On 25 March, as confirmed cases passed 300 per day, about 2000 scientists signed an open letter calling for stricter control measures. It provoked little reaction. But a scathing op-ed, published by the 22 researchers in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 14 April, did get noticed. The piece carried the headline “The public health agency has failed. Politicians must intervene.” It noted that from 7 to 9 April, more people per million inhabitants had died in Sweden from COVID-19 than in Italy—and 10 times more than in Finland. FoHM officials “have so far not shown any talent for either predicting or limiting” the epidemic, they wrote.
[when you cut and paste from anywhere (on site or off site), you have to make it clear that it is a cut and paste not your own words. Please compare your comment to my first reply to see the difference. When I say ‘have to’ I mean that the main two mods are so sick of this that we often now just remove the content of a comment, or if in a hurry just delete the whole thing. Which we don’t like doing, but I’m not willing to waste my time on this any more.
Dealing with this one comment, including time to read the comment, google to see if it’s a quote, writing the edited version, writing this mod note, and finding and linking the TS post about it, took me close to 10 mins. Multiply that by many times over a week and you can see why we have a low tolerance. It’s not just you, and I’m making a long note here so that others can get up to speed too.
Please reply to this moderation so I know you have seen and understood it, thanks – weka]
On 25 March, as confirmed cases passed 300 per day, about 2000 scientists signed an open letter calling for stricter control measures. It provoked little reaction. But a scathing op-ed, published by the 22 researchers in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 14 April, did get noticed. The piece carried the headline “The public health agency has failed. Politicians must intervene.” It noted that from 7 to 9 April, more people per million inhabitants had died in Sweden from COVID-19 than in Italy—and 10 times more than in Finland. FoHM officials “have so far not shown any talent for either predicting or limiting” the epidemic, they wrote.
I don't want to be guilty of schadenfreude but… If Sweden had taken part in the practical and precautionary planning then implemented it, those who wanted to pooh-pooh the pppi idea wouldn't have had a leg to stand on. Now a lot of people don't, who had years of life ahead and their country's medical response and death cycle services are stressed beyond coping.
Years ago one USA area contracted out some of its death services to a local man who couldn't cope. He failed to keep up with his duties and started to dump some bodies till he could properly deal with them, and could never manage to cope. It became a private nightmare for him, and when revealed by reports in the media, for his local authority.
That's why we have authorities in charge of various aspects of our life cycle and activity. Important decisions taken and implemented in a timely fashion for good outcomes desired by the community. They need to accept responsibility and act reasonably in concordance with all thinking members of society. And this applies all over the world, and now is at the front of our minds about almost everything we are seeing and doing, not just Covid-19.
Is it suitable to put quoted words in italics with the rest of the comment in normal font? Does that differentiate the cut and paste stuff enough for mods?
On 25 March, as confirmed cases passed 300 per day, about 2000 scientists signed an open letter calling for stricter control measures. It provoked little reaction. But a scathing op-ed, published by the 22 researchers in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 14 April, did get noticed. The piece carried the headline “The public health agency has failed. Politicians must intervene.” It noted that from 7 to 9 April, more people per million inhabitants had died in Sweden from COVID-19 than in Italy—and 10 times more than in Finland. FoHM officials “have so far not shown any talent for either predicting or limiting” the epidemic, they wrote.
Great ta. There is so much to discuss and hash over I don't want to make life hard for mods especially if they cut us a bit of slack at times. The blog seems to go forward well and probably is a bellwether for the rest, without being sheepish!
It is very simple, use quote marks when you want to use someone else’s words in your comment.
Use block quotes for long(er) quotes. These are separated from the other text by a new line, as in a new paragraph. When you use the Block Quote functionality of the WordPress text editor, you won’t have to lead off with quote marks, as this would be doubling up.
Italics are used for emphasis. This doesn’t work when your whole quote, for example, is in italics. However, when you italicise a word(s) in a quote, you should add something like [my emphasis] or [my italics], in square brackets.
Bold font is usually reserved for strong emphasis. As you know, here on TS it used to be reserved for moderation, but things have changed somewhat.
These universally accepted conventions for written text are intended to make things easier for both reader and writer – we all learned these at school. The standardisation helps to avoid confusion. This means we can focus more on actual content and debate 😉
I've been in the long habit of using italics for both emphasis (usually one word or two) or when I'm quoting a sentence or two from another comment in the same thread in reply to someone. I've always figured that if I'm quoting someone else from the same thread, it's pretty obvious where it's come from and I don't bother linking.
On the other hand if it's from an external source then I will link, and I'll always put the text in blockquotes.
As you say, things change with time and are you happy for me to continue as I have been?
Unfortunately our three main sources of vehicles – Japan, Singapore, and Australia – don't have particularly strong programmes against combustion vehicles.
There's a more detailed discussion on this relationship between the ICE and GHG growth here at GreaterAuckland, who engaged pretty closely at the Business and CLimate Change Conference last week.
David Parker, Minister for the Environment, was present, and noted:
as a country we’ve reached the conclusion that decarbonisation of our light vehicle fleet is going to be the biggest opportunity to reduce emissions in the energy sector in the next few years.
Seriously I just wish Ministers like that would just stop talking and start making some good ol' leadership decisions.
I agree. Surely this would be a really easy win – and would potentially even allow us to develop an electric conversion industry for petrol vehicles to accelerate to rollout of electric infrastructure?
I guess Labour is terrified that it might lose it's new constituency amongst angry sub-contractor autocrats who love their SUVs.
Timing is everything. Remember the 'light bulb' fiasco back in 2008?
The 'light bulb fiasco' is an example of when someone has a 'good' idea 💡 and it provides a quick fix to meet some target, and never mind whether it fits the requirements of all the populace.
At the very least learn something from that mistake. The correct way to introduce EV's is to promote a timeline over the next decade or so to make the transition.
There will be early adopters who will be keen to get in, so make sure the infrastructure is put in place for them. Then incentivise the industry to start switching mainstream to EV models as they become more available and technically capable over the next 5 or so years.
Promote industry training programs aggressively; and realise that a lot of people are going to have their employment heavily impacted by this.
And then at the back end, make sure there is a plan to manage all the stranded ICE vehicles in manner that doesn't unduly penalise people who make the change later than others. Plus recognise that there will be some applications where EV doesn't work, and some form of liquid fuel infrastructure will probably need to be maintained for perhaps a couple of decades.
At least put up a decent discussion document and get the industry engaged. By all means put in place some deadlines, but aim to get as many people on board voluntarily as possible. It's going to be a complex transition with many moving parts; govt cannot do this on it's own.
Just tell them how much they will save by not buying petrol. Those figures are really great.
And yes we do need to stop petrol imports – and bridge the gap for the low end buyer to go electric.
Electric and hybrid are coming to lower priced vehicles.
Richard Prebble's pieces in the Herald are just sad. Today he starts off talking about measuring the economy via trucks, and ends with a quote from Ludwig von Mises. Can you imagine the Herald ever allowing a doddery, long retired, septuagenarian trade unionist a column where he told us all about his favoured simpleton measure for the economy (IDK, beer sales in working class areas?) and finished his article with a quote from Marx? Not on your Nelly! But the privilege of being an ex-leader of a far right party of economic crackpots is regular opinion pieces in the paper, it seems. Such is the glittering baubles with which the rich reward it's Quislings.
Prebble reveals himself as a rather simple minded fanatic who somehow got to a position where he actually ran our economy for six years.
They got very well remunerated for joining the economic colonialists company.
Dined and wined while the homeless struggle living on the streets.
Before the wholesale sellouts homelessness didn't exist.
Changes were needed pulling the rug out of economy in one hit has left widespread poverty a very low median wages high prices for food accommodation medical care etc.
Plenty of commentators here defend Marxist revolution like they're auditioning for a bit part as a shouty shopsoiled stopwork air-puncher in a Movietone 1946 Communist Party conclave. I forget my keys sometimes but I dont forget a near century of Marxist-led savagery and genocide.
Having said that, Richard Prebble needs to pour himself his morning double Balbeghie and go back to drooling on his porch armchair.
I forget my keys sometimes but I dont forget a near century of Marxist-led savagery and genocide.
hmm.
But for the right, a revival of interest in Marx’s pre-Stalinist vision of communism is the most striking and chilling example of its own collapsing ideological supremacy: ‘communism’ is synonymous with tens of millions of deaths and nothing else. Capitalism, by contrast, is presented as a largely bloodless, blameless engine of human prosperity.
The story of capitalism is more complicated than that. If you want to read effusive praise of capitalism, you’ll find it in Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto: the revolutionary dynamism of the capitalists, they wrote, had created “wonders far surpassing Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts, and Gothic cathedrals”. But capitalism is an economic system drenched in the blood of countless millions.
…
The democratic radical left has long repudiated the totalitarian nightmare, and has reflected at great length as to how it happened. But many of capitalism’s unapologetic defenders have failed to scrutinise its own past: respectable politicians and historians still defend colonialism, despite its grotesque horrors. Diving back into the darkest days of 20th-century totalitarianism is not a fair way to take on 21st-century democratic socialists.
I forget my keys sometimes but I dont forget a near century of Marxist-led savagery and genocide.
Hey you are stuck in your mindset so deep that you don't see that savagery etc is going on all the time. And capitalistic forces are very willing to carry out similar, perhaps dropping two nuclear bombs to quell any more hostility and empire building from the Japanese might be of parallel weight!
We have nothing to fear, but fear of blinkered mindsets from either side of any mudpie-throwing competition. 'Well, if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it.' the 1915 cartoon from the naturally humanistic cartoonist, Bruce Bairnsfather. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Bairnsfather#World_War_I_service
In 2012, the last year of recorded data, developing countries received a total of $1.3tn, including all aid, investment, and income from abroad. But that same year some $3.3tn flowed out of them. In other words, developing countries sent $2tn more to the rest of the world than they received. If we look at all years since 1980, these net outflows add up to an eye-popping total of $16.3tn – that’s how much money has been drained out of the global south over the past few decades. To get a sense for the scale of this, $16.3tn is roughly the GDP of the United States
What this means is that the usual development narrative has it backwards. Aid is effectively flowing in reverse. Rich countries aren’t developing poor countries; poor countries are developing rich ones.
…
We know how to fix the problem. But doing so would run up against the interests of powerful banks and corporations that extract significant material benefit from the existing system. The question is, do we have the courage?
And if you read the article much of that reverse flow is about 'capital flight', mostly companies moving capital illicitly out of the country to somewhere safer. The reasons for this are complex, a fair chunk of it being good old tax avoidance … but none of them a necessarily a feature of capitalism.
Still the general rule is that as a country develops, it's own internal institutions become stronger, and it's government more capable and trusted, then this flow tends to slow down.
Capital flight is definitionally a feature of international capitalism. Taxes are the State's attempt at limiting the private accumulation of resources. Tax avoidance extracts resources from the State preventing them from developing/strengthening its' own internal institutions.
Capital flight and tax avoidance is a problem the world over, remember the Panama Papers?
From their offshore accounts, [owners of capital] essentially make the same investments they do from banks located in London, New York, or Sydney: they buy financial securities — that is, stocks, bonds, and, above all, shares in mutual funds. The money in tax havens doesn’t sleep. It is invested in international financial markets.
Zucman conservatively estimates that $7.6 trillion is invested in hidden offshore bank accounts, the equivalent of 8 percent of the world’s total wealth. That translates into at least $200 billion in lost tax revenue every year, according to his estimates.
I actually loathe the old-school left-wing authoritarian mindset as much as I do right-wing fascism ..they are as ignorant as each other ..there really is a 'third-way'…(no..!..not neoliberal-incrementalism ..)
Agreed….. Nash's moronic attack on backpackers has been ripped apart by the texters on RNZ….Labour showing themselves to be elitist and authoritarian here…..I guess it's consistent with their lack of action on wealth redistribution.
We need some practicality here about low-income visitors to NZ, not knee-jerk softies who can't look at the real problems we face from their business, in all meanings of the word.
We have to have high-income longer-staying visitors –
to earn income without swamping our tourist assets and our environment (numbers)
to earn income yet trying to keep down the amount of bad environmental effects, so we have to prioritise
(Nil tourists would bring down our anti-environment carbon footprint, but we want overseas money and tourism ventures have invested a lot and want a return)
to keep people in hospitality jobs, one of the shrinking ways of getting a regular income in these halcyon days of the modern capitalist world
I think the thinkers amongst us recognise that lower-income people should be able to come here. I suggest a group be allowed for by Immigration, one of which would be Woofers (Willing workers on organic farms), and others seasonal workers, from pickers, pruners, ski instructors, big machine drivers etc. Do-ers not just be-ers, would be welcomed. So backpackers would have a place and time to be here. And vans would have to have toilets, and there should be a limit on how many there are under licence in NZ. And that would limit the number clogging our roads, and they should be encouraged to travel by rail and bus with concessionary tickets of the hop-on, hop-off variety at cheap rates.
Let's not pick on our rightish Labour pollies automatically. They may come up with some useful, practical schemes. We don't want pie-in-the-sky ones (like housing growing like mushrooms) as promised in the past do we? Practical, ticking the important boxes, that's what we need, I suggest.
Seemed like Nashie has overdosed on the 'high-end tourists only because we are so great" fantasy. The problem is that everywhere is great (and simultaneously terrible too). No acknowledgement of all those small/marginal operators whose livelihoods depends on volume.
But the bigger problem is that discretionary tourism is doomed and has to pretty much stop soon, or we are hammering our way past 3C degrees of warming – so better to plan for that. And such a bad look – pandering to the rich – when holidays for most kiwis is the summer camp-ground or a week in a motel. Couldn't help feeling that Nashie’s high-end tourism might be a cunning extension of the real estate sector – the tourists get to look around and decide what properties to buy.
A higher value inbound industry isn’t necessarily incompatible to a thriving and affordable domestic industry and the pressures that CC and post covid will bring to tourism.
Very likely that long haul cattle class won’t return, people won’t want to be there and it won’t be cheap any more. The people who will be able to afford long haul travel will want much better than a mud priced NZ motel.
The pressure on price and capacity in the middle class domestic market doesn’t come from the upper end international but from the bottom and middle, that’s who’s filling the camping grounds and motels. We also spend the same going overseas as international inbound spend here.
Doubt we will need to restrict anything, just market to those that can afford it.
Certainly not going to be popular, especially with the industry, Nash just told a lot of them they haven’t got a business any more. Surprised they took it ao well.
edit
Pat's point is one that doesn't get mentioned often. Airlines have to have two-way loading to be profitable ie fly in a certain number of passengers (enough to pay for the minimum costs involved), and then fly out, with a minimum number of passengers.
It costs to keep the plane parked for long. The costs of retaining the crew, must be considered.
As someone pointed out what we receive here from inbound tourists, may be balanced by our spending overseas, so there may be a net outcome. But at least it will keep our basic transport open, for a while longer, and provide trade and jobs. But all the time we must be considering how to bring our carbon footprint down. That means that government has to ensure that new debts are not being taken on, new planes are not being bought.
Is someone working on a model for using shipping instead of planes? The weather changes will bring about timetable limitations ie not going through some ocean at such a latitude while the cyclone season is on. We don’t want our goods or ourselves to be travelling cattle class and end up at the bottom of the ocean do we. Perhaps we will have ‘flying ships’ especially designed to carry perishable goods at a high speed and cost.
Tourists use ships for cruises, they can be used for long-trip travellers as they once were, Fairstar, Fairsky etc. And cruises to the Antartic and so on, when are they going to be stopped. It isn’t a good look in these climate-change times to have people nosy-parkering at things just because they have the money and curiosity. Too like end of Brave New World which resonates muchly these days. It’s a dirty human habit to want to stare at something doomed, so ghoulish. I suggest try looking in the mirror, to all of us as we all have this lurking curiosity.
Overall I think that sharp minds need to assess any new spending and infrastructure on a basis of – will it cover its costs in returns in the next five years? I don't hear this sort of calculation being considered. The talk is thinking about 2035-2050, and the long-term plan is the wise option still being discussed these days.
Our local Councils are still working on 10 year plans, and reluctantly giving up expensive options. But the locust-like planning for taking over productive and recreational and/or environmentally important land for housing continues unabated.
Re equanimity of tourism industry @ nashs’ b.s..That would be because they would recognise him/his words as just another politician flying a kite..talking shite/trying to pretend to be relevant in some way..and failing..he has earned himself a new nickname tho'..stuart 'ban-the-van!' nash..
Another good one would be to cap real estate fees. Make no mistake, the current inflation is not unrelated to energetic promotion by real estate companies, who contribute nothing to the country to justify their extremely high (by international standards) cut.
Xanthe National would not print money so the economy would tank 45,000 building permits are keeping the economy afloat.
At the height of the GFC meltdown only 12,000 permits National borrowed money at 5.5% from overseas which the US was only charging •5% interest,padding the likes of Goldman Sachs huge profits.
Key was those banks lackey refusing to do what all the major trading blocks were doing printing money so we could subsidize these corrupt vulture capitalists who created the problem
Well i cant see any other solution then to ban private lending at interest both private and public and Govt be the only lender who can make up appropriate money(Just like happens NOW!) and lend it where and only where it is in the public good!
what I cannot see at all right now is … how to get there?
But for the seasonal labour these tourists provide.
New Zealanders have no reason to uproot their city life to go and work for a few weeks or months on a minimum wage while living in substandard conditions .
The myth that freedom campers don't contribute is a fallacy ,They don't spend on accommodation but do work in horticulture and tourism which are short term low paid jobs no one else wants to do.
That money goes back into our economy and keeps industries flourishing many spending big money on adventure tourism.
The govt should be upgrading infrastructure to cope with this type of tourism before it gets overwhelmed again no doubt in the future when a Covid vaccine is widely available and cheap air flights
Everyone is focusing on the backpacker side, but it’s also the bottom / middle of the coach and FIT market that’s not going to be supported. Generally in this market very little is in NZ$ so little loss to most of the country, and the market may not exist any more.
Poor Stu, he needs to get out more then he'd realise those Young'uns are buying those wee Shitmobiles. There are entire websites and FB pages trading in them.
But still, the good folk of Napier keep on voting for him despite his thing about fire engines.
The ego has landed in tourism for the moment, reminds me of large orgs who put managers where they can do minimal damage as tourism's a tad flat currently.
He's been shuffled aside after not being up to scratch in his prior portfolios and the eyes are on him now. Methinks Nash's been found out.
Like to know the advantage of tourists in their cheap vans travelling round spoiling the environment and making a mess. If they can afford the fare to NZ they should be prepared to pay to behave decently.
The Greens, who are so passionate about the environment, have been somewhat quiet on this. Do they support the Minister's ideas? They are keen to ban petrol cars and have Kiwis pay high prices for electric cars but I'd like to hear them equally concerned about the pollution and mess caused by these cheap travellers.
Lots of Low Cost travelers do contribute heaps and behave admirably
The Greens idea was not to " ban petrol cars and have Kiwis pay high prices for electric cars" But rather to apply duty to petrol cars and use that duty to reduce the cost of electric cars for kiwis.
There are places in NZ where for whatever reason the litter has not been picked up for a few years. I can assure you the mess left by "low cost tourists" is a tiny grain in the mountain of crap NZs throw out the window.
I know that this will put the cat among the pidgeons but a ban on ICE vehicles would be a pointless waste of time. Despite all the hype 100% electric transport is not and never will be physically possible. I don't blame people for believing the hype because everyone wants it to be true but the laws of physics wont change just because we want them to. A mix of electricity, biofuel and reduced transport demand is what will actually happen.
I've commented on here before that there are reports of CourierPost ()NZ Post) having on-line service down so not being open for business on-line. I expressed my disappointment and fear that the government is prepared to let this important government agency go down the drain by allowing it to fall through the crack of not being wholly government or private and there being plenty of competition willing to take it up.
I thought I would take a little look at the running, and who on the gummint is likely to have an overview of it. It is a vital communication pipeline, and we damn well better see it maintained and sharp. I support NZ Post and it would pay other NZ-committed to do so as well.
Some TradeMe conversation about it on Nov.17. These are people at the micro level showing initiative and that should be encouraged, and they try to remain good humoured! Someone has now advised that the site is up, so it is intermittent. Not good for 'productivity' and efficiency of sellers or CourierPost though.
No PO boxes bookings at the moment as Courierpost is down.
Message just now when trying to book saying… Sorry, CourierPost's services are currently unavailable but you can still book with Aramex.
Yes its very frustrating that courierpost services are down AGAIN. Been trying since mid morning and still not avail. Its all very well Aramex being avail to use at a higher cost, but when you have given cheaper price to buyer after a quote earlier and they've paid you are stuck with covering the cost. Or just try, try, try again to book with courierpost. (Mind you we are all probably doing the same thing and the poor system cant hope haha)
This is part of what the NZ Post site says about its Governance:
The Board of the New Zealand Post Group currently comprises of six non-executive Directors. The two Shareholding Ministers – the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, on behalf of the Crown, appoint the Directors considering the balance of competencies and experience on the Board and through consultation with the Chair, Rodger Finlay. https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/investor-centre/leadership
So how will NZ Post fare under this Labour Government. I looked at the facts about the pollies involved and tried to get a feel of the likely outlook of the Hon Dr David Clark.
We know the Minister of Finance, Hon. Grant Robertson –
The Minister of State Owned Enterprises is the Hon. David Clark who also has other important business and organisational responsibilities –
The Hon. Dr David Clark has I think, an unusual background for his present portfolios. Religious ministry – Treasury – Politics. It is possible that his background of theoretical and moralistic thinking, thinly balanced on fact (religion and economics) may be more didactic and moralistic than practical and pragmatic. He does say in his bio that he's 'done a bunch of different things. I've worked on farms and in factories.' So he's been out and about in the wide, wild world a little, has also been strong in cycling, running, which are individualistic sports.
Early years: Advisor, to Hon David Parker 2006 – 2007
Analyst, Treasury 2003 – 2006
PhD Student, University of Otago 2000 – 2003
Presbyterian Minister, Community of St Luke 1997 – 2000
University Exchange Student, Germany 1997
Student, University of Otago, BA, BTheol(Hons) 1991 – 1996 http://www.davidclark.org.nz/about
Advice for TradeMe users who have seen the above. There is a 'cheat' for getting round the CourierPost on-line program weakness. This is a good example of NZs keeping on buzzing despite difficult times, and helping each other in goodwill. We need lots of this now and going forward.
One commenter offered this process:
Often Courierpost goes down,
OR if the address is not recognised it doesn't show up. Try this.
When you see the buyers delivery address when booking, just under it click Edit delivery address.
Put in name
Start typing address and when it gives you a choice to select, DON'T.
Click the link below it that says Can't find your address?
Put in the address
Leave out suburb ! important
Put in post code if you know it's correct, else click on the find Post code button to go to the NZPost website and find it there.
Click the Update address button, and Courierpost should pop up.
Haven't tried it myself but the experienced usually are spot on with their advice.
Yes, there are low cost travellers who show respect, but equally we have all seen photos of the mess some leave behind. They spoil it for others and all too often get away with it. That behaviour costs the local councils in time and money.
Is there an undercurrent on this thread of resentment towards wealthy tourists? So many people on the Standard seem constantly disgruntled with people who are better off, government ministers, the world, the cannabis referendum, life in general. And yet there are often articles in the media about people who have to deal with life's challenges but can still show some joy and positivity nevertheless.
Hit the reality button will you. It is no secret that NZ is one of the most unequal from high income to low, in the developed countries list.
Of course, like good little economic analysts, we are looking to see if we are getting our moneysworth out of these high paid execs. Does their productivity match up minute by minute. If you work in an accountants or solicitors you may be on a time sheet accounting for every 6 minutes, and we want the same accountability for the fatnecks.
So as our money flows upwards, and our water flows outwards, we look at what is left in our codpieces, and find the remains small and drying up. As Queen sang 'We will, we will Screw you'. Or was it 'Rock you'. It is time to do something, and we are noting who we are going to pick on for being Mr or Ms Creosote for December 2020. Stick around and we'll get to you sooner rather than later and your reality will change.
Nz has a long history/culture of throwing rubbish out the car window…and it sure as hell isn't the tourists who are fly-tipping all over the country…should we mention those old dump sites that are re-surfacing..?..this targeting/scapegoating of young foreign tourists is sodden with bigotry/ignorance…they stay longer..they work…and every day they are supporting local businesses…I live in raglan and interact with them all the time…invariably they are intelligent/articulate/friendly…also lots of rich tourists pass thru here…with their noses in the air…I know which I prefer ..
good post reality. many on the standard seem to get out of bed, looking to be outraged. very tireome. I now only dip into the standard infrequentley. real life is far more stimulating, and forfulling.
Hope so too. With effective COVID-19 vaccine(s) in 2021 looking more likely, the common sense of:
(i) strict border controls,
(ii) good testing/tracking/tracing,
(iii) timely lockdowns, and
(iv) good personal and community hygiene practices
in the interim is evident.
We don't know how lucky we are. In some countries the COVID horse has well and truly bolted. For example, in the USA ~3.5% of the population has been infected (so far), with an overall case fatality rate of ~2.2%. In French Polynesia ~4.4% of the population has been infected.
Why we should not do anything – because it would hurt the interests of the business leaders who oriented towards their interests, which is getting not only low interest, but high interest and payouts, and no interest in the rest of the country.
But before government does nothing it should tell the Reserve Bank what is wanted, and thus show the Governor how to make everybody (who counts) happy. I think that it's one of those operational matters that government is not supposed to direct but…. Reserve Bank independence, well Transparency International don't have to know exactly how that works.
Business NZ (Roundtable) Kirk Hope. What a good name for a moneyman with probity. Kirk is Scots for Church and Hope has a nice positive religious tone to it. Names like this and Steadfast Virtue as in the Gloriavale type of virtue-signalling inspire a deep feeling of… something.
And cleancut Andrew Bayly who is captioned as Shadow Treasurer which of course means Opposition – National says" "All I'm suggesting is that if the government is clear that we do not want to see rapid escalation of house prices, the Reserve Bank is smart enough to be able to work out the best policies to implement to make sure that doesn't continue to occur," he said.
Hope wants banks to be the arbiters of lending, government stay out. (In other words, keep us in the driving seat which is speaking Business NZ style and also its cohort.) He was not worried that the lion's share might end up in the pockets of property investors.
Well, Nelson Council just generated a really noisy and risky way to open up a public discussion about climate change in Nelson.
About 4500 property owners in Nelson are being told their land is at risk of potential inundation from sea level rise and other coastal hazards.
Nelson City Council is sending letters to landowners on the back of new coastal inundation maps, which show that swathes of central Nelson and coastal suburbs stand to be flooded under the worst case scenarios.
20 years down the track, the councillors of the day ain't going to get Christmas cards for keeping mum about the danger of inundation if they have that evidence at hand, now.
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The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
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Sweden. All Not so good.And voices WERE raised…
On 25 March, as confirmed cases passed 300 per day, about 2000 scientists signed an open letter calling for stricter control measures. It provoked little reaction. But a scathing op-ed, published by the 22 researchers in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 14 April, did get noticed. The piece carried the headline “The public health agency has failed. Politicians must intervene.” It noted that from 7 to 9 April, more people per million inhabitants had died in Sweden from COVID-19 than in Italy—and 10 times more than in Finland. FoHM officials “have so far not shown any talent for either predicting or limiting” the epidemic, they wrote.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/it-s-been-so-so-surreal-critics-sweden-s-lax-pandemic-policies-face-fierce-backlash
Sacked for wanting to wear a mask?….
latest..
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/430829/sweden-restricts-gatherings-to-stem-second-covid-19-wave
[when you cut and paste from anywhere (on site or off site), you have to make it clear that it is a cut and paste not your own words. Please compare your comment to my first reply to see the difference. When I say ‘have to’ I mean that the main two mods are so sick of this that we often now just remove the content of a comment, or if in a hurry just delete the whole thing. Which we don’t like doing, but I’m not willing to waste my time on this any more.
I clarified in this post
Dealing with this one comment, including time to read the comment, google to see if it’s a quote, writing the edited version, writing this mod note, and finding and linking the TS post about it, took me close to 10 mins. Multiply that by many times over a week and you can see why we have a low tolerance. It’s not just you, and I’m making a long note here so that others can get up to speed too.
Please reply to this moderation so I know you have seen and understood it, thanks – weka]
Sweden. All Not so good.And voices WERE raised…
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/it-s-been-so-so-surreal-critics-sweden-s-lax-pandemic-policies-face-fierce-backlash
Sacked for wanting to wear a mask?….
latest..
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/430829/sweden-restricts-gatherings-to-stem-second-covid-19-wave
I don't want to be guilty of schadenfreude but… If Sweden had taken part in the practical and precautionary planning then implemented it, those who wanted to pooh-pooh the pppi idea wouldn't have had a leg to stand on. Now a lot of people don't, who had years of life ahead and their country's medical response and death cycle services are stressed beyond coping.
Years ago one USA area contracted out some of its death services to a local man who couldn't cope. He failed to keep up with his duties and started to dump some bodies till he could properly deal with them, and could never manage to cope. It became a private nightmare for him, and when revealed by reports in the media, for his local authority.
That's why we have authorities in charge of various aspects of our life cycle and activity. Important decisions taken and implemented in a timely fashion for good outcomes desired by the community. They need to accept responsibility and act reasonably in concordance with all thinking members of society. And this applies all over the world, and now is at the front of our minds about almost everything we are seeing and doing, not just Covid-19.
mod note for you PLA, please respond when you have read it.
Is it suitable to put quoted words in italics with the rest of the comment in normal font? Does that differentiate the cut and paste stuff enough for mods?
let's see…
Sweden. All Not so good.And voices WERE raised…
On 25 March, as confirmed cases passed 300 per day, about 2000 scientists signed an open letter calling for stricter control measures. It provoked little reaction. But a scathing op-ed, published by the 22 researchers in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 14 April, did get noticed. The piece carried the headline “The public health agency has failed. Politicians must intervene.” It noted that from 7 to 9 April, more people per million inhabitants had died in Sweden from COVID-19 than in Italy—and 10 times more than in Finland. FoHM officials “have so far not shown any talent for either predicting or limiting” the epidemic, they wrote.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/it-s-been-so-so-surreal-critics-sweden-s-lax-pandemic-policies-face-fierce-backlash
Sacked for wanting to wear a mask?….
latest..
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/430829/sweden-restricts-gatherings-to-stem-second-covid-19-wave
So long as the relevant link immediately follows the italics, that works for me.
Great ta. There is so much to discuss and hash over I don't want to make life hard for mods especially if they cut us a bit of slack at times. The blog seems to go forward well and probably is a bellwether for the rest, without being sheepish!
Why reinvent the wheel? Quote marks were invented by Quotus Maximus in 45 BC as a specific text tool. See what I did there with italics?
So I take it – use quotes and italics kept for drawing attention to something? Is that what you mean as –
It is very simple, use quote marks when you want to use someone else’s words in your comment.
Use block quotes for long(er) quotes. These are separated from the other text by a new line, as in a new paragraph. When you use the Block Quote functionality of the WordPress text editor, you won’t have to lead off with quote marks, as this would be doubling up.
Italics are used for emphasis. This doesn’t work when your whole quote, for example, is in italics. However, when you italicise a word(s) in a quote, you should add something like [my emphasis] or [my italics], in square brackets.
Bold font is usually reserved for strong emphasis. As you know, here on TS it used to be reserved for moderation, but things have changed somewhat.
These universally accepted conventions for written text are intended to make things easier for both reader and writer – we all learned these at school. The standardisation helps to avoid confusion. This means we can focus more on actual content and debate 😉
I've been in the long habit of using italics for both emphasis (usually one word or two) or when I'm quoting a sentence or two from another comment in the same thread in reply to someone. I've always figured that if I'm quoting someone else from the same thread, it's pretty obvious where it's come from and I don't bother linking.
On the other hand if it's from an external source then I will link, and I'll always put the text in blockquotes.
As you say, things change with time and are you happy for me to continue as I have been?
Yea…I cant fucking be bothered. And I thought trademe O and P was bad…Was it the pseudoscience/alt medicine? Take a jump : )
cool, now we both know where we stand.
I fully support James Shaw's call to put a hard limit on the importing of petrol and diesel cars.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/123387955/time-to-consider-petrol-and-diesel-car-import-ban-says-climate-change-minister
More than 14 countries and 20 cities around the world are already into this.
https://theclimatecenter.org/actions-by-countries-phase-out-gas/
Unfortunately our three main sources of vehicles – Japan, Singapore, and Australia – don't have particularly strong programmes against combustion vehicles.
There's a more detailed discussion on this relationship between the ICE and GHG growth here at GreaterAuckland, who engaged pretty closely at the Business and CLimate Change Conference last week.
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2020/11/17/what-the-model-says-about-decarbonising-transport/
David Parker, Minister for the Environment, was present, and noted:
Seriously I just wish Ministers like that would just stop talking and start making some good ol' leadership decisions.
I agree. Surely this would be a really easy win – and would potentially even allow us to develop an electric conversion industry for petrol vehicles to accelerate to rollout of electric infrastructure?
I guess Labour is terrified that it might lose it's new constituency amongst angry sub-contractor autocrats who love their SUVs.
Timing is everything. Remember the 'light bulb' fiasco back in 2008?
We dont have to worry.
Not with this government.
All the time in the world.
Timing is everything. Remember the 'light bulb' fiasco back in 2008?
The 'light bulb fiasco' is an example of when someone has a 'good' idea 💡 and it provides a quick fix to meet some target, and never mind whether it fits the requirements of all the populace.
At the very least learn something from that mistake. The correct way to introduce EV's is to promote a timeline over the next decade or so to make the transition.
There will be early adopters who will be keen to get in, so make sure the infrastructure is put in place for them. Then incentivise the industry to start switching mainstream to EV models as they become more available and technically capable over the next 5 or so years.
Promote industry training programs aggressively; and realise that a lot of people are going to have their employment heavily impacted by this.
And then at the back end, make sure there is a plan to manage all the stranded ICE vehicles in manner that doesn't unduly penalise people who make the change later than others. Plus recognise that there will be some applications where EV doesn't work, and some form of liquid fuel infrastructure will probably need to be maintained for perhaps a couple of decades.
At least put up a decent discussion document and get the industry engaged. By all means put in place some deadlines, but aim to get as many people on board voluntarily as possible. It's going to be a complex transition with many moving parts; govt cannot do this on it's own.
Just tell them how much they will save by not buying petrol. Those figures are really great.
And yes we do need to stop petrol imports – and bridge the gap for the low end buyer to go electric.
Electric and hybrid are coming to lower priced vehicles.
Richard Prebble's pieces in the Herald are just sad. Today he starts off talking about measuring the economy via trucks, and ends with a quote from Ludwig von Mises. Can you imagine the Herald ever allowing a doddery, long retired, septuagenarian trade unionist a column where he told us all about his favoured simpleton measure for the economy (IDK, beer sales in working class areas?) and finished his article with a quote from Marx? Not on your Nelly! But the privilege of being an ex-leader of a far right party of economic crackpots is regular opinion pieces in the paper, it seems. Such is the glittering baubles with which the rich reward it's Quislings.
Prebble reveals himself as a rather simple minded fanatic who somehow got to a position where he actually ran our economy for six years.
aka "maddog" Prebble…him and his fellow neolib act/"labour"screwed NZ for Generations. Scum bag….
They got very well remunerated for joining the economic colonialists company.
Dined and wined while the homeless struggle living on the streets.
Before the wholesale sellouts homelessness didn't exist.
Changes were needed pulling the rug out of economy in one hit has left widespread poverty a very low median wages high prices for food accommodation medical care etc.
The Winners take all economic strategy
Left overs for the peasant's if they are lucky.
Plenty of commentators here defend Marxist revolution like they're auditioning for a bit part as a shouty shopsoiled stopwork air-puncher in a Movietone 1946 Communist Party conclave. I forget my keys sometimes but I dont forget a near century of Marxist-led savagery and genocide.
Having said that, Richard Prebble needs to pour himself his morning double Balbeghie and go back to drooling on his porch armchair.
hmm.
…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/26/communists-capitalism-stalinism-economic-model
Wot arkie said..
I forget my keys sometimes but I dont forget a near century of Marxist-led savagery and genocide.
Hey you are stuck in your mindset so deep that you don't see that savagery etc is going on all the time. And capitalistic forces are very willing to carry out similar, perhaps dropping two nuclear bombs to quell any more hostility and empire building from the Japanese might be of parallel weight!
We have nothing to fear, but fear of blinkered mindsets from either side of any mudpie-throwing competition. 'Well, if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it.' the 1915 cartoon from the naturally humanistic cartoonist, Bruce Bairnsfather. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Bairnsfather#World_War_I_service
And every single one of those causes of death are virtually exclusive to the least developed, the least 'capitalist' places on the planet.
Capitalism knows no borders.
…
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/14/aid-in-reverse-how-poor-countries-develop-rich-countries
And if you read the article much of that reverse flow is about 'capital flight', mostly companies moving capital illicitly out of the country to somewhere safer. The reasons for this are complex, a fair chunk of it being good old tax avoidance … but none of them a necessarily a feature of capitalism.
Still the general rule is that as a country develops, it's own internal institutions become stronger, and it's government more capable and trusted, then this flow tends to slow down.
Capital flight is definitionally a feature of international capitalism. Taxes are the State's attempt at limiting the private accumulation of resources. Tax avoidance extracts resources from the State preventing them from developing/strengthening its' own internal institutions.
Capital flight and tax avoidance is a problem the world over, remember the Panama Papers?
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo20159822.html
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/05/panama-papers-capital-mobility-controls/
Capital flight is definitionally a feature of international capitalism.
You just made that up.
And I’m pretty sure tax avoidance is an ancient pastime that pre-dates capitalism by quite a few thousands of years.
Yes, moving Capital has nothing to do with Capitalism, of course. /s
Does Flint have clean water, yet? Nope.
I actually loathe the old-school left-wing authoritarian mindset as much as I do right-wing fascism ..they are as ignorant as each other ..there really is a 'third-way'…(no..!..not neoliberal-incrementalism ..)
"Plenty"? Maybe a dozen – tops. And they're all safely coralled here in this little corner with no public platform, unlike Prebs.
What are you talking about. We are still being treated to peak Prebble, as on point and relevant as ever.
Stuart nash on natrad showing the incoherence of his ban-the-van/we-want-rich-tourists flight of fancy ..feckin' idjit..!..
Yeah I also thought Stuart's contribution was ignorant and slightly offensive.
Agreed….. Nash's moronic attack on backpackers has been ripped apart by the texters on RNZ….Labour showing themselves to be elitist and authoritarian here…..I guess it's consistent with their lack of action on wealth redistribution.
We need some practicality here about low-income visitors to NZ, not knee-jerk softies who can't look at the real problems we face from their business, in all meanings of the word.
We have to have high-income longer-staying visitors –
I think the thinkers amongst us recognise that lower-income people should be able to come here. I suggest a group be allowed for by Immigration, one of which would be Woofers (Willing workers on organic farms), and others seasonal workers, from pickers, pruners, ski instructors, big machine drivers etc. Do-ers not just be-ers, would be welcomed. So backpackers would have a place and time to be here. And vans would have to have toilets, and there should be a limit on how many there are under licence in NZ. And that would limit the number clogging our roads, and they should be encouraged to travel by rail and bus with concessionary tickets of the hop-on, hop-off variety at cheap rates.
Let's not pick on our rightish Labour pollies automatically. They may come up with some useful, practical schemes. We don't want pie-in-the-sky ones (like housing growing like mushrooms) as promised in the past do we? Practical, ticking the important boxes, that's what we need, I suggest.
Seemed like Nashie has overdosed on the 'high-end tourists only because we are so great" fantasy. The problem is that everywhere is great (and simultaneously terrible too). No acknowledgement of all those small/marginal operators whose livelihoods depends on volume.
But the bigger problem is that discretionary tourism is doomed and has to pretty much stop soon, or we are hammering our way past 3C degrees of warming – so better to plan for that. And such a bad look – pandering to the rich – when holidays for most kiwis is the summer camp-ground or a week in a motel. Couldn't help feeling that Nashie’s high-end tourism might be a cunning extension of the real estate sector – the tourists get to look around and decide what properties to buy.
A higher value inbound industry isn’t necessarily incompatible to a thriving and affordable domestic industry and the pressures that CC and post covid will bring to tourism.
Very likely that long haul cattle class won’t return, people won’t want to be there and it won’t be cheap any more. The people who will be able to afford long haul travel will want much better than a mud priced NZ motel.
The pressure on price and capacity in the middle class domestic market doesn’t come from the upper end international but from the bottom and middle, that’s who’s filling the camping grounds and motels. We also spend the same going overseas as international inbound spend here.
"We also spend the same going overseas as international inbound spend here."
Roughly …and if we reduce incoming it will restrict the availability/affordability of outgoing as well….not that I expect that to be a popular outcome
Doubt we will need to restrict anything, just market to those that can afford it.
Certainly not going to be popular, especially with the industry, Nash just told a lot of them they haven’t got a business any more. Surprised they took it ao well.
Shouldnt have been news to them
edit
Pat's point is one that doesn't get mentioned often. Airlines have to have two-way loading to be profitable ie fly in a certain number of passengers (enough to pay for the minimum costs involved), and then fly out, with a minimum number of passengers.
It costs to keep the plane parked for long. The costs of retaining the crew, must be considered.
As someone pointed out what we receive here from inbound tourists, may be balanced by our spending overseas, so there may be a net outcome. But at least it will keep our basic transport open, for a while longer, and provide trade and jobs. But all the time we must be considering how to bring our carbon footprint down. That means that government has to ensure that new debts are not being taken on, new planes are not being bought.
Is someone working on a model for using shipping instead of planes? The weather changes will bring about timetable limitations ie not going through some ocean at such a latitude while the cyclone season is on. We don’t want our goods or ourselves to be travelling cattle class and end up at the bottom of the ocean do we. Perhaps we will have ‘flying ships’ especially designed to carry perishable goods at a high speed and cost.
Tourists use ships for cruises, they can be used for long-trip travellers as they once were, Fairstar, Fairsky etc. And cruises to the Antartic and so on, when are they going to be stopped. It isn’t a good look in these climate-change times to have people nosy-parkering at things just because they have the money and curiosity. Too like end of Brave New World which resonates muchly these days. It’s a dirty human habit to want to stare at something doomed, so ghoulish. I suggest try looking in the mirror, to all of us as we all have this lurking curiosity.
Overall I think that sharp minds need to assess any new spending and infrastructure on a basis of – will it cover its costs in returns in the next five years? I don't hear this sort of calculation being considered. The talk is thinking about 2035-2050, and the long-term plan is the wise option still being discussed these days.
Our local Councils are still working on 10 year plans, and reluctantly giving up expensive options. But the locust-like planning for taking over productive and recreational and/or environmentally important land for housing continues unabated.
Re equanimity of tourism industry @ nashs’ b.s..That would be because they would recognise him/his words as just another politician flying a kite..talking shite/trying to pretend to be relevant in some way..and failing..he has earned himself a new nickname tho'..stuart 'ban-the-van!' nash..
Seeing as Women generally need to urinate more frequently than men due to having smaller bladders. criticising Nash for wanting to ban tourist vans without toilets, must be anti feminist.
Or we could invest in public, roadside toilet blocks for anyone ? Oh, that would be socialistic or something and thus nah, nah, can't be done?
We could, and should, but free loader campers wouldn’t need to crap where they wanted if they stayed at holiday parks or serviced DOC sites.
I see what u tried to do there…
Tried and succeeded, but fortunately you're coherent enough at the moment not to need the sarc tag I neglected to add.
My suggested solution to soaring house prices….. Tax interest received at around 85%
It would be better to make interest non tax deductible.
The banks already pay less than 1% on deposits and you would be inflicting further pain on retirees who have had their income savaged
Such measures would incentivise even more to be invested into property and away from other legit means of investment.
why can not
Also we have a crazy system here where the lenders are protected from any risk. Thats arse about, it should be the lender takes most of the risk .
Another good one would be to cap real estate fees. Make no mistake, the current inflation is not unrelated to energetic promotion by real estate companies, who contribute nothing to the country to justify their extremely high (by international standards) cut.
Stacy Abrams and President Jimmy Carter. Greeting each other in a very Blue Georgia
+1000
Shot of the day.
I respect carter…one of the 'best' presidents america has had in eons..
very cool.
Great shot…Carter has been unfairly much-maligned.
He was unlucky with the Iran hostage raid that destroyed his chance of a second term.
Some good analysis…around 50 mins long but theres a particularly succinct 2 mins at 40 min mark
https://digitalfinanceanalytics.com/blog/
eeeeeck now Judith Collins is talking some sense. our world is upside down
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/430866/no-controls-on-how-trading-banks-use-funding-recipe-for-disaster-collins
cant someone take Jacinda aside and explain to her that private companies lending made up money at interest for profit is the very root of the problem
Xanthe National would not print money so the economy would tank 45,000 building permits are keeping the economy afloat.
At the height of the GFC meltdown only 12,000 permits National borrowed money at 5.5% from overseas which the US was only charging •5% interest,padding the likes of Goldman Sachs huge profits.
Key was those banks lackey refusing to do what all the major trading blocks were doing printing money so we could subsidize these corrupt vulture capitalists who created the problem
Well i cant see any other solution then to ban private lending at interest both private and public and Govt be the only lender who can make up appropriate money(Just like happens NOW!) and lend it where and only where it is in the public good!
what I cannot see at all right now is … how to get there?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300161375/tourism-minister-to-ban-tourists-from-hiring-vans-that-are-not-selfcontained
And the Fuckwit of the Year Award goes to…
errm still some deadwood to clear out in the Labour caucus I think
Hopefully he's setting fire to himself.
Most New Zealanders would agree with Nash .
But for the seasonal labour these tourists provide.
New Zealanders have no reason to uproot their city life to go and work for a few weeks or months on a minimum wage while living in substandard conditions .
The myth that freedom campers don't contribute is a fallacy ,They don't spend on accommodation but do work in horticulture and tourism which are short term low paid jobs no one else wants to do.
That money goes back into our economy and keeps industries flourishing many spending big money on adventure tourism.
The govt should be upgrading infrastructure to cope with this type of tourism before it gets overwhelmed again no doubt in the future when a Covid vaccine is widely available and cheap air flights
Everyone is focusing on the backpacker side, but it’s also the bottom / middle of the coach and FIT market that’s not going to be supported. Generally in this market very little is in NZ$ so little loss to most of the country, and the market may not exist any more.
And the Fuckwit of the Year Award goes to…
Poor Stu, he needs to get out more then he'd realise those Young'uns are buying those wee Shitmobiles. There are entire websites and FB pages trading in them.
But still, the good folk of Napier keep on voting for him despite his thing about fire engines.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10553595/Stuart-Nash-its-all-about-bloody-hard-work
Nevermind Stuart….your day will come…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lIbuQeQzDA
The ego has landed in tourism for the moment, reminds me of large orgs who put managers where they can do minimal damage as tourism's a tad flat currently.
He's been shuffled aside after not being up to scratch in his prior portfolios and the eyes are on him now. Methinks Nash's been found out.
From now on he will be known as knee-jerk Nash.
The solution is more public toilets rather than destroying a lucrative part of NZ's tourist industry, and the country's image to boot.
Yes. Or how about Nat Nash?
Like to know the advantage of tourists in their cheap vans travelling round spoiling the environment and making a mess. If they can afford the fare to NZ they should be prepared to pay to behave decently.
The Greens, who are so passionate about the environment, have been somewhat quiet on this. Do they support the Minister's ideas? They are keen to ban petrol cars and have Kiwis pay high prices for electric cars but I'd like to hear them equally concerned about the pollution and mess caused by these cheap travellers.
eeek Where to start.
Lots of Low Cost travelers do contribute heaps and behave admirably
The Greens idea was not to " ban petrol cars and have Kiwis pay high prices for electric cars" But rather to apply duty to petrol cars and use that duty to reduce the cost of electric cars for kiwis.
There are places in NZ where for whatever reason the litter has not been picked up for a few years. I can assure you the mess left by "low cost tourists" is a tiny grain in the mountain of crap NZs throw out the window.
I know that this will put the cat among the pidgeons but a ban on ICE vehicles would be a pointless waste of time. Despite all the hype 100% electric transport is not and never will be physically possible. I don't blame people for believing the hype because everyone wants it to be true but the laws of physics wont change just because we want them to. A mix of electricity, biofuel and reduced transport demand is what will actually happen.
I've commented on here before that there are reports of CourierPost ()NZ Post) having on-line service down so not being open for business on-line. I expressed my disappointment and fear that the government is prepared to let this important government agency go down the drain by allowing it to fall through the crack of not being wholly government or private and there being plenty of competition willing to take it up.
I thought I would take a little look at the running, and who on the gummint is likely to have an overview of it. It is a vital communication pipeline, and we damn well better see it maintained and sharp. I support NZ Post and it would pay other NZ-committed to do so as well.
Some TradeMe conversation about it on Nov.17. These are people at the micro level showing initiative and that should be encouraged, and they try to remain good humoured! Someone has now advised that the site is up, so it is intermittent. Not good for 'productivity' and efficiency of sellers or CourierPost though.
No PO boxes bookings at the moment as Courierpost is down.
Message just now when trying to book saying… Sorry, CourierPost's services are currently unavailable but you can still book with Aramex.
Yes its very frustrating that courierpost services are down AGAIN. Been trying since mid morning and still not avail. Its all very well Aramex being avail to use at a higher cost, but when you have given cheaper price to buyer after a quote earlier and they've paid you are stuck with covering the cost. Or just try, try, try again to book with courierpost. (Mind you we are all probably doing the same thing and the poor system cant hope haha)
This is part of what the NZ Post site says about its Governance:
The Board of the New Zealand Post Group currently comprises of six non-executive Directors. The two Shareholding Ministers – the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, on behalf of the Crown, appoint the Directors considering the balance of competencies and experience on the Board and through consultation with the Chair, Rodger Finlay. https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/investor-centre/leadership
So how will NZ Post fare under this Labour Government. I looked at the facts about the pollies involved and tried to get a feel of the likely outlook of the Hon Dr David Clark.
We know the Minister of Finance, Hon. Grant Robertson –
The Minister of State Owned Enterprises is the Hon. David Clark who also has other important business and organisational responsibilities –
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications
Minister for State Owned Enterprises
Minister of Statistics
Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission
https://www.labour.org.nz/news-new-team-ministers-labour-government-2020
The Hon. Dr David Clark has I think, an unusual background for his present portfolios. Religious ministry – Treasury – Politics. It is possible that his background of theoretical and moralistic thinking, thinly balanced on fact (religion and economics) may be more didactic and moralistic than practical and pragmatic. He does say in his bio that he's 'done a bunch of different things. I've worked on farms and in factories.' So he's been out and about in the wide, wild world a little, has also been strong in cycling, running, which are individualistic sports.
Early years:
Advisor, to Hon David Parker 2006 – 2007
Analyst, Treasury 2003 – 2006
PhD Student, University of Otago 2000 – 2003
Presbyterian Minister, Community of St Luke 1997 – 2000
University Exchange Student, Germany 1997
Student, University of Otago, BA, BTheol(Hons) 1991 – 1996
http://www.davidclark.org.nz/about
Advice for TradeMe users who have seen the above. There is a 'cheat' for getting round the CourierPost on-line program weakness. This is a good example of NZs keeping on buzzing despite difficult times, and helping each other in goodwill. We need lots of this now and going forward.
One commenter offered this process:
Often Courierpost goes down,
OR if the address is not recognised it doesn't show up. Try this.
When you see the buyers delivery address when booking, just under it click Edit delivery address.
Put in name
Start typing address and when it gives you a choice to select, DON'T.
Click the link below it that says Can't find your address?
Put in the address
Leave out suburb ! important
Put in post code if you know it's correct, else click on the find Post code button to go to the NZPost website and find it there.
Click the Update address button, and Courierpost should pop up.
Haven't tried it myself but the experienced usually are spot on with their advice.
He'd be right at home with Treasury – they're a cult.
I had a feeling about his train tracks and the passengers he would meet.
Yes, there are low cost travellers who show respect, but equally we have all seen photos of the mess some leave behind. They spoil it for others and all too often get away with it. That behaviour costs the local councils in time and money.
Is there an undercurrent on this thread of resentment towards wealthy tourists? So many people on the Standard seem constantly disgruntled with people who are better off, government ministers, the world, the cannabis referendum, life in general. And yet there are often articles in the media about people who have to deal with life's challenges but can still show some joy and positivity nevertheless.
Hit the reality button will you. It is no secret that NZ is one of the most unequal from high income to low, in the developed countries list.
Of course, like good little economic analysts, we are looking to see if we are getting our moneysworth out of these high paid execs. Does their productivity match up minute by minute. If you work in an accountants or solicitors you may be on a time sheet accounting for every 6 minutes, and we want the same accountability for the fatnecks.
So as our money flows upwards, and our water flows outwards, we look at what is left in our codpieces, and find the remains small and drying up. As Queen sang 'We will, we will Screw you'. Or was it 'Rock you'. It is time to do something, and we are noting who we are going to pick on for being Mr or Ms Creosote for December 2020. Stick around and we'll get to you sooner rather than later and your reality will change.
So who is responsible for all the roadside rubbish currently?
Nz has a long history/culture of throwing rubbish out the car window…and it sure as hell isn't the tourists who are fly-tipping all over the country…should we mention those old dump sites that are re-surfacing..?..this targeting/scapegoating of young foreign tourists is sodden with bigotry/ignorance…they stay longer..they work…and every day they are supporting local businesses…I live in raglan and interact with them all the time…invariably they are intelligent/articulate/friendly…also lots of rich tourists pass thru here…with their noses in the air…I know which I prefer ..
good post reality. many on the standard seem to get out of bed, looking to be outraged. very tireome. I now only dip into the standard infrequentley. real life is far more stimulating, and forfulling.
Greywarshark – silly, inane comments that don't make sense. Who is going to "get" me exactly?
Full lockdown in South Australia. Similar origin and situation to the August Auckland cluster. Hopefully they have acted faster than Victoria.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/coronavirus/circuit-breaker-sa-in-full-lockdown/news-story/0a167b4e08e2f6ff4b38895e7a400dcf
Hope so too. With effective COVID-19 vaccine(s) in 2021 looking more likely, the common sense of:
(i) strict border controls,
(ii) good testing/tracking/tracing,
(iii) timely lockdowns, and
(iv) good personal and community hygiene practices
in the interim is evident.
We don't know how lucky we are. In some countries the COVID horse has well and truly bolted. For example, in the USA ~3.5% of the population has been infected (so far), with an overall case fatality rate of ~2.2%. In French Polynesia ~4.4% of the population has been infected.
Stamp it out, keep it out.
Why we should not do anything – because it would hurt the interests of the business leaders who oriented towards their interests, which is getting not only low interest, but high interest and payouts, and no interest in the rest of the country.
But before government does nothing it should tell the Reserve Bank what is wanted, and thus show the Governor how to make everybody (who counts) happy. I think that it's one of those operational matters that government is not supposed to direct but…. Reserve Bank independence, well Transparency International don't have to know exactly how that works.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/430854/business-leaders-against-national-s-idea-of-imposing-conditions-on-funding-for-lending
Business NZ (Roundtable) Kirk Hope. What a good name for a moneyman with probity. Kirk is Scots for Church and Hope has a nice positive religious tone to it. Names like this and Steadfast Virtue as in the Gloriavale type of virtue-signalling inspire a deep feeling of… something.
And cleancut Andrew Bayly who is captioned as Shadow Treasurer which of course means Opposition – National says" "All I'm suggesting is that if the government is clear that we do not want to see rapid escalation of house prices, the Reserve Bank is smart enough to be able to work out the best policies to implement to make sure that doesn't continue to occur," he said.
Hope wants banks to be the arbiters of lending, government stay out. (In other words, keep us in the driving seat which is speaking Business NZ style and also its cohort.) He was not worried that the lion's share might end up in the pockets of property investors.
Well, Nelson Council just generated a really noisy and risky way to open up a public discussion about climate change in Nelson.
About 4500 property owners in Nelson are being told their land is at risk of potential inundation from sea level rise and other coastal hazards.
Nelson City Council is sending letters to landowners on the back of new coastal inundation maps, which show that swathes of central Nelson and coastal suburbs stand to be flooded under the worst case scenarios.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/123427369/maps-forecast-large-areas-of-nelson-underwater-from-sealevel-rise
They ain't going to get Christmas cards for sending that one out.
Much better than pretending it's not an issue. We can't sleepwalk our way into disaster the writing's been on the wall for some time.
Even my blanket fort feels a tad unsafe in these times.
'blanket fort'…heh..!
20 years down the track, the councillors of the day ain't going to get Christmas cards for keeping mum about the danger of inundation if they have that evidence at hand, now.