The longer these clowns are in control, the more decisions they make, the saying:
They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Rings true
Luxon, Reti and Levy could not articulate the many and varied benefits of the Dunedin hospital. A once in many generations opportunity and they want to scrooge it.
Willis and the ferry debacle, taking a 2-3 yr balance sheet view of a 30year infrastructure project.
"Tory Whanau told me the council now has about $2.8 billion of its assets left uninsured – it hasn’t been able to sustain the rising premiums. “Should the worst happen in our city, like an earthquake, we have very little to access in terms of rebuilding our city. Hence, the sale of the airport.”
Nobody is quoting figures on this insurance cost. People bandy around figures like $2.8 billion, but what is the cost per annum of the premiums?
I would have thought that the cost of these premiums would not be be significant in comparison with the many other costs faced by the WCC, especially for infrastructure and 3-waters.
If this is true, then this is not the real reason that the airport shares were proposed to be sold.
Kiwibank says it needs a more level banking playing field – as well as a potential cash injection – to really make a difference in the New Zealand banking market.
Quelle surprise…
The main four Australian banks all told the committee they felt that was unnecessary.
KiwiSaver provider Simplicity said it would be interested in investing in Kiwibank if that were made possible.
First Union said the solution was not to open it up to private investment, but instead to have it fully publicly owned and well capitalised.
As part of a submission made with other domestic banks, Kiwibank said there needed to be changes to bank capital requirements.
It said the big four Australian banks had much easier access to cheaper capital options as well as the backing of their parent banks, and the cost of banking regulation was disproportionately borne by the smaller players.
Seeing Jacinda receiving her award from Prince William brought back nostalgia for the time we had a PM who cared, who actually liked people even if they were not millionaires, who was always dignified (no embarrassing photographs in Christmas pyjamas). She had genuine empathy in difficult times. She never bragged and boasted or put people down. I could go on and on.
Yip labours response to a very real crisis(covid,housing) was to throw everything at keeping people employed ,alive and housed, nationals response to a supposed debt crisis is to sack people and kick them onto to the streets, while letting corrupt partners profit
We can only imagine how many more people would have died, how many jobs would have vanished , how many kids would have gone hungry, how many businesses would have folded if the NACTS had been in government then.
For paid subscribers1. Tory Whanau says “No thanks” to Local Government Minister Simeon Brown (RNZ)Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau says there was no talk of government intervention during her talk this morning with the Local Government Minister.Following the meeting, Whanau said the conversation was polite and friendly and was mainly about ...
You grew on me like a tumourAnd you spread through me like malignant melanomaAnd now you’re in my heartI should’ve cut you out back at the startSong by Tim MinchinTim Minchin has a song about cheese; one clever dick in the audience yelled it out to him last night. I ...
Inflation has fallen to its lowest point in the last 3.5 years, but many costs remain high, and unemployment is expected to get worse. An OIA response received by the Green Party has revealed that Brooke van Velden’s contractor proposals are almost word for word from an Uber proposal. TEU ...
This National government came to power on the promise of tax cuts it hadn’t costed out and immediately scrapped an essential infrastructure project ten years in the making with no backup plan because global cost inflation pushed the price into mildly uncomfortable territory. It would be only a matter of ...
This guest post by Tim Adriaansen, an advocate for accessibility and sustainable transport, is an expanded version of a recent post on LinkedIn. Auckland Harbour Bridge is collapsing.* A new report investigating the health of the bridge shows that without rapid and significant changes to how the asset is managed, ...
As Parliament girds itself for the introduction next month of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles’ Bill, a Select Committee yesterday grappled with another collision between Te Ao Maori and our British-based legal system. This time, it was ostensibly about whether University law schools should compel students to study Tikanga Maori. But ...
So far, the Great Multi-lingual Healthcare Crisis has passed by without any damage to life, or to limbs. To date, no-one appears to have mistaken the Hindi word for “lunch-break” for the Filipino word for “tracheotomy.” But then, the risk of bad clinical outcomes was never really the point, was ...
The revelation of ACC’s $7.2 billion dollar deficit is coming at an amazing time for Luxon, Seymour, and Winnie. To start with, two of the three of them are engaging in a subtle war with the judiciary, in which ACT and New Zealand First have decided to prey on the ...
Once again it’s Steam’s Next Fest, the regularly occurring event that highlights demos for upcoming games. It’s always a favourite of mine and I try to always participate by playing through several interesting looking titles. Today I tried three that were all extremely relaxed with no real time pressures involved. ...
To the garage, to get a WOF. I think the tires might need replacing, you say.Leave it with us, they say.When you return, you notice the tyres are the same.In fact nothing appears to have been done.We fixed your birdshit problem, they tell you.My what, now? you ask.Your birdshit problem. ...
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. Prashad is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World. His latest book The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power (2022) was ...
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. Prashad is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World. His latest book The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power (2022) was ...
The Herald is reporting on yet another reporting from the ATLAS-network-linked "New Zealand" Initiative, this one complaining of a creep towards judicial supremacy, and calling for the powers of judges to interpret the law to be reined in. It seems that the billionaires who fund ATLAS and its local collaborators ...
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...
Kiwirail FerriesThere’s some good news to come out of this PR loving government. If there’s one thing good about them, it’s that they are politically cashed up and comms savvy - and therefore want to please on things that get NZ’s attention.After the stalemate between National and NZ First over ...
E tū are raising concerns with proposals to privatise airport security, saying that staff are “extremely concerned” about risks to safety for those who use airports. 1News has published an investigative piece on international nurses struggling to find a job in NZ. In political news, the fallout from the Govt’s ...
Coming out to the light of dayWe got many moons that are deep at playSo I keep an eye on the shadow's smileTo see what it has to sayYou and I both knowEverything must go awayAh, what do you say?Songwriters: Anthony Kiedis / Brian Joseph Burton / Chad Gaylord Smith ...
Fire and flood, heat-waves and rivers of rain. Climate change is impacting us powerfully. Major floods in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Germany, India, the US…Huge forest fires in Australia, Canada, Greece, California….Intense heat waves in Spain, Italy, Greece, India, the US…. And we haven’t spoken of melting glaciers and ice-caps, rising ...
What is the difference between Jewish and Zionist? Marilyn Garson is the co-founder of Alternative Jewish Voices, an observant Jew who has lived and worked in Gaza. Her first book, Still Lives, told the story of her Gazan team through four years and two wars. Her second book, Jewish, not ...
In just over a month, Auckland is going to see some of the biggest changes to our public transport network since the completion of the New Network over six years ago. The decade between 2008 and 2018 was one of the most significant for public transport in Auckland. Almost every ...
Former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins admits that the series of scandals leading up to last year’s election contributed to Labour’s large defeat. In Back on Track, a new book on the 2023 New Zealand election, being launched today, Hipkins says “A succession of ministerial scandals didn’t help the mood that ...
Hi,I read through your feedback about my AI voice clone with both delight and horror — and am so appreciative to all of you who left comments.There was such a wide range of discussion that it sort of blew my mind, from accessibility and ethics, to the very real issue ...
New Zealand First’s $100 billion “Future Fund” has a carefully calculated political strategy behind it. It is an attempt to raid the Labour Party’s conservative right wing. New Zealand First knows that the coalition of voting groups that got it over the five per cent threshold last year is shaky. ...
A couple of thoughts about the giving of a speechLet’s say you are speaking to Tangata Whenua at a sensitive moment. Let’s say your government’s policies have worried and angered them.Let’s say that people with any sort of informed opinion have been saying that your policies stand to unravel much ...
A new poll shows there is strong public support for rail-enabled ferries, which MUNZ have said shows New Zealanders know what a huge mistake it was to cancel the order for new ferries. In other poll-related news, a 1News-Verian poll shows both major parties and their leaders losing support, and ...
Clearly, Israel is intent on de-populating Gaza for Israeli re-settlement, and is using military force as a form of state terrorism to depopulate swathes of southern Lebanon. To similar ends, it is also indiscriminately bombing Lebanese rural villages and civilian neighbourhoods in Beirut. Israel’s ultimate aim appears to be to ...
With new trailers for Thunderbolts and Captain America 4 out over the last couple of months there’s been a resurgence of “Bucky should have been Cap instead of Sam” opining, with one of the main reasons given being “Bucky was Cap first in the comics!” Sure, he was, it’s true ...
Is it getting better?Or do you feel the same?Will it make it easier on you now?You got someone to blameSongwriters: Paul David Hewson / Adam Clayton / Larry Mullen / Dave EvansIt's polling day from TVNZ. We don’t get many polls these days. Of course, they don’t mean a lot ...
Is it a surprise to learn that the government is happy to see some commercial fishing in a marine reserve?It is not. This is, after all, a government that is happily giving more latitude to the tobacco industry, the gun lobby and ute drivers to put us all in greater ...
On Calvary Street are trellisesWhere bright as blood the roses bloom,And gnomes like pagan fetishesHang their hats on an empty tombWhere two old souls go slowly mad,National Mum and Labour Dad.James K. BaxterBallad of Calvary Street1969JAMES K. BAXTER’S stereotypes, “National Mum” and “Labour Dad”, strike a discordant note in ...
In this episode of the “A view from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and I discuss Israel’s expansion of its war in Lebanon as part of a “six front” strategy that it thinks it can win, focusing on the decision-making process … Continue reading → ...
The closure of Karioi Pulp Mill ends generations of family employment, and Health NZ mandates staff to take three weeks’ leave over Christmas. In politics, the government plans to reform anti-money laundering laws, and a report suggests NZ can’t meet climate targets without international support. Meanwhile, protests disrupted Winston Peters’ ...
Correction: Total tax take is around $120B, total revenue is $167B. NZ Super costs $23B. How many successful CEOs can manager Christopher Luxon snark at after running a government airline with a near monopoly on the domestic market?After taking a crack at ANZ Boss Antonia Watson for her support of ...
You might have seen this video, which we received as part of a recent OIA request. It showcases the original light rail plans developed by Auckland Transport between 2014-2017. The video was apparently produced in early 2018 by Auckland Transport, just a few months before the project was ...
At the heart of New Zealand First lies a fundamental tension. And it is all about Winston Peters. He has led the party since its formation in 1993, and he confirmed yesterday that he will be standing again at the next election. He is one year older than Donald Trump, ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, October 6, 2024 thru Sat, October 12, 2024. Story of the week For the third week in a row our Story of the Week involves hurricanes, most recently Hurricane ...
Let me start with -Yes, I know National, ACT and NZ First are very well funded and supported by friendly platforms, promoters, and our wealthiest - pre and post-election.I also remember when David Seymour personally attacked journalist Benedict Collins, then 'suggested' he would "review" TVNZ and make them pay a ...
Every day, the deficit growsYou spend more than you ownPapa always said to me“Keep a close eye on your authority”You say that you careI was unawareYou say that you careI was unawareSong: Allen Stone.It used to be that when politicians wanted to avoid admitting they knew something, they’d say, “I ...
There is theory, and there is practice. There is the ideal world, and there is the real world.Come with me on a short illustrated tour. This train of thought began last Wednesday evening as I was walking down Queen St.In the great fever of Auckland's 1980s property boom, so very ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is more CO2 ...
Good morning ! Weekend at last ! Here’s some quick updates for the field:1. Three Ministers chose 149 projects for the Fast-Track list. The government’s hand picked advisory team then failed to independently verify ANY information provided by applications. Nor did anyone consider any environmental impacts.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported ...
Take me somewhere newI've already been here once beforeSomewhere unbelievableBefore it starts to blow upTake me somewhere newI've already been here twice beforeLet's get out of hereI'm bored this place is gonna blow upSongwriters: Garret Lee / Jordan Miller / Kylie Miller / Eliza Enman Mcdaniel / Leandra EarlSubstack used ...
Hi,New Zealand auction site TradeMe is still giving conflicting reasons for why it removed the gorgeous painting of Prime Minister Chris Luxon. It took a few days, but Webworm’s story spread to RNZ and the Herald this week. I’ll keep you updated.Today is going to be a very self-involved Webworm ...
Some months ago, the Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights, made an appearance over Dunedin: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2024/05/12/seeing-the-aurora-australis/ I even went out to Tunnel Beach to see it. But tonight? Tonight I did not even have to leave my backyard. And not just that. Light pollution from a city notwithstanding, I could see ...
What might the public’s increasing demands for safety and security tell the economist?Criminology and economics are quite different disciplines. Someone from one discipline trespasses on the other with the greatest of caution, something which, I’m afraid, not all economists have. There is a foolish economics literature about the ‘optimal level ...
It is one of the most successful products of our German-language partner website klimafakten.de: a large-format infographic about typical disinformation strategies, not just in terms of climate. The poster has previously been available in eight languages, and now two more have been added. The new translations were produced with partners ...
1. Poor old New Zealand was exposed to all the world with its debt trousers around its ankles in a briefing yesterday by Nicola Willis. Just how huge is our debt?a. 42% of GDPb. 69% of GDPc. 94% of GDPd. 420% of GDP2. How does that compare to a proper ...
Back in August, National sabotaged human rights by appointing terf and genocide supporter Stephen Rainbow as Chief Human Rights Commissioner, and terf and white supremacist Melissa Derby as Race Relations Commissioner. The appointments seemed calculated to undermine public confidence in the Commission, and there were obvious questions about how they ...
The second phase of the inquest into the mosque shooting is currently ongoing, and it is right now examining how the terrorist was able to obtain his firearms license and the guns used to commit the attack. The answer is “Really, really easily”. The 10 year expiration period for firearms ...
Is anyone surprised about NZ’s finances? Yesterday Treasury released its latest financial report. The operating balance deficit was $1.8bn higher than forecast and essentially $3.4 billion worse compared to the prior year.Government revenues were up from solid wage growth in an inflationary environment - albeit business performance was weaker with ...
Uh uh, KātuareheYou ain't readyWe're not flying on the same planeUh, KātuareheYou ain't readyI see you trying it's a damn shame, uhSong by Anna CoddingtonThis morning, I was going to write about some of the stories from the week, but it was all a bit depressing. “The Trickle Down that ...
Government budget problems and public service cuts are putting pressure on communities, with frontline services and media integrity at risk. E tū is sounding the alarm over TVNZ’s cost-cutting; MUNZ challenges KiwiRail layoffs and Unions Wellington succeeded in stopping the sale of Wellington Airport. With this economic uncertainty, grassroots efforts ...
Kia ora and welcome to another weekly roundup of stories that caught our eye about cities and how they work. Feel free to share any links we might have missed, in the comments below. As always, this post is compiled by our largely volunteer team, and your support makes it ...
Open access notablesManifold increase in the spatial extent of heatwaves in the terrestrial Arctic, Rantanen et al., Communications Earth & Environment:It is widely acknowledged that the intensity, frequency and duration of heatwaves are increasing worldwide, including the Arctic. However, less attention has been paid to the land area affected ...
While we were away earlier this year, some men got into our house and took away the big slider door and windows that open onto our upstairs deck. I watched the whole thing happen on the other side of the world on our security camera. I had told the guy who ...
Vox Populi: It is worth noting that if Auckland’s public health services were forced to undergo cutbacks of the same severity as Dunedin’s, and if the city’s Mayor and its daily newspaper were able to call the same percentage of its citizens onto the streets, then the ensuing demonstrations would number ...
One of the risks of National's Muldoonist fast-track law is corruption. If Ministers can effectively approve projects by including them in the law for rubberstamping, then that creates some very obvious incentives for applicants seeking approval and Ministers seeking to line their or their party's pockets. And its a risk ...
“The Government accounts released today show that spending and debt continues to grow under the current Government, but there is no plan to deliver a better economy,” said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Net Core Crown Debt increased by $20bn last year, with revenue from taxation also rising ...
The Reserve Bank announced yesterday a 0.5% cut to the OCR, which the CTU has called “a recognition of weakness” in a floundering economy. Joint health unions have released a letter sent to Health NZ regarding cuts to digital infrastructure, amidst the news coming out of the 450-page document dump ...
In May, Florida’s Governer Ron DeSantis, who called Florida the place where “woke goes to die”, signed in a law that scrubbed climate change from the state’s thinking.Gone was the concept of climate change - and addressing planet-warming pollution was no longer Florida’s concern. Instead, the state’s priorities would focus ...
I am caught in the change of a tropical rainstormOut there between green and blueAnd it’s telling me that you’re so hard to forgetI'm a traveller just passing throughAsian Paradise by Sharon O'Neill.Note: With the coalition's actions, it can be hard these days to tell if something is satirical or ...
Hello to all. Due to the need to travel to Australia to be with an unwell family member there will not be a Hoon today at 5pm and I will not be posting emails or podcasts until next week at the earliest.Ngā mihi nuiBernard ...
All-new 2023 census data has just been released, giving a great window into: how many New Zealanders there are, who we are, where we work (and how we get there), and who still has landline phones (31% of households!). But it’s also fun* to put things in a historical context. ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsEmily Ogburn, right, hugs her friend Cody Klein after he brought her a meal on October 2, 2024, in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Ogburn's home was spared and she spent the morning of the storm helping and comforting neighbors who had found shelter on ...
Back in April, Teanau Tuiono's member's bill to undo a historic crime and restore citizenship to Samoans stripped of it by Muldoon unexpectedly passed its first reading and was sent to select committee. That committee has now reported back. But while the headline is that it has unanimously recommended that ...
How's this for an uncomfortable truth?The Nazis' industrial killing was new, and the Jewish case is different. But so is every case. And some things are all too similar....…European world expansion, accompanied as it was by shameless defence of extermination, created habits of thought and political precedents that made way ...
Welcome to the August/September 2024 Economic Bulletin. In our monthly feature we provide an analysis of the gender pay gap in New Zealand for 2024. The mean gender pay gap was 8.9%, which is down from 9.8% in 2023. This meant that, on average, women will be “working for free” ...
Changes to outdated relationships legislation has passed its third reading giving family violence survivors the power to quickly dissolve abusive marriages. ...
The Government’s cuts to the Apprenticeship Boost programme will leave New Zealand without the workforce it needs to build homes, schools and hospitals. ...
While today’s inflation numbers are good news for Kiwis, there are still struggles ahead with rising rents, rates, insurance and high unemployment. ...
Stats NZ has confirmed that higher rent prices were the biggest contributor to the annual inflation rate. Almost a fifth of the 2.2 per cent annual increase in the CPI was due to rent prices. ...
The National Government has sneakily reneged on protecting the Hauraki Gulf, reducing the protected area of the marine park and inviting commercial fishing in the depleted seascape. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the Government’s response to the report into the North Island weather events but urges it to push forward with legislative change this term. ...
The Green Party echoes a call for banks to divest from entities linked to Israel’s illegal settlements in Palestine, and says Crown Financial Institutions should follow suit. ...
Te Whatu Ora’s finances have deteriorated under the National Government, turning a surplus into a deficit, and breaking promises made to New Zealanders to pay for it. ...
The Prime Minister’s decision to back his firearms minister on gun law changes despite multiple warnings shows his political judgement has failed him yet again. ...
Yesterday the government announced the list of 149 projects selected for fast-tracking across Aotearoa. Trans-Tasman Resources’ plan to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki was one of these projects. “We are disgusted but not surprised with the government’s decision to fast-track the decimation of our seabed,” said Te ...
At Labour’s insistence, Te Whatu Ora financial documents have been released by the Health Select Committee today showing more cuts are on the way for our health system. ...
Fresh questions have been raised about the conduct of the Firearms Minister after revelations she misled New Zealanders about her role in stopping gun reforms prior to the mosque shootings. ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford still can’t confirm when the Government will deliver the $2 billion worth school upgrades she cut earlier this year. ...
Labour acknowledges the hundreds of workers today losing their jobs as the Winstone Pulp mill closes and what it will mean for their families and community. ...
In Budget '24, the National Government put aside $216 million to pay for a tax cut which mainly benefitted one company: global tobacco giant Philip Morris. Instead of giving hundreds of millions to big tobacco, National could have spent the money sensibly, on New Zealand. ...
Te Whatu Ora’s financials from the last year show the Government has manufactured a financial crisis to justify making cuts that are already affecting patient care. ...
Over 41,000 Palestinian’s have been murdered by Israel in the last 12 months. At the same time, Israel have launched attacks against at least four other countries in the Middle East including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. “You cannot play the aggressor and the victim at the same time,” said ...
Associate health minister Casey Costello has made a fool of the Prime Minister, because the product she’s been fighting to get a tax cut for and he’s been backing her on is now illegal – and he doesn’t seem to know it. ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee’s inquiry into climate adaptation is something that must be built on for an enduring framework to manage climate risk. ...
The Government is taking tertiary education down a worrying path with new reporting finding that fourteen of the country’s sixteen polytechnics couldn’t survive on their own,” Labour’s tertiary education spokesperson Dr Deborah Russell says. ...
The Government has today released targeted actions to improve road safety that are focused on increasing road policing and enforcement, targeting the highest contributing factors to fatal crashes, and delivering new and safe roading infrastructure, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Increased alcohol breath testing and introducing roadside drug testing Reviewing ...
The Government’s relentless focus on welfare that works and holding job seekers accountable through sanctions saw a year-on-year increase in the number of people moving from benefits into work in the September quarter, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Despite the economic gloom the Government inherited, 16,071 people ...
E te huru mā, haramai e noho. E tu te huru pango, hanatu e haere.The coalition Government is progressing mahi in the Retirement Villages Act 2003 review and focusing it on the areas of highest importance, Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka and Seniors Minister Casey Costello announced today. “It’s ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay will attend the Group of Twenty (G20) Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Brasilia next week. “As an exporting nation reliant on trade, this is a significant opportunity to boost our interests with some of the world’s largest economies and many of our most important trading partners,” ...
Today’s inflation figures are more good news for New Zealanders, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today that the inflation rate had dropped from 3.3 per cent in the year to June to 2.2 per cent in the year to September. That is down from 5.6 per cent just ...
Data from the first full calendar month of the Government’s welfare traffic light system shows more beneficiaries are doing what is required of them, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. A total of 331,530 people were in the system at the end of September due to having work-related ...
The Government’s work to boost export value has hit another milestone, with a new dairy Bill passing its first reading in Parliament today, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “The Dairy Industry Restructuring (Export Licences Allocation) Amendment Bill will modernise New Zealand’s dairy export quota system to grow export and farmgate ...
Legislation that will help protect New Zealanders from cybercrime has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “11% of New Zealanders were victims of fraud and cybercrime in 2023, causing significant financial harm and emotional distress. “The Budapest Convention, also known as the Council of Europe ...
Good evening Before discussing the ‘advancing of New Zealand and Asia relations’, we would like to congratulate the Asia New Zealand Foundation and acknowledge its significant contribution to New Zealand’s relationship with, and understanding of, Asia over the past 30 years. Can we also welcome Thitinan Pongsudhirak, one of ...
Kia ora koutou Greetings from Wellington. I am sorry I can’t be with you in person today, but I’m delighted that I can talk to you virtually. I’d like to begin by acknowledging your chair Bill Goodwin and members of your board. I’d also like to acknowledge the fitness of ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling this week to Bangkok for talks with his Thai counterpart, and to Jakarta to attend the inauguration of Indonesia’s next President, Prabowo Subianto. “New Zealand is committed to our Comprehensive Partnership with Indonesia, and our shared ties as democracies in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr ...
The one-stop-shop Fast-track Approvals Bill, and the 149 projects listed in the Bill, will help rebuild our struggling economy and kick-start economic growth across the country, Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop says. “Since 2022, New Zealand has battled anaemic levels of economic growth. If we want Kiwi kids to stop ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today announced the appointment of Sir Brian Roche as the next Public Service Commissioner. “I am delighted to appoint Sir Brian to this crucial leadership position,” Mr Luxon says. “Sir Brian is a highly respected New Zealander who has held significant roles across the public and ...
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced the establishment of a Forestry Sector Reference Group to drive better outcomes from the Forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Registry. “We are committed to working with the forestry sector to provide greater transparency and engagement on the forestry ETS registry as we work to ...
New Zealand’s fuel resilience is being strengthened to ensure people and goods keep moving and connected to the world in case of disruptions, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says. “Fuel security is a priority for the Coalition Government. We are acutely aware of how important engine fuels are to our ...
The Government will reform New Zealand’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) system to provide significant regulatory relief for businesses, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Cabinet has approved an AML/CFT reform work programme which will ensure streamlined, workable, and effective regulations for businesses, law enforcement, and ...
Significant reforms are underway in the building and construction portfolio to help enable more affordable homes and a stronger economy, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “If we want to grow the economy, lift incomes, create jobs and build more affordable, quality homes we need a construction sector that ...
Minister Responsible for the GCSB and Minister of Defence Judith Collins will travel to Singapore and Brussels for Singapore International Cyber Week and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting. New Zealand has been invited to attend the NATO meeting alongside representatives from the European Union and the ...
Toitū ngā pōito o te kupenga a Toitehuatahi! A Government commitment to restoring the health and mauri of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana will enhance the area for generations to come, Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka says. Cabinet recently agreed to pass the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill into law, ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour says the Government has committed to action on overseas investment, where the country’s policy settings are the worst in the developed world and holding back wage growth. “Cabinet has agreed to the principles for reforming our overseas investment law. At the core of these principles ...
The annual East Asia Summit (EAS) held in Laos this week underscored the critical role that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plays in ensuring a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. "My first participation in an EAS has been a valuable opportunity to engage ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says the feedback from the health and safety roadshow will help shape the future of health and safety in New Zealand and grow the economy. “New Zealand’s poorly performing health and safety system could be costing this country billions,” says Ms van ...
The Government has released the independent Advisory Group’s report on the 384 projects which applied to be listed in the Fast-track Approvals Bill, and further detail about the careful management of Ministers’ conflicts of interest, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says. Independent Advisory Group Report The full report has now been ...
The Government Policy Statement (GPS) on electricity clearly sets out the Government’s role in delivering affordable and secure electricity at internationally competitive prices, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand’s economic growth and prosperity relies on Kiwi households and businesses having access to affordable and secure electricity at internationally competitive prices. ...
The Government has broadly accepted the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care whilst continuing to consider and respond to its recommendations. “It is clear the Crown utterly failed thousands of brave New Zealanders. As a society and as the State we should have done better. ...
The brakes have been put on contractor and consultant spending and growth in the public service workforce, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “Workforce data released today shows spending on contractors and consultants fell by $274 million, or 13 per cent, across the public sector in the year to June 30. ...
The Crown accounts for the 2023/24 year underscore the need for the Government’s ongoing efforts to restore discipline to public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Financial Statements of the Government for the year ended 30 June 2024 were released today. They show net core Crown net debt at ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will chair negotiations on carbon markets at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) alongside Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and Environment, Grace Fu. “Climate change is a global challenge, and it’s important for countries to be enabled to work together and support each other ...
A new confirmation of payments system in the banking sector will make it safer for Kiwis making bank transactions, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “In my open letter to the banks in February, I outlined several of my expectations of the sector, including the introduction of a ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the Government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our ...
The Government has released its long-term vision to strengthen New Zealand’s disaster resilience and emergency management, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “It’s clear from the North Island Severe Weather Events (NISWE) Inquiry, that our emergency management system was not fit-for-purpose,” Mr Mitchell says. “We’ve seen first-hand ...
Today’s cut in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 4.75 per cent is welcome news for families and businesses, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “Lower interest rates will provide much-needed relief for households and businesses, allowing families to keep more of their hard-earned money and increasing the opportunities for businesses ...
Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has asked Sport NZ to review and update its Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport. “The Guiding Principles, published in 2022, were intended to be a helpful guide for sporting bodies grappling with a tricky issue. They are intended ...
The Coalition Government is restoring confidence to the rural sector by pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans while changes are made to ensure the system is affordable and more practical for farmers and growers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “Freshwater farm plans ...
The latest report from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Stats NZ, Our air 2024, reveals that overall air quality in New Zealand is improving, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly say. “Air pollution levels have decreased in many parts of the country. New Zealand is ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has announced the appointment of Stuart Horne as New Zealand’s Climate Change Ambassador. “I am pleased to welcome someone of Stuart’s calibre to this important role, given his expertise in foreign policy, trade, and economics, along with strong business connections,” Mr Watts says. “Stuart’s understanding ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister Casey Costello have announced a pilot to increase childhood immunisations, by training the Whānau Āwhina Plunket workforce as vaccinators in locations where vaccine coverage is particularly low. The Government is investing up to $1 million for Health New Zealand to partner ...
The Government is looking at strengthening requirements for building professionals, including penalties, to ensure Kiwis have confidence in their biggest asset, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says “The Government is taking decisive action to make building easier and more affordable. If we want to tackle our chronic undersupply of houses ...
The Government is taking further action to tackle the unacceptable wait times facing people trying to sit their driver licence test by temporarily extending the amount of time people can drive on overseas licences from 12 months to 18 months, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The previous government removed fees for ...
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring New Zealand is a safe and secure place to do business with the launch of new cyber security resources, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Cyber security is crucial for businesses, but it’s often discounted for more immediate business concerns. ...
"Fish & Game are a statutory body but in some parts of the country they’re acting like an environmental activist group," Federated Farmers Southland president Jason Herrick says. ...
Tory Whanau says government intervention wasn't raised at a meeting with Simeon Brown but government ministers say they're still considering stepping in. ...
The committee received over 140 written submissions in response to its call for public submissions. Written submissions have been published online and are available on the Parliament website (see links at end). Over 60 submitters have asked to speak ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eileen Joy, Professional Teaching Fellow in Social Work, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images With the recent establishment of a new Social Investment Agency – described as a “driving project” for the government by Finance Minister Nicola Willis – ...
Factors include: taste and difficulty of hunting. Long before Predator Free 2050, I was doing my part to rid New Zealand of invasive beasts. I was a deer culler for the New Zealand Forest Service in the 70s and 80s, spending months at a time in my assigned block in ...
Dame Cindy will address the Niue Assembly in her role as Governor-General of the Realm of New Zealand. (The Realm countries are Niue, the Cook Islands and Tokelau.) This will be her first visit to Niue. ...
IRD rushed through an impact assessment of its advertising strategy to share taxpayers' details with Facebook and other social media platforms last month, within days of telling the Minister it "continuously" reviews its processes to ensure safety. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Ireland, Professor, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Makarov Konstantin/Shutterstock The sight of a fireball streaking across the sky brings wonder and excitement to children and adults alike. It’s a reminder that Earth is part of a much ...
How do I get over my dream of being ‘Girl Everybody Hates Because She Scored The Guy That Everybody Loves?’Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera, Here’s the situation: I just found out that the most popular guy in my uni degree – the guy that pretty much every ...
Greenpeace’s Canterbury-based freshwater campaigner, Will Appelbe, says, "Everyone should be able to take a dip in their local river or drink the water coming out of their tap without getting sick. But for many rural communities, particularly in Canterbury, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Lucky Loser tells the story of Donald Trump’s less-than-stellar business career and how he was able to misrepresent it as a success. It is written by New ...
Tory Whanau has arrived at the Beehive for a meeting with Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, as her council faces the threat of government intervention. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Davies, Respiratory Allergy Stream Co-chair, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Professor and Head, Allergy Research Group, Queensland University of Technology Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock Hay fever (or allergic rhinitis) is a long-term inflammatory condition that’s incredibly common. It affects about one-quarter of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hall, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and Public Policy, Auckland University of Technology Renee RaroaRenee Raroa, CC BY-SA As the latest global biodiversity summit gets underway in Colombia, finance for the conservation and restoration of nature is one of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Schrader, Lecturer in Plant Ecology, Macquarie University Shutterstock Islands have long intrigued explorers and scientists. These isolated environments serve as natural laboratories for understanding how species evolve and adapt. Islands are also centres of species diversity. It has long been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ming Feng, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Letowa/Shutterstock On land, we’re familiar with heatwaves and cold snaps. But the deep sea also experiences prolonged periods of hot and cold. Marine heatwaves and cold spells can severely damage ocean ecosystems and ...
In today’s extract from The Bulletin by Stewart Sowman-Lund, what stopped the consumer price index from dropping even lower? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau is meeting with Local Government Minister Simeon Brown today, as her council faces the threat of government intervention. ...
This evening, Green Party delegates will vote on whether to get the now independent MP turfed out of parliament. Here’s a quick recap of how we got here.Another day, another Green Party meeting. Why should I care?This one’s been a long time coming. Some seven months after first-term ...
We expect that our doctors aren’t being paid by pharmaceutical companies when they prescribe us medicine. Should medicinal cannabis be any different?You can imagine the outrage. A major pharmaceutical company opens a clinic to prescribe its opioids via online consultations and prescribes pain pills to thousands of New Zealanders ...
Dame Lois Muir felt this month like she’d been chosen in the Silver Ferns for the first time again – 64 years after the fact.The reason lies inside two “lovely little boxes” she keeps within view which carry a pair of gold pins, moulded in the distinctive curl of a ...
Opinion: On Sunday, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced that Cabinet had agreed to pass the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill into law. The bill, which was reported back from the select committee in June, will create 12 new high protection areas, five new seafloor protection areas and two extensions ...
Was the Christchurch terrorist one of us? We know he wasn’t literally, of course. He came from Australia, was radicalised online and in Europe, before he moved to New Zealand, which he found to be a laid-back and convenient place from which to stage attacks on two, potentially three mosques, ...
It used to be something we didn’t talk about, like periods and anxiety.But menopause is emerging not just as an issue that’s coming out in the open, but as a vehicle for all manner of profitable products.“It’s a real marketing opportunity now,” says writer and menopause expert Niki Bezzant. “There’s ...
Crown cover-up? A five-part Newsroom series looks at the political and legal strategy the Crown used for decades to marginalise and defeat claims from victims of state abuse and torture. Part 1 – When the state turned on its victimsPart 2 – Legal trickeryPart 3 – Full disclosure ...
Consumers don’t need to know how open banking works, but if it is going to succeed, they need to be able to trust it.Much of the work on open banking – and media coverage – so far has centred around the enabling legislation, framework and technical platform development.There’s a risk ...
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, Thursday 17 October appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Defence Department Supplied Photo The Albanese government is giving 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, despite earlier this year apparently playing down the prospect of the donation. The latest Australian package is worth ...
NATZ
We have a plan
We are working really hard to shambolise the country.
Next on the plan is Wellington.
We are on track.
Newsroom on takeover bid for Wellington. Good analysis from Jonathan Milne.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/10/16/govt-hostile-takeover-bid-for-wellington-city/
The longer these clowns are in control, the more decisions they make, the saying:
They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Rings true
Luxon, Reti and Levy could not articulate the many and varied benefits of the Dunedin hospital. A once in many generations opportunity and they want to scrooge it.
Willis and the ferry debacle, taking a 2-3 yr balance sheet view of a 30year infrastructure project.
From Milne's article:
"Tory Whanau told me the council now has about $2.8 billion of its assets left uninsured – it hasn’t been able to sustain the rising premiums. “Should the worst happen in our city, like an earthquake, we have very little to access in terms of rebuilding our city. Hence, the sale of the airport.”
Nobody is quoting figures on this insurance cost. People bandy around figures like $2.8 billion, but what is the cost per annum of the premiums?
I would have thought that the cost of these premiums would not be be significant in comparison with the many other costs faced by the WCC, especially for infrastructure and 3-waters.
If this is true, then this is not the real reason that the airport shares were proposed to be sold.
The CoC could always implement their alternative to Three Waters to assist and ease the burden on ratepayers.
Oh that's right – they don't actually have one, it was all a ruse to get elected.
Just like their threats to electricity companies to take action over soaring power prices, they did nothing in the end, as I predicted.
What's the bet Luxon will fold on this, eventually?
For sure, once he's sold all his properties and raked in the untaxed profits!
Quelle surprise…
The definite anti-competetive nature of
ourAustralian owned banks..sucks. We need our own bank. Way past time for it to be a level playing field !Nope, no fuckery….
/
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:tfsefp5skxsk2s53jz55juv2/post/3l6ljanwo7x26
Seeing Jacinda receiving her award from Prince William brought back nostalgia for the time we had a PM who cared, who actually liked people even if they were not millionaires, who was always dignified (no embarrassing photographs in Christmas pyjamas). She had genuine empathy in difficult times. She never bragged and boasted or put people down. I could go on and on.
Yip labours response to a very real crisis(covid,housing) was to throw everything at keeping people employed ,alive and housed, nationals response to a supposed debt crisis is to sack people and kick them onto to the streets, while letting corrupt partners profit
Yes The simple divide between the left and the right.
Yet ACT won their seats on their "we are one people" rhetoric.
In reality ACT really meant "We are dump " people
We can only imagine how many more people would have died, how many jobs would have vanished , how many kids would have gone hungry, how many businesses would have folded if the NACTS had been in government then.
And the captain's call on CGT?
100%
Yes I could not imagine anyone calling PM Luxon dignified or empathetic.
Jimmy Carter just voted for Harris, after turning 100.
Total honourable legend.