Open mike 19/03/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 19th, 2024 - 72 comments
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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72 comments on “Open mike 19/03/2024 ”

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  1. gsays 1
    19 March 2024 at 7:13 am

    I know roads aren't fashionable at the moment.

    This is the latest update on Te Ahu a Turanga the Manawatu Gorge replacement road. It has a voiceover with the construction manager.

    Due for completion in a little over a year, locals, especially a lot of Ashhurst folk, will be relieved when done. Having all those trucks traipse through the village to get to the Saddle Road has been disruptive.

    It must be said, there is a railway line still running through the Gorge, which barring a slip or two has been uninterrupted…

    • Ad 1.1
      19 March 2024 at 8:27 am

      That team is doing a sterling job. In particular strong mana whenua outcomes on the project.

      The fly-through gives you a sense of what a rebuild of SH1 through the Brynderwyns is going to face up to.

  2. joe90 2
    19 March 2024 at 7:43 am

    So his orangeness isn't asset rich, cash poor, his orangeness is broke.

    /

    Lawyers for former President Donald Trump admitted in a new court filing that he cannot secure a bond on his $464 million civil fraud judgment.

    In a Monday court filing, Trump’s legal team wrote that “posting a full undertaking is a practical impossibility.”

    The filing explains that Trump is having difficulty finding any company underwrite a bond of this size, with his lawyers stating, “The amount of the judgment, with interest, exceeds $464 million, and very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude.”

    https://www.mediaite.com/trump/breaking-trump-says-paying-465-million-fraud-bond-is-a-practical-impossibility-in-new-court-filing/

    • alwyn 2.1
      19 March 2024 at 10:03 am

      I wish I was broke if this is what it means.

      I imagine that Musk, Bezos, or even Zuckerberg would find it difficult to get anyone willing to guarantee the payment of a debt that size. Perhaps Arnault could help him out.

      For Trump, who has made a career out of stiffing the people he employed, it will of course be an extremely hard thing to arrange.

      My heart bleeds for him.

      • joe90 2.1.1
        19 March 2024 at 10:41 am

        Perhaps Arnault could help him out.

        Perhaps the bloke who, after two decades abroad working with Kremlin-adjacent mobsters and money men turned up to run tRump's 2016 campaign, for free, will help him out.

        Former President Donald Trump’s team is in discussions with Paul Manafort, his 2016 campaign chairman whom he later pardoned, to potentially help with the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, three sources familiar with the ongoing conversations told CNN.

        Manafort, who was one of several individuals who ran Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was pardoned by Trump after being found guilty of several financial crimes in 2018.

        https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/paul-manafort-trump-reelection/index.html

        • alwyn 2.1.1.1
          19 March 2024 at 11:26 am

          I doubt he would be much help. According to the only source I found with Google he is only worth about $10 million.

          Trump really does have some great friends, doesn't he? Why am I not surprised?

          The ones I picked were because they were seriously rich, Arnault being the highest at $235 billion, according to Forbes. As far as I know none of them has anything to do with Trump though. Perhaps they are too smart to go near him.

          • joe90 2.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2024 at 2:23 pm

            I'm sure Mr Manafort will be able to arrange a laundromat lender of last resort to spot his orangeness the lazy half billion he needs. For a price, of course.

            • alwyn 2.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2024 at 2:40 pm

              Putin might play? Trump seems to an admirer of his. Please God, don't let Trump get back into the Oval Office. I would rather have a forgetful Biden to a mad Trump who seems to think he is running against Obama.

  3. Sanctuary 3
    19 March 2024 at 8:07 am

    The only way Luxon and co can deliver tax cuts – if they don't raise GST or some other meaningful source of revenue – is going to be by massive cuts and, most likely, a shock and awe campaign of privatisation. The whole thing will come bodyguarded with a zariba of culture war distraction, a trap which a lot of the identity politics crowd will enthusiastically wade into.

    • Robert Guyton 3.1
      19 March 2024 at 8:39 am

      Zariba! Zariba!

      Pretty soon one of them will use the "N" word, I'm betting!

    • tc 3.2
      19 March 2024 at 8:48 am

      Yes and winnie plays his part with his calculated comments.

      Tamaki keeps getting oxygen for his anti diversity law breaking behaviour …..dressed in his own gang insigna.

      Willis positioning with hand wringing so private equity can continue the march key/english begun with charter schools, running down health, education, housing etc.

      Nowhere near enough gets written about the hollowing out and reduction in capacity the previous nact govt indulged in.

      • Bearded Git 3.2.1
        19 March 2024 at 12:23 pm

        True tc, especially their sell-off of state houses to finance tax cuts…watch this space.

    • Anne 3.3
      19 March 2024 at 9:56 am

      Listening to this link, I get the impression that the low and middle income earners he feigns to care deeply about will have their share of the tax-cuts wiped out by new "revenue sources" and it will be leave them worse off than they are now:

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/christopher-luxon-not-ruling-out-new-taxes-or-reducing-promised-tax-cuts-as-fiscal-warnings-grow-analysis-finds-39-billion-hole/72BNFCMZWFGMVF2YBAFQXXYQWU/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20are%20deeply%20committed%20to,when%20costed%20by%20Government%20officials.

    • Incognito 3.4
      19 March 2024 at 10:31 am

      Central government, i.e., this Coalition of Charlatans, will keep its ill-fated promises, especially to its core voter base. It’ll run an aggressive PR campaign to portray them as promise-keepers and saviours of our ‘doomed’ economy. At the same time there will be a running maul of steep rates increases by Local Government and deep cuts in ‘luxury’ services accompanied by an avalanche of rising costs moved progressively onto the users/consumers (aka users-pay) by the metastasising private sector. God save New Zealand.

      See also https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/03/19/govt-must-find-1-5-billion-more-to-pay-for-tax-cuts/ [behind a subscription wall, for now]

    • Ad 3.5
      19 March 2024 at 10:36 am

      The departments with big managerial strata include MBIE, NZTA, Housing. TVNZ and Health well gutted already.

      When that 7% headcount cut hits, they will never ever recover back to that salary level.

    • Jimmy 3.6
      19 March 2024 at 11:28 am

      How about raising the tax brackets for PAYE earners:

      first $20k at 10.5%

      $20k-$60k at 17.5%

      $60k-$100k at 30%

      $100k-$180k at 33%

      +$180k at39%

      • Michael P 3.6.1
        19 March 2024 at 4:32 pm

        How about lowering and eventually removing tax on work and place taxes on wealth and unearned income instead?

        • gsays 3.6.1.1
          19 March 2024 at 8:33 pm

          " unearned income instead?"

          Financial Transaction Tax is good for that.

        • Jimmy 3.6.1.2
          20 March 2024 at 3:16 pm

          I cant imagine no tax being deducted from wages ever. I think we will always pay tax on wages and salaries.

          • Michael P 3.6.1.2.1
            20 March 2024 at 7:30 pm

            only because we lack the political will to change. Why should hard work be taxed when you can let people keep all of their income from hard work and instead tax wealth and unearned income. And as someone mentioned above, a financial transactions tax on large volume transactions.

            All of these things way more than make up for the loss of income tax.

            A few years back a study was done and people were seriously talking about implementing a 0.1% financial transactions tax on large volume transactions. The bankers said nope.

            That's not 1%, but 1/10th of 1%, or 1/1,000th of the value of each of these transactions to be taxed. The bankers couldn't even bare to be taxed that miniscule amount on transactions that have figures in the billions and even trillions.

            It was estimated that such a tax would be enough to end global poverty 'overnight'

            All it takes is the will to stop being owned and commanded by the 'elites'

  4. dv 4
    19 March 2024 at 8:56 am

    From an interactive stuff survey

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350211572/have-your-say-how-government-handling-cost-living-crisis

    How is the Government handling the cost of living crisis?

    Very well. 6 %

    Well. 8 %

    Okay 7 %

    Poorly. 19 %

    Very poorly. 54 %

    Too early to tell 9%

    TELLING

    • bwaghorn 4.1
      19 March 2024 at 9:10 am

      Planning to lay people off , to cure the cost of living crisis, economic geniuses they are not

      • Hunter Thompson II 4.1.1
        19 March 2024 at 9:28 am

        Wrong! Shane Jones's proposed Resource Management Act rules (aka "Anything Goes") will see many new and wonderful projects get the green light.

        Unemployment will disappear overnight, along with the environment.

        • bwaghorn 4.1.1.1
          19 March 2024 at 11:22 am

          I'm torn by the mining one,

          Any one living a modern life relies on extractive industry, is it really right that we sweep that extraction under the carpet to another country?

          • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2024 at 12:59 pm

            Environmentally-friendly extractive industries on spaceship Earth – why not. But civilisation needs a sound 'just transition' path to solve the obvious problem of what to do when there's nothing left to extract – could space mining save us?

            Humans have big plans for mining in space – but there are many things holding us back

            A city on Mars: Have we really thought this through? [9 March 2024]

            • weka 4.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2024 at 2:30 pm

              No

              1. we're not even close to being able to do that

              2. sustainably

              3. if we were and we did it now, it would fuel capitalism and the climate/ecology crises, killing the planet.

              • Drowsy M. Kram …
                19 March 2024 at 2:55 pm

                No

                yes as per the links, but desperation & clutching at straws go hand-in-hand.

          • weka 4.1.1.1.2
            19 March 2024 at 2:34 pm

            circular economies are one solution. We don't need a new iphone every year, we need smart phones that are repairable with interchangeable parts so the bits of the dead ones can be used in keeping existing ones in good shape.

            Probably some interesting programming challenges there. Has the work been done on how to upgrade iphones without replacing them? If we can send people to Mars… etc

            We should be reclaiming and mining dump sites too.

    • tc 4.2
      19 March 2024 at 11:33 am

      What little honeymoon the COC had is over as the sheeple wake up to being shafted so the already well off can do even better.

      Luxon cant sell the snake oil like the last bloke did. Good to see some in the media going in hard …..doing their jobs finally as they face the prospect of no job.

    • Bearded Git 4.3
      19 March 2024 at 12:28 pm

      What this tells me is that if Labour dump Hipkins (he is forever tainted by the bad election loss) and put in a new leader, the Left can win in 2026.

      • Jimmy 4.3.1
        19 March 2024 at 1:22 pm

        Who would you suggest as leader?

        • Phillip ure 4.3.1.1
          19 March 2024 at 1:59 pm

          Parker…

          Serious times need a serious/intelligent leader..

          Parker has both..in spades…

          ..(..and he will get a geeky nickname..and probably won't do dog videos..)

          • Jimmy 4.3.1.1.1
            19 March 2024 at 3:47 pm

            Surely you jest? His last leadership bid didn't go so well. Parker is probably due to retire later this year. Can you see the average voter turning back to Labour if Chippy was gone and Parker was leader?

            • Phillip ure 4.3.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2024 at 4:59 pm

              After the chaos this regime will create….yes..the mood will be for someone like him…

              But if as you say he is retiring..my points are pointless..

              • Robert Guyton …
                19 March 2024 at 5:01 pm

                Jimmy says "probably…"

                Stay true, Phil 🙂

                David Parker is da bomb.

                • Phillip ure …
                  19 March 2024 at 5:14 pm

                  Noted..

                  • Jimmy …
                    20 March 2024 at 3:23 pm

                    I thought as most people you would go with McNulty. Although Ginny Anderson or Carmel Sepuloni could be possibilities.

                    As mentioned above, I only think Parker may retire as he is surely nearing the end of his career and he didn't seem too happy with Hipkins reversing many policies. As mentioned he is not really an "exciting" person and thus the accountant comment!

            • Rosielee 4.3.1.1.1.2
              19 March 2024 at 6:42 pm

              Says it all – "Chippie" is a really dumb nickname for a leader who ought to be serious.

              • Anne …
                19 March 2024 at 8:01 pm

                It is a nickname his school chums gave him and it has stuck to him ever since. It has nothing to do with carpentry although I gather it is a hobby of his. Nothing wrong with the nickname and it is used with affection.

        • gsays 4.3.1.2
          20 March 2024 at 6:40 am

          McAnulty.

          Speaks with a familiar vernacular.

          Not a career politician.

          Appears to be a little closer or relatable to the average worker.

          Feels like he is in 'my corner'.

          From the provinces.

          • Belladonna 4.3.1.2.1
            20 March 2024 at 10:08 am

            I would agree that McAnulty is the best of the current bunch in gaining traction with 'ordinary' voters. Before his spectacular feat of self-destruction, I'd have said Michael Wood was a strong contender.
            Parker has all the charm and relatability of an accountant (apologies to any accountants in the room).

            I can see him as the money man – much as Roger Douglas, equally charm deficient, was to Lange (i.e. running the show behind the scenes) – but not as a leader.

            That's not to say that there isn't a new Labour leader who's not currently in Parliament.

  5. Res Publica 5
    19 March 2024 at 1:20 pm

    It was fascinating to hear our (putative) Prime Minister bothsiding his (putative) deputy's remarks and calling for a return to civility in politics on RNZ National this morning.

    Yet again, the right has proven itself to be incredibly thin skinned by getting all in a pother and manufacturing boatloads of faux outrage about being booed by a bunch of schoolchildren or getting called "dictatorial" when they ride roughshod over proper constitutional process.

    Somehow, Luxon tried to make an argument that this cancels out Winston Peters calling co-governance Nazism. Because, of course, the two are morally equivalent.

    How very much like National. When in power: insist on deference by the plebs. When in opposition: say whatever the fuck you like because that's just robust politics.

    • Anne 5.1
      19 March 2024 at 8:07 pm

      My thoughts too. Tries to lay the blame at the feet of the Opposition parties for Winston’s outburst. His tactics are so transparent. But I guess there's plenty of gullible folk around who fall for it.

    • Bearded Git 5.2
      20 March 2024 at 8:18 am

      Well said indeed Res.

  6. Robert Glennie 6
    19 March 2024 at 1:55 pm

    Winston Peters has always been racist, but since the 2020 election in a bid to deprive A.C.T. of votes – Winston genuinely dislikes Seymour – he has gone full racist in ways that those who have followed his career for the duration he has been in politics whould be shocked by. The Nazi-era Germany comparison might be the lowest yet, but it is just the latest.

    Is the "N" word out of reach? One would hope so. But if he has sunk this low, I wouldn't put the bank on it.

  7. Kay 7
    19 March 2024 at 2:34 pm

    I attempted to watch Question time for the first time in a few years. It elicited the reaction of hysterical laughter alternating with nausea and dry retching. Is this normal?

    • Rose 7.1
      19 March 2024 at 3:16 pm

      I suspect you may have been disappointed if you did watch. It was a disappointing display all round from the opposition MPs. Labours new finance spokesperson in particular looked completely at sea.

      • Phillip ure 7.1.1
        19 March 2024 at 4:02 pm

        I thought hipkins did ok..

        Genter gets the most bored face award..during her co-leaders speech in praise of kiri te kanawa..

        The mad-dog award goes to the act mp sitting behind/to the right of hoggard..he provides much humour..with his over-acting/snarling-antics..

        ..he has that angry old thin man..about to explode..vibe about him..

        ..I have him bookmarked as worthy of watching..

        ..and I noted that (the other) act mps don't smile..they smirk..

        ..they veer between faux-outrage…and that group smirk..

        Lux-on repeated his deep concerns about low-paid nz'ers..

        ..if you didn't know he was talking absolute shite..you'd think he cared..

        ..he also repeated how he really didn't want to make the children of difficult tenants at kaianga ora…homeless..but he was going to…but he really really didn't want to..

        ..and that earned him today's big-whopper award…

        ..and he clearly doesn't like speaking maari-words..

        ..so he sez 'kay-ay'…eh..?

        • Kay 7.1.1.1
          19 March 2024 at 4:16 pm

          Oh good, I wasn't over-reacting then smiley

          • Phillip ure 7.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2024 at 4:27 pm

            Heve a joint before you watch..

            .. it'll up your laughter quota..

            • Phillip ure 7.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2024 at 4:53 pm

              I forgot the farcical-answer award..that the police minister romped away with..

              He stood up and boasted about some raids where a phone number of plants were destroyed..

              He went on to claim the destruction of these cannabis plants prevented many squillion dollars worth of harm to society..

              W.t.f. has he been smoking..?

              Could someone take him aside and tell him that cannabis is a prescribed medicine for many/for many needs..

              And that the only reason it is not fully legal..

              ..is down to the gutlessness of the two major parties..

              • Kay …
                19 March 2024 at 5:09 pm

                Very glad you watched it for me, Phillip 🙂

                I lasted (somehow) the length of Q1. Luxon and his masterclass on how not to answer a question and how much he cared about me (a renter). That would explain the retching reaction…

                • Phillip ure …
                  19 March 2024 at 5:24 pm

                  The thing with luxon is that all of his expressed concerns…

                  ..are faux-concerns..

                  ..and yes..his concerns for renters does take the cake..can be nausea inducing..

                  I want a journalist to ask him how much the rents have gone up over the past few years..on his mortgage-free rental portfolio..

                  I am actually surprised no journalist has already had the wit/intelligence to ask that question..

                  An aspect of luxon I find quite fascinating…is how you know that pretty much everything he sez..is a big fat stinking lie..

                  ..and it is so obvious…

              • Rosielee …
                19 March 2024 at 6:45 pm

                … is down to the sucking up to the drug companies and Big Pharma.

        • Robert Guyton 7.1.1.2
          19 March 2024 at 4:43 pm

          "The mad-dog award goes to the act mp sitting behind/to the right of hoggard..he provides much humour..with his over-acting/snarling-antics..

          ..he has that angry old thin man..about to explode..vibe about him.."

          Yes.

          Hoggard? Oh my Goddard!!!!

      • Robert Guyton 7.1.2
        19 March 2024 at 4:48 pm

        No, Rose. The Opposition questions were fair and reasonable. The "answers"??

        Watch what Luxon did and listen to what he didn't say.

        And weep.

        • Kay 7.1.2.1
          19 March 2024 at 5:11 pm

          That was extremely painful to watch. How is this sort of behaviour even allowed???

  8. Robert Guyton 8
    19 March 2024 at 4:47 pm

    SNA – this needs a post, weka!

    Have you heard what they've done???

    • weka 8.1
      19 March 2024 at 7:43 pm

      didn't NACTF policy get stopped because it was unlawful? I haven't been following closely. Would you like to do a post? I can cross post if you find something good online too (with permission).

  9. Vivie 9
    19 March 2024 at 5:01 pm

    The brief interview in this RNZ article shows the malice of this Government's actions. It is unfathomable that funding for people with disabilities cannot now be used to assist them in accessing various regular activities which require transport with caregivers, or for caregiver transport and accommodation support when disabled people are away from home.

    What sort of people would have devised such a cruel strategy to save the Government money, presumably to help fund the unnecessary, inequitable, unaffordable tax cuts? As the finance minister, Nicola Willis should be confronted with explaining this decision.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/middayreport/audio/2018930729/shock-over-changes-to disability-funding

    "Shock over changes to disability funding

    Parents and whānau of people with disabilities are in shock and extremely disappointed by sudden limitations to funding – stopping people from using it for transport, food or accommodation for support workers.

    The department issued the new rules on Monday, surprising the disability community without consultation or warning.

    The Ministry says the funding is not being cut, but what it can be spent on has been cut significantly.

    Ian Perry's son is in a electric wheelchair and has significant disabilities.

    Perry spoke to Charlotte Cook".

    • Kay 9.1
      19 March 2024 at 5:15 pm

      It's quite simple. Traditionally, people reliant on these services don't vote for the Right. So there's no votes to be lost.

      Plus, we're up against a bunch of sociopaths. What else can you call people who can deliberately cause so much harm to so many people without batting and eyelid, and still sleep at night?

      • weka 9.1.1
        19 March 2024 at 7:44 pm

        I can't quite believe what is coming out of the Disability Minister's mouth. It's like they just aren't even pretending to care now.

        • weka 9.1.1.1
          19 March 2024 at 8:05 pm

          I'll revise that. I've just watched the press conference (rather than reading the news articles). I think she does care to an extent. But she just doesn't know what she is doing, she's making mistakes, now blaming the Ministry and previous government, and ultimately is obfuscating about it not being a funding cut. Still very bad.

          Full press conference in the hall is here.

          https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/03/19/minister-takes-aim-at-pedicures-for-carers-in-disability-funds-row/

          • Anker 9.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2024 at 10:06 pm

            Yes I wouldn't rely on the media re what they say about the coalition. They have been unrelenting in their attacks on the coalition right from after election night.

            They come across as people who can't believe a solid majority voted for the coalition and their majority in the polls remain stable

            • Robert Guyton 9.1.1.1.1.1
              20 March 2024 at 9:02 pm

              "a solid majority voted for the coalition"

              Not possible.

              People vote for a party and a candidate, not a "coalition".

              This sick-mix is nobody's choice.

    • Rolling-on-Gravel 9.2
      19 March 2024 at 6:24 pm

      This has galvanised the disability community profoundly.

      There's been petitions, emails, letters, meetings, questioning the government and the activist groups & political parties are acting now.

      This will be one of the factors for a new social movement and we must start now.

      The iron is hot and we are the sword and the heat.

      • Patricia Bremner 9.2.1
        20 March 2024 at 3:45 am

        Rolling-on-Gravel, this is like a dystopian nightmare. So an uprising of rage is called for.

        Is Winston Peters playing Goebbel's role? Propaganda Chief? Giving the reason for the 'removal of rights?" regarding "things Maori"

        Even that does not explain the "cuts to school lunch funding or changes to access for disability funding, plus removal of housing as a primary need."

        This coalition is removing "wellbeing" from their brief and putting "austerity" in as their answer,

        They have a victorian workhouse view, or even the Nazi view "work will set you free" meanwhile they starve the worker.

        That is an extreme view of what is happeningsurprise…. but dystopian means as bad as it can get. What horrors await in Willis' first Budget?

    • SPC 9.3
      19 March 2024 at 8:17 pm

      Are they using the money saved to

      1.upgrade the homes to fully service the needs of those confined to them?

      2.increase incomes to super levels (and free rather than half fare on the CSC public transport)?

      • Belladonna 9.3.1
        20 March 2024 at 10:16 am

        According to Nine to Noon this morning – CEO Paula Tesoriero – the money 'saved' will be going to funding the physical equipment and house modifications [I don't know if that's true, but that's what she said]

        It was hard to get a straight answer from her – but it sounded like the discretionary spending part of the budget blew out in December – and they put it down to Christmas and holidays – but the numbers kept climbing in the new year – rather than dropping down to previous levels.

        Consequently, they had to pause/cap the expenditure, or risk not being able to pay for the physical accommodations outlined above.

        She, notably, didn't give a good answer about why they need to spend millions with 3rd party contractors, in order to administer the funding to disabled people.

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018930874/ministry-apologises-as-10-000-sign-petition-over-disability-funding-changes

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