I se Richard Harmon pumping up the holiday highway.
I'm not convinced by the arguments of benefits. All it seems to me that would happen is Auckland businesses would have easier direct access to the Northland markets and further drive local businesses under. Businesses are hardly going to lift up and move their manufacturing to Northland especially now they can get their goods there more quickly. Especially as the whole article points out the poverty and lack of skills and educational achievement – let alone an aging workforce. Their biggest markets will remain Auckland which is where they are close to.
At the same time I can see house prices in Northland rising as they continue to but holiday homes and price locals out of the market.
Seen this happen for years in the US where whole towns have disappeared.
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) has produced a study of the impact of an expressway for a consortium of Northland businesses. Its says a four lane road could boost GDP in the north by up to $2 billion a year.
“Long travel times and delays cause businesses to accumulate larger inventories and reconfigure their operations. “Poor connectivity also makes it harder to form networks with customers and suppliers. “Uncertainty about closures and poor access holds back investment, constraining economic growth.”
Wider local impacts could be negative. The 1999 SACTRA report “Transport and the Economy” (Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment, 1999) recognised that road projects can have complicated spatial impacts and that the result in some areas may be the opposite of intensions. Improved accessibility between two regions may benefit prosperous areas rather than the poor areas targeted by the scheme. Thus, focusing on nation-level results, such as CBA results, may mask undesirable local impacts. This is often referred to as the two-way road effect.
Empirical evidence of the two-way road effect remains limited. In a study of the impact of the M25 around London, Linneker and Spence (1996) showed that there may be a negative relationship between accessibility and employment change. The authors suggested that improved accessibility may have two types of impacts: it may enable local firms to expand their markets, and potentially increase employment; it may facilitate expansion in the reverse direction, as stronger external firms may penetrate the area with improved accessibility.
And of course history tells us of the influence of the auto manufacturing car lobby.
The roots of the interstate system go back to the 1930s, when General Motors, AAA, and other industry groups formed the National Highway Users Conference to influence federal transportation policy.
These groups realized the nation's transportation system needed to be reframed entirely — as a public responsibility. After all, most cities had just ripped up their streetcar networks because they were privately owned systems that weren't making money. The auto industry didn't want the same thing to happen to highways. So "there was a really successful effort by people with a stake in the automotive industry to characterize road-building as a public responsibility," says Peter Norton, a historian at the University of Virginia and author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City.
The first step was changing how roads were funded. In the 1930s, there were already privately owned toll roads in the East, and some public toll highways, like the Pennsylvania Turnpike, were under construction. But auto groups recognized that funding public roads through taxes on gasoline would allow highways to expand much more quickly.
They also decided to call these roads "free roads," a term that was later replaced by "freeways." Norton argues that this naming shift was essential in persuading the federal government — and the public — to shift away from tolls. "It started with calling the roads drivers pay for 'toll roads,' and calling the ones that taxpayers pay for 'free roads,'" he says. "Of course, there's no such thing as a free road."
One of the best ways to understand (understand includes a number of different things such as motivations, goals, etc) a political opponent is to listen to them (listen could include reading, watching, etc)
You stand a much better chance of defeating them or even winning them over if you understand them.
That bloviating ass thinks being a pompous blowhard makes for a superior argument by virtue of self-pleasuring yourself with worthless excessive verbiage.
If your posts are coming through, albeit it may be a bit later to allow for 'inspection', it is a little OTT to say that you are being affected by being 'in moderation' otherwise we would not have seen this post I am replying to.
As someone who had the same experience there is a path you can go down and that is called acceptance or the price we may all have to pay at some stage of being able to have this 'place'. I cherish the moderation even though I have been affected by it, perhaps with reason!
Friday 19 April is the last day for making a submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, now before Parliament.
The Environmental Defence Society has stated in its submission:
“What is clear from the Bill is that it’s a fake premise, purporting to speed up decision-making when its real purpose is to enable environmental harm with impunity.
“Ministers will have unprecedented powers to approve pet projects. The public will be precluded from having any say. Development is given absolute priority in an astonishingly unbalanced set of decision-making criteria."
"It is not an exaggeration to say that the legislation lacks legitimacy and is truly an exercise of unbridled power by Ministers."
I suspect they will completely ignore them, but we will have a record as to how many support or not support NZ drifting into a dictatorship, as the 3 minister giving themselves complete executive power and excluding any input from ppl., outside those with a direct interest, either locally or from outside NZ.
You know we have free elections every 3 years right?
Sorry but the left in my opinion needs to stop using these sorts of terms to describe democratically elected governments. Many voters see or hear such descriptions and simply don't bother engaging with the actual argument if there is one.(IMO)
In doing so we hoped to be able to identify potentially important differences between posting about politicians from different positions on the political spectrum and of different genders.
What we found was that the Prime Minister faced online vitriol at a rate between 50 and 90 times higher than any other high-profile figure.
While the other individuals were each mentioned in between 200 and 400 posts over the study period, the Prime Minister was mentioned in over 18,000 posts. This was 92 percent of the total body of posts mentioning any of these individuals.
Of the posts our natural language tools classify as strongly negative, angry, sexually explicit or toxic, those mentioning the PM made up 93 percent of the total – 5438 posts were particularly abusive in this way.
The other individuals referenced each had fewer than 100 such angry or threatening posts directed at them.
I have realised why there are no mass protests..as yet..
I think everyone is kinda shell-shocked at the moment…
..as this government mounts war on the poor ..as they wholesale dismantle the support mechanisms that ..decades of neoliberal incrementalism …of both major parties bending the knee to the elites..what this has brought us to…
But at the moment there is no issue that opposition can focus on ..
It's kinda whack-a-mole..
..it is swiping at smoke..
But I reckon any hint of digging coal/whatever out of protected land..that this will focus minds/actions..
..and that sucker..and any other sucker of that ilk….will be closed down..
Philip, I will also propose that it's extremely difficult, even dangerous for the poor (both working and not working) to engage in protest of any sort under a right-wing government in the country, because there is the potential for very real negative consequences from both the State (benefits) and employers (low paid/casual workers) who oppose the regime. It's quite deliberate. Personally, since the election I am now incredibly cautious about which petitions I now sign. It's safer to stay below the radar.
It goes back decades Kay and wasn't confined to beneficiaries and low paid/casual workers. Individuals were also preyed upon. Especially if you were a member of the Labour Party and dared to express anti-nuclear sentiments and didn't join the 'Down with the Unions' movement.
If you were also a public servant then your career prospects were non-existent and work place atmospheres could be very unpleasant.
The Right has always acted this way. But with modern technology at their finger tips they can do so much more and get away with it.
Agreed Phillip….but it is also a war on the environment and climate change measures.
As with the poor, the government has proposed so many terrible policies that are anti-environment (Brown's $9 billion Wellington car tunnel is the latest and perhaps the worst-it is laughable) that it is hard to know where to start with protests.
"But at the moment there is no issue that opposition can focus on .."
They (for me that means Labour) should be focusing on figuring out why their support disintegrated and what they need to do to at least make it a decent contest in 3 years time.
Focusing on an issue such opposing all coal mining will play right into the governments hands. Many here might think otherwise or vehemently disagree, which would mean they are not representative of or don't really understand those for whom the Labour party was created. (The working class)
For all the damage done by the UK Tories, one thing (some of them) actually got right for the good of ALL, not just their donors. And our brand new government even gets a shout out for repealing the smokefree proposals before they had a chance to take effect. Interesting to see the familiarity of the lines of opposition being thrown about.
Debunking conspiracies aotearoa Facebook page (weds 17 April 2024 12.25) has a short summary and links to petitions regarding the newly-named govt Fast-Track advisory panel.
"the government announced the advisory panel on the Fast-Track proposal applications. The panel consists of just six people with no experience or background in environmental issues. Even if these people decide that our environment and safety come first, the ultimate decision comes down to just three MPs, all with vested interests in destructive industries. There will be no public say over what happens to our environment, even if it directly impacts you and your community."
Hardly surprising really. Like some drug lord somewhere once said, "competition is bad for business." (Unless you're trying to remove a 'competitor' from a market altogether by offering much cheaper prices for long enough that they go out of business)
Banking, Supermarkets, fuel providers, etc don't compete with each other on prices to such an extent that they are pretty much cartels.
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With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing them ...
The Coalition Government will introduce legislation this year that will enable roadside drug testing as part of our commitment to improve road safety and restore law and order, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. In ...
The Government has announced a series of immediate actions in response to the independent review of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “Kāinga Ora is a large and important Crown entity, with assets of $45 billion and over $2.5 billion of expenditure each year. It ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour is pleased that Pseudoephedrine can now be purchased by the general public to protect them from winter illness, after the coalition government worked swiftly to change the law and oversaw a fast approval process by Medsafe. “Pharmacies are now putting the medicines back on their ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Da jia hao. Good morning everyone. Prime Minister Luxon, your excellency, a great friend of New Zealand and my friend Ambassador Wang, Mayor of what he tells me is the best city in New Zealand, Wayne Brown, the highly respected Fran O’Sullivan, Champion of the Auckland business ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says. “This ...
Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
A New Zealand government plane is heading to New Caledonia to assist with bringing New Zealanders home. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today confirmed it was the first in a series of proposed flights. Peters said the flight would carry around 50 passengers with the most pressing needs from Nouméa ...
Regional councils must focus on building meaningful and enduring relationships with iwi and hapū to support better freshwater management, says the Auditor-General in a new report. ...
Chris Glaudel, Deputy Chief Executive of Community Housing Aotearoa, sees the announcement as a step towards addressing New Zealand’s high and rising levels of homelessness by improving our approach and system to delivering affordable homes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research fellow, Middle East studies, Deakin University The death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash this week occurred during one of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s most challenging periods. Raisi, a prominent figure in the political elite, ...
The PSA is taking action to force the Ministry of Education to comply with its legal obligations to do everything it can to find other roles for staff it is laying off because of the Government’s spending cuts. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Waling, Senior Lecturer & Research Fellow, Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University Netflix There has been much excitement in the lead up to the first four episodes of Bridgerton’s season three, featuring leading couple Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa De Bortoli, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research Taylor Flowe/Unsplash, CC BY Australian teenagers have more disruptive maths classrooms and experience bullying at greater levels than the OECD average, a new report shows. But in better news, Australian ...
Poet, editor and former bookseller Jane Arthur’s debut children’s novel Brown Bird is the story of a shy, self-conscious 11-year-old – partly based on her childhood self – venturing out of her quiet comfort zone. Children’s books are close to my heart because mostly I believe that adults are rings ...
Peter Jackson is bringing Lord of the Rings back to Wellington, producing two new Gollum films in Wellington. Madeleine Chapman (Gollum) argues with Madeleine Chapman (Smeagol) about it. First of all, I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Of course it’s great news!I don’t know, it gives me ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a part-time media librarian and superannuitant explains how he spends and saves. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Male Age: 65 Ethnicity: EuropeanRole: Media librarian ...
The Government’s Environmental Select Committee is refusing to engage meaningfully when it matters the most over new fast tracking environmental legislation, says Ngāti Ruanui. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Marsh, Senior Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Christoph Soeder/dpa New Zealand’s decision to no longer offer free influenza vaccines for all children under 12 will likely wipe out recent gains in uptake. And it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexis Anja Kallio, Deputy Director (Research), Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University Many young people in contact with the justice system come from backgrounds of extreme poverty, parental abuse or neglect, parental incarceration and disrupted education. These complex traumas often manifest as addictions ...
The agency was found to be underperforming and ‘not financially viable’, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A damning report A government-ordered ...
Asia Pacific Report For more than 76 years, Palestinians have resisted occupation, dispossession and ethnic cleansing, culminating in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Yet in the midst of this catastrophic seven months of “hell on earth”, it is a paradox that there exists an extraordinary oasis of peace and nature. ...
You’ll never set foot in one. But its emissions still effect you. Shanti Mathias reports on a campaign to make private jet owners pay for their emissions in some way. The private jet passengers saunter down the red carpet, wearing sunglasses and heels; paparazzi cameras flash. The sky is blue, ...
Quality teachers back on the front line can only be a good thing. One of the difficult things we teach in senior English classes at secondary school is the development of an idea. This involves deepening your argument, without instead “going sideways” and merely adding examples while repeating the same ...
Opinion: People with certain types of health conditions are more likely than others to have their symptoms dismissed, minimised or disbelieved. These conditions are diagnosed based on the patient self-report of symptoms, where there is no definitive diagnostic test that can prove the existence of disease or demonstrate structural or ...
The intensity of it, ironically, can feel like bullying. Social media activism is reaching something of a peak with the war in Gaza, using the hashtag Blockout2024. It started at this year’s MetGala when influencer and model Haley Kalil was caught on video muttering ‘let them eat cake’ – suddenly ...
It’s 2011 and I am 43 years old. My partner, Christine, and I got together when I was 36. We had been friends for about 10 years before that. One of the first things I asked Christine was whether she wanted to have kids. I had just come out of ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 21 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: As an indication of the eye-watering sums involved for the mega-prison plans announced two weeks ago by Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell, consider that $932 million has already been spent on a separate facility due to open at Waikeria next year – that’s about $1.5 million for each of the ...
New Caledonia’s Tontouta International Airport remains closed, and Air New Zealand’s next scheduled flight is on Saturday — although it is not ruling out adding extra services. Air NZ’s Captain David Morgan said on Monday evening flights would only resume when they were assured of the security of the airport ...
Asia Pacific Report As Israel drives the Palestinians deeper into another Nakba in Gaza with its assault on Rafah, the Palestine Youth Aotearoa (PYA) and solidarity supporters in Aotearoa New Zealand tonight commemorated the original Nakba — “the Catastrophe” — of 1948. The 1948 Nakba . . . more than ...
Young people on the streets in New Caledonia are saying they will “never give up” pushing back against France’s hold on the Pacific territory, a Kanak journalist in Nouméa says. Pro-independence Radio Djiido’s Andre Qaeze told RNZ Pacific young people had said that “Paris must respect us” and what had ...
This episode of A View from Afar podcast was recorded live from 12:45pm May 20, 2024 (NZST). Political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning examine: The United States and how the world is engaging with it geopolitically.Specifically, Paul and Selwyn analyse what has changed in this regard in ...
Analysis - Power is not being abused, but it is not being well managed either. New Zealand democracy, unique and currently brittle, should be handled with greater care, Alexander Gillespie writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Forest Conservation Victoria, CC BY-NC-ND Victoria’s native forest logging industry ended on January 1 this year. The news was met with jubilation from conservationists. But did logging really ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Crosby, Professor, Monash University Rose Marinelli/ShutterstockThis article is part two of The Conversation’s “Business Basics” series where we ask leading experts to discuss key concepts in business, economics and finance. How governments should manage their budgets, and how ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole George, Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies, The University of Queensland On Sunday afternoon, Australian citizens who have been trapped in New Caledonia were called to a meeting at one of the large hotels in the capital, Noumea. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Soong, Senior Lecturer and Socio-cultural researcher, UniSA Education Futures, University of South Australia International students have come under fire from both sides of federal politics in the past week. The Albanese government introduced legislation to parliament last Thursday to put ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jake Renzella, Lecturer, Director of Studies (Computer Science), UNSW Sydney An example of shrimp Jesus.Shutterstock AI Generator If you search “shrimp Jesus” on Facebook, you might encounter dozens of images of artificial intelligence (AI) generated crustaceans meshed in various forms with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua McLeod, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University Being a sport administrator comes with many perks, so it’s no surprise many want to stay in their positions as long as possible. Recently, a trend has emerged whereby leaders in sport are seeking ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Joyisjoyful/Shutterstock If you buy your olive oil in bulk, you’ve likely been in for a shock in recent weeks. Major supermarkets have been selling olive oil for up to ...
A conversation with artist and home cook Prairie Hatchard-McGill, aka @cacioeprairie. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. A few weeks ago, I spotted Prairie strolling down Ponsonby Road at sunset, a bunch of celery tucked under her arm. She was too far away for me ...
The Haka Challenge invites anyone to learn and record the Ka Mate haka as performed by the All Blacks, to show their support for "the South Pacific's greatest truth teller". ...
At the Christchurch rally in support of Palestine, he started his hunger strike and vowed to continue until the government stops supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. ...
With Nouméa reeling as mainly young, politically active Kanak people take to the streets and protest, a spirit that has been dormant since the 1980s has awoken. Tāmaki Makaurau-based Kanak Joseph Xulué provides some context.As reports continue to emphasise the fires burning through the streets of Nouméa (the capital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Newspoll, conducted after the May 14 budget from a sample of over 1,200 people, gave Labor a 52–48% lead over ...
A New Zealander studying at the University of New Caledonia says students have been taught to use fire extinguishers as firefighters are unlikely to come help if there is an emergency. It comes as days of unrest followed a controversial proposed constitutional amendment which would allow more French residents of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There have been so many submissions on the government’s proposed Fast-track Approvals Bill – 27,000 written, with 2,900 wanting to appear before the select committee in person – that a ballot ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love feral robots: Atlas (Netflix, May 24)Look, if you thought This is Me…Now: A Love Story was Jennifer Lopez at her most intense, then ...
The LIVE Recording of A View from Afar podcast will begin today at 12:45pm May 20, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, 8:30pm (USEST). Today, political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning will examine: The United States and how the world is engaging with it geopolitically.Specifically, we will ...
After falling victim to a scam over the phone, Russell Brown spent the day with One NZ’s cyber defence and fraud prevention teams to see the work they do to stop millions of scam attempts every year.The only windows in the Cyber Defence Centre at One NZ’s Auckland headquarters ...
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I se Richard Harmon pumping up the holiday highway.
I'm not convinced by the arguments of benefits. All it seems to me that would happen is Auckland businesses would have easier direct access to the Northland markets and further drive local businesses under. Businesses are hardly going to lift up and move their manufacturing to Northland especially now they can get their goods there more quickly. Especially as the whole article points out the poverty and lack of skills and educational achievement – let alone an aging workforce. Their biggest markets will remain Auckland which is where they are close to.
At the same time I can see house prices in Northland rising as they continue to but holiday homes and price locals out of the market.
Seen this happen for years in the US where whole towns have disappeared.
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) has produced a study of the impact of an expressway for a consortium of Northland businesses. Its says a four lane road could boost GDP in the north by up to $2 billion a year.
“Long travel times and delays cause businesses to accumulate larger inventories and reconfigure their operations. “Poor connectivity also makes it harder to form networks with customers and suppliers. “Uncertainty about closures and poor access holds back investment, constraining economic growth.”
https://www.politik.co.nz/fighting-poverty-on-the-holiday-highway/
This is not an unknown.
Wider local impacts could be negative. The 1999 SACTRA report “Transport and the Economy” (Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment, 1999) recognised that road projects can have complicated spatial impacts and that the result in some areas may be the opposite of intensions. Improved accessibility between two regions may benefit prosperous areas rather than the poor areas targeted by the scheme. Thus, focusing on nation-level results, such as CBA results, may mask undesirable local impacts. This is often referred to as the two-way road effect.
Empirical evidence of the two-way road effect remains limited. In a study of the impact of the M25 around London, Linneker and Spence (1996) showed that there may be a negative relationship between accessibility and employment change. The authors suggested that improved accessibility may have two types of impacts: it may enable local firms to expand their markets, and potentially increase employment; it may facilitate expansion in the reverse direction, as stronger external firms may penetrate the area with improved accessibility.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X21003334
And of course history tells us of the influence of the auto manufacturing car lobby.
The roots of the interstate system go back to the 1930s, when General Motors, AAA, and other industry groups formed the National Highway Users Conference to influence federal transportation policy.
These groups realized the nation's transportation system needed to be reframed entirely — as a public responsibility. After all, most cities had just ripped up their streetcar networks because they were privately owned systems that weren't making money. The auto industry didn't want the same thing to happen to highways. So "there was a really successful effort by people with a stake in the automotive industry to characterize road-building as a public responsibility," says Peter Norton, a historian at the University of Virginia and author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City.
The first step was changing how roads were funded. In the 1930s, there were already privately owned toll roads in the East, and some public toll highways, like the Pennsylvania Turnpike, were under construction. But auto groups recognized that funding public roads through taxes on gasoline would allow highways to expand much more quickly.
They also decided to call these roads "free roads," a term that was later replaced by "freeways." Norton argues that this naming shift was essential in persuading the federal government — and the public — to shift away from tolls. "It started with calling the roads drivers pay for 'toll roads,' and calling the ones that taxpayers pay for 'free roads,'" he says. "Of course, there's no such thing as a free road."
https://www.vox.com/2015/5/14/8605917/highways-interstate-cities-history
Almost all of those "Points of Order" articles (and all of those from Harmon) seem to support right-leaning policies.
It's a bit odd that The Standard promotes them-is there some money involved or is TS simply being open-minded?
One of the best ways to understand (understand includes a number of different things such as motivations, goals, etc) a political opponent is to listen to them (listen could include reading, watching, etc)
You stand a much better chance of defeating them or even winning them over if you understand them.
there's no money involved. From memory Lynn thought there were some useful perspectives on the blog.
Thank you Weka.
I thought Ike had the freeway network built to assist the movement of troops.
Freeways existed well before the interstate. The interstate was in part about ensuring citizens had a path to escape nuclear bombs.
Impressive to see Shane Jones extolling the virtues of accelerated coal mining consents in order to pay for climate change effects.
My immediate thought on hearing that
"It became necessary to destroy the town to save it."
That bloviating ass thinks being a pompous blowhard makes for a superior argument by virtue of self-pleasuring yourself with worthless excessive verbiage.
That is a very tidy description of s. Jones..(it could almost fit on a t-shirt..)
And of course it could have life as a pub quiz question..
Just change the opening 'that'..to 'which'..
Guys just trolling nz now,
Bottom trawling.
Still in moderation: why??
Unfair.
If your posts are coming through, albeit it may be a bit later to allow for 'inspection', it is a little OTT to say that you are being affected by being 'in moderation' otherwise we would not have seen this post I am replying to.
As someone who had the same experience there is a path you can go down and that is called acceptance or the price we may all have to pay at some stage of being able to have this 'place'. I cherish the moderation even though I have been affected by it, perhaps with reason!
Friday 19 April is the last day for making a submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, now before Parliament.
The Environmental Defence Society has stated in its submission:
"It is not an exaggeration to say that the legislation lacks legitimacy and is truly an exercise of unbridled power by Ministers."
Make your voice heard (unless you don't mind our environment being trashed at a much faster rate than it is at present).See https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/how-to-make-a-submission/
"Friday 19 April is the last day for making a submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, now before Parliament."
alternative you could sign a Forest & Bird quick Submission Form:
https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/petitions/fight-for-nature
I suspect they will completely ignore them, but we will have a record as to how many support or not support NZ drifting into a dictatorship, as the 3 minister giving themselves complete executive power and excluding any input from ppl., outside those with a direct interest, either locally or from outside NZ.
"…NZ drifting into a dictatorship…"
Really….A dictatorship…?
You know we have free elections every 3 years right?
Sorry but the left in my opinion needs to stop using these sorts of terms to describe democratically elected governments. Many voters see or hear such descriptions and simply don't bother engaging with the actual argument if there is one.(IMO)
Yet they happily engage with the right stating the left are communists, etc. Though that may be due to one person and one person only.
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2023/01/24/data-shines-a-light-on-the-online-hatred-for-jacinda-ardern.html
In doing so we hoped to be able to identify potentially important differences between posting about politicians from different positions on the political spectrum and of different genders.
What we found was that the Prime Minister faced online vitriol at a rate between 50 and 90 times higher than any other high-profile figure.
While the other individuals were each mentioned in between 200 and 400 posts over the study period, the Prime Minister was mentioned in over 18,000 posts. This was 92 percent of the total body of posts mentioning any of these individuals.
Of the posts our natural language tools classify as strongly negative, angry, sexually explicit or toxic, those mentioning the PM made up 93 percent of the total – 5438 posts were particularly abusive in this way.
The other individuals referenced each had fewer than 100 such angry or threatening posts directed at them.
Re upcoming direct action:
I have realised why there are no mass protests..as yet..
I think everyone is kinda shell-shocked at the moment…
..as this government mounts war on the poor ..as they wholesale dismantle the support mechanisms that ..decades of neoliberal incrementalism …of both major parties bending the knee to the elites..what this has brought us to…
But at the moment there is no issue that opposition can focus on ..
It's kinda whack-a-mole..
..it is swiping at smoke..
But I reckon any hint of digging coal/whatever out of protected land..that this will focus minds/actions..
..and that sucker..and any other sucker of that ilk….will be closed down..
Philip, I will also propose that it's extremely difficult, even dangerous for the poor (both working and not working) to engage in protest of any sort under a right-wing government in the country, because there is the potential for very real negative consequences from both the State (benefits) and employers (low paid/casual workers) who oppose the regime. It's quite deliberate. Personally, since the election I am now incredibly cautious about which petitions I now sign. It's safer to stay below the radar.
Yes I've restricted both my comments and what I comment on for that reason.
The right hunt you down.
A spine is a wonderful thing, its worth having one.
Heh..!…aye..!
It goes back decades Kay and wasn't confined to beneficiaries and low paid/casual workers. Individuals were also preyed upon. Especially if you were a member of the Labour Party and dared to express anti-nuclear sentiments and didn't join the 'Down with the Unions' movement.
If you were also a public servant then your career prospects were non-existent and work place atmospheres could be very unpleasant.
The Right has always acted this way. But with modern technology at their finger tips they can do so much more and get away with it.
Agreed Phillip….but it is also a war on the environment and climate change measures.
As with the poor, the government has proposed so many terrible policies that are anti-environment (Brown's $9 billion Wellington car tunnel is the latest and perhaps the worst-it is laughable) that it is hard to know where to start with protests.
"But at the moment there is no issue that opposition can focus on .."
They (for me that means Labour) should be focusing on figuring out why their support disintegrated and what they need to do to at least make it a decent contest in 3 years time.
Focusing on an issue such opposing all coal mining will play right into the governments hands. Many here might think otherwise or vehemently disagree, which would mean they are not representative of or don't really understand those for whom the Labour party was created. (The working class)
For all the damage done by the UK Tories, one thing (some of them) actually got right for the good of ALL, not just their donors. And our brand new government even gets a shout out for repealing the smokefree proposals before they had a chance to take effect. Interesting to see the familiarity of the lines of opposition being thrown about.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/16/house-of-commons-votes-in-favour-of-smoking-ban-despite-opposition-from-dozens-of-tories
Debunking conspiracies aotearoa Facebook page (weds 17 April 2024 12.25) has a short summary and links to petitions regarding the newly-named govt Fast-Track advisory panel.
"the government announced the advisory panel on the Fast-Track proposal applications. The panel consists of just six people with no experience or background in environmental issues. Even if these people decide that our environment and safety come first, the ultimate decision comes down to just three MPs, all with vested interests in destructive industries. There will be no public say over what happens to our environment, even if it directly impacts you and your community."
Kiwis know this a crap economic model to run a country with.
Good poll from Horizon "Most major markets seen as uncompetitive"
https://horizonpoll.co.nz/page/701/most-major-
Shows how fubar the results of a "free" market.
Hardly surprising really. Like some drug lord somewhere once said, "competition is bad for business." (Unless you're trying to remove a 'competitor' from a market altogether by offering much cheaper prices for long enough that they go out of business)
Banking, Supermarkets, fuel providers, etc don't compete with each other on prices to such an extent that they are pretty much cartels.