Open mike 18/08/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 18th, 2016 - 80 comments
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80 comments on “Open mike 18/08/2016 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    18 August 2016 at 6:13 am

    KiwiSavers invest in cluster bomb, land mine manufacturers

    Hundreds of thousands of KiwiSaver members in government-appointed default schemes may be unknowingly investing in companies making cluster bombs and anti-personnel mines.
    At least five of the nine default KiwiSaver providers invested in these types of companies, despite them being banned by government agencies such as the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and ACC.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/311225/kiwisavers-fund-cluster-bombs,-land-mines

    • alwyn 1.1
      18 August 2016 at 12:39 pm

      What an interesting little list.
      I presume Mr Shaw will be having harsh words with the rest of his caucus.
      There are about half them who subscribe to the traditional Green approach of “Do what I say, not what I do” aren’t there?
      Half the Green Party MPs have their Kiwisaver investments with these supposedly terrible organisations.
      Explanations will no doubt be forthcoming do you think? Apologies and the transfer of the tainted money to a charity perhaps?

  2. Paul 2
    18 August 2016 at 6:23 am

    Greenstone TV describes it as “A compelling fly-on-the-wall look at the way the rental scene works in New Zealand”, but Renters (TV2, Monday 8pm) is a dishonest and exploitative reality television series. It mostly portrays people who are renting in the worst possible light. Meanwhile, the many transgressions of landlords go unexamined.

    Television could do some really good journalism investigating this crisis but, of course, these are the days when TVNZ prefers to have a right wing presenter host a show every weeknight in order that he can tell us just how great the government is.

    Instead Greenstone TV have taken the opportunity to exploit this crisis to produce a show for TVNZ called Renters. Greenstone specialises in reality-based television shows. It is responsible for such gems as Highway Cops and Highway Patrol.

    http://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.co.nz/2016/08/working-for-vampires.html

    • Wensleydale 2.1
      18 August 2016 at 1:15 pm

      We need a companion show, possibly called “Slumlords”, where the cameras take a tour of leaky, mould-ridden plague pits being rented out for $500 a week by shivering peasants whose children all show signs of respiratory diseases.

  3. Paul 3
    18 August 2016 at 6:39 am

    Although you wouldn’t know it from the coverage being provided by the large New Zealand media contingent in Rio de Janeiro, protests against the interim presidency of Michel Temer are occurring on a daily basis.

    Despite the rather large New Zealand media contingent in Rio de Janeiro right now, no one seems particularly interested in reporting on the daily protests that continue in the city beyond the various sporting venues. While TVNZ’s Peter Williams and TV3’s Mike McRoberts stand in front of stadiums and deliver stories about sporting heroics that could of just as easily been delivered from an Auckland studio, the protests continue to go unremarked on.

    Brazil might be in the midst of a economic and political crisis but New Zealand’s media contingent main concern seems to be why the New Zealand team isn’t delivering as many as medals as expected. Any conception of any crisis has not extended any further than the awful realisation that injured All Black Sonny Bill Williams will be out of rugby for nine months.

    http://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.co.nz/2016/08/crisis-what-crisis.html

    • North 3.1
      18 August 2016 at 8:27 am

      Given a free hand (which I assume neither Williams nor McRoberts have) I would never expect anything from Williams in any event. He is the far less objectionable notional uncle of his preening notional nephew Hubrism Hosking.

      McRoberts is a different story I believe. I say that because of my recall of his reporting a few years ago from Palestine in the middle of yet another of Zionist Israel’s ‘shooting-fish-in-a-barrel’ child-murder tours through Gaza.

      His demeanour betrayed truly mortified and despairing senses at what he was seeing. I came away with the feeling that the man has a humanity about him.

      • TC 3.1.1
        18 August 2016 at 2:17 pm

        Weldon fixed that wagon

      • Rodel 3.1.2
        18 August 2016 at 6:58 pm

        North:
        ” Hubrism Hosking?” I had to look that up.
        Hubris- ‘excessive pride ……leading to nemesis.”
        nemesis-‘ the inescapable agent of someone’s downfall’
        A bit complex but I like it.

        That aside, I guess Williams and McRoberts have been given instructions on what their jobs are and have to stick to them.

        Be nice to see John Pilger reporting on the Olympics though.

  4. Pat 4
    18 August 2016 at 8:17 am

    and while the argument continues, those that matter have given the stats(?) the big thumbs down

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/businessnews/audio/201812592/no-change-in-rbnz-rate-policy-because-of-jobs

  5. esoteric pineapples 5
    18 August 2016 at 8:51 am

    I was talking to a check out operator in my supermarket yesterday about the awkwardness of people using their own bags. She said that people who bring their own bags are encouraged to fill them themselves, and that operators are expected to get customers through the checkout in a certain amount of time. Which explains why when I take a bag I don’t even have time to fill it (slightly further along from the checkout operator) while they are already serving the next customer right beside be. It creates a sense of rush and panic as if I am holding up the line.

    The point of this being that I wonder if supermarkets really appreciate people using their own bags as it slows down the speed of the queue. While we have ideals of reducing plastic bag use, in reality the checkout system sees them as a hindrance.

    This is like a lot of things in society where systems have evolved to the point where they can’t manage changes in behaviour necessary to protect the environment.

    • Sabine 5.1
      18 August 2016 at 9:19 am

      In the old days long gone, a check out operator would not even think of packing your bags in Germany, they had a separator at the line so that when they finished ringing you up and you had paid she push the barrier over and start the next customer while you continued to pack your bags.

      just let them put the things back in the trolley, take your trolley and pack at the bench. Heck once there you an even remove all the un-needed packaging of certain products and leave that behind for the supermarket to dispose of instead of you carrying home tones of extra waste. 🙂
      i like doing that….all the plastic wrappers, boxes n stuff that is just there to make a small product big, just leave it behind. 🙂

      • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.1
        18 August 2016 at 9:43 am

        “Heck once there you an even remove all the un-needed packaging of certain products and leave that behind for the supermarket to dispose of instead of you carrying home tones of extra waste. 🙂
        i like doing that….all the plastic wrappers, boxes n stuff that is just there to make a small product big, just leave it behind. 🙂”

        Exactly my practice. Having a living area of 7m x 1.8m makes one very conscious of unnecessary stuff.

        My hope is that eventually pak n spend will have recycling bins…I believe the redshed does this already.

      • Blackcap 5.1.2
        18 August 2016 at 10:01 am

        Thats cool Sabine. I have recently been in Holland and they have exactly the same system there too. So your stuff gets shoved over to one side and the next person gets served.
        They have now also developed compostable bags that you can take away your shopping in which may change things once again.

      • esoteric pineapples 5.1.3
        18 August 2016 at 11:05 am

        good idea

    • Gangnam Style 5.2
      18 August 2016 at 2:47 pm

      ” and that operators are expected to get customers through the checkout in a certain amount of time. ” That is what the supervisors are watching over, next time you go to the supermarket watch the watchers, they look at the clock & they note who is fastest & who is slowest, it’s a huge part of their job.

    • weston 5.3
      18 August 2016 at 9:54 pm

      One action which would dramaticly reduce the use of plastic bags would be reducing the use of supermarkets !

  6. Draco T Bastard 6
    18 August 2016 at 9:58 am

    Govt admits data vacuum on motel help

    The Government has no idea how much money it lent to beneficiaries to stay in motels, the Ministry for Social Development has admitted.

    It means there is no data which shows how much taxpayer money was borrowed by people on benefits and no broad understanding as to the level of need for emergency housing assistance.

    It’s a knowledge vacuum which has been criticised by social commentators and political opponents who have asked how the Government can manage the situation when it has no data to guide its decisions.

    Yeah, this government has a habit of not measuring anything.

    And then the NZHerald ran with this lie:

    Social Development Minister Anne Tolley and Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett have now moved to provide 3000 emergency housing places each year, putting up $41m over four years to contract emergency housing providers and to cover emergency housing grants.

    You know, the three thousand beds that were already there before the funding.

  7. John up North 7
    18 August 2016 at 10:43 am

    Having spent last night on the road, I treated myself to a RNZ fest.

    Listened to the Hooten spout on with a very ineffectual/weak Mike Williams as a counter to attempt at bringing some semblance of balance to the discussion.

    FAIL! Mike Williams comes across to me as the old fat tom cat that is just going through the motions that allow him to curl up on his mat in front of the fire. Occasionally he’ll crack an eyelid to see a mouse (or in Hoots case) a great big rat scuttle about on it’s business……… but he’s not at his fighting best and actually can’t really be f**d, it’s real cosy and warm by the fire, wouldn’t want to ruin a good thing or stretch oneself.

    Time to kick out the old and bring in something scrawny with a bit of mongrel in it to throw some light on the increasingly large pile of BS the Hooten gushes every time a mic gets put in his face. Currently getting away with way too much propaganda and aided last night by the presenter Kathryn Ryan?

    • Chooky 7.1
      18 August 2016 at 2:42 pm

      lol…+100… John up North …Bomber Bradbury? or Sue Bradford?

      • Stuart Munro 7.1.1
        18 August 2016 at 10:28 pm

        Who was that union leader that schooled a dippy panel a couple of years ago? – well-informed, articulate & highly bullshit resistant.

    • Brigid 7.2
      18 August 2016 at 2:45 pm

      I heard that they can’t replace him until he explodes from his. “Yes I agree with Mathew on that”

  8. esoteric pineapples 8
    18 August 2016 at 11:06 am

    From Russell Norman (on Facebook) – Best solution to NZ’s drinking water problems isn’t to add chlorine to the water, it is to stop adding faeces. This isn’t just a Hastings issue. For example in 2010 Dunsandel (on the Canterbury plains) got animal faeces in its drinking water from a 70m deep well. The town is surrounded by dairy cows. When the local council investigated they concluded it was contamination from a ruminant animal – and suggested it could be a goat, a sheep, or a llama. They didn’t even mention the possibility that it could be a sacred dairy cow!.So they chlorinated and UV treated the water – presumably the cow faeces are still in there but the bugs have been killed. Such is the power of dairy sector in NZ that this is acceptable.

    • save nz 8.1
      18 August 2016 at 2:53 pm

      +100 – esoteric pineapples – excellent quote from Russell

      Best solution to NZ’s drinking water problems isn’t to add chlorine to the water, it is to stop adding faeces.

    • esoteric pineapples 8.2
      18 August 2016 at 3:05 pm

      Comment from Mike Joy on Facebook – Ok so so waternz says lets chlorinate all municipal water to be safe.
      The water bottlers who only take the best & cleanest (for free) will have massive increase in sales because chlorinated water tastes disgusting and worse makes shite coffee. How about we stop the cause – massive intensification of dairy, horticulture instead?

      • b waghorn 8.2.1
        18 August 2016 at 6:21 pm

        Horticulture is a great idea they just need to get away from using tanalised post by the million , i believe all those poles they have used for the massive grape planting in the top of the south have polluted the ground water.

        • weston 8.2.1.1
          18 August 2016 at 10:06 pm

          Very good point wags ditto the ten cubic meters or so of toxic waste produced every time a new house gets built we sure AINT very clean OR green .

    • weka 8.3
      18 August 2016 at 3:08 pm

      RNZ had some expert going on about how all town water supplies should be chlorinated blah blah. Good to see Norman pointing out the bleeding obvious. If you think chlorination is the solution then the public health message must be to never swim in a river or lake in NZ or picnic with kids by a lake or river.

  9. Morrissey 9
    18 August 2016 at 11:08 am

    It’s hard to think of anyone more dishonest and shamelessly partisan than
    Kathryn Ryan’s outrageous “U.K. correspondent” Dame Ann Leslie
    Nine to Noon, RNZ National, Thursday 18 August 2016, 9:50 a.m.

    I only caught the tail end of today’s performance, but that rancid old hypocrite seemed to be in vintage form. Today the object of her venom was not teachers or people from “godforsaken countries” or the Labour Party leader; it was the recently arrested radical preacher Anjem Choudary.…

    this highly articulate, cold-blooded monster, and I use that word advisedly…. head chopping lunatics… [snarl]…I never appeared with him on BBC television because I REFUSED to collude with him. …[splutter]… He drives me MAD….”

    Lest anyone think that such refusal to interview Choudary indicates that Dame Ann Leslie is a decent, principled journalist, refusing heroically to collude with evil, just consider what she said after her visit to the Jenin refugee camp in 2002 after it was attacked by more than 150 Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery, backed by F-16 fighter jets, killing more than fifty people: the massacre, she assured her readers, parroting the Israeli regime’s propaganda, “wasn’t actually a massacre”.

    Aficionados may like to inspect some further nuggets of Dame Ann gold….
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03122015/#comment-1104309

  10. rhinocrates 10
    18 August 2016 at 12:22 pm

    Just an indication of the exploitation rife in the film industry. Sausage Party is apparently popular as a raunchy animated flick, all good dirty fun, and in this interview the directors congratulate themselves on what a great job they’ve done.

    …and then you scroll down to the comments.

    The animators were screwed royally. Demands for unpaid overtime, names removed from credits for complaining about this and so on:

    http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/sausage-party-directors-conrad-vernon-greg-tiernan-making-2016s-outlandish-animated-film-142425.html

    It’s pretty typical for creatives in the film industry. You’ve spent years learning the skills, but you have huge student loans to pay off, there’s low pay, long overtime without pay, deadline stress, your work is appropriated and used without acknowledgement and you have zero security.

    And of course it happens here. Many of my former students had similar experiences.

  11. Morrissey 11
    18 August 2016 at 12:29 pm

    When will Cuba follow the lead of the Polish government?

    The Polish government has approved a new bill that foresees prison terms of up to three years for anyone who uses phrases like “Polish death camps” to refer to Auschwitz and other camps that Nazi Germany operated in occupied Poland during the second world war…..

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/16/poland-approves-bill-outlawing-phrase-polish-death-camps

    Surely it’s long past the due date for Cuba to take similar steps to prevent the hated Guantanamo Bay Prison being associated with Cuba, rather than the outlaw regime that is responsible for it.

  12. weka 12
    18 August 2016 at 12:54 pm

    Rachel Stewart resigns from Fairfax. Given the amount of serious abuse she received simply for writing a column I’m guessing this is a good move for her. Bummer for the rest of us.

    https://twitter.com/RFStew/status/765848001747103745

    • Puckish Rogue 12.1
      18 August 2016 at 2:18 pm

      Yeah I agree, it sucks when people are drummed out of the media simply because other people don’t like their opinions

      • BM 12.1.1
        18 August 2016 at 3:58 pm

        It all depends.

        Fairfax is a business, maybe Stewart is annoying their customers that much that they won’t buy their paper or advertise in it , if that’s the case then she has to go.

        No doubt she’ll end up at RNZ, seems to be were all the lefties come a shore at.

    • mauī 12.2
      18 August 2016 at 4:25 pm

      That’s really stink. I hope she gets a gig on tv or something, she’s great value.

  13. mosa 13
    18 August 2016 at 12:58 pm

    Fletcher’s have made billions in profit from construction contracts around NZ.
    See what happens when you donate to the Nats.
    You can almost hear Keys blind trust accumulating.
    No wonder he is always grinning,must be great to be a Nasty Nat.

    • NotMe 13.1
      18 August 2016 at 2:04 pm

      Billions? Over what period is relevant here.

      You do realise that they have been around since 1909 and employ thousands of people. Would you rather they made a loss and had to lay people off?

      Who is going to help build Andy’s 100,000 homes? DYI perhaps?

      Why does the Left consider a company making a profit is a bad thing?

      FYI, in the last 10 years Fletcher has lost many large contracts, just like the other players in the market. Your corruption accusations are BS and ill-informed.

    • save nz 13.2
      18 August 2016 at 2:38 pm

      @Mosa +1 Even better when you can give yourself a zero rated tax haven and refuse to disclose publicly the trusts receiving them.

    • alwyn 13.3
      18 August 2016 at 2:43 pm

      Fletcher Building has always been pretty ecumenical in their donations to political parties. They didn’t just give to National you know.
      In 2011 for example they gave $20,000 each to ACT, Maori, Labour, the Greens and National.
      None of the parties seemed to have declared receiving anything from them in 2014.

  14. whispering kate 14
    18 August 2016 at 2:28 pm

    Back to the sub-standard-steel fiasco which is haunting this country. This morning on Morning Report RNZ there was an expose of sub-standard-steel in the largest sewage works in South Auckland, they had this guy on who said the Steel Certifications were most certainly fake and that we didn’t have good compliance on our large projects with steel. He said if you literally don’t stand over the Chinese in situ they will issue fake certificates on their steel. In years to come there are going to be huge problems and serious mal-functions on these structures and roading flyovers etc just because we chose to do things on the cheap and nasty. This country doesn’t have the capacity to understand and learn from previous experiences – leaky homes come to mind, now it will be homes with steel framing. We are a Micky Mouse outfit when it comes to quality and control.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201812606/gaps-in-testing-of-giant-sewage-tank's-steel

  15. save nz 15
    18 August 2016 at 2:36 pm

    “Landowners around the world are now engaged in an orgy of soil destruction so intense that, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, the world on average has just 60 more years of growing crops. Even in Britain, which is spared the tropical downpours that so quickly strip exposed soil from the land, Farmers Weekly reports, we have “only 100 harvests left”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/25/treating-soil-like-dirt-fatal-mistake-human-life

  16. Puckish Rogue 16
    18 August 2016 at 2:49 pm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/83274805/govt-call-for-labour-mp-grant-robertson-to-apologise-to-government-statistician

    “Labour MP Grant Robertson has offered an apology of sorts to the chief statistician for suggesting there had been “political interference” in the production of the latest unemployment figures, saying he is sorry if she took any offence.”

    I suppose you’ve got to try something when the unemployment rate drops to 5.1%

    • Colonial Viper 16.1
      18 August 2016 at 4:51 pm

      WHOOPS

      • North 16.1.1
        18 August 2016 at 6:56 pm

        Ra Ra Ra for CV Trump……Oops !

        • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.1
          18 August 2016 at 7:05 pm

          Easy win for Trump come November. At least I didn’t fuck up like Grant Robertson acting like an amateur.

          • North 16.1.1.1.1
            18 August 2016 at 11:09 pm

            Paint yourself closer into a corner CV. With your can of high gloss bitterness. You’re little more than a weird spectacle now mate.

            • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.1.1.1
              18 August 2016 at 11:11 pm

              OK, so explain to me how come Grant Robertson had to make a public apology so quickly after making his allegations.

              • North …
                19 August 2016 at 7:43 am

                We know the public service is ‘bought’ and all wrapped up in the Keydashian banana republic CV. I expect not in terms of greased palms but certainly in terms of moral bullying and unspoken threats by the incompetents in the Cabinet. “Watch it boy/girl……..there’s your high powered, fabulously remunerative job on the line here…….’we’ can destroy any professional reputation you have.” – you know the story CV.

                But no, you’d rather ‘Trump-et’.

    • DoublePlusGood 16.2
      18 August 2016 at 5:10 pm

      When it drops because Stats NZ are incompetent, then it’s entirely appropriate to suggest that Stats NZ might have become incompetent because the government made them so.

    • Gabby 16.3
      18 August 2016 at 6:35 pm

      If the unemployment rate ever drops to 5.1% we may find out.

  17. Pat 17
    18 August 2016 at 4:26 pm

    A post for Robert

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/25/treating-soil-like-dirt-fatal-mistake-human-life

    “The government’s deregulation bill, which has now almost completed its passage through parliament, will force regulators – including those charged with protecting the fabric of the land – to “have regard to the desirability of promoting economic growth”. But short-term growth at the expense of public protection compromises long-term survival. This “unambiguously pro-business agenda” is deregulating us to death.

    There’s no longer even an appetite for studying the problem. Just one university – Aberdeen – now offers a degree in soil science. All the rest have been closed down.”

    • Robert Guyton 17.1
      18 August 2016 at 10:27 pm

      Thanks, Pat. I emailed that to each of the 12 councillors at the Southland Regional Council for some sobering evening reading. This evening, I talked with my 12 adult Go Organic students about George’s article – we talk soil every Thursday night and his article was not a surprise to any of them. They weren’t discouraged though, knowing as they do, how to make the stuff. Now, if each of us had 12 people to talk with about important issues…

      • Pat 17.1.1
        18 August 2016 at 11:13 pm

        no worries….no doubt it wasn’t news to you but as soon as i read it I thought of you.

      • weka 17.1.2
        18 August 2016 at 11:27 pm

        The ‘only 100 harvests left’ is an great way to frame this and change thinking.

        Re the Organics people, I think showing people reading articles like the Guardian one that we can rebuild soil is critical. Otherwise people get despondent and hopeless and go back to their tv or smart phone.

  18. Chooky 18
    18 August 2016 at 5:52 pm

    Scare mongering and blaming the Russians…now seems the leaks came from inside NSA

    ‘Leak in-house? NSA data dump could be work of insider’

    https://www.rt.com/usa/356326-nsa-leak-data-insider-worker/

    “The leak of tools used by the NSA’s elite hacking team has resulted in speculation and finger-pointing in a desperate attempt to identify who could have exposed the government agency’s secrets. But one source says it was an inside job.
    The chances of a hacker remotely breaking into the National Security Agency’s systems are very unlikely, according to an anonymous insider who spoke to Motherboard.

    Despite accusations that the leak is Russia’s meddling, the data dropped online under the name “the Shadow Brokers” would have required someone with the ability to access the NSA’s server, the former NSA employee told the news outlet…

    https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/331978-pentagon-budget-us-military/

  19. Rosemary McDonald 19
    18 August 2016 at 6:32 pm

    Well….Anne Tolley and the rest of the Current Mob have given the single digit salute to the new Children’s Commissioner.

    Despite a Fairfax Poll saying the new name was as popular as a camplylobacter outbreak, despite the Children’s Commissioner saying the the name was “cripplingly disappointing”, the new ministry for preventing the abuse, neglect and murder of Kiwi children will actually be handicapped by the name Ministry for Vulnerable Children.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/faces-of-innocents/82571122/Faces-of-Innocents-Planned-Ministry-for-Vulnerable-Children-labelled-stigmatising-and-cripplingly-disappointing

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/faces-of-innocents/82699004/Ministry-for-Vulnerable-Children-name-stigmatising-and-labelling

    And, the CEO of this new ministry IS going to be a career manager…with no experience in the area of children and young people and their families.

    Oh no, her latest job was as the CEO of BUPA NZ…a multinational in the area of aged care and health insurance…with a less than exemplary reputation.

    If this is the life raft….
    ….god help this ministry, and all who have the misfortune of having to sail in it.

    Damn them.

    • Rodel 19.1
      18 August 2016 at 7:19 pm

      Yes Only the Nats could think of such a stupid name…
      ” Good morning. I’m from the Ministry for Vulnerable Children..that is-your children..I hear they’re vulnerable. I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.”
      Good on the Children’s commissioner for refusing to use that derogatory name, opting instead for the sensible and valid Maori name, ‘Ministry for Children’s health and well-being’.

      I hope this new CEO from the privatised welfare business world ( why can’t they just have a general manager) is better than Christine Rankin….Who?

    • Rosemary McDonald 19.2
      18 August 2016 at 7:41 pm

      I’ll add to my comment above…a warning.

      Take VERY good note of individuals and organisations who attend the inevitable launch (with much fanfare and tame media in attendance) of the Ministry for Vulnerable Children.

      These will be the buttsnorklers who will have their snouts perpetually in the funding trough…singing the praises of the new Ministry and keeping silent when things go horribly wrong.

      These people will call themselves Advocates.

      • Rodel 19.2.1
        18 August 2016 at 8:17 pm

        Rosemary-So what’s new? and yes it will be interesting to see the ‘ buttsnorklerss’ -what? who?
        I’ll bet Rankin and Bennett will be wallowing there. After all, there’s money to be made out of vulnerable kids.
        It somehow reminds me of Don Brash’s idiotic proposal to have a minister/ministry for combating anything PC.
        A ministry for children’s health and well-being I can accept.

    • Incognito 19.3
      18 August 2016 at 10:37 pm

      My personal favourite is Ministry for All Young and Adolescents or MAYA; it does have a nice symbolic and maternal ring to it that could counter the one-stop-shop (investment) approach that is the only ‘shoe size’ that National seems to know. Is it sheer arrogance or stupidity (ignorance) that makes them do this, time after time?

    • save nz 19.4
      19 August 2016 at 9:46 am

      +1 Rosemary McDonald – Unbelievable Fuck those Nat Fuckers!!

  20. weston 20
    18 August 2016 at 10:34 pm

    Sleep in say NO to daylight SLAVING !!!

  21. North 21
    18 August 2016 at 10:58 pm

    What is this scurvy pap and crap that leads the Herald’s main online page? Eighth most liveable city…….for whom?

    For the virtually nil interest overseas money called here by the simpering, effete traitor John Keydashian. That’s about it. Palpably not for the two-jobs, car dwelling families of South Auckland. And against all of that……..the Herald wanks.

    T’Audrey and Trev’ of the Herald……..where the hell are you?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11696591

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    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • 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
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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