Open mike 18/01/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, January 18th, 2022 - 236 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

236 comments on “Open mike 18/01/2022 ”

  1. I think the NZ government should declare a 5 year State of Emergency!

    It must be obvious to anyone with half a brain that BAU concerning the climate catastrophe will not be adequate. We face an existential threat and in the very near future, perhaps in only 3 or 4 years.

    A Government of National Emergency should be formed, a cross party coalition of all parties in the house. God knows, there must be some members of the Natz who are good at something. Even a use could be found for Seymour. Give this government ‘war-time’ powers.

    The borders must be closed; given a reasonable lead in time, say 6 months, all NZers who want to come home, should be encouraged to do so. After that – take your chances. Overseas travel must be suspended/terminated.

    Huge efforts should be made to make NZ as self-reliant as possible, and the people marshalled to that end. The tourism industry is dead; channel all the people in that industry into future-proofing this country as far as possible.

    Excess wealth should be confiscated and a UBI instituted to give everyone an equal stake in the success of a survival policy.

    The emphasis must be placed on producing here what has been imported, and cutting out the consumer crap. Vacant land within cities (and there are many such where I live in ChCh) should be turned into community gardens, so we eat well, even if we don’t have plastic napkins to eat it off.

    Omicron is only one of many ‘products’ from overseas we can do without. Sealing the border will stifle the spread of covid-19, and stop our landfills from overflowing.

    By declaring a state of emergency now the government will be pro-actively taking steps ‘in time’ to avert the catastrophe looming, not reacting too late in 3 or 4 years from now. It will also give the government the necessary powers to act quickly in response to any of the many climate emergencies in the next few years.

    One way/time or another, a state of emergency is coming.

    P.S. Of course I know there’s not a hope of any of the above happening, but it all, or most of it should.

    • Puckish Rogue 1.1

      Give this a name and it might catch on.

      Tony Veitchs Glorious 5 Year Plan sounds good I reckon

      • Ah, Pucky, take your head out of the sand and look around you. 1.5C is a temperature rise we cannot exceed and still live on this planet., and we're already on track for 2C.

        Climate change/catastrophe will impact the world in increasing ways in the next few years, and we, us poor humans, will be only reactive, too little, too late.

        Much better (though politically impossible) to front-foot any tragedy by being as prepared as we can, don't you think?

        And buying EVs will simply not be enough!

        So, what then?

        • Puckish Rogue 1.1.1.1

          Not a combination of communism and authoritarianism

          • kejo 1.1.1.1.2

            I think we,ll get to the stage where we are ready to try almost anything. [As long as its not practical. The powers that be are not those sort of people].

            • Puckish Rogue 1.1.1.1.2.1

              Communism never works, Socialism never works.

              • And Capitalism does, when BAU will lead us to climate catastrophe?

                Head . . . sand.

                • Puckish Rogue

                  Capitalism certainly works better than Communism and Socialism, with Capitalism as your base you can then afford socialist policies

                  Best of both worlds

                  • aom

                    Unlike capitalism, communism and socialism have a history of lifting people out of poverty under the most dire of circumstances. Pity they are such an easy target for the capitalists who mercilessly unleash their dubiously acquired capital and resources to undermine countries. Of course, you will be too enamored with wealth for wealth's sake to realize that once upon a time, NZ was recognized as a socialist state. That was back when people were housed, clothed, fed and educated by utilizing the various resources of the country. That was before greed became a religion

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      This is fantastic stuff, keep going. wink

                    • Jimmy

                      "Unlike capitalism, communism and socialism have a history of lifting people out of poverty" that's funnier than anything Guy Williams has ever said. You should do stand up comedy.

                    • aom []

                      Says someone who is either illiterate or wilfully believes in fairy dust eh Jimmy.

                  • Stuart Munro

                    Nonsense – socialism are your streets and public libraries – a society can stand quite a bit of that stuff. Education and health systems too.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Capitalism pays for Socialism

                    • KJT

                      Wrong way around.

                      Without State infrastructure, the rule of law, especially contract law, the protection of possessions, health and housing, and all the other "Socialist things" Capitalism wouldn't be workable.

                      Currently Capitalism is failing because capitalists have removed way more than their fair share of "other peoples, wealth production". Work!

                  • Stuart Munro

                    Capitalism pays for Socialism

                    Only until it corrupts the government – then it welshes on all its responsibilities.

              • mikesh

                Never say "never".

                • Puckish Rogue

                  Well when it finally does let me know

                  • mikesh

                    Cuba seems pretty viable, and would be even more so, were it not for US and other Western nations’ hostility.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      You want to live there be my guest.

                      Countries are allowed to trade with whoever they want, plenty of Communist and Socialist countries for Cuba to trade with.

                    • mikesh

                      Countries are allowed to trade with whoever they want, plenty of Communist and Socialist countries for Cuba to trade with

                      Just because Castro gave the corrupt, pro US, dictator, Batista, and his government the boot, that is no reason for vindictiveness on the part of the US.

    • Jenny how to get there 1.2

      Meantime, just like in the movie 'Don't Look Up' where they decided to mine the asteroid instead of deflecting it.

      New Zealand government invests $1.5 billion in financial support made available to Air New Zealand in mining the sky.

    • Blade 1.3

      ''Excess wealth should be confiscated and a UBI instituted to give everyone an equal stake in the success of a survival policy.''

      Not often you hear those sentiments stated so plainly. Nowadays the Left use weasel words and phrases to express such unpalatable truths.

      Thanks, Tony, for reminding me why I'm a Tory. Consistently stating the company line can make one forget why they are objecting to something in the first place.

      • Puckish Rogue 1.3.1

        Yes it is refreshing to hear someone clearly state their jealousy and envy

        • KJT 1.3.1.1

          Nothing to do with the fact that increasing unearned wealth and power, accumulating in few hands, and inequality of opportunity, destroy societies, as we can observe since the Romans, and probably before that.

          "Envy".

          Don't right wingers have any original memes?

          You've been using that one for over a century.

          • Puckish Rogue 1.3.1.1.1

            Cliches are cliches because they are true.

            • Blazer 1.3.1.1.1.1

              No they are the default of those too lazy to be objective.

              • Puckish Rogue

                Not lazy.

                Efficient. I don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

                • Blazer

                  You think Capitalism is efficient.

                  Do you know what it is….how it works and where we can find it?

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    Here you go:

                    https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/capitalism

                    capitalism

                    noun

                    An economic system in which a country's businesses and industry are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government

                    • Blazer

                      That's very narrow and does not address the reality of peoples lives.

                      Unless you think private business making profits is all there is that is worthwhile.

                      Your link describes socialism as-

                      'a set of political and economic theories based on the belief that everyone has an equal right to a share of a country's wealth and that the government should own and control the main industries'(my bold)

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      And?

                    • Blazer

                      and….try the …magic show!

                      The Federal Reserve released the names of the banks that had received $4.5 trillion” – that is trillion with a T – “in cumulative loans in the last quarter of 2019 under its emergency repo loan operations for a liquidity crisis that has yet to be credibly explained.”

                      Norton notes that among the large borrowers under the Fed’s repo loan facility in 2019 were JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup (it was their trading affiliates) and these were “three of the Wall Street banks that were at the center of the subprime and derivatives crisis in 2008 that brought down the U.S. economy.”

                      Norton then asks Hudson “why was the Fed giving trillions of dollars to these large Wall Street banks. And why was there a liquidity crisis? That’s unexplained. Why did the Fed refuse to release the names of these banks? And was there a financial crisis before COVID that the U.S. government later was able to blame on COVID, but it was actually a financial crisis in the making?”Wall St on Parade'

                      It's called a rigged game.

                      @$40 a second,it would take 792 years to spend a…$.trillion.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Thats the left wing, Democratic party for you

                    • Blazer

                      I see you have no idea of who was in power in the U.S in 2019.

                      Democrat or Republican is actually irrelevant when crony capitalism is the main act.

                    • Shades of George Orwell: 'four legs good, two legs bad.'

                      Sorry Phucky, you can't keep blaming the left (especially the American 'left'), for all the ills of the world.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      'Sorry Phucky, you can't keep blaming the left (especially the American 'left'), for all the ills of the world'

                      Considering that in the USA Hollywood, big tech, social media, msm, Wall Street are all left leaning then yes, yes I can and yes I will

                    • Sorry about the 'Phucky,' that was unworthy of me.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Don't worry about it, I'm a big boy.

                      I've been called worse things.

                    • Thanks. But, I imagine, you'd be the first to admit you can be an annoying little shit!

                    • mikesh

                      Capitalism:An economic system in which a country's businesses and industry are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government.

                      China's businesses and industries are largely "run for profit" by private owners these days. But as a certain Baron Rothschild once said, "If I can control the money system I care not who runs the government." The Chinese government controls China's money system, so I guess that's all it takes to be considered socialist.

                      Why can our government not nationalize our banks, then we too could be socialists.

                      On the whole, the Chinese economy seems to have been fairly successful in recent years.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      To Tony

                      I don't know what you're talking about

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQM8bUHOEuE

                    • Lol. Number 8 fits you to a T, Pucky.

                      Though, on reflection, No. 3 fits as well.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Pretty sure 8 and 3 apply to a lot of people on here laugh

            • KJT 1.3.1.1.1.2

              Keep telling yourself that.

              Mystery why those who haven't done well monetarily, still shill for the idle rich, however.

              That other cliche. "Turkey's voting for Christmas" springs to mind.

          • Blade 1.3.1.1.2

            How about ''Rich Pricks''?

        • Blazer 1.3.1.2

          When Bezos and Musk have more wealth than 40% of americans ….there is something rotten in the kingdom…of neo liberal…greed.

          • Puckish Rogue 1.3.1.2.1

            You can thank the Democrats for their lockdown policies for that, although its interesting Elon Musk is probably going to get people to Mars before Nasa does

        • Wrong, Pucky. I am decidedly middle class, mortgage free and owe not a penny to anyone. What have I got to be jealous or envious about?

          Let's talk about equity though. Let's talk about levelling the playing field so everyone has a chance to lead a good and fulfilling life in the possibly few years left to homo sapiens.

          Hence a UBI.

          • Puckish Rogue 1.3.1.3.1

            You can say what you like but you look at the wealthy and you think to yourself "if I'd chosen a different field of study that could have been me", "if I'd applied myself differently that could have been me", "I could have done that if I'd wanted to", "they don't do anything to earn that money", "they don't earn that money", "who wants to live like that anyway"

            • Yes, you're right, I occasionally had those aberrations of thought when I was young, but I'm not young anymore, and I can look at the glaring, obscene inequality in the world and be genuinely appalled!

              • Puckish Rogue

                Trust me on this.

                Let go of your envy and jealousy, it won't do you any good and it'll only make you appreciate less what you already have.

                The pie isn't finite, just because someone else is wealthy doesn't mean you, me or the person down the street can't be wealthy.

                If thats even a goal.

                • Blazer

                  Oh the aspirational con!

                  You can't have rich people without a whole lot of poor people.

                  Most wealth stems from control of capital creation, privatisation of public assets,inheritance , insider information and some luck.

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    I hope that one day, for your sake, you can overcome your defeatist attitude.

                    • Blazer

                      I hope for your sake, one day you can see through the indoctrinated drivel you champion and recognise…reality.

                • Jimmy

                  Remember the other saying "If socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be socialists".

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    Theres always a money tree at the bottom of the garden

                  • Blazer

                    Another stupid saying.

                    'economics exists so that economists can have..a job.'-paraphrase J.Galbraith.

                  • Stuart Munro

                    In fairness, that saying is really about economists. It should really read,

                    "If socialists believed the arrant nonsense and Chicago school drivel that has never worked anywhere, our job, lying to the punters, would be so much easier."

                  • mikeshRemember the other saying "If socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be socialists".

                    Remember the other saying "If socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be socialists".

                    If capitalists understood economics they would no doubt be better capitalists, and then maybe capitalism would become a worthwhile system. But in the meantime it's better we (ahem) "put up with" socialism.

                • The pie isn't finite

                  Unfortunately, the pie is finite. You can't have infinite growth on a finite planet.

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    Thats why we need more people like Elon Musk (visionaries) and less like the nay sayers

                    • KJT

                      The guy who plans to escape to Mars.

                      Leaving his mess behind.

                    • weka

                      and creating a new mess wherever he goes.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Its human nature to travel, if he can unlock the stars then good on him

                    • In Vino

                      Unlock the stars??

                      A bit optimistic there, PR. Mars is only the nearest planet. It has already been wrecked from what we can tell, and there is no chance of 'unlocking the stars' based only on our precariously making it to Mars.

                      Please don't let your wild imagination run away with you again. We saw enough of that with Judith C…

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      You are why we need people like Elon Musk

                      'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step'

                    • In Vino

                      This journey will scarcely make the first step, and will get nowhere.

                      Fool.

          • alwyn 1.3.1.3.2

            "What have I got to be jealous or envious about?".

            I don't know. Why are you?

          • Bearded Git 1.3.1.3.3

            The Right always make that pathetic "you are jealous" smear.

            • Stuart Munro 1.3.1.3.3.1

              We cannot expect them to do better – greed and ignorance can only take them so far.

            • Puckish Rogue 1.3.1.3.3.2

              Because its generally true, look at your average left wing spouting politician

        • mikesh 1.3.1.4

          "Jealosy and "envy" are merely states of mind. Practical necessities are different. These latter are what we are discussing here.

      • I'm proposing possible solutions to a crisis of existence, and, well, what are you proposing?

        Let's hear how the right will solve the looming climate catastrophe, apart from denying it exists.

        If you think that one or more 'states of emergency,' either local or ultimately national, aren't in our 'near' future, well, you haven't been paying attention.

        The richest people in the world doubled their wealth during the covid years – is that a solution to climate change?

        • Puckish Rogue 1.3.2.1

          'I'm proposing possible solutions to a crisis of existence, and, well, what are you proposing?'

          – I'm proposing we don't make the situation much, much worse

          'The richest people in the world doubled their wealth during the covid years – is that a solution to climate change?'

          – Ask the Democrats, they're the ones that implemented the policies.

          Probably a coincidence:

          https://www.npr.org/2021/09/21/1039313011/tiktokers-are-trading-stocks-by-watching-what-members-of-congress-do

          https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/5-nancy-pelosi-stocks-you-may-want-to-watch-in-2022

          • I'm proposing we don't make the situation much, much worse

            Ah, I see, BAU

            • Puckish Rogue 1.3.2.1.1.1

              Yes.

              Making something worse under the guise of 'at least doing something' isn't noble.

              • mikesh

                Making something worse under the guise of 'at least doing something' isn't noble.

                Worse for whom? You're saying that we should ensure that the 1% survive even if the rest of us don't.

                And nobility isn't really the point. Mostly you seem to be engaging in empty rhetoric.

                Reply

                • Puckish Rogue

                  Communism and Socialism is worse for everybody (except the 1% it favours)

                  • Blazer

                    Capitalism is good at exploiting other peoples labour and aquiring public assets on the cheap.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Communism is really good at good at exploiting other peoples labour and aquiring public assets on the cheap and killing their own people.

                    • mikesh

                      Capitalism is good at exploiting other peoples labour and aquiring public assets on the cheap.

                      Capitalism relies on the proposition that the owners of capital should rule the economy. A pretty dubious proposition really. If workers ruled the economy they would no doubt put in place a socialist system. Under such a system suppliers of capital would be appropriately rewarded, but that reward would not be unlimited.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Capitalism relies on trade.

                      You have something (money) I want, I'm willing to trade my time (work) for money.

                      I have something you want (goods and services), I'm willing to trade my goods and services for your money.

                      Do I believe in unfettered capitalism, nope, needs to be rules like anything else to make a level playing field.

                    • mikesh

                      Capitalism relies on trade.

                      So does socialism.

                  • Blazer

                    Please stop punching yourself in the….face.laugh

              • Einstein's (I think) definition of insanity is doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different result.

                BAU isn't going to cut it anymore, Pucky. We need a more radical approach.

                • Puckish Rogue

                  'Einstein's (I think) definition of insanity is doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different result.'

                  So like Communism and Socialism then?

                  BAU, BAU, BAU, BAU!

                  • I've racked my brains but I can't think of one country where 'communism' in its pure form is practised (and don't tell me Venezuela, American sanctions have stuffed that country) or socialism for that matter.

                    But I can think of many many countries where capitalism has fucked economies and impoverished the vast majority of people.

                    Though ‘impoverishment’ is a relative term.

                    • Herodotus

                      So why then have lifespans increased and peoples standard of living increased ??

                      and you comment on no examples of pure communism or socialism yet only comment on restricted capitalism/socialism ??

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      'I've racked my brains but I can't think of one country where 'communism' in its pure form is practised '

                      Communism will finally work this time when we finally implement it properly, BAU, BAU, BAU, BAU!

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztVMib1T4T4

                    • Blazer

                      @Herodotus…neither pure Communism or pure Capitalism exist.

                      Communist China is the pin up nation for standard of living improvement and increased lifespan,not to mention a real 'rockstar economy'.

                    • Herodotus []

                      Rockstar economy at what long term costs ?? I have read many examples of factory conditions that manufacture branded footware/clothing etc that would not be acceptable in 1st world countries, the increase in climate gases expelled, the plundering of our oceans to name a few. Sometimes we need to allow Father Time a little time to see the consequences. 😉

                    • Ad []

                      It's in pretty pure form in Russia, UK, US, and Kazakhstan. You can trace it one pipeline at a time.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Hi Blazer

                      https://www.bbc.com/news/56213271

                      'However, this success in bringing people out of abject poverty is not simply down to the government, he says.'

                      "Chinese people, by working extremely hard, lifted themselves out of poverty – in part because some of the stupidest economic policies ever created, by Chairman Mao, were abandoned in favour of versions of capitalism."

                  • Blazer

                    Your BBC link-

                    'however, by any measure China has made huge strides to lift millions out of the toughest standards of living over the last few decades.'

                    Regardless you will never get an objective assessment from Anglo-American media.

                    The biggest fear of Capitalism is people embracing successful socialism and if outright aggression fails,then sanctions are applied and targeted assassinations occur.

                    Capitalism relies on a select few creating Capital out of thin air and developing military capability to…enforce it.

                    40 million on foodstamps in the U.S.A…as for homelessness!

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Yes Blazer because:

                      "Chinese people, by working extremely hard, lifted themselves out of poverty – in part because some of the stupidest economic policies ever created, by Chairman Mao, were abandoned in favour of versions of capitalism."

                    • mikesh

                      I agree Mao's policies were pretty stupid, but perhaps we can learn from some of China's more recent policies, particularly with respect to banking.

    • Foreign waka 1.4

      I think that what you suggest is nothing short of a panicky. Even with all the effort NZ would try to stem global warming, 5 million people against the population of India and China …….? Sorry but that just makes me question what sort of idea is that? Not that we should not do anything but going into seclusion like a sect is just plain madness. If you really want to change things, start with giving effort and impetus against those who exploit people, modern slavery, mining of the African continent, deforestation of the South American Rainforest, cleaning up the sea from rubbish and debris that form whole islands. All of which influences climate. But to incarcerate 5 million people and expect from those who have worked and earned what they own to agree that their possessions are to be confiscated is truly authoritarian, in fact I would say an introduction to a police state mixed with sectarianism all rolled into one. Orwell's 1984:

      ‘ “One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.”’

      ‘ “The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed. Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed.”’

      Bravo.

  2. Maurice 2

    All EVs are imported … with the boarders closed => no EVs anyway!

  3. Blazer 3

    Business with covid can't be so…bad…the service sector screaming to import workers in hospo and unskilled work.

    Employers ‘desperate’ as shortfall of 10,000 workers hits productivity and profits | Stuff.co.nz

    • Janice 3.1

      I would like to find out how many people these companies calling for imported staff have trained up locals for themselves, or is that not cost effective when you can get someone overseas to do the messy bits. I remember the old ARC (ARA?) had their own bus drivers school and trained their own drivers, many of which then went on to drive trucks for private companies
      .

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 3.2

      Mostly a shortage of workers who are willing and able to work for the minimum wage. So actually a wages shortage, not a worker shortage.

      In my opinion, all imported workers should be paid a minimum of $35 / hour, so only if you can't find locals at this rate, are they allowed. Would prevent imported labour being used primarily to supress wages, which is the main function in NZ today.

      • Foreign waka 3.2.1

        This is s very good idea actually. It would mean an argument for foreign labor needs to be proven in fact. If this is about skills, than obviously NZ has a problem with training their own and if the skill needs to to be passed on than for any "import" of killed labor the employer has to get an apprentice on his/her side.

  4. weston 4

    Wierd scenes so theres a campaign on in the uk to punish the bbc for having a left wing bias amongst other things , eh ??wtf ? i was under the impression the bbc was actively engaged in defeating jeremy corban and bringing borris to power how on earth is that left wing ?

    • arkie 4.1

      Those on the right have a extremely laughable tendency to claim everything is left wing; our own PR demonstrated above:

      in the USA Hollywood, big tech, social media, msm, Wall Street are all left leaning

      Part of it is Truth-by-Repetition, and it’s has seemed to be pretty effective on some people.

  5. Peter 5

    Why I want to be rich: Reason #237:

    So I can spend millions taking the Government to court to prohibit all vaccinations to people. To protect them.

    I could opt myself out and my family out of having vaccinations, but hell, I want to opt everyone else out to protect them too. Call it a socialist tinge if you like.

    In between times I could go to my Freedom and Voice rallies and complain about the Government.

    One thing though, when I take the steps to do that I want my name to be out there, not suppressed like those in the current case before the courts. I want to be acknowledged for my genius knowing the accolades will flow. It's not that anyone would think that I'm a fuckwit with a used bottletop for a brain.

    • mikesh 5.1

      It's not that anyone would think that I'm a fuckwit with a used bottletop for a brain.

      Are you clairvoyant? How do you know what others might think? Nice metaphor though. Very appropriate.

    • Puckish Rogue 5.2

      Why I want to be rich: (but aren't likely to as I'm just too lazy to put the work in)

      So I can live in Central Otago (Bannockburn would be good, Lake Hawea on the water would suffice but Cromwell or Alexandra will have to do, Roxburgh at a pinch)

      So I don't have to go to work (ref: lazy)

      So I can drive around and see all the places I want to see

      So my home is modern, warm and comfortable

      Thats about it really…

      • Bearded Git 5.2.1

        About to take my boat for a sail on lake Wanaka Pukish….but I'm still a Corbynista through and through

        • Puckish Rogue 5.2.1.1

          Nobodies perfect wink

          • alwyn 5.2.1.1.1

            That is why John Eales, Australian Rugby player and oft-times captain from 1991 to 2001 was given the nickname of "Nobody".

            He certainly came as close as anyone has to deserving it.

        • Ad 5.2.1.2

          I'll wave from the frobt deck.

          • alwyn 5.2.1.2.1

            "the frobt deck"

            That'll be after the obligatory three hours of drinkies I suppose? We've all heard about the residents of Wanaka.

      • Ad 5.2.2

        Hawea is a hole other than January. Avoid.

        Bannockburn got make sure you've got an irrigation stream or other water right.

        Cromwell is surprisingly civil.

        • Puckish Rogue 5.2.2.1

          I like the location of Cromwell, its distance from other towns but I'd need to be on the water otherwise the attractiveness of Alex (on one of the hills looking down on people of course) is nudging it ahead for me

          Or Roxburgh if my financial plans don't work out quite as I expect…

          • alwyn 5.2.2.1.1

            "if my financial plans don't work out"

            Or Paremoremo if they work out like those of the Warden Norton in The Shawshank Redemption?

            No, perish the thought.

    • Foreign waka 5.3

      hmmmm…. some use their riches to get more and government is using the taxpayer money to facilitate….

      https://youtu.be/nYIJxoh7gqw

  6. Following on from TS discussion on Omicron yesterday this blog really is excellent in describing the best response to Omicron in NZ.

    https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/preparing-for-omicron-a-proactive-government-response-is-urgently-needed-to-minimise-harms/

    Among other things it supports delaying opening the border to non-MIQ travel and it supports urgently restricting the number of arrivals from countries suffering high Omicron outbreaks.

    This is very useful too.

    https://theconversation.com/ive-tested-positive-to-covid-what-should-i-do-now-174458

  7. woodart 7

    goodo. why waste yr leave time here, when you can waste yr employers time eh?

    [RL: Banned until 29/1. A particularly stupid example of self-martyrdom.]

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  8. Ad 8

    Why are commenters insisting on comparing Russia's invasion of Ukraine to China's threats against Taiwan?

    The Ukraise tension would disperse if:

    – Ukraine legislated that they will never be a member of NATO or the Russian defence treaty

    – Nordstrom II was accelerated to completion

    – Ukraine agreed to remove all nuclear missiles

    – Russia removed itself from Donbass

    Second part of the deal is:

    – NATO Withdraws it's new divisions from the Baltic states

    – Russia packs up and goes home.

    Result:

    Big wide neutral buffer state that keeps the gas flowing.

    No comparison to China at all.

    • Ad 8.1

      And now Russia are moving divisions for joint exercises with Belarus on the Ukraine border.

      Bet Finland and Sweden beg to join NATO formally.

      Biden and Blunken better figure out a solid deal, better than the current offer.

      • Stuart Munro 8.1.1

        They have apparently asked – though Finland has a longstanding finangle whereby Russia leaves them alone if they don't join Nato – most of the reason countries want to join Nato in the first place is to not get invaded by Russia.

    • RedLogix 8.2

      All good points.

      The core driver of this issue lies in two parts; the strategic desire of the Russian state to expand it's borders to a configuration that they are capable of defending. From their perspective there is a great deal of military merit in this.

      The second core driver is the desire of these 'buffer' state such as Belarus and Ukraine to determine their own political and defense alliances. In my book this latter consideration plays the trump card. Like Taiwan the people, who probably understand the choices better than we do, have chosen to turn away from authoritarian dictatorships. A choice between Russia and the EU is not a hard decision.

      Long term the solution has to be to persuade the Russians that history does not have to repeat itself endlessly, and that they have far more to gain by becoming truly part of Europe as they always should have been. There is a great deal to like about the Russian people and culture, and their pariah status for over a century has been nothing but a tragedy for both sides.

      • Ad 8.2.1

        I'd certainly prefer well-priced petro diplomacy to this militarized bullshit.

        The key fund managers, petro-diplomats and ready-response Russian crew certainly managed the Kazakhstan intergenerational handover very neatly indeed.

        • RedLogix 8.2.1.1

          Well the Russians were highly motivated to get in and out of Kazahkstan as fast as possible – there is no way they could sustain active military engagement on three fronts simultaneously. (The third being the slow burner in Georgia)

          • Blazer 8.2.1.1.1

            Can't see any reason why they can't handle that and more.

            These areas of concern are on their own border.

            As for the U.S and its 800+ bases globally,they ferment tension in multiple spheres.

            • In Vino 8.2.1.1.1.1

              I remember very well that before and during the Russian Missiles in Cuba Crisis we here were NEVER informed that it was the USA which had provoked it all by planting nuclear warhead missiles in Turkey, right next to Russia, and it was admitted only some years later that the USA had got Russia to withdraw its missiles from Cuba by agreeing to withdraw its own missiles from Turkey.

              Gorbachev was given verbal guarantees that NATO would not expand Eastwards.

              Anything here that experts like RedLogix might be quietly not mentioning?

      • mikesh 8.2.2

        Long term the solution has to be to persuade the Russians that history does not have to repeat itself endlessly, and that they have far more to gain by becoming truly part of Europe as they always should have been.

        Putin, I think, would agree with that. I don't think he wants to conquer other states, (except the Ukraine, which seems eager to join NATO). Russia's stance has always seemed defensive.

        • RedLogix 8.2.2.1

          I don't think he wants to conquer other states,

          At the moment their borders lie on open plains they lack the manpower to defend. Last I looked the Ukrainian border is not all that far from Moscow so you can understand the Russian anxieties being provoked here. The Kremlin wants to expand it's military borders up to defendable geographic features like the Carpathian Mountains. So yes this does involve some conquering.

          Put simply the Ukrainian people don't want to be under Putin's thumb, and the only way they can ensure their own security is to become part of NATO – as do the Finns and Swedes.

          There really are only two sides to root for here – the authoritarian state or the democratic one. Neither are any kind of moral utopia but you get to pick one.

        • Stuart Munro 8.2.2.2

          I don't think he wants to conquer other states,

          Georgia and Chechnya might beg to differ.

    • joe90 8.3

      – Ukraine agreed to remove all nuclear missiles

      They did, in 1994, for assurances that Russia would refrain from threatening or using force against Ukraine’s territorial independence.

      https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-trilateral-process-the-united-states-ukraine-russia-and-nuclear-weapons/

  9. Blade 9

    TV news last night, when covering child vaccinations, said there had only been a few hickups.

    Talkback told a different story – from people with appointments told to get in line and wait their turn…to chemist shops knowing nothing about childhood vaccinations.

    My, the difference between filtered news and raw news from the man in the street. Thanks talkback.

    When the hell is Mikey and Heather getting back? We need some decent commentary.

    • Blazer 9.1

      '

      When the hell is Mikey and Heather getting back? We need some decent commentary.'

      that's really …blunt….blade.

      Mikey is off to Oz soon…and Heather Depressing-Allen is having a pregnant…pause.

      • Blade 9.1.1

        Whaaat? Are you angry because I used ''getting back'' instead of ''coming back?''

        You have had a hard day. Time to knock off and recharge your batteries.

        This will stir the cockles of you dark socialist heart. I have to admit it nearly had me standing to attention. Riveting stuff.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTarc1si2fQ

      • In Vino 9.1.2

        Blunt Blade – I think that the inference you should have made is that you have no idea of what 'decent commentary' is.

        A good call, to my mind.

  10. observer 11

    If anyone is still in any doubt who the real fearmongers are …

    They spread lies on social media, and it's not for "freedom".

    Making up stories to scare the kids. No tactic is too low for the anti-vax mob.

  11. Koff 12

    74 deaths so far today in 3 Australian states. Daily case numbers, despite the imprecise accounting method, do seem to have peaked or flattened off, but hospitalisation pressure, ICU rates and deaths still increasing. Glad to know that the current outbreak here is so mild (sarc).

    • Ad 12.1

      How many fatal car crashes on the same day?

      • The Unliving 12.1.1

        From https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/road_deaths_australia_monthly_bulletins (nifty Power BI dashboard here) it states that there have been 1127 road crash deaths in the last 12 months in Australia.

        So around 3/day.

        Edit: innumeracy corrected.

        • Koff 12.1.1.1

          1126*/365 = 3/day, so today's Covid deaths represented 25 times that figure. What would Australia's car crash rate (or anywhere for that matter) be like without mandatory speed limits, seat belts, roadworthiness/WOF checks etc. etc.?
          *https://www.roadsafety.gov.au/performance/road-deaths-road-user

          • Poission 12.1.1.1.1

            Comparative risk by age,suggests covid IFR are worse across all age groups then accidents or vehicle fatalities.

            https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10654-020-00698-1/tables/3

          • The Unliving 12.1.1.1.2

            Good spotting – corrected.

            Probably much worse, I would imagine. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_Australia_by_year we can see road fatalities peaked in 1970 with 3798, a rate of 30.4 fatalities/100,000 people and 80/100,000 cars. The fatality rate had dropped to 4.6/100,000 people by 2018.

          • mauī 12.1.1.1.3

            The car deaths rate is always going to be inflated if you count road fatalities as anyone who has died and received a positive test for driving their car in the previous 48 hours.

            • McFlock 12.1.1.1.3.1

              but then if someone did the analysis on them and figured out that, say, 95% of people who died within 48hours of driving a car did in fact die as the result of a vehicle crash, the numbers would barely be inflated at all.

              Lucky PHE did that work on covid 18 months ago. So no, covid death public health counts are not significantly inflated.

              • mauī

                Isn't that PHE document saying that a covid death is counted when the person had a positive covid test within a certain time frame?

                • McFlock

                  No, it's the PHE document comparing that methodology against a labour-intensive audit of individual death certificates, and finding that the sensitivity and specificity of the more efficient methodology is still in excess of 95% when that timeframe is at or under 28 days. Thus meaning that the "with not from" discussion was complete bollocks, and anyone who used it was out of their depth in the subject area.

                  Happy to be of assistance.

        • Ad 12.1.1.2

          Appreciated.

          I'm operating off a mobile.

          They're a long way from BAU.

    • RedLogix 12.2

      It's got a way to go to catch up to seasonal influenza then.

      A study using mathematical modelling estimated that there are more than 3000 deaths and more than 13,500 hospitalisations due to influenza per year among Australians aged >50 years.

      Again mild compared to what?

      I do realise COVID should not be ignored. Here in Brisbane it's all around us, and it's almost inevitable we're going to be exposed.

      Perhaps most concerning of all is that with the 'only the vaccines can save us' messaging taking precedence over everything – it seems a lot of basic early treatment and case management principles have not been properly conveyed to the public. Here's the experience of a health journalist who seems to have copped a nasty dose, although given the dates involved it was probably the Delta variant.

      • Koff 12.2.1

        74 deaths in a single day is equivalent to 27,000 deaths from Covid-19 a year (365 x 74). That's 9 times the influenza rate you just quoted. There is no way of knowing what the current fatality rate would have been without vaccination at all, but probably a lot higher.

        • Fireblade 12.2.1.1

          All this influenza and car crash fear porn has to stop.

        • RedLogix 12.2.1.2

          But as you point out in your own comment, NSW Omicron case numbers have already peaked and the serious illness and deaths will likely do much the same in a week or two. It's extremely unlikely that NSW will continue to have 70+ deaths per day for the rest of this year.

          Indeed it's not unreasonable to think Omicron will wind up an endemic illness that is comparable to seasonal influenza.

          On that basis will the vaccine passports and travel restrictions make any sense?

  12. GreenBus 13

    observer
    In my view these anti-vax protesters are the true "Deplorables". Far worse than the Gangs and lower down the picking order than a drunk pissing in a doorway at lunchtime. Far worse.

    Scarring mum and the kids? Just absolute cowards and oxygen thieves.

    We've had these scum in New Plymouth as well, a few months back. I wish I was there

    at the time so I could make them pay for deplorable behaviour. Scumbags.

    • Ad 13.1

      Also NZ citizens who have broken no law.

      You replicate the same bile as any beneficiary basher.

      • GreenBus 13.1.1

        No Ad that is bullshit. These idiots are intimidating people, scaring kids and refusing to leave vaccination vans (NP) and getting aggressive. That's assault and should be dealt with by Police and or public involvement as necessary.

        • RedLogix 13.1.1.1

          I wish I was there at the time so I could make them pay for deplorable behaviour.

          Right there – the madness of mobs. Out in the open and condoned by a large fraction of the population.

          Two years ago we were 'all in this together'. Now you want to actively make some of your fellow citizens who have done you no harm whatsoever, to 'pay' in order to satisfy your sadistic urges.

          Time to snap out of the trance Greenbus – before you do something you will be eternally shamed for.

          • pat 13.1.1.1.1

            The madness of mobs?…. its what humans do, sometimes it detrimental others its beneficial.

            I guess it depends on whether you are within or without.

            Oddly enough your comment made me reflect on democracy….that other madness of mobs.

            • RedLogix 13.1.1.1.1.1

              Democracy is about voting to hold our political institutions to account. Mob violence is something quite different. I would post an example pic of each if I thought it would help people spot the difference.

              • pat

                Violence?….we have a group protesting, some individuals behaving badly and a majority complying….sounds like another day at the office.

                But I guess you could portray it as something else if it didnt support your view of how the world should be.

                Within, without.

    • Foreign waka 13.2

      Worse than gangs? Really? Why not move next door to gang members, it must be a lot less dangerous than moving next to an unvaccinated person.

      Please note:

      Vaccinated people are NOT immunised in a similar fashion like being inoculated with the MMR vaccine but if infected with COVID-19 the sickness is very much controllable without hospitalization. A vaccinated person can however pass on the virus.

      Unvaccinated people on the other hand can get infected by anyone, their sickness displays in the form of anything from asymptomatic to intensive care unit need.

      So, the unvaccinated person is therefore the one in real danger not the vaccinated one.

      The Pfizer vaccine has not yet been fully approved by the FDA or any other organization. In fact studies are under way for some time now and include the vaccinated.

      https://covid.immune.org.nz/news-insights/provisional-approval-pfizer-vaccine-extended

      https://www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-reports/news/new-study-into-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-to-provide-unique-nz-data/

      This is not to say that the vaccine is not effective, only that we have to look at all facts. We certainly need to avoid to get in a state of irrational panic and just do away with human rights and the democratic right to decide ones own fate. It is not unlawful to forgo being vaccinated.

      • observer 13.2.1

        Unvaccinated is not a synonym for anti-vax protesters, whose behaviour is the subject here.

        See the link in #11 above.

        There are many more examples, alas.

        e.g.

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-parents-shocked-by-anti-vaccine-protesters/WFFZVRVKS22UEFB4YSDYMYIQEQ/

        • Anne 13.2.1.1

          How low can you go:

          https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/01/covid-19-ministry-of-health-denies-viral-claim-children-collapsed-at-north-shore-vaccination-centre.html

          Spreading rumours of children collapsing at a North Shore vaccination venue. And the ex RNZ presenter, Liz Gunn is one of them.

          • felix 13.2.1.1.1

            One of "them"

          • higherstandard 13.2.1.1.2

            There were a number of kids that fainted at the said venue yesterday – this is hardly surprising.

            Stinking hot weather, plus injection, plus young kids, plus queues is a recipe for fainting regardless of the vaccination – I'm surprised there wasn't more.

        • Foreign waka 13.2.1.2

          I hope this war of words will soon stop. Statements like these that gangs are far less dangerous then old ladies with placard are just plain wrong. Its like the witch hunt of the 16th century, an enemy has been created and now we hunt it down! No mercy. Is NZ really so unsophisticated that different views and expressions cannot be accepted? Gangs who peddling drugs, someone is shot we hear at least once a week and children are still murdered in record numbers. Priorities?

          True, that old lady should not approach the car but honestly, if that would have been a gang member the danger would have been infinitely greater.

          • Puckish Rogue 13.2.1.2.1

            You're not wrong

          • observer 13.2.1.2.2

            an enemy has been created and now we hunt it down

            And yet you cannot give any examples of "hunting down" because nobody is going out looking for those witches.

            Whereas the anti-vaxers know exactly where to "hunt down" their witches. The vaccination centres.

            Leave people alone. Why can't the protesters do that? Who is stopping them from behaving like reasonable human beings?

            • RedLogix 13.2.1.2.2.1

              Who is stopping them from behaving like reasonable human beings?

              Maybe if the govt had not unreasonably imposed coercive vaccine mandates?

            • felix 13.2.1.2.2.2

              "And yet you cannot give any examples of "hunting down" because nobody is going out looking for those witches."

              But in this very thread, a couple of comments above yours:

              "I wish I was there at the time so I could make them pay for deplorable behaviour."

            • Foreign waka 13.2.1.2.2.3

              I think if you read some of these contributions you get the gist of it. It is prevalent not just in NZ but world wide. So disturbing that humanity has mentally not moved and learned over the decades. How often do we have to repeat this cycle.

    • Puckish Rogue 13.3

      'Far worse than the Gangs and lower down the picking order than a drunk pissing in a doorway at lunchtime. Far worse.'

      If you think they're worse then you've had a pretty good life

  13. arkie 14

    17 January was Martin Luther King Jr Day. It's a timely reminder to some about the radical words of MLK:

    We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifice. The fact is that capitalism was built on the exploitation and suffering of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor – both black and white, both here and abroad.

    The Three Evils of Society, 1967

    Further reading in this Intercept article from 2016.

    • swordfish 14.1

      .

      And the deeply reductionist Critical Race Theory was a very conscious repudiation of King's liberal-democratic / universalist / colour-blind philosophy.

      MLK championed poorer Whites … bloated, upper-middle Wokedom viciously scapegoats them.

      • Puckish Rogue 14.1.1

        MLK Jr would be cancelled if he were around today

      • joe90 14.1.2

        / universalist / colour-blind philosophy.

        The notion that King didn't want special treatment for Black people or that he didn't want the history of systemic racism taught in the US is absurd.

        The white liberal must affirm that absolute justice for the Negro simply means, in the Aristotelian sense, that the Negro must have “his due.” There is nothing abstract about this. It is as concrete as having a good job, a good education, a decent house and a share of power. It is, however, important to understand that giving a man his due may often mean giving him special treatment. I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many liberals, since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits. But this is a day which demands new thinking and the reevaluation of old concepts. A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, in order to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis.

        Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

      • arkie 14.1.3

        On the contrary, MLK was no liberal, he was a socialist, with strong words for the liberal establishment then and today.

        First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season."

        Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

        The ideas of the man have been so sanitised that the FBI called him 'the most dangerous man in America' and today:

        https://twitter.com/FBI/status/1483076938403139588

  14. rod 15

    I want a job like Pucky, he spends much of the day every at day The Standard, He must have a great right wing boss to let him get away with it. cheeky

    • Puckish Rogue 15.1

      I'm a government worker and I never, and I mean never, post on here at work.

      Its always from home or on my phone (which I dislike using for posting so I limit that as much as I can)

      • observer 15.1.1

        Having checked the data from the vaccine tracker, I can confirm that PR's comment is mostly true.

      • rod 15.1.2

        So Pucky don't you go to work every day?wink

        • Puckish Rogue 15.1.2.1

          12 hours shifts mean we have a lot more time off plus management are always on your case about having too much annual leave so they want you to take leave

          With a little planning 24hours used can get you nine days off in a row (48 can give you 13 days) but usually 24hours should get you something like 6-7 days off

          I'm back to work on Monday and I'll bet I'll have another email about taking some more time off plus I've got two stat days that're over a year old so they'll have to be used

          Good times

          • McFlock 15.1.2.1.1

            fucking hated long shifts back in the day.

            But one former colleague did take a three month holiday from work and jiggled it around the rosters, time off in leiu, and stat hols so that they only used a few weeks actual leave, lol

            • Puckish Rogue 15.1.2.1.1.1

              When you work for the government you've got to make it work for you.

              The good thing for your friend is when they came back to work they would have had approximately a weeks worth of holiday pay banked up

              Good times smiley

  15. Anker 16
    • Puckish Rogue, good on you. You are doing a hands on mightily important job. I hope you are well remunerated for it
  16. Blade 17

    Good to see a commentator who understands what's happening in Aotearoa. Along with Michael Bassett, these lefties are on the ball.

    https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-choice.html

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    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
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    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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