Assuming that is a genuine question, I am shocked you even have to ask it. Have you looked at the list of contributors? They only represent some of the very best brains in the country.
Would you buy a car or a house from an unknown seller without enquiring first about their reputation and track record? Would you simply rely on online reviews from sources that you don’t know anything about? Or would you do a bit of research aka fact-checking and apply sound judgment to make well-informed decisions?
The expected standard on The Standard is that commenters contribute to robust informed debate by making sound arguments founded on reality and presenting their reliable trustworthy information sources with links. This helps build a culture and community of trust and respect.
SUVs no longer unaffordable for those desperately troubled Groundswell gentlemen?
I may have misunderstood a recent advertising campaign but it would appear that the Triton (Mitsubishi) is being offered with the surcharge being paid for them by MMC. Now they might be able to buy another GPS-controlled-air conditioned-cab-tractor for exclusive use on demonstrations.
Mitisbushi have had to be very proactive to sell the Triton in Aotearoa. Reality is they're not that good compared to a Hilux or Ranger, very much built down to a price.
In my circle they are referred to as an Itsbitsy Tighton.
Nearly double the Clean Car rebates ($203.3 million) have been paid for EVs and low emission vehicles compared with about $105.1m in fees collected for importing polluting vehicles.
….The Motor Industry Association (MIA) reported the surge in electrified vehicle sales for last year and December 2022, saying such registrations increased 77%.
The rebate scheme is affirming what people want in the market and looks like the market is responding.
I'm also hearing people say they are putting of buying a new ute until hybrids or BEVs come out later this year or early next. Unfortunately the decision is being driven by running cost and business image, rather than pure environmental thinking, but result is same.
In fact both sides are just increasing anxiety and hate in voters. Cars are a tool for freedom for many people. People live in their cars/vans/rvs for heavens sake.
But then in the end neither side actually has anything meaningful to offer to those that need cars.
I mean here in NZ we are giving money to quite rich people to buy cars they can afford on their own, but we are not subsidizing a single EV bike, or better even an EV – Cargo bike. Nah, you environmental considerate person, go buy your own toys you lazy bludgers.
Its all just a constant ramping up of crappy feelings that both sides guilty of.
Neither one of them is courageous to admit that private transport will be phased out, will be a privilege for a very few, generally connected people with the correct credentials, whilst the rest can take a hike. No pun intended.
Neither one of the whole lot irrespective their house colors is courageous to admit that their tinkering on the edges has done nothing but frayed the edges, caused rips in the fabric and sadly we never created enough public transport to remove the need for private transport already years ago. And here we go, let us bamboozle you with meaningless drivel so that you can hype up the comrades.
Never mind, that the banning/phasing out of private transport is what is being implemented but as always it is sadly to late.
A box on both of their houses. May their buses be late, their trains broken down and their flights cancelled.
That sounds good. I used to bus daily and it was hit and miss in 2010 – 2015 but if a bus were late it usually was several due to road mayhem elsewhere.
Ditto upper Queenstreet. Love the Onehunga Depot though. That was well done.
Getting more free dental care is like pulling teeth. It seems a no-brainer but one with a huge price tag, allegedly. Let’s see if National and/or ACT will sink their teeth into this. My guess is that apart from the usual hollow meaningless National SM flutters they won’t.
Thats a frankly absurd way to discuss dental care. The cost is completely irrelevant to the question.
Probably there are some serious questions, such as would dentists want to work for a nationalised service, how would treatment costs be allocated and would it be worth the restructuring process in results. That would be worth discussing.
I also expect changing from price rationing to need rationing would immediately demonstrate shortages of dentists.
No need to waste much time & energy on this as it is not top-priority. Government is clearing the desk for the policies that they will want to push through this year and an extension of free dental care ain’t one of those. If any other Party wants to campaign for/on it they’ll need to do the work and the onus is on them to sell it to the people aka voters. It is sensible politics in an election year, IMO.
The problem is lack of dentists and providing free service to those privileged enough to afford care now (and being in areas where they are available) is clearly not a priority.
There are not enough for free care to those under 18's (and problems getting services to isolated areas – mobile vehicles being one lack atm)***.
These are already in play
free toothbrushes and toothpaste in schools***
fluoride in water (for mine to 0.5)***
heath education/healthy food in schools
There has been the increase in subsidy for private dentist treatment (via Work and Income) from $300 to $1000 (improves chances to get a job/be work able).
I would add that examination for tooth removal at hospitals is free for those with CSC, and they also do the removal. Those not eligible such as those in work have been pulling their own teeth out.
There should be an extension of the free tooth removal to those on low incomes or otherwise a subsidy for such private dentist work.
The next need is a subsidy for an annual check for those with CSC and low income parents.
It is a known fact that poor dental care impacts on health – infections can lead to heart problems and thus cost to the health system.
Free dental 'care' means different things to different people. To someone on a benefit or minimum wage it means getting a tooth ache fixed so they can do more than just exist. To a retiree it's getting properly fitting dentures or implants so they can eat and converse to have a life. To someone entering the workforce at a mid to upper level it's getting your teeth straightened so you look acceptable and can get a good job. to an up and coming manager or sales professional it getting the perfect smile to really look the part. The industry is geared about leading customers to the expensive options.
The cost of those services goes from a couple of hundred up into high tens of thousands + so setting the stage for some really intense boundary issues.
I'm not sure how well the free treatment for under 18 works for people who haven't a hope of ever affording more cosmetic dental work. The places are set up to be comfortable to people who can afford extensive treatments and are quite intimidating if you can't. I think we lost a lot when the School Dental Service was shut down, that should have been broadened to be a multi disciplinary school health service in all schools. But I'm biased, Mum worked at the murder house.
There used to be dental services through some of the DHBs at hospital level, but that was really for people who were in a very bad way and beyond a local anaesthetic.
Probably the best option would be to make the dentist a primary healthcare provider and fund them like GPs, with similar treatment pathways to public or private services at different levels and funding sources.
Right now though we're seeing people who are stuffed because they can't get, or afford dental care. Something's not working.
What is Newsroom doing? Is it becoming the media-friendly face for Government announcements? Where is the critical analysis?
Anywho:
The policy work has been coming thick and fast, the Emissions Reduction Plan, Reshaping Streets, the clean car discount and the transport choices package to name a few.
Major projects to get people out of their cars are also expected to make progress in 2023, including Auckland light rail and the long-awaited Let’s Get Wellington Moving plan.
“We want to get on with early works for Auckland light rail next year, get a decision made on the preferred option for the alternative crossing, …
On dental care I have been under the impression for at least 50 years that the handbrake, in fact the full emergency stop, has been down to dentists. In the late 40s or early50s I think it was when theGovt of the day dragged doctors kicking and screaming into subsidised care the dentists held out. That’s why dental care is so bloody expensive, the dentists did not want the government determining the fee structure.
No business confidence is down because the people that shop, that need doctors/dentists/carfixed/houses bought/sold etc are telling everyone that they don't earn enough, their costs are through the roof, they are wondering if they can afford to still rent/pay the mortgage in a month times.
Business confidence is down because despite the 'low unemployment' it seems everyone needs either an emergency grant or a food parcel or ends up in emergency housing for lack of affordable rentals.
Business confidence is down because you can't get ingredients, tools, materials etc and what ever you can get is getting more expensive by the day, costs that will be rolled over into the end price of said product that people eventually can't afford anymore and thus will go without it.
Business confidence is down because you have two main parties that are seemingly out of touch with the reality that businesses are dealing with and well that does not bode well for the future.
Business confidence is down because you have a major war in Europe which most likely will spill over and escalate, and a whole lot of other quibbles that could seriously disrupt the world wide trading and dealings.
And 21.20 per week on a 30+ hour is not a lot before tax when your median rent is 580 NZD per week, your gorceries have gone up 10+%, never mind electricity and all the other jazz. And that too is something that businesses know, and they also know that you can not have enough increases in min wage to make up the lack of regulations in the rental market, food market, energy market. So even if you put the min wage to 50 per hour you would still not make enough for hte median wage of 1250 per week.
For men, the unemployment rate was 2.9 percent, compared with 3.1 percent last quarter.
For women, the unemployment rate was 3.8 percent, compared with 3.6 percent last quarter.
and then of course what is employed vs unemployed
So, if you tell Stats NZ you are unemployed, are you counted in the statistics?
No, it’s not quite that straightforward.
To be counted as unemployed in the survey, people must not have a part-time job, even if it is only for one hour a week.
They must also be available for work in the week in question and have actively sought work during the four weeks preceding the interview, or else be just about to start work.
Someone on a Jobseeker allowance who hadn’t been looking for work because they were undertaking training might not be counted, for example.
underemployement:
In the September quarter, there were 98,000 people Stats NZ described as ‘unemployed’, 97,000 defined as underemployed, and 84,000 who were classed as potential jobseekers, so they are all pretty large groups worth worrying about.
Together, they put the underutilisation rate at 9.2 per cent.
So no, we don't have a booming economy. We might have a few sectors that are 'booming' if you count banks making record profits on increasing interest rates as booming for example, but does that actually help the overall economy? And does it make for a good economic outlook? No, no it does not.
This year will be tough as there are many people due to come to the end of their mortgage fixed interest period and will likely face interest increases from around 3% to +6%. So people will have less money to spend in the economy. Also, rental interest deductibility on private rentals is reducing from 75% to only 50% being able to be claimed as a tax deduction (from 1April 2023). I will be increasing the rent on my property to cover this. Tenant has been there for more than 15 years and is totally understanding about it.
As long as you could deduct the interest paid on a loan to buy the property from your taxable income you got as rent it would make very good sense to have a mortgage. Indeed you would be best off by never paying it off.
You might get a little worried if you were unable to rent the property out and you were as highly geared as that implies of course.
I have had my mortgage for 41 years, For about 30 of them, it had a zero balance. I did not discharge it so it just sat there until I wanted to borrow some more $$$$ about 5 years ago.
Bit of a downside of using monetary policy, rather than fiscal policy, to moderate demand. Even after deciding the OCR needs to go back it will be up to ~5 years before the prior decisions stop having impact. This generates a real risk of the RBNZ having ongoing, unwanted impacts and unnecessary overtightening.
The Government's tax haul has topped $100b, powered by a lift in corporate profits, wage growth and low unemployment.
Tax revenue of $107.9b was up from $97.4 billion in 2021 and is one of the reasons the yearly deficit was far below what was projected in May.
The … Financial Statements of the Government .. a breakdown of the country's financial books – how much revenue the Government received, how much was spent and if that means a deficit or surplus.
No one expected a surplus as the Government's had to channel a significant amount of money into COVID-19 spending. But the final result still ended up much better than expected. In May, at the Budget, a $19b deficit was forecast, but Wednesday's figure was a $9.7b deficit – nearly $10b better than expected.
Treasury said $3.3b of this increase was down to wage increase and growth in employment. There's currently near-record unemployment at 3.3 percent, while StatsNZ said in August that wage inflation jumped 3.4 percent in the June quarter. Though that's below annual inflation of 7.3 percent.
There's also been a whopping 26.2 percent increase in corporate tax revenue. The $4.1b jump was "mainly owning to growth in taxable profits".
"What I would say though is anybody thinking about significant changes to the tax system needs to be able to make it add up. There is still a job of work to do here to make sure we bring debt down to more sustainable levels and continue to invest."
There is another way to understand these budget forecast errors.
The deficit (surplus) in the budget is associated with an acceptable inflation forecast. When the deficit is over-estimated (as happens frequently) that says the forecast error amount in public spending was left on the table within budgeted inflation forecasts.
Yeah but I've talked to self employed guys in various building related businesses, not builders, that have nothing large coming there way from mid year sounds like that's when it's going hit
There's the other side to that with clients stepping back from the market until things settle down a bit. Heck, six months work ahead of you in construction is normally good times.
Actually a 'normal' state for most builders in normal trading conditions.
Once the forward work gets out to 12 months prices start going silly and clients start dropping out of the market.
The last three years have been exceptional for the building industry, probably the best ever for the work that's out there. It's good to see it moving back to some sanity.
Judges need to actually impose a sentence that keeps people like this who constantly re-offend off the street to keep the public safe. Three months community detention……what a joke. He's probably already driving again!
Lets hope they actually get around to installing the alcohol interlock although that doesn't stop him jumping into another vehicle.
The current deterrents are obviously not working. And from the article:
"although he was attending counselling, Judge Krebs described his cavalier attitude of having a beer before his sessions as “counterproductive”."
I would hate to be driving (or riding my bike) on the same road. The judge did say it warranted a prison sentence.
Perhaps while in jail (I would suggest three to four months in jail) attending compulsory alcohol counselling where hopefully he cannot drink beforehand may make a difference. The interlocking device although not foolproof should be compulsory after jail IMO.
Three months’ community detention, with a 7pm to 7am curfew, and 18 months’ intensive supervision plus a zero alcohol licence for the next three years after 12 months of having the interlock in his car: tick
Being in a positive relationship and a pro-social family environment for the first time: tick
Jail time: no tick
A very considered and bold sentence by Judge Jonathan, IMO. Judge Jimmy still has a lot to learn.
"Three months’ community detention, with a 7pm to 7am curfew, and 18 months’ intensive supervision plus a zero alcohol licence for the next three years after 12 months of having the interlock in his car: tick"
This wouldn't get the tick from judge Jimmy as we all know the intensive supervision would not be possible we do not have the resources, and he will coming and going as he pleases with an occasional check to see if he is sticking to the rules (of which he hasn't previously). Even the terrorist bloke who stabbed people in Countdown Lynn Mall had constant supervision.
Be interesting to see if he gets caught again driving in several months time and we have the same debate.
The PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel said in 2020 that crypto was one of two poles of technological conflict, the other being artificial intelligence. AI could “theoretically make it possible to centrally control an entire economy” while crypto “holds out the prospect of a decentralised and individualised world”. He concluded that AI is communist and crypto is libertarian; it was unnecessary to add which of those he thought was better.
[…]
I think Thiel is right: crypto is the ultimate technology of libertarianism, the final frontier of discovery. He just missed the second footfall, which is that, through crypto, we will discover that libertarianism is bullshit.
Well…you'd need a LOT of something, to hide the shit taste …
But yea a creepy scumbag for sure. Back in time he might have been a Count..(Count, I say : ) in a castle on the lurk for "wirgen blood"…
But apparently..Now…he is NOT a vampire
Speaking at the New York Times Dealbook conference Mr Thiel said: "I want to publicly tell you that I'm not a vampire. On the record, I am not a vampire."
What’s the dirty politics going on in the National Party in Tukituki?
”Allegations of “dirty politics” have emerged from a National Party candidate selection, with one would-be MP claiming “concocted fabrications” and “half-truths” surround his bid for Parliament.”
Tenants starting to see some justice after 2000 years. In this case a win for wrongful eviction. That's nice but what is better is the Tenancy Tribunal is finally slamming slumlords with (slightly) better fines and reparations. Said landlord had to pay the tenant $2000 for two years of illegal dealings. But that's just $20/week fine over the length of tenancy. Still a long way to go before amateur landlordism is crushed for good.
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This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
What is climate denial?
Much of the stuff out there is discussion on how best to deal with climate change – it seems to me.
We most certainly cannot have a Static Climate for it is certain changes have been continuously occurring over millions of years.
Surely a policy of least present damage for least future damage has some attraction?
I am trying not to ask questions that are too difficult to answer and hope that open communication can get to the best answer – for us all.
[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.]
You've put your finger on it – the current rate of change is 'unnatural'.
For the purposes of commenting under my posts, here is what I consider climate denial,
I also take a dim view of arguments along the lines of 'there's nothing we can do' or 'it's too late.
Is this a good place to get information from?
https://theconversation.com/nz/topics/climate-explained-74664
Assuming that is a genuine question, I am shocked you even have to ask it. Have you looked at the list of contributors? They only represent some of the very best brains in the country.
Or are you one of those science deniers.
why are you asking me that?
FOMO (Fear Of Moderator Ostracism)
Consulting the Oracle
The one source of truth?
ROFL Incognito!
thanks for clarifying where you stand, this makes things easier.
Would you buy a car or a house from an unknown seller without enquiring first about their reputation and track record? Would you simply rely on online reviews from sources that you don’t know anything about? Or would you do a bit of research aka fact-checking and apply sound judgment to make well-informed decisions?
The expected standard on The Standard is that commenters contribute to robust informed debate by making sound arguments founded on reality and presenting their reliable trustworthy information sources with links. This helps build a culture and community of trust and respect.
very nicely put.
SUVs no longer unaffordable for those desperately troubled Groundswell gentlemen?
I may have misunderstood a recent advertising campaign but it would appear that the Triton (Mitsubishi) is being offered with the surcharge being paid for them by MMC. Now they might be able to buy another GPS-controlled-air conditioned-cab-tractor for exclusive use on demonstrations.
Mitisbushi have had to be very proactive to sell the Triton in Aotearoa. Reality is they're not that good compared to a Hilux or Ranger, very much built down to a price.
In my circle they are referred to as an Itsbitsy Tighton.
But reality is that demand is shifting very quickly from diesel double cabs to EVs
The rebate scheme is affirming what people want in the market and looks like the market is responding.
I'm also hearing people say they are putting of buying a new ute until hybrids or BEVs come out later this year or early next. Unfortunately the decision is being driven by running cost and business image, rather than pure environmental thinking, but result is same.
Meanwhile, in Wyoming
Wyoming bill calls for ban on EV sales by 2035 (motorauthority.com)
They tried to ban motorcars in Queenstown NZ back in the day too, ended up with a flag man in front of the car on some roads for a while.
Good grief, really? Sounds like an invitation to angry petrol heads to revolt!
yes, and the other side wants to ban sell of the other cars. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119456396/california-is-set-to-ban-sales-of-new-gasoline-powered-cars-by-2035#:~:text=Press-,California%20bans%20the%20sale%20of%20gas%2Dpowered%20cars%20by%202035,global%20warming%20and%20health%20issues.
china too https://apnews.com/article/technology-china-electric-vehicles-south-sea-42eb8e86a31d24506c8e463a5af3a718
https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-state-to-ban-sale-of-gasoline-powered-vehicles-by-2035-11664487387
it is literally just all a fucking useless tit for tat.
In fact both sides are just increasing anxiety and hate in voters. Cars are a tool for freedom for many people. People live in their cars/vans/rvs for heavens sake.
But then in the end neither side actually has anything meaningful to offer to those that need cars.
I mean here in NZ we are giving money to quite rich people to buy cars they can afford on their own, but we are not subsidizing a single EV bike, or better even an EV – Cargo bike. Nah, you environmental considerate person, go buy your own toys you lazy bludgers.
Its all just a constant ramping up of crappy feelings that both sides guilty of.
Neither one of them is courageous to admit that private transport will be phased out, will be a privilege for a very few, generally connected people with the correct credentials, whilst the rest can take a hike. No pun intended.
Neither one of the whole lot irrespective their house colors is courageous to admit that their tinkering on the edges has done nothing but frayed the edges, caused rips in the fabric and sadly we never created enough public transport to remove the need for private transport already years ago. And here we go, let us bamboozle you with meaningless drivel so that you can hype up the comrades.
Never mind, that the banning/phasing out of private transport is what is being implemented but as always it is sadly to late.
A box on both of their houses. May their buses be late, their trains broken down and their flights cancelled.
"May their buses be late, their trains broken down"
In Auckland, you've already got your wish
Symond Street. No buses for hours, suddenly all the buses at once.
T’was always so.
Symonds St. 100 bus movements an hour pre-pandemic. Basically a bus sewer. An even now – we have never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus.
That sounds good. I used to bus daily and it was hit and miss in 2010 – 2015 but if a bus were late it usually was several due to road mayhem elsewhere.
Ditto upper Queenstreet. Love the Onehunga Depot though. That was well done.
"black ute's matter" was their rather clever slogan
Getting more free dental care is like pulling teeth. It seems a no-brainer but one with a huge price tag, allegedly. Let’s see if National and/or ACT will sink their teeth into this. My guess is that apart from the usual hollow meaningless National SM flutters they won’t.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/free-dental-care-a-political-win-but-a-financial-nightmare
Thats a frankly absurd way to discuss dental care. The cost is completely irrelevant to the question.
Probably there are some serious questions, such as would dentists want to work for a nationalised service, how would treatment costs be allocated and would it be worth the restructuring process in results. That would be worth discussing.
I also expect changing from price rationing to need rationing would immediately demonstrate shortages of dentists.
No need to waste much time & energy on this as it is not top-priority. Government is clearing the desk for the policies that they will want to push through this year and an extension of free dental care ain’t one of those. If any other Party wants to campaign for/on it they’ll need to do the work and the onus is on them to sell it to the people aka voters. It is sensible politics in an election year, IMO.
The article covers the knowns.
The problem is lack of dentists and providing free service to those privileged enough to afford care now (and being in areas where they are available) is clearly not a priority.
There are not enough for free care to those under 18's (and problems getting services to isolated areas – mobile vehicles being one lack atm)***.
These are already in play
There has been the increase in subsidy for private dentist treatment (via Work and Income) from $300 to $1000 (improves chances to get a job/be work able).
I would add that examination for tooth removal at hospitals is free for those with CSC, and they also do the removal. Those not eligible such as those in work have been pulling their own teeth out.
There should be an extension of the free tooth removal to those on low incomes or otherwise a subsidy for such private dentist work.
The next need is a subsidy for an annual check for those with CSC and low income parents.
It is a known fact that poor dental care impacts on health – infections can lead to heart problems and thus cost to the health system.
https://locustfamilydentistry.com/5-reasons-why-oral-hygiene-is-important/
Free dental 'care' means different things to different people. To someone on a benefit or minimum wage it means getting a tooth ache fixed so they can do more than just exist. To a retiree it's getting properly fitting dentures or implants so they can eat and converse to have a life. To someone entering the workforce at a mid to upper level it's getting your teeth straightened so you look acceptable and can get a good job. to an up and coming manager or sales professional it getting the perfect smile to really look the part. The industry is geared about leading customers to the expensive options.
The cost of those services goes from a couple of hundred up into high tens of thousands + so setting the stage for some really intense boundary issues.
I'm not sure how well the free treatment for under 18 works for people who haven't a hope of ever affording more cosmetic dental work. The places are set up to be comfortable to people who can afford extensive treatments and are quite intimidating if you can't. I think we lost a lot when the School Dental Service was shut down, that should have been broadened to be a multi disciplinary school health service in all schools. But I'm biased, Mum worked at the murder house.
There used to be dental services through some of the DHBs at hospital level, but that was really for people who were in a very bad way and beyond a local anaesthetic.
Probably the best option would be to make the dentist a primary healthcare provider and fund them like GPs, with similar treatment pathways to public or private services at different levels and funding sources.
Right now though we're seeing people who are stuffed because they can't get, or afford dental care. Something's not working.
What is Newsroom doing? Is it becoming the media-friendly face for Government announcements? Where is the critical analysis?
Anywho:
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/pro/2023-when-rubber-hits-the-road-for-lgwm
National MPs seem to be stuck in potholes and ACT is racing to get the speed limits dropped but hardly anything else as far as I can tell.
Someone says something positive about Labour's policies/achievements and they must be biased Incog?
You have been reading the Herald too much.
On dental care I have been under the impression for at least 50 years that the handbrake, in fact the full emergency stop, has been down to dentists. In the late 40s or early50s I think it was when theGovt of the day dragged doctors kicking and screaming into subsidised care the dentists held out. That’s why dental care is so bloody expensive, the dentists did not want the government determining the fee structure.
https://twitter.com/nz_voter/status/1615420935317905408
Yep. Had the same conversation with a mechanic last week. Walked him round that circle and maybe moderated his pretty rabid anti Government attitude.
No business confidence is down because the people that shop, that need doctors/dentists/carfixed/houses bought/sold etc are telling everyone that they don't earn enough, their costs are through the roof, they are wondering if they can afford to still rent/pay the mortgage in a month times.
Business confidence is down because despite the 'low unemployment' it seems everyone needs either an emergency grant or a food parcel or ends up in emergency housing for lack of affordable rentals.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/govt-has-spent-1b-on-emergency-housing-grants-including-motel-accommodation/ZISPLXHMVIOIYV34HCE5KSJIVM/#:~:text=Currently%2C%20there%20are%20roughly%204000,New%20Zealand%20%E2%80%93%20many%20in%20motels.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/129337880/emergency-food-parcels-numbers-skyrocket-since-pandemic
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/i-have-never-seen-it-as-busy-huge-increase-in-struggling-families-needing-support/X5UIJ7RN3BDBNILCSXP73M7TJA/
Business confidence is down because you can't get ingredients, tools, materials etc and what ever you can get is getting more expensive by the day, costs that will be rolled over into the end price of said product that people eventually can't afford anymore and thus will go without it.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/476633/construction-costs-for-new-homes-rise-by-record-9-point-6-percent-over-12-months
Business confidence is down because you have two main parties that are seemingly out of touch with the reality that businesses are dealing with and well that does not bode well for the future.
Business confidence is down because you have a major war in Europe which most likely will spill over and escalate, and a whole lot of other quibbles that could seriously disrupt the world wide trading and dealings.
And 21.20 per week on a 30+ hour is not a lot before tax when your median rent is 580 NZD per week, your gorceries have gone up 10+%, never mind electricity and all the other jazz. And that too is something that businesses know, and they also know that you can not have enough increases in min wage to make up the lack of regulations in the rental market, food market, energy market. So even if you put the min wage to 50 per hour you would still not make enough for hte median wage of 1250 per week.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/130801129/by-the-numbers-the-rental-market-at-years-end
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/annual-food-price-increase-remains-at-a-13-year-high-of-8-3-percent/#:~:text=of%208.3%20percent-,Annual%20food%20price%20increase%20remains%20at%20a,year%20high%20of%208.3%20percent&text=Food%20prices%20were%208.3%20percent,the%20highest%20since%20July%202009.
You can have high income, high inflation, 'low unemployment' and be poorer then you were ever before.
Underemployment at 9% https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/underutilisation-rate/
Youth Unemployment 9% https://tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/unemployed-persons#:~:text=In%20New%20Zealand%2C%20unemployed%20persons,and%20actively%20seeking%20to%20work.
Unemployment by 'sex'
and then of course what is employed vs unemployed
underemployement:
So no, we don't have a booming economy. We might have a few sectors that are 'booming' if you count banks making record profits on increasing interest rates as booming for example, but does that actually help the overall economy? And does it make for a good economic outlook? No, no it does not.
This year will be tough as there are many people due to come to the end of their mortgage fixed interest period and will likely face interest increases from around 3% to +6%. So people will have less money to spend in the economy. Also, rental interest deductibility on private rentals is reducing from 75% to only 50% being able to be claimed as a tax deduction (from 1April 2023). I will be increasing the rent on my property to cover this. Tenant has been there for more than 15 years and is totally understanding about it.
Interesting that you still have a mortgage after 15 years
As long as you could deduct the interest paid on a loan to buy the property from your taxable income you got as rent it would make very good sense to have a mortgage. Indeed you would be best off by never paying it off.
You might get a little worried if you were unable to rent the property out and you were as highly geared as that implies of course.
Was originally a 25 year mortgage so is now less than 1/2 original amount
Fair enough.
I have had my mortgage for 41 years, For about 30 of them, it had a zero balance. I did not discharge it so it just sat there until I wanted to borrow some more $$$$ about 5 years ago.
Bit of a downside of using monetary policy, rather than fiscal policy, to moderate demand. Even after deciding the OCR needs to go back it will be up to ~5 years before the prior decisions stop having impact. This generates a real risk of the RBNZ having ongoing, unwanted impacts and unnecessary overtightening.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/10/government-s-108b-tax-take-what-s-behind-the-haul-and-are-tax-cuts-on-the-table.html
The following shows
New Zealand Tax Revenue was reported at 78.791 USD bn in Dec 2022 up from 76.972 USD bn for Dec 2021. Note this is in US dollars.
https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/new-zealand/tax-revenue
It’s over NZ $120B.
There is another way to understand these budget forecast errors.
The deficit (surplus) in the budget is associated with an acceptable inflation forecast. When the deficit is over-estimated (as happens frequently) that says the forecast error amount in public spending was left on the table within budgeted inflation forecasts.
There's the other side to that with clients stepping back from the market until things settle down a bit. Heck, six months work ahead of you in construction is normally good times.
Six months work in todays market is half a house….in other words no forward orders.
Actually a 'normal' state for most builders in normal trading conditions.
Once the forward work gets out to 12 months prices start going silly and clients start dropping out of the market.
The last three years have been exceptional for the building industry, probably the best ever for the work that's out there. It's good to see it moving back to some sanity.
The cure for high prices is high prices….whats the cure for debt defaults?
"Concerns about failures in the building industry are beginning to be backed up by statistics.
Nearly a quarter of all liquidations last month were businesses from the building and construction sector.
Simplicity Living's Shane Brealey said within six months the construction of new homes will halve and the industry will basically "fall off a cliff".
He believes the industry could lose up to 45,000 jobs"
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/12/building-industry-downturn-could-cost-45-000-jobs-as-construction-halves-expert.html
Judges need to actually impose a sentence that keeps people like this who constantly re-offend off the street to keep the public safe. Three months community detention……what a joke. He's probably already driving again!
Lets hope they actually get around to installing the alcohol interlock although that doesn't stop him jumping into another vehicle.
Drink-driver gives up attempt to flee police, sculls beer, throws away keys before arrest – NZ Herald
You would have thrown him jail, no doubt, for how long? And then what?
Only Judge Jimmy can judge Right.
The current deterrents are obviously not working. And from the article:
"although he was attending counselling, Judge Krebs described his cavalier attitude of having a beer before his sessions as “counterproductive”."
I would hate to be driving (or riding my bike) on the same road. The judge did say it warranted a prison sentence.
Perhaps while in jail (I would suggest three to four months in jail) attending compulsory alcohol counselling where hopefully he cannot drink beforehand may make a difference. The interlocking device although not foolproof should be compulsory after jail IMO.
A very considered and bold sentence by Judge Jonathan, IMO. Judge Jimmy still has a lot to learn.
This wouldn't get the tick from judge Jimmy as we all know the intensive supervision would not be possible we do not have the resources, and he will coming and going as he pleases with an occasional check to see if he is sticking to the rules (of which he hasn't previously). Even the terrorist bloke who stabbed people in Countdown Lynn Mall had constant supervision.
Be interesting to see if he gets caught again driving in several months time and we have the same debate.
Being taxed into penury would be too good for this fucker. Let's eat him.
https://twitter.com/yasmin_poole/status/1615133384036040709
No surly he isn't a complete arshole, I mean national gave him citizenship didn't they?
Not a complete arshole.
The PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel said in 2020 that crypto was one of two poles of technological conflict, the other being artificial intelligence. AI could “theoretically make it possible to centrally control an entire economy” while crypto “holds out the prospect of a decentralised and individualised world”. He concluded that AI is communist and crypto is libertarian; it was unnecessary to add which of those he thought was better.
[…]
I think Thiel is right: crypto is the ultimate technology of libertarianism, the final frontier of discovery. He just missed the second footfall, which is that, through crypto, we will discover that libertarianism is bullshit.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/17/whats-the-true-value-of-crypto-it-lays-bare-the-lies-of-libertarians-ftx
Well…you'd need a LOT of something, to hide the shit taste …
But yea a creepy scumbag for sure. Back in time he might have been a Count..(Count, I say : ) in a castle on the lurk for "wirgen blood"…
But apparently..Now…he is NOT a vampire
Still..he is some kind of blood sucker.
These people are disgusting.
https://twitter.com/RawiriTaonui/status/1615024623489544194
1990 National cut benefits because of budget concern and yet also ended the estate tax.
2008 Key increased GST to afford promised income tax cuts.
2023 ACT want to reduce the incomes of the poor and cut tax for the rich.
What’s the dirty politics going on in the National Party in Tukituki?
”Allegations of “dirty politics” have emerged from a National Party candidate selection, with one would-be MP claiming “concocted fabrications” and “half-truths” surround his bid for Parliament.”
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/01/election-2023-allegations-of-dirty-politics-in-national-candidate-selection-as-parties-set-to-kick-off-political-year.html
Tenants starting to see some justice after 2000 years. In this case a win for wrongful eviction. That's nice but what is better is the Tenancy Tribunal is finally slamming slumlords with (slightly) better fines and reparations. Said landlord had to pay the tenant $2000 for two years of illegal dealings. But that's just $20/week fine over the length of tenancy. Still a long way to go before amateur landlordism is crushed for good.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/tenant-given-notice-after-sparking-council-investigation-over-missing-rubbish-bin/2R6XYLIOWVCRBAEEYZDKJORTA4/
Eugenie Sage is leaving parliament this year, and I just heard on twitter that Jan Logie is too. Those are two experienced MPs the Greens are losing.
https://twitter.com/Adam_Currie_NZ/status/1615571431768850432