Open mike 20/11/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 20th, 2015 - 58 comments
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58 comments on “Open mike 20/11/2015 ”

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  1. amirite 1
    20 November 2015 at 7:09 am

    Another day, another Ode to Our Glorious Leader in the N̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶P̶a̶r̶t̶y̶ ̶B̶u̶l̶l̶e̶t̶i̶n̶s̶ NZ Herald and Stuff. Doig a dirty job for Obama and Big Corpo isn’t praiseworthy.

    • savenz 1.1
      20 November 2015 at 8:16 am

      Don’t read that crap. The Guardian, Scoop, https://dimpost.wordpress.com, https://dimpost.wordpress.com, http://thedailyblog.co.nz… others might know other sites to read instead of Herald and Stuff…

      • James 1.1.1
        20 November 2015 at 10:09 am

        Indeed – best to only read news and commentary that you agree with huh?

        • savenz 1.1.1.1
          20 November 2015 at 12:28 pm

          Yep, why pay to read National party propaganda – there are plenty of other news sources to get real opinion. I think he Herald purge of left wing commentators is not something I want to support in a main stream news paper. Pretty Nazi.

          • savenz 1.1.1.1.1
            20 November 2015 at 12:58 pm

            In fact it reminds me of what new management at TV3 did.

            This is a quote from John Campbell/Metro interview

            http://www.metromag.co.nz/current-affairs/john-campbell-after-the-fall/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=John%20Campbell

            ““What was TV3? First of all it was the underdog battler that went into receivership twice and somehow survived. It had a news programme that no one watched, but it just kept trying, and it put comedy on television, it put Westies on television in Outrageous Fortune, it put Polynesians on television in bro’Town, it did great comedy, and there were brilliant people taking great risks… It gave a professional platform for people to earn a living, and to show us ourselves, and to be good.

            “And then along come some business people who think, ‘We’re going to stamp a template on it.’ But actually they’ve missed what TV3 stood for. TV3 had a connection with New Zealand that wasn’t simple, that did celebrate our ability to battle and get on with life, all of those good things we believe about ourselves, the can-do, the number-eight wire, all of that shit, with a lovely sprinkling of parody, of not taking ourselves too seriously.”

            In my view the Herald has done a similar thing to TV3 management, they missed the readership of Herald and purged any slightly left leaning commentary to make it into a very right wing anti intellectual frivolous political party newspaper that is written around the whims of the 1% and can not be considered news anymore.

    • alwyn 1.2
      20 November 2015 at 10:45 am

      Why don’t you just read the Editorial. I’m sure it will make your little chest swell up with pride. All hail the Labour Party.
      A plea to donate to the party that no-one apart from The Herald appears to want.
      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11548120
      It’s a shame there isn’t a great deal of reality in the editorial but this is the Herald after all.

  2. Proud poppy wearer 2
    20 November 2015 at 7:35 am

    What job is he doing for Obama and this big corpo chap you speak of ?

  3. savenz 3
    20 November 2015 at 8:18 am

    In Syria I learned that Islamic State longs to provoke retaliation. We should not fall into the trap.

    As a proud Frenchman I am as distressed as anyone about the events in Paris. But I am not shocked or incredulous. I know Islamic State. I spent 10 months as an Isis hostage, and I know for sure that our pain, our grief, our hopes, our lives do not touch them. Theirs is a world apart…..

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/16/isis-bombs-hostage-syria-islamic-state-paris-attacks

    [lprent: as the caustic replies to your comment say, You should learn to quote to separate what you say from what some else said ]

    • nadis 3.1
      20 November 2015 at 8:36 am

      You should put quotes around something you lift from the internet. For a moment I thought you had something interesting to say.

      [lprent: agreed. Thanks for the heads up. ]

      • Brutus Iscariot 3.1.1
        20 November 2015 at 9:49 am

        Agreed. Mods should edit that post.

        [lprent: The word here is “comment”. Posts refer to what authors say, comments are what commenters say. If you read the policy you will find that I and the other moderators tend to be rather direct about criticising our valuable authors.

        While we make vague attempts to avoid accidentally inflicting fratricide on unwitting critics, we don’t go far out of our way to look at who they are criticising if it sounds like you are dissing an author. It is up to you to be precise enough to avoid accidentally getting banned. Since we read the comments backwards through time and without the context of a thread, I’d suggest that you provide the precise context inside your comment rather than referring to the post.

        Be safe, be precise.

        But thanks for the heads up. ]

  4. Wairua 4
    20 November 2015 at 8:43 am

    None of the flag designs proposed in this referendum reference our polynesian heritage, or wars which led to raupatu, dispossession, and consequences today.

    All of them are ahistorical, products of PR committee compromise.

    None are worth dying for.

    The process is advertised as ‘binding’. By whom ? By what moral or legal right ?

    Will there be a knock on the door by someone at 3 AM saying “you didn’t vote, mate” ?

    John Key has invested a lot in this referendum.

    Don’t do it.

    Remember Wairau, Taranaki, Waitara, and the Waikato ..

    Remember Titokowaru, remember Te Kooti ..

    • maui 4.1
      20 November 2015 at 10:33 am

      Absolutely, I’m most dubious about Red Peak, that apparently looks like a tekoteko panel or the front of a meeting house. Both those things seem to have happened by accident, is there really any meaning there or is it just marketing. I would still prefer the current nz flag, it has a meaning although compromised, school kids get the meaning and it has some history.

      • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1
        20 November 2015 at 10:41 am

        I would still prefer the current nz flag, it has a meaning although compromised, school kids get the meaning and it has some history.

        The only meaning our present flag has is that it shows that we’re still a colony of Britain rather than an independent nation.

        No, I won’t be voting to change the flag but that’s because we haven’t yet made the transition to being a republic.

        • Grindlebottom 4.1.1.1
          20 November 2015 at 11:53 am

          Good point. And even if we had become a republic I’d rather have the current flag than one of these logos as our new national flag.

        • Rosie 4.1.1.2
          20 November 2015 at 12:57 pm

          Ditto Draco. Further helped in that decision by there not being any worthy designs, and because this referendum exists purely to support Key’s legacy project. All good reasons not vote. Would love to see the current flag gone, at the right time.

          Wonder what the turn out will be part one of the referendum?

          Under 40%

        • maui 4.1.2.1
          20 November 2015 at 12:08 pm

          Thanks, that’s what I mean.

          • Sacha 4.1.2.1.1
            20 November 2015 at 6:05 pm

            “Both those things seem to have happened by accident”

            Cmon, it’s carefully designed and they have even explained the references. Not that I really care much until we see associated constitutional reforms discussed.

      • Kevin 4.1.3
        20 November 2015 at 7:18 pm

        So the symbolism in a flag has to be blindingly obvious to you maui?

        It’s all there in the colours and the shapes.

        • McFlock 4.1.3.1
          20 November 2015 at 7:25 pm

          lol flags are a bit like art or architecture.

          I strongly suspect that in many cases colours and shapes are chosen arbitrarily, and the “symbolism” is then bullshitted over the top according to whomever the audience of the sales pitch is going to be.

          Personally I’m voting for the monkey butt flag first and then the current one. The first vote is because the flag most often represents the NZ govt (like at APEC or the UN), and the govt is full of arseholes, the second because I reckon that before we change the flag we should make the current flag less relevant by changing our head of state.

  5. esoteric pineapples 5
    20 November 2015 at 9:04 am

    Interesting article in Stuff today about an Auckland University study that found that: “Children who were exposed to marijuana were almost 50 per cent better at a “global motion task” than those who had no exposure.”

    It found alcohol has the opposite (negative) effect but that exposure to marijuana appears to cancel this out. One implication seems to be that people who drink while pregnant should also smoke marijuana.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/74226745/stoner-mums-babies-excel-in-one-aspect-of-brain-study

    • Quokka 5.1
      20 November 2015 at 9:08 am

      What exactly is a “global motion task” ? Policy should not be based on pseudoscience.

      • You_Fool 5.1.1
        20 November 2015 at 9:52 am

        From the article

        The test involved a set of signal dots moving in one direction and another set of dots moving in random directions. An observer needed to be able to say which way the signal dots were moving.

        The test involves specific brain areas which are most susceptible to development risk factors.

        Also the scientist published their results and were subjected to peer review, which would suggest their research was able to be backed up and wasn’t pseudo anything.
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_Reports

        • McFlock 5.1.1.1
          20 November 2015 at 1:08 pm

          stoners would make good air traffic controllers? posssssibly….

        • Sacha 5.1.1.2
          20 November 2015 at 6:09 pm

          Interesting. Saw a news story months ago about a study saying aspies are also better at the same test. Can’t recall where (thanks, Twitter).

      • Roflcopter 5.1.2
        20 November 2015 at 9:54 am

        What exactly is a “global motion task” ?

        Being so stoned, you shit your pants in front of everyone.

        • Sabine 5.1.2.1
          20 November 2015 at 10:07 am

          hmmm, i always thought that it was the drunks that shit or pissed themselves.
          At least the drunks passed out in the gutters of Auckland after thrusday/friday/saturday beersies, look like they shit, pissed and vomited on themselves.

          Never seen that on a stoner, they usually just have chocolate all over their face.

          • Paaparakauta 5.1.2.1.1
            20 November 2015 at 12:13 pm

            It’s one thing to fall in love with your own research, another to work out what it means in terms of public health policy.

            Is ‘esoteric pineapples’ working for the marijuana industry ? He or she states that “people who drink while pregnant should also smoke marijuana”.

            Further, “The test involves specific brain areas which are most susceptible to development risk factors.” Which risk factors ? Why ? Please explain.

            Relating specific brain morphology to development involves hugely different levels of analysis.

            It can be read as meaning almost anything.

          • Rosie 5.1.2.1.2
            20 November 2015 at 1:00 pm

            Smiling at your last sentence Sabine.

            The first two, are sadly true. Could be any city centre around NZ.

  6. Tautoko Mangō Mata 6
    20 November 2015 at 9:23 am

    Public Citizen have posted their analysis on the TPP Investment Chapter.
    Key points:
    no new conflict interest rules
    no cap on tribunal costs
    only improvement- partial carve out of tobacco control
    partial carve out indicates weakness of health/environmental clauses
    http://www.citizen.org/documents/analysis-tpp-investment-chapter-november-2015.pdf

    • ianmac 6.1
      20 November 2015 at 9:50 am

      Ther you go Tautoko Mangō Mata. Upset me.
      A terrifying thing that TPPA. Safeguards in earlier leaked documents have been dropped. For example even if a Government won a dispute, it would still be liable for costs of the Tribunal. About $US8million.
      A big document with very very worrying details even though it is written from the point of view of USA.

  7. Karen 7
    20 November 2015 at 9:30 am

    Call to moderators.

    Could the Standard help publicise the Hikoi for Homes tomorrow? Details here:

    http://www.cpag.org.nz/the-latest/hikoi-for-homes-everyone-deserves-a-home/

    I’m going to do the full 3 hours from Glen Innes (in Auckland) but you can just join it in Orakei for the last hour. There are also marches in Christchurch and Wellington.

  8. Morrissey 8
    20 November 2015 at 9:51 am

    Thank God I Wasn’t There
    No. 1: With Peta Mathias in Morocco

    In part eight of ‘Sirocco’, Hicham (pron. Ee’-sham) and Latifa (La’ tee far’) take Peta Mathias and her photographer friend Anna up the coast towards Tangier, where eventually they will be staying.

    We drove off toward Tangier, singing…”

    I decided I would have some henna painting done on my legs, so immediately a girl was called in to do it.”

    Peta Mathias Sirocco (Vintage, 2002)

    • Kevin 8.1
      20 November 2015 at 7:21 pm

      I am amazed you managed to suffer through something with Peta Mathias in it.

      • Morrissey 8.1.1
        23 November 2015 at 10:44 am

        Those two extracts were about all I heard of it. I actually prefer her to some other celebrity cooks, such as Nigella Lawson, the execrable Ramsay and the preternaturally dull Peter Gordon.

  9. Rosemary McDonald 9
    20 November 2015 at 10:19 am

    Seriously interesting interview on Natrad this morning…YES you read right.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201779566/cancer-treatments-using-nutrient-and-plant-based-chemicals

    Prof Lynnette Fergussen from Auckland Uni publicising recent worldwide research into cancer treatment.

    ” “In particular, many newer targeted therapies are extremely expensive, highly toxic and not effective for rare types of cancer and advanced cancers.”

    “Even when they appear to work, a significant percentage of patients will experience a relapse after only a few months,” she says. “Typically advanced cancers are untreatable and relapses occur when small sub-populations of mutated cells become resistant to therapy. Doctors who try to address this problem with combinations of therapies find that therapeutic toxicity typically limits their ability to stop many cancers.”

    https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2015/11/plant-and-food-chemicals-may-help-treat-cancers.html

    “The taskforce also wanted to produce an approach to therapy that would have the potential to be very low cost, because many of the latest cancer therapies are deemed unaffordable in low-to-middle income countries.”

    “Accordingly, the task force has laid the groundwork for a solution that should be both inexpensive and effective in making this novel approach available to people who are suffering from cancer throughout the world.”

    The research is supposed to be available fro Elsevier as an open download…but I can’t find at present.

    Putting on my tinfoil hat….this research and it’s overarching premise that cancers can be treated and managed inexpensively will make the Big Pharmaceutical Companies collectively shit themselves.

    I am wondering if this research is being rightly promoted now….before the TPP is set in concrete.

    • Editractor 9.1
      20 November 2015 at 1:38 pm

      I think this is the abstract – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Seminars+in+Cancer+Biology+Ferguson

      The “Free full text” button isn’t working for me at the moment but might become available later.

      Edit: nope, that looks like an older paper, though related. If you click on the first author’s name you also get a list of her other related papers. Interesting topic.

      Edit 2: This is the one, with downloadable PDF – http://www.researchgate.net/publication/274318440_Designing_a_Broad-Spectrum_Integrative_Approach_for_Cancer_Prevention_and_Treatment

      • Rosemary McDonald 9.1.1
        20 November 2015 at 2:21 pm

        @Editractor

        Many thanks for that. Can be a bit tricky for a mere interested person (rather than an academic attached to an institution) to download full texts of serious scientific research papers. Elsevier is a reputable publisher, yes(?), I have many papers published there on my hard drive…mostly to do with pesticide and cancer research.

        I have added this one…my reading for later!

        Again…thanks.

        • Editractor 9.1.1.1
          20 November 2015 at 3:23 pm

          Not all publishers provide open access papers but PubMed is the place to look first. PubMed essentially catalogues most published scientific papers in the biology sphere (open access and not), though judging by this paper they lag behind other outlets.

          One possible way to get papers is to contact the authors directly – an email address for correspondence is often attached to each paper. Once upon a time authors would order reprints of papers that they would manually post out. Whether they would be willing or allowed to send out a PDF now for a pay-walled paper I don’t know. And hopefully they would be receptive to a non-expert who was showing interest.

          Elsevier is one of the biggest scientific publishers, but beyond that my comments should be limited given that I do some work for them. They are also an overall company for a vast range of journals, each with their own editorial staff who make decisions on what is published. I’m pretty sure all their primary research papers will be peer-reviewed though, so it’s probably best to judge a paper on its own merits rather than on who published it.

  10. Rodel 10
    20 November 2015 at 11:58 am

    Richie McCaw (peace be upon him) declines knighthood…in the meantime. Good lad.

    Watch JK drop him like a hot potato, or gradually as the fame euphoria decreases and the potential for vicarious glory diminishes.

  12. Anne 12
    20 November 2015 at 4:23 pm

    Wasn’t sure of her at first, but Andrea Vance is rapidly becoming one of our best MSM journalists. Puts some of the old girls and boys to shame.

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/andrea-vance-chris-finlayson-stop-fear-mongering-and-go-dark-yourself

  13. Morrissey 13
    20 November 2015 at 5:32 pm

    Moronic Pussy Riot-inspired Kool-Aid drinkers
    manhandled after disrupting Islamic conference in France
    by Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, September 15, 2015

    Members of a feminist protest group known for storming events topless has disrupted an Islamic conference in France and caught what appears to be a bit of a beating in the process.

    Femen, founded in Ukraine, doesn’t have a huge reputation stateside. The group, the subject of a 2014 documentary, is known for its advocacy on behalf of Ukranian rape victims and ambushing Russian President Vladimir Putin — news that isn’t always news on the other side of the Atlantic. But the group’s provocative tactic — as the group’s Facebook page puts it: “Our God is a Woman! Our Mission is Protest! Our Weapon are bare breasts!” — keeps the group in the headlines from time to time.

    Even right-wing media sites like Breitbart were impressed when two young women, sans shirts, took the stage last weekend at what was billed as a “Muslim salon” in Pontoise, France, a town just outside of Paris. The salon, as Buzzfeed reported, included a conversation about “Women’s valuation in Islam.”

    In dramatic video that’s not exactly safe for work, the women take the lectern and start shouting in French: “Nobody enslaves me, nobody owns me, I’m my own prophet.” Messages written on their chests — a Femen trademark — offered similar messages.

    “The two activists (both coming from Muslim families) [gave voice to] hundreds of women, feminists, and associations, all disgusted by this public hate speeches,” the group wrote on Facebook. “It was our duty to interrupt this enslavement event, and to let a scream of freedom be heard in the middle of their submission lessons.”

    The women were quickly escorted offstage. But the escorting seemed to turn into a scuffle as a number of men began kicking the women once they were down.

    A reporter for Buzzfeed France present at the event told the Washington Post that, at the time the women took the stage, the imams they interrupted were actually taking a moderate tone.

    Yet, Perrotin said the protest fit into Femen’s anti-religious, anti-authoritarian message. Perrotin pointed out that they staged a similar protest at Notre Dame last year.

    “It’s the logical fight of Femen,” Perrotin said. “They protest against all forms of misogyny … although some opponents accuse them of Islamophobia.”

    Perrotin also said the use of force was unquestionable.

    “Yes, it was pretty violent,” he said. “… I saw a Femen beaten by a man who did not belong to security.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/09/15/topless-female-protesters-manhandled-after-disrupting-islamic-conference-in-france/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_1_na

  14. Old mill ann 14
    20 November 2015 at 5:59 pm

    How credible is it that Obama and Turnbell have ‘accidentally’ been recorded having a conversation about Key describing him as a ‘role model’ and ‘ wonderful guy’ in the full glare of the media. This really stinks…

  15. Morrissey 15
    20 November 2015 at 6:00 pm

    “It’s never appropriate to call cops ‘murderers’, particularly
    when they risk their lives to protect us.”—Fox News pundit

    Admittedly you do hear discussions of this calibre on NewstalkZB, especially when Blubberguts Slater and Larry “Lackwit” Williams are involved, but for sheer moronic intensity, Fox News is still the stupidest, the most offensive, the downright worst media outlet in the world….

    Fox hosts slam Quentin Tarantino for protesting police violence

  16. McFlock 16
    20 November 2015 at 6:55 pm

    WTF is going on?
    Besides the headline calling the aussie deportees’ flight “con air”, now the deportees were handcuffed by the NZ cops?

    In a country where they had committed no crime, just to get off a fucking plane?
    And this is after the minister reckoned the cuffs had been an aussy decision – so were they handcuffed by the aussies on the plane, and then the nz cops decided to handcuff innocent citizens, or was it just the nz police who made the call and the minister lied outright?

    Too many different stories. Something stinks.

  17. capn insano 17
    20 November 2015 at 8:31 pm

    I just thought this one was worth sharing, a response to over-privileged tory twats like Hosking and his pontificating on student loan debt;

    https://millennialposse.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/burn-all-student-debt/

  18. Chooky 18
    20 November 2015 at 11:16 pm

    ‘In the fight against ISIS, Russia ain’t taking no prisoners’

    by Pepe Escobar

    Pepe Escobar is the roving correspondent for Asia Times/Hong Kong, an analyst for RT and TomDispatch, and a frequent contributor to websites and radio shows ranging from the US to East Asia.

    https://www.rt.com/op-edge/322613-russia-isis-anti-terrorism-operation-syria/

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    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

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