”Australian report finds profit, not wages, driving inflation
[unlinked copy and paste deleted]
So why not a windfall profits tax here? It’ll raise a little revenue, but more importantly send a message to big business to stop rorting the consumer. The optics that Labour look after the majority of the country, rather than the big end of town, wouldn’t be bad either.
No one in the southern hemisphere has appetite for major tax increases. Not even the neo-socialists in South America.
But even with the existing tax settings we have, it does not help that our government remains very, very weak at breaking oligopolies like we have in fishing, dairy production, supermarkets, fuel, red meat production, construction materials, insurance, sea ports, shipping, international airports, airlines, and so much more. We must surely have one of the most concentrated economies in the world.
We do not appear to have in Cabinet anyone with the business sense to regulate prices hard., or even in the Commerce Commission. Oligopolists are driving inflation because nothing resists them passing increases on.
The effective inflation fighter we have, our own Reserve Bank, has the dual mandate of low inflation and lowest possible unemployment, but according to them if we have maximum sustainable employment, we should not be having inflation at all:
"When more people find jobs and fewer people are unemployed, employers tend to offer higher wages to fill their vacancies. If this happens nationwide, it generates wage inflation and eventually widespread inflation as businesses pass on the higher wage costs to the prices of goods and services.
When employment is at its maximum sustainable level, there will be low and stable inflation. However, if employment is above the maximum sustainable level for too long, it will eventually cause prices to rise more and more quickly, requiring the MPC to raise interest rates to keep inflation under control."
I don't consider the dual mandate an issue. Many central banks have a dual mandate and have for some time, then NZ was an exception with its single mandate.
The actual issue is how the RBNZ approaches monetary policy which is not something which follows from any mandate. Previously the central bank policy was typically pre-emptive, steps would be taken to any increase in inflation, which would immediately aim to break a wage price spiral. Now, at least descriptively, there can be a wait and see to observe if the price increase would translate to a wage increase, and then seeing if there was a lead to more price increases, before policy shift. This is probably marginally more healthy a policy.
The other issue the RBNZ has is the cash rate is quite blunt a tool to target inflation and has poor distributional outcomes.
And its not going to resolve any of the supply side price increases (many coming from overseas) in anything like a fair way.
My simple observation was not with the dual mandate itself but with their stated expectation that "When employment is at its maximum sustainable level, there will be low and stable inflation".
This is clearly wrong. They need to re-consult their Moniac.
I agree that stronger trends in wage and salary increases would be much preferable, especially after 20 years of waiting for them to arrive.
I think your ultimately right that low and stable inflation has little to do with the employment level, but that the RBNZ would disagree their statement is wrong.
Essentially they are saying that there is an employment level at which there is low and stable inflation. This is called the NAIRU level in technical terms. The NAIRU replaced the Phillips curve though its conceptually incoherent. The modern mathematical replacement for the Moniac will (if consulted) tell the RBNZ to increase unemployment because the inflation rate is too high. Probably better that they actually use their brains, rather than acting mechanically, to determine monetary policy.
They would probably also disagree that the present NZ economic situation is a test of this given the amount of imported inflation and supply side issues involved. That's not a judgement which the Moniac is capable of.
On the other hand the underlying Wicksellian theory that there exists one single interest rate which is most appropriate for the prevailing economic situation is clearly not applicable. The actual occurring economy is more broad and varied than the model economy which could support such a theory existing. So I consider the most suitable monetary policy will typically be to set the rate at zero and leave it there. Inflation issues should be resolved either via fiscal policy and within the contextual understanding that somebody will lose out cost wise when external prices change and this cost should be fairly distributed.
Doing it via monetary policy gives the pretense that imported inflation doesn't have distributional impacts, but it doesn't make those impacts go away.
Its a political question introducing such a tax, the revenue is irrelevant.
The question is will the windfall tax discourage profit gouging, and at what cost in govt popularity. It might make sellers say why bother making extraordinary profits they just get taxed away, but it might also lead to price hikes just to make a point to the public about whos boss.
just to make a point to the public about whos boss
And also make that same point to any government that tried to impose a windfall tax. I don't know of any examples of it happening elsewhere in the world, but it's a level of spitefulness that wouldn't surprise me in NZ.
It should then be easier for an effective political leader to use the spiteful behaviour of the commercial bosses as an example of why we need to restrain their antisocial excesses.
We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace–business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me–and I welcome their hatred.
I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master.
There has certainly been some piss taking with fuel, There has been a 30-40 cent per litre difference in diesel pricing between Auckland and not to far out of Auckland.
That's far more than can be explained by regional fuel tax etc. Could well call it price gouging.
In Auckland, the price of 91 octane petrol was between $2.88 and $3.05 a litre across stations on Tuesday morning, while diesel was between $2.79 and $2.97, according to PriceWatch.
Prices had dropped below $3 in Wellington and Christchurch.
AA principal policy adviserTerry Collins said the decline was down to two things: the drop in price of crude oil and refinery, but also the questioning of why fuel companies had high profit margins by the Government." (my bold)
So even the threat of the Government doing something causes the big boys to moderate their profits.
If you had read your article instead of spray & walk away you’d known how stupid you sound.
News of the truce and the ensuing reduction in public gun violence came too late for embattled former police minister Poto Williams.
She was replaced by Chris Hipkins on June 13 as part of a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who said she had lost focus in the portfolio.
If you keep up your dump & jump trolling here you’ll be treated that way.
How would you have dealt with a "perfect storm" caused by a combination of 501's, and a large number of disaffected youth caused by the loss of social cohension due to decades of Neo-Liberal "there is no such thing as society" cruelty?
As well as constant White anting by ignorant fools such as David Seymour, at your workplace.
You wouldn't have a fucking clue, and be "well out of your depth".
Now, because of the idiot chorus from the RW, actually getting to the causes and really cutting crime has been set back another decade.
Really? Aside from there being no actual evidence that she was out of her depth and the fact she was beginning to make headway before Nat white anting made her position untenable, are you plugged into some collective Borg-like consciousness that lets you know what "Everyone" knows?
Her problem was: she didn't have very good communication skills. Especially when dealing with the media who aided and abetted the white-anters by shoving their mikes into her face whenever she dared venture out of her office… asking pointed questions designed to throw her off balance.
Unfortunately the criminals are getting bolder as the soft on crime approach has not worked. This guy shows how much respect or fear of the police (none) he has and absolutely nails the poor police woman. But then, I expect he is really a nice person just got mixed up with the wrong crowd and had a tough upbringing and was in the process of turning his life around. Hopefully the other officers gave out a bit of rough justice shortly afterwards.
"An illegal, violent reaction to the casual, un-provoked violence of a law breaker?"
That's what he did to the policewoman in the first few seconds of the video.
I can just imagine you sitting down with him over a cup of tea and explaining to him "What you did to that Policewoman wasn't really appropriate behavior, and you need to reflect on what you just did…..another cuppa?"
Directly or indirectly advocating violence in any shape or form (including ‘jest’ and advocating self-harm) to individuals or groups is simply not allowed. Moderators will have a no-tolerance humourless response as the only possible response. If you want to talk about political conflicts around the world, then do so being mindful of this proscription.
Carter Holt Harvey cited “short-term industry-wide supply issues”, while some blamed the mass export of logs to China, where our timber attracts a premium. But others saw more cynical motives at play. One industry commentator saw it as a “power move” to fight the low prices demanded of smaller retailers. ITM’s chief executive described it as a “corporate attack” that would “have ramifications for years to come”.
Earlier this year, Carter Holt Harvey stopped supplying wood products to Mitre 10 and ITM. The company, owned by New Zealand’s richest person, controls half the country’s structural timber trade and despite claiming shortages, kept supplying its own subsidiary, Carters. It was seen by many as a power move by the company against its competitors.
New Zealand is one of the few large log producing countries around the globe that allows their export without restrictions. At least 39 countries have log export bans of one kind or another and of these, at least 16 show clear intent to support domestic processing, according to a 2019 report from consultancy Sense Partners.
Selling off the harvesting rights to publicly owned forest to private and overseas interests has pretty much meant we have very little control over where our logs go.
The consortium comprises Fletcher Challenge (37.5 per cent); Brierley Investments (25 per cent); and Citifor, a subsidiary of China International Trust and Investment Corporation, (37.5 per cent).
China Forestry Group New Zealand Company Limited (China Forestry Group NZ) has agreed to acquire part of the NZ Superannuation Fund’s North Island forestry assets, following a competitive tender and Overseas Investment Office approval.
Hi Cricklewood. Oh fark yes…Bill Birch !. I'd maybe tried to suppress memories of THAT particular jerk. And of course what those a-holes legacy left Future NZ. Sad does not cover it.
I don't think I have ever seen the gossip, rumours and conspiracy theories to be as bad as they are now.
In my time in politics I heard them all – and many about myself. If I had a dollar for every time I heard about the untrue demise of Winston Peters and rumours of poor health then I would be a wealthy woman. I don't think a Green MP washes her hair in her own urine but this was told to me numerous times and as if it is fact.
I am sure that like a lot of workplaces the odd bit of after-hours shagging goes on but nowhere near as much as is rumoured and speculated on.
I had plenty of rubbish said about me and some of it still does the rounds on social media occasionally, all blatantly not true and actually insulting.
I once had to take out an injunction and get legal advice at my own expense to stop a so-called reputable radio station from repeating what someone who has obvious mental health issues had said about me on social media.
I understand at some level him projecting on to me just because he can – I couldn't reconcile tens of thousands of people believing and sharing it and mainstream media picking it up.
There aren't easy answers when you are under a full-on prolonged attack. By defending yourself you give them oxygen and although thousands might have seen it – I have to presume millions haven't – bringing it into the open just adds fuel and embarrassment. So they keep you quiet and reluctant to speak out.
Which brings me to the constant gossip about the Prime Minister and her partner.
I have been asked more times than I can remember if x is true about one or both of them. I am not in their lives and do not have intimate knowledge about them and I believe their private lives are exactly that – but I always answer no it's not true.
Purely because anyone with half a brain would not believe that in a country this size with two degrees of separation that the blatant extreme nonsense that people say would be ignored by our media if there was evidence to back it up.
My politics and ideology differ a lot from Jacinda Ardern's but as a woman, mum, partner and politician I would stand at her side and suggest everyone just leave her private life alone.
I have heard intelligent, respectable people repeating gossip about her. They all know someone who knows someone and as such they know it is true. Just because something is repeated a lot does not make it true.
Yes, by being in the public eye we open ourselves up to criticism, but let's leave that to being about performance and leave the personal stuff alone.
We need our best and our brightest putting their hands up for public office in the future and if it was your son or daughter would you want lies repeated about their private lives?
We are all guilty of enjoying a spot of gossip but when it comes to our leaders enough is enough.
I'm not so sure that's her motive. I think it's more about keeping the discussion about "rumours and gossip about the PM and her partner" alive, and that she's tried to do this in a way that disguises that motive.
I was being just a little sarky. When I happened upon this effort earlier my first impression was that there was pot-stirring going on. A Westie don't change it's spots…
My politics and ideology differ a lot from Jacinda Ardern's but as a woman, mum, partner and politician I would stand at her side and suggest everyone just leave her private life alone.
Basically Bennett is saying – STFU with the gossip – let people's private lives be just that.
Basically Bennett is saying – STFU with the gossip – let people's private lives be just that.
Agree. Some of the stuff I have seen or heard about Clarke Gayford in particular is mind boggling crap. It has also beggared my belief that normally intelligent andrespectable people have actually believed it. In one instance the person claimed a certain rumour had to be correct because someone she knew had been there when it happened. The 'someone she knew' was an arch enemy of Labour and was lying.
Respect for Paula Bennett for coming out and saying what she did.
You might think that's Bennett's motive – but it would only apply if there was little gossip going on. I'm sorry to say, that's not the case – the trash being talked about Ardern and Gayford is increasing in volume – and spreading.
You may not like Bennett – but she's right on the money here.
Quite frankly, I find it disgusting. And choose not to participate (or link) to the rubbish which is being spread around.
Sure, I understand what you're saying – of course the sentiment may appear sincere. But I do not believe Bennett is capable of doing anything that does not have a self-serving aspect to it.
However, it's probably not you who is either the culprit, or the target audience for this piece.
Right-wing supporters are more likely to listen and/or believe a right-wing opinion writer. If/when a left-wing one contributes the same content, it's more likely to be dismissed by a right-wing audience (using exactly the same 'self-serving' justification).
I don't disagree that what you say happens, but I do not think the present situation is an example of that. There are, of course, right-wing politicians – even if fewer these days – who are or have been quite capable of holding opinions on particular matters that dedicated left-leaning people would agree with. I just cannot accept that Bennett could be one of them.
I had no idea there was gossip. Clearly I'm moving in the wrong circles. I did make a mental note to self to plumb the deeper depths of the darkweb and try and find out what Bennett is on about.
Any thoughts from other commentators on this?
Whist I think the current method is a crock of shit, it is the method used by all the other countries so why the change in NZ.
Changing the metric does seem an odd thing to do given we'll be an outlier in the way we report our data to the WHO makes comparing things all that much harder.
If you listened to/watched the press conference you would know your assertions are more BS. The change was prompted by the WHO and will be consistent with other countries we compare to. In addition, the current measure/statistic will continue to be reported.
I was being fair. It is fair to expect people to bring some logical consideration to things they may read, including actually being bothered to check they actually understand the the issues and facts, including their context. Just simple things we learn at school when we are taught how to think.
Daniel Anderson had a 17-year-old worker who was chiselling when a piece of metal flew into his right eye in March 2020. Despite multiple surgeries, the teenager lost sight in the eye.
Anderson did not notify WorkSafe of the injury, as required, but several months later the victim's mother did, triggering an investigation.
WorkSafe national manager of investigations Hayden Mander said when an inspector asked Anderson whether he told workers to use protective gear, his response was: "I'm not their mother and going to dress them every morning."
Fark…..what a P.O.S. . I have struck scum bags like this through my life. This is a 17 year old lad. He should have had a Boss worthy of that title. But I still recall when another young lad lost his leg….and the online vilification he was getting …from the same kind of scum. Just a sick mentality….
The kids are not alright. Don’t care about the cat role playing (although this seems more like something primary school kids would be doing), but there are some boundary issues here.
“TikTok unquestionably knew that the deadly Blackout Challenge was spreading through their app and that their algorithm was specifically feeding the Blackout Challenge to children, including those who have died,” the complaint reads.
The lawsuit lists a number of complaints against TikTok, including that its algorithm promotes harmful content, allows underage users on the app, and it fails to warn users or their legal guardians of the app’s addictive nature.
Nah, not yet; once a comment ends up in Pre-Mod queue because it has too many links, for example, editing and removing links doesn’t automatically undo the move. IDK if deleting the comment and starting fresh is an option.
He's basically taking care of everything himself, no middle man
Did the comic himself, self published it himself, set up his own warehouse, all his part time workers are now full time, organising the distribution himself, so all the profits are his which he's reinvesting
So of course he's getting attacked by the left
Politics is downstream from culture and the culture is changing
The interwebs have always been a strange place full of strange people and children doing and saying strange shit. It's no reason to amplify hate mongers.
But if you do want something to be outraged about…
I went online to see the article, and website is articles predominantly promotion of gender ideology, and queer theory. Fair enough, I thought. Must be the rainbow community magazine for students, but no, it is the student magazine for all students.
Housing issues, courses, course fees, impact of Covid, etc. not apparent at first glance.
Thanks for pointing out the obvious, completely missed that. Make sense now!
(However, I still find it disturbing to see young women undergo cosmetic mastectomies, even though it is celebrated as autonomy. I know you feel differently.)
I mean, call me a bit thick, but if it's UniQ Victoria's official account and they literally say it's their "annual collaboration with Salient", doesn't that clearly indicate it's a once a year special issue for the rainbow student community at Vic? Because I'm pretty sure Salient regularly runs stories on "housing issues, courses, course fees, impact of Covid, etc" the rest of the year. So either there is something terribly wrong with my literacy skills or you're building a straw man that's just missing Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion for the full Wizard of Oz.
Maybe don't take every little bit of fringe eccentricity amplified by social media algorithms as being indicative of larger social trends? That's how you get Covid conspiracies.
Maybe don't take every little bit of fringe eccentricity amplified by social media algorithms as being indicative of larger social trends? That's how you get Covid conspiracies.
What she is demonstrating is not rare, the thinking involved and the boundary issues is common enough for me to want to post it here on a political blog. Maybe don't knee jerk dismiss something that you are unaware of, that's how we dumb down politics.
I'm not certain the furries are a unitary community – they have been a presence at scifi & fantasy events for decades, as cosplayers. These ones at least are typically fond of the movie Zootopia.
I wasn't thinking of furries as a community or sub culture so much as the boundary issues that are in many of the online subcultures now. Like I said, I'm not bothered by the cat role play. Having watched it again, it's just as likely to be a piss take.
I am aware of furries though. They're been around for decades and are about as concerning as, oh, I dunno, trekkies, larpers or any other kind of cosplayer. Why do you feel the need to gatekeep boundary issues anyway? How does it affect you at all?
Certain things have been happening in the pop culture realm as of late thats leading me to believe the pendulum is starting to move back towards the centre
The failure of movies like Thor (amongst others), the success of Top Gun: Maverick, the rise of TV series like Terminal List and Reacher shows that there is a disconnect between what the people want and what the media corporations are giving us
I haven't spoken much about comics because (I'm guessing) most people here don't read them but as bad as I say movies and TV are comics are even worse
Basically Manga is outselling American comics, in America.
There are some theories why and one of them is that Manga is not beholden to "The Message" like American comics are, ie:
You sound like one of those alt right hacks on YouTube who thinks they're owning the libs by complaining about Western pop culture being too woke while apparently ignoring that manga and anime is full of queer themes.
Having a close friend who was severely injured by this here in NZ, some of the surgeons comments are familiar.
Carole, then 60 and a recently retired personnel administrator, had returned to see the surgeon with her partner seven weeks after the surgery. She was in tears as she explained her debilitating pain.
'I told the surgeon that I could feel the mesh cutting into me, which was agonising,' Carole told Good Health.
'But he ignored this and said everything was OK. He told me: 'I just don't understand how you could be in pain. I will refer you to a psychiatrist.' Then he turned to Malcolm and said: 'I've made her nice and tight for you.' '
You sound like one of those alt right hacks on YouTube who thinks they're owning the libs by complaining about Western pop culture being too woke while apparently ignoring that manga and anime is full of queer themes.
Gay doesn't mean woke but retconning previously strait characters for the sake of diversity is woke and, given the drop in sales, its not what the readership want
Hence why Eric July is smashing it, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up making more money than the last top ten made together
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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 ...
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 HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 → ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track 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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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, ...
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. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
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Lifted from The Spinoff’s Bulletin.
”Australian report finds profit, not wages, driving inflation
[unlinked copy and paste deleted]
So why not a windfall profits tax here? It’ll raise a little revenue, but more importantly send a message to big business to stop rorting the consumer. The optics that Labour look after the majority of the country, rather than the big end of town, wouldn’t be bad either.
No one in the southern hemisphere has appetite for major tax increases. Not even the neo-socialists in South America.
But even with the existing tax settings we have, it does not help that our government remains very, very weak at breaking oligopolies like we have in fishing, dairy production, supermarkets, fuel, red meat production, construction materials, insurance, sea ports, shipping, international airports, airlines, and so much more. We must surely have one of the most concentrated economies in the world.
We do not appear to have in Cabinet anyone with the business sense to regulate prices hard., or even in the Commerce Commission. Oligopolists are driving inflation because nothing resists them passing increases on.
The effective inflation fighter we have, our own Reserve Bank, has the dual mandate of low inflation and lowest possible unemployment, but according to them if we have maximum sustainable employment, we should not be having inflation at all:
"When more people find jobs and fewer people are unemployed, employers tend to offer higher wages to fill their vacancies. If this happens nationwide, it generates wage inflation and eventually widespread inflation as businesses pass on the higher wage costs to the prices of goods and services.
When employment is at its maximum sustainable level, there will be low and stable inflation. However, if employment is above the maximum sustainable level for too long, it will eventually cause prices to rise more and more quickly, requiring the MPC to raise interest rates to keep inflation under control."
Inflation and maximum sustainable employment – Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua (rbnz.govt.nz)
SO apparently low and stable inflation should occur anytime now.
Does anyone in this joint know how to actually regulate?
I don't consider the dual mandate an issue. Many central banks have a dual mandate and have for some time, then NZ was an exception with its single mandate.
The actual issue is how the RBNZ approaches monetary policy which is not something which follows from any mandate. Previously the central bank policy was typically pre-emptive, steps would be taken to any increase in inflation, which would immediately aim to break a wage price spiral. Now, at least descriptively, there can be a wait and see to observe if the price increase would translate to a wage increase, and then seeing if there was a lead to more price increases, before policy shift. This is probably marginally more healthy a policy.
The other issue the RBNZ has is the cash rate is quite blunt a tool to target inflation and has poor distributional outcomes.
And its not going to resolve any of the supply side price increases (many coming from overseas) in anything like a fair way.
My simple observation was not with the dual mandate itself but with their stated expectation that "When employment is at its maximum sustainable level, there will be low and stable inflation".
This is clearly wrong. They need to re-consult their Moniac.
I agree that stronger trends in wage and salary increases would be much preferable, especially after 20 years of waiting for them to arrive.
I think your ultimately right that low and stable inflation has little to do with the employment level, but that the RBNZ would disagree their statement is wrong.
Essentially they are saying that there is an employment level at which there is low and stable inflation. This is called the NAIRU level in technical terms. The NAIRU replaced the Phillips curve though its conceptually incoherent. The modern mathematical replacement for the Moniac will (if consulted) tell the RBNZ to increase unemployment because the inflation rate is too high. Probably better that they actually use their brains, rather than acting mechanically, to determine monetary policy.
They would probably also disagree that the present NZ economic situation is a test of this given the amount of imported inflation and supply side issues involved. That's not a judgement which the Moniac is capable of.
On the other hand the underlying Wicksellian theory that there exists one single interest rate which is most appropriate for the prevailing economic situation is clearly not applicable. The actual occurring economy is more broad and varied than the model economy which could support such a theory existing. So I consider the most suitable monetary policy will typically be to set the rate at zero and leave it there. Inflation issues should be resolved either via fiscal policy and within the contextual understanding that somebody will lose out cost wise when external prices change and this cost should be fairly distributed.
Doing it via monetary policy gives the pretense that imported inflation doesn't have distributional impacts, but it doesn't make those impacts go away.
Its a political question introducing such a tax, the revenue is irrelevant.
The question is will the windfall tax discourage profit gouging, and at what cost in govt popularity. It might make sellers say why bother making extraordinary profits they just get taxed away, but it might also lead to price hikes just to make a point to the public about whos boss.
And also make that same point to any government that tried to impose a windfall tax. I don't know of any examples of it happening elsewhere in the world, but it's a level of spitefulness that wouldn't surprise me in NZ.
It should then be easier for an effective political leader to use the spiteful behaviour of the commercial bosses as an example of why we need to restrain their antisocial excesses.
Franklin Roosevelt's Address Announcing the Second New Deal
October 31, 1936 http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/od2ndst.html
[link required]
There has certainly been some piss taking with fuel, There has been a 30-40 cent per litre difference in diesel pricing between Auckland and not to far out of Auckland.
That's far more than can be explained by regional fuel tax etc. Could well call it price gouging.
Fuel companies pocket record margins, thanks to Govt excise cuts | Stuff.co.nz
"Piss taking".
Yet another reason to replace fossil fuels. Saving 9 billion a year, conservative estimate, in foreign exchange to subsidise the price gouging pricks.
I've deleted your copypasta. If you can copy and paste you can copy a link as well. It is a requirement here that all quoting comes with a link.
If you provide a link I will replace your text. And hope that you take this on board for next time.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/19-07-2022/whats-driving-inflation
The Bulletin is a daily email newsletter from the Spinoff (I get it as well), but handily the Spinoff also publishes them on their website.
it's still possible to link from the Bulletin, there's a share button at the bottom of each segment.
Petrol prices drop across NZ as Government questions fuel companies
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/129313050/petrol-prices-drop-across-nz-as-government-questions-fuel-companies
"Fuel prices are dropping across the country after the Government questioned fuel companies’ profit margins.
In Auckland, the price of 91 octane petrol was between $2.88 and $3.05 a litre across stations on Tuesday morning, while diesel was between $2.79 and $2.97, according to PriceWatch.
Prices had dropped below $3 in Wellington and Christchurch.
AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins said the decline was down to two things: the drop in price of crude oil and refinery, but also the questioning of why fuel companies had high profit margins by the Government." (my bold)
So even the threat of the Government doing something causes the big boys to moderate their profits.
please read this and respond.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-07-2022/#comment-1900913
Noted.Thanks.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/07/18/federal-reserve-thinks-answer-inflation-imposing-class-war
Could someone please pass this onto Poto Williams.
Fark she must have been so full of herself to spout the shit she did while everyone in Auckland and NZ knew what the truth was.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-gang-warfare-city-sees-109-reported-gun-crimes-in-a-single-month/VERZANIUDJTL5VPP33O3KRHCFE/
If you had read your article instead of spray & walk away you’d known how stupid you sound.
If you keep up your dump & jump trolling here you’ll be treated that way.
Note: Poto Williams, and the police, efforts were starting to have an effect.
Of course stupid right wingers like you, expect instant solutions to the disasters that your policies have caused over decades.
Everyone knew Poto was well out of her depth. Hopefully Hipkins will manage to achieve something as he is their best minister.
How would you have dealt with a "perfect storm" caused by a combination of 501's, and a large number of disaffected youth caused by the loss of social cohension due to decades of Neo-Liberal "there is no such thing as society" cruelty?
As well as constant White anting by ignorant fools such as David Seymour, at your workplace.
You wouldn't have a fucking clue, and be "well out of your depth".
Now, because of the idiot chorus from the RW, actually getting to the causes and really cutting crime has been set back another decade.
How Finland reduced its prison population by two thirds – How to Cut New Zealand's Prison Population (cuttheprisonpop.nz)
Really? Aside from there being no actual evidence that she was out of her depth and the fact she was beginning to make headway before Nat white anting made her position untenable, are you plugged into some collective Borg-like consciousness that lets you know what "Everyone" knows?
Her problem was: she didn't have very good communication skills. Especially when dealing with the media who aided and abetted the white-anters by shoving their mikes into her face whenever she dared venture out of her office… asking pointed questions designed to throw her off balance.
A blind man on a fast horse could see she was promoted beyond her means. Even Jacinda realised it finally and moved her.
Unfortunately the criminals are getting bolder as the soft on crime approach has not worked. This guy shows how much respect or fear of the police (none) he has and absolutely nails the poor police woman. But then, I expect he is really a nice person just got mixed up with the wrong crowd and had a tough upbringing and was in the process of turning his life around. Hopefully the other officers gave out a bit of rough justice shortly afterwards.
Female police officer knocked unconscious by offender, vicious Manurewa assault caught on camera – NZ Herald
An illegal, violent reaction to the casual, un-provoked violence of a law breaker?
One can only imagine the state of your strides.
"An illegal, violent reaction to the casual, un-provoked violence of a law breaker?"
That's what he did to the policewoman in the first few seconds of the video.
I can just imagine you sitting down with him over a cup of tea and explaining to him "What you did to that Policewoman wasn't really appropriate behavior, and you need to reflect on what you just did…..another cuppa?"
Do you really think someone who's so casual with their use of violence would respond in any positive way to more violence?
They'd laugh at your pissant lust for vengeance.
They wouldn't laugh while they are being bent over in the showers in Mt Eden.
WTF is it with you lot and your rape fantasies?
It's how they view the world
[Mod note]
https://thestandard.org.nz/policy/#banning
[This is your warning]
Had a tradie rant about our high cost of timber being due to our FTA with china.
Im aware we don't own all our forests, so those we don't that timber goes where it's owners want.
So how plausible is it that it's all the FTA with china ?
but also:
– Who owns the NZ domiciled sawmills?
Hi tc. The Answer as always…..is not one thing. Carters…China….”Monopoly” . Does seem we in NZ are being shafted though.
Selling off the harvesting rights to publicly owned forest to private and overseas interests has pretty much meant we have very little control over where our logs go.
Pretty clear who we can thank for that…
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/2026-billion-sale-forestry-corporation-completed
The consortium comprises Fletcher Challenge (37.5 per cent); Brierley Investments (25 per cent); and Citifor, a subsidiary of China International Trust and Investment Corporation, (37.5 per cent).
https://accentuatepr.co.nz/chinese+soe+makes+long-term+investment+in+new+zealand+forestry+sector
China Forestry Group New Zealand Company Limited (China Forestry Group NZ) has agreed to acquire part of the NZ Superannuation Fund’s North Island forestry assets, following a competitive tender and Overseas Investment Office approval.
Hi Cricklewood. Oh fark yes…Bill Birch !. I'd maybe tried to suppress memories of THAT particular jerk. And of course what those a-holes legacy left Future NZ. Sad does not cover it.
Yeah, our trouble now with timber is demonstrable proof of how short sighted the Nats are with their assets sales.
Be worth pointing that out when the building supply issues are thrust at the current govt.
Here in the shadow of the hill,
Lies Mrs Birch, mother of Bill.
Her soul of course has fled this vale
of tears, and so this plot's For Sale.
Funny because..it might be true : ) ?
And, Bill rap.?
Ol' Bill forever, Think Big playa,
Planned the Dawn Raids to nab overstayer,
Unions another target thats a fact
A brain fart called Employment Contract Act,
If Bill ever had a sister,
She's down the river… to.. some… rich lister
Not wrong.
But other causes as well, like building supply monopolies price gouging in NZ.
Thanks folks it's rarely a single thing so appreciate that context.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/paula-bennett-jacinda-ardern-and-the-insidious-rumour-mill/6K7GD3SYGFVAGYZDQ37ILWZJ7Y/?dicbo=v2-fd1b224c1396237124f1bc3496e26fbb&&ref=topbox
That someone could decide to print this should be unbelievable.
Got to pay to read it.
Surprise surprise, what misinformation and disinformation are the Nat & Act Supporters spewing now? Pullya's article is paywalled.
It's nationals herald. It provides soapboxes and facilitates Dirty politics which is like rust….it never sleeps.
If you have an Auckland Library card, you can read all the Heralds free of charge via Pressreader. Great to bypass the paywall.
This article, while being typically self serving, actually made a reasonable point about the online abuse that the PM has been receiving.
Arch ladder kicker waxes kind…
I don't think I have ever seen the gossip, rumours and conspiracy theories to be as bad as they are now.
In my time in politics I heard them all – and many about myself. If I had a dollar for every time I heard about the untrue demise of Winston Peters and rumours of poor health then I would be a wealthy woman. I don't think a Green MP washes her hair in her own urine but this was told to me numerous times and as if it is fact.
I am sure that like a lot of workplaces the odd bit of after-hours shagging goes on but nowhere near as much as is rumoured and speculated on.
I had plenty of rubbish said about me and some of it still does the rounds on social media occasionally, all blatantly not true and actually insulting.
I once had to take out an injunction and get legal advice at my own expense to stop a so-called reputable radio station from repeating what someone who has obvious mental health issues had said about me on social media.
I understand at some level him projecting on to me just because he can – I couldn't reconcile tens of thousands of people believing and sharing it and mainstream media picking it up.
There aren't easy answers when you are under a full-on prolonged attack. By defending yourself you give them oxygen and although thousands might have seen it – I have to presume millions haven't – bringing it into the open just adds fuel and embarrassment. So they keep you quiet and reluctant to speak out.
Which brings me to the constant gossip about the Prime Minister and her partner.
I have been asked more times than I can remember if x is true about one or both of them. I am not in their lives and do not have intimate knowledge about them and I believe their private lives are exactly that – but I always answer no it's not true.
Purely because anyone with half a brain would not believe that in a country this size with two degrees of separation that the blatant extreme nonsense that people say would be ignored by our media if there was evidence to back it up.
My politics and ideology differ a lot from Jacinda Ardern's but as a woman, mum, partner and politician I would stand at her side and suggest everyone just leave her private life alone.
I have heard intelligent, respectable people repeating gossip about her. They all know someone who knows someone and as such they know it is true. Just because something is repeated a lot does not make it true.
Yes, by being in the public eye we open ourselves up to criticism, but let's leave that to being about performance and leave the personal stuff alone.
We need our best and our brightest putting their hands up for public office in the future and if it was your son or daughter would you want lies repeated about their private lives?
We are all guilty of enjoying a spot of gossip but when it comes to our leaders enough is enough.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/paula-bennett-jacinda-ardern-and-the-insidious-rumour-mill/6K7GD3SYGFVAGYZDQ37ILWZJ7Y/?dicbo=v2-fd1b224c1396237124f1bc3496e26fbb&&ref=topbox
I'm not so sure that's her motive. I think it's more about keeping the discussion about "rumours and gossip about the PM and her partner" alive, and that she's tried to do this in a way that disguises that motive.
I was being just a little sarky. When I happened upon this effort earlier my first impression was that there was pot-stirring going on. A Westie don't change it's spots…
Sorry – what's unbelievable about it.
The key point:
Basically Bennett is saying – STFU with the gossip – let people's private lives be just that.
Agree. Some of the stuff I have seen or heard about Clarke Gayford in particular is mind boggling crap. It has also beggared my belief that normally intelligent and respectable people have actually believed it. In one instance the person claimed a certain rumour had to be correct because someone she knew had been there when it happened. The 'someone she knew' was an arch enemy of Labour and was lying.
Respect for Paula Bennett for coming out and saying what she did.
Sorry, here's my response here:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-07-2022/#comment-1900992
You might think that's Bennett's motive – but it would only apply if there was little gossip going on. I'm sorry to say, that's not the case – the trash being talked about Ardern and Gayford is increasing in volume – and spreading.
You may not like Bennett – but she's right on the money here.
Quite frankly, I find it disgusting. And choose not to participate (or link) to the rubbish which is being spread around.
Sure, I understand what you're saying – of course the sentiment may appear sincere. But I do not believe Bennett is capable of doing anything that does not have a self-serving aspect to it.
However, it's probably not you who is either the culprit, or the target audience for this piece.
Right-wing supporters are more likely to listen and/or believe a right-wing opinion writer. If/when a left-wing one contributes the same content, it's more likely to be dismissed by a right-wing audience (using exactly the same 'self-serving' justification).
I don't disagree that what you say happens, but I do not think the present situation is an example of that. There are, of course, right-wing politicians – even if fewer these days – who are or have been quite capable of holding opinions on particular matters that dedicated left-leaning people would agree with. I just cannot accept that Bennett could be one of them.
I had no idea there was gossip. Clearly I'm moving in the wrong circles. I did make a mental note to self to plumb the deeper depths of the darkweb and try and find out what Bennett is on about.
I'd call that a result.
Seems like the Covid number was getting to large for the Govt.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid19-omicron-outbreak-ashley-bloomfield-to-give-daily-update-changes-to-reporting-of-deaths/IBEIDDBTMU5RIK2JD4K4IT5CYY/
Any thoughts from other commentators on this?
Whist I think the current method is a crock of shit, it is the method used by all the other countries so why the change in NZ.
Changing the metric does seem an odd thing to do given we'll be an outlier in the way we report our data to the WHO makes comparing things all that much harder.
If you listened to/watched the press conference you would know your assertions are more BS. The change was prompted by the WHO and will be consistent with other countries we compare to. In addition, the current measure/statistic will continue to be reported.
To be fair the article linked to doesnt explain that. All you get is
" Until now, all deaths where someone had died within 28 days of a positive Covid 19 result have been reported, as had been done by other countries"
Not everyone is able or indeed willing to sit through the press conference.
I was being fair. It is fair to expect people to bring some logical consideration to things they may read, including actually being bothered to check they actually understand the the issues and facts, including their context. Just simple things we learn at school when we are taught how to think.
So where did you get "we'll be an outlier in the way we report our data to the WHO" from?
That is strange as we only just changed recently to this reporting method which is in line with overseas. Back in March per this article.
Why the hell are we changing again other than someone doesn't like the numbers?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/463975/measuring-and-reporting-covid-19-deaths-what-you-need-to-know
Fark…..what a P.O.S. . I have struck scum bags like this through my life. This is a 17 year old lad. He should have had a Boss worthy of that title. But I still recall when another young lad lost his leg….and the online vilification he was getting …from the same kind of scum. Just a sick mentality….
The kids are not alright. Don’t care about the cat role playing (although this seems more like something primary school kids would be doing), but there are some boundary issues here.
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1549105010729832448
Ah, tiktok.
https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/05/tiktok-girls-dead-blackout-challenge
Hi Weka
I've taken out a few links from my post (awaiting moderation) but I can't really take anymore out as I need them to illustrate my points
Also my pronouns are nya/nyan/nyanself
Number of links is fine. Someone might have put you in temp premod. You been misbehaving?
Nah, not yet; once a comment ends up in Pre-Mod queue because it has too many links, for example, editing and removing links doesn’t automatically undo the move. IDK if deleting the comment and starting fresh is an option.
Hesca fascinating guy, YoungRippa
He's basically taking care of everything himself, no middle man
Did the comic himself, self published it himself, set up his own warehouse, all his part time workers are now full time, organising the distribution himself, so all the profits are his which he's reinvesting
So of course he's getting attacked by the left
Politics is downstream from culture and the culture is changing
Ah, hate site.
/
https://twitter.com/MichaelEHayden/status/1536792584911306754
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/06/14/far-right-influencers-hyped-coeur-dalene-pride-patriot-front-showed
here ya go, something you can watch.
https://twitter.com/ramseyboltin/status/1547606632187629569
The interwebs have always been a strange place full of strange people and children doing and saying strange shit. It's no reason to amplify hate mongers.
But if you do want something to be outraged about…
https://www.dailydot.com/irl/wren-eleanor-exploitation-tiktok/
The latest cover of Victoria University's student magazine: Salient.
https://twitter.com/kiriceilidh/status/1549199730206724096?s=20&t=rdkSE9dg_-USWgfa-ZOvbw
I went online to see the article, and website is articles predominantly promotion of gender ideology, and queer theory. Fair enough, I thought. Must be the rainbow community magazine for students, but no, it is the student magazine for all students.
Housing issues, courses, course fees, impact of Covid, etc. not apparent at first glance.
https://www.salient.org.nz/
"Annual" edition should be a clue when you stop clutching those pearls.
Thanks for pointing out the obvious, completely missed that. Make sense now!
(However, I still find it disturbing to see young women undergo cosmetic mastectomies, even though it is celebrated as autonomy. I know you feel differently.)
I mean, call me a bit thick, but if it's UniQ Victoria's official account and they literally say it's their "annual collaboration with Salient", doesn't that clearly indicate it's a once a year special issue for the rainbow student community at Vic? Because I'm pretty sure Salient regularly runs stories on "housing issues, courses, course fees, impact of Covid, etc" the rest of the year. So either there is something terribly wrong with my literacy skills or you're building a straw man that's just missing Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion for the full Wizard of Oz.
Thanks for pointing that out. Sacha made the same point above.
Something I had completely missed in my comment.
OMG…do these people get to vote?
Yes they get to vote – it is not their franchise that has been removed ……
Perhaps I should try and get my two cats on to the electoral role.
Your cats are probably neutered …… so surely qualify
Maybe don't take every little bit of fringe eccentricity amplified by social media algorithms as being indicative of larger social trends? That's how you get Covid conspiracies.
De furries! De furries!
https://twitter.com/jonnykip21/status/1508491958662090764
https://twitter.com/HeartlandSignal/status/1519716100367429639
Luckily, we have more than social media to explain these identities.
Dedicated websites and research programmes. As one such site, FurScience.com says:
Probably of more relevance to this thread is the About Us page:
https://furscience.com/who-we-are/
A less academic take on furries can be found here: (1) Jesus Fox Forgives Your Yiffs | Facebook
Must be fun dreaming this shit up.
https://twitter.com/woot_master/status/1549180860183613440
The Bronies are something else – had a bunch of them in our Astroempires guild. Quirky – but waaay too fond of rape jokes.
What she is demonstrating is not rare, the thinking involved and the boundary issues is common enough for me to want to post it here on a political blog. Maybe don't knee jerk dismiss something that you are unaware of, that's how we dumb down politics.
I'm not certain the furries are a unitary community – they have been a presence at scifi & fantasy events for decades, as cosplayers. These ones at least are typically fond of the movie Zootopia.
I wasn't thinking of furries as a community or sub culture so much as the boundary issues that are in many of the online subcultures now. Like I said, I'm not bothered by the cat role play. Having watched it again, it's just as likely to be a piss take.
I am aware of furries though. They're been around for decades and are about as concerning as, oh, I dunno, trekkies, larpers or any other kind of cosplayer. Why do you feel the need to gatekeep boundary issues anyway? How does it affect you at all?
Certain things have been happening in the pop culture realm as of late thats leading me to believe the pendulum is starting to move back towards the centre
The failure of movies like Thor (amongst others), the success of Top Gun: Maverick, the rise of TV series like Terminal List and Reacher shows that there is a disconnect between what the people want and what the media corporations are giving us
I haven't spoken much about comics because (I'm guessing) most people here don't read them but as bad as I say movies and TV are comics are even worse
Basically Manga is outselling American comics, in America.
There are some theories why and one of them is that Manga is not beholden to "The Message" like American comics are, ie:
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/12-superheroes-came-2021-rcna3599
However this opens the doors for others. Here is a list of the biggest comic kickstarters from 2021:
https://www.gamesradar.com/comics-kickstarter/
The number one comic raised just under 1.5 million and stars and co-written by Keanu Reeves and in total the top ten raised 6.9 million
Well theres a new player on the block, Eric July and he is singlehandedly changing the industry:
https://rippaverse.com/product/isom-1-campaign/
As of the time of writing hes got just under 2.6 million with 66 days to go.
https://nypost.com/2022/07/15/anti-woke-comic-book-defies-cancel-culture-earns-1-7m-in-four-days/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU4qqGY1CTo
You sound like one of those alt right hacks on YouTube who thinks they're owning the libs by complaining about Western pop culture being too woke while apparently ignoring that manga and anime is full of queer themes.
Despite all the work women have done to be heard on the harms of surgical mesh, implants are back on the rise in the UK.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11025933/Are-Britains-sexist-surgeons.html
Having a close friend who was severely injured by this here in NZ, some of the surgeons comments are familiar.
You sound like one of those alt right hacks on YouTube who thinks they're owning the libs by complaining about Western pop culture being too woke while apparently ignoring that manga and anime is full of queer themes.
Gay doesn't mean woke but retconning previously strait characters for the sake of diversity is woke and, given the drop in sales, its not what the readership want
Hence why Eric July is smashing it, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up making more money than the last top ten made together
Sure, because new things erase old things from ever having existed or something.