Open mike 16/05/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 16th, 2015 - 45 comments
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45 comments on “Open mike 16/05/2015 ”

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  1. phillip ure 1
    16 May 2015 at 7:46 am

    this one is about the british labour party, – and the new zealand labour party..

    ..both lost/mired in a swamp of failed neoliberalism – both of them..

    http://whoar.co.nz/2015/labour-is-in-deep-crisis-and-trite-guff-wont-save-it-ed-this-about-the-british-labour-party-and-the-new-zealand-labour-party/

    • weka 1.1
      16 May 2015 at 8:26 am

      More link whoring without content from phil. Here’s the direct link to the Guardian article on the British Labour Party.

      http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/15/labour-history-leadership

      • phillip ure 1.1.1
        16 May 2015 at 8:41 am

        more lying-attack from weka – my link contains my comments/references to nz labour party..

        the guardian article is the foundation-stone i work off..

        u.r talking complete shite..

        ..it must be a day ending in a ‘y’..

        ..my record here shows i direct-link when i have nothing to say – and via me when i do..

        ..and the above that you whinge about – is most certainly the latter..

        (how about you apologise/withdraw for this blatant/provable-lie:

        ‘More link whoring without content from phil.’..

        ..that is a total fucken lie/false-accusation..)

        • Kevin 1.1.1.1
          16 May 2015 at 8:44 am

          Then why not include both links Phil? Those that are interested in what you have to say can go to your site and those who are not can go directly to the source.

          • phillip ure 1.1.1.1.1
            16 May 2015 at 8:51 am

            ok..i’ll do that..

            u.r shortlisted for todays’ good-idea award..

            ..i’ll give readers a whoar-contagion-free option as well..

            (it will also relieve them of the pressure of that extra click..

            ..’oh..!..the humanity..!’..)

        • weka 1.1.1.2
          16 May 2015 at 9:09 am

          “my link contains my comments/references to nz labour party”

          Yes, but they don’t actually say anything.

          Here’s the translated version from dog’s breakfast to English,

          Labour is in deep crisis – and trite guff won’t save it

          phil: this about the british labour party – and the new zealand labour party

          Guardian: The party’s leadership contenders seem unaware of the size of the task ahead of them – and what is required to tackle profound long-term social change.

          phil: This is about the british labour party – but it is also about the new zealand labour party. They find themselves in similar thralls, and if looking for local ‘trite-guff’ you need look no further than the rcent speeches from andrew little and grant robertson, aspirational-bullshit-on-a-stick – both of them

          Sorry, but ‘NZ Labour are naff and have a big job ahead of them, like UK Labour, just look at Robertson’ hardly counts as content.

          Draco’s been calling you out on the link whoring, this is just another example.

          • phillip ure 1.1.1.2.1
            16 May 2015 at 9:17 am

            can anyone else hear a low-pitched whine..?

          • phillip ure 1.1.1.2.2
            16 May 2015 at 10:07 am

            so ..by yr posting of that content…you clearly admit yr claim of ‘no content’ on my part was a total lie on your part..

            ..you just don’t like the content of that content..

            ..there is a difference..

            ..are you intellectually-capable of differentiating between the two…?

            …is there an adult nearby who cd explain it to you..?

            • weka 1.1.1.2.2.1
              16 May 2015 at 10:10 am

              I’ve made my point, not going to rehash it.

              • phillip ure …
                16 May 2015 at 10:52 am

                that’s the whole thing about you weka..

                ..you so often have no bloody ‘point’..

                ..and this is one of them..

                ..so you can tell an outright/blatant/provable-lie about me..

                ..and when called on it..

                ..you refuse to further discuss the subject..?

                ..r u fucken kidding me..?

            • Realblue 1.1.1.2.2.2
              16 May 2015 at 10:33 am

              Yes, it’s your bubble slowly deflating.

          • The Murphey 1.1.1.2.3
            16 May 2015 at 10:09 am

            Q. What is it that concerns you about the linking ?

  2. Ad 2
    16 May 2015 at 9:06 am

    Mayor Brown’s decision to accede to government pressure and sign some transport accord similar to the Housing Accord is dangerous.

    Auckland Council – together with every other council in the country – has just gone through a statutory process over the last three months to mandate a transport programme, and put their bids up to the National Land Transport Plan. It was the largest local public consultation ever done in New Zealand. This nationwide plan will be announced on June 30th. The evaluation of priorities is set and agreed between every council and the New Zealand Transport Agency. The law detailing this massive process – the Land Transport Management Act – was only revised last year.

    Central government cannot override the process that it has just asked every other elected body in the country to undergo, because all bids are in, all Council rates are set, all roading and public transport contracts are ready to go for the new financial year.

    Nor can any Minister change this process without changing the law.

    If central government wants to change Auckland’s transport priorities, it should have done so as the plans were being formed. In case we forget, Auckland Transport is one of the largest commercial entities in the country, commanding about $14billion worth of assets, running a system using about 40% of the country’s transport budget and about 60% of Council’s budget. Not even the Prime Minister can hold up his hand and command this supertanker to stop.

    Mayor Brown could remind the government of how it complained that Auckland Council is spending too much on the centre of the city. This government’s sole direct economic development investment is precisely in the centre of the city: the Sky City Convention Centre. The government needs to be called out on this.

    Mayor Brown could also remind the government that if they don’t like heavy rail investments, they should do the decent thing and subject their motorway projects – at a fair discount rate – to the same scrutiny and be prepared to reallocate that funding if it serves Auckland’s growth needs.

    I hope this is depoliticized quickly by getting officials to agree the evaluative criteria on such things as:

    – benefit discount rates
    – the projected growth of Auckland
    – the projected housing demand of Auckland
    – the value of congestion in benefit evaluation
    – the role of public transport in stabilizing and decreasing road congestion
    – the set of means towards highest productivity of the road corridor
    – the balance between congestion and productivity
    – the value of access and choice

    We should not have got to this point, but since we have, we should negotiate hard.

  3. phillip ure 3
    16 May 2015 at 9:26 am

    i think as part of a longterm suite of solutions to aucklands’ inevitable growth wd be a fast-train to whangarei..(that cd stop at warkworth and wellsford..)..wd work..

    ..to many the choice of sitting in an internet-friendly train for the same time they wd spend in a traffic-jam from the outer suburbs of auckland – wd be a no-brainer..

    ..it wd also help tourism in whangarei/the north..as the trip itself wd be a tourist attraction..wd take tourists into the heart of whangarei..(which most now byepass..)

    ..and wd feed those tourists further north..

    ..plus whangarei gets all those support-industries for the tourists etc..

    ..what’s not to love about all that..?

    • greywarshark 3.1
      16 May 2015 at 10:07 am

      @ phillip u
      Sounds good. And introduce a toll on the expensive holiday highway so it pays something towards its cost and that money can help fund the railway that will push people further north.

      And part of the services could be a drive-on freight carriage on the train that will carry cars and trucks right through to Whangarei.

      There could be a performance of Maori poi and singing that passengers could enjoy as part of the North experience and to be a point of difference for the trip. They could be strolling players going through the carriages, and be ambassadors for the Maori of the north. This could be paid for by the local tourism bodies in the North towns, not by the railway. It would be a symbiotic arrangement between KiwiRail and the North.
      edited

  4. greywarshark 4
    16 May 2015 at 9:48 am

    This morning on Radionz – some great interviews.
    First with a woman who offers much background on the wars and battles that constantly break out in the Middle East and elsewhere.
    And secondly with another woman whose name is Sara from Bangladesh who is an activist there and is under pressure from thugs.
    The link will go up soon. I’ll try to get back and put up the one to the Thieves of State author below.

    8:15 Sarah Chayes; corruption and security
    Sarah Chayes is an expert in kleptocracy, anti-corruption, and civil-military relations, with ten years’ experience in Afghanistan. She is a former NPR correspondent, and special adviser to the chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, and is currently a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program and the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment. She helped set up the Arghand Cooperative in Afghanistan which produces hand-crafted soap, and her new book is Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security (W.W. Norton).
    Photo: Kaveh Sardari

  5. SMILIN 5
    16 May 2015 at 10:37 am

    Just dandy our Rockstar Economy well yes if you look at the price of participating in the “club” a bit like premiere tickets to a supergroup way out of most peoples price range and at a minimum a stretch for most
    So “yes” we have a rockstar economy a bit like the last days of Rome and Money for Nothin OR Nothin for your money except pay the piper
    A bit like how Id like to see this govt “I cant Dance and I cant Talk the only thing I like about it is to finally see John Key walk ”
    OUTTA HERE

  6. Chooky 6
    16 May 2015 at 11:12 am

    Zukerberg has plans to control internet …and Zukerberg is in trouble for privacy violations in Europe

    https://nofakeinternet.org/?src=157762

    ‘No respect for users, no precise answers:’ Facebook privacy policies slammed by Belgian watchdog’

    http://rt.com/news/259029-facebook-ingnores-privacy-laws/

    “A Belgian privacy watchdog says that Facebook is flouting European privacy laws by tracking people without their consent, including those who have not even registered with the social networking site.

    The Belgian Privacy Protection Commission (CPVP/CBPL) launched the scathing attack after carrying out an investigation into the US tech giant’s practices. Preliminary recommendations were published on Friday.

    Facebook would not explain in detail how it uses the data it collects from individuals online and there are also problems with plug-ins, some of which can affect people who don’t even have a Facebook account, the commission said. One of the plug-ins under scrutiny was the ‘Like’ button…..”

  7. Shane Le Brun 7
    16 May 2015 at 11:49 am

    As you guys have been aware of my stance on Medical Cannabis due to my blogging, I would like to announce we are taking it to the next level as a charitable trust.
    Please check out our website and consider helping fund this new angle on the issue of Medical Cannabis.

    http://unitedincompassion.org.nz/2015/05/15/united-in-compassion-seed-funding-give-a-little/ Please donate to advance the cause of Medical Cannabis in NZ.

    • phillip ure 7.1
      16 May 2015 at 12:44 pm

      goodonya..!..i’ll do a story/link to yr fundraiser..

      ..have you had any luck lobbying dunne..?

      • Shane Le Brun 7.1.1
        16 May 2015 at 12:49 pm

        check the video on the front page of our website….

        • phillip ure 7.1.1.1
          16 May 2015 at 3:58 pm

          r u talking abut the story that links thru to the tvnz story..?

          ..if so dunne has left himself an exit the size of a barn-door..with his insistance in reinventing the wheel – and that it be ‘proven’ to him – the efficacy of med-cannabis..

          ..from your talking to him – is this true – or will seeing all three of sanjay guptas’ vids be enough for him..?

          ..if the former – he can just delay for forever – which is what his big-booze paymasters will want..

          ..do you know which it is..?

          could/should we be mildly optimistic..?

        • phillip ure 7.1.1.2
          16 May 2015 at 5:03 pm

          you might want to push this dunnes’ way..

          ‘The first article to hit the web examines the cannabis treatments for child epilepsy – as a likely path toward legalisation.

          ‘The drug’s ability to reduce seizures in some children – has softened opposition to research – and may someday lead to changes in government policies.”

          Who can argue with a natural, effective way to help children suffer less?

          It works’.

          http://whoar.co.nz/2015/national-geographic-loves-weed-so-much-theyre-devoting-an-entire-print-issue-to-it/

  8. Colonial Rawshark 8
    16 May 2015 at 12:04 pm

    BRICS + Germany pivoting to Asia

    Pepe Escobar again raises points that you will not hear in the corporate MSM.

    Germany now exports 50 percent of its GDP. It used to be only 24 percent in 1990. For the past 10 years, half of German growth depended on exports. Translation: this is a giant economy that badly needs global markets to keep expanding. An ailing EU, by definition, does not fit the bill.

    German exports are changing their recipient address. Only 40 percent – and going down – now goes to the EU; the real growth is in Asia. So Germany, in practice, is moving away from the eurozone. That does not entail Germany breaking up the euro; that would be interpreted as a nasty betrayal of the much-lauded “European project.”

    What the trade picture unveils is the reason for Germany’s hardball with Greece: either you surrender, completely, or you leave the euro. What Germany wants is to keep a partnership with France and dominate Eastern Europe as an economic satellite, relying on Poland. So expect Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy to face a German wall of intransigence. So much for European “integration,” it works as long as Germany dictates all the rules.

    The spanner in the works is that the double fiasco Greece + Ukraine has been exposing. Berlin as an extremely flawed European hegemon – and that’s quite an understatement. Berlin suddenly woke up to the real, nightmarish possibility of a full blown, American-instigated war in Europe’s eastern borderlands against Russia. No wonder Angela Merkel had to fly to Moscow in a hurry.

    Moscow – diplomatically – was the winner. And Russia won again when Turkey – fed up with trying to join the EU and being constantly blocked by, who else, Germany and France – decided to pivot to Eurasia for good, ignoring NATO and amplifying relations with both Russia and China.

    http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/03/04/4088

  9. The Murphey 9
    16 May 2015 at 12:41 pm

    http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/11/mexico-suspends-infant-vaccines-after-two-babies-die-and-29-fall-ill

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/world/americas/mexico-vaccinations-suspended-after-infant-deaths.html?_r=0

    http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/05/10/world/americas/ap-lt-mexico-deadly-vaccine.html

    Mexico’s public health system has suspended infant vaccines and begun an investigation after two babies died and 29 became ill in an impoverished community in southern Mexico.

    The Mexican institute for social security says six of the 29 babies are in grave condition after receiving vaccinations for tuberculosis, rotavirus and hepatitis B

    Northshoreredoc’s preferred ‘debunk site’ had this to say

    http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/05/14/no-vaccine-reactions-didnt-kill-several-children-in-mexico/

  10. The Murphey 10
    16 May 2015 at 1:29 pm

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-is-too-tolerant-and-should-interfere-more-in-peoples-lives-says-david-cameron-10246517.html

    Britain is too “passively tolerant” and should not leave people to live their lives as they please just because they obey the law, David Cameron has said.

    At the National Security Council today Mr Cameron unveiled a series of measures that he said would crack down on people holding minority “extremist” views that differed from Britain’s consensus.

    “For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens ‘as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone’,” he said.

    Q. What on earth are they up to in Britain ?

  11. The Murphey 11
    16 May 2015 at 1:46 pm

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/comment/11602399/Ban-cash-end-boom-and-bust.html

    Having everyone’s account at a single, central institution allows the authorities to either encourage or discourage people to spend. To boost spending, the bank imposes a negative interest rate on the money in everyone’s account – in effect, a tax on saving.

    Faced with seeing their money slowly confiscated, people are more likely to spend it on goods and services. When this change in behaviour takes place across the country, the economy gets a significant fillip.

    This article appeared on the same day as reference to the David Cameron ‘ Just because you obey the law does not mean we will leave you alone ‘ speech

    I believe the agenda is now undoubtedly clear however I also believe it is desperation which has forced the brazen openness into the mainstream proper

  12. Philip Ferguson 12
    16 May 2015 at 3:12 pm

    “After all the hype about economic recovery in the United States, quarterly data relating to the rate of growth, deficit and productivity are ringing alarm bells throughout the world.

    “In March 2015, the US recorded its biggest monthly trade deficit since the 2008 global financial crisis, fuelling concerns that the economic contraction in the first three months of the year might signal more serious problems. The deficit recorded for goods and services rose to. . .”

    full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/us-capitalism-more-stagnation-than-recovery/

    Yassamine is a British-based Iranian marxist. See our interview with her on repression and resistance in Iran at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/repression-and-resistance-in-iran-interview-with-yassamine-mather/

    And see her fascinating account of the aftermath of the Iranian revolution (she was in the Fedayeen-minority organisation): https://rdln.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/marxism-and-the-iranian-revolution/

    • Colonial Rawshark 12.1
      16 May 2015 at 3:29 pm

      The Iranian theocratic form of government has held up far more effectively and robustly against US empire sponsored military and economic attack on the country than any fractious leftist government could have.

      • Philip Ferguson 12.1.1
        16 May 2015 at 5:31 pm

        Maybe, maybe not.

        However, not so good news for the Iranian masses.

        Phil

  13. Clemgeopin 13
    16 May 2015 at 3:32 pm

    Dick Quax, a right wing disgrace. What a dick!

    Auckland Councillor Dick Quax on social media had an outburst where he suggested to a member of the public it may have been better if they were never born!

    Quax says he regrets his remarks and was “too quick off the mark” in responding to a post from a Facebook user who called him a nutter, and later accused him of having a mental breakdown.

    The comments were made after Quax posted a link to Facebook in support of the charter school system, to which Josh Phoenix replied saying ‘religious nutcases brainwashing children is not education’.

    Quax then fired back with the comment: “If my generation – sounds like the title of a song – made one mistake it’s providing more welfare so that lazy and intolerant people like Josh Phoenix can their spew their hate of anyone’s views that differ from their own on social media. It may have better had your mother remained a virgin”.

    Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/dick-quax-regrets-facebook-outburst-2015051517#ixzz3aGh2NMDG

  14. Morrissey 14
    16 May 2015 at 4:17 pm

    “War crimes? Apartheid? There’s no apartheid going on.”
    If Nazi Germany had had talk radio, it would have sounded like Howard Stern.

    This depressing example of braindead blithering, extreme prejudice and hatred was broadcast in August last year, as Israel systematically slaughtered thousands of trapped people in Gaza, bombing hospitals, schools, mosques and private homes. Note that Stern does not even try to argue his case; it’s nothing but recycled clichés, bizarre inversions of reality and ad hominem bluster.

    Howard Stern RIPS Anti-Israel Celebs Again, Debates Callers – 08/11/14
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Xbxh5pQF0

    He obviously does not know much about the subject, but as we’ve seen from so many radio talk jocks and politicians, that doesn’t stop him from sounding off on this subject….

    “All the ####ing radical nuts…. It’s a shithole, it’s a desert, but the Jews have turned it into something… They’re getting bombed every day…. They’re defending themselves…. Why can’t people see it… Those two idiot actors, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, you don’t hear them say word about Ukraine… As we know they people they’re fighting use children as a human shield. It’s old-fashioned antisemitism, you know that. You’re living in a shithole… That ####er Javier Bardem…Ahhh, I tell ya the whole worlds NUTS. Javier Bardem should stick to banging Penelope Cruz. Jon Voight shamed Penelope Cruz. These maniacs don’t say a word about anything else. All of a sudden they become spokespeople. Jon Voight kind of gets it. It shows you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get it. ”

    Suddenly, out of the blue, Stern starts talking sense for a couple of minutes, about Global Warming.

    Then it’s back to the mad pro-Israel rhetoric. He lets someone called Melrose Larry Green do the talking for him. Melrose Larry Green sounds just like Stern as he shouts down a caller called Hamzi: “You wanna LEARN? Israel is defending itself….” (11:30)

    At 16:00 it goes from disgusting to comical, as he plays a moronic tribute to him by Sarah Palin–“Israel is our only friend over there.”

    At the 21:00 mark, a caller named Ken from Florida remonstrates with Stern, reminding him that not all American Jews support Israel. Stern puts this down to “liberal guilt”, then launches into another ignorant rant that would make Leighton Smith blanch, before shouting Ken down: “Shame on you Ken. War crimes? Apartheid? There’s no apartheid going on. What part of defending yourself do you not understand? By the way, Ken’s calling in from Seminole country, from Florida. ####ing bullshit artist, self-loathing Jew, as far as I’m concerned… Notice that the Arab countries are not saying much about what Israel is doing. These ####ing Hamas guys are so out of control that they’re glad Israel is cleaning out the rats nest.”

    et cetera, ad hominem, ad absurdum, ad nauseam…..

  15. phillip ure 15
    16 May 2015 at 5:18 pm

    interview on ‘focus on politics’ on national radio..

    ..hear little asked about poverty –

    – and how he answers by saying labour will support entrepeneurs..

    ..he does a duck and weave worthy of a champion limbo-dancer..

    ..to avoid answering the actual question..

    (and slack-journalism on the part of the interviewer – for not pressing for an answer..)

    ..and you reckon my depictions of where little/labour (national-lite/fuck-the-poor!) are at aren’t accurate..?

    ..really..?

    • felix 15.1
      17 May 2015 at 2:08 am

      What was the question?

      • phillip ure 15.1.1
        17 May 2015 at 6:48 am

        a generalist question around what wd labour do about poverty..

        littles’ answer was a re-run of clarks’ deserving and undeserving-families riff/routine..

        ..he banged on about how labour has always encouraged people to transition to work..

        ..you should be able to hear it on the rnz website – and to my ears little sounded more like the president of the small business association..

        ..than a labour party leader..

        ..and once again – the whole thing is that aspirational-bullshit politicians of all stripes so overindulge in..(and expect us to believe..)

        ..you could almost have a drinking game around every time little uses one of those entrepeneurial/business-buzzwords/phrases..

        ..you’d be pretty pissed by the end of the interview..

  16. Philip Ferguson 16
    16 May 2015 at 5:30 pm

    It’s a wet miserable weekend where I am.

    Good time for some meaty socialist educational reading:

    https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/education-for-anti-capitalists/

  17. joe90 17
    16 May 2015 at 6:01 pm

    CNN’s Weed 3.

    Dr Sanjay Gupta docu series on cannabis

  18. weka 18
    16 May 2015 at 8:00 pm

    I’m surprised it’s lasted this long given its relative redness.

    Government to Close Dunedin

    Late last night the New Zealand Government announced it will be closing the city of Dunedin. With hindsight, people should perhaps have seen this coming when the decision was made to close the Dunedin hospital kitchen, and provide hospital meals and meals-on-wheels for the Otago area from a kitchen in Auckland. However, it was not until Dunedin was left off the itinerary for the government’s climate change targets consultation (which included smaller centres such as Gisborne, Rotorua and Invercargill), that the somewhat dim-witted denizens of Dunedin finally clicked to what was being planned.

    Today, Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce revealed that Otago University is to be closed. He explained the university is no longer necessary, as the government has signed a new contract for Lincoln University to provide distance-learning for people in Otago and Southland via a Skype link-up to church halls in Balclutha, Ohai and St Bathans.

    Prime Minister John Key said he understood that Dunedin had been a traditional homeland for Pakeha people for some time, but that did not make living there a legitimate lifestyle choice. The decision to close Dunedin will be announced in due course through all major New Zealand newspoapers, except the Otago Daily Times.

    With Auckland house prices rising so fast that only people on high incomes can afford to buy into even the cheapest suburbs, floodwaters closing arterial roads in Wellington, and the middle of Christchurch continuing to resemble a massive petanque court, and now the closure of Dunedin, Poseur magazine is warning Hamilton residents not to get too smug about their city’s fortunes, because they alone are doomed never to be hip.

    https://canofwormsopened.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/government-to-close-dunedin/

    • Maui 18.1
      16 May 2015 at 11:54 pm

      Maybe then they could put that flash stadium with the roof onto a few barges and ship it up to Auckland where it should of been in the first place.

  19. @Onoudid 19
    16 May 2015 at 10:54 pm

    If you type a youtube users account name, into google earth, while it’s in approximate correct local, it does strange, interesting, things…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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
    19 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
    22 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
    22 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
    1 day ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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