Open mike 18/11/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 18th, 2022 - 62 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

62 comments on “Open mike 18/11/2022 ”

  1. Tony Veitch 1

    The Polish village hit by Russian missiles lies due north of Lyiv, and on the same latitude west of Kiev.

    NATO knows this, Biden et al know this, and President Zelenskyy knows this. Simply put, the Russians got it wrong – human error, and knowing Russians (I lived there for a short period) the operator was probably drunk!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwXZcT4b5BU&t=34s

    Ukraine uses s-300 ground to air missiles, which, if they miss their target, are designed to explode harmlessly in the air, not fall to the ground and then explode.

    Another commentator has suggested the crater from the explosion is way too big for a s-300 to make, but probably comes from something larger, like a Russian cruise missile.

    Pictures of some of the debris look remarkably similar to that of Russian cruise missile debris found elsewhere in Ukraine.

    Lastly, Ukraine (up to now) has been denied access to the bomb site.

    We have (or are) witnessed (-ing) a huge cover-up – albeit for the best of reasons, to avoid a major NATO-Russia conflict.

    This missile attack which killed two Polish civilians is just another war crime by the Kremlin.

    • Francesca 1.1

      If that is true its all over rover for Ukraine.Nato/US will not intervene with boots on the ground

    • tsmithfield 1.2

      I have seen that argument as well, that it was a combination of co-ordiantes for Lviv and Kyiv, hence a Russian mistake rather than a Ukrainian error. That argument is fairly weak in my opinion, and would require a lot more physical evidence to support it.

      Also, another view from Michael Clarke, often relied on by media for commentary on the war, is that it was a Russian missile and the Ukrainian air defence missile. Hence two missiles. That would square with initial reports that suggested two explosions and explain the size of the crater.

      So, there is a bit of water to go under the bridge with this yet.

      • Tony Veitch 1.2.1

        A bit of a coincidence, though!

        I have no confidence in the competence (or sobriety) of Russian soldiers. It would not surprise me at all if some tipsy computer operative mixed the co-ordinates up.

        But certainly a mistake rather than a deliberate provocation.

        • tsmithfield 1.2.1.1

          But more evidence would be needed to make that case.

          Both Kyiv and Lviv are large cities, so after the fact, it probably isn't suprising that missile strike co-ordinates could be aligned with those cities in retrospect.

          If, however, the co-ordinates could be matched with say, power substations in each city, then that would be interesting.

  2. Francesca 2

    Responding to Zelenskyy’s comments, a diplomat from a Nato country in Kyiv told the Financial Times: “This is getting ridiculous. The Ukrainians are destroying [our] confidence in them. Nobody is blaming Ukraine and they are openly lying. This is more destructive than the missile.”

    https://www.ft.com/content/d417ea8f-62ee-4bb8-966b-a85a98fc6b3a

    • Tony Veitch 2.1

      That article is paywalled!

    • tsmithfield 2.2

      Zelensky has softened their stance on the origin of the missile, but is asking for access to the site and the evidence, which I think is entirely reasonable.

      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-news-russia-war-poland-missile-nato-zelenskyy-biden/

    • RedLogix 2.3

      Both the Russians and Ukrainians use the S300 Air Defense missile that is apparently the type identified from the remains. Normally when used for its intended purpose this missile has a self-destruct algorithm that cause the missile to explode in mid-air if it misses its target.

      The Russians have been bypassing this protection to enable them to use S300s to attack ground targets, while the Ukrainians, having no ground targets they are allowed to hit, do not.

      Also while it is clear that neither side would have any motive to deliberately target a tiny Polish farming village, the coordinates involved are plausibly the result of a Russian serviceman accidentally transposing coordinates from Lyiv and Kyiv cities.

      Of course this is proof of nothing, but if NATO are certain of their case – then it should stand open, trusted and transparent scrutiny. This is a relatively straight forward technical investigation of the type that air accident investigators routinely report on.

      The Ukrainian request for access to the data is reasonable.

      • tsmithfield 2.3.1

        Ukrainians have now been granted access to the missile site.

        I understand that NATO has been tracking missiles fired, and should be able to determine the path of the missile that hit Poland.

        The problem with the theory that Russia fired a S300 in ground attack mode is that, if the case, it must have been fired from Belarus. But, the analysis I have seen suggests that the nearest possible location would have been out of range.

        I don't find the mixed up grid coordinate theory compelling yet as the margin for error is too high given the size of both Lviv and Kyiv. But if the coordinates could be reverse-aligned with credible targets in each city I would be more convinced.

        If a Russian cruise missile was involved, I find the two missile theory most compelling. That is, a S300 air defence took down a Russian cruise missile, and that the debris for both fell onto Poland. The original reports suggested two missile strikes, so could be a credible explanation.

        I understand the fail-safes in these missiles. But S300 failures have been relatively common, as has been evidenced by several videos of Russian missiles going astray and detonating on the ground.

      • Anne 2.3.2

        We have our own example of what can go wrong when a technician accidently transposes coordinates. I refer to the Erebus tragedy. Together with the White Out phenomenon, the pilots were fooled into believing they were flying over the Ross Sea when in fact they were heading for Erebus.

        The fault lay entirely with Air NZ (for reasons too detailed to go into here) but in their attempt to avoid responsibility Air NZ blamed the pilots. The extent of the cover-up job has never been revealed, but it included a criminal element and went to the top of the tree. Innocent people were caught up in it and had their reputations destroyed.

        The chances are, something similar could happen here but perhaps the involvement of NATO will preclude a cover-up job.

        • tsmithfield 2.3.2.1

          Ukraine are now involved in the investigation, so a NATO coverup probably isn't likely. Neither is it necessary.

          Whatever, missile hit, it obviously was an accidental strike on Poland, so never was going to cause WW3. I don't discount the accidential coordinate theory. I think we just need more evidence to co-oborate it. The missile debri supports an S300 being involved. We should know soon if there were any other missiles involved as well, such as a Russian cruise missile.

          • Anne 2.3.2.1.1

            … so a NATO coverup probably isn't likely. Neither is it necessary.

            I meant that. If another person or entity did try to cover-up NATO would expose it. 🙂

  3. Jenny are we there yet 3

    Invasion, war, genocide, slavery, resource looting, environmental destruction, racism, white supremacy. colonialisation, neo-colonialisan, imperialism, neo-imperialism.

    Initially spreading out from Europe, the ongoing process of imperialism is now colonising the climate.

    It's a process

    “Modern colonial societies have really been built on the process of genocide and ecocide, and can only continue through ongoing genocide and ecocide.”

    No problem could be solved within the conscience that created it, Jones told the conference, citing COP27.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300739619/climate-change-a-manifestation-of-colonisation-researcher-says

    It's a process and it has yet to reach its nadir.

    …..climate pollution had risen year after year, Jones said.

    “In spite of the Copenhagen Accord, the Paris Agreement, the Glasgow Climate Pact, we are going in completely the wrong direction.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300739619/climate-change-a-manifestation-of-colonisation-researcher-says

    • Jenny are we there yet 3.1

      Growth:

      "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell"

      Edward Abbey

      https://www.methodeva.com/blog/2018/11/growth-for-the-sake-of-growth-is-the-ideology-of-a-cancer-cell/

      The anti-growth movement:

      “We have sought to explain that what mainstream economists call progress is what ecologists call planetary ruin. We’ve contended that infinite growth on a finite planet is a recipe for catastrophe.”

      George Monbiot

      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/12/liz-truss-anti-growth-coalition-class-power

      Cancerous:

      “We’re bullish about the whole of the Pacific rim,”
      “We think there’s the potential for lots of growth.”

      Christopher Luxon

      https://globalnews.ca/news/257764/ap-interview-air-nzs-new-ceo-christopher-luxon-sees-growth-opportunities-in-asia-us/

      (tell it to the Pacific rim countries suffering the negative effects of climate change due to rising emissions).

    • AB 3.2

      Dr Jones takes a useful idea and spoils it. If climate change is a manifestation or outcome of colonisation, we might expect to see non-colonised populations (say in Europe) keeping their GHG emissions within sustainable bounds. We don't. If he argued that both colonisation and climate change have a similar origin (endless growth in capital accumulation) he might have something to talk about.

      Instead, he seems to have inserted a false causal link in there to suit his own purposes. It really doesn't help to do this, because it ends up feeding the paranoia of the Groundswell types in believing that climate change policy is just a Trojan horse for Maori control.

      The one powerful idea he expresses – "no problem [can] be solved within the conscience that created it" – therefore gets unfortunately lost.

    • Ad 3.3

      I'm sure Dr dude is great at mental health, but gas emissions scientist he ain't.

      US and European climate gas emission levels are falling fast.

      Climate Change Indicators: Greenhouse Gases | US EPA

      China is the biggest emitter by a long shot and it's mostly their coal.

      World’s Top Emitters Interactive Chart I World Resources Institute (wri.org)

      There is no pathway to a 1.5c degree increase solution anymore, and it's the actual collective global opinion saying that.

      Emissions Gap Report 2022 (unep.org)

      The focus has to be on China and India, because they aren't turning their systems around fast enough and because the effects are hitting them the fastest.

      The Carbon Brief Profile: India

      Arguably the source of historical colonialisation – Europe – is providing the best path towards the lowest climate impact.

      .

      • satty 3.3.1

        US and European climate gas emission levels are falling fast.

        For example, Germany was at one point the largest producer of steel globally. Now it's China. Steel production creates massive amounts of CO2. Easy for Germany to claim a significant reduction in CO2.

        Does this mean Germany stopped using steel when building cars, houses, machinery etc.? Nope.

        Europe – is providing the best path towards the lowest climate impact.

        Not really. Unless we move the global polluting industry off this planet, instead of shifting from one country to another (normally from a more "advanced" country to a less "advanced" one, having less environmental / job security, which makes matters worse)

        OR

        We either reduce the production causing massive pollution or we introduce ways to produce existing products with significant less pollution.

        As I mentioned before… if people don't like the amount of green house gases China (or any other big polluting country) produces, they should simply stop buying Chinese-made products, products containing Chinese-products or products produced on Chinese-made machines…

        • Ad 3.3.1.1

          Cherry picking is fundamentally dishonest so just stop it.

          Europe was the source of colonial empires, not Germany specifically.

          Europe not Germany specifically, is the global leader in greenhouse gas emission decreases with a fall of 32% between 1990 and 2020 across all sectors except for a 7% increase in transport.

          As for the offshoring argument, as far I am aware the EU has the most advanced carbon offshoring mechanism against such 'leakage'. Here's some analysis:

          EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (europa.eu)

          Neither China nor India are saints in steel production, but China in particular is acting to a plan and achieving. Also its' steel production has plateaued with the stagnation of the real estate economy.

          For steel sector, China’s decarbonization is a costly quest | S&P Global

          Simply instructing people not to buy from China as some wish towards perfection is just weak. New Zealand and Australia are addicted to China and it appears to suit all three just fine.

          • satty 3.3.1.1.1

            I used "For example" (with example being the country German and the industry being Steel) and I'm relatively certain other European countries did exactly the same thing, incl. colonial United Kingdom and France (to name two more major previously heavy-industrial countries in Europe); going up the "value chain" ensuring higher environmental standards and higher work safety locally, while the pollution and lower work safety are fully accepted remotely by the west. In the early years, which I would date it the early 90s after the end of the Cold War, the "dirty industry" also moved to easier close-by targets in the Eastern European countries.

            The EU carbon border adjustment mechanism was certainly not around when the offshoring of dirty industries in Europe started. It's a good thing to have, no doubt.

            And I've never even remotely stated, in any of my posts, that India or China are not a problem re. greenhouse gases or other forms of pollution. However, they are very easy finger-pointing targets for the West (incl. yourself, I might add)…

            Until western countries clearly acknowledge that China / India's (and other countries, where often western companies produce for cheap) pollution are partially western responsibility too, improvements will be limited.

            I'm not instructing people not to buy from China. I want people to acknowledge, that a significant part of their (China / India and the countries) pollution problem is inflicted by our (western) over-consumption of cheap products and moving of previously local industries to their shores.

  4. roy cartland 4

    Just posting this here, TDB hosts this, one of the excellent things they do. A must-listen for those freaking out about the media portrayal of TruMp TaKinG ContRol Of The HOuSe!!!!!!!!!!

    Spoiler: well, no. Him running again is an absolute nightmare for the GOP. The tides are shifting against him, in a pretty serious way. For him.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1fxS0OdshU&t=848s

    • Ad 4.1

      Yeah they said that last time in 2016.

      • roy cartland 4.1.1

        Must say that went through my mind as well. The scoffing media wrote Tr^mp off then couldn't get enough of him.

      • Peter 4.1.2

        How much is known about Trump and how he performs in the environment now compared to 2016?

        The most fervent Republicans will vote Trump for President in 2024 if he is the Republican candidate. How many will stay away from voting if he is their candidate? If he doesn't win the primary will he stand as an independent out of spite? Or to somehow stall legal processes against him?

        • Jenny are we there yet 4.1.2.1

          Though the current Trump Brand may be electorally toxic, politics like nature abhors a vacuum. The far right populism of Trump fills an empty space in the American, anti-liberal conservative psych.

          The marriage between the far right and religious fundamentalists was the secret to Trump's success, but wasn't a good fit with Trump's personality and values, which has led to a split in conservative voter support.

          Relaunched with a new face, smile and squeaky clean persona the new Trump, better able to marry venal neoliberal finance and corporate values with the conservative religious values, will be more dangerous to democracy and world peace and the environment and climate than the original.

  5. Jimmy 5

    Countdown Pt. Chev now cheaper to shop at than Pak n Save as groceries are free! Hopefully police have the car number plate so arrests should be imminent.

    Watch: Bold thieves bag trolley full of groceries before taking off in getaway car – NZ Herald

    Last time it was Countdown Meadowbank

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/brazen-auckland-supermarket-shopping-trolley-theft-not-reported-to-police-countdown-using-own-security-measures/OO7WGZIKZ62B432INYH4R3PRZA/

  6. DB Brown 6

    That's how it's done. Well thought out, long term vision, effects on all stakeholders… what a great project and great journalism.

    "…at a critical moment when human-caused climate change is hammering the Western United States with prolonged drought… allowing California’s second-largest river to flow naturally, and its flood plains and wetlands to function normally, would mitigate those impacts."

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/17/us-to-demolish-four-dams-in-river-restoration-effort

    • weka 6.1

      such good news!

      • weka 6.1.1

        for those that want to understand the meaning here, this from Derrick Jensen is worth a read,

        https://derrickjensen.org/endgame/the-gift-of-salmon/

        • DB Brown 6.1.1.1

          That's great.

          Local Biogeography Expert Shane Wright will tell you how NZ's ecosystems were once massively enriched in similar fashion with nitrogen and phosphorus from the ocean. In our instance not so much from anadromous fish migration – but the vast colonies of sea birds that visited the land, and vice versa.

          Numbers beyond comprehension.

          Speaking of, I wonder if the mosquito plague currently hitting parts of Aussie will be a boon to the amphibians and birds? It's not a regular event, but some flux of aquatic nutrients brought back onto land will occur.

    • Robert Guyton 6.2

      The world-view of the First Peoples led to this result.

    • Ad 6.3

      There are great Youtube clips on these and they are inspiring.

      No wonder the Contact Energy rails against the NZBattery Project given the Roxburgh Dam is well due for replacement.

      Atiamuri, Whakamaru, Arapuni and Karapiro. The Waikato is such an obvious target for Waikato Tainui in 3 Waters, if Mercury haven't figured that out yet.

  7. Poission 7

    Mathematical analyst introduces well posed prose to crypto catastrophe.

    cadaverous pencilneck cryptocrats

    https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1593347534591868932

    Charlie Munger being more old school,called crypto VD,turds,coinage for kidnappers.

  8. Stuart Munro 8

    @ Weka

    I don't get a reply link to your comment on Adam's line of comments.

    You characterize my attacks on him as personal, but I don't know or care who he is – I treat pretty much anyone pushing fascist propaganda the same.

    He never produces credible links (largely speaking there are none for most of his claims). He is never less than vile and insulting – is he to go unanswered?

    I realize this creates issues for moderators, and I'm not trying to multiply them, but his disinformation needs to be contradicted.

    • weka 8.1

      If you want to reply to a comment that has no reply link, then just scroll upwards from that comment to the first reply link inline with the comment you are replying to.

    • weka 8.2

      Stuart,

      You characterize my attacks on him as personal, but I don't know or care who he is –

      Here's a selection from your recent comments, my italics,

      You know, if your constant ad homs did not demonstrate what a shriveled husk of a human being you were, I might be offended.

      … like some soulless soviet aparatchik.

      you have become a Judas goat, a flagrant fascist supporter

      and so on. You clearly are attacking him personally. Using ad homs. Which you seem to agree is a problem.

      I treat pretty much anyone pushing fascist propaganda the same.

      I can't imagine that adam has done that, and you've not provided any evidence that he has been. But even if he were, you still can't start flame wars here. I don't care what you think about him, I care how your behaviour affects this place, commenters, debate atmosphere.

      He never produces credible links (largely speaking there are none for most of his claims). He is never less than vile and insulting – is he to go unanswered?

      Your problem is that the point I came into this you were both being abusive. I see no reason why I should single him out and not you.

      I realize this creates issues for moderators, and I'm not trying to multiply them, but his disinformation needs to be contradicted.

      Exactly. Argue against what he is saying, without all the added abuse. Then there is no problem for the mods.

      If you can't see the difference between attacking someone personally and attacking their arguments, then there is most definitely a problem for the mods.

      • Stuart Munro 8.2.1

        I have argued against what he's saying.

        He started the ad homs, (a crack about warmongers! from a troll that supports Putin's invasion no less!) and he hasn't stopped lying for a moment.

        He's a dedicated Putin bot, with no real world knowledge of Russia whatsoever.

        You might want to go through his comments for ad homs too – I didn't start them.

        I don't think the truth should be treated equally with lies, or fascist trolls the same as those who support Ukraine's right to self-determination.

        He's the modern form of Nazi, and tolerance of him is inappropriate.

        • weka 8.2.1.1

          What you don't realise is that as a mod, I don't care who started it. This isn't kindergarten. What I care about are these things,

          • stopping a flame war
          • limiting the amount of time I have to spend on this as a mod (so no, I'm not trawling back through the debate, I'm working with what I see in front of me)
          • upholding the robust debate ethic of TS

          I have seen both of you using ad homs and personal attacks. That has to stop. Focus on the arguments and have a go at those. If adam is saying what you say he is, then you have plenty of material to work with. Personal attacks are just lazy in that sense.

          No, you cannot use TS is run a crusade against those you believe are fascists. Do you have any idea how many people there are here who think like this but all about different people? Pull down the arguments, that is how you make the case. If you can demonstrate that another commenter is running fascist lines here, do that!

          I've know adam commenting here a long time, so on the face of it I can't see what you mean. If you want to convince people, you have to do the work on that. Going forward.

          I would be saying exactly the same thing to him.

          • Stuart Munro 8.2.1.1.1

            Pah – I'm been banned for extended periods by those same fascists, Weka.

            Nor do I live to indulge in the trade in lies that passes for debate from Adam.

            I'm only concerned with their determination to misinform others.

            I'd really rather not have to moderate Nazis on a supposedly left site.

            Adam's fellow travellers are so dishonest as to routinely deny Russia's culpability for MH17 – they have no respect for truth whatsoever. They should pay for that.

            Their ignorance of modern Russian history is on them – I don't propose to give them a three-year degree in it, and they wouldn't thank me if I did.

            to me this looks like outright contempt of moderation on TS. Take this as a warning, that if you continue to do this you will be banned. This has nothing to do with adam, it’s about your behaviour and that you seem to think the rules here don’t apply to you.

            • weka 8.2.1.1.1.1

              mod note

              • Stuart Munro

                One of the rules is truthfulness.

                Until it is enforced on the Putin trolls, they will continue to waste everyone's time.

                • weka

                  then use the way things work here to address that. Stop fucking with moderation.

                  • Stuart Munro

                    I'm not sure that 'the way things work here' works.

                    My impression is that we are dealing with something very like Bonhoeffer's Theory of Stupidity.

                    In any case, I am increasingly busy these days, and have proportionately less time to deal with our resident Putin propagandists.

                    Good luck with them.

                    • RedLogix

                      I encountered Bonhoeffer's story a while back and I commend you for linking to it. Best wishes with whatever it is that is gotten you busier.

  9. pat 9

    Thought for the day..

    Are we a representative democracy?

    • RedLogix 9.1

      For the moment. 'Tweaked Democracies' seem all the rage. devil

      • Muttonbird 9.1.1

        Democracy needs tweaking. Witness how the privileged right howl whenever anything is suggested to grow participation.

        Preservation of power is crucial to the already powerful.

    • swordfish 9.2

      .

      Ohhhh, I think we can rely on Corporate Iwi and their affluent establishment Pakeha Woke "allies" (suffering from debilitating narcissistic personality disorders) to know what's best for us all.

      I suspect it’s time we began to live our lives strictly according to their instructions.

      • Molly 9.2.1

        Swordfish, weighing up the dilemma of unsolicited advice vs offer of something that may be useful. Apologies if I've made the wrong call.

        If you are the type who looks to supplement your medical treatment, I can share access to a site that shows how to determine which off-label meds and supplements are best for your individual needs.

        The approach is to interrupt the metabolic pathways that provide energy to cancer.

        A research trial is happening in the UK.

        https://careoncologyclinic.com/what-is-the-coc-protocol-new/

        If interested, you can DM me on Twitter: @EdgeWatching

        • swordfish 9.2.1.1

          .

          Thanks very much, Molly … you have absolutely zero to apologise for !!! … I'm genuinely very grateful … but I can understand you feeling a little wary & tentative given the melodramatic, self-pitying, tiptoe-on-eggshells-around me at all times personality types favoured by some of the Woke cadre here over the years …. (the sort of people who feel they've been brutally colonised and shipped off as slave labour if two women politely disagree with them) …. We've witnessed a small segment of highly manipulative vulnerable narcissists here over the years … they find a way of playing the victim at all times even when people have gone out of their way to be helpful & kind. The sort of walking-talking personality disorders who’d find a way to be highly offended by your very kind & thoughtful offer.

          So, your offer & reaching out is very much appreciated.

          Yeah, during the early cycles of first-line chemo late last year (those days when I wasn't suffering from the dreaded 'Chemo Fog', where you're in a state not entirely dissimilar to significant sleep deprivation), I did a reasonable amount of research on the most promising drugs currently being re-purposed to fight cancer in general & Stage 4 Colorectal cancer in particular.

          Looked pretty clear from the literature – including some really useful 'umbrella' overviews – that there are 3 particular families of drug that are exhibiting the greatest efficacy against cancer:

          1. The Anti-Parasitical Drugs
          2. The Hypertension Drugs
          3. The Drugs controlling Diabetes (esp, of course, Metformin)

          Along with a handful of others.

          In the process of my sporadic research during Sep-Dec last year, I did come across the COC protocol … didn't have time to read anything in great depth (haven't read the associated books for instance) … just the website overviews … but learnt enough of the very basic stuff to have a couple of informative email discussions with 2 GPs who are sympathetic to COC (around the same time, I also discovered the Joe Tippens story & others who had enjoyed unusually positive outcomes)

          But I'd still like to learn more so I will DM you on twitter in the next few weeks (obviously not around Xmas / New Year though). Thanks again, Molly, really appreciate it.

          • Molly 9.2.1.1.1

            All good swordfish. Whenever you want to get in touch, I will provide the login for the COC Jane McLelland course. (You'll be able to see how far I got, before getting a cheat sheet from a forum, which appealed to my lazy instincts). It's not a problem if you just want to have a look and not converse.

            If later on, you want to swap war stories, we can do it whenever. I'll keep an eye out for your DM. yes

          • RedLogix 9.2.1.1.2

            Very interesting. Although not directly applicable to my situation I will follow up on that.

  10. mosa 10

    " https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/11/18/christopher-luxon-why-not-a-boot-camp-for-tax-dodgers/

    Yesterday the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists released a report on dental care in Aotearoa, highlighting its unaffordability and recommending free, universal dental care. This is something the left has been campaigning for for a long time – Jim Anderton pushed for it before the 2011 election, and Helen Clark has advocated for it. It would massively improve people's lives, reduce pain and suffering, and save money in the long-term. But it would involve spending money, so naturally Grant Robertson has vetoed it:

    http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2022/11/grant-says-no-again.html

  11. Anker 11

    They should find that billion dollars a year for dental care. It would make a huge difference, A real difference. Lets do this Grant!

    How much is the new health authority costing again?

  12. Anker 12

    Oh just checked it out. The new Health Authority is costing $11 billion dollars to set up and run for the next four years……..
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/467473/budget-2022-11-point-1b-allocated-to-overhauling-the-health-system#:~:text=A%20whopping%20%2411.1%20billion%20has,run%20the%20new%20health%20system.&text=Health%20New%20Zealand%20and%20the,district%20health%20boards%20from%20July.
    Persoanally I rather have that money spent of dental care for all NZders.

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    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    3 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    11 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
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