Open mike 19/04/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 19th, 2021 - 77 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

77 comments on “Open mike 19/04/2021 ”

  1. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

    The Trans-Tasman bubble opens today.

    Once all the seperated families have been reunited, will Trans- Tasman travel return to pre-pandemic business as usual levels?

    Or will the public be left with a $1.5 billion stranded asset?

    <

    blockquote>
    Alethea Warrington, campaigner at climate action charity Possible, when speaking to Reuters. “This polling shows that after a year of quick and easy virtual meetings, travellers aren’t planning to go back to business as usual.”

    The UK’s aviation sector has been decimated by the pandemic, with Heathrow – the UK’s largest airport – seeing its passenger numbers slide by 72.2 per cent in 2020 from the year before.

    International Air Transport Association analysts have forecasted that despite the Covid-19 vaccines and testing procedures rolling out worldwide, the recovery of demand for air travel may not reach pre-crisis levels until 2024.

    While this estimate would imply that the aviation sector just needs to hold on for a few years until it can return to growth, the attitudes presented in the latest survey suggests a full recovery could take longer.

    https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/04/business-flyers-could-stick-to-video-calls-even-after-covid-19-pandemic-survey-suggests/

    • Treetop 1.1

      The weakest link is that the flight crew can still work on low risk routes and then work on the trans – Tasman bubble. I would have just had a trans – Tasman flight crew.

      To have green flights but not green flight crews is asking for it.

  2. Morrissey 2

    The wonderful Ralph Nader

    Treasure him while he is still with us.

    https://ralphnaderradiohour.com/the-war-crimes-of-george-w-bush/

    • Incognito 2.1

      Why do you keep doing this? Give us a reason, based on your personal analysis of the content, why we should click on this and read and listen to this podcast if not for any other reason because you believe for some reason that some guy is somehow wonderful and the sun shines out of his arse? angry

    • Andre 2.2

      Oh yes, wonderful indeed. The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub. Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats would have had to work so much harder to find things to feed their eternal grievance complexes. Or not.

      • Morrissey 2.2.1

        The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub.

        Nader was on the Supreme Court, was he? Or was he dressed up as Democratic Party strategic mastermind Warren Christopher, who decided not to be unsporting and insist on a full recount of the Florida votes?

        Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats….

        ???? Wasn't it the Russians?

  3. Ad 3

    I'd like to give a little shoutout to Sabine this morning. Sabine has been so dogged in her highlighting of the social housing and poverty issues in Rotorua.

    I swear I complain so little about the media, but even RNZ this morning had two reporters from their Wellington office declaring at length how excited they were to be at the airport waiting to get on their Australian flights this morning …

    … and yet it was just one guy who owned a bar in Rotorua on RNZ this morning who was able to talk about the Mongrel Mob colours proudly displayed in Rotorua shop windows, drug deals done in daylight, children running around at night, and a general fear for the future of Rotorua due to the huge levels of poor people stuck in low-end motels due to shortages of public housing.

    It was like RNZ was sticking up gleefuly for the middle class who could afford to fly, while it relegated time spent on the degradation of the poor and working class in Rotorua.

    There are plenty like Sonja Davies who took Labour to task in years gone by for similar issues, so keep it up Sabine.

    • weka 3.1

      Agree on both counts

    • Treetop 3.2

      There is a strong connection between emergency housing and the health care of those in emergency housing. Both are a crisis. This can also be said for others who can hardly afford the rent or find it hard to access or afford health care.

      The issue is everywhere not just in Rotorua and an everywhere solution needs to be a priority.

    • Bearded Git 3.3

      Agree Sabine does good work on poverty and housing….but when I suggested that the Greens had the solution with their Wealth Tax that would raise 7.9 billion dollars annually specifically to tackle poverty she told me it wasn't about political parties….sorry Sabine that is exactly what it is about….who we vote for counts

      • Ad 3.3.1

        We've got a Labour-dominated government for three terms at least, and there's no way around the Greens being a small and shrinking field of influence within that. Unlikely to change even in 2026. Both major parties will actively stop a Wealth Tax. The best chance of influence is from within Labour.

        • Bearded Git 3.3.1.1

          Ad-I disagree. With (entirely feasible) numbers like this at the next election:

          Lab 44 Greens 9 MP 2 Nats 35 ACT 8 Others 2

          the Greens would have a great deal of influence. I notice the Greens are polling 8% in the UK at the moment in the latest poll which is historically very high.

          • Ad 3.3.1.1.1

            They got about the same last year and have fuck-all influence in this government.

            And even if they improved slightly, they would not get their Wealth Tax up there with tall boots, spandex, a brisk following wind, a long pole and a cape.

            • Bearded Git 3.3.1.1.1.1

              smileyAd….you seem not understand how MMP works, or you are pretending this.

              • Ad

                Seems to be working fine for Labour.

                • Sabine

                  yeah, and the poor are poor and the homeless are homeless.

                  it is not working fine for anyone but labour and a very few in the middle and upper middle class.

                  Everyone else is scared of babys in gang colors.

      • Sabine 3.3.2

        We had three years of a coalition that got us very little in terms a solution to our homeless and poverty issue, heck it is an issue that is growing out of proportions every day.

        We have a pandemic that still does not scare polititians into doing the right thing by those that need public assistance

        When the Greens pay attention to who runs as a potential candidate and when they maybe start putting in a bit of work into the rural areas then maybe they become part of the solution, atm they are not. Not here in Rotorua anyways.

        Last, this is not an issue of Rotorua, or Auckland, i advocate for those that live where i live, as charity always begins at home. But in reality, Rotorua is any other town, the only difference are the homeless that get send here by Winz. They sadly get stuck, we no option of housing or jobs, and yes Virginia the Government is really not here to help.

    • Sabine 3.4

      thanks Ad.

  4. weka 4

    The woman who tweeted this has locked her account for a bit so cut and pasting.
    I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate how angry women are about this, but certainly some people seem to be missing the fact. NZ govt is moving on gender self ID this year, so it’s useful to follow what is happening in the UK.

    'Police Scotland said that if a rape or attempted rape was perpetrated by a “male who self-identifies as a woman . . . the male who self-identifies as a woman would be expected to be recorded as a female on relevant police systems.'

    Rape suspects can choose to self-identify as femaleRape suspects are able to self-identify as female, it was revealed after a freedom of information request by a feminist policy think-tank.Police Scotland said that if a rape or attempted rape washttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rape-suspects-can-choose-to-self-identify-as-female-vfl678tg6

    'Campaigners claim that the position could lead to a “distortion” in society’s understanding of crime and the measures needed to tackle it. They also say the policy is at odds with what Humza Yousaf, the justice secretary, has said should be legal proof that a suspect is female.'

    'The issue..follows concern over moves by public bodies to “erase” biological sex data from official records…Dr Kath Murray, of the policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said that a person’s sex at birth was hugely relevant information in the case of rape.'

    This is the bit which is said to be a contradiction: 'In answer to a written query from Johann Lamont MSP, [Humza Yousaf] said a person born male would need a full gender recognition certificate for that person to be statistically recorded as having committed rape.', in a ->

    ..letter apparently seen by the Times.

    Finally 'the Scottish government declined to comment, saying that “this is a matter for Police Scotland”.'

    https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1383368177627791371?s=21

    • Janice 4.1

      Gender self identification is an issue that Judith Collins should start speaking against. A friend and I were discussing this last week and we decided after all of our years of voting on the left we were now unable so, due to both Labour and the Greens supporting gender self identification. I wonder how Jacinda will feel when Neve finds out she has to compete with boys who say they are girls on the sports field at school and it is because her mother was trying to be "nice" to transgenders. Sex and gender are not interchangeable. Now I await the backlash.

      • WeTheBleeple 4.1.1

        I don't believe a single word of what you just said.

        Backlash? You're just a stupid troll. Yawn.

        • Rosemary McDonald 4.1.1.1

          I don't believe a single word of what you just said.

          Backlash? You're just a stupid troll. Yawn.

          I would have thought you better than that WTB.

          How about expanding on the ad homs…?

          • WeTheBleeple 4.1.1.1.1

            Why, this is clearly a Troll. Not worth the effort at all.

            • Foreign Waka 4.1.1.1.1.1

              Because the issue is quite concerning legally and in that case criminally.

              Gender identification seem to be a "trendy" issue these days and it is not ever mentioned that a child/young person has already enough to work through with their hormone level change and the psychological component. This is not just on that rare occasion where a person identifies to the opposite gender and seeks a solution to this undoubtedly very difficult situation. It is something that will not necessarily discussed in schools and parents are sometimes unable to deal with those issues that are being portrait as an all compassing societal theme but are not. But it impact right into their home life.

              Criminally speaking, this needs redefinition. Rape has been identified with a specific gender, but without going into details, injuries can be caused in all sorts of manner as we have seen in those cases in India.

              Culturally it means that many people see this as an affront, insensitive to their believe system and a gross intrusion on their identification within a group affiliation.

              Many seem to think this can be legislated but all it does is creating clusters and separation in communities.

              So, no I don't agree with just denying a voice and walk away in the believe that anyone being in disagreement is a troll. I think it needs a bit more thought.

              • WeTheBleeple

                I agree with some of what you're saying but none of giving any credence to the post I slammed. Look at it:

                Judith should speak out

                How will Jacinda feel

                when Neve has to compete with boys…

                While you might fall for this, I do not. It's clearly dishonest in intent. Recall:

                "And we decided after all our years of voting on the left we were now unable to do so."

                Gimme a f'n break. Who even talks like that.

                Meanwhile, troll has you engaged with me. Job done.

                Discussing the issues – no, a sad pathetic fucking troll.

                • Foreign Waka

                  WTB

                  At no time did or do I agree with having our PMs daughter involved in any discussion. But this is a separate issue and no it will not involve you with a troll as you mentioned.

                  The gender ID however is quite a serious one and should be discussed in the open instead of giving the impression that it is a given that we now identify with 16 of them. It is completely unacceptable to have this kind of social engineering imposed as if this is the norm.

                  [removed spurious letters “WTB” from user name]

      • greywarshark 4.1.2

        edit
        Janice you raise clear questions in trying to cut through this melee' of sex identification which puzzles me. I think it is being raised as a result of our society's norms being upended by various political and financial ploys as those actors advance their own psychopathological obsessions with achieving a false self, based on consumption and constant self-adulation.

        This relentless pursuit feeds off but also back into society and its culture, and has the effect of diminishing the self-image of the rest of us. Then the choice seems either follow the same self-interested pattern, or cast around for a different, seemingly better self-image to shelter behind.

    • Peter chch 4.2

      Under English law (and I presume Scottish law also), a female cannot be charged with rape, only with sexual assault ('penetration' being a requisite in England for the charge of rape).

      By self identifying as a female, presumably the alleged perpetrator will limit the maximum sentence they will be liable to.

  5. weka 5

    Also note that in the UK if a male rapist self IDs as a woman (ie tells the justice system they are, doesn’t have to have transitioned), then the woman who was raped can be compelled in court to refer to the rapist as she. This is rape culture, institutionally abusive and retraumatising. That this is sanctioned by some on the left is unconscionable and needs addressing as to why.

    • Ad 5.1

      The self-identification bill coming up was pushed by Genter from last term and is seriously dividing multiple activist groups in both women and LGBT groups in Auckland.

      The bill and its impact needs a post by itself. Bags not.

      • weka 5.1.1

        Yep, it’s a shit show. I’ll have to do a post eventually but not looking forward the backlash I’ll get for it.

        Feel free to drop any relevant links in front of me (re the Bill, timeframes, analysis).

      • AB 5.1.2

        Self-identification as anything seems inadequate for legal purposes – though I think we can fairly safely tolerate, accept or indulge it (depending on our disposition) in normal social interactions.

        If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.

        • RedLogix 5.1.2.1

          Ah – we need an Expert:

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

        • McFlock 5.1.2.2

          If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.

          Dangerous animals that kill people tend to be put down. Not sure a lethal injection or a bullet is "getting away" with anything.

          • Andre 5.1.2.2.1

            Heh. Travelling through Africa, we heard a lot about how dangerous hippopotamus were. We also heard a lot about how lions, crocodiles, hyenas etc would get hunted down and killed if they attacked a human. But I never heard of hippos getting dealt to after attacking humans, even though hippo attacks are apparently much more common than other animal attacks.

          • gsays 5.1.2.2.2

            Here is the answer in prose form:

            THE HIPPOPOTAMUS

            I shoot the Hippopotamus
            with bullets made of platinum,
            Because if I use leaden ones
            his hide is sure to flatten 'em.

            Hilaire Belloc

        • joe90 5.1.2.3

          If I self-identify as a hippopotamus

          .

          Behold the hippopotamus!
          We laugh at how he looks to us,
          And yet in moments dank and grim,
          I wonder how we look to him.
          Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
          We really look all right to us,
          As you no doubt delight the eye
          Of other hippopotami.

          – Ogden Nash

    • Treetop 5.2

      Under the 1961 Crimes Act NZ. Rape involves a penis and a vagina. Our Crimes Act needs to be updated when it comes to gender identity.

      • weka 5.2.1

        Why? Rape is a crime commited by males, and the legal definition should remain that.

        • Jimmy 5.2.1.1

          Hasn't there been some rapes committed by women?

        • Peter chch 5.2.1.2

          Weka, Yes but the self identification as a female undermines that very clear law. I can already see the QC's rubbing their hands in anticipation.

          Jimmy, in South Africa numerous women have been charged with rape. They drugged men, kidnapped them and forced them to have sex whilst in a drugged state ('involuntary erection'). It was part of some crazy superstition nonsense a few years ago.

        • Adrian 5.2.1.3

          Really ?. Havent there been cases of women being charged with sexual offences against men to the point of sexual union? I vaguely remember something from a few years ago, and what is anal penetration with an instrument charged as, if not rape?

          • weka 5.2.1.3.1

            it's covered by a different law I think.

          • weka 5.2.1.3.2

            The technical meaning of “rape” in New Zealand law

            Crimes Act 1961, ss 128, 128B

            In New Zealand law, the word “rape” is restricted to cases of a male penetrating a female’s vagina with his penis. However, under the law this is just one of two types of the crime of “sexual violation”. The other type – “unlawful sexual connection” – covers all the other types of sexual assault described above, and it has the same maximum penalty (20 years’ jail) as cases of “rape” of a female by a male.

            Crimes Act 1961, s 135 (definitions of “genitalia” and “sexual connection”) and ss 128, 128B

            https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-8-gender-and-sexuality/sexual-orientation-and-your-rights/rape-sexual-assault-and-family-domestic-violence/

            • WeTheBleeple 5.2.1.3.2.1

              Being a rather pretty boy in my day I got hit on by creeps a lot, including many women. It was horrible for me, too.

              This is a mess aye. While I support the trans community – thinking something does not make it so. Me thinking I'm a woman does not remove my penis, nor the potential for penetration.

              I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.

              • Treetop

                This is a mess aye.

                There is a lot to consider when it comes to rape and self identification.

                What is the situation when a person becomes pregnant due to being raped and the pregnancy is not terminated?

                I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.

                By biological do you also mean a sperm and an ova?

                • WeTheBleeple

                  Thinking some more on it, I think biological is the wrong approach in that people also use inanimate objects in abusive situations. The use of the word 'penetration' in the law is a reasonable start – if it means by any object, and where consent is lacking. Determining that rape must involve a penis is plainly wrong in many circumstances.

                  The sex of an offender should not be a consideration in law except where that law attempts to redress specific gender imbalance.

                  Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.

                  • Treetop

                    Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.

                    Same here. Part of the problem is the antiquated 1961 Crimes Act. 60 f – ing years old and MPs are trying to fit new legislation into legislation which is already detrimental to those who make a complaint or have an historical complaint.

                  • weka

                    It's not actually a mess. It's already covered in legislation: rape is by males on females, other kinds of sexual assault are dealt with as unlawful sexual connection.

                    As McFlock points out, the Crimes Act has been amended to remove some gendered language, but it's still clear what the meaning of rape is (males raping females),

                    128 Sexual violation defined

                    (1)

                    Sexual violation is the act of a person who—

                    (a)

                    rapes another person; or

                    (b)

                    has unlawful sexual connection with another person.

                    (2)

                    Person A rapes person B if person A has sexual connection with person B, effected by the penetration of person B’s genitalia by person A’s penis,—

                    (a)

                    without person B’s consent to the connection; and

                    (b)

                    without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.

                    (3)

                    Person A has unlawful sexual connection with person B if person A has sexual connection with person B—

                    (a)

                    without person B’s consent to the connection; and

                    (b)

                    without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.

                    https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/whole.html?search=ts_act%40bill%40regulation%40deemedreg_Crimes+Act+1961_resel_25_a&p=1%2f#DLM327382

                    That's in law. In public debate, rape has a wider meaning.

                    With regard to my original comment, the issue is whether gender identification takes precedent over sex based rights, and this is exactly why feminists are saying there is conflict of rights. This is going to be an issue this year as the government pushes to legislate gender self ID and parts of the left push to suppress debate.

                    • McFlock

                      The amendment towards gender-neutral language was in 2005.

                      Part of the amendment included the definition of penis:

                      penis includes a surgically constructed or reconstructed organ analogous to a naturally occurring penis (whether the person concerned is male, female, or of indeterminate sex)

                    • Treetop

                      The current law is clear about what rape is, I was not referring this to be a mess.

                      With regard to your original comment there is a conflict of rights which requires classification.

                • weka

                  "By biological do you also mean a sperm and an ova?"

                  In this case, in NZ law, rape is defined biologically by genitalia.

            • McFlock 5.2.1.3.2.2

              That page might need updating.

              Rape is a crime committed with a penis. The Crimes Act doesn't make any statement about the sex or gender of the person with the penis.

              Whether the the use of "male" and "female" in the community law link is based on a definition in an unreferenced piece of legislation, or simply reflects community law's own understanding of the entire trans debate, I do not know.

              • weka

                they haven't changed the definition of rape though. It's still by males (people with a penis) against females (genitalia capable of being penetrated).

                No date on the CL piece, would be interested to know if/when the legislation was amended.

                • McFlock

                  The relevant law does not seem to define people with penises as "male", nor does it restrict "genitalia capable of being penetrated" to only people for whom those organs were naturally-occurring.

                  • weka

                    sorry, haven't been keeping up. Appreciate those two comments, it makes sense they've done this and good to get up to speed myself. From a feminist perspective this leaves it as a cultural and political issue, are women going to still be able to name sexed/gendered violence, and what are the forces trying to change that and why.

        • Treetop 5.2.1.4

          So I am clear a woman does not have a penis when it comes to rape.

          Were the rapist to identify as a woman and have a penis what then?

        • Drowsy M. Kram 5.2.1.5

          Rape is a crime commited by males, and the legal definition should remain that.

          Agreed – no need to change the legal definition of rape in NZ. The legal hierarchy of sexual violations varies between countries, but in NZ the maximum penalty for rape and other types of sexual violation is the same; 20 yrs (see Weka @5.2.1.3.2)

          Note, however, that:

          …many jurisdictions, such as Canada and several US and Australian states, have abandoned the term "rape" in favor of other terms such as "sexual assault", "sexual intercourse without consent", or "criminal sexual conduct".
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_regarding_rape

          'Sexual assault culture' doesn't have quite the same ring to it as 'rape culture'.

          I recognise it as a personal failing, and yet feel uneasy about the ramifications of blurring the lines between biological sex identity and gender identity. If these two identities are incongruent to the extent of causing distress (gender dysphoria), then the idea that suppressing (the reality of one's) biological sex is the optimal solution is problematic. If only societies could celebrate diversity to the extent that medical interventions were not the preferred route to contentment – think faʻafafine on steroids (we all have 'em), and in all 'directions'.

          I see a lot of sense in the research and views of Cordelia Fine:

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusions_of_Gender

          https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/26/why-testosterone-rex-is-extinct

          And also in the research and views of Simon Baron-Cohen e.g.

          Men, Women, and Ghosts in Science
          Classifying individuals in general terms, he [Simon Baron-Cohen] concludes that among men, about 60% have a male brain, 20% have a balanced brain, and 20% have a female brain. Women show the inverse figures, with some 60% having a female brain. Many facts argue that these differences have their roots in biology and genetics.

          And most important of all, could we try to select for the one characteristic we need most, scientific originality? Originality and creativity are all too rare, and I know of no evidence that these traits are more frequent in one sex.

          There is some discordance between these valuable views. When it comes to gender reassignment, perhaps my unease stems from the idea that society is running before it can walk, or that pre-pubescent children are making decisions about their own gender reassignment. But, for now, if society can't change, then affording individuals agency for personal change is a step in the right direction, imho.

  6. greywarshark 6

    Good news for diversification of farming dollars, and industry in NZ we hope. Help NZ – use wool carpeting – warm, hard wearing and fire-resistant.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/440778/sustainable-wool-research-programme-backed-by-government

    Research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/004051757504500503 – wool and particularly flame-resistant wool perform significantly better than the other man-made fibers investigated

    Godfrey Hirst manufacturer report – https://www.godfreyhirst.com/au/hycraft/sites/default/files/wool_for_interior_textiles.pdf
    * had the lowest propensity for flame spread (as measured by the critical radiant fluxCRF), and,
    * produced much lower levels of smoke.

    BRANZ report from 2007 – I haven't read it but good that they have got a report done and there may be something else since then.
    https://d39d3mj7qio96p.cloudfront.net/media/documents/SR181_Fire_properties_of_floor_coverings_-_new_fire_test_methods_and_acceptabl.pdf

    • WeTheBleeple 6.1

      The revitalisation of the wool industry is a great idea. I just want some decent woolies to wear for winter, y'know. Instead the stores are loaded with synthetic or synthetic/natural gloves hats and scarves, and they're not nearly so warm, or durable. And they create plastic rubbish.

      Everything is plastic we need to reverse it as fast as we can.

      Yeah wool doesn't burn well at all. I think that's because it smells so bad it puts itself out.

      • greywarshark 6.1.1

        WTB Great to see your comments FTTT. Yes keep your woolly hat on so warm and keep your brain bright and fast-moving and write lots.

  7. greywarshark 7

    Deathshead Dutton in Australia. In backward-land he might be top of the pops.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/440789/australian-defence-minister-overturns-decision-to-strip-veterans-of-military-decorations

    …Last year the Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) General Angus Campbell recommended the meritorious unit citation be revoked for the Special Operations Task Group, in the wake of the Inspector-General of the ADF's Inquiry report into war crimes.

    The group served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013, and included around 3000 personnel.
    General Campbell announced the move while handing down the explosive report which found Australian special forces murdered at least 39 prisoners and civilians during the Afghanistan war.

    The decision was met with significant criticism within defence and veterans circles, as well as the government.

  8. greywarshark 9

    You don't take your rellies words for gospel. At the start of Covid19 my b-in-law who is a practical bloke and not one to get fussed, said why worry it is just another flu. I said yes but – it seems a lot more infectious, and if too many get sick at the same time the hospitals will be overwhelmed and the medical system might break down. I felt the need for caution on that point and it seems now it was a realistic understanding of something that has gone on to pose more and more problems for the recovered. Why can't people think for themselves? Sit down together and go through what they know, and what the stats are, and look at what other countries are trying, and how that is going.

    Just ringing up and doing an emotional doesn't show an adult approach to a problem. And most of the anti-vaxxers I've seen are adults.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/440761/why-should-maori-trust-the-covid-19-vaccine

    A worried Maori man is concerned at the fast-moving flim-flam filling people's minds.

    A recent post from a cousin falsely claims China is refusing to inoculate any of its citizens for safety reasons. It encourages people to cure themselves of the virus through 'heat therapy', by inhaling steam from a boiled kettle, gargling hot water and drinking cups of hot tea four times each a day. On the fifth day, it says, 'you are Corona negative'.

    Rarere laughs – he can't help himself sometimes. But the truth is he's afraid. He knows of two kaumātua who are also sharing misinformation online, and he's deeply worried they won't take the vaccine. He says the thought of them contracting the virus, and suffering, is inconceivable.

  9. Ad 10

    Ahhh the joys of patriotic England in a Brexit world: the best of them join the EU and stuff the English altogether:

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56795811

    Good job to the fool proletariat who voted for separation.

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    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    8 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    8 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    14 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
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    1 day ago
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