Open mike 17/06/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 17th, 2022 - 85 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step up to the mike …

85 comments on “Open mike 17/06/2022 ”

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  1. Jester 1
    17 June 2022 at 7:49 am

    These judge's need to get tougher. What a pathetic punishment. That wont stop him doing the same again.

    Nui Kereopa appears for sentence after violent road rage attack on Rotorua's Fenton St – NZ Herald

    • dv 1.1
      17 June 2022 at 8:15 am

      Pay walled.

      • Jester 1.1.1
        17 June 2022 at 6:13 pm

        Bugger! I didn't realise it was pay walled. I had a logon at work so was able to read it. You need to watch the video to get the full effect….he's very aggressive.

    • Nic the NZer 1.2
      17 June 2022 at 8:26 am

      Never understood whats going on with this politically. I thoroughly disagree with prescriptive sentencing legislation like 3 strikes or even anti-smacking, but on the other hand what kind of judge hands out home detention for assault on a child.

      • Mac1 1.2.1
        17 June 2022 at 9:19 am

        I guess a judge who has heard all the evidence and had reports on the offender- that sort of judge. It does raise the question of "Who shall judge the judges?"

        • Nic the NZer 1.2.1.1
          17 June 2022 at 9:50 am

          Plausible explanation. Implies a very poor standard of NZ court reporting which frequently miss-represents the narrative of the case.

          • Mac1 1.2.1.1.1
            17 June 2022 at 12:29 pm

            I had a coffee with a former police prosecutor this morning and raised the issue of monitoring judge's perfomance. He said there were procedures involving reports and correspondence between police and the chief district court judge who has that supervision role. He agreed with me about the judge being in possession of the facts and therefore being in the best place to act fairly. We also agreed that our judiciary is free of political influence with its separation of powers, and that NZ has a very high rating for lack of corruption internationally.

            We also agreed that the trust of the people has to be maintained in our social systems, which have been under great pressure with covid, mandates and things like three waters highighting issue s of trust.

            • Incognito 1.2.1.1.1.1
              17 June 2022 at 12:40 pm

              He was charged with wilful damage and pleaded guilty, AFAIK. Was he charged with anything else?

              Judges don’t make up the charges, for obvious reasons.

              I don’t have access to the linked article (f-ing pay-wall) but it looks like some folks are going off on a half-arsed tangent because they don’t have a clue either what they’re talking about.

            • Blade 1.2.1.1.1.2
              17 June 2022 at 2:33 pm

              https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300383667/judge-in-oranga-tamariki-case-rebukes-senior-judges-over-intervention

              I was told by a court employee that judges attend cultural diversity courses.

              I have no proof of that, but this link below MAY point in that direction

              https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news/lawtalk/lawtalk-issue-939/cald-parties-before-the-employment-relations-authority/

              This ruling doesn't surprise me.

              • Mac1 …
                17 June 2022 at 4:15 pm

                Thanks, Blade. Do you have an opinion on any of this?

                • Blade …
                  17 June 2022 at 4:26 pm

                  Good question? Let me think on it. Although I will start by saying I agree generally with what you have written:

                  ''We also agreed that our judiciary is free of political influence with its separation of powers, and that NZ has a very high rating for lack of corruption internationally.''

                  • Blade …
                    17 June 2022 at 11:29 pm

                    I'm well known on this blog for having major issues with Maoridom. I think as time has gone on white guilt over past wrongs to Maori and Maori activism behind the scenes has lead to rationality flying out the window. It seems to me it's a given that anything involving Maori is subject to circumspect oversight by government organisations and MSM. This allows a culture of exceptions for Maori that can supersede the laws of our land or accepted conventions when Maori consider their culture is at risk. In the case above regarding the judges, the fact Pakeha people where bringing up a Maori child was one factor for what was called a'' breach of judicial independence”

                    Another example that may be worth considering. Willy Jackson is now the Minister Of Broadcasting. But I haven't heard the media ask if he has relinquished all connections with Maori media or other interests that may be in conflict with his new portfolio. If he was a National Party member the media would be all over him like a rash.

                    • RedLogix …
                      18 June 2022 at 12:06 am

                      I'm well known on this blog for having major issues with Maoridom.

                      I would suggest you reconsider. It is not Maoridom you should have issue with. Every culture has both it's strengths and weaknesses – and it has been long been my contention here that the polyglot cultures that make up our society would serve us all well if we opened our eyes to our diverse strengths and helped each walk away from their failings.

                      In my experience there is a great deal non-Maori NZ can and should learn from those aspects of the Maori world that evolved here before us, that observed and absorbed much knowledge of landscape, wildlife and our raw inner spiritual nature – unencumbered by the intense materialism of modernity.

                      While this world view challenges us – it is not confronting. Most mature people can respect and connect with it to the degree that makes sense for them. It is a process we can welcome.

                      What you are reacting against something altogether distinct. It is a radical political movement that is appropriating this deep culture for another purpose.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      18 June 2022 at 9:21 am

                      "the laws of our land or accepted conventions"

                      These must remain unchanged, unchallenged, undisputed, yes?

                      Most especially, by Maori.

                      Even though their history and culture springs from different "laws of the land or accepted conventions".

                      There must be no challenge! We will not bend!

                      Are you with me, Brothers!

                      /sarc

                    • Blade …
                      18 June 2022 at 9:58 am

                      When Labour lose the election next year, Robert, it's obvious you will have no idea why. But I'm sure some great /sarc will be had for all to enjoy on this blog. Read the article first. Notice all the ''no comments?” I bet when the case is not before the court there will still be ''no comment.''

                      ''The Guidelines for Judicial Conduct 2019 state that judicial independence is a “cornerstone of our system of government in a democratic society and a safeguard of the freedom and rights of the citizen under the rule of law”.

                      The independence of the judiciary from the legislative and executive arms of government is “fundamental to the constitutional balance under the Constitution Act 1986 as well as to the principle of legality which underlies it and the rights and freedoms organised by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.”

                      Judge Callinicos :

                      ''If there are concerns about such conduct, then there is an appropriate avenue for how they be addressed. Intruding into the part-heard live case is not one of them,”

                      Now let's hive off ( no pun intended). You wrote:

                      ''These must remain unchanged, unchallenged, undisputed, yes?Most especially, by Maori.''

                      See, Robert, to challenge something, you first have to know what you are challenging. The example I'm about to give is still quite common in Maoridom. Not that you would have a clue because you are ignorant of such things.

                      This is from Willie Jackson’s former wife Moana Maniapoto:

                      Quote:

                      ''Back then, Willie had a short attention span. No idea about the Treaty either. I tried to break it down for him once, as we drove from Rotorua to Auckland.

                      “Repeat back to me what I just said.” He’d give me a blank look, shrug, then laugh. Hopeless.''

                      https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/moana-maniapoto-the-willie-jackson-i-know/

  2. Ad 2
    17 June 2022 at 8:53 am

    How is it even possible that Efeso Collins backed by the Labour Party is only equal to three centre right mayoral candidates?

    That means that if only one of those centre right candidates drops out and their support redistributes to the other two, Efeso's campaign gets in trouble fast.

    Tempting as it is to complain that Collins' campaign is run by a set of young policy wonks with no money and no fucking attack genes between them, the more basic problem is that Leo Molloy is making the running in the mainstream media and already got many key billboards up.

    Hey Efeso, wake the hell up.

    • Jimmy 2.1
      17 June 2022 at 9:04 am

      Imagine if two of the right candidates had dropped out!

      • Ad 2.1.1
        17 June 2022 at 9:12 am

        Molloy has a great fundraising team and seasoned campaign players.

        He will pull away from the other centre-right ones pretty soon.

    • Blade 2.2
      17 June 2022 at 9:46 am

      Good point, Ad. I thought this race may get interesting. But as Mikey said this morning, whoever wins will only have the support of a very low percentage of Aucklanders who bothered to vote.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-mayoral-poll-nothing-separating-four-candidates-on-the-left-and-right/3V4JJQPFNOFLOIPDI3KUDZHFN4/

    • Sacha 2.3
      17 June 2022 at 9:47 am

      Ad, there are these things called links, to the article you are reading/listening to. Please use them.

    • Stephen D 2.4
      17 June 2022 at 11:25 am

      If anybody believes in the accuracy of a Curia/Taxpayers Union poll, I have a harbour bridge to sell them.

      • Ad 2.4.1
        17 June 2022 at 2:40 pm

        Only a month a go people here were saying all the polls are wrong, Labour's great, Poto Williams is doing a fine job, no need to change anything.

        Nec minnit, major shakeup.

        Our PM can read better than the blind-left.

        • aom 2.4.1.1
          17 June 2022 at 5:21 pm

          So was it that Poto Williams wasn't doing a good job or was it orchestrated public clamour that led to the reshuffle? Thought you had been around long enough to know how political attacks work.

          • Ad 2.4.1.1.1
            17 June 2022 at 6:13 pm

            The view of the Prime Minister is that she had "lost the narrative".

            Poto Williams was doing a shit job so she was fired.

            I've been around long enough to know when the Prime Minister's judgement is superior to those of her erstwhile supporters.

    • Maurice 2.5
      17 June 2022 at 11:34 am

      So which ever candidate takes the Mayoral position – three quarters of the voters do not support them?

      • Sacha 2.5.1
        17 June 2022 at 12:17 pm

        Each Councillor has the same vote as the Mayor. The overall lean of the governing body is more important than its figurehead.

        • Maurice 2.5.1.1
          17 June 2022 at 1:54 pm

          (G)ough! (G)ough!

          Yet the wrong Mayor can bring a whole Council – not to mention the complete city – in to ridicule.

          • Sacha 2.5.1.1.1
            17 June 2022 at 1:59 pm

            Ridicule is minor compared with what the wrong PM can wreak.

            • Maurice 2.5.1.1.1.1
              17 June 2022 at 2:11 pm

              Are we now recognising just how far down the rabbit hole poor ole NZ has gone?

              • In Vino …
                17 June 2022 at 7:55 pm

                Not NZ – just many of the right wing. Including groundswell. Way down that rabbit hole.

  3. Blade 3
    17 June 2022 at 10:14 am

    Mikey v Robbo.

    Some points:

    1- Mikey predicts a possible double dip recession.

    2- Robbo says, predictions, predictions.

    3- $45million on consultants for light rail.

    4- $337,000 to cut a ribbon to open Transmission Gully.

    https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/grant-robertson-finance-minister-says-gdp-drop-is-a-sign-of-a-difficult-2022/

    • Nic the NZer 3.1
      17 June 2022 at 11:15 am

      Let us know who wins and moves onto the final!

      • Blade 3.1.1
        17 June 2022 at 12:17 pm

        Please excuse my sarcasm. I frame things in the way most on this blog perceive it. If Mikey is involved it must be a slug feast. But it wasn't. Seemed like a reasonable interview to me.

        Any comments about the points raised? No, thought not.

        • Nic the NZer 3.1.1.1
          17 June 2022 at 12:29 pm

          Oh sorry, they looked like facts to me not recons. In that case,

          1&2 probably things they would say. 3&4 your probably miss-representing what was purchased for effect.

          • Blade 3.1.1.1.1
            17 June 2022 at 2:11 pm

            Points aren't facts. Deflect, deflect.

            • Nic the NZer 3.1.1.1.1.1
              17 June 2022 at 2:22 pm

              Real Madrid won the European Cup Final over Liverpool for 2022 by a margin of 1 point to 0 – Fact.

              This was mostly due to their superior deflection – Opinion.

              Though having done the research (e.g read the original headline) I can confirm that you have miss-represented in your point 3 – Fact.

              • In Vino …
                17 June 2022 at 8:01 pm

                Blade: you say, "I frame things in the way most on this blog perceive it."

                I think you might be overdoing something there. Presumption, for a start.

                I also think some on this site see you as a loquacious troll, and think it better not to feed you.

                (But occasionally limits are surpassed..)

                • Blade …
                  17 June 2022 at 10:48 pm

                  I don't know why, I just argue my point. Rarely do I start the nasty stuff. Blog trolls do that. Of course I have to answer them, hence I rack up some miles. But you already know that. Talking of loquacious…I enjoy some of the debates that go on and on and on. It's very interesting, sometimes I could add something to them, but I don't because it's all commentary and conjecture to me. I like to get straight to the core of an issue and suggest ideas and a different perspective preferably based on real life experiences…and talkback radio.

        • Robert Guyton 3.1.1.2
          17 June 2022 at 8:06 pm

          "Mikey is involved, it must be a slug"

          Judicious editing reveals so much 🙂

  4. logie97 4
    17 June 2022 at 11:05 am

    Is it appropriate for an executive of a large corporate (bank) to get down and dirty in expressing his political views? Twice now I have seen snippets from a former prime minister on primetime news bulletins on Covid issues. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for him to comment on and justify the huge excessive profits and dividends the bank he assists in running and the affects on the economy.

    Calls to mind his lack of nous when he was interviewed by Paul Henry about "having a real kiwi as our next Governor General" by just smiling. (Hon Anand Satyanand – born and raised in Auckland was GG at the time)

    • lprent 5.1
      17 June 2022 at 11:35 am

      Do try to use the Reply function. I think that this relates to comment 3.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 5.1.1
        17 June 2022 at 1:50 pm

        Sorry lprent, commenting from a different computer, and couldn't access/see my reply (to Blade @3) after editing. Had to re-enter my name and got that wrong as well!

    • Blade 5.2
      17 June 2022 at 12:21 pm

      Mikey and Robbo's points exactly…and it's a worry. Adrian Orr and the RB are having some shockers. Maybe we need Brash back?frown

    • RedLogix 6.1
      17 June 2022 at 12:36 pm

      It will be interesting to see how far The Maori Party can go before other groups decide they need race based representation too.

      • Robert Guyton 6.1.1
        17 June 2022 at 12:52 pm

        Other groups with a treaty relationship?

        • RedLogix 6.1.1.1
          17 June 2022 at 1:28 pm

          Doesn't everyone have a treaty relationship?

          • Robert Guyton 6.1.1.1.1
            17 June 2022 at 2:03 pm

            Yes. That relationship is binary; between Maori and non-Maori.

            It's special and specific.

            Not homogenous.

            • Incognito 6.1.1.1.1.1
              17 June 2022 at 2:31 pm

              Nope, that’s just one but domineering interpretation, but there are others that challenge that binary dualism, notably Anne Salmond, e.g. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/anne-salmond-time-to-unteach-race.

              • RedLogix …
                17 June 2022 at 2:43 pm

                An excellent link. I'm going to have to read that one a couple of times to get the full import of it.

                • Incognito …
                  17 June 2022 at 2:51 pm

                  You’re welcome. There are other interpretations of the Treaty but these don’t suit the (dominant) partisan narratives. For someone with no prior knowledge, and thus much less bias/prejudice, it is not too hard to level them and compare them on their relative merits of persuasion and reasoning. Salmond has been at it for years and I’d say it is a lifetime project of hers, professionally as well as personally, because she’d make no real distinction between the two, I’d imagine.

              • solkta …
                17 June 2022 at 6:49 pm

                Nothing new there about 'race'. Anthropology and Sociology 101 from the 90s. What i take out from that article is that lawyers are intellectually lazy.

                'Race' is not and has never been a Maori concept. From the very early days some Pakeha men chose to live with Maori as Maori. They were welcome for the technology they could share. These men were called Pakeha Maori by Maori. They took Maori wives and their children were know as Maori. Pakeha called these children half-caste.

                Maori is a collection of related ethnic groups not a 'race'. Individual Maori do not have any more rights than any other New Zealander, but each Iwi as a collective has specific rights as guaranteed by their agreement with the Crown.

                • solkta …
                  17 June 2022 at 7:14 pm

                  In terms of unteaching 'race', it seems to me the first step would be to change the name of the Race Relations Conciliator. It is not rational to try and tell people that 'race' does not exist while at the same time saying we need to manage relations between 'races'.

                • RedLogix …
                  17 June 2022 at 7:27 pm

                  'Race' is not and has never been a Maori concept.

                  They sure seem happy to invoke it when it suits them though. But yes – I agree pre-European Maori would have had no use for the concept given their radical geographic isolation.

                  Maori is a collection of related ethnic groups not a 'race'. Individual Maori do not have any more rights than any other New Zealander, but each Iwi as a collective has specific rights as guaranteed by their agreement with the Crown.

                  An interesting para. That seems to me to be the reasonable approach – recognising that it was not Maori as a race, culture or even a people at the time of the ToW – but a fractious, polyglot collection of migrant groups who shared a Pacific heritage and not much else.

                  And in 1840 the iwi had just come off the back of 40 years of internal genocide that saw them kill off almost 40% of their own population. This was not a united society, culture or people in any sense. It was a dozen or so large family groups who all distrusted and hated each other. Their surviving leaders were concerned more than anything else to bring the mayhem to an end and to protect what resources remained to them. To that end the offer of citizenship in the empire of the global superpower of the era – and the legal protections it promised – was the deal of the century.

                  Erasing the Musket Wars from our history is no accident – it obscures the real motives and intentions around what happened at Waitangi. It makes as much sense as for example explaining why the UN was formed – while pretending WW2 had not just happened.

                  And in this light – it can be argued that by becoming citizens of the British Empire they gave away any claim to be indigenous at the same time.

                  • solkta …
                    17 June 2022 at 7:34 pm

                    The musket wars have not been erased from history. Every Treaty education thing i have ever encountered, and there has been quite a few, has outlined the musket wars and the unifying aspect of the Treaty. Perhaps if you did a Treaty education course you could stop talking such twaddle.

                    • RedLogix …
                      17 June 2022 at 7:49 pm

                      Why then would the several deeply respected kaumatua who explained all this to me be talking 'twaddle'?

                      I spent a significant fraction of the 80's re-engaging with my paternal Maori heritage. And in that period had the privilege to get to know some remarkable elders – in the true globally understood sense of that word.

                      I have never written to those experiences for a couple of reasons, one is that the whole story is not mine to tell; it involves lots of other people. Secondly events happened that I cannot properly do justice to with my own words. And finally this is a political forum – not a spiritual one.

                      But suffice to say that sometime during that period as that authentic generation of Maori, whose roots were firmly located in their local landscapes and peoples, passed on – I then watched as their heritage was appropriated by a new class of university educated radicals whose goal was no longer healing and unity – but power and vengeance.

                      So maybe it is all twaddle to you.

                    • solkta …
                      17 June 2022 at 8:04 pm

                      You make a claim that the musket wars have been erased from history and then start talking about personal discussions with kaumatua from the 80s. I'm going to leave it here as i have no interest in your bad faith discussions. You can have the last word if you want.

                    • RedLogix …
                      17 June 2022 at 8:35 pm

                      Every Treaty education thing i have ever encountered, and there has been quite a few, has outlined the musket wars and the unifying aspect of the Treaty.

                      But when I outline exactly the same you call it 'twaddle'?

                      Contradictory much?

                      Nonetheless I would argue that the significance and historic context of the Musket Wars does get downplayed in the public domain. While the Land Wars later in the century – with a far lower death toll – are constantly played as the colonial crime of the century. It is not hard to detect a selective version of history being played here, and the political agenda it serves.

                  • joe90 …
                    17 June 2022 at 8:11 pm

                    And in 1840 the iwi had just come off the back of 40 years of internal genocide that saw them kill off almost 40% of their own population

                    Now do Europe's half-millenia long orgy of bloodshed. From the Italian wars, the French wars of religion, the Thirty Years War ( the population in some areas of Germany declined by between 30% and 66%), The Napoleonic Wars (the population of France declined by an estimated 10%), various French/Anglo/Spanish/Prussian/Russian tiffs, assorted uprisings and revolutions and the conquest of Algeria through to the mechanised killing of the 20th C.

                    Fuck, Eastern Europe's still at it.

                    • RedLogix …
                      17 June 2022 at 8:18 pm

                      Yup. No-one is standing on any moral high ground here, and nor was I claiming any. Hell I even made explicit reference to WW2.

                      But the point to be made is that these catastrophes have a chastening effect – and in their immediate aftermath there is often a period when we are open reform and progress. As there will be when this war in Europe finally concludes.

                      In particular there is a moment when we clearly and bitterly understand that disunity and confrontation – which are the cause of all the grief you list – can only be countered by unity, consensus and justice. And we turn out minds to doing better if only for a while.

                • Incognito …
                  17 June 2022 at 9:25 pm

                  I don’t think that many TS readers have done Anthropology and Sociology 101 in the 90s wink

                  The term/concept “race” is often a divisionary tool.

                  What i take out from that article is that lawyers are intellectually lazy.

                  Lawyers are being tasked, or think they are, to codify the Treaty into Law to have (the) force of law. However, the Treaty was never intended to become Law as such. The problem is that once in motion it cannot be walked back by lawyers even if they wanted to.

            • Blade 6.1.1.1.1.2
              17 June 2022 at 2:48 pm

              That's not how some Maori see it. They don't ever want a republic in New Zealand. Many Maori do if you believe some polls. I can hazard a guess which group may have the university education.

              http://www.republic.org.nz/treaty

          • Grafton Gully 6.1.1.1.2
            17 June 2022 at 6:54 pm

            Maori are indigenous they got here first and like other indigenous peoples have rights recognised by UN and endorsed by NZ under the Key government.

    • Mac1 6.2
      17 June 2022 at 12:36 pm

      Given that the PM is not mentioned in the article at all, you might have to be a bit more forthcoming about how her canniness is being shown here?

      • Stephen D 6.2.1
        17 June 2022 at 12:51 pm

        By making Adrian Rurawhe Speaker. He will go list only next year. Leaving a clearish run for Debbie Ngarewa-Packer to win the Māori electorate. Strengthens Te Pati Māori in the House, providing Labour another coalition partner.

        • Mac1 6.2.1.1
          17 June 2022 at 1:00 pm

          Thanks, Stephen D. Certainly arguable so long as Te Pati Māori is seen as a credible and useful coalition partner who are surley more credible than NZF, Labour’s last coalition partner.

        • Sacha 6.2.1.2
          17 June 2022 at 1:47 pm

          That sort of decision is more likely to involve the party's president and strategists.

        • Ad 6.2.1.3
          17 June 2022 at 2:42 pm

          Not a dumb move that.

    • joe90 7.1
      17 June 2022 at 2:11 pm

      Meanwhile, the West is taking a punt on lumbering itself with tens if not hundreds of thousands more early onset dementia patients.

      “Brain fog” has emerged as one of the most debilitating symptoms of long COVID, affecting thousands of people globally, impeding their ability to work and function in daily life.

      Now, a group of Australian scientists believe they are closer to unlocking the mystery behind the lingering neurological condition, which can trigger memory loss, confusion, dizziness and headaches, and leave people grasping to recall everyday words.

      The findings of their study, published this week in Nature Communications, suggest there may be distinct parallels between the effects of COVID-19 on the brain and the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

      […]

      “What we saw is that they formed very similar amyloid clumps, which are basically just ordered assemblies of protein that are stuck together and considered ‘molecular hallmarks’ of the early stages of neurodegenerative disease,” he said.

      “To cut a long story short, these amyloid plaques are very toxic to the brain cells and we hypothesise that aggregates of SARS-CoV-2 proteins may trigger neurological symptoms in COVID-19 that many of us call brain fog.”

      https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-researchers-find-parallels-between-alzheimer-s-and-long-covid-brain-fog-20220614-p5atnp.html

  8. Adrian 8
    17 June 2022 at 4:32 pm

    China is about control, and the fact that it has the shittiest vaccine in the world apparently. I saw a blog which I can’t remember the name of a few weeks ago done by a youngish SouthAfrican who divides his time between SA, the States and China and in relation to the latest massacre in the US he said that while the Chinese do not have mass shootings they do have mass stabbings and a lot of them, in fact he had been a witness to more than one. Life in China is very stressful for a lot of people and help is not really that available if physical or mental health is compromised. He showed a quick video of how the police manage such things and it involved a long pole with a half round attachment on the end which can be used to trap an offender on the ground or up against a wall. Probably not as effective against an assault rifle.

    His point was that there is a lot more civil disturbance and dissatisfaction in China than we are made aware of. Hence the need for control, but one day that build up of pressure will bite the political elite on the arse. Not before time either.

  9. Macro 9
    17 June 2022 at 5:44 pm

    Never was much of a fan of VP Mike Pence but the latest Hearing from the Select Committee investigating the 6th Jan attack on the Capitol showed that he not only refused to bend to the corrupt and illegal wishes of a demented Trump and a wild mob that would have killed him had they been able to find him, but carried out his duty and preserved the US from a tyrant, and the democratic process of a republic. If you haven't watched the live showing of the 3 day of the Hearing it is well worth taking the time – 3 hours.

  10. Anne 10
    17 June 2022 at 6:00 pm

    Thanks Macro. My evening viewing sorted. 🙂

    I was reading a summary of events earlier today and noted that Mike Pence showed principle and courage and should be given full credit for doing so.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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
    17 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
    20 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
    21 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
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

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