Open mike 18/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 18th, 2011 - 72 comments
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72 comments on “Open mike 18/02/2011 ”

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  1. logie97 1
    18 February 2011 at 7:24 am

    Can anyone explain why we are getting saturation advertising of the Rugby World Cup?
    The message must surely have got through to Hokitika now that the there is an event in New Zealand this year. As for those buying tickets, (those that can afford them) they will definitely know what’s happening.

    So why this constant bombarding of our senses through TV promotion?

    • Bored 1.1
      18 February 2011 at 7:32 am

      They need to double check if there is anybody left in NZ who might have enough cash or savings to go to a game.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1
        18 February 2011 at 8:35 am

        Or ticket sales have not been as good as they have been making out, and they are on track to miss their budget targets.

      • Lanthanide 1.1.2
        18 February 2011 at 10:43 am

        No, it’s about buying into additional revenue streams, such as merchandising, as well as supporting “official sponsors” of RWC by buying their brands over the competitors.

  2. The Voice of Reason 2
    18 February 2011 at 7:50 am

    National to change employment law retrospectively to stop workers getting what two courts say they are owed?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4672553/560m-sleepover-bill-may-trigger-law-change

    This has been an issue since at least the nineties. IHC has been challenged on their policy of pretending that being in charge of their clients overnight isn’t really work for two decades now. They were always going to lose when it finally made it to court, and now that the bleeding obvious has been confirmed in the appeal court, the Nats want to steal the money owed from poorly paid, yet dedicated workers who do a job few of us would like to do.

    Gutless, gutless, gutless. If Key can change the law to stop Kiwi workers getting what they are owed, why can’t change the law to stop BMW getting what they aren’t really owed at all?

    • mickysavage 2.1
      18 February 2011 at 7:54 am

      It would be a constitutional outrage as well. There is a constitutional convention that Parliament does not legislate to change the result of a particular case. It can amend the law for all future events but should not take away a litigant’s gains achieved in Court.

      Ryall is also perhaps deliberately confusing the issue. Mentioning Teachers is a smokescreen, they are on a salary so their staying at a camp does not result in their being able to claim further wages.

      • D14 2.1.1
        18 February 2011 at 8:23 am

        Can some who knows do a check on the costs quoted
        How many workers are eligible?

        • Rob 2.1.1.1
          18 February 2011 at 9:00 am

          I believe there are 5000 claims waiting to go from the SFWU if they went ahead and filed them, and I think that’s just Idea Services and maybe one other subsidiary of IHC.

          I think if the quoted costs were significantly incorrect the SFWU would have said something by now.

      • ianmac 2.1.2
        18 February 2011 at 9:01 am

        Yes teachers are on a Salary so get no extra for being on camp except that there is a small away-from-home allowance as part of the Award.

        • logie97 2.1.2.1
          19 February 2011 at 12:36 am

          problem with that one is that the funding for camping comes out of the operational grant – (it is not salaried) and therefore principals put pressure on staff not to take it…

          Captcha : workers – God this is uncanny

    • Rob 2.2
      18 February 2011 at 9:01 am

      More to the point, if the Government can find $1.6 billion to bail out investors in South Canterbury Finance, why can’t they find $500 million to pay workers what they are legally entitled to?

      • Deadly_NZ 2.2.1
        18 February 2011 at 9:38 am

        Because as you rightly point out they are WORKERS. and this government has NO interest in making their lives easier. The bail out was to their rich mates. So in their minds it’s no brainer. Workers or rich mates ? Workers or rich mates? Rich mates or workers? rich mates yep fuck the wokers.

      • Lanthanide 2.2.2
        18 February 2011 at 10:02 am

        Because the 1.6B bailout entailed the government taking control of all of the Hubbard’s assets. The intention is for an orderly sell-down, with the expectation that they will recoup about 1.2B of the initial cost, and perhaps more, as assets are sold.

        So fundamentally different from giving money directly to workers.

        • Rob 2.2.2.1
          18 February 2011 at 10:55 am

          My comparison was to highlight that Governments can find money if they have to, or want to, nothing more.

          And to be clear, IHC need to take just as much (if not more) blame for this pickle. Unfortunately IHC is a classic example of what happens when a non-profit organisation becomes too dependent on Government contracts for its income.

          Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it is not a case of “giving money” to workers. This is not a gift, or a hand-out. These people “work” and “earn money” and it has been proven (three times over now) that they have been incorrectly paid for the work they have done.

          IHC can’t pay, and they are 90% funded by Ministry of Health contracts. Options? Well, I guess we could let IHC go bust, chuck 5000+ people out of a job and get Kingseat and Lake Alice out of mothballs and lock away those that are intellectually disabled. Or the Government could step up, show some leadership and work with all parties to find a solution (and I’m not suggesting there is an easy one). Throwing out kites about changing legislation is not being constructive, in my opinion.

          • Rob 2.2.2.1.1
            18 February 2011 at 12:50 pm

            Two postscripts:

            1. NZH running a poll on whether disability workers should be paid the minimum wage for overnight shifts. So far 70/30 in favour.

            2. Ironically this week is IHC’s annual appeal week.

    • Chris73 2.3
      18 February 2011 at 8:57 pm

      “This has been an issue since at least the nineties. IHC has been challenged on their policy of pretending that being in charge of their clients overnight isn’t really work for two decades now.”

      Sooo what did the previous govt do about it or was it put in the too hard basket?

      On a serious note I agree in principle but I don’t see how the back pay can be paid as its a boat load of money, maybe not pay the back pay but pay the minimum wage from here on in?

      • Rob 2.3.1
        19 February 2011 at 11:13 am

        Chris, completely agree that a previous Government could have solved this issue if it was deemed important enough to do so. Both major parties have let these workers down.

        However, it’s been in the legal system since 2008 with the first ruling from the Employment Relations Authority coming out a few months before the last election. Since then, despite the increasing likelihood of a liability arising, IHC and indirectly their funder (the Govt) have done nothing to manage that liability except keep it in the courts for as long as possible in a (pretty forlorn) gamble that the problem would somehow go away.

        They have contributed to the size of the problem through such tactics. If you were running a business and had the potential for a future and significant liability, you would do something about it (other than crossing your fingers and praying). IHC and the Govt didn’t – it’s called chickens coming home to roost.

  3. g_man 3
    18 February 2011 at 8:17 am

    And, of course, no Labour leader would be dishonest. They wouldn’t dream of doing things like, oooh, submitting a painting for charity that was supposedly their own work (but really wasn’t); claiming that you don’t notice when the car you are driving in exceeds the speed limit by up to 70 km per hour (and subsequently abandoning the police officers who got done); allow a retouched photo to be used and then claim it hasn’t been altered; etcetera etcetera …

    [lprent: moving this thread to OpenMike as being largely irrelevant to the post it was in. Feels like a diversion troll ]

    • Colonial Viper 3.1
      18 February 2011 at 8:27 am

      I’m hoping that National try and win this election campaign by using their worn out bull shit Opposition attacks on Helen Clark all over again. Talk about being out of bullets guys.

      😀 😀 😀

    • Marty G 3.2
      18 February 2011 at 8:34 am

      so, you’re admitting Key is a liar but justifying supporting him with a ‘they did it too’ logic. nice.

    • stever 3.3
      18 February 2011 at 8:40 am

      Well, you might say, then, that Clark paid the price for all this.

      Surely, then, you must agree that Key should do so too.

    • lprent 3.4
      18 February 2011 at 8:44 am

      Interesting approach. So you are saying that John Key can directly lie with impunity? About millions of dollars of taxpayers funds?

      Why? Because DPF puffed up ‘offenses’ by Helen that were just bullshit.

      I bet that with your sense of perspective you think that your 3 inch tool is 18 inches… You are hardly credible.

      In any case if I see you or others start to do diversion trolling on this post I will start binning and banning. You can talk about other topics on OpenMike

      • Chris73 3.4.1
        18 February 2011 at 9:23 pm

        I’m flattered you’re thinking about my tool but I have to tell you I’m married and straight so I don’t swing that way

    • kriswgtn 3.5
      18 February 2011 at 9:14 am

      duh-like ten years ago
      get you some therapy and move on

    • marsman 3.6
      18 February 2011 at 9:38 am

      John Key in a limo exceeding the speed limit because he wanted a shower. Never mentioned again by the MSM,why is that?

      • Mac1 3.6.1
        18 February 2011 at 10:49 am

        Who was it who had cars parked in no parking zones so he could get a hair-cut? Double Dipper from Dipton?

        And was Pansy wrong?

        And what did Worth do?

        etc etc etc

    • ak 3.7
      18 February 2011 at 10:28 am

      Many thanks g-man: future tonsori for the International Yeswecan! CathCan Assembly of Christophilaliacs will be grateful for your offering to their research into the possible canonisation of Helen Clark. “Even years later, the worst that could be said about her by her fiercest critics was that she signed a painting for charity and sat in the back of a speeding car (of course the 2011 Visitation and subsequent miracles overwhelmed even these last paltry criticisms).”

  4. Pascal's bookie 4
    18 February 2011 at 8:34 am

    QOTD

    I actually like it, in the sense that — you got kids? Kids always act up the most before they go to sleep. And when I see the Tea Party and all this stuff, it actually feels like racism’s almost over. Because this is the last — this is the act up before the sleep. They’re going crazy. They’re insane. You want to get rid of them — and the next thing you know, they’re fucking knocked out. And that’s what’s going on in the country right now.

    http://www.esquire.com/features/qa/chris-rock-interview-0311

    • ak 4.1
      18 February 2011 at 9:03 am

      — you got kids? Kids always act up the most before they go to sleep. And when I see the Tea Party and all this stuff, it actually feels like racism’s almost over

      Right on, Chris Rock. Strikes me that Orewa One was our own wee tea party – the last hurrah for the redneck rump now about to finally euthanised via F&S II by the state-house son of a solo mum of Jewish descent and a gay.

      Them good-ole bad-ole times most certainly is a-changing boys and girls: overheard in a woolshed recently:

      What do the Prime Mincer and Tony Veitch have in common?

      They both like Brokeback Mountain.

  5. big bruv 5
    18 February 2011 at 8:55 am

    “So you are saying that John Key can directly lie with impunity? About millions of dollars of taxpayers funds?”

    Worked perfectly well for Clark and Cullen for nine years.

    Oh…I forgot, different standards for Labour and the Nat’s, Labour can lie, cheat, steal and pillage and nobody from the left will say a word.

    [lprent: moved to OpenMike – as per comment it referred to.]

    • stever 5.1
      18 February 2011 at 9:07 am

      As I approximately said elsewhere, Clark and Cullen paid the price in the end—so why shouldn’t Key do so now?

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2
      18 February 2011 at 12:13 pm

      Strange, I can’t remember Clark or Cullen being proved to be lying about the taxpayer monies that they spent.

  6. Pascal's bookie 6
    18 February 2011 at 9:00 am

    Right wing toes enter the water:

    http://www.reform.org.nz/

    • ianmac 6.1
      18 February 2011 at 9:04 am

      The questions might be OK. Its the answers if implemented might be a problem!

    • Rosy 6.2
      18 February 2011 at 9:10 am

      Is that the new right-wing party? It reads like they’re after the NZ First vote.

    • Mac1 6.3
      18 February 2011 at 10:51 am

      Sir Douglas re-enters politics?

    • NickS 6.4
      18 February 2011 at 11:55 am

      Government monopoly on health? Haven’t these twits ever heard of Southern Cross, let alone noticed the private hospitals?

      And I love how they completely ignore Te Treati O Waitangi when it comes to sea bed and foreshore issues, instead claiming it’s a “property issue” for the courts, rather than one of the unresolved issues stemming from The Crown ignoring their treaty obligations.

      • Colonial Viper 6.4.1
        18 February 2011 at 11:57 am

        Private specialists, GPs in private practice, private surgical hospitals. Yeah, they have no idea – or are selling themselves to people with no idea.

        • Lanthanide 6.4.1.1
          18 February 2011 at 5:42 pm

          “Yeah, they have no idea – or are selling themselves to people with no idea.”

          I would expect both.

  7. M 7
    18 February 2011 at 9:23 am

    NYSE and Gerrman bourse to merge:

    http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/15/markets/NYSE_exchange_merger/index.htm?hpt=T2

    Mike Ruppert reckons it will give the world another six months before we smack down hard.

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      18 February 2011 at 10:56 am

      Massive global consolidations and mergers like this increase systemic risk, not reduce it. None of these players have learnt from “too big to fail” and reading that press article

      as exchanges around the world look for ways to reduce transaction costs and increase exposure to the more lucrative derviatives, options and futures markets.

      They actually want to wade neck deep into the high risk derivatives game.

      This ponzi capitalism is sheer fraking lunacy.

      (NB all the big players know that the public stock markets are all deteriorating in quality and quantity, the wealthy have started to deal behind closed doors only, locking everyone else out)

      • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1
        18 February 2011 at 12:23 pm

        This ponzi capitalism is sheer fraking lunacy.

        Yep, a hell of a lot of what goes on in the stock exchanges should have been made illegal after the GFC. Instead, the banks are getting ready to make the situation even worse by increasing the amount of such damaging trades and the governments are doing nothing to stop them.

  8. kriswgtn 8
    18 February 2011 at 9:23 am

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4673962/Sir-Roger-Douglas-leaving-politics

    Sir Roger Douglas leaving politics

    Should never have come back

  9. M 9
    18 February 2011 at 9:25 am

    Acerbic turn on banks and political parties:

    • ianmac 9.1
      18 February 2011 at 9:40 am

      It is a sort of sleight of hand. While we watch the politicians the real power is out of sight. The Wine Box Enquiry?

  10. Herodotus 10
    18 February 2011 at 10:41 am

    Did anyone else out there feel sick at the TV 1 Close up love fest between the 2 Marks, H&S. So much fluff. Hotchins re the dividend being reinvested back into the coy. No Mark you paid off a inter related transaction. Reducing the claim that the receivers had by $15m.
    Where is Mike Hoskins when we need an inverview with a backbone, Mark S wimpered eg re the dividend being 3 months and Hotchins said closer to 6, and then the subject was passed over !!!
    Hotchins said he is broke- of course he is someone in his business does not support the legal profession as well as he has done in the past.
    the only thing missing in CU was that is was sponsored by ……..

  11. Janice 11
    18 February 2011 at 10:45 am

    JK has said that the sale of assets will go to New Zealand funds – not only mum and dad investors (who?), but to the super fund, ACC, etc. I thought that the super fund was solidly ring fenced so no politician would be able to say where and when it was to be invested. Am I mistaken?

  13. ianmac 13
    18 February 2011 at 11:41 am

    I was in Bahrain last year. The population is clustered in the north end of a small country. But 40+km to the south in the desert, are hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands, of tents. I couldn’t explain who lived in them other than they may be the imported Indian/Pakistani workers’ homes. If so, Bahrain has much to answer for in Human Rights. (Bahrain to me as a tourist, was the least interesting country.)

    • joe90 13.1
      18 February 2011 at 12:03 pm

      Reports that the Saudi’s are sending troops, tanks and APCs from Qatar to crack on down Shia protesters in Manama.

      • joe90 13.1.1
        18 February 2011 at 12:08 pm

        The NY times Nicholas Kristof writes;

        As a reporter, you sometimes become numbed to sadness. But it is heartbreaking to be in modern, moderate Bahrain right now and watch as a critical American ally uses tanks, troops, guns and clubs to crush a peaceful democracy movement and then lie about it.

  14. NickS 14
    18 February 2011 at 2:40 pm

    http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/nz-s-ironsand-could-produce-trillion-dollar-profit-4033799
    /facepalm

    Or, we could look at extracting titanium instead from those same sands where titanium dioxide makes up the majority of the mass, and once refined is far, far more profitable than iron. Heck, you could even run some iron smelting on the side if you really, really wanted.

    • Jenny 14.1
      18 February 2011 at 5:15 pm

      What the seabed and foreshore rahui, (confiscation) was all about.

      Big multinational investors didn’t want to be bugged with any pesky claims of traditional use or native title as occurred in Canada.

    • Deadly_NZ 14.2
      18 February 2011 at 9:57 pm

      A New Zealand-based company, Trans Tasman Resources Ltd (TTR), and overseas rivals are looking at exploiting New Zealand ironsands, and TTR has suggested that a domestic steel mill could use local high-grade coking coal to refine the ironsands.
      And a lot of the coal is at Pike river.

      Dr Elder said Chinese companies had cheaper labour and capital and could do such projects faster, but New Zealand had an advantage in the availability of the water needed for such a refinery.

      And as usual where are the Jobs ??? and where does the profits go??

  15. joe90 15
    18 February 2011 at 2:51 pm

    More on HBGary and their sinister intentions.

    But for a defense contractor with ties to the federal government, Hunton & Williams, DOD, NSA, and the CIA – whose enemies are labor unions, progressive organizations, journalists, and progressive bloggers, a persona apparently goes far beyond creating a mere sockpuppet.

    According to an embedded MS Word document found in one of the HB Gary emails, it involves creating an army of sockpuppets, with sophisticated “persona management” software that allows a small team of only a few people to appear to be many, while keeping the personas from accidentally cross-contaminating each other. Then, to top it off, the team can actually automate some functions so one persona can appear to be an entire Brooks Brothers riot online.

  16. ianmac 16
    18 February 2011 at 5:47 pm

    At No Right Turn he makes an important point about different rules for rich v poor.
    “Back in September last year, South Canterbury Finance went under due to mismanagement. Its investors were bailed out, no questions asked, despite the fact that it was in violation of its government guarantee or that some of those investors had got in solely in the expectation of such a bailout. Total cost: $1.6 billion. ”

    This week, some of New Zealand’s lowest-paid workers won a case in the Court of Appeal upholding their right to be paid the minimum wage……… This looks set to cost the government a lot of money, as those workers indirectly work for them. If they want such overnight care services, they are going to have to pay more for them in future. And if they want those services to be available, they are going to have to stump up the cash for backpay for those affected …………….. The total cost looks set to be $560 million. The government’s response? Threaten a law change to rob these people of their wages and allow them to continue to be underpaid. ”
    Excellent stuff at No Right Turn. http://norightturn.blogspot.com/

  17. Jellytussle 17
    18 February 2011 at 8:31 pm

    No wonder the herald can claim their readership is going up………they’ve just offered me 3 months worth of the listener and 6 daily heralds for $7 something a week!

  18. Deadly_NZ 18
    18 February 2011 at 10:35 pm

    Did anyone see Phil Goff on 7 days tonight?? Nice to see he can laugh at him self, but was it a good move.??

    • Jilly Bee 18.1
      18 February 2011 at 10:55 pm

      Sure did Deadly_NZ, I was hoping he would have got through the segment without saying yes! Was it a good move, I don’t really know, but jeepers, imagine if it was Smile & Wave, with those dead eyes.

  19. Neoleftie 19
    19 February 2011 at 12:49 am

    My two or three cents.
    Time for the left to get final organised and realise that the world is abig scary place driven by the innate desire to ‘have more’. Those we call the ‘have most of everything’ are simply more mobile, more connected and more clever that the rest – we call them the self appointed elites.
    I recon lenin had it right…time for the revolution.
    Roll on november and we’ll see if the collective of factions within labour have enough focused energy out in there collective power base to create the situation as predicted and make KJ unemployed.

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  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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