1
            17 August 2022 at 7:53 am

            No proof is not reasonable, evidence is. The media (not Sharma) has provided evidence via eye witness testimony of another MP. You can choose to ignore that if you wish.

      • alwyn 4.2.2
        18 August 2022 at 5:49 pm

        How much proof have you seen for the Politburo's claims that he is the bully?

  5. Ad 5
    16 August 2022 at 11:10 am

    A Westpac economist gets so, so close to giving this government and the Reserve Bank some credit for our absence of economic crisis when so many countries are in deep trouble ahead:

    Westpac Economic Overview, August 2022 – Pushing Through | Scoop News

    'Tourists are starting to return to New Zealand, which means we’re getting more value out of our natural assets. And the resumption of migration will help to address skill shortages in some areas, if not economy-wide.”

    • Poission 5.1
      16 August 2022 at 11:31 am

      Same old BAU analysis,when the elephant in the room is still inflation.Zoltan Pozsar poses the problem as such.

      “The aim of today’s dispatch is to highlight risks to the peak hawkishness view. We won’t be forecasting. We’ll be observing. And you’ll draw your conclusions.

      Thus, with slight exaggeration, the low inflation world stood on three pillars:

      first, cheap immigrant labor keeping service sector wages stagnant in the U.S.; second, cheap goods from China raising living standards amid stagnant wages; third, cheap Russian gas powering German industry and the EU more broadly. U.S. consumers were soaking up all the cheap stuff the world had to offer: the asset rich, benefiting from decades of QE, bought high-end stuff from Europe produced using cheap Russian gas, and lower-income households bought all the cheap stuff coming from China. All this has worked for decades, until nativism, protectionism, and geopolitics destabilized the low inflation world…”

      https://advisoranalyst.com/2022/08/03/zoltan-pozsar-war-and-interest-rates.html/

      The arguments coming out of Europe and the US are that a lot of the cheap stuff coming out of China is settling in warehouses,as thoughtful people who work for a living prioritise their spend to shelter and food.This in turn has seen order books falling in China as well as domestic consumption there drop,as the property bubble inverts.Hence commodity prices fall….

      • Ad 5.1.1
        16 August 2022 at 11:58 am

        Always good to hear another bankers' view, even if it's not relevant to New Zealand.

        I do have a preference to be optimistic that more of the world that affects New Zealand will stabilise than be destabilised in the next year. My entirely unrealistic reasons for this are:

        • The markets that hold New Zealand up are holding up. They are: China, United States, Australia and Japan. Pessimism on inflation and employment hasn't been warranted. People very much want what we make and are buying. Commodity prices esp dairy and other foods are through the roof. Our doors are open again.
        • The government is responsive. It is funnelling money into benefits and projects on such a scale that wage increases are at least decreasing the impact of inflation.
        • The real estate economy is cooling due to clear policy directions, both RB and government. I have no idea if it will last. I'm taking it as a stabilising signal for now. Mortgagee sales aren't rising too much. Same with bankruptcies.
        • We are 5 months into the Russian Ukraine invasion and 3 years into COVID, without a 2008-scale recession. NZ has had approximately 1 crisis every 2 years since 2008. Previously we would have a recession at least once a decade. That tells me the NZ economy and the developed world economy is more robust than the stories are telling us individually.
        • Poission 5.1.1.1
          16 August 2022 at 5:14 pm

          China yesterday cut its rate by .10%,unemployment has increased,and the building developers have been hung out to dry ( CCP policy is housing is not an investment,but some where to live) mortgage holders do not want to pay developers as they are at risk of not seeing completion,and a significant downturn in the worlds largest market for property and construction.

          Here the RB is the reason for house price decreases and as the increase in recent purchasers selling at a loss increases (0.7 to 1.9%) following interest hikes almost surely.

          Adding stimulus to a hot economy is always inflationary, unsustainable,and adds debt costs that will be difficult to recover.

        • Belladonna 5.1.1.2
          16 August 2022 at 8:01 pm

          I can't contribute to the analysis – but my gut reaction hopes you are right.
          Recessions are really bad news for the vulnerable in society.

          Stabilization is a much better forecast/outcome.

    • pat 5.2
      16 August 2022 at 6:04 pm

      Bank economists (especially) should be ignored….they talk their book.

      Jawboning is the major tool of bankers , including central.

      What they wish and what occurs are often two different things, especially when the financial pressure is applied.

    • weka 6.1
      16 August 2022 at 2:21 pm

      what's your point? Are you trying to suggest that the claim is the vaccine prevents covid? I can't believe you are that stupid, so what are you trying to do exactly?

      • Mac1 6.1.1
        16 August 2022 at 2:49 pm

        I think she has argued that infection can come from sources outside of the family.

      • Rosemary McDonald 6.1.2
        17 August 2022 at 11:52 am

        Goodness me weka…full noise on the insults, eh?

        In my opinion, only the willfully blind (or stupid) would fail to see the irony of the quadruple jabbed CEO of Pfizer not trusting the efficacy of one of his products and instead rushing for the further protection of another one of his products.

        The other product being of similar dubious efficacy.

        https://time.com/6205355/paxlovid-rebound-longer-courses-covid-19/

        In the original studies submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization, Paxlovid’s drugmaker Pfizer found that rebounds happened in 1-2% of patients—the same rate as in the placebo group.

        Dr. David Ho, professor of medicine and director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University, is studying Paxlovid rebound and believes the prevalence is likely higher. “In my own experience, I have now counted 15 friends, family members, and colleagues who have taken Paxlovid, and over half have rebounded,” he says. Though that’s not a scientific tally, “physicians with large COVID-19 practices will tell you that it’s not rare.”

        And while we're at it…there's a prospective study out of Thailand on the effects of Albert's 'vaccine' on the hearts of young recipients. (FYI.."prospective" means they got baseline measurements from the trial participant before they received the vaccine… to rule out any pre-existng heart issues.)

        And it's not looking good. At all.

        https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202208.0151/v1

        Cardiovascular effects were found in 29.24% of patients, ranging from tachycardia, palpitation, and myopericarditis.

        Triple vaxxed nurse educator youtuber, (formerly staunchly pro vax plus) has an explainer video here for those who can't be bothered downloading and reading the paper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekTR0w2M9-U .

        Back in the day, weka, when there was actual medical science being done instead of whatever the fuck is going on at the moment…any hint that a pharmaceutical product could cause such an effect in a population group that is at almost zero risk from the target pathogen would cause an immediate suspension of that product in that demographic.

        Immediate.

        In the study group…the rate of actual diagnosed myopericarditis was 1 in 300 second doses.

        A tad higher than the experts claim.

        https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/some-perspective-on-vaccine-side-effects

        (56-69 cases per 1000000 second doses)

        At the very least….adolescents receiving mRNA vaccines should be monitored for side effects

        And yet there is no legal requirement in NZ for reporting of Pfizer vaccine adverse effects.

        Do you not think this is strange?

    • Macro 6.2
      16 August 2022 at 2:33 pm

      Friend of ours, who for her own reasons, chose not be vaccinated is now fighting for her life in intensive care in Waikato Hospital.

      Take care – this is not a mild illness for the 60+ brigade, and is not a respecter of persons, no matter who you are.

      • LibertyBelle 6.2.1
        16 August 2022 at 2:52 pm

        Agreed. My 80+ mother has covid, and is thankful for the relatively mild symptoms and her 2 boosters.

    • Robert Guyton 6.3
      16 August 2022 at 5:45 pm

      Did you view the anti-vaxx documentary, Rosemary? I missed any commentary from you.

  7. Rosemary McDonald 7
    16 August 2022 at 3:03 pm

    Hey, this Twitter thing is loaded with interesting stuff…bring on more rainy days.

    https://twitter.com/KevinBardosh/status/1529837611082055680?cxt=HHwWgICgyfXMibsqAAAA

    This is one for those who still claim the vaccine mandates were perfectly justified in terms of Public Health initiatives.

    Actual Public Health experts from around the world disagree.

    Of course this will be ignored by most of you. A pity, because it contains serious warnings for the future viability of Public Health initiatives.

    Again I will provide this…. a very serious and considered discussion amoung public health experts and staunch vaccine proponents…but I doubt if many are ready yet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjUskKTq_Qc&t=5s

    A precis, for the closed minded and/or the lazy.

    'If you're going to take the extraordinary step of imposing mass vaccine mandates on a wide population you had better make the sure vaccine works.'

    • Drowsy M. Kram 7.1
      16 August 2022 at 3:37 pm

      …for the closed minded…

      Snort laugh – there are (at least) two sides to every 'story'. Some choose to lurch loudly away from consensus expert opinion for their own reasons, but that's not for me.

      Evaluating potential unintended consequences of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and passports [29 July 2022]

      Summary box

      • In a recent article published in this journal, Bardosh et al. set out to ‘outline a comprehensive set of hypotheses’ for why COVID-19 vaccine policies (namely, vaccination mandates and passports) ‘may cause more harm than good’.

      • The authors’ treatment of the potential unintended consequences of COVID-19 vaccine policies contains several shortcomings that may mislead, rather than assist, the ethical evaluation of such policies. Among others, these include drawing conclusions that are not supported by the hypotheses they adduce, mischaracterising potential unintended consequences, and raising concerns related to key ethical concepts without fully articulating the rationale or justification for those concerns.

      • Investigating and evaluating the potential unintended consequences of COVID-19 vaccine policies is crucial; however, in doing so, we must be careful not to overstate the normative weight of hypothetical unintended consequences and resist the temptation to arrive at policy prescriptions based on those grounds alone.

      • Sacha 7.1.1
        16 August 2022 at 3:44 pm

        …drawing conclusions that are not supported by the hypotheses they adduce, mischaracterising potential unintended consequences, and raising concerns related to key ethical concepts without fully articulating the rationale or justification for those concerns.

        Does sound familiar.

    • DB Brown 7.2
      16 August 2022 at 3:37 pm

      "Data availability statement

      There are no data in this work."

      Bout says it all really. But they drag up every talking point they can to make a case out of the nothing data they present.

    • SPC 7.3
      16 August 2022 at 3:40 pm

      Maybe the real learnings were

      1. recognise infection immunity
      2. end mandates once the vaccine no longer prevents infection and onward transmission.
      3. then move onto to screen access to buildings (temp checks and rat test if high) and regular workplace testing.

      Social harm is going to occur whatever policy is applied. The variable for a nation was health policy based on what level of spread could be safely managed, given the health profile of a people and the capacity of the health system.

      As for future planning – better ventilation in schools etc.

  8. SPC 8
    16 August 2022 at 3:32 pm

    The UK Labour party continues its narrative, the left is antisemitic, it is not … and so should be in government. It's the one thing it and the UK media can agree on, not having a left wing government.

    https://twitter.com/troovus/status/1559236966251724801

  9. aj 9
    16 August 2022 at 6:37 pm

    ….the left is antisemitic….

    The 4-part series 'The Lobby' by Al Jazeera Investigations is essential viewing to help put context around the destruction of Jeremey Corbyn's Labour Party. Can be found on YouTube (about 25 mins each part.)

    Also Chris Williamson's recent publication of "Ten Years Hard Labour"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8LJ4FsKr4I

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    3 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    4 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
    JERRY COYNE writes –  If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
    Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession.  This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • The Scafetta Saga
    It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
    Real ClimateBy Gavin
    1 week ago

  • Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
    TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
      For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
     Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • A Womance, and a Nomance.
    After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
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