Open mike 20/10/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 20th, 2010 - 31 comments
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31 comments on “Open mike 20/10/2010 ”

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  1. ron 1
    20 October 2010 at 7:21 am

    Off her Trolley has just been on the wireless sating that schools are funded for a ratio of 17 students to one teacher and that teachers should discuss class sizes with boards of trustees as it’s not a ministry issue. Can anybody clarify?

    • lprent 1.1
      20 October 2010 at 7:41 am

      Technically true if you don’t consider that teachers do anything apart from standing in front of a class.

      But of course what she is saying is that she isn’t paying teachers to prepare classwork, create assignments, create tests, mark anything, or do any admin work for the ministry of education (like providing the volumes of work required for national standards or NCEA).

      I’d suggest that the teachers take her at her word and just do in-class teaching with 17 students, and dump the rest of the teaching work into Anne Sillies hands

      It looks like she is acquiring the Bill English trait of lying with selective statistics.

      • ianmac 1.1.1
        20 October 2010 at 9:52 am

        Primary Schools are staffed in a similar way at about 18:1. However this means that every teacher including the Principal is part of the ratio. Non-teaching Principals, Senior Teachers and Deputies, part time staff are added together and salary wise divided into the pupil ratio. 18:1.
        In practise this means that class sizes for the classroom teacher works out to be about 30 and in some cases 30-35. Add to that the most junior classes are kept as small as possible maybe less than 20, so more senior classes have perhaps more than 30 to make up for it.

        What can the BOT do about it? Nothing really.
        One idea (ha ha) was for every teacher and Principal to be paid the same salary. Each year the extra duties would be dolled out so that one would be a Principal, one a trainee teacher supervisor, one a curriculum leader and so on. The flattened structure would lead to a strong colleague-uality, and reduce class sizes. It also meant that a fresh young teacher who has special skills could utilise those skills immediately, instead of waiting years to become a Senior teacher. Has been done overseas somewhere.

    • millsy 1.2
      20 October 2010 at 10:20 am

      A freudian slip there — The whole concept of Tomorrow’s Schools, as it was implemented (while the BOT system in principle is a good idea, its just that somewhere out there is a baby that was thrown out with the bathwater in ’89), is/was designed so governments would not have to take responsilbility for their part in the running down of large parts of the education system that would inevitably occur following the aforementioned education reforms). Blame would simply be shifted onto the BOT’s.

  2. Carol 2
    20 October 2010 at 7:30 am

    There was something similar said on TV3 last night. I think it was here on Campbell Live:
    http://www.3news.co.nz/Both-sides-of-the-teacher-pay-strikes/tabid/817/articleID/182077/Default.aspx

    The Employers rep, Mc Tavish, was saying that class size shouldn’t be part of an industrial negotiation, and that unions shouldn’t be deciding education policy. IMO, that’s a load of BS. I was involved in a teachers’ industrial disputes back in the 80s in the UK. Class size was part of the teachers’ demands then. It has a direct impact on teachers’ working conditions, as well as the fact that teachers were making demands related to the impact on children of the conditions in which they were working: ie some of the things teachers were asking for, were based on the notion that we wanted to provide the best outcome we could for the children we were teaching.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1
      20 October 2010 at 9:14 am

      That’s what I was saying – class size has a direct influence on the teachers working conditions and they are part of the negotiations. Just lies and spin from the Ministry of Truth.

      • KJT 2.1.1
        20 October 2010 at 10:27 am

        Of course it is a major part of working conditions. As well as making a big difference in learning.

        Try teaching a workshop class of 35 year 9’s. Most of your time is spent trying to keep them safe. In industry you would not be training more than 3 at once in the same situation. In fact in conformance with OSH you would be limited to less than 6.
        Private trainers limit class sizes because they know you cannot deliver an effective course to that many.

        • Vicky32 2.1.1.1
          20 October 2010 at 5:04 pm

          Yes! Of the ESOL schools I have worked for in the last 20 months – the private ones have a 1:12 tutor:student ratio, the one public one, is 1:18!
          That being said, I would still rather work for the public one (a polytech). The DOS doesn’t have to obsess about imminent collapse and getting sales staff to go to Saudi or Beijing to recruit more students, but instead he actually cares about quality!
          Deb

  3. The Chairman 3
    20 October 2010 at 7:47 am

    “John Key has characterized Labour as having a “road-to-Stalin experience,” over its plan to restrict foreign ownership of assets. It’s another disappointing response from the Prime Minister, in what is becoming a track record of failure to enter debate on the economy.

    “In cynically applying the ultimate in far-left labels to Labour’s shift in policy, Key is doing the country a disservice.

    “This isn’t about ideologies of “left” and “right”, and it’s of greater significance than mere labels can convey.

    “This is about finding policies that will allow our economy and thus our country to get back on track, and about accepting that the past two decades of policy have failed us dismally.
    Both Labour and National were compliant in creating the problem. It is important that both of them now become part of the solution,” says Productive Economy Council spokesman Selwyn Pellett.

    “The reality here is that Labour’s new policy shift has a significant overlap in objectives with policies promoted by the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association, BERL, the Productive Economy Council, and the New Zealand Institute. These are organisations whose memberships run businesses which account for well over $3 billion in high value exports. To label this as a jump to the left thus both trivializes a complex issue, and is fundamentally flawed thinking,” says Pellett.

    Labour – as any party that aspires to govern should – wants an economy that generates better jobs, with higher salaries. Implicit in that statement is stronger businesses, designing higher value products and exporting them with a supportive rather than destructive policy environment. This, presumably, is what National wants too. If they don’t, you’d have to ask what they are doing in government.

    Labour is embracing policies that will support the real economy and reject the excesses of the financial economy that plunged the world into the global financial crisis. John Key is ready to dismiss this as “Stalinism”.

    “The Prime Minister and Business NZ head Phil O’Reilly both want us to believe that it is business as usual. But before they convince themselves of that they would do well to read the reports from the IMF on how countries that implemented the kind of policies Labour is now advocating survived the global economic crisis better than those with policies similar to our own.

    It is time for our politicians to stop throwing the old “left” and “right” labels around with regards to economic policy, and start thinking about “right” and “wrong”. The policies we need are those that will allow us to succeed as a tiny nation in the middle of nowhere, and we need to judge such policies on their merits, and not on the throw-away labels politicians hang on them.

    Full article here: http://www.pec.org.nz/2010/10/it%e2%80%99s-not-about-left-or-right-it%e2%80%99s-about-business-says-pec/#more-359

    • Red Rosa 3.1
      20 October 2010 at 9:57 am

      Well said TC, time to stand back and take a fresh look at policies since the 80s.

      Does anyone in NZ believe the Tea Party wingnuts in the US, when the policies they now advocate extending have come close to wrecking the Great Republic? You’d think so, to hear some of the Nats supporters.

      Too far for them to bother coming over, but surely we need George WB, Greenspan, and the rest to line up beside the NZ Right when they are needed.

  4. Red Rosa 4
    20 October 2010 at 8:45 am

    Press freedom in NZ – extraordinary story here on the NBR/SCF/Hubbard saga. Some eloquent comments also. Shades of Fiji. Who is the Minister in charge of this?

    http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/sfo-demands-nbr-documents-refusal-risks-40k-fine-jail-131836

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1
      20 October 2010 at 9:26 am

      The SFO are asking for information so that they can do their job. It happens to be information that the SFO know that NBR have because they published a story about it. A story about fraud that the police are taking seriously. Do you think that the SFO should go and redo all the same investigation that the NBR has already done?

      I understand the NBRs desire to protect their sources and I hope they can be but we still want, and need, to see justice done.

      • ianmac 4.1.1
        20 October 2010 at 10:02 am

        By all means sources of information must be protected, (in the same way as visitors to an “Outrageous” brothel.) In due course it will be interesting to know who was involved in this strange story. Alan Hubbard? More likely an opportunist employee?

  6. Pascal's bookie 6
    20 October 2010 at 12:24 pm

    Poeple following the US mortgage drama might want to bookmark

    http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/

    He’s following it closely, and gives good link.

    Also:

    NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks posted their biggest loss in two months on Tuesday on fears banks might be on the hook for billions of dollars in souring mortgage bonds.

    The afternoon selloff hit investors already reeling from an unexpected credit tightening by China and disappointing financial results from Apple (AAPL.O) and IBM (IBM.N).

    The biggest scare came on news that Bank of America (BAC.N) and possibly others may be forced to take back billions of dollars in mortgages that should not have been bundled into bonds

    http://news.yahoo.com/business/stock-markets

  7. Joe Bloggs 7
    20 October 2010 at 12:44 pm

    … describes initiatives such as Te Puni Kokiri’s 2003 Maori Language Strategy as a policy failure “constructed within the parameters of a bureaucratic comfort zone.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10681810

    Concerns over past Government underperformance have been voiced by the Waitangi Tribunal and highlight an impending disaster for the Maori language.

    The government policies in operation throughout the last decade are clearly shown to have been a shoddy sop to Maori sentiment, poorly thought out and poorly managed, constructed within the parameters of as bureaucratic comfort zone and promulgated by a Labour Government unwilling to contemplate giving even the time of day to the “last taxi cab off the rank”.

    Now we see the cynical use of straw man Shane Jones put up against Pita Sharples in Tamaki Makaurau.

    Labour seems to think that the Maori vote is theirs by right – bought off the back of welfare payouts back into the 1930’s – hence the treatment of the Maori Party like enemies…. looking more like NZ First every day!

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      20 October 2010 at 12:49 pm

      Wow you threw every negative adjective in the book there JB. As well as making up some fictional political fantasies.

      Why don’t you write a novel and leave the political strategising for the time being? Just a suggestion.

      The rate you’re going, we’re going to have John Key for dinner.

    • millsy 7.2
      20 October 2010 at 10:13 pm

      “bought off the back of welfare payouts back into the 1930′s”

      So you think Maori being able to gain access to the white man’s health system, state housing system and social security scheme was a *bad* thing?

      Or should the Maori being just left to subsist of their own land and be at the mercy of the tribal elite?

  8. vto 8
    20 October 2010 at 3:38 pm

    Regarding the law around land sales to foreigners…. why on earth does everybody insist on the debate being about foreign investment?? It is not about foreign investment. Foreign investment can still continue ffs. I have not heard a single commentator pick up on this. Not one person. The whole debate is being skewed away from its basic premise..

    It is about the ownership of the land on which we live. It has nothing, other than an indirect consequence, to do with business. In fact the fact that business make money out of appreciating land values is all the more reason for it to be separated out from land ownership.

    A community where the land is owned by the inhabitants is a strong, happy, prosperous community.

    A community where the land is owned by an absent landlord is a tenant community. A tenant community is a weak community.

    The debate is also not about race. Every community on the planet should own the land on which it lives, be it red, yellow, brown, black or white.

    Foreign investors can still foreign invest. In everything but land. Simple. Let them be the tenants not us.

    The debate is not about foreign investment. I will scream next time I hear this from some dipshit commentator.

    • vto 8.1
      20 October 2010 at 3:43 pm

      I also had to laugh when I heard Key suggest that if kiwis want to own kiwi assets they simply have to save more. To compete against the 300million richer North Americans, and the 500million richer Europeans, and the lordy-knows how many richer Asians and Africans?

      Why should we do that Key? For what purpose? Are you capable of an answer longer than a simple one-liner and a dopey grin?

      Key is just so far off the planet with that sentiment. What a freakin’ beanstalk.

      • KJT 8.1.1
        20 October 2010 at 4:46 pm

        Need an income to save. Unless you are rich people from the USA where you just add a couple of zero’s to the derivatives account so the Government has to borrow to bail you out.

      • Draco T Bastard 8.1.2
        20 October 2010 at 8:01 pm

        Try his sentiments in the news. Especially the comment @ 0:56

    • felix 8.2
      20 October 2010 at 5:18 pm

      Well said v.

  9. Rodel 9
    20 October 2010 at 6:32 pm

    Why are Nactional politicians wearing those stupid stripey clown suits?They look like Christ College dick heads, Oh of course… they are!

  10. Sean Brooks 10
    20 October 2010 at 7:57 pm

    Hello in your Item on Wednesday 20th October, a reporter asked Morgan Freeman if he wanted to say sorry to the people of NewZealand for starring in a movie where the All Blacks get beaten.

    Since Mr Freeman was promoting the Movie Red, I feel this was another case of the New Zealand media bringing up a rugby reference just for the sake it.

    I also found it in poor taste since Mr Freeman chose this role because of his love of Nelson Mandela and the African People.

    Does your reporter regret or feel embarrassment for asking such a pathetic question, as a NewZealander I felt embarrassed by it.

  11. Jim MacDonald 11
    20 October 2010 at 8:03 pm

    ~ ~ Newsflash ~ ~

    John Key reported as saying:

    “Do the teachers really want us to borrow more [..] and place a noose around the neck of young New Zealanders?”

    Oh right. Of course. We’ve already drained our public coffers to give tax cuts to your wealthy mates.
    And you’ve made us borrow for that.

    We are sorry, Mr John Key. We are sorry but you have got the priorities wrong.
    You have put the few ahead of the many.
    That is not fair. That is wrong.
    You’re running a strategic deficit. You’re slanting the system to advance your ideology.
    You’re turning the many of us into a sorry state.

    You, indeed, YOU are the one placing a noose around the neck of many NZers. And also the neck of future generations.

    Get angry, NZ.
    Get very very angry.

  12. Armchair Critic 12
    20 October 2010 at 10:07 pm

    Metiria Turei in parliament did a great impersonation of a real Labour MP. I heard this on the radio this afternoon and was very impressed. Kudos to the Greens.

  13. millsy 13
    20 October 2010 at 10:08 pm

    Mr Key, if you didnt insist of cutting taxes for the wealthy, instead of making them pay their fair share for a decent society with a decent education (it is not about “envy”, it is about having money for social services), if you didnt insist on increasing funding for private schools,instead of wiping it all together, then we would have enough money to pay for teachers payrises, give every school a computer for every student, wipe school fees, and have enough left over to do up every classroom in the country, and throw the doors open at night for ACE.

    At first, I was against the PPTA going on strike, because I thought it would just backfire on them, but seeing as Gordon Gekko and Miss MicroThatcher have nothing but contempt for the teachers, then the teachers should up it a notch. Go out on strike indefinetely.

  14. jpwood 14
    21 October 2010 at 9:56 pm

    Karen Roach Sturmarztinfuerer for northland proposes her workers have their rights of free association curtailed.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10681833

    Wards of vomit for all!
    http://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s109596.htm

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    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand Honours Maori King ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • The Principles of the Treaty

    Hardly anyone says what are ‘the principles of the treaty’. The courts’ interpretation restrain the New Zealand Government. While they about protecting a particular community, those restraints apply equally to all community in a liberal democracy – including a single person.Treaty principles were introduced into the governance of New Zealand ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Only Other Reliable Vehicle.

    An Elite Leader Awaiting Rotation? Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen.THE SHAPE OF CHRIS HIPKINS’ THINKING on Labour’s optimum pathway to re-election is emerging steadily. At the core of his strategy is Hipkins’ view ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • A Big F U to this Right Wing Government

    Open to all - deep thanks to those who support and subscribe.One of the things that has got me interested recently is updates about Māori wards.In April, Stuff’s Karanama Ruru reported that ~ 2/3 of our 78 councils had adopted Māori wards in NZ.That meant that under the Coalition repeal ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: James Shaw’s legacy keeps paying off

    One of the central planks of the previous Labour-Green government's emissions reduction policy was GIDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry). This was basically using ETS revenue to pay polluters to clean up production, reducing emissions while protecting jobs. Corporate welfare, but it got the job done, and was often a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Gravity

    Oh twice as much ain't twice as goodAnd can't sustain like one half couldIt's wanting moreThat's gonna send me to my kneesSong: John MayerSome ups and downs from the last week of August ‘24. The good and bad, happy and sad, funny and mad, heroes and cads. The week that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Ditch the climate double speak and get real

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The Government announced changes to the Fast-Track Approvals Bill on Sunday, backing off from the contentious proposal to give ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to August 30

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest science of changing sea temperatures and which emissions policies actually work; on the latest from Ukraine, Gaza and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • This Govt’s infrastructure strategy depends on capital gains taxes & new road taxes

    Billions of dollars in value uplift was identified around the Transmission Gully project, but that was captured 100% by landowners and not shared to pay for the project. Now National is saying value capture should be used for similar projects. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/ Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 30-August-2024

    Kia ora and welcome to the end of another week. Here’s our regular Friday roundup of things that caught our eye, in the realm of cities and transport. If you enjoy these roundups, feel free to join our growing ranks of supporters by making a recurring donation to keep the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Table Talk: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.

    “That’s the sort of constitutional reform he favours: conceived in secret; revolutionary in intent; implemented incrementally without fanfare; and under no circumstances to be placed before the electorate for democratic ratification.”TO SAY IT WAS RAINING would have understated seriously the meteorological conditions. Simply put, it was pissing down. One of ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Big Norm and Chris Hipkins

    It’s 50 years ago today that “Big Norm” Kirk died of a heart attack in Wellington’s Home of Compassion. Home of Compassion. Although he was Prime Minister for only 623 days, he has an iconic place in New Zealand history, particularly Labour history. When Labour leaders like Jacinda Ardern recite ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #35 2024

    Open access notables Arctic glacier snowline altitudes rise 150 m over the last 4 decades, Larocca et al., The Cryosphere: We mapped the snowline (SL) on a subset of 269 land-terminating glaciers above 60° N latitude in the latest available summer, clear-sky Landsat satellite image between 1984 and 2022. The mean SLA was extracted ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government backs women in horticulture

    “The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says.  “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government to pause freshwater farm plan rollout

    The Government will pause the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “Improving the freshwater farm plan system to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers is a priority for this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Milestone reached for fixing the Holidays Act 2003

    Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says yesterday Cabinet reached another milestone on fixing the Holidays Act with approval of the consultation exposure draft of the Bill ready for release next week to participants.  “This Government will improve the Holidays Act with the help of businesses, workers, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New priorities to protect future of conservation

    Toitū te marae a Tāne Mahuta me Hineahuone, toitū te marae a Tangaroa me Hinemoana, toitū te taiao, toitū te tangata. The Government has introduced clear priorities to modernise Te Papa Atawhai - The Department of Conservation’s protection of our natural taonga. “Te Papa Atawhai manages nearly a third of our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Faster 110km/h speed limit to accelerate Kāpiti

    A new 110km/h speed limit for the Kāpiti Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS) has been approved to reduce travel times for Kiwis travelling in and out of Wellington, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • IVL increase to ensure visitors contribute more to New Zealand

    The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will be raised to $100 to ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Matt Doocey and Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka say. “The Government is serious about enabling the tourism sector ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Delivering priority connections for the West Coast

    A record $255 million for transport investment on the West Coast through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s road and rail links to keep people connected and support the region’s economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Government is committed to making sure that every ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Road and rail reliability a focus for Wellington

    A record $3.3 billion of transport investment in Greater Wellington through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will increase productivity and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. We're focused on delivering transport projects ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Record investment to boost economic and housing growth in the Waikato

    A record $1.9 billion for transport investment in the Waikato through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more efficient, safe, and resilient roading network that supports economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “With almost a third of the country’s freight travelling into, out ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Building reliable and efficient roading for Taranaki

    A record $808 million for transport investment in Taranaki through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Taranaki’s roads carry a high volume of freight from primary industries and it’s critical we maintain efficient connections across the region to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Supporting growth and resilience in Otago and Southland

    A record $1.4 billion for transport investment in Otago and Southland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more resilient and efficient network that supports economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity in Otago ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Delivering connected and resilient roading for Northland

    A record $991 million for transport investment in Northland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s connections and support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “We are committed to making sure that every transport dollar is spent wisely on the projects and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Top of the South to benefit from reliable transport infrastructure

    A record $479 million for transport investment across the top of the South Island through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will build a stronger road network that supports primary industries and grows the economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “We’re committed to making sure that every dollar is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government delivering reliable roads for Manawatū-Whanganui

    A record $1.6 billion for transport investment in Manawatū-Whanganui through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s importance as a strategic freight hub that boosts economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Restoring connections in Hawke’s Bay

    A record $657 million for transport investment in the Hawke’s Bay through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support recovery from cyclone damage and build greater resilience into the network to support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “We are committed to making sure that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Transport resilience a priority for Gisborne

    A record $255 million for transport investment in Gisborne through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support economic growth and restore the cyclone-damaged network, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “With $255 million of investment over the next three years, we are committed to making sure that every transport ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Prioritising growth and reduced travel times in Canterbury

    A record $1.8 billion for transport investment Canterbury through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will boost economic growth and productivity and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Christchurch is the economic powerhouse of the South Island, and transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Supporting growth and freight in the Bay of Plenty

    A record $1.9 billion for transport investment in the Bay of Plenty through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will boost economic growth and unlock land for thousands of houses, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity in the Bay of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Getting transport back on track in Auckland

    A record $8.4 billion for transport investment in Auckland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will deliver the infrastructure our rapidly growing region needs to support economic growth and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Aucklanders rejected the previous government’s transport policies which resulted in non-delivery, phantoms projects, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Record investment to get transport back on track

    A record $32.9 billion investment in New Zealand’s transport network through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more reliable and efficient transport network that boosts economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “New Zealanders rejected the previous government’s transport policies which resulted in non-delivery, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Consultation is open on gambling harm strategy

    Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey has welcomed the start of Gambling Harm Awareness Week by encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on the next three-year strategy to prevent and minimise gambling harm.  “While many New Zealanders enjoy gambling as a pastime without issue, the statistics are clear that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • JOINT STATEMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER CHRISTOPHER LUXON

    1.    Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim hosted Prime Minister Rt. Hon Christopher Luxon on an Official Visit to Malaysia from 1 to 3 September 2024. Both leaders expressed appreciation for enduring and warm bilateral ties over 67 years of diplomatic relations. The Malaysia – New Zealand Strategic Partnership 2.    The ...
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