Open Mike 21/01/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, January 21st, 2019 - 99 comments
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99 comments on “Open Mike 21/01/2019 ”

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    • Morrissey 1.1
      21 January 2019 at 9:12 am

      Long as she doesn’t say: “Where she goes, we go.”

      Let May be consumed in the conflagration she was stupid enough to encourage.

    • Shadrach 1.2
      21 January 2019 at 1:56 pm

      Is that where she is. We were beginning to wonder.

      • veutoviper 1.2.1
        21 January 2019 at 2:10 pm

        Why? She has had a summer recess, as is usual for all previous NZ governments and politicians.

        Timing wise, she has not taken a longer break than previous PMs – eg Key.

        In fact, she at least spends her summer recess and holiday here in NZ, unlike Key who disappeared off to Hawaii to his condominium there rather than spending his holidays here in NZ, despite being PM. I don’t remember Key spending any of his holidays/breaks from Parliament in NZ.

        • shadrach 1.2.1.1
          21 January 2019 at 2:24 pm

          “She has had a summer recess, as is usual for all previous NZ governments and politicians.”
          The PM has been in hiding for longer than a normal ‘summer recess’. My patience for someone who is paid so much to achieve so little is wearing thin.

          “I don’t remember Key spending any of his holidays/breaks from Parliament in NZ.”
          So what? I can smell the envy on your breath!

          • veutoviper 1.2.1.1.1
            21 January 2019 at 2:43 pm

            “The PM has been in hiding for longer than a normal ‘summer recess’.”

            BS – not for NZ Parliament and politicians, In past years, Parliament often used to rise early to mid December and not resumed to end Jan/early Feb, with PMs and MPs drifting back about 20 January onwards – ie exactly as per this year, with Ardern being back on deck since late last week and now in the UK before going on to the EU and the annual Davos meeting.

            The last two years, Parliament has not risen until less than a week before Christmas day, and while Parliament is not due to resit until mid Feb this is actually much more practical than starting again in last Jan and then having to break for Waitangi day etc.

            Envy on my breath? Again, BS.

            I lived, studied and worked overseas for years at a time. And for the first 20 or so years of my career both here and overseas, I traveled continually because of the nature of my work. I actually loved it when I finally changed direction workwise and was able to stay in one place and not have to travel, but could still do so when and if I wanted to.

            Oh, and by the way, a lot of the second half of my career was spent working closely in liaison with Parliament, Ministers and their offices, Select Committees etc, including secondments actually working there.

            The PM may have been quiet over this period, but I can guarantee that she will still have been kept totally in the picture and briefed by her Parliamentary Office, DPMC, and the various Duty Ministers on deck continually over the period.

            • shadrach 1.2.1.1.1.1
              22 January 2019 at 10:08 am

              Wow I have touched a nerve.

              Your comments about Key holidaying overseas were pure envy, whatever your protestations. The fact that you have travelled yourself makes them even worse.

              As for Ardern, she is a part-time, without the courage to deal with errant ministers, or the savvy to actually achieve anything beyond rhetoric. Her halo has slipped.

          • Gabby 1.2.1.1.2
            21 January 2019 at 2:45 pm

            Where’s ponyboy at the moment shadders?

  2. Herodotus 2
    21 January 2019 at 9:07 am

    I have mentioned this previously “Get Housing sorted Out” and many other problems vanish
    “Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said demand for hardship grants was related to the cost of housing.”
    So why does the government WASTE its time and energies with Kiwibuild when enlarging the State housing portfolio helps those in REAL need.
    Kiwibuild is not to help the poor But to collect votes from the middle.
    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/10/30/surprise-surprise-kiwibuild-is-for-the-children-of-the-white-middle-classes/
    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/380435/government-benefits-still-not-enough-a-poverty-action-group-says
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12192463

    • mickysavage 2.1
      21 January 2019 at 9:17 am

      Kiwibuild is not the only housing policy. It is also designed to address market failure in providing too many McMansions and not enough entry level houses.

      In its first year the government created 1,300 new public housing households.

      https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/1300-more-households-public-housing

      • Wayne 2.1.1
        21 January 2019 at 10:12 am

        They must have just about all been planned and contracted by the previous government. The Labour NZ First govt has been in office for 15 months. When is it going to announce the completion of houses that were actually planned and contracted by them?

        After 15 months, I would have expected say 1000 houses to be planned and built by this government (as opposed to completing contracts of the previous govt). That is, first contracts let by end March 2018 (giving them 5 months to set things up) with first completions about 4 months later, so end of July.

        Has that happened to any extent, by that I mean in the hundreds each month?

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1
          21 January 2019 at 11:06 am

          They must have just about all been planned and contracted by the previous government.

          [citation needed]

          All I can recall National saying about state housing was that they were selling them off. Certainly nothing about building any.

          • Wayne 2.1.1.1.1
            21 January 2019 at 11:16 am

            Some were built. Many more were leased from the private sector on long term leases and then rented by Housing NZ to their tenants. Labour is continuing that policy since it gets housing into the Housing NZ stock quickly, albeit that it is on a long term lease. Property owners like it because they have a guaranteed rental from the Housing NZ, with Housing NZ doing all the maintenance including damage by tenants.

            • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1.1.1
              21 January 2019 at 11:26 am

              Some were built.

              [citation needed]

              Property owners like it because they have a guaranteed rental from the Housing NZ, with Housing NZ doing all the maintenance including damage by tenants.

              Yes, I’m pretty sure that they do like having a government guaranteed profit.

              It’s something that I don’t think should ever happen as all it really does is cost us more.

            • bwaghorn 2.1.1.1.1.2
              21 January 2019 at 11:56 am

              More free marketeers that use socialism when it suits them then .
              “””Property owners like it because they have a guaranteed rental from the Housing NZ, with Housing NZ doing all the maintenance including damage by tenants.”””

              • OnceWasTim …
                21 January 2019 at 1:31 pm

                It’s baked on. As Jacinda might say “Where National stands, Wayne stands with you”
                Or like Mrs Marsh once said “Like this piece of chalk, it really gets in” -supposedly on the basis of research – not unlike that of the tobacco industry in years gone by

                Jacinda’s got and excuse though having grown up and only ever experiencing life in the era of the neo-liberal.
                We’re kind of running out of labels now though.

                What are we going to call the future (going forward)?
                Colonilaism / Imperialism – already used
                Post-Colonialism ditto
                Post-Imperialism sort of implies that it’s not going to be imperialist
                Neo-Colonialasm, Neo Imperialism maybe? Post Partum Neo-Colonialism maybe. As Tony Vietch suggests – it probably won’t even matter if we continue deifying fucking old fossils, most of whom are in the early stages of losing their marbles, and/or the nouveau riche

              • shadrach …
                21 January 2019 at 2:28 pm

                Private ownership of rental stock is, by definition, not socialism. The government deploying private capital to deliver services is a long established practice of mixed market economies that is extremely effective, eg healthcare, education, roading and many more examples.

                • bwaghorn …
                  21 January 2019 at 5:01 pm

                  No it’s not but lining up to get long term leases from the government when most of the owners would be nat voting winner takes all types who hate those below them and resent taxs going to them (just witness the nats opening the year by benny’s bashing for proof) is scabby arsed hypocrisy

                  • shadrach …
                    22 January 2019 at 10:11 am

                    How do you know about the voting habits of landlords?

                    And who’s ‘lining up’. I know people who own property who have approached by HNZ before they even considered making their rentals available to state tenants. As I pointed out, there is a long history of private sector assistance to government in the provision of services. It works well.

                • ropata …
                  22 January 2019 at 12:39 am

                  A lot of these so called mixed ownership models are socialism for the rich – pocketing subsidies from the taxpayer – e.g the accommodation supplement caused rents to jump by $50 overnight – immediately siphoned off by landlords

                  • shadrach …
                    22 January 2019 at 10:14 am

                    Oh I totally agree. That’s what happens when a stupid and naieve government introduces policy based on virtue signalling. Like the Fees Free policy. Wealthy people benefit. But that doesn’t get away from the fact that when properly governed, by a competent government, the mixed model works.

          • Dennis Frank 2.1.1.1.2
            21 January 2019 at 11:19 am

            Good point. I don’t recall ever hearing of a govt plan to build more state houses while National was it. But I suspect Wayne’s point was directed at the use by MS of households as a technical term.

        • tc 2.1.1.2
          21 January 2019 at 3:46 pm

          Yes dear

      • The Chairman 2.1.2
        21 January 2019 at 10:39 am

        “Kiwibuild is not the only housing policy.”

        More needs to be done on improving infrastructure. Such as extending rail to the outer regions where housing is far cheaper.

      • Herodotus 2.1.3
        21 January 2019 at 10:49 am

        Kiwibuild was to achieve housing at a lower price point than the market was delivering due to savings in its buying ability with volume. What is currently happening is that the govt is buying from developers, there is NO savings by buying building materials in bulk.
        ps there was housing being provided at the (broken) promised levels of Kiwibuild i.e. $550-600k for a 3-4 bedroom – only issues these new houses were in places like Pokeno, Pukekohe etc
        The market “failure” was due to houses being built for the immigration and offshore investors. A new immigrant/investor was purchasing houses $1-1.5m.
        Also as an aside all my friends 1st and 2nd townhouses/houses were not new houses. It was not until 3rd-4th house did any build buy new, as new had a premium price over existing.

    • Sacha 2.2
      21 January 2019 at 9:42 am

      When government builds state houses it has to pay the whole amount for each one. KiwiBuild recycles private money back into the pot, so it builds more houses for the same money.

      The real barrier is this govt’s ‘fiscal cap’ rather than spending what’s actually needed to fix the problem right now.

      • The Chairman 2.2.1
        21 January 2019 at 10:41 am

        Indeed, Sacha.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.2.2
        21 January 2019 at 11:10 am

        KiwiBuild recycles private money back into the pot, so it builds more houses for the same money.

        There’s no recycling of money. In all cases new money is created. When the government sells a Kiwibuild house all it does is shift who holds the debt. The expanding private debt that we have is likely to result in the collapse of the economy.

        The real barrier is this govt’s ‘fiscal cap’ rather than spending what’s actually needed to fix the problem right now.

        True.

        • Herodotus 2.2.2.1
          21 January 2019 at 11:22 am

          Under the buying off the plans – The govt doesn’t spend a cent, unless ( the govt who under writes the purchases), there are properties not “picked up” by the ballot would “purchase” and then govt would be outlay the $. Currently the govt is a realestate agent – matching sellers with buyers.

          • Graeme 2.2.2.1.1
            21 January 2019 at 12:26 pm

            “Currently the govt is a realestate agent – matching sellers with buyers.”

            That is correct for the start of the program, but as it goes along the government will be picking up a proportion of the units from the developers since Kiwi Build underwrites or de-risks the construction of very basic dwellings that would otherwise be too hard for our building industry because of the way it operates.

            Every house built in NZ is effectively a one off so needs to be quite large and “flash” to amortise the fixed costs. Combine that with most houses being built to maximise re-sale prospects, so being 3 or 4 bedroom, and we get new subdivisions full of McMansions.

            Currently KB is working within the building industry, but it sounds like they are looking at changing that, or getting industry participants to adopt different models. This went on in 70’s with Keith Hay, Universal and Neil turning out lots of entry level dwellings very efficiently. We’ve lost that side of the industry.

            As the program gets mature there will be unsold units, but that’s the objective, to create surplus supply. I would imagine these would go into the HNZ pool.

            • Herodotus 2.2.2.1.1.1
              21 January 2019 at 12:47 pm

              So whilst we wait until “the Program gets mature” the social ills continue ?
              And what was “promised” talked about pre election is not what is being delivered. 🤥
              And now we have the news that the Boss has left. ( I hope that he wasn’t given a “golden handshake” with his resignation )
              The Plan is appearing to be less and less managed and more of ….

    • sumsuch 2.3
      22 January 2019 at 12:27 am

      The problem with Labour since 84.

  3. joe90 3
    21 January 2019 at 9:47 am

    I guess we know where the racist little shit learnt his bigotry.

    The mother of a boy filmed harassing a Native American man along with his friends at a rally in Washington DC has blamed “black Muslims” for the confrontation, without providing any evidence for the claim.

    The teenager was among a group of students wearing Make America Great Again (Maga) hats who were criticised for taunting the musician Nathan Phillips, surrounding him and jeering and chanting “build the wall, build the wall”.

    But his mother claimed “black Muslims” had been harassing the group of Donald Trump supporters from the private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/maga-hat-donald-trump-native-american-covington-catholic-nathan-phillips-black-muslims-a8737186.html

    • Morrissey 3.1
      21 January 2019 at 10:31 am

      Covington Catholic High School. In Kentucky. The perfect incubator for bigotry and foulness of all kinds. Catholic high schools produced Bill English’s gaybaiting son, Kerre Woodham, Gerry Brownlee, hundreds of terrible Australian politicians, and crybaby Brent Kavanaugh.

      They do some good, as well, it must be said.

      • joe90 3.1.1
        21 January 2019 at 10:40 am

        Young people radicalised in religious schools….sounds familiar…

        • Crashcart 3.1.1.1
          21 January 2019 at 10:57 am

          There is a much longer video that some what supports what she has said.

          The youths were already there long before anyone else as they were waiting on their group to form for the MFL. Whilst waiting they were approached by a couple of members of the Black Israelites (not Muslims she screwed that up). These BI members called them crackers and racists based upon their MAGA apparel ( probably not wrong).

          After the BI members left the Native American group marched up to the youths. The youths at that stage were already chanting their school song. The NA group stopped right in front of the young man. They literally moved into his space and he held his ground. This is where the video everyone has seen is cut in. Both groups stand their ground and continue doing exactly what they had been doing before hand.

          When cut the way it was and given a narration that the group of young men surrounded the group of NAs it paints a picture that doesn’t actually reflect reality.

          I think it was silly of the Catholic School boys to react they way they did as it would always be easy to paint it the way it was. If roles were reversed and this was a group of young activists who stood in front of the MFL and didn’t yield the narrative would have been far more supportive of them.

          https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/01/20/covington-catholic-incident-indigenous-peoples-march-longer-video/2630930002/

          edit *The Black Isrealites were still there and the Native American is saying he placed himself there to diffuse the situation.*

          • joe90 3.1.1.1.1
            21 January 2019 at 11:46 am

            A group of fundamentalist youngsters crowd an elderly man, get in his face, and deride his heritage with their chanting and tomahawk chop chop gesticulation, but they deserve the benefit of the doubt?

            Nah.

            • Sabine 3.1.1.1.1.1
              21 January 2019 at 11:55 am

              of course they deserve the benefit of the doubt, they are the offspring of that important white working class economic anxiety.

              Only they get to surround an elderly men and get to block him for going forwards and backwards, only they get to shout at a native american man, a veteran, an elder to ‘build that wall’.

              Its their god given right as being born white with a penis and a ballsack.

              All other get to shut the fuck up and do as their told.

            • Crashcart 3.1.1.1.1.2
              21 January 2019 at 1:44 pm

              If we want to be better than the right who we decry as using lies and miss information to twist a message then we have to be accurate.

              They did not surround him. They held their ground when he walked up to them. They did not encircle them. He and the other members of his group walked into their group.

              You can agree or disagree with how a bunch of MAGA chuds react to the situation but you can’t change that facts around how the confrontation started just to put out the message you want too.

              Be better than the right. Be accurate and make your argument based upon reality or invalidate your point. It is that simple.

              • Robert Guyton …
                21 January 2019 at 4:13 pm

                “held their ground”???

                • Psycho Milt …
                  21 January 2019 at 5:11 pm

                  You know, that thing where you’re allowed to shoot people if you’re afraid of them for some reason? Oh wait, that was stand your ground. I guess he should be grateful they didn’t shoot him.

                  • Robert Guyton …
                    21 January 2019 at 5:31 pm

                    Those boys! Scallywags!! But “their ground”? I didn’t know they … had any?
                    In any case, it would have been polite, Christian even, to give ground to the old fellow; he seemed nice and wasn’t pushy. Youngsters could, ‘sup to them of course, defer to the elders and make them welcome. That stern young man though! Wasn’t he determined and staunch! His steely-eyed resolve to hold his ground has done wonders for the indigenous people’s cause, I reckon 🙂

                    • greywarshark …
                      21 January 2019 at 6:26 pm

                      Plus the young man’s slight smile of satisfaction at showing his power as the untouchable white. (I have a daddy who can beat your daddy if necessary, and you daren’t touch me or I’ll accuse you of assault and have you dealt with.)

              • greywarshark …
                21 January 2019 at 6:32 pm

                Where was the alternative route the Indians could have followed. At one stage the Omaha seemed to move to the left to go round him and he seemed to move also and stand in his way. On either side the other boys, youfs, were hollerin and hootin. I couldn’t see how he could get past and didn’t see that it was the right thing for some young white youf to refuse to move when the group wanted to move forward towards the government building up wide steps where there was room for both groups, if there had been any desire to allow citizen freedom to attend a meeting at a government site.

            • OnceWasTim 3.1.1.1.1.3
              21 January 2019 at 4:35 pm

              Bear him no malice @ Joe90. It’s possible the poor bugger might be one of those others – probably ‘a gay’, and there would we be?
              Nothing one or two more rounds of ‘counselling’ from his betters can’t fix.

        • Morrissey 3.1.1.2
          21 January 2019 at 12:20 pm

          Very good point.

        • Gabby 3.1.1.3
          21 January 2019 at 2:53 pm

          They’ll start cutting off heads any minute now joey.

          • joe90 3.1.1.3.1
            21 January 2019 at 4:07 pm

            I daresay they’ll stick to harassing and intimidating pregnant women.

            But hey, plenty of time for them to move on and up to fire bombing abortion clinics and murdering doctors.

      • OnceWasTim 3.1.2
        21 January 2019 at 1:59 pm

        You might like to know @ Morrisey, I’ve kept track of a number of offspring subjected to the perils of the Catholic Church’s idea of producing an ‘all rounder’ through their edification system.
        The majority I’ve come across have grown up being right-little ‘fucktards’ – many abused, a few going on to become abusers, and still others becoming politicians whilst clinging to any vestige of respectability they can draw on to resist change and accept all that ‘personal responsibility’ shit
        Personal responsibility is for everyone else.

        I DO wish Chris Finlayson all the best however in his future endeavours.
        BTW. have you ever noticed how much the gNatz resemble the religion (as opposed to the faith)
        Most of those that have any degree of compassion and all that kaka instilled in them regard themselves as ‘lapsed’.
        But then I guess you could say the same thing about other ‘religiously attached’, Especially among gNatzi’s ranks (Kanwaljit and Parmjeet as just a couple of examples)

        But then of course MY (me me me I I I) faith is 100% pure

      • sumsuch 3.1.3
        22 January 2019 at 12:43 am

        An Irisher who forgets ‘no dogs or Irish’ has a lot to answer for. I knew a Gay Irish couple who had a big downer on Maori. Subjective ignorance is a great comfort. In the meanwhile. Let alone my Jewish racist client.’ Schwartzes’.

  4. Siobhan 4
    21 January 2019 at 10:40 am

    Interesting…the contraceptive pill only includes the 7 day break to keep the Pope happy. I put this information firmly into the ‘Things We Should Have Been Told Earlier’ category…unbelievable that ALL women should be taking a medication in a ‘suboptimal way’ to please the Pope…

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/19/contraceptive-pill-can-taken-every-day-month-new-nhs-guidance/

    https://www.pressreader.com/

  6. mary_a 6
    21 January 2019 at 12:59 pm

    Media personality walks free after serious assault charges are dropped. Also gets permanent name suppression despite outcome! WTF!

    One law for us and another law for “them” it seems.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12189960

    • James 6.1
      21 January 2019 at 1:10 pm

      As no evidence was offered to prove guilt – what’s wrong with this.

      Do you think people should be convicted and named / shamed with no evidence offered?

      • Peter 6.1.1
        21 January 2019 at 2:09 pm

        Let me get back to you about that. I’ll check with Michelle Duff @Stuff.

      • mary_a 6.1.2
        21 January 2019 at 5:29 pm

        James (6.1) Of course not.

        However my point being, if it had been an ordinary citizen, with no celebrity/prominent status, do you think his name would be permanently suppressed in the same circumstances? IMHO, I doubt it somehow, as has been the case in similar situations, with names published in media.

        Do you see this as being fair? I certainly don’t!

        The same laws must apply to all regardless, with no favours due to status or position.

    • Morrissey 6.2
      21 January 2019 at 1:16 pm

      Sports opinionist, perchance?

    • Pete 6.3
      21 January 2019 at 2:07 pm

      What d’ya reckon? Those on the various sites that have been making implications and insinuations and just plain making stuff up about J Ardern and Sroubek will be into it, doing the same about the ‘media personality’?

      Don’t know the name? Well why not resort to the usual, just think of someone you hate and throw around aspersions about them. No names directly of course, just enough to be within the legal limits. Don’t worry about moral ones.

  7. Morrissey 7
    21 January 2019 at 1:02 pm

    Why is Stephen Mills purporting to speak for “The Left”?
    Who on earth chose him for this spot? Richard Griffin?
    From the Left and From the Right, RNZ National, Monday 21 January 2019
    Katherine Ryan, Stephen Mills, Trish Sherson

    This Monday morning politics slot has been a basket case for years. The right winger has usually been Matthew Hooton, who has often seized the opportunity to behave like Donald Trump in a beauty contest changing room, or the Waikato Chiefs with a young girl hired for “entertainment”, or that “Unruly Family” in a motel, or the All Blacks when they have a non-referee ignoring everything they do: i.e., he has behaved like a complete prick, secure in the knowledge that little or nothing would be done to curb him.

    The problem was not so much Hooton’s swinish misbehaviour; it was the failure of host Katherine Ryan to control him, as well as the tendency of the “Left” person to not only say little or nothing in opposition, but to actually support what Hooton had said. This was never more true than when the “Left” was represented by Paul Holmes’s former high school mate Mike “I Agree With Matthew” Williams. Another notable weakling was the union man Peter Harris.

    There have been bright spots, however. Hooton was frequently outpointed and nonplussed by the excellent Andrew Campbell, and was usually reduced to a resentful silence by the much cleverer, far more articulate Laila Harré.

    The regular “left” representative on the programme now is Stephen Mills, an Australian who makes you realize just why there’s so little respect for the Labor Party over there. We’ve encountered this fellow before. Three years ago, also in the first edition of this program for the year, Mills sneered at unions as “dinosaurs”, scoffed at the rise of politicians like Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, and asserted grandly that “most Labour voters in New Zealand would support Hillary Clinton” and would regard a Jeremy Corbyn-style leader as “inappropriate for New Zealand.”

    https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18012016/#comment-1119733

    Today, his views remain just as brassy, and just as ill informed. Discussing the Brexit catastrophe and the failure of May in the last election campaign, Mills intoned: “I hold absolutely no brief for Jeremy Corbyn but…” He also speculated on the possiblity of a “sensible centrist coalition” emerging in British politics, whatever that means. Yenta Hodge and Tony Benn’s chickenhawk son allying with sensible Boris perhaps?

    In case you were wondering what happened to those intelligent and principled “Left” contributors, the midday news supplied at least one answer: the Prime Minister’s new chief press secretary is ….. Andrew Campbell.

    Things get even more dismal this afternoon, by the way. Wallace Chapman’s guests on the “new look”, “refreshed”, “revamped” Panel are Michelle Boag and…. Mike Williams. An interesting exercise for anyone who can stand listening to it would be to count the number of times Williams says “I agree with Michelle.”

    • Dennis Frank 7.1
      21 January 2019 at 1:52 pm

      A nifty appraisal of RNZ’s traditional lame-brain approach to politics. I only disagree on a couple of points. Mike Williams is a sensible centrist who I usually find myself agreeing with. I get that you self-identify as more partisan than him. Nothing wrong with sharing common ground with the opposition though, as long as it is reciprocated.

      I agree that Laila Harré is articulate. I could even have agreed she’s perceptive. Clever, though, just made me smile. Not a snowball’s chance in hell!!

      • Jilly Bee 7.1.1
        21 January 2019 at 1:58 pm

        I usually listen to The Panel and have found it much more interesting now that Wallace Chapman is the host. It will be interesting to see how he copes/deals with Michelle Boag and Mike Williams (while internally shuddering at the thought of that woman will be muttering).

        • OnceWasTim 7.1.1.1
          21 January 2019 at 2:28 pm

          I agree, although I’m waiting until I can afford the lugsury of a smashed avocado on toast with a hint of bacon on the side, complete with a little sea salt and white pepper, perhaps even with some boutique Wairarapa Olive Oil splattering before I feel more confident to comment.

          Do you worry about Sunday mornings though? I’ve already planned mine. From now on, they’ll have to be an early morning to the Te Papa market, and then off to a Subway to indulge in some Lambie on rye.
          RNZ listenings going forward, will probably be ditched in favour of some publicly-funded, privately-produced effort at current fears like the Nayshun where future media stars are built.

          • AB 7.1.1.1.1
            21 January 2019 at 4:03 pm

            OWT
            Will the listenings have commensurate learnings?
            Will the current fears mention past regrets?
            Do we get the option to say ‘Nay’ and ‘shun’ the stars?
            Oil-wise – when does a drizzle become a splatter?

            • OnceWasTim 7.1.1.1.1.1
              21 January 2019 at 4:20 pm

              I’m not sure yet @ AB. I’m still trying to interpret my wonderings although I’m closely monitoring the utterings of the @ Waynes and a couple of Paganies (until recently I admit to having confused with a couple of Panines’s trying to negotiate a SUV along a Kapiti Highway – no doubt one of whom was on her way to some gorgeous media engagement to offer some words of wisdom ‘from the left’)

      • Morrissey 7.1.2
        21 January 2019 at 4:20 pm

        Mike Williams is a sensible centrist who I usually find myself agreeing with.

        Fair comment, Dennis. He’s actually a lot tougher than I made him sound. I’ve seen him on a couple of occasions really dealing to a young and vacuous National Party woman on television, and when he decides to challenge Hooton rather than find bogus “common ground” with him, he’s formidable. I agree with a lot of what he says. I’m just disappointed when he takes the easy option of agreeing magnanimously with the likes of Hooton and Boag.

        I get that you self-identify as more partisan than him.

        I’m not at all partisan. Mike Williams is the former president of the Labour Party.

        Nothing wrong with sharing common ground with the opposition though, as long as it is reciprocated.

        That’s the problem though. Hooton and Boag concede nothing, ever. The only concession either of them ever makes is when they lapse into a seething, angry silence. Boag was memorably driven into a black funk when Bomber Bradbury asked her to tell the listeners which rich people were going to leave New Zealand, as she claimed, if the rich were taxed slightly more.

    • Sacha 7.2
      21 January 2019 at 2:45 pm

      “the Prime Minister’s new chief press secretary is ….. Andrew Campbell”

      Bravo.

    • Dennis Frank 7.3
      21 January 2019 at 4:07 pm

      count the number of times Williams says “I agree with Michelle.”

      I can report that the first time occurred four minutes after the start (around 3.49pm).

    • sumsuch 7.4
      23 January 2019 at 11:01 pm

      Stephen Mills makes the demo-cracy that courses through my veins desiccate into dust. Thanks Richard Griffen, you did your job well. Of course you won’t meet your pa in the heaven of the good intentioned. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy … til then. Never liked any of that welfare state generation who put their anti-bureaucraticism before the people’s interests.

  8. Mike 8
    21 January 2019 at 1:14 pm

    Oil blueberry has had a stroke there is justice after all he just be faking

    • ianmac 8.1
      21 January 2019 at 1:36 pm

      As another human being I have sympathy for Cameron Slater. He has had two strokes and will be seriously impaired. Whatever he hoped to achieve will be curtailed. Hope he and his family manage his recovery well.

      • Sanctuary 8.1.1
        21 January 2019 at 2:06 pm

        Whilst I have every sympathy for someone who has had a stroke, Slater has form for pulling a sickie when things turn against him and blaming his illness on everyone that has conspired against him…

        Soooo…

        There is every possibility he hasn’t had a stroke, merely a debilitating intrusion of reality via the courts.

        • OnceWasTim 8.1.1.1
          21 January 2019 at 4:49 pm

          I’ve never come across a cunt nursing a stroke before. I wonder what it looks like.
          West Coaster feral maybe?
          Maybe there is such a thing as karma so I’ll be ready to convert next time I head offshore to the lands of the less fortunate

    • Jim 8.2
      21 January 2019 at 1:59 pm

      Be Nice!
      He’s paralysed down his right side.
      He’s a Lefty now.

    • James 8.3
      21 January 2019 at 4:52 pm

      You should be disgusted with yourself for calling a stroke justice.

      • OnceWasTim 8.3.1
        21 January 2019 at 5:04 pm

        Agreed @ James. I’m certainly disgusted with allowing myself to have had one. Never fear though, I’ve had learnings about personal responsibility and it won’t happen again – I have an obligation to the taxpayer to make sure it doesn’t.

    • mary_a 8.4
      21 January 2019 at 5:47 pm

      Mike (8) …

      Regardless of Cameron Slater’s murky history of knocking people when they are down and out, as well as indulging in dirty politics, there is no need to be so mean spirited, by calling a stroke justice!

      I have no time for Slater whatsoever. However if he has suffered two strokes, then I hope he manages to come through OK with plenty of support. Time will tell what the outcome will be one way or the other.

  9. joe90 9
    21 January 2019 at 1:44 pm

    It’s almost as if there’s an election coming up.
    .

    https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1087133200076414976

  10. Bill Drees 10
    21 January 2019 at 1:48 pm

    …..conversation today with an “Ex Pat”: an English Migrant in NZ. He had picked up from FB or talkback…..

    “Jacinda Arder is hi-tailing off to Europe because NZ cannot export to EU anymore when England Brexits. ”
    Why, I hear you ask.
    “Because NZ sells to Europe via England because we are part of the Commonwealth. With England out of the EU etc etc…. and therefore we shouldn’t be taking the piss out England over Brexit. ”

    Has anyone heard shit like this on talkback?

  11. ropata 11
    21 January 2019 at 1:51 pm

    Slater and his acolytes blame “enemies” for stroke

    https://twitter.com/bryce_edwards/status/1087072346953797633

    • McFlock 11.1
      21 January 2019 at 2:15 pm

      Must have pissed off a sith lord. Darth Judith, maybe?

      Otherwise hypertension and obesity are the usual suspects. According to my doctor’s regular commentary, anyway.

  12. Ad 12
    21 January 2019 at 1:52 pm

    Once the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance have finished at Davos, they would do well to consider the Oxfam report on the rapid sucking sound of wealth from the many who had a little bit, to the tiny few who have almost all of it now:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=12193391

    “Graeme Hart has amassed a US$10.1 billion ($14.98b) fortune, while Chandler has $2.1b, she said.

    The report reveals their collective wealth increased by NZ$1.1b while the poorest 50 per cent of New Zealand’s population decreased their wealth by NZ$1.3b.

    Other stark facts show the top 5 per cent has more wealth – 45 per cent – than the bottom 90 per cent – 42 per cent, while the top 1 per cent of the population has 25 per cent of all wealth in New Zealand.

    Le Mesurier said they were focussing on the issue of appropriately taxing wealth in New Zealand, not income tax on everyday Kiwis.

    “One of the key things we can do to tackle inequality here and across the world is to tax wealth more. Our taxes pay for schools, hospitals and infrastructure … across the world, rich multinational corporations and extremely wealthy individuals are not paying their fair share.”

    Oxfam was now waiting to see what Michael Cullen’s Tax Working Group final report will come up with when it’s released in the next month or two.”

    There’s nothing like the previous Christmas bills and the fresh welter of bills that accompany a new year and going to school and university and new rental accommodation to recognise how far and how fast families left right and centre of you are falling down, far away from any actual wealth progression.

    This is the year for the Labour-led coalition to redistribute and grow common wealth , not for the few remaining accumulators.

    • Dennis Frank 12.1
      21 January 2019 at 3:04 pm

      It requires a system transformation. Radical surgery, from a govt of pragmatists. Good luck with that! 🙄

  13. patricia bremner 13
    21 January 2019 at 3:00 pm

    Off topic, but thank you all for any kind thoughts I had my hip op Friday morning and I am well and home today Cheers/

  14. Eco Maori 14
    23 January 2019 at 8:21 am

    Kia ora the am show It’s about time that climate change is finally getting through trumps blocking tack tick from his puppets on the worlds media in Davos the reality is finally being talked about CLIMATE CHANGE. There you go backing another attack on the tangata whenua population as half the people in jail are maori and if you are maori once the unjustice system gets its CLAWS into a maori IT never lets you go. Alt right policy minaority suppression backed by the am show thats how someone floated his toilet . A spray tan does not make one MAORI paula Back at you on your Jamie statement. Aotearoa cannot point the finger at other countrys breaches of human rights when they are breaching there tangata whenua/minority cultures rights every minute of the day. Yes our Pacific Island Cousin’s are suffering the effect’s of sea level rise caused by climate change global warming NOW.
    I no of a accountant who tryed to put forestry worker’s on a contracted self employment system she soon back tracked I told the employer he could not do that because he would be loading his worker’s with tax responsibilitys they did not understand ie they would not pay there tax’s correctly and end up bankrupt . Being on a selfemployed contract only suit’s the wealthy. The wealthy look for anyway to make a profit weather it causes hardship on other’s or not.
    This goverment is doing more on climate change that paula did they were the climate wrecking goverment national were shonky carbon credit’s forest clearing goverment before they got into power we had forest that took a hour to drive through now lucky to be 5 minutes blink and one will miss the trees on SH5 Talking about your flash holidays and putting a boot into the common poor people 50 % of people can not afford a holiday if we did we could not pay the bills if we stopped working for 2 weeks .
    Ka kite ano

  15. Eco Maori 15
    23 January 2019 at 9:45 am

    I say we are just Guardian of the whenua/ land and awa/rivers tangaroa/ seas .
    A responsible will society guarantee that when we pass the land rivers and sea’s on to our grandchildren it be as good or better than when we inherited it thats not What is happening at the minute . We are making a big mess of the grandchildrens future. cut that dumb shit out
    The pipeline plan that will drain the lower Darling River dry
    ‘If you think this is bad,’ say locals of recent mass fish kills, ‘just wait until the Menindee Lakes project goes ahead’
    On the banks of the Darling, near Menindee, two grown men are fighting back tears.
    It’s a week on from the fish kill that saw hundreds of thousands of fish die near their small town, including Murray cod that were estimated to be about 70 years old. These fish had survived the millennium drought of the late 1990s. Yet here they are dying.
    Each morning Graeme McCrabb and his mates patrol the river banks, looking for signs that another catastrophic event is about to occur – an event they argue is man-made.
    Last week Guardian Australia visited Menindee where we spent hours by a large waterhole which is all that remains at this point of the sometimes mighty Darling, Australia’s longest river.
    Temperatures are forecast to be over 40C again this week and there is sense of foreboding as the river levels continue to dwindle, the water an ugly shade of bright green due to algal blooms.
    “I am gutted,” says McCrabb as we watch a large cod floating in the middle of the river, dead.
    “We were here when it came to the surface, We watched it die.”

    This is the biggest environmental catastrophe in the history of the river
    Graeme McCrabb
    “That one’s in trouble too,” he says pointing to a large fish which turns on its side, flashing its white belly, tail languidly flicking in an effort to right itself.
    Four enormous cod, each about 80cm in length, rest near a shallow sandbank at the lip of the pool, trying to catch the more oxygenated water from the almost imperceptible flow into it.
    They hardly move. This is extremely unusual behaviour for these native fish, which are classified as a vulnerable species.
    “This is the biggest environmental catastrophe in the history of the river, and no one is here. It beggars belief,” says McCrabb of the lack of visits by any one from the federal government or the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) . The NSW minister responsible for fisheries, Niall Blair did visit, but toured the river by boat and did not meet locals, citing safety concerns.
    McCrabb’s friend Paul Grose is close to tears. “I am passionate about the cod. They’re just a beautiful fish,” he says. He wants to mount a rescue mission, and move them to a larger body of water, but neither man is sure the fish will survive.
    Menindee, too, is becoming endangered.
    For the Indigenous people along this stretch of the river, the Barka, the concept of a drier river, flowing less frequently, is devastating.
    Literally “the river people”, the Barka have been granted native title along the river and co-manage Kinchega National park. But they are watching their land die around them.
    It could also challenge the very existence of towns like Pooncarie, population 150, 130km south of Menindee on the lower Darling. A hundred years ago it was a river port but now survives as a tourist town and a fishing spot.
    “It certainly affects us in so far as fishing,” says the owner of the Port Pitstop, Val Kitson, as she watches the river dwindle.
    “We still have travellers go through, we still have locals and the school’s about to reopen so that’s a bonus for us,” she says
    “But we don’t have fishermen up here or campers. Over Christmas there was no one here.”

    Walgett’s water crisis: NSW considers options after ‘concerning’ sodium levels found
    Read more

    The fish kill was the last straw.
    “A little town like this that relies on tourism, fishing,” says Mouse, one of the locals at the pub. “It going to kill us,” he says of the Menindee plan.
    “It’s an utter shame, it’s wrong,” Kitson adds. Ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/23/the-pipeline-plan-that-will-drain-the-lower-darling-river-dry

  16. Eco Maori 16
    23 January 2019 at 1:18 pm

    Its quite easy to see that all human kinds ill’s can be linked to unequal wealth distrubution if they would give half there money the world will be a much better place.
    The top 26 billionaires own $1.4 trillion — as much as 3.8 billion other people
    (CNN Business)The world’s billionaires are growing $2.5 billion richer every day, while the poorest half of the global population is seeing its net worth dwindle.
    Billionaires, who now number a record 2,208, have more wealth than ever before, according to an Oxfam International report published Monday. Since the global financial crisis a decade ago, the number of billionaires has nearly doubled.
    The annual study was released ahead of the yearly World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which brings together some of the wealthiest and most influential people on Earth. The 106-page report is meant to call attention to the growing gap between rich and poor.

    The combined fortunes of the world’s 26 richest individuals reached $1.4 trillion last year — the same amount as the total wealth of the 3.8 billion poorest people.

    ost of these mega-wealthy are American, according to the Forbes list of billionaires used by Oxfam. The names include Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who collectively are worth $357 billion, according to Forbes.
    Oxfam recommends that nations tax wealth at fairer levels, raise rates on personal income and corporate taxes and eliminate tax avoidance by companies and the super-rich. It also advocates providing universal free health care, education and other public services — and ensuring that women and girls also benefit. And it suggests investing in public services — including water, electricity and childcare — to free up women’s time and limit the number of unpaid hours they work. link below ka kite ano

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/20/business/oxfam-billionaires-davos/index.html

  17. Eco Maori 17
    23 January 2019 at 6:42 pm

    Kia ora Newshub condolences to the people who were injured in the slip at Cape Kidnappers use to dive off their it was awesome watching the gannets diving.
    The capitalist conman is going hard in NZ the Poutama trade training con those people have prayed on the young minority cultures. Its cool that Jacinda is on the Davos stage with David Attenborough and Al Gore. You see the alt right oil barons puppets distractions is working with Britain America and France not at that world meeting that main topic is about fighting climate change. Condolences to the whanua of the soccer player Sala who’s plane went down in the English Channel on his way to start his new job English Premier league.
    I think that a do it yourself cervical cancer smear test is good I see all the invasive test my partner goes through and feel sorry for her.
    Hopefully puddles the chiwawa dog is found. Ka kite ano

  18. Eco Maori 18
    23 January 2019 at 7:35 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute

  19. Eco Maori 19
    23 January 2019 at 7:41 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.

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    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
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

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

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