Open mike 18/05/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 18th, 2023 - 60 comments
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60 comments on “Open mike 18/05/2023 ”

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  1. Sanctuary 1
    18 May 2023 at 7:48 am

    The Waipareira Trust does a lot of good stuff, but as long as John Tamihere remains it's chief executive it'll be tainted. Tamihere's attitude – "thanks for all the money whitey but it is actually ours in the first place so if you colonists and pillagers think we are accountable to you for how it is spent well we are not so piss off" – means his approach to using public money is cavalier to the point of outright illegality and corruption.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/waipareira-trust-to-try-to-claw-back-385k-in-loans-to-john-tamihere-campaigns/BUB2PAXWBBAIDKFIK723Z7C4Z4/ (paywalled)

  2. SPC 2
    18 May 2023 at 8:25 am

    Because it's a no frills budget.

    • Shanreagh 2.1
      18 May 2023 at 11:11 am

      And because we don't want or need criticism I am sure that Hon Robertson would love to be doing the moves and lyrics to this from Michael Jackson……wink

      Can I get Moonwalk in, somehow, perhaps as an aspiration that we will all have the chance to dance and sing and be happy and these are all important to our WELLBEING….(budget)

  3. Red Blooded One 3
    18 May 2023 at 8:27 am

    Drip… drip… drip…

    Stay strong Christopher, we want you exactly where you are.

    • Mac1 3.1
      18 May 2023 at 9:20 am

      How does it feel to be the latest in a long line of recent National Party leaders to know that your deputy has been asked by reporters whether it is true that business leaders have approached her with a concern to depose you?

      Also, what a bastard of a question to be asked it it were true. Do I lie?- but lies will be found out. Do I say yes but I turned them down? Do I say yes but I told them please wait a little while longer? Do I say yes but tell them I'm still working on getting caucus support.

      The standard answer is "The Leader has my full support at this time."

      But that is not an answer to this question of whether she has been approached or not.

      And the reporters can smell what is dripping……

    • AB 3.2
      18 May 2023 at 10:59 am

      Be careful what you wish for. Willis is capable of inflicting a totally hard-arsed austerity on us, whereas Luxon might pull up a bit short of that. Willis might be the reincarnation of Ruth Richardson, except that Ruth still walks among us, both invisible and ever-present, a malevolent inversion of the Holy Spirit.

      • Red Blooded One 3.2.1
        18 May 2023 at 11:32 am

        That's why I wish him to stay strong, strong enough to stay Leader of the OPPOSITION.

  4. Bruce 4
    18 May 2023 at 8:45 am

    Interesting revelations on how the tax system is rigged for the rich in Australia, I guess its the same here.

    https://youtu.be/8HBxv6mnQZI

  5. Bearded Git 5
    18 May 2023 at 9:41 am

    Kathryn Ryan failed to ask the key question (yet again) in her interview with the CAB and arts people on RNZ 9 to noon this AM.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon

    Mayor Wayne Brown has supposedly softened his position and has now offered to keep funding the CAB and the arts but ONLY if the Council sells its Auckland Airport shares.

    Effectively, in order to give money to CAB and the arts that they already had, he is blackmailing the Council and all Aucklanders by making this conditional on the airport sale, which will doubtless profit his rich mates.

    But Ryan while mentioning it, never pushes for answers on this key point. Useless, or is she just pro the sale?

    • mpledger 5.1
      18 May 2023 at 11:54 am

      Selling the airport shares is insane. You don't sell something that is giving you a profit unless it's for something that makes you a bigger profit.

      Give a man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for life.

      Someone wants Auckland to eat for one day.

      • Patricia Bremner 5.1.1
        18 May 2023 at 12:05 pm

        "Selling Airport Shares" Asset stripping deception, done sleight of hand by Brown.

    • Patricia Bremner 5.2
      18 May 2023 at 12:02 pm

      Ryan used to give Hooten an hysterical platform…. she is right… right!!

  6. pat 6
    18 May 2023 at 9:51 am

    Was mental health an increased problem during earlier 'depressions' ? (1880s and 1930s)

    • arkie 6.1
      18 May 2023 at 10:03 am

      Given that the discipline itself didn't become formalised as a field until 1948 it is unlikely there is any evidence either way.

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2408392/

      • pat 6.1.1
        18 May 2023 at 10:23 am

        Anecdotal observation or medical records perhaps (or newspaper reporting) ….it was a musing that I thought perhaps someone had studied and could answer.

        • mpledger 6.1.1.1
          18 May 2023 at 12:09 pm

          Probably suicide counts are the best way to measure mental health distress at that time. Although they are probably undercounts since there was still quite a stigma to committing suicide.

    • tWiggle 6.2
      18 May 2023 at 10:52 am

      Before the invention of antibiotics and the Welfare State, people had to be tougher both physically and mentally to survive childhood. Chances are then, if you were depressed and couldn't work, it was a fatal affliction, via poor diet, followed by illness and death.

      Of course, if you had the dosh, you could just take to your bed.

    • joe90 6.3
      18 May 2023 at 11:00 am

      Was mental health an increased problem during earlier 'depressions' ?

      The >45 rate was twice the current rate so it likely was.

      In 1930 the rate of suicide among those over 45 was more than 35 per 100,000, whereas for those aged 15–24 it was about five per 100,000.

      https://teara.govt.nz/en/suicide/page-2

      • Adrian 6.3.1
        18 May 2023 at 12:25 pm

        After having two hips replaced and the agonising wait, while trying to carry on working, it crossed my mind why pain was maybe why suicide had been so prevalent in earlier times. The thought was fostered by having read somewhere that one of the most common causes of death among the British in the nineteenth century was by suicide and often by pistol shot. Hip operations and other painful afflictions were not able to be fixed until the 1950s, prior to that the only option was amputation at the hip and bed for life. Apparently, morphine or laudanum addiction was also high. So the main cause may not have been depression but the inability to bear pain any longer. In my own case I also remember sitting on the side of the bed after about 6 months of struggle and wondering why I wasn't experiencing depression symptoms because I certainly felt like I had cause too, but concluded that I must just be lucky. Didn't bloody feel like it though.

    • Belladonna 6.4
      18 May 2023 at 11:08 am

      I think that it would be a very difficult question to answer absolutely one way or the other. But I would come down on the 'yes' side.

      Suicide is linked to depression (higher rates of depression result in higher rates of suicide). So it would be feasible to use the suicide rate as an indicator of depression within the population.

      And this data from the US shows an increased suicide rate in the 1930s.

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3093269/

      Graphical analyses showed that the overall suicide rate generally rose during recessions and fell during expansions.

      The largest increase in the overall suicide rate occurred during the Great Depression (1929–1933), when it surged from 18.0 in 1928 to 22.1 (the all-time high) in 1932, the last full year of the Great Depression. This increase of 22.8% was the highest recorded for any 4-year interval during the study period.

      Hard data in NZ would be unreliable. Depression was neither widely understood, (and therefore diagnosed or treated), nor a socially acceptable diagnosis. There was comparably little understanding of PTSD in soldiers returning from WW1. Suicide was an enormous social stigma – and doctors and coroners would frequently record the cause of death as an 'accident' on the official documentation – to spare the family.

    • Patricia Bremner 6.5
      18 May 2023 at 12:10 pm

      Yes, and men left their families and walked for work, and many died. There was only Church charity, and that is where the saying "Cold as Charity" springs from. plus a vision of the "Deserving poor". There were marches riots and smashing of shopfronts.

      • Phillip ure 6.5.1
        18 May 2023 at 12:46 pm

        The most recent iteration of the deserving/undeserving poor evil/trope was from helen clark..when she was prime minister..

        The meaning being that the working poor deserved support/help from her/her 'labour'(in name only) government..

        And all the other poor could just go rot…

        Which she followed through on…

  7. Phillip ure 7
    18 May 2023 at 9:57 am

    Ok..not so easy to do..but it has to be said: wayne brown does good..(I know..!..I know..!)

    I just heard an interview on rnz with an expert in urban waterways renewal.

    And he told us that brown has bought forward a 30 year plan to fix Auckland a waterways/parks..to be done in six years..

    And the good news is that all the preliminary work/planning has been done..

    It is all ready to go…

    When the interview (k.ryan) goes online..I recommend it be given a listen..

    • Belladonna 7.1
      18 May 2023 at 11:12 am

      Here's the link:

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018890676/auckland-s-billion-dollar-flood-recovery-programme

      Heard it briefly on the way to work this morning – and it seemed like a remarkably pragmatic attitude and program – 'let's get started doing something effective right now; rather than waiting for the perfect answer to emerge from all the post-flood reviews'

      “The ‘Making Space for Water’ programme is being developed by the Council’s Healthy Waters stormwater department, with the mayor saying it’ll be rolled out over six years – instead of the 30 it would normally take.”

      Joining Kathryn is Matthew Bradbury – Associate Professor of landscape architecture at Unitec-Te Pūkenga.

      • Phillip ure 7.1.1
        18 May 2023 at 12:55 pm

        If brown delivers on this…it will guarantee his re-election…

        So I think he knows that..so he will..
        And as a means to an end..I can live with that..

    • tWiggle 7.2
      18 May 2023 at 3:50 pm

      Wayne Brown governing by decree, as opposed to in council by consensus. Big-noting in the most obnoxious way. If the plan was already in place (the hard work of previous councils), then it's very probable the council would have fast-tracked the plan anyway, given this year’s rainfall.

      Brown gets to look good with no effort on his part.

      • Phillip ure 7.2.1
        18 May 2023 at 8:09 pm

        C'mon..!…the incrementalist goff was clearly comfortable with a 30 year timeframe..

        Brown has fast tracked this down to six years…

        I am no fan of the man…but credit where credit is due… surely..!

        And yes the groundwork is already done…which is a Good thing..and I underline my claim that if he delivers on this..he will be re-elected..

  8. tWiggle 8
    18 May 2023 at 11:01 am

    Big Hairy News interviews Chris Cahill on Act's gun policy

    After 2019 NZ Police began tracing the source of guns used in crimes. Most come from legal purchases deliberately onsold to gangs, etc. Chris Cahill demolishes the case for Act's policy. Note that Act list MP Nicole McKee is a gun lobbyist.

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/nicole-mckee-firearms-freedom-and-family

  9. Anker 9
    18 May 2023 at 11:25 am



    An excellent submission to the Education select committee, by Speak up for Women. Suzanne starts her presentation by saying she is a member of the the Rainbow Community.

    she makes excellent points about why do we need this legislation after the last bill 3 years ago?

    This time SUFW submission is treated respectfully. For those of you who are unsure about SUFW feel free to listen. The presentation was clear, well reasoned, logical and constructive

  10. aj 10
    18 May 2023 at 12:51 pm

    Out of the mists of time, a Paul Holmes clip goes semi-viral

    https://twitter.com/henrycooke/status/1658954541293862913?cxt=HHwWgoC8xbSX5YUuAAAA

    Full clip

    Great sentiments from these great artists, Kristofferson and Nelson still with us, Willie turned 90 last month.

  11. ianmac 11
    18 May 2023 at 1:14 pm

    Pat Brittenden raised an interesting idea. He thought of the long term "transformative policy that NZers now refuse to let go of." The list included:

    Working for Families

    Interest free Student loans

    Gold Card

    Kiwisaver

    Social Security Act + incl Health

    State Housing.

    Then noticed that all of those were Left/Labour introductions.

    So he asked could any one think of ones introduced by National/right wing. And no-one could. Thats interesting. My wife said that National cancelled the Child Allowance. Grrr.

    • Craig H 11.1
      18 May 2023 at 1:50 pm

      My observation is Labour makes changes, National manage the status quo.

      Could add a few things to that list – ACC and DPB (now sole parent support) come to mind.

    • Peter 11.2
      18 May 2023 at 4:00 pm

      Interest will come back on Student Loans when Seymour is back in.

    • tWiggle 11.3
      18 May 2023 at 4:03 pm

      Add the Waitangi Tribunal to Labour's list, but remove Gold Card, that's Winston's pork-barrelling (although a good idea). I believe Winston may have also been behind the formation of Kiwibank as a balance to the Aussie banks.

      • Adrian 11.3.1
        18 May 2023 at 4:58 pm

        I think Kiwibank was a Jim Anderton initative.

        • tWiggle 11.3.1.1
          18 May 2023 at 5:31 pm

          Sorry, thanks for that. It's quite hard to find info in a quick on-line search to verify the dusty corners of my brain. I did remember it as a minority party initiative. My apologies, Jim A.

  12. tsmithfield 12
    18 May 2023 at 1:23 pm

    Further to the discussion yesterday about drinking water, an important consideration is the effect of chlorinated water on other health conditions. For instance, Chlorinated water is known to aggravate skin allergies and asthma symptoms.

    This is confimed by the ChCh City Council website also.

    Asthma has been known to kill people. I should know. A friend of our family died from an asthma attack a number of years back.

    I think the case for chlorination is a no brainer in areas where the water is dodgy. But, where it is well managed, and has been proven to be safe, chlorination might cause more deaths than unchlorinated water.

    So, if we never have a disease outbreak, 0 deaths. But if 3 people die from asthma attacks in the next 10 years due to chlorine in the water, then it clearly is safer to have unchlorinated water.

    • ianmac 12.1
      18 May 2023 at 1:28 pm

      Ts. Probably the Water Regulator has to be conservative in decision making. Imagine if chlorination ceased then an outbreak happened. Howls would echo around the country.

      • tsmithfield 12.1.1
        18 May 2023 at 1:52 pm

        That sounds more like a face-saving argument than a public health one.

        • adam 12.1.1.1
          18 May 2023 at 11:48 pm

          One aspect of public health is about prevention. And it's a hell of a long bow to claim anyone could die from Asthma because of chlorine in drinking water. What is it 0.01 or 0.02 parts per million. Just not going to happen.

          It's a bit like saying stupid comments can kill you, if you only believe it.

          As I said, no one is stopping you from buying a water filter. if it keeps you up at night.

    • Ad 12.2
      18 May 2023 at 1:38 pm

      That's more a Parts Per Million question rather than a technology rejection.

      Christchurch are not unique and the dosing methodology is a well worn debate within the national water supplier and public health industries.

      • tsmithfield 12.2.1
        18 May 2023 at 1:56 pm

        I agree the amount of chlorine in drinking water is much lower than in a swimming pool.

        But, some people are highly sensitive to even very small amount of irritants. For instance, my wife's sister is a celiac. She gets violently ill with even small traces of gluten.

        So, I wonder if the risk assessment has been done on the risk of not chlorinating the water vs chlorinating it.

        As I said, where water is dodgy, the chlorination side of the argument would clearly win. But, I don't think it is so clear cut when the water supply is well monitored, well maintained, and has a long history of being safe.

      • tWiggle 12.2.2
        18 May 2023 at 4:14 pm

        https://newsline.ccc.govt.nz/news/story/chlorine-exemptions-your-questions-answered

        Here are just some of the reasons the exemption was denied:
        Exemption can’t be granted while parts of Christchurch are uncompliant.
        Lack of quantification of potential viral risk to source water.
        Recent total coliform and E.coli results from contamination.

        Suggested chlorination is at low level, 0.2 ppm.

    • ianmac 12.3
      18 May 2023 at 7:12 pm

      Living in Papanui/Christchurch in the 50's, neighbours had a link to clear clean artesian water. It bubbled up a pipe which went into a "ram," which used the force of the water flow to power the ram. It used two thirds of the water volume to pump 1/3water into a holding tank. The excess 2/3 water ran down into a creek. Clunk….clunk….clunk.

      I doubt that any artesian water now survives to reach the surface any more and doubtful that it is still pure

      • Mac1 12.3.1
        18 May 2023 at 10:46 pm

        ianmac, I too lived in Papanui in the Fifties, and Sixties!

        I remembered during the discussion here the artesian water from a drinking fountain on the north west corner of Hagley Park after a game of cricket.

        Funny but driving around our present town today and seeing the pipe works brought to mind seeing in the Fifties the centre of Bligh's Road in Papanui with a timber-lined trench being piped and then afterwards the road rolled with a steam-roller and resurfaced.

        • ianmac 12.3.1.1
          19 May 2023 at 4:18 pm

          The ram I spoke Mac of was on Horner street just north of Blighs Road.

  13. Stephen D 13
    18 May 2023 at 9:18 pm

    A lot of this could well describe the National Party. Especially the likes of Simeon Brown.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/18/first-edition-national-conservatism-conference?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

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

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

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