If your mobile is with Vodafone, you’ll get a further discount on the bundle. Haven’t dealt with Slingshot, but I believe they are pretty popular, so I guess they must be providing a decent service.
Lesser of 2 evils would be slingshot Vodafone are simply the worst and still declining.
Ultimately with mobile though it’s either on Spark or Voda regardless of who bills you as 2 degree only have CBD coverage with Spark having the better network which doesn’t say much for our brighter future.
I’m with Slingshot and they are good (pity about the Global roaming back down) Burt if you want to move mobile as well you can get a new phone on a 2 year contract. I get Unlimited Internet, 2 Cell Phones, and a Landline, with line insurance for a little under $40 a week. (Oh and their call centre is in NZ as well. Dunno about Vodafone But I hear they are getting worse.
Just switched from Vodafone to Spark for landline, fibre internet, and free landline national. $30 per month cheaper @ $69pm. Call service for Vodafone appalling. Long, long, long waits @1 hour plus.
That will get worse, Voda appear to be holding out for a grand sale, rumoured to be in the pipeline and further consolidating and already concentrated market.
Stanners has presided over nearly a decade of under investment in the network and back end systems while dividends derived off NZ consumers flowed offshore.
Spark now look pristine and effective up against them….that’s how bad it is.
hmmm
isn’t vodafone the company that had a market share of very close percentage to the proportion of NSA penetration into NZ traffic that the Snowden files revealed?
@just saying – I have used both and neither worth recommending. Not consumer friendly at all. Among other things, Slingshot signed me up to their toll account, without my knowledge or consent and had the audacity to try to charge me for it! So it soon got the heave ho. Got no responses at all to issues with Vodafone, so that also got the push!
Been with 2 Degrees for four years and no issues or complaints at all – well so far that is! Service seems to be customer friendly, not that I’ve had to use it much, because it has been all plain sailing to date. Web page easy to navigate too.
FYI – apologies for the length – but this is REALLY important!
20 July 2015
MEDIA Alert! TPPA – Walk Away!
Protest outside Auckland Uni – Monday 20 July 2015 1-5pm
WHEN: Monday 20 July
TIME: 1 -5 PM
WHERE: Symonds St / Grafton Rd intersection – directly outside Auckland Uni.
WHY? Because Auckland students are back and there are THOUSANDS of them!
The FOCUS – NZ PM John Key is a shareholder in the Bank of America!
(These Bank of America shares are NOT in a ‘blind trust’!)
“Register of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests of Members of Parliament:
Summary of annual returns as at 31 January 2015
(Page 29)
Rt Hon John Key (National, Helensville)
2 Other companies and business entities
Little Nell – property investment (Aspen, Colorado)
Bank of America – banking ..”
A LOT of people don’t know this, and it is, in my view, as an anti-corruption ‘Public Watchdog’ an arguably significant corrupt ‘conflict of interest’.
Especially when the TPPA is closely tied together with TISA (Trade In Services Agreement), of which New Zealand is a member State, which has a particularly ‘scary’, secret agenda – “… because it aims to extend the model of liberalised and deregulated financial markets that brought us the global financial crisis…”
“The story of the past week in terms of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement was not Prime Minister John Key’s visit to the White House.
The more startling news is that our Government, with almost 50 other countries, is negotiating another secret deal in the shadows of the World Trade Organisation.
They are calling to negotiate a Trade in Services Agreement (Tisa).
It is part of a troika: along with the TPP and the deal the US is negotiating with the European Union, it aims to create a new set of global rules that are designed exclusively to serve commercial interests.
This is no exaggeration. Last week US corporates held a launch for what they call Team Tisa. The co-chairs are Citigroup, Liberty Mutual, IBM, MetLife, UPS and Walmart.
Leading members of Congress and the US Trade Representative were invited to speak.
If we thought the TPP was secretive – background documents remain secret for four years after any deal is done – Tisa proponents want to keep their documents secret for five years.
They aim to create an unrestricted global market for services, just as TPP is aimed at the Asia-Pacific. That means locking open the door to foreign corporations that dominate the world’s media, IT, finance, tourism, transport, healthcare, education sectors and more.
They also want to make light-handed regulation the global norm. A standstill rule aims to freeze the existing level of regulation as the new bottom line.
What Wikileaks posted was the draft chapter on financial services. We can assume it will be very similar to the TPP’s financial services chapter.
This is especially scary, because it aims to extend the model of liberalised and deregulated financial markets that brought us the global financial crisis…”
“….He was born in Auckland, New Zealand but moved to Christchurch, New Zealand when he was a child. He was educated at Burnside High School in Christchurch and then gained a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canterbury.
Mr Key launched his investment banking career in New Zealand in the mid-1980s.
After 10 years in the New Zealand market he headed offshore, working in Singapore, London, and Sydney for US investment banking firm Merrill Lynch.
During that time he was in charge of a number of business units, including global foreign exchange and European bond and derivative trading.
In 1999, he was invited to join the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and on two occasions undertook management studies at Harvard University in Boston.
In 2001, he headed back to New Zealand to fulfil a long held ambition to stand for Parliament for the National Party. He first won the Helensville seat in 2002. Mr Key quickly rose through the ranks and was elected leader of the National Party on 27 November 2006. …”
NZX’s Dairy Derivatives business continued its rapid growth trajectory in 2014 with the number of lots traded up 175% to 101,010.
In recognition of the continued efforts to grow market participation and confidence, in September 2014 NZX’s Dairy Futures Market won Best New Agricultural Contract at the Futures & Options World (FOW) Awards for Asia.
NZX CEO Tim Bennett commented: “Once they are established and liquid, derivatives markets are a very high revenue, low marginal cost businesses, generating significant upside over sustained periods.
While development takes time, the long-term payback far exceeds the initial investment.
We still have a long way to go.
Mature derivatives contracts notionally trade a multiple of the related underlying commodity and NZX dairy derivatives only constitute notional trade of around 4% of the related physical market, highlighting the future potential.”
Building on its success in milk powders, NZX launched a butter futures contract in December 2014, a global risk management tool that trades off the underlying price for unsalted butter on the GlobalDairyTrade auction platform. ..”
Is John Key working for the New Zealand people, New Zealand business – or foreign bankers?
_________________________________________________________
Time is short.
TPPA: Chief Negotiators meet 24 -27 July
TPPA: Ministers 28 – 31 July
Parliament sits Tues 21 July.
National are dropping in the polls…..
In my view – it was FOCUSED and timely protest vs John Key in the 2 days before the Northland by-election that helped National lose that seat.
______________________________________________________________
This is a video clip of the recent protest to that was held outside the office of Minister of Trade Time Groser on Thursday 16 July 2015.
You really have little idea about what derivatives actually are. Please tell me how a Futures contract for a Dairy product is somehow more dangerous than trading in the raw commodity itself?
It’s an abstraction that increases trading volume and activity, which leads to greater chaotic volatility without a corresponding increase in the benefits of actually producing those goods.
A bit like how global warming produces more extreme weather events (hurricanes, snowstorms, droughts), rather than just making Southland a nice subtropical climate. More activity in a chaotic system increases the chaos.
Public sentiment relies on the public not knowing any of the facts or looking for simple answers pointing the finger ‘out there’. A $300K house in Auckland from 2000 is not $1.1M now *mainly* because of foreign Chinese money. (Although it may be, in small part)
I don’t think CV is that far off, Lanth. The average Ak price was just over $300k in 2000 and sits well above $800k today and heading toward $900k within a couple of months. Even if it’s not $1.1 million today, it’s looking like it will be at some point this year or early next year. Plus, I understand there are now more than 30 Ak suburbs that average over a million so it’s entirely possible that some individual houses that were sold for $300k fifteen years ago are worth more than a million now. Location, location, location!
Agree we bought our house in Glenfield for $360K in 2005 and two years ago we had a valuation of just under $600K. It will have gone up a bit since then.
Of course that value is worth nothing unless you want to move out of Auckland. I would much rather see my house value drop back to closer to what we bought at and have a larger more diverse group of people buying houses then sit on massive capital gain that is in real terms worth very little. No I am not interested in using equity to become a landlord.
My point is that CV just arbitrarily picked numbers out of the air and intimated as if it would be a majority, or at least very sizable portion of all houses that fit that particular profile.
I suspect it’d be less than 5% of Auckland houses that went from $300k to $1.1M (or thereabouts).
One thing to realise with averages is that they have a very long tail on the upside; an average of $800k for a house will be pulled up strongly by houses in the $2M+ price bracket; and same goes for the ~$300k average back at the start of the millennium.
If CV had said $300k -> $700-800k I wouldn’t have said anything.
Barfoot said in March that 1/4 of its sales were for over $1M. I would say that a fair number of those would have been what were $300,000 houses in what used to be considered very middle of the road suburbs, 15 years ago.
But happy to accept that my numbers relay a common case 5% to 10% of sales, but not the majority of cases.
in 1999 to build a single level 195m2 house was about $750m2 (with building rebates from suppliers being kept by the building coy and not traded), on a 720m2 section cost $120k with a fall of 1.3m from front to back, total cost approx $275k including driveway, patio, fencing and grassed.
Building now in Auckland would be INXS of $2k/m2 add on water connection fee of $15k (in 1999 this was $750). and to buy such a section would cost in excessive of $600k(if you could locate one). Total cost well exceeding $1m. On such a section the building would be 2 level,3 car garaging, 4-5 bedrooms multi en-suit and exceeding 260m2. With a min asking price $1.6m.
Lanthaide in my local area developed over the 1990’s to early 2000’s all family homes would qualify as cost $300k-$400k to buy and now worth over $1m.
That’s not wholly accurate either CV. We do know that most of the inflation between at least 2000 and 2009 occurred mainly because of excess bank credit in the local market.
But while undersupply and inward migration back from Aus have been creating some pressure on the market in the past few years – we are in the middle of the most insane bubble of all time. And the RB to it’s horror has realised that all the simple levers at it’s command like interest rates, LVR ratios and bank reserves were not working.
Why? Because a large portion of the cashed up buyers in the Auckland market are immune to them.
IMO people have recently realised that it is an insane bubble because we have finally after 15 years or so got to the “vertical wall” stage of the exponential curve. That is, most people tolerated houses doubling in price from $250K to $500K (people could still pretend that was affordable)…but the next doubling from $800K to $1.6M takes away all such pretense.
As for the RB…yep, they have been left to try and cope with what has been going on as the neolib politicians of all colours have gone completely hands off laissez faire.
I can’t see key being worried as the high ground has been ceded now and as you say a large chunk of the public still trust him – somehow after all the bullshit he has spun over the years.
VTO my point exactly. How can you contradict an assertion without contrary data? To say we will be collecting data is to pre-judge the conclusion and Mr Tyford is just “inferring” the rates of purchasing.
Yeah I heard Key in a pasty interview with Paul Henry this morning trying to fudge their new data collection changes will give the required details. He was quick to point out that “most overseas buyer will be Kiwi’s living abroad and it will be hard to capture.
Actually John if you made changes that give a detailed analysis of when, who are buying and where they are from shouldn’t be hard. So stop the smoke and mirrors and get on with it.
They are terrified of the reality true date would show…
You only need a small swing in the number of buyers in a market to make a big difference. A change in the order of 5% is more than enough to swing things between rising and falling markjets
Maybe the PM needs to check in with the Minister, or vice versa
A spokesperson for Land Information Minister Louise Upston said last week no decisions had been taken about whether or when to release it and the information might not show what people wanted to know.
“It’s worth bearing in mind that the information gathered for this new law change is going to be tax information. It will be the tax residence [of the buyer] as opposed to the country of residence of the buyer,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s not a foreign buyers register at all. It will give us information but we don’t know if it will be made public.”
Well it sure does smell like that. When you have NZF saying they had the data and decided there was no solid data there to release it, then it does seem desperate.
The difference here is that Labour used some smart analytics (with 95% confidence) to tease out the 40% Chinese figure vs 9% from the census, using the information they were given.
Doesn’t sound like NZFirst had the skills or idea to perform this analysis, and the data without this analysis is rather useless.
Ok, just watched the video and the PM does feature in it sporadically, almost as if it’s on purpose? That shows to me he endorses the video and I wonder if his son is being paid to make something like this…
The motive seems pretty clear, play on our materialistic desires and show you can get the girl, get to go to Hawaii and have the lifestyle. All on one condition, you’ve got to do what the PM and son does and vote National.
Wow just wow, the Herald were complicit in this dirty politics attack yet just a couple of days later they’re distancing themselves and cr**ping on Labour at the same time, the Herald really is quite a pice of work
Grant Robertson is bidding his time before the next run for leader. The pundits, political commentators and press gallery are aflutter. It seems to be only a strong rumour at this time.
Bullshit. Little is doing fine, there are no signs whatsoever of dissent in caucus and the party is generally happy with his leadership (and the marked improvement in the polls). If you want to troll, do it somewhere else.
As many have said already the popularity of the opposition leader doesn’t really matter at this stage, it’s the party percentage that does. Personally I would love to have seen Cunliffe still there, with the economy under a bit of stress like it is now I think he would do great job of putting hits on National. His passion and smarts are great attributes infront of the camera.
The Cunliffe was found wanting so we’ll see if Little Andy can do any better (though to be fair hes not the only one thats been soundly thrashed by John Key)
What Claire’s copy and paste recap shows is she is a lite weight political reporter. The heading makes her look incompetent and rather cynical “Labour’s Gamble Doesn’t Pay Off In Polls.”
Obviously not everyone would have been surveyed after the release, if anything probably prior, add plenty of people wouldn’t have been aware of the release, let alone formed an opinion as Andrew Little points out.
Go sit in the media’s ‘clown seat’ till the next poll comes out Claire. Or better still take a permanent holiday.
Whats of more interest to me is not Labours dog whistling but that the Herald worked in conjunction with Labour to attempt to embarrass the govt (and fair enough thats Labours job) yet within the space of a few days the Herald are trying to sink Labour on this
That’s supposedly the media’s role isn’t it or traditionally was, to keep the Government honest. Maybe the herald decided they would do some actual journalism by using a source from inside the industry about a regional problem that was given to them by the Opposition. Now they’re just defaulting back to attack the opposition party that doesn’t align with the interests of their advertisers.
Well what gets me is the speed in which they’re willing to go into bat with Labour then turn around and dump on them, like it was only a couple of days
LOL . Nice concern trolling. Or maybe you’re just a conspiracy theorist.
Remember that time John Armstrong called for Cunliffe to resign over the 11-year-old letter, and O’Sullivan the very next day said that was over-excited nonsense?
The Trevett article is mild anyway, and seems a pretty standard kind of line for her to take.
You’d have a better chance of getting a single editorial line out of Fairfax, by default because it’s so formulaic. Prefer the Herald any day to the Stakhanovite content creator mill.
It’s laughable that the property editor at the NZH takes up her political sub editors role by scribing an article today with a headline of “No Stamp Duty, Or Capital Gains Tax.” This being pitched to Hong Kong & Mainland Chinese investors. Also as you would expect, actively promoting Auckland property therd is one of the National Party’s property magnate donators, Mr Barfoot of B & T reale state.
I guess when you donate 20 K to a political party in Government you can reasonably expect a return on that investment.
Quote: Families could have two “decent salaries” but still struggle due to living costs and child care costs.
“People have to have two jobs to survive,” she said.
“The only way you can do that is to have extended whanau helping you out because you can’t afford child care.”
The high cost of living needed to be reduced and it was up to the Government to make changes, she said.
“We need to get our housing, power and food costs down.
“Everyone deserves to have a roof over their head, a job to go to, food on the table and enough money to take the family out once a month. That’s all people want.”
According to the report, older couples, one or both being at least 50 years old, did well overall, rating highly on most indicators of wellbeing with 88 per cent satisfied with their standard of living.
Though solo parents with children under 18 represented only 4.5 per cent of the familial population in Canterbury, nationally they are the most under pressure.
This family type scored the lowest in adequate income, affordable housing, mental health and satisfaction at pay and work hours.
About 75 per cent reported affordable housing problems.
as long as they tighten their budget (maybe not feeding the cows? or the kids? or something) and they should make it. And if not, oh well that is just the market correcting itself
Quote: “Falling dairy prices mean it will be a tight year for many farmers and they will need to budget carefully,” he said.
Mr Guy said prices fluctuate every year and the fall in the exchange rate – the kiwi is now down to a six-year low of around US65 cents – was giving exporters confidence.
“Farmers are in it for the long term, not just one year,” he said.
“Other sectors like beef and horticulture are having record years which will help soften the impact in rural areas.”
He says the longer term outlook for dairy is strong.
Can someone please explain why Fonterra is not supplying dairy product to the Russian market ?
There is demand – and NZ is not on the exclusion list. At $4.20 all bets are “on” – so why not ?
Probably have something to do with all the other restrictions that have been put in place on Russia and I doubt if NZ would do anything to upset the USA.
I see the largest NZ dairy operation is comprised of 58 South Island farms, covering 18,000ha of land and 43,400 milking cows.
The single Zhongding Dairy Farming and Russia’s Severny Bur enterprise is twice this size – and will supply 30% of the Russian cheese demand – exceeding the previous EU contribution of 25%.
$ kg/mf is depressed – oversupply cos the Russian market is excluded from those others who offended Russia.
Well, Murray from Waitui shouldn’t have to sell Gina’s heir-jewels cos Vicky Nuland had a cake moment.
In the year ending May 2015, 2.977 million international visitors arrived in this country, an increase of 7 per cent on the previous year with forecasts for this number to grow to 3.8 million by 2021.
China and India will be the two drivers of this international growth. According to Tourism New Zealand, 309,792 visitors arrived from China in the year to May 2015, an increase of 29.3 per cent on the year previous, while India’s figures grew 28.9 per cent to 42,880.
The future looks bright with two extra airlines (Air China and China Eastern) establishing year-round services, and while India does not have a direct service at present, it is only a matter of time. The World Tourism Organisation predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020. There are currently only 28 million passport holders in India.
quote:
New Zealand’s lack of overseas investment regulation is being promoted in Shanghai and Hong Kong to help sell apartments rising on the site of the country’s best-known record store.
“NO stamp duties and property purchase tax, NO capital gains tax on residential property if sold after two years of holding,” Colliers International says advertising Queens Square, a 226-unit block promoted as on “the Nanjing Road of Auckland” and to rise on Real Groovy’s Queen St site near Karangahape Rd.
This country’s liberal regime, unusual internationally, is being promoted in that ad for the block by New Zealand developer Robert Holden’s Conrad Properties.
The new L-shaped block, to have 24 carparks and ground-level shops, is to rise at 438 Queen St and was designed by architect Colin Leuschke who says in a promotional video it will be on Auckland’s golden mile.
quote:
Events to promote the sale of units in the block were held this month at Shanghai’s New World Tower and at 300 Huaihai Rd in Hong Kong. The ad says the block could be completed by January 2018.
Barfoot & Thompson is also marketing units as being in the Auckland Grammar zone, priced from $386,000.
Agent Alastair Brown said top-priced larger units with carparks were going for $1.2 million. The block would have 226 units, 14 carparks and construction was yet to start.
quote:
A spokesperson for Land Information Minister Louise Upston said last week no decisions had been taken about whether or when to release it and the information might not show what people wanted to know.
“It’s worth bearing in mind that the information gathered for this new law change is going to be tax information. It will be the tax residence [of the buyer] as opposed to the country of residence of the buyer,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s not a foreign buyers register at all. It will give us information but we don’t know if it will be made public.”
Guess we can look forwards to Bill English saying in 2018 that in retrospect, they shouldn’t have cut taxes, and if they hadn’t, they may not have had a record 9 deficits in a row.
Yeah, like when Bill English admitted in 2008 that actually Labour managed the crown accounts very well and they had saved for the rainy day that was the GFC. He left unspoken what a disaster it would have been if Brash had won 2005 and implemented the tax cuts he was campaigning on.
Pity he went and blew all Labour’s careful work on tax cuts, eh?
Yeah, Working For Families didn’t “[help anyone] in need”.
Kiwisaver didn’t “[help anyone] in need” either. Nor did interest free student loans, or free doctor’s visits for under 5 year olds. Raising the minimum wage mustn’t have helped anyone either, unless you consider business owners “in need” of help?
lol
So it helped people in need, just not enough of them. You’re sliding again.
Of course some people on here – even many or most – would suggest that raising the benefit would have helped more people (at least more people in greater need) than WFF did. But then many people here would be saying that from honest convictions that the government should help people, rather than your transparent desire to just stir shit here when you couldn’t care less about people in any level of need (except your own self interest).
The difference is though that i want each and every single person in NZ to as well as I have (or rather about to) or better whereas most on here want those that have done well to be brought down to an “acceptable” level
I don’t think you do. Your behaviour here strongly indicates that you don’t give a damn about anyone other than yourself, and that politics for you is merely a “game” in which strong leaders get your fearspect and genuine concern for others is a weakness to be exploited.
Your professed concern for the welfare of “each and every single person in NZ” is at odds with the rest of your commenting history.
Except that it isn’t actually going to help anyone in need. The $25/week is a nice headline figure but it’s not what anyone’s going to get and there’s several claw backs that are actually going to make people worse off.
In terms of overall benefit to individuals in the bottom half of society, Labour’s package of policies, a few of which I outlined above, are greater than anything National’s done.
So useless Michael Cullen has come out and agreed that there is a problem and that the Labour government he was part of should have done something …..
f@&k Michael Cullen…
I personally wrote to him early on in his time in office and put this exact issue to him. We exchanged a couple of communications on it.
Bottom line: Cullen refused to acknowledge the problem, despite evidence I put to him that locals were being outbid by foreign speculators (American ones these were mostly).
Cullen did exactly what Key English and Smith are doing now – being deceptive and avoiding the question.
Cullen’s little credibility on this just got sacked imo
bloody deceptive politicians – goes on even when they are retired it seems. Cullen is a Wanker on this
Why is a prepay plan going to require a monthly fee? Are telcos taxing the poor by removing low cost no monthly fee mobiles, and if they are why can they call a monthly plan prepay. Thats wrong.
On the importance of getting in first with the framing…and burying the facts, driving the political issues and ‘morality’ and skewing political advantage against your adversaries:
“Investigations into the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine are still inconclusive or incomplete a year on from the tragedy. However, this has not stopped the West and their media from apportioning blames, without facts and figures to back up their claims. The search for justice for the families of those killed on MH17 continues.
CrossTalking with Ray McGovern, Alexander Mercouris, and Patrick Henningsen.”
That is what it feels like to be a solo parent. One size fits all.
I have an acquaintance who was surprised that my car had a rego and warrant because I’m a solo mum on the benefit. Another person assumes I sit around at home all day watching movies. Another assumes that the kids go to their father’s every second weekend so I can go out and party.
People are confused that I don’t spend my benefit money on drugs and the pokies. People refuse to believe that I study full time to get a degree so I can make a better future for me and my children.
Solo mothers on benefits are stigmatised, labelled, looked down upon. But not one size fits all, and Work and Income need to recognise this.
Of course, it’s not that WINZ that needs to recognise that but our psychopathic government that’s out to punish people for being poor.
I’d like it a lot more if that solo mum, or anyone else didn’t have to justify their existence to fellate the egos of greedy sociopathic m’fuckers: Even if she didn’t have a car with Wof or rego, even if she wasn’t talented enough to study at a high level to become a lawyer or accountant, even if she eased her troubles by smoking or partying on alternate weekends, even if she was trying her best and failing at most things, she’s still a woman and a mother and a human being. So if the system allows no other choice but to buy in to the ass-pirant dream or be scapegoated and demonised by fat brainless cowards, then fuck the system and all who support it. It’s not like she impregnated herself.
And having a child is not an unnatural function for a woman. It should not have to be vouched for by a bloke. Give her the tools to raise the child well, then assistance to get training so she can have an individual skill in society when the child is old enough, and she can have the part-time hours needed. It is not hard to understand except for the religious-value-laden and the individualists who want to suck from society but not fuel it.
A comment on Ireland’s situation circa 1924 from Countess Markievicz.
All the small businesses here are heading for ruin, and the farmers are in a bad way. The list of bankrupts is something appalling. The list of highly paid officials for whom jobs are made by those at present in power, is daily increasing. To meet these expenses the old age pensioners have been docked 1/- per week of their pensions, as well as their bag of coal per fortnight. Taxes are awful, and food prices are daily rising and rents are wicked.
Thanks for the flattery, but I was very critical of Labour intentions and I thought I was bloody clear about it.
I said that Phil Twyford was knowingly “straight-up scapegoating” Chinese New Zealanders and offshore Chinese alike and “fueling racial division in this country”. I said it was “cynical, reckless dogwhistling”.
What part of this was ambiguous for you??? Did you think I meant “cynical, reckless, but ultimately well-intentioned dogwhistling”?
Even after a week where Labour has been trying to take the “reverse racism” highground, trying to pretend that we didn’t blame Labour is a new delusional high, Rob.
It’s also at least the fifth major news organisation to post Max Key’s hawaiian holiday video on their website. Even Richie McCaw or Dan Carter would struggle to do that. There is no such thing as bad publicity I would think is the strategy.
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This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
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:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
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. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
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 ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
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. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
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The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
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“Go back to bed America.”
Bill Hicks quote is more relevant than ever when you what the media focus on.
Just replace the words America for NZ.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11483578
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oLp2dTHaEbs
If you have the time – worth watching. Kurdish Women soldiers in training. Lots of little bits of information slip through – some great reporting.
P.S you can’t support them – because that would make you a terrorist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqI0a4VgEs8
Which is less bad for phone and broadband – Vodaphone or Slingshot?
Or something else.
I’ve got to make the changeover today.
thanks
If your mobile is with Vodafone, you’ll get a further discount on the bundle. Haven’t dealt with Slingshot, but I believe they are pretty popular, so I guess they must be providing a decent service.
Lesser of 2 evils would be slingshot Vodafone are simply the worst and still declining.
Ultimately with mobile though it’s either on Spark or Voda regardless of who bills you as 2 degree only have CBD coverage with Spark having the better network which doesn’t say much for our brighter future.
I’m with Slingshot and they are good (pity about the Global roaming back down) Burt if you want to move mobile as well you can get a new phone on a 2 year contract. I get Unlimited Internet, 2 Cell Phones, and a Landline, with line insurance for a little under $40 a week. (Oh and their call centre is in NZ as well. Dunno about Vodafone But I hear they are getting worse.
Just switched from Vodafone to Spark for landline, fibre internet, and free landline national. $30 per month cheaper @ $69pm. Call service for Vodafone appalling. Long, long, long waits @1 hour plus.
That will get worse, Voda appear to be holding out for a grand sale, rumoured to be in the pipeline and further consolidating and already concentrated market.
Stanners has presided over nearly a decade of under investment in the network and back end systems while dividends derived off NZ consumers flowed offshore.
Spark now look pristine and effective up against them….that’s how bad it is.
yeah, voda is in bad shape. the merge from tcl was bad. They still have 5 different backend systems shit needs to be checked in.
No new hardware/projects have been done since the merger.
My cut off from Vodafone was 4 June. Their paper system does not match their technical system. Thus Vodafone thinks I am still their customer.
From VF’s POV an acceptable price for snaring the old NZR fibre network (that TC owned) as well as some other prime bits of telecomms infrastructure.
Vodafone by miles. Slightshot is ass.
hmmm
isn’t vodafone the company that had a market share of very close percentage to the proportion of NSA penetration into NZ traffic that the Snowden files revealed?
lol just another thing to consider…
@just saying – I have used both and neither worth recommending. Not consumer friendly at all. Among other things, Slingshot signed me up to their toll account, without my knowledge or consent and had the audacity to try to charge me for it! So it soon got the heave ho. Got no responses at all to issues with Vodafone, so that also got the push!
Been with 2 Degrees for four years and no issues or complaints at all – well so far that is! Service seems to be customer friendly, not that I’ve had to use it much, because it has been all plain sailing to date. Web page easy to navigate too.
Well if you don’t give a shit about customer service (I mean how many times do you really need to call them?) performance wise, voda is far better.
FYI – apologies for the length – but this is REALLY important!
20 July 2015
MEDIA Alert! TPPA – Walk Away!
Protest outside Auckland Uni – Monday 20 July 2015 1-5pm
WHEN: Monday 20 July
TIME: 1 -5 PM
WHERE: Symonds St / Grafton Rd intersection – directly outside Auckland Uni.
WHY? Because Auckland students are back and there are THOUSANDS of them!
The FOCUS – NZ PM John Key is a shareholder in the Bank of America!
(These Bank of America shares are NOT in a ‘blind trust’!)
Whose ‘national interest’ is PM John Key serving?
Is John Key working for US or the U$??
READ IT FOR YOURSELF:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/mpp/mps/fin-interests/00CLOOCMPPFinInterests20151/register-of-pecuniary-and-other-specified-interests-of
“Register of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests of Members of Parliament:
Summary of annual returns as at 31 January 2015
(Page 29)
Rt Hon John Key (National, Helensville)
2 Other companies and business entities
Little Nell – property investment (Aspen, Colorado)
Bank of America – banking ..”
A LOT of people don’t know this, and it is, in my view, as an anti-corruption ‘Public Watchdog’ an arguably significant corrupt ‘conflict of interest’.
Especially when the TPPA is closely tied together with TISA (Trade In Services Agreement), of which New Zealand is a member State, which has a particularly ‘scary’, secret agenda – “… because it aims to extend the model of liberalised and deregulated financial markets that brought us the global financial crisis…”
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11280883
(NZ Herald 25 June 2014)
“The story of the past week in terms of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement was not Prime Minister John Key’s visit to the White House.
The more startling news is that our Government, with almost 50 other countries, is negotiating another secret deal in the shadows of the World Trade Organisation.
They are calling to negotiate a Trade in Services Agreement (Tisa).
It is part of a troika: along with the TPP and the deal the US is negotiating with the European Union, it aims to create a new set of global rules that are designed exclusively to serve commercial interests.
This is no exaggeration. Last week US corporates held a launch for what they call Team Tisa. The co-chairs are Citigroup, Liberty Mutual, IBM, MetLife, UPS and Walmart.
Leading members of Congress and the US Trade Representative were invited to speak.
If we thought the TPP was secretive – background documents remain secret for four years after any deal is done – Tisa proponents want to keep their documents secret for five years.
They aim to create an unrestricted global market for services, just as TPP is aimed at the Asia-Pacific. That means locking open the door to foreign corporations that dominate the world’s media, IT, finance, tourism, transport, healthcare, education sectors and more.
They also want to make light-handed regulation the global norm. A standstill rule aims to freeze the existing level of regulation as the new bottom line.
What Wikileaks posted was the draft chapter on financial services. We can assume it will be very similar to the TPP’s financial services chapter.
This is especially scary, because it aims to extend the model of liberalised and deregulated financial markets that brought us the global financial crisis…”
Remember Prime Minister John Key’s background?
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/biography/john-key
“….He was born in Auckland, New Zealand but moved to Christchurch, New Zealand when he was a child. He was educated at Burnside High School in Christchurch and then gained a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canterbury.
Mr Key launched his investment banking career in New Zealand in the mid-1980s.
After 10 years in the New Zealand market he headed offshore, working in Singapore, London, and Sydney for US investment banking firm Merrill Lynch.
During that time he was in charge of a number of business units, including global foreign exchange and European bond and derivative trading.
In 1999, he was invited to join the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and on two occasions undertook management studies at Harvard University in Boston.
In 2001, he headed back to New Zealand to fulfil a long held ambition to stand for Parliament for the National Party. He first won the Helensville seat in 2002. Mr Key quickly rose through the ranks and was elected leader of the National Party on 27 November 2006. …”
______________________________________________________
How ‘dodgy’ are derivatives?
Seems dairy derivatives are doing well – pity about the real thing?
https://www.nzx.com/markets/NZSX/securities/NZX/analysis
“Soft commodities
NZX’s Dairy Derivatives business continued its rapid growth trajectory in 2014 with the number of lots traded up 175% to 101,010.
In recognition of the continued efforts to grow market participation and confidence, in September 2014 NZX’s Dairy Futures Market won Best New Agricultural Contract at the Futures & Options World (FOW) Awards for Asia.
NZX CEO Tim Bennett commented: “Once they are established and liquid, derivatives markets are a very high revenue, low marginal cost businesses, generating significant upside over sustained periods.
While development takes time, the long-term payback far exceeds the initial investment.
We still have a long way to go.
Mature derivatives contracts notionally trade a multiple of the related underlying commodity and NZX dairy derivatives only constitute notional trade of around 4% of the related physical market, highlighting the future potential.”
Building on its success in milk powders, NZX launched a butter futures contract in December 2014, a global risk management tool that trades off the underlying price for unsalted butter on the GlobalDairyTrade auction platform. ..”
_____________________________________________________________
Is John Key working for the New Zealand people, New Zealand business – or foreign bankers?
_________________________________________________________
Time is short.
TPPA: Chief Negotiators meet 24 -27 July
TPPA: Ministers 28 – 31 July
Parliament sits Tues 21 July.
National are dropping in the polls…..
In my view – it was FOCUSED and timely protest vs John Key in the 2 days before the Northland by-election that helped National lose that seat.
______________________________________________________________
This is a video clip of the recent protest to that was held outside the office of Minister of Trade Time Groser on Thursday 16 July 2015.
(You Tube clip – 5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZNW_ahOME&feature=youtu.be
Penny Bright
You really have little idea about what derivatives actually are. Please tell me how a Futures contract for a Dairy product is somehow more dangerous than trading in the raw commodity itself?
It’s an abstraction that increases trading volume and activity, which leads to greater chaotic volatility without a corresponding increase in the benefits of actually producing those goods.
A bit like how global warming produces more extreme weather events (hurricanes, snowstorms, droughts), rather than just making Southland a nice subtropical climate. More activity in a chaotic system increases the chaos.
+1.
Imagine if all the energy of those money-traders actually got put into something useful…
The world may have actually advanced somewhere the last few decades…… instead of going around in circles sniffing its own arsehole
So Key and his cronies like to talk about “no one owns water.” Well I do feel for the local Hapu who get tapped by an Auckland firm;
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/hapu-angry-over-sale-poroti-spring-water-china
The focus group results are in. Labour isn’t “racist”, they’re “desperate”: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70361175/auckland-housing-data-using-surnames-a-desperate-measure–john-key
How does Key know the data is wrong when Key’s government doesn’t collect data?
The lying slithering deceptive switch-eye snake that is john key ……..
He’s constructing the narrative for the large chunk of the public that still inexplicably trust him.
I think this little line will cost him some trust and capital though; public sentiment is that Labour is right.
Public sentiment relies on the public not knowing any of the facts or looking for simple answers pointing the finger ‘out there’. A $300K house in Auckland from 2000 is not $1.1M now *mainly* because of foreign Chinese money. (Although it may be, in small part)
Got any evidence of any houses that in 2000 were worth $300k now being worth $1.1M?
I suspect it’s more like houses in 2000 that were worth $700k are now worth $1.1M, and houses that were $300k in 2000 are now worth $600k.
there are charts of stratfied CPI adjusted housing prices out there.
So you don’t have evidence of a house that cost $300k in 2000 now costing $1.1M in 2015.
I don’t think CV is that far off, Lanth. The average Ak price was just over $300k in 2000 and sits well above $800k today and heading toward $900k within a couple of months. Even if it’s not $1.1 million today, it’s looking like it will be at some point this year or early next year. Plus, I understand there are now more than 30 Ak suburbs that average over a million so it’s entirely possible that some individual houses that were sold for $300k fifteen years ago are worth more than a million now. Location, location, location!
Agree we bought our house in Glenfield for $360K in 2005 and two years ago we had a valuation of just under $600K. It will have gone up a bit since then.
Of course that value is worth nothing unless you want to move out of Auckland. I would much rather see my house value drop back to closer to what we bought at and have a larger more diverse group of people buying houses then sit on massive capital gain that is in real terms worth very little. No I am not interested in using equity to become a landlord.
My point is that CV just arbitrarily picked numbers out of the air and intimated as if it would be a majority, or at least very sizable portion of all houses that fit that particular profile.
I suspect it’d be less than 5% of Auckland houses that went from $300k to $1.1M (or thereabouts).
One thing to realise with averages is that they have a very long tail on the upside; an average of $800k for a house will be pulled up strongly by houses in the $2M+ price bracket; and same goes for the ~$300k average back at the start of the millennium.
If CV had said $300k -> $700-800k I wouldn’t have said anything.
Yep, fair points.
Barfoot said in March that 1/4 of its sales were for over $1M. I would say that a fair number of those would have been what were $300,000 houses in what used to be considered very middle of the road suburbs, 15 years ago.
But happy to accept that my numbers relay a common case 5% to 10% of sales, but not the majority of cases.
in 1999 to build a single level 195m2 house was about $750m2 (with building rebates from suppliers being kept by the building coy and not traded), on a 720m2 section cost $120k with a fall of 1.3m from front to back, total cost approx $275k including driveway, patio, fencing and grassed.
Building now in Auckland would be INXS of $2k/m2 add on water connection fee of $15k (in 1999 this was $750). and to buy such a section would cost in excessive of $600k(if you could locate one). Total cost well exceeding $1m. On such a section the building would be 2 level,3 car garaging, 4-5 bedrooms multi en-suit and exceeding 260m2. With a min asking price $1.6m.
Lanthaide in my local area developed over the 1990’s to early 2000’s all family homes would qualify as cost $300k-$400k to buy and now worth over $1m.
That’s not wholly accurate either CV. We do know that most of the inflation between at least 2000 and 2009 occurred mainly because of excess bank credit in the local market.
But while undersupply and inward migration back from Aus have been creating some pressure on the market in the past few years – we are in the middle of the most insane bubble of all time. And the RB to it’s horror has realised that all the simple levers at it’s command like interest rates, LVR ratios and bank reserves were not working.
Why? Because a large portion of the cashed up buyers in the Auckland market are immune to them.
IMO people have recently realised that it is an insane bubble because we have finally after 15 years or so got to the “vertical wall” stage of the exponential curve. That is, most people tolerated houses doubling in price from $250K to $500K (people could still pretend that was affordable)…but the next doubling from $800K to $1.6M takes away all such pretense.
As for the RB…yep, they have been left to try and cope with what has been going on as the neolib politicians of all colours have gone completely hands off laissez faire.
I can’t see key being worried as the high ground has been ceded now and as you say a large chunk of the public still trust him – somehow after all the bullshit he has spun over the years.
VTO my point exactly. How can you contradict an assertion without contrary data? To say we will be collecting data is to pre-judge the conclusion and Mr Tyford is just “inferring” the rates of purchasing.
Yeah I heard Key in a pasty interview with Paul Henry this morning trying to fudge their new data collection changes will give the required details. He was quick to point out that “most overseas buyer will be Kiwi’s living abroad and it will be hard to capture.
Actually John if you made changes that give a detailed analysis of when, who are buying and where they are from shouldn’t be hard. So stop the smoke and mirrors and get on with it.
They are terrified of the reality true date would show…
You only need a small swing in the number of buyers in a market to make a big difference. A change in the order of 5% is more than enough to swing things between rising and falling markjets
Maybe the PM needs to check in with the Minister, or vice versa
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11483627
Well it sure does smell like that. When you have NZF saying they had the data and decided there was no solid data there to release it, then it does seem desperate.
Can you link to that statement please, I hadn’t heard that.
Was on NBR, interview with Winston. Think it’s pay walled, but you can see it on mobile for free.
Thanks to PR below.
The difference here is that Labour used some smart analytics (with 95% confidence) to tease out the 40% Chinese figure vs 9% from the census, using the information they were given.
Doesn’t sound like NZFirst had the skills or idea to perform this analysis, and the data without this analysis is rather useless.
Here you go
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/nz-first-chose-not-to-leak-housing-data-2015071815#axzz3gOZiw6K6
Prime Minister’s son caught in sex tryst on Hawaiian beach. Prison likely.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/70360596/pms-son-max-key-publishes-video-of-hawaiian-holiday-with-girlfriend
I must say, the Key family is brave in the way it steps out into the public spotlight on the back of their old man’s fame……….
I bet Max told his girlfriend “hey babe remember no wearing a ponytail around the old man…you know he has that umm problem.”
” Yeah like sure thing Maxi I know it’s not your fault ya dads a bit creepy.”
Ok, just watched the video and the PM does feature in it sporadically, almost as if it’s on purpose? That shows to me he endorses the video and I wonder if his son is being paid to make something like this…
The motive seems pretty clear, play on our materialistic desires and show you can get the girl, get to go to Hawaii and have the lifestyle. All on one condition, you’ve got to do what the PM and son does and vote National.
Fuck’s sake this trashy, non-story is now not only on stuff, but nzherald, tvnz and tv3 websites too. Could you want better coverage??
That young lady looks as though she would benefit from a pie or two.
You’re probably just use to seeing everyone overweight.
She could do with a deadlift or two.
Seems max has better PR than Little.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11483559
Wow just wow, the Herald were complicit in this dirty politics attack yet just a couple of days later they’re distancing themselves and cr**ping on Labour at the same time, the Herald really is quite a pice of work
Grant Robertson is bidding his time before the next run for leader. The pundits, political commentators and press gallery are aflutter. It seems to be only a strong rumour at this time.
Bullshit. Little is doing fine, there are no signs whatsoever of dissent in caucus and the party is generally happy with his leadership (and the marked improvement in the polls). If you want to troll, do it somewhere else.
Yep, makes total sense.. Your party has just surged 6% in the latest poll so time for a new leader.
and your leader is less popular than The Cunliffe
As many have said already the popularity of the opposition leader doesn’t really matter at this stage, it’s the party percentage that does. Personally I would love to have seen Cunliffe still there, with the economy under a bit of stress like it is now I think he would do great job of putting hits on National. His passion and smarts are great attributes infront of the camera.
Agree 100%
The Cunliffe was found wanting so we’ll see if Little Andy can do any better (though to be fair hes not the only one thats been soundly thrashed by John Key)
Agree 110 percent about David Cunliffe!
What Claire’s copy and paste recap shows is she is a lite weight political reporter. The heading makes her look incompetent and rather cynical “Labour’s Gamble Doesn’t Pay Off In Polls.”
Obviously not everyone would have been surveyed after the release, if anything probably prior, add plenty of people wouldn’t have been aware of the release, let alone formed an opinion as Andrew Little points out.
Go sit in the media’s ‘clown seat’ till the next poll comes out Claire. Or better still take a permanent holiday.
Right on the button Skinny, I have sent her an email about the headline being out of order and misleading.
Whats of more interest to me is not Labours dog whistling but that the Herald worked in conjunction with Labour to attempt to embarrass the govt (and fair enough thats Labours job) yet within the space of a few days the Herald are trying to sink Labour on this
Its a real bob each way kind of thing
That’s supposedly the media’s role isn’t it or traditionally was, to keep the Government honest. Maybe the herald decided they would do some actual journalism by using a source from inside the industry about a regional problem that was given to them by the Opposition. Now they’re just defaulting back to attack the opposition party that doesn’t align with the interests of their advertisers.
Well what gets me is the speed in which they’re willing to go into bat with Labour then turn around and dump on them, like it was only a couple of days
LOL . Nice concern trolling. Or maybe you’re just a conspiracy theorist.
Remember that time John Armstrong called for Cunliffe to resign over the 11-year-old letter, and O’Sullivan the very next day said that was over-excited nonsense?
The Trevett article is mild anyway, and seems a pretty standard kind of line for her to take.
You’d have a better chance of getting a single editorial line out of Fairfax, by default because it’s so formulaic. Prefer the Herald any day to the Stakhanovite content creator mill.
It’s laughable that the property editor at the NZH takes up her political sub editors role by scribing an article today with a headline of “No Stamp Duty, Or Capital Gains Tax.” This being pitched to Hong Kong & Mainland Chinese investors. Also as you would expect, actively promoting Auckland property therd is one of the National Party’s property magnate donators, Mr Barfoot of B & T reale state.
I guess when you donate 20 K to a political party in Government you can reasonably expect a return on that investment.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11483627
nothing to see here, life is good,
better living for all
rock star economy n such
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/70301032/Middle-class-poor-struggling-with-financial-stresses-report
Quote: Families could have two “decent salaries” but still struggle due to living costs and child care costs.
“People have to have two jobs to survive,” she said.
“The only way you can do that is to have extended whanau helping you out because you can’t afford child care.”
The high cost of living needed to be reduced and it was up to the Government to make changes, she said.
“We need to get our housing, power and food costs down.
“Everyone deserves to have a roof over their head, a job to go to, food on the table and enough money to take the family out once a month. That’s all people want.”
According to the report, older couples, one or both being at least 50 years old, did well overall, rating highly on most indicators of wellbeing with 88 per cent satisfied with their standard of living.
Though solo parents with children under 18 represented only 4.5 per cent of the familial population in Canterbury, nationally they are the most under pressure.
This family type scored the lowest in adequate income, affordable housing, mental health and satisfaction at pay and work hours.
About 75 per cent reported affordable housing problems.
and nothing can be done about this either
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/28853880/banks-call-in-farmer-debt-as-prices-plunge/
as long as they tighten their budget (maybe not feeding the cows? or the kids? or something) and they should make it. And if not, oh well that is just the market correcting itself
Quote: “Falling dairy prices mean it will be a tight year for many farmers and they will need to budget carefully,” he said.
Mr Guy said prices fluctuate every year and the fall in the exchange rate – the kiwi is now down to a six-year low of around US65 cents – was giving exporters confidence.
“Farmers are in it for the long term, not just one year,” he said.
“Other sectors like beef and horticulture are having record years which will help soften the impact in rural areas.”
He says the longer term outlook for dairy is strong.
The longer term outlook for dairy export is, essentially, non-existent. Every country in the world can produce their own dairy and will do so.
This is actually true of all products which means that, as the world develops, trade will decrease.
http://agrihq.co.nz/article/eastern-powers-set-up-massive-dairy?p=22
We forget how tiny we are sometimes,
And if that works they’ll do it again. Chances are, it’ll work.
Can someone please explain why Fonterra is not supplying dairy product to the Russian market ?
There is demand – and NZ is not on the exclusion list. At $4.20 all bets are “on” – so why not ?
Probably have something to do with all the other restrictions that have been put in place on Russia and I doubt if NZ would do anything to upset the USA.
I see the largest NZ dairy operation is comprised of 58 South Island farms, covering 18,000ha of land and 43,400 milking cows.
The single Zhongding Dairy Farming and Russia’s Severny Bur enterprise is twice this size – and will supply 30% of the Russian cheese demand – exceeding the previous EU contribution of 25%.
$ kg/mf is depressed – oversupply cos the Russian market is excluded from those others who offended Russia.
Well, Murray from Waitui shouldn’t have to sell Gina’s heir-jewels cos Vicky Nuland had a cake moment.
and if we view the world through the eyes of his customers, than we too will understand that all is well in the world.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11482710
quote:
In the year ending May 2015, 2.977 million international visitors arrived in this country, an increase of 7 per cent on the previous year with forecasts for this number to grow to 3.8 million by 2021.
China and India will be the two drivers of this international growth. According to Tourism New Zealand, 309,792 visitors arrived from China in the year to May 2015, an increase of 29.3 per cent on the year previous, while India’s figures grew 28.9 per cent to 42,880.
The future looks bright with two extra airlines (Air China and China Eastern) establishing year-round services, and while India does not have a direct service at present, it is only a matter of time. The World Tourism Organisation predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020. There are currently only 28 million passport holders in India.
even more Chinese visiting – perhaps some might be interested in buying a holiday home or two here?
They can make me an offer, its all good
and then this……
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11483627
quote:
New Zealand’s lack of overseas investment regulation is being promoted in Shanghai and Hong Kong to help sell apartments rising on the site of the country’s best-known record store.
“NO stamp duties and property purchase tax, NO capital gains tax on residential property if sold after two years of holding,” Colliers International says advertising Queens Square, a 226-unit block promoted as on “the Nanjing Road of Auckland” and to rise on Real Groovy’s Queen St site near Karangahape Rd.
This country’s liberal regime, unusual internationally, is being promoted in that ad for the block by New Zealand developer Robert Holden’s Conrad Properties.
The new L-shaped block, to have 24 carparks and ground-level shops, is to rise at 438 Queen St and was designed by architect Colin Leuschke who says in a promotional video it will be on Auckland’s golden mile.
quote:
Events to promote the sale of units in the block were held this month at Shanghai’s New World Tower and at 300 Huaihai Rd in Hong Kong. The ad says the block could be completed by January 2018.
Barfoot & Thompson is also marketing units as being in the Auckland Grammar zone, priced from $386,000.
Agent Alastair Brown said top-priced larger units with carparks were going for $1.2 million. The block would have 226 units, 14 carparks and construction was yet to start.
quote:
A spokesperson for Land Information Minister Louise Upston said last week no decisions had been taken about whether or when to release it and the information might not show what people wanted to know.
“It’s worth bearing in mind that the information gathered for this new law change is going to be tax information. It will be the tax residence [of the buyer] as opposed to the country of residence of the buyer,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s not a foreign buyers register at all. It will give us information but we don’t know if it will be made public.”
https://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/cullen-labour-govt-didnt-do-enough-2015071913
Why do politicians wait until they’re out of parliament before they start being sensible
Guess we can look forwards to Bill English saying in 2018 that in retrospect, they shouldn’t have cut taxes, and if they hadn’t, they may not have had a record 9 deficits in a row.
Stranger things have happened
Yeah, like when Bill English admitted in 2008 that actually Labour managed the crown accounts very well and they had saved for the rainy day that was the GFC. He left unspoken what a disaster it would have been if Brash had won 2005 and implemented the tax cuts he was campaigning on.
Pity he went and blew all Labour’s careful work on tax cuts, eh?
Shame Labour didn’t do anything about helping people in need when they had the opportunity instead leaving it to National to do
National aren’t helping people in need – they’re gifting NZ to the rich.
Yeah, Working For Families didn’t “[help anyone] in need”.
Kiwisaver didn’t “[help anyone] in need” either. Nor did interest free student loans, or free doctor’s visits for under 5 year olds. Raising the minimum wage mustn’t have helped anyone either, unless you consider business owners “in need” of help?
Better luck next time, PR?
I’m sure some on here would suggest that raising the benefit would have helped a lot more people in need than helping out the middle class
lol
So it helped people in need, just not enough of them. You’re sliding again.
Of course some people on here – even many or most – would suggest that raising the benefit would have helped more people (at least more people in greater need) than WFF did. But then many people here would be saying that from honest convictions that the government should help people, rather than your transparent desire to just stir shit here when you couldn’t care less about people in any level of need (except your own self interest).
The difference is though that i want each and every single person in NZ to as well as I have (or rather about to) or better whereas most on here want those that have done well to be brought down to an “acceptable” level
I don’t think you do. Your behaviour here strongly indicates that you don’t give a damn about anyone other than yourself, and that politics for you is merely a “game” in which strong leaders get your fearspect and genuine concern for others is a weakness to be exploited.
Your professed concern for the welfare of “each and every single person in NZ” is at odds with the rest of your commenting history.
Except that it isn’t actually going to help anyone in need. The $25/week is a nice headline figure but it’s not what anyone’s going to get and there’s several claw backs that are actually going to make people worse off.
Still better then what any other government has done
“any” other government?
Lab1 and Lab3 come to mind…
In terms of overall benefit to individuals in the bottom half of society, Labour’s package of policies, a few of which I outlined above, are greater than anything National’s done.
Really?
You’re deluding yourself.
At least Sir Michael Cullen is honest.
@ 13
Too many blinkered supporters like you, foppish one.
So useless Michael Cullen has come out and agreed that there is a problem and that the Labour government he was part of should have done something …..
f@&k Michael Cullen…
I personally wrote to him early on in his time in office and put this exact issue to him. We exchanged a couple of communications on it.
Bottom line: Cullen refused to acknowledge the problem, despite evidence I put to him that locals were being outbid by foreign speculators (American ones these were mostly).
Cullen did exactly what Key English and Smith are doing now – being deceptive and avoiding the question.
Cullen’s little credibility on this just got sacked imo
bloody deceptive politicians – goes on even when they are retired it seems. Cullen is a Wanker on this
Why is a prepay plan going to require a monthly fee? Are telcos taxing the poor by removing low cost no monthly fee mobiles, and if they are why can they call a monthly plan prepay. Thats wrong.
On the importance of getting in first with the framing…and burying the facts, driving the political issues and ‘morality’ and skewing political advantage against your adversaries:
‘Remembering MH17′
http://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/310075-mh17-investigation-facts-figures/
“Investigations into the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine are still inconclusive or incomplete a year on from the tragedy. However, this has not stopped the West and their media from apportioning blames, without facts and figures to back up their claims. The search for justice for the families of those killed on MH17 continues.
CrossTalking with Ray McGovern, Alexander Mercouris, and Patrick Henningsen.”
Curbs favoured on marketing unhealthy food to children
But we can pretty much guarantee that National will do absolutely nothing about this. Listening to the populace isn’t what National does.
IMO, due to how manipulative advertising is it should be banned outright.
This is a must read:
Of course, it’s not that WINZ that needs to recognise that but our psychopathic government that’s out to punish people for being poor.
I’d like it a lot more if that solo mum, or anyone else didn’t have to justify their existence to fellate the egos of greedy sociopathic m’fuckers: Even if she didn’t have a car with Wof or rego, even if she wasn’t talented enough to study at a high level to become a lawyer or accountant, even if she eased her troubles by smoking or partying on alternate weekends, even if she was trying her best and failing at most things, she’s still a woman and a mother and a human being. So if the system allows no other choice but to buy in to the ass-pirant dream or be scapegoated and demonised by fat brainless cowards, then fuck the system and all who support it. It’s not like she impregnated herself.
And having a child is not an unnatural function for a woman. It should not have to be vouched for by a bloke. Give her the tools to raise the child well, then assistance to get training so she can have an individual skill in society when the child is old enough, and she can have the part-time hours needed. It is not hard to understand except for the religious-value-laden and the individualists who want to suck from society but not fuel it.
A comment on Ireland’s situation circa 1924 from Countess Markievicz.
All the small businesses here are heading for ruin, and the farmers are in a bad way. The list of bankrupts is something appalling. The list of highly paid officials for whom jobs are made by those at present in power, is daily increasing. To meet these expenses the old age pensioners have been docked 1/- per week of their pensions, as well as their bag of coal per fortnight. Taxes are awful, and food prices are daily rising and rents are wicked.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
indeed
Jeepers no holds barred in this
http://publicaddress.net/onpoint/dont-put-words-in-our-mouths-rob/
This debate is robust and necessary – onya Keith
Excellent piece. Excellent comments in there too. Thanks for the link.
BOOOOOM
(and my opinion of Rob Salmond falls another notch).
you haters you – lol
Yep it is hard to go past Keith and his analysis – in fact I don’t think I will go past it, I agree with it from whoa to go.
Amateur old journalist Soper getting a hiding for his piece on Key’son
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/opinion/the-soap-box-maxs-lifestyle-a-liability-for-key/
He’s usually a Key sycophant so quite a step for him, speaking his truth for a change, nice one Soper!
It’s also at least the fifth major news organisation to post Max Key’s hawaiian holiday video on their website. Even Richie McCaw or Dan Carter would struggle to do that. There is no such thing as bad publicity I would think is the strategy.