Open mike 20/05/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 20th, 2024 - 77 comments
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77 comments on “Open mike 20/05/2024 ”

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  1. Jimmy 1
    20 May 2024 at 8:18 am

    "She has previously pleaded not guilty to careless driving and failing to accompany police."

    I find it very amusing that you can plead not guilty to careless driving, when you have just driven in to a parked vehicle and your vehicle is smashed up in the middle of the road.

    Kiri Allan to go on trial this week for crash, refusing to accompany police – NZ Herald

    • David 1.1
      20 May 2024 at 10:31 am

      It’s called not taking accountability. She believes that the rules don’t apply to her, and It’s all someone else’s fault.

      A true leader should accept responsibility and be accountable for their actions and mistakes and in this case plead guilty and place themselves at the mercy of the court.

      Lessor individuals will blame everyone other than themselves.

    • Kay 1.2
      20 May 2024 at 10:59 am

      Did you read further down?

      Allan earlier said she had pleaded not guilty to the charge of failing to accompany a police officer to test what she saw as a grey area “based on the legal principle that all New Zealanders are entitled to consult with a lawyer”.

      So testing a point of law, or trying to get off on a technicality?

      • David 1.2.1
        20 May 2024 at 12:30 pm

        She is “taking the piss”. The tactic she is using is used by low profile lawyers and wealthy upper middle class people to legally side step the consequences of driving over the alcohol limit, crashing vehicle, and leaving the scene of an accident. She may have a point, under a strict black & white interpretation of the law. Only the powerful and privileged can do what she is doing.

    • Mike the Lefty 1.3
      20 May 2024 at 12:31 pm

      It obviously doesn't take much to amuse you Jimmy boy!

      "Going on trial" is a more dramatic way of describing appearing in court on a charge, but sounds so much juicier, like it was for murder instead of just a traffic offence.

      Another item in the Herald's Green smear campaign to excite you.

      • Jimmy 1.3.1
        20 May 2024 at 1:59 pm

        If she pleads guilty I guess they would more likely say "appearing in court" whereas she will now be on trial to decide whether she is guilty or not guilty. And that was her choice not to plead guilty.

      • adam 1.3.2
        20 May 2024 at 6:07 pm

        Come on Mike the lefty, this is nu zealand mate – where punching down at women is a national sport.

  2. Phillip ure 2
    20 May 2024 at 8:58 am

    A while back I said I had heard a report that there are 100,000 homeless in NZ .

    ..this was questioned at the time..

    ..but the oecd have just reported that there are indeed 100,000 homeless in NZ ..

    ..a figure that should make politicians of most stripes hang their heads in shame ..

    ..as they are the ones who have done this to us..

    So..a pox on most of them…!

    • Phillip ure 2.1
      20 May 2024 at 9:34 am

      ..and this all done in the name of that nasty wrinkle in capitalism..

      ..namely neoliberal-incrementalism.

      ..and nothing will change…until that changes..

      • Michael Scott 2.1.1
        20 May 2024 at 10:30 am

        If not neoliberal capitalism then what?

        We need capitalism to generate wealth and socialism to distribute wealth.

        If we want to eliminate poverty our goal should be to create as much wealth as possible for as many as possible.

        • Phillip ure 2.1.1.1
          20 May 2024 at 10:54 am

          It's called democratic socialism..

          Ii doesn't have to mean the death of capitalism..

          It is the model used by those countries that don't have wholesale homelessness/poverty ..

          Where the state has in place strong social/financial support for all citizens…

          ..and whose citizens are generally reported as the happiest on the planet ..

          ..those in straightened circumstances are not just left to rot…(..ask those 100,000 homeless just how that feels..)

          ..and I hear you asking: how is all this paid for…?

          The answer would be to look to the policies on such matters in those 'happy' countries..

          And inevitably the wealthy in those countries pay a higher level of tax..than they do here ..

          (..and this where the conversation grinds to a halt for the haves here.. ain't no way they are going to do that..).

          ..and funny story .!…I have seen polling of those haves in those happy countries…and they seem ok with paying higher taxes ..(for the social cohesion…and the pride they feel in living in a country that cares for all..)

          ..so.. it's called democratic socialism…and it used to be what labour were all about ..

          ..they seem to have got lost somewhere along the way..,)

          And thanks for asking..!

          • Michael Scott 2.1.1.1.1
            20 May 2024 at 11:02 am

            This is exactly what the Green Party and TPM are proposing isn't it?

            • Phillip ure 2.1.1.1.1.1
              20 May 2024 at 11:18 am

              I haven't looked into their policies…so I can't answer that for you ..

              ..but my understanding is that they will be leaning that way..

              And this is why Labour's re-evaluation (as promised by hipkins) is so important ..

              ..and why they have to land much closer to greens/tpm…than they are now ..

              ..this so that the three parties on the left can present coherent/unified plans for the changes we so need..

              This is the only way this coalition of clowns will be held to one term ..

              • Traveller …
                20 May 2024 at 11:49 am

                The problem with that, Phillip (I would argue it's just as well), is that there is no evidence of any appetite amongst the majority of voters for the sort of policies that would make for a unified platform between those parties.

                Jacinda Ardern knew that when she made the captains call on CGT (because "so many Kiwis were against one." PM Jacinda Ardern has ruled out implementing a Capital Gains Tax while she is at the helm of Labour – NZ Herald).)

                Chris Hipkins knew that when he made his own 'captains call' in July 2023 (Hipkins rules out capital gains tax, wealth tax if Labour re-elected | RNZ News).

                And therein lies Labour's problem – it does matter what Labour come up with in terms of policy on CGT or Wealth Taxes, they can't be trusted to see it through into policy. As Audrey Young wrote:

                It was only 18 months ago that it was so important to her that she was willing to have the Tax Working Group findings implemented this term, rather than the more cautious approach of her predecessor, Andrew Little.

                Audrey Young: Three reasons Jacinda Ardern has ruled out even campaigning on a capital gains tax – NZ Herald

                • Phillip ure …
                  20 May 2024 at 12:15 pm

                  My understanding is that polling has shown a (narrow) majority favour a CGT…

                  So..if argued coherently..

                  I would also lean towards more less personal taxes ..

                  I don't think most would mind soaking the richest a bit…(Just to bring them in line with those happy countries)

                  So there's that..and then financial transaction taxes are a dispassionate revenue raisers…

                  ..and land taxes etc ..

                  As I said ..we just need to look to those happy countries that don't have the supperating sores of widespread homelessness/child poverty etc etc ..

                  And follow the formula they use…

                  (No hand-wringing needed..)

                  • Traveller …
                    20 May 2024 at 3:11 pm

                    My understanding is that polling has shown a (narrow) majority favour a CGT…

                    Well we haven't had a single Labour leader follow through with one.

                • Descendant Of Smith …
                  20 May 2024 at 1:09 pm

                  The problem with that, Phillip (I would argue it's just as well), is that there is no evidence of any appetite amongst the majority of voters for the sort of policies that would make for a unified platform between those parties.

                  There was a point in time where she had great support from voters to improve social polices which was when the WEAG report came out. They could have easily implemented the whole lot i.e. done what they said they were going to.

                  Their absolute failure was to not do it.

            • Michael Scott 2.1.1.1.1.2
              20 May 2024 at 12:05 pm

              Philip you can forget Labour. If you want what higher taxes to support the poor then the Greens and TPM are your options.

              In NZ there's barely daylight between Labour and National as they both need to lavish goodies on the voting centre that swing elections.

              • Phillip ure …
                20 May 2024 at 12:19 pm

                I agree that currently and in the recent past..labour are slavish adherents to neoliberal incrementalism ..

                This is what they have to change…for the rest of us to be in any hope of real change to the policies that have got us to where we are now ..

          • Traveller 2.1.1.1.2
            20 May 2024 at 11:36 am

            Democratic Socialism is defined as:

            "…a socialist economy where production and wealth are collectively owned, but the country has a democratic system of government."

            Democratic Socialist Countries 2024 (worldpopulationreview.com)

            It would seem to me to be incompatible with free market capitalism.

            I think the term you may be looking for is 'Social Democracy', which is defined (same link) as:

            "…a mostly capitalistic economy (i.e.: a less-regulated market and fewer rules against private ownership of land, utilities, etc.), but also with large-scale social welfare programs"

            NZ could be considered a social democracy, with an economy that leans towards free market, working alongside "large-scale social welfare programs."

            • Michael Scott 2.1.1.1.2.1
              20 May 2024 at 1:03 pm

              Thanks Traveller for outlining the difference between Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy.

              I am enjoying -for the first time in my life- having time to read and learn and think about politics and the importance of the choices each of us make for NZ.

              When I first found this blog I avidly read anything the contributor Red Logix published and learned so much from him. Where has he gone?

              Personally I'm trying to work out my place on the political spectrum.

        • Corey 2.1.1.2
          20 May 2024 at 11:38 am

          Keynesian state capitalism. The kind that FDR, Michael Joseph Savage and co used to bring the world out of the great depression with universalist economic programs.

          It is the only economic model that has ever brought people out of poverty, for the the last twenty years it's brought hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty and created amazing infrastructure, the kind of infrastructure the west used to build.

          I applaud you for defending neoliberalism by it's name because most Labour supporters refuse to accept that's what they support.

          Neoliberalism doesn't generate wealth, is incapable of building infrastructure and only destabilizes and impoverishes societies that implement it.

          The most popular and enduring policies in this country are all Keynesian universalist economic programs like public Healthcare, welfare, pensions and state housing.

          • Descendant Of Smith 2.1.1.2.1
            20 May 2024 at 1:04 pm

            large-scale social welfare programs.

            We used to have these:

            Universal family benefit
            Full employment via the government picking up those who the private sector could and would not employed eg youth and those with war injuries and disabilities
            State housing for life including the ability to buy your state house
            Free secular education where private and religious schools which were set up in opposition to secular state education had to fund themselves
            Tax rebates for non-working spouses
            Tax rebates for life insurance
            pensions at 60
            8 hour working day 40 hour working week
            weekends for families
            time and a half and double time

            Now we have a neo-liberal austerity welfare system for the poor and a massive wealthy trickle up welfare system for the well-off – massive tax cuts, no death duties, low tax rates, accommodation supplements, tax rebates for interest on rental properties, no capital gains tax, foreign trusts. no redundancies in contracts, no annual pay increases in contracts, 90 day trials, seven days a week trading, homelessness…………

            And still the well-off moan and complain they are hard done by.

            The working class and the sole parents and the disability community and the poor and the addicted have made a lot of sacrifices for the rich to be richer…..

    • Kay 2.2
      20 May 2024 at 9:40 am

      But haven't you heard Phillip? Homeless people have to turn to crime in order to survive, which ultimately means more bodies for those brand new private prison beds, ie profit.

      Of course, there does have to be enough well-paid police to catch said nasty criminals, so that could be a spanner in the cunning plan…

      /s

      • Phillip ure 2.2.1
        20 May 2024 at 11:34 am

        There is another aspect to the homeless that should be understood by the rest of NZ ..

        Namely..that each of those homeless you see sleeping rough..in cars/caravans/w.h.y….

        ..they deserve your respect .

        ..'cos each of those homeless..on paper.. would be eligible for emergency housing ..in motels ..that costs taxpayers approx 2 grand a week…about $100,000 a year..

        So..any random group of ten homeless .. getting by as best they can..those ten save the taxpayers a million dollars a year…

        (So how about showing them some respect for that..?..eh .?)

        And if you multiply out how much those 100,000 homeless save the taxpayers…by not claiming for emergency housing..the figure is eye-watering…

        And while we are at it ..in the short term..how about all other towns in NZ do as Kaitaia does ..and provide somewhere in their town..where the homeless there/passing through..have somewhere to get a hot shower ..

        Is that really too much to ask…?

        • Michael Scott 2.2.1.1
          20 May 2024 at 12:31 pm

          There is a great charity called Orange Sky that offer free hot showers and free laundry to anyone. They operate in the major towns and are keen to expand. You can donate online or join them and give some time to talk and maybe help those who are doing it hard.. https://orangesky.org.nz/locations/

          • Phillip ure 2.2.1.1.1
            20 May 2024 at 3:15 pm

            I tried approaching my local community board..and made a half hour presentation to them on just that subject…

            They seem to agree with me ..and sent the idea thru to Auckland City council ..

            There was where it died ..

            A councillor told me that any ideas like that had to go thru a special group in council…tasked with caring for the homeless….

            And their response was that they could only approve new housing for the homeless…so therefore my call for that basic dignity was dead in the water….

            That is how they roll …

            • Phillip ure 2.2.1.1.1.1
              20 May 2024 at 3:27 pm

              And as for orange sky..good on them…

              ..but they are only in one part of the four main centres ..+ Hamilton..

              Whereas councils all over the land who could reconfigure something they already have…that would be as cheap as chips to do ..they just don't give a fuck..

              They just want the homeless to go somewhere else..

              • Michael Scott …
                20 May 2024 at 3:36 pm

                Orange Sky are in Wgton, Porirua, Christchurch and Auckland at present.

                • Phillip ure …
                  20 May 2024 at 3:41 pm

                  So..just a dribble in the shower of need…eh..?

                  • Phillip ure …
                    20 May 2024 at 4:16 pm

                    We have four times the rate of homelessness than there is in Australia…

                    And this after six years of a labour government…

                    W t.f..!…eh .?

                    And labour ain’t lost ..eh..?

                    ..have they no fucken shame..

                    ..over what they have wrought…?

                    • Michael Scott …
                      20 May 2024 at 5:57 pm

                      Poverty is the hardest problem.

                      Jacinda Ardern said the reason she got into politics was “to achieve her goal of eradicating child poverty in NZ for good.”

                      Her new government immediately allocated billions of dollars to begin the task with the promise of more to come.

                      Today we have more children in poverty than in 2017.

                      Much more homelessness than in 2017.

                      Beneficiaries entirely dependent on the government for their income have increased by 35% in the past 6 years.

                      There were 5000 families in sufficient poverty to qualify for state housing list status in 2018.

                      In 2023 this has ballooned to 25,000. That's a 500% increase.

                      Today we have more than 25% of the nation’s school children living in households entirely dependent upon welfare, the vast majority in single parent homes.

                      Which is to say they are living in relative poverty, and subject to all of the negative social indicators that infers – substance abuse, violence, ram raids,familial dysfunction, educational failure and underemployment.

                      I don't think more money solves the problem.

                    • Phillip ure []
                      20 May 2024 at 6:33 pm

                      @ m.scott…

                      You seem to be confusing what ardern promised to do..

                      ..with what she actually did…

                      ..there is a huge gulf between the two…

                      ..and your suggestions that more money wouldn't help ..

                      ..is..to be fair..ludicrous…

                    • gsays …
                      20 May 2024 at 6:15 pm

                      @ Michael and Phil, there is plenty enough money, the last few governments have been to gutless and lacking in imagination to redistribute it. Witness banking profits as an example.

                      This squabbling over GST, CGT, Wealth Tax etc can be put to bed/retired with the implementation of a Financial Transaction Tax/Robin Hood tax/Hone tax.

                      Every time a $ changes hands a low % is paid. Brings in all those deals that currently don't get taxed.

                      Here is Bill Nighy as a bankster in an explainer.

                    • Michael Scott …
                      20 May 2024 at 7:08 pm

                      Do you think that if everyone had the right to a warm home, free transport, good nutrition, free healthcare and education that poverty would be eliminated?

                      The Labour threw billions at the problem

                      I don't think more money would fix things. Prisoners get all of this.

                      I think people need to get out of bed because they have family and societal responsibilities. We need to work out the role of the state and the responsibility of the individual.

                      What type of people would inhabit our society if struggle was eliminated. If everyone could take the free bus who would pay for the gas?

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      20 May 2024 at 7:16 pm

                      I don’t think more money would fix things.

                      More money can't fix the poverty problem? Phew, that's a relief!

                      But can less money result in, if not poverty then equally dire outcomes? Possibly, judging by how many wealthy Kiwis resist being parted from it with every fibre of their being.

                      Optics and illusions in politics [16 March 2024]
                      There must have been at least some degree of political discomfort about a tax break for landlords coming when so many New Zealanders who don’t own rental properties are “doing it tough”, as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon likes to say. It didn’t help that it came just days after a previous optical failure. That was when Luxon was tangled up in an entirely foreseeable story about claiming a $52,000 accommodation allowance rather than staying in Premier House, in order to live instead in his own mortgage-free Wellington apartment.

                      Luxon kept repeating that he was “entitled” to the allowance until he saw the light. “Entitled” proved to be an unfortunate choice of word.

                      Tbh, I reckon this cartoon captures just how much of a priority poverty is for our CoC govt, which is implementing welfare for the wealthy, while the ‘plebs’ face austerity – NAct MPs are waging war on the poor, rather than on poverty. I could be wrong – time will tell.

                      This government has taken their inspiration from the U.K. and Liz Truss. If we get a decade of these plonkers we will be basically where the U.K. is now after a decade of stagnant wages and crumbling public services.

                      Not sure they gonna need a decade. They skipped right past Cameron and potentially even Johnson and May and landed on Truss crossed with Sunak.

                      They are speed running 12 years of Tory idiocy

    • Incognito 2.3
      20 May 2024 at 6:14 pm

      ..this was questioned at the time..

      Not quite; you were confused about KiwiBuild (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-05-2024/#comment-1999403). You then went on to pull something from your notoriously unreliable memory on homeless numbers in NZ without providing any link sad

      And here again you mention some reporting of a number without providing a link angry

  3. I Feel Love 3
    20 May 2024 at 10:37 am

    Live action Do Not Feed The Troll. In this video GB News & Suella Braverman get snubbed by protestors. Rather brilliant really & leaves the RW utterly bewildered.

    • Subliminal 3.1
      20 May 2024 at 10:57 am

      Thats brilliant! If they can't yet understand genocide then it's definitely pointless talking to them

    • Traveller 3.2
      20 May 2024 at 11:01 am

      Perhaps the reason they didn't answer her was because they couldn't. There are many videos on line of these 'activists' being asked what they are protesting about, and some of them frankly don't have a clue.

      • I Feel Love 3.2.1
        20 May 2024 at 11:05 am

        lol ok “chief”.

        • I Feel Love 3.2.1.1
          20 May 2024 at 11:40 am

          This is the kind of thing the 'activists' are protesting,

          & GB News or Braverman were not wanting to 'engage' the 'activists' (which is the point of the 'silent protest'). An effective counter for trolls online & clearly IRL too!

      • Drowsy M. Kram 3.2.2
        20 May 2024 at 4:06 pm

        … and some of them frankly don't have a clue.

        So true – of any sizeable (non/anti-)activist/progressive/regressive/neutral group.

        Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed. – Einstein

        https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/israel-hamas-war-netanyahu-rafah-invasion-day-after-plan-20240518.html

        • Traveller 3.2.2.1
          20 May 2024 at 5:20 pm

          The ignorance is widespread, Drowsy, and has been called out by Gazan's living in this hell, as well as others.

          Here's two brief extracts from Message From a Gazan to Campus Protesters: You're Hurting the Palestinian Cause | Opinion (newsweek.com) that will put this in perspective:

          You know what would help the Palestinians in Gaza? Condemning Hamas' atrocities. Instead, the protesters routinely chant their desire to "Globalize the Intifada." Apparently they do not realize that the Intifadas were disastrous for both Palestinians and Israelis, just as October 7 has been devastating for the people of Gaza.

          …and…

          I saw the LGBTQ flag frequently flown among people chanting lines from Hamas's charter, and I initially wanted to educate them, to warn them that the group they are honoring would most likely toss them from the top of a building or murder them like they did to Mahmoud Ishtiwi, a Hamas commander accused of homosexuality. Hamas harasses women who don't cover their heads. Hamas tortures those who demonstrate against their authoritarian rule, as they did me when I protested.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 3.2.2.1.1
            20 May 2024 at 5:37 pm

            You know what would help the Palestinians in Gaza? Condemning Hamas' atrocities.

            If the protesters cared about Palestinians, they would have one central demand: Hamas must surrender, because we have all suffered from Hamas and can no longer live under the rule of a terrorist group.

            “Surrender“? Isn’t the IDF's mission to 'eliminate' Hamas?
            It would be interesting to tease out how "condemning Hamas atrocities" might help Palestinians in Gaza.

            The Dangers of an Ungovernable Gaza [20 May 2024]
            Without Basic Postwar Stability, “the Day After” Might Never Arrive

            It’s a time for choosing [23 Oct 2023]
            The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza requires each of us to make a choice.
            Which leads me, finally, to the choice the mostly unrepentant keyboard cavalry who are happily saddling up once more – in derivative columns and hyperbolic appearances on TV – made to side with their home team’s, by now, familiar mantra: Kill first, think later.

  4. Kay 4
    20 May 2024 at 11:55 am

    Despite the fact the UK is imploding on a number of levels, it's still cheaper to own a house, for those who have the means. $NZD776,867 average price vs $930,1495 here.

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/20/average-british-house-price-record-high-375000

    But hey, at least their renters are suffering just as much as ours.

  5. Joe90 5
    20 May 2024 at 2:58 pm

    Celebrations in Syria and Iraq, too.

    @yzimng2

    Celebratory fireworks in Iran after Ebrahim Raisi's death. Iranians are overjoyed at the death of the Butcher of Tehran.

    https://x.com/yzimng2/status/1792347584365039691

    • adam 5.1
      20 May 2024 at 6:02 pm

      Looks like the top two of the theocracy are both dead. Interesting power struggles ahead in Iran.

  6. Joe90 6
    20 May 2024 at 3:52 pm

    Lock him up.

    Shareholders of cybersecurity vendor Palo Alto Networks take legal action against director John Key and others, alleging insider trading

    John Key, the former prime minister of New Zealand, is being sued by the shareholders of Palo Alto Networks (PAN) for alleged insider trading, along with other members of the well-known cybersecurity vendor's management team and board of directors. Key is a PAN director.

    https://www.interest.co.nz/technology/127839/shareholders-cybersecurity-vendor-palo-alto-networks-take-legal-action-against

    • Traveller 6.1
      20 May 2024 at 5:28 pm

      Do you think it would be a good idea to have the trial first?

    • AB 6.2
      20 May 2024 at 5:38 pm

      Looks like a civil case to me, so no chance of that I would have thought. Unless "having breached the US Exchange Act" (from your link) is both true and means something criminal. So we're not going to get the grim pleasure of Luxon having to agree to Key's extradition to what is ironically his true spiritual and moral home.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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    7 days ago
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    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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