The real disappointment in the fuse saga with "NZ Airforce One" has been Luxon's lack of press coverage.
Unlike in Port Moresby, where his travelling journalists were unloaded first so they could capture the moment he danced and strutted down the steps like an antiquated drummer from a long defunct pop band, his entry into Japan went largely unnoticed by media, and probably also by his fellow Kiwi traveller's, to whom he was just an insignificant little man in a crumpled suit and several hours growth between shaves of his bald head.
Of course, all politicians crave publicity, but Luxon more so. He's so subterranean in the prefPM stakes he needs every gram of photo ops he can get.
He said new builds coming to fruition may be driving the increase in rental stock.
"The peak of that [consent] boom was roughly in 2022, and if you think about it it takes about one to two years for a consent to be converted into a finished dwelling, then comes to the market.
"So in places like Auckland, Lower Hutt and that Canterbury region, I suspect we're seeing the benefits of that construction boom flowing through," he said.
Seems likely. It's that sentimental favourite of the right – "mum and dad" investors – who will probably exit the rental ownership game when interest rates go up. But even if they ceased to exist, it would still be the heart-rending struggle of these vanished mums and dads to "get ahead" (ahead of whom is never stated) that entrenches the status quo.
Most of the Plans I dealt with had the ability to build a minor unit of up to 60m2 as a permitted activity in most Zones as long as the basic bulk and location requirements were met.
Subsequently, other Plans have also made this easier.
I don't think that this is the big "win" they make it out to be. The servicing for water, wastewater etc will also have to be interesting.
In order to gain resource consent for houses within Outstanding Natural Landscape in the Queenstown Lakes District, the houses have to comply with pretty strict provisions in the local District Plan in terms of size, colour, design, access roads and especially location in order to protect public views of the landscape.
This idiotic decision (number 703) by the government will mean that such houses will now be able to slam in an additional 60m2 building on their property wherever they want in the landscape, for instance on top of ridges, or right beside tracks or lakes or rivers, so adversely effecting landscape values.
Proof that this is a terrible decision is that Nelson Mayor Nick Smith just said it was a good idea on Radio NZ.
I find it odd how either Party can boast about how many houses they built or will build.
Fletchers, GJ Gardner, Urban Homes, Signature Homes, Bob the builder and the hundreds of other building companies around the country would strongly disagree with Bishop and Woods about who has built the houses.
Chances are, many are unloading their investment properties with change in brightline test. Saying that, there are 4 homes, no rentals, for sale within 3 blocks of me that I have been cycling past for weeks. Turnover has dropped majorly, and maybe also people are selling their homes with a bit of capital gains from past 4-5 years, because they don't want to renenge on a now unaffordable mortgage.
Plus Massey has been cutting staff with gusto, to shift to buying and teaching online courses from overseas. Genuinely can't understand why Massey would fritter away and USP?
I don't think I have really felt "trust" in DOC….for a long time. Cave Creek such a terrible tragedy, and other things such as the prime super drive for the Tourist dollar and etc…
Anyway nothing on the Guys n Gals who actually do the Conservation work …but yeah I dont feel I trust the DOC organisation as such.
On 8 March, Forest and Bird requested a copy of advice provided by the department to ministers regarding the Fast-track Approvals Bill, which the department refused.
Forest and Bird spokesperson Geoff Keey said it was very disappointing this information was not released prior to submissions closing.
"It would have made sense if it was released in time for people to read the stuff before they put in their submissions."
DoC has some good scientists, as I can confirm from personal experience, but I think they have been starved of funds for so long that commercialisation of the conservation estate has crept in.
The department has also fallen short on managing our natural resources, eg Tongariro Crossing. Their people should have been pushing hard years ago for fees to be charged for tourists to use our national parks. (I understand that is currently barred by law.)
Their people should have been pushing hard years ago for fees to be charged for tourists to use our national parks. (I understand that is currently barred by law.)
Aside from the fees already charged for the Great Walks.
I think that the issue has always been that there is little desire to charge NZ tourists to visit our national parks (they've already paid for them in their taxes). And, if we want only to charge international tourists, how do you identify them? And does the admin cost of assessing this outweigh the benefit gained?
The easy solution is to add/increase the tourism/conservation levy – paid by all people visiting NZ without a NZ passport. And I understand that there is currently a proposal to more than double this.
I'd certainly support this approach. The admin is already in place to assess and levy this fee. I believe that it should be ring-fenced for conservation and tourist support infrastructure (e.g. toilets adjacent to National Parks). And I don't think that a charge of $100 (the current proposal) would deter people from visiting NZ.
I think that the issue has always been that there is little desire to charge NZ tourists to visit our national parks (they've already paid for them in their taxes). And, if we want only to charge international tourists, how do you identify them? And does the admin cost of assessing this outweigh the benefit gained?
I don't think increasing commercialisation is the way to go. We need to be lessening tourist numbers and user pays creates an incentive to increase numbers. The issue is the growth economy and NZ’s inability to get to grips with sustainability and the climate crisis. We’re still stuck in the neoliberal mindset.
But, I agree that it's international not NZ tourists that should be charged. When booking, everyone can just book and pay the fee. NZers who want the local's discount can produce proof of citizenship or residency. Doesn't have to be complicated. Passport or NZ drivers licence?
Mmm. Requiring everyone in the party to have ID? Because otherwise it's very easy for the NZ host to just book for their overseas visitors. And of course, not all Kiwis have ID – and privacy campaigners have been firmly against requiring some form of universal ID card.
I think that the already-charged levy, applicable to all visitors (who, after all, have to have a passport to get here) – is less costly to apply, is 'fairer' and less liable to be rorted.
" And I don't think that a charge of $100 (the current proposal) would deter people from visiting NZ".
Why should a businessman from Australia, visiting Auckland for 48 hours while visiting businesses he is considering buying products from, be levied $100 to pay for parks he is never going near?
Why should New Zealand residents like me, who have never skied and have no intention of doing so be forced, through my taxes, to maintain the ski fields at Ruapehu for people who do want to do so?
I think that we should follow the pattern used in at least some of the Australian States for charging for the use of their State Parks. In Western Australia for example you require a pass. You can get one that is for a day, 5, 14 or 28 days or for the whole year. From memory the price for a single day is about $17. For a year it is about $130. If you are a local the annual one is obviously a bargain.
You can also get, if you reside there an annual local pass that cover the parks in the vicinity of where you live. That is about $30/year. Being WA of course your local area will be about the size of the North Island.
Locals do pay for park entry, but obviously at a much lower figure per visit than do tourists. If you are a local or tourist who never uses the parks you don't have to pay for them. What could be fairer than that and why don't we adopt the system?
Why should a businessman from Australia, visiting Auckland for 48 hours while visiting businesses he is considering buying products from, be levied $100 to pay for parks he is never going near?
"If you are a permanent resident of Australia you must hold an NZeTA before you travel, but you do not need to pay the International Visitor Levy (IVL).
Australian citizens do not need to hold an NZeTA or pay the IVL."
And, as such, I think this is absolutely wrong. Given that the visiting Aussies aren't contributing taxes for the upkeep of the conservation estate, they should contribute on arrival.
The same should apply to Kiwis visiting Australia.
If so, I agree it should be reciprocal. But isn't there some sort of deal via CER or whatever it's called? The same deal that let Aussies continue purchasing property in NZ (along with Singapore) despite the foreign buyer's ban?
I think there is (or should be) a difference between CER – which allows reciprocal rights – to live and work in the other country, or visa free access, or to houses; and visitor levies which charge for the additional infrastructure tourists require, as well as for the costs of maintaining things like national parks – which are a lot of the reason that tourists come here.
Note: I'm not saying that's what the law currently provides for – but what I think should happen.
Why should a businessman from Australia, visiting Auckland for 48 hours while visiting businesses he is considering buying products from, be levied $100 to pay for parks he is never going near?
It's a cost of doing business in NZ. Part of the clean-green image that that businessman is leveraging off. And, for the businessman will be entirely tax-deductible – so isn't even a 'real' charge.
What could be fairer than that and why don't we adopt the system?
User-pays is always an attractive option – until you start calculating the cost of applying it. Requiring ticketed access to every NZ national park, is going to cost a lot in admin.
Why should New Zealand residents like me, who have never skied and have no intention of doing so be forced, through my taxes, to maintain the ski fields at Ruapehu for people who do want to do so?
As far as I can see, that is a false equivalence. Skiers are charged for the provision of the infrastructure (chairlifts, snow machines, etc.). And always have been. [The current financial support for Whakapapa appears to have more to do with government support for the local businesses, which are dependent on the tourism, than for skiers. And is firmly time-limited.]
If your argument is that you, as a New Zealander, shouldn't pay taxes for the upkeep and maintenance (predator management, weed control, etc.) – for any national parks- and this should all be paid for by user levies – then you should clearly state your position.
I don't think that this viewpoint will find much support from any political party – but YMMV.
I used to have a soft spot for DoC and still have korero with local office about trapping…buuut I will forever hate the fuckers at the top who were complicit in the arson of 21 huts in Urewera. They folded to Kruger's mafia.
Not fit to govern scuttlebutt – funding applications by community groups delivering services will be directed to a forensic accounting team. Groups not receiving confirmation within xxxx time can assume they've missed out. Funding grants will be on a month-by-month basis.
As a licensed gun owner I'd suggest anybody that is and gun registration is not a fit person to own a fire arm , and as for mandatory gun club membership, Wtf?? I couldn't stand being surrounded by gun stroking sad little geezers.
To some members he might well have seemed normal….
People at the club were "ranting and raving" about how the military would be deployed on Dunedin streets because of Muslim terrorist attacks, and that too many Muslims were coming here.
"[There were] very strong attitudes towards immigration, Muslims being a very very bad thing for New Zealand."
He says he saw members with the confederate flag. A person has contacted him in the aftermath and said he had visited a club member's house and saw "German SS uniforms".
"Brenton just presented as a regular guy. We scrutinise our members obviously, but in relation to the basic rules of the arms code and how they handle firearms and follow the rules," Williams told Newsroom.
"We do not scrutinise them to assess if they are white supremacist nationalists because as far as we knew, we didn't have those types in NZ."
Newshub news are trying their hardest to hassle the government on their way out. Points to them. That infor about the gunclub members is chilling. Police vetting would have squashed that. On the otherhand, Chch has had that subculture in spades since boot boys mobbed the streets in the 80s.
The former Dunedin District Arms Officer had dealt with Peter Breidahl on two earlier occasions. On 27 June 2017, the former District Arms Officer and a sworn police officer met with Peter Breidahl. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss whether Peter Breidahl’s firearms licence should be revoked, after New Zealand Police had received evidence that he had stored a firearm in the boot of his car secured by a cable. In a statement to New Zealand Police and in evidence to us, the former District Arms Officer recalled Peter Breidahl being “agitated” and “swearing repeatedly” to the point where the sworn police officer told him to calm down.
It is understood that it was he whom was asked to not return to the Bruce Rifle. Club and that the Club was subsequently found to have acted completely lawfully.
It is understood that it was he whom was asked to not return to the Bruce Rifle. Club and that the Club was subsequently found to have acted completely lawfully.
Completely lawfully…..
Anyway….there was this. If you were defending the gun club and or Police? Try reading this…
48
This is not to say, however, that the individual’s behaviour at the Bruce Rifle Club after he joined it was unremarkable. The individual shot while standing up, he went through a large amount of ammunition and his primary interest appeared to be firing and changing magazines quickly (see Part 4, chapter 5). As well, some members at least were aware of his firearms injury and were involved in discussion with the individual about large capacity magazines.
And hey, you better remember, this is after the Aramoana massacre. Which should surely make any thinking person..think! Gun club, Police, Police Arms Officer, et al…..
shot while standing up, he went through a large amount of ammunition and his primary interest appeared to be firing and changing magazines quickly
All unremarkable behaviour at a Service Rifle competition club and indeed many other ranges and clubs. Three position (standing/siting/prone) all being standard shooting positions. Many competition shooters use "large" amounts of ammunition – several hundred to a thousand or two a year – practicing their sport. Changing magazines quickly is mandatory in ten shot, time constrained serials as at the time magazine capacity was restricted – by law – to seven rounds thus forcing magazine changes. Those with special endorsements could use "large capacity" magazines – so it was not unusual for those constrained to seven round magazines discussing larger magazines.
All unremarkable and not red flags of any sort at the time. Intensive Police investigation found no unlawful activity there at the time or since.
The program, to be called the Field Fellowship, aims to support and connect leaders who embrace an alternative form of leadership—one that centers on pragmatic idealism and that draws on the strength of kindness and empathy to develop and build public support for progressive policy solutions to complex problems.
Is that the same leader ship style that took labour from absolute majority to the opposition bench in 3 years, with ministers promising big delivering little and not forgetting lax ministerial behaviors.
It's the same leadership style that contributed to an unlikely election win for the left in 2017, and boosted Labour to an absolute majority in the 2020 election – an achievement without precedent in our MMP era.
I believe a little genuine kindness and empathy can go a long way for everyone: (political) leaders, followers and bystanders alike. But those who associate these qualities and poor political leadership need not worry – kind, empathetic leaders remain the exception (if they were commonplace, then the Fields Fellowship program would be unnecessary), despite what conventional (divisive/partisan/polarising) political leadership continues to 'deliver'.
Big Hairy News covers media addiction in teenagers, in relation to Act's interest in controlling access to social media by young people. For parents, Pat and Chewie have a good chat about managing strategies for social media use by children. From 14 min onwards.
But it's Ok, he was saved. 'Other churches where Morris has ministered, such as Shady Grove church in Grand Prairie, were allegedly aware of his abusive history, but Morris told the Christian Post he received counseling and had since “walked in purity and accountability in this area”.'
No wonder the US religious right (and, closer to home, Brian Tamaki) make such a fuss about drag queens and storytelling: deflect, deflect, deflect.
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"You can't just make friendly visits. You have to come up with concrete results." (paraphrased)
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The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
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A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Stone, Principal Research Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Having dense breasts is a clear risk factor for breast cancer. It can also make cancers hard to spot on mammograms. Yet you ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Last week in Europe, the United States sent some very strong messages it is prepared to upend the established global order. US Vice President JD Vance warned a stunned Munich ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank cut official interest rates on Tuesday, the first decrease in four years, saying inflationary pressures are easing “a little more quickly than expected”. However, the ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allan Fels, Professor Allan Fels, Professor of Law, Economics and Business at the University of Melbourne and Monash University., The University of Melbourne Australia is creeping towards adding a divestiture power to its Competition and Consumer Act. Under such a law, ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University Australia’s minister for home affairs announced on Sunday that the federal government has struck a deal with Nauru to “resettle” three non-citizens from what’s come to be known as the “NZYQ cohort”. ...
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The purpose was to establish the facts and provide an independent assessment of government agency activity in relation to allegations that personal data may have been misused during the 2023 General Election. ...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said he is carefully reviewing the referrals raised in the two reports. That work will be done in the context the Privacy Act and the need to ensure individuals’ rights to privacy is protected and respected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, ...
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Duncan Sarkies’ latest novel, Star Gazers, is about the collapse of democracy in a society of alpaca breeders. Here are some things his intensive research revealed. 1 How greed works, psychologicallyYes, I guess I already understood greed, but I could never understand why people who already have everything they ...
The proposed cuts would see only two full time Telehealth data and digital roles, and one Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) role remain, reduced from 17 Telehealth support roles (including vacant roles). Roles proposed to be cut include Telehealth ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Ministers to end funding for Te Kurahuna programmes and workshop grifters that have received millions in taxpayer funding, despite the Government’s supposed focus on cutting costs. ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist, in Avarua, Rarotonga More than 400 people have taken to the streets to protest against Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s recent decisions, which have led to a diplomatic spat with New Zealand. The protest, led by Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party ...
In the second episode, Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester unearth some truths about dating on a dance floor in South Canterbury. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they embark ...
The first half of a billion-dollar pipe that will drastically reduce wastewater overflows in the Auckland isthmus is now in operation. As I biked south, I thought about all the poo sloshing beneath my wheels. Tubes of it disgorging from U-bends, into wastewater pipes laid under our streets that become ...
🚐 The vulnerability continues as the pair head to the Hunt Ball in South Canterbury in search of a rich farmer, before getting some sage relationship advice from Brynley’s Dad and Oma. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Garrett, Lecturer in Exercise Science and Physiology, Griffith University Australia’s love affair with the major football codes – the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) – is well documented. However, one aspect that stands out to many observers, ...
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Founder, journalist and author Tim Burrowes joins Duncan Greive to discuss a torrid decade in Australian media and whether there are reasons to be optimistic amid the carnage. Tim Burrowes is the author of a book and a Substack called Unmade, which are truly essential guides to media in ...
The self-appointed apostle says he could be to Christopher Luxon what Elon Musk is to Donald Trump, and his track record speaks for itself.Who is New Zealand’s answer to Elon Musk? The Herald’s tech insider, Chris Keall, put the question to his LinkedIn acolytes the other day. “If Luxon ...
The last good thing at the supermarket is gone. Mad Chapman mourns the Cadbury mini egg cartons. When life is overwhelming and it feels like every story around you is a bad news story, there are a few things that can be relied upon to instil a sense of calm, ...
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The real disappointment in the fuse saga with "NZ Airforce One" has been Luxon's lack of press coverage.
Unlike in Port Moresby, where his travelling journalists were unloaded first so they could capture the moment he danced and strutted down the steps like an antiquated drummer from a long defunct pop band, his entry into Japan went largely unnoticed by media, and probably also by his fellow Kiwi traveller's, to whom he was just an insignificant little man in a crumpled suit and several hours growth between shaves of his bald head.
Of course, all politicians crave publicity, but Luxon more so. He's so subterranean in the prefPM stakes he needs every gram of photo ops he can get.
And he didn't get much. That's the real tragedy.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/519788/rental-listings-up-40-percent-across-country-in-three-months-to-may
High interest rates seem to be a positive for the rental market
"Construction Boom" . That'll be Labour then : )…..
People getting out of the short term rental game helps two
Oh yea for sure. Sad fact is though, the mega landlords are still in for the jackpot….
Seems likely. It's that sentimental favourite of the right – "mum and dad" investors – who will probably exit the rental ownership game when interest rates go up. But even if they ceased to exist, it would still be the heart-rending struggle of these vanished mums and dads to "get ahead" (ahead of whom is never stated) that entrenches the status quo.
National are changing the requirements for building "granny " flats so they can boast about how many more houses than Labour they have built.
"Granny Flar" more likely dodgy shacks rented out for profit
Most of the Plans I dealt with had the ability to build a minor unit of up to 60m2 as a permitted activity in most Zones as long as the basic bulk and location requirements were met.
Subsequently, other Plans have also made this easier.
I don't think that this is the big "win" they make it out to be. The servicing for water, wastewater etc will also have to be interesting.
In order to gain resource consent for houses within Outstanding Natural Landscape in the Queenstown Lakes District, the houses have to comply with pretty strict provisions in the local District Plan in terms of size, colour, design, access roads and especially location in order to protect public views of the landscape.
This idiotic decision (number 703) by the government will mean that such houses will now be able to slam in an additional 60m2 building on their property wherever they want in the landscape, for instance on top of ridges, or right beside tracks or lakes or rivers, so adversely effecting landscape values.
Proof that this is a terrible decision is that Nelson Mayor Nick Smith just said it was a good idea on Radio NZ.
I find it odd how either Party can boast about how many houses they built or will build.
Fletchers, GJ Gardner, Urban Homes, Signature Homes, Bob the builder and the hundreds of other building companies around the country would strongly disagree with Bishop and Woods about who has built the houses.
Chances are, many are unloading their investment properties with change in brightline test. Saying that, there are 4 homes, no rentals, for sale within 3 blocks of me that I have been cycling past for weeks. Turnover has dropped majorly, and maybe also people are selling their homes with a bit of capital gains from past 4-5 years, because they don't want to renenge on a now unaffordable mortgage.
Plus Massey has been cutting staff with gusto, to shift to buying and teaching online courses from overseas. Genuinely can't understand why Massey would fritter away and USP?
I don't think I have really felt "trust" in DOC….for a long time. Cave Creek such a terrible tragedy, and other things such as the prime super drive for the Tourist dollar and etc…
Anyway nothing on the Guys n Gals who actually do the Conservation work …but yeah I dont feel I trust the DOC organisation as such.
DoC has some good scientists, as I can confirm from personal experience, but I think they have been starved of funds for so long that commercialisation of the conservation estate has crept in.
The department has also fallen short on managing our natural resources, eg Tongariro Crossing. Their people should have been pushing hard years ago for fees to be charged for tourists to use our national parks. (I understand that is currently barred by law.)
DoC are more than doubling fees for tourists on all Great Walks.
For 33% of the landmass I think they're under-commercialised. No, I don't mean logging and mixning.
Aside from the fees already charged for the Great Walks.
I think that the issue has always been that there is little desire to charge NZ tourists to visit our national parks (they've already paid for them in their taxes). And, if we want only to charge international tourists, how do you identify them? And does the admin cost of assessing this outweigh the benefit gained?
The easy solution is to add/increase the tourism/conservation levy – paid by all people visiting NZ without a NZ passport. And I understand that there is currently a proposal to more than double this.
I'd certainly support this approach. The admin is already in place to assess and levy this fee. I believe that it should be ring-fenced for conservation and tourist support infrastructure (e.g. toilets adjacent to National Parks). And I don't think that a charge of $100 (the current proposal) would deter people from visiting NZ.
I don't think increasing commercialisation is the way to go. We need to be lessening tourist numbers and user pays creates an incentive to increase numbers. The issue is the growth economy and NZ’s inability to get to grips with sustainability and the climate crisis. We’re still stuck in the neoliberal mindset.
But, I agree that it's international not NZ tourists that should be charged. When booking, everyone can just book and pay the fee. NZers who want the local's discount can produce proof of citizenship or residency. Doesn't have to be complicated. Passport or NZ drivers licence?
Mmm. Requiring everyone in the party to have ID? Because otherwise it's very easy for the NZ host to just book for their overseas visitors. And of course, not all Kiwis have ID – and privacy campaigners have been firmly against requiring some form of universal ID card.
I think that the already-charged levy, applicable to all visitors (who, after all, have to have a passport to get here) – is less costly to apply, is 'fairer' and less liable to be rorted.
Just use RealMe.
open booking to kiwis first and then internationals a week later
gives time for the kiwi groups to get it sorted and cancel their duplicate bookings (a group of 4 will often all book the same time)
once that is worked through, a week later let internationals mop up the rest of the bookings
It seems the great walks are hugely popular and it's fastest finger first when the track bookings go on sale.
Why not use a lottery system to allocate tickets? The US applies this method for Green Card immigration. Let the great god Fortune decide.
Maybe have a fixed percentage allocated for overseas tourists to keep the industry happy.
Either way, cap the numbers to reinforce the message that our natural resources are finite and over-crowding will destroy them.
" And I don't think that a charge of $100 (the current proposal) would deter people from visiting NZ".
Why should a businessman from Australia, visiting Auckland for 48 hours while visiting businesses he is considering buying products from, be levied $100 to pay for parks he is never going near?
Why should New Zealand residents like me, who have never skied and have no intention of doing so be forced, through my taxes, to maintain the ski fields at Ruapehu for people who do want to do so?
I think that we should follow the pattern used in at least some of the Australian States for charging for the use of their State Parks. In Western Australia for example you require a pass. You can get one that is for a day, 5, 14 or 28 days or for the whole year. From memory the price for a single day is about $17. For a year it is about $130. If you are a local the annual one is obviously a bargain.
You can also get, if you reside there an annual local pass that cover the parks in the vicinity of where you live. That is about $30/year. Being WA of course your local area will be about the size of the North Island.
Locals do pay for park entry, but obviously at a much lower figure per visit than do tourists. If you are a local or tourist who never uses the parks you don't have to pay for them. What could be fairer than that and why don't we adopt the system?
Why should a businessman from Australia, visiting Auckland for 48 hours while visiting businesses he is considering buying products from, be levied $100 to pay for parks he is never going near?
"If you are a permanent resident of Australia you must hold an NZeTA before you travel, but you do not need to pay the International Visitor Levy (IVL).
Australian citizens do not need to hold an NZeTA or pay the IVL."
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/australian-resident-visa#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20a%20permanent,International%20Visitor%20Levy%20(IVL).&text=Australian%20citizens%20do%20not%20need,NZeTA%20or%20pay%20the%20IVL.
And, as such, I think this is absolutely wrong. Given that the visiting Aussies aren't contributing taxes for the upkeep of the conservation estate, they should contribute on arrival.
The same should apply to Kiwis visiting Australia.
Are we currently paying visitors levies to Oz?
If so, I agree it should be reciprocal. But isn't there some sort of deal via CER or whatever it's called? The same deal that let Aussies continue purchasing property in NZ (along with Singapore) despite the foreign buyer's ban?
I think there is (or should be) a difference between CER – which allows reciprocal rights – to live and work in the other country, or visa free access, or to houses; and visitor levies which charge for the additional infrastructure tourists require, as well as for the costs of maintaining things like national parks – which are a lot of the reason that tourists come here.
Note: I'm not saying that's what the law currently provides for – but what I think should happen.
It's a cost of doing business in NZ. Part of the clean-green image that that businessman is leveraging off. And, for the businessman will be entirely tax-deductible – so isn't even a 'real' charge.
User-pays is always an attractive option – until you start calculating the cost of applying it. Requiring ticketed access to every NZ national park, is going to cost a lot in admin.
As far as I can see, that is a false equivalence. Skiers are charged for the provision of the infrastructure (chairlifts, snow machines, etc.). And always have been. [The current financial support for Whakapapa appears to have more to do with government support for the local businesses, which are dependent on the tourism, than for skiers. And is firmly time-limited.]
If your argument is that you, as a New Zealander, shouldn't pay taxes for the upkeep and maintenance (predator management, weed control, etc.) – for any national parks- and this should all be paid for by user levies – then you should clearly state your position.
I don't think that this viewpoint will find much support from any political party – but YMMV.
I agree on the Scientists .I did say those who work..and would add for our NZ Conservation.
There was the Al..Morrison era and others….: (
This came up when I was looking back. History, aye ? Al Morrison DOC and Nick Smith
I used to have a soft spot for DoC and still have korero with local office about trapping…buuut I will forever hate the fuckers at the top who were complicit in the arson of 21 huts in Urewera. They folded to Kruger's mafia.
Not fit to govern scuttlebutt – funding applications by community groups delivering services will be directed to a forensic accounting team. Groups not receiving confirmation within xxxx time can assume they've missed out. Funding grants will be on a month-by-month basis.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350313263/what-gun-owners-want-governments-firearms-reform
As a licensed gun owner I'd suggest anybody that is and gun registration is not a fit person to own a fire arm , and as for mandatory gun club membership, Wtf?? I couldn't stand being surrounded by gun stroking sad little geezers.
Seems Minister McKee has had a wee think.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/nicole-mckee-ex-gun-lobbyist-now-cabinet-minister-on-sidelining-personal-views-disappointing-firearms-groups/LWUXUDP66ZHVVMOZQIA3UEZVN4/
https://archive.li/c0u09
Thats against gun registration!! Btw
An act mp thinking!!! Hope it's contagious
Yea you could well be right. And there was this gun club…
To some members he might well have seemed normal….
Confederate flag !? ss uniforms !? These types……
Newshub news are trying their hardest to hassle the government on their way out. Points to them. That infor about the gunclub members is chilling. Police vetting would have squashed that. On the otherhand, Chch has had that subculture in spades since boot boys mobbed the streets in the 80s.
There is much more to it than that article. Try reading this where it is covered far more fully in the Royal Commission enquiry:
https://christchurchattack.royalcommission.nz/the-report/part-6-what-public-sector-agencies-knew-about-the-terrorist/bruce-rifle-club-allegations/
It is understood that it was he whom was asked to not return to the Bruce Rifle. Club and that the Club was subsequently found to have acted completely lawfully.
Completely lawfully…..
Anyway….there was this. If you were defending the gun club and or Police? Try reading this…
And hey, you better remember, this is after the Aramoana massacre. Which should surely make any thinking person..think! Gun club, Police, Police Arms Officer, et al…..
All unremarkable behaviour at a Service Rifle competition club and indeed many other ranges and clubs. Three position (standing/siting/prone) all being standard shooting positions. Many competition shooters use "large" amounts of ammunition – several hundred to a thousand or two a year – practicing their sport. Changing magazines quickly is mandatory in ten shot, time constrained serials as at the time magazine capacity was restricted – by law – to seven rounds thus forcing magazine changes. Those with special endorsements could use "large capacity" magazines – so it was not unusual for those constrained to seven round magazines discussing larger magazines.
All unremarkable and not red flags of any sort at the time. Intensive Police investigation found no unlawful activity there at the time or since.
ANyone got any details about what this "Field" initiative with Jacinda Ardern is all about?
Is that the same leader ship style that took labour from absolute majority to the opposition bench in 3 years, with ministers promising big delivering little and not forgetting lax ministerial behaviors.
It's the same leadership style that contributed to an unlikely election win for the left in 2017, and boosted Labour to an absolute majority in the 2020 election – an achievement without precedent in our MMP era.
I believe a little genuine kindness and empathy can go a long way for everyone: (political) leaders, followers and bystanders alike. But those who associate these qualities and poor political leadership need not worry – kind, empathetic leaders remain the exception (if they were commonplace, then the Fields Fellowship program would be unnecessary), despite what conventional (divisive/partisan/polarising) political leadership continues to 'deliver'.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/31/jacinda-ardern-political-leaders-can-be-both-empathetic-and-strong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion_fade
Perhaps book burning isn't such a bad thing.
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Big Hairy News covers media addiction in teenagers, in relation to Act's interest in controlling access to social media by young people. For parents, Pat and Chewie have a good chat about managing strategies for social media use by children. From 14 min onwards.
Once again, it's not penises in bathrooms, but penises in churches that are the real problem in the US. A megachurch pastor on Trump's 2016 advisory panel abused a 12 year old for 4 years, when he was in his 20s.
But it's Ok, he was saved. 'Other churches where Morris has ministered, such as Shady Grove church in Grand Prairie, were allegedly aware of his abusive history, but Morris told the Christian Post he received counseling and had since “walked in purity and accountability in this area”.'
No wonder the US religious right (and, closer to home, Brian Tamaki) make such a fuss about drag queens and storytelling: deflect, deflect, deflect.
Luxon just gave a "Speak to the Media" in Japan. Interesting that he was questioned about his implied criticism that previous Administration did a slack job of such visits.
"You can't just make friendly visits. You have to come up with concrete results." (paraphrased)
Reporters did ask him to explain himself.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/pm-shrugs-off-plane-problems-pushes-ahead-with-japan-trade-trip/5FVVUYC4IFF2JL2WC3PXILCBRY/
Big-noting knob end says stupid shit, again.
@benmackey
NZ PM Luxon calls business leaders on Labour-led delegations as “tagalongs” and “C-List”. Scoop from @Jasonwalls92
https://x.com/benmackey/status/1802888424841785606