He did apologise for it! It was in the pub in Gwondelton and somebody else said that it sounded like an apology. It must have been 2006 or so and I remember I was going to write about in the School Notices but I never did. I have it clear in my head because I can remember it so vividly. Phil Ure must have heard it too, no doubt. 101 Fairy Meadow. I’m not making this up. Are you going to call me a liar? Apologise forthwith!
It's her maternal great-uncle who really causes me to question every recipe that woman utters. Short-changed a customer in his fruitmongery one October, you know. Shocking.
If only more people lived in the past as is right and proper we would not have any problems these days. Bring back the empire!
What an absolutely spiffing idea! And now that they are rid of those pesky Europeans – Britannia can rule the waves. And Britons Never! Never! Never! Shall be slaves!
Although the sung abhorrance of being slaves should in no way indicate that any Briton knew during the height of the transatlantic slave trade (when the song was written) that slavery was a bad thing. It was sadly the style of the time and we can only judge them by their own standards. /sarc
It will be interesting to see if Trump can get any lawyers to represent him, after his treatment of Guilini, and if any reputable firm would take him on with the probable ensuing reputational damage,
The article will be part of a concerted campaign to get National back into power. Remember them-the party who caused the housing and poverty crisis in the first place?
Nice to see Stuff place his association with National under the piece. Granny never bothers explaining Tawdrey Young's associations with national, no surprises there.
Being too generous to property investors is just hiking up housing prices. First home buyers are finding it difficult to get on the property ladder. People are requiring mental health services because of homelessness and hospital care because of unhealthy homes. The government need to build homes instead of having to find the money to fix the problems which homelessness and poor housing cause. A lot of money needs to be printed or redirected into affordable housing.
Ardern has ideas, her planning and the implementation of the idea needs to be put into action when the idea is a good solution to the problem.
The rumour was, as a young fella in the army, that stop cock was put in the food served at the mess. Ya know, to stop unwanted distractions…Potassium Bromide, my unreliable memory tells me.
I'm looking forward to pretty concrete plans coming out of the Labour caucus in Nelson today. The new public housing areas are going to be a good start. But let's see more.
Do you think, perhaps, that if Labour were to hold their Caucus somewhere around Baird's Road in South Auckland or maybe Poet's Corner in Hamilton they'd have a better idea of how urgent the housing issues are? Instead of Nelson…head up North…getting up early in the morning to catch the homeless as they vacate the park benches and bus shelters before the 'real' people begin their day.
They could have the best of both worlds…poncy hotel in downtown Tauranga with a side trip of reality as the indigent are rooted from their waterfront digs as the sun comes up.
They are clear about where the needs are, and announced the development areas today.
They are: Napier-Hastings, Hamilton, Wanganui, Whangarei, and a few more. These are specific developments delivering several thousand dwellings in total
Yeah. Right. Had a read of that at sparrow's this morning having been driven of Natrad by them broadcasting (for reasons that escape me) the bleeding US Big Boss Installation.
Here are The Plans. Look glossily awesome. I am excited.
If there are many thousands more homeless now where were they a few years ago? Were they excluded from the statistics under some disqualifying pretext, which would be my guess. But where were they living, there seems to be a disconnect ( hate that word ) as surely 5000houses or so have not burnt down? Even if low housing mortgage rates, which we have been dreaming of having for years are responsible for more ownership surely new owners must have left somewhere?
A total of 196,506 homes were left unoccupied across the country at the 2018 census, according to Stats NZ. The figure includes homes with no current occupants, unoccupied properties being renovated, baches, and holiday homes.
In the Spanish region of Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, municipalities have been permitted to take over vacant properties since 2016. For this, the apartments have to be empty for more than two years. The cities can then start to rent them as public units at affordable prices for a period of ten years at most.Jul 22, 2020
Barcelona will take over empty apartments as affordable …
"So there is no shortage of tools the Government could use to start bulldozing down the mortgage debt mountain and bringing the housing market it supports back to affordable levels.
It’s a question of whether the Government has the political will to do so and the guts to see it through"
Are you denying the fact that fixed rate is the choice of around 80% of mortgages in NZ, with a 2 year fixed term the most common?…he hasnt cherry picked anything.nor is there any scaremongering merely simple arithmetic.
As to whether interest rates increase in the next few years there are several economists suggesting exactly that, so his possit is not out of left field.
"The positives of high prices in houses is more houses are being built"…..pardon?, are you serious…even if they were (which they have not been) the problem is the price and the subsequent level of debt (and servicing) require in gthe long run to purchase them….as earlier posts have shown (200.000 empty houses) there is no shortage of housing but a shortage of "affordable housing".
Are you advising the government?…it may explain a few things.
Are you advising the government?…it may explain a few things.
Dunno about that but I do know that Tricledrown never replies to replies to their comments, never reads Moderation notes, and basically does not engage in debate here in any meaningful way. In other words, they are a spray-and-walk-away troll. They don’t even realise it when they are banned and happily keep submitting comments being blissfully unaware and oblivious to the fact that their comments are not appearing in the front-end 🙁
Not arguing about ‘trickledrown’ who does seem a law unto him/herself, but sometimes I don't reply either. It's not deliberate but we all have other things to do and I don't always get back to TS until the next day or so by which time its usually too late. I'm sure that would apply to many people who comment here.
A person buys an investment property in the last 12 months and the rent goes up to pay the bank.
Is this a good investment?
Who is buying an investment property now?
I doubt it would be first time property investors.
The government need to introduce a new special needs grant SNG as the accommodation supplement AS and temporary additional support TAS payment for rent is not enough.
The more the government increase the AS and TAS the greedier the landlord becomes and the poorer the housing conditions become because people can only afford slum housing.
A mass government housing build is required 20,000 minimum as people are facing high stress in low cost private rental.
Some one buying an investment property now is not making any money on the rental return and it would not cover mortgage payments let alone rates insurance or the big one maintenance.
The latest figures show an increase in first home buyers.
Interest rates have never been cheaper. If they are going interest only at a fixed rate they could make money. However, most used to be negative geared, though the losses are now ring fenced.
If he has to increase the rent to pay the mortgage then, on the face of it, it looks like an unsound investment; unless the rent was well below the going rate originally. The tenant should not be expected to pay the landlord's mortgage.
The tenant should not be expected to pay the landlord's mortgage.
Put so well what is happening to investment properties. Rent control is required because the banks are loaning to those who need to fleece the tenants.
Who should force landlords the government or the bank or both?
I can see why people need subsidies to pay the rent. I cannot see why landlords need to raise the rent to pay the bank for an investment property they cannot afford.
Landlords get a good return when they sell. This is why people are buying an investment property.
If subsidies were not being paid then many tenants would not be able to afford the rent being asked. However, in that case, landlords may have difficulty finding tenants with sufficient incomes, and rents may fall.
Ive been working near the Pullman, from what ive seen the quarantine facilities are not secure at all. When the area for fresh air is on a busy intersection where those in isolation can chat with freinds through the security fence… its a disaster waiting to happen.
Sure, but with a more contagious variant here wouldnt you want to make sure there is no face to face contact between those in managed isolation and those outside living in the 'new normal'
This Govt. could impose an immediate Rent Freeze with no warning, until there are enough public houses and apartments. Rents should be set at an actual 25% of income max. for State Tenants anyway, and benefits massively raised.
Activists and homeless need to start entering and occupying empty houses from one end of the country to the other. Bach? oh sorry, no one was home…speculators have to be encouraged to “diversify” somehow if the Govt. will not go there.
I once dated someone who had a bach around Red Rocks in Wellington. It was great to fish and the sunsets were amazing. The place had a bath tub with a direct view of the ocean and an oven, those were the best days.
There is quite a nice house in Wellington that is almost always empty. It should be in pretty good condition as they have just spent about $3 million on an upgrade if the rumour mill is to be believed.
Usually has one person living there for about 3 nights a week, for about 9 months/year. Address is 260 Tinakori Road. Move in and occupy it. I'm sure you will be welcome
Sounds like there is room for people. The occupant might get lonely. I always clean up after myself and do a tidy up where ever I stay. I even wash the sheets before I leave.
Are the rumours correct that the Cabinet paper going up from Minister Mahuta is proposing just 3 water entities to run the entire country? This looks like a nice deep political alliance between Mauhta and Parker on both regulatory and institutional fields.
There is a wee sales spiel for a few minutes, but the vibe is great.
In 20 minutes, it ticks lots of boxes.
Regenerative agish, something lots of individuals can do, hands on, soil building, empowerment in the face of CC, expaining why wildfires are a good thing.
"And she said the Government would leave "no stone unturned" in its plans to fix the housing market – a market that has seen 20 per cent year-on-year price inflation."
So a CGT is now being examined to be implemented ?? Otherwise The Government is NOT leaving stones unturned. Perhaps our PM should not play with words 🤥. and give a false impression.
According to this definition: Our govt is not doing "everything or making every possible effort it can to achieve a good result". Looking and doing are not the same, but I do see your point 🤔 !!
Any proposed CGT I have seen proposed in New Zealand will exclude the family home from the tax. That will have the effect of increasing rather than decreasing house prices.
Look at what has happened in Australia where they have a CGT and a means tested national superannuation scheme. All that happens is that most people, as they reach 65, will move to a larger house, or massively do up their existing home and have a great world trip so that they can get under the means test limit where they lose their entitlement to super and they don't open up a CGT obligation if they have to move to a rest home like property.
House price increases in Australia are rising by about the same percentage as here. So much for a CGT holding house prices down. Purely as an example I would offer the following story.
"Property expert forecasts 'double-digit' growth for Aussie house prices in 2021"
Which housing crisis? The shortage of state houses one (which they can address and have made a start on) or the middle class price / ownership one which I don't think they are willing to do what it takes (or really anyone wants them to).
Unfortunately Labour has conflated these before (e.g with the 'affordable' 600k homes) but which crisis do you expect them to address?
Fail to see any 'conflation' of the two with the Kiwibuild fiasco.
If you wish to break it into sectors you can add private rentals to the mix as well.
The entire market is in crisis (with the possible exception of the luxury market) and interconnected. After 4 years the re-announcement of a modest state housing programme that falls far short of state housing levels of even the 1990s may be considered 'addressing' in your book, it isnt even close in mine.
The deliberate fuelling of the residential property market bubble they have clearly shown they are unwilling to address but i fail to see how you conclude no one wants them too…..some clearly do not but substantial numbers obviously do or it would not be considered the dominant issue, not to mention the fact that the goals of this Governments stated social policy are impossible without doing so.
So 'which crisis' do i expect them to address?…all three
Quite a big ask then. I never thought that kiwibuild would address house prices and I don't think Labour believed it would either.
I have seen them end the policy of using Housing New Zealand as a nice earner (by selling off the stock, sometimes emptying them using meth testing scams) and that Kiwibuild has basically started growing that stock again. Obviously accomodating people, who will continually need provided housing, is quite a different problem to significantly reducing house prices. But as I thought at the time they talked up Kiwibuild as addressing the later while it could only really address the former. In politics when you make promises you can't deliver on then moving the goal posts (e.g the definition of affordable) is the next strategy you often use.
I don't think the public really wants house prices to suddenly shrink. Ignoring the lack of mechanism imagine if prices fell by 30% what happens? Many new owners are suddenly under water. At this point the banks put more pressure on the reduce debt and the savings behaviour tips the economy towards recession. If the government doesn't respond with spending much more strongly than 2010 then fresh batches of unemployed ultimately pay the price for the housing price adjustment. Ardern has now said multiple times this is not something she wants to see happen. As far as I have seen people who say they want a large fall in prices don't understand what this implies, or acknowledge this problem with that scenario but I assume they don't want this outcome (and they didn't understand likely consequences) not that they thought it was equitable.
Kiwibuild was the part of the overall plan intended to shift private developers towards cheaper builds. Relied too much on them not behaving in their own commercial interests. 'Naive' is being polite.
Building state houses was always a separate part of the same overall plan, incredibly badly communicated by that guy who lost his job over it.
The biggest economic problem with cutting house prices is that too many of NZ's small businesses are also secured against them by our lazy banks.
Am well aware of the potential fall out from a sudden price correction of any significance however the current situation is both unsustainable and will correct at some point in any case…..a serious attempt to wind back the price to income ratios does not necessitate a collapse though that risk exists….the current Gov. position is contrary to such…i.e. 'moderated price growth'
The economy can be stimulated (and employment preserved) through other mechanisms should the Government so choose and underwater mortgages (for owner occupiers) can be removed from the banks balance sheets as has been done before….its not as if we dont have alternative areas that need the investment.
The current situation simply highlights the dearth of any other strategy despite all the time they have had to develop such and also is a one way trip as no central bank has any idea how to unwind what was supposed to be a temporary support measure without causing what they are charged with avoiding and why the RBNZ has constantly called for the fiscal arm to play its role….our current fiscal arm appears bereft of such capability.
Meanwhile increasing numbers of households are losing the wherewithal to contribute to the economy that will cost us in the medium/long term….something both Robertson and Ardern claimed they would avoid.
I agree a price correction while dealing with the fall out would be acceptable.
Unfortunately Labour has shown only interest in avoiding the price correction, while the comment above suggests some people don't seem to think there will be a negative fall out from a price correction (and don't address mitigation).
I am a realist. I don't expect them to address any of the problems relating to housing. They haven't done anything significant in the first 3 years and I really don't expect to see any real improvement in such numbers as the number of of families on the waiting list has risen from 5844 in September 2017 to 22,409 in November 2020.
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
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Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
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Ding dong, Darth Drumpf is gone.
https://twitter.com/Karnythia/status/1351867348672794626
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nigella-lawson-donald-trump-recipe_n_60082291c5b6ffcab9693878
Funny—and ironic, coming from the daughter of one of Thatcher's notorious henchmen of the blighted 1980s.
Jeez, you're so stuck in the past you're probably still rockin' a mullet.
As far as her father is concerned, I'm more than prepared to let bygones be bygones.
As soon as he apologizes for the devastation in which he was a prime part.
He did apologise for it! It was in the pub in Gwondelton and somebody else said that it sounded like an apology. It must have been 2006 or so and I remember I was going to write about in the School Notices but I never did. I have it clear in my head because I can remember it so vividly. Phil Ure must have heard it too, no doubt. 101 Fairy Meadow. I’m not making this up. Are you going to call me a liar? Apologise forthwith!
\sarc
It's her maternal great-uncle who really causes me to question every recipe that woman utters. Short-changed a customer in his fruitmongery one October, you know. Shocking.
If only more people lived in the past as is right and proper we would not have any problems these days. Bring back the empire!
What an absolutely spiffing idea! And now that they are rid of those pesky Europeans – Britannia can rule the waves. And Britons Never! Never! Never! Shall be slaves!
Even in darkest Northcote!
Mordor with streetlights.
Although the sung abhorrance of being slaves should in no way indicate that any Briton knew during the height of the transatlantic slave trade (when the song was written) that slavery was a bad thing. It was sadly the style of the time and we can only judge them by their own standards. /sarc
Hear, hear!
https://magazine-photo.rmngp.fr/en/autour-des-collections/imperial-spectacle
“that woman”
Just one quibble: Empire
You hardly need the \sarc tag, my friend. You're better than that. You got me, and you got me good.
And now the lawsuits begin.
It will be interesting to see if Trump can get any lawyers to represent him, after his treatment of Guilini, and if any reputable firm would take him on with the probable ensuing reputational damage,
In full agreement with John Bishop. A nasty shock to start the day with!!!
Not sure if anybody should take any notice of John Bishop given his involvement in the Taxpayer's Union, that well known far-right mob.
https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/tags/john_bishop
The article will be part of a concerted campaign to get National back into power. Remember them-the party who caused the housing and poverty crisis in the first place?
Nice to see Stuff place his association with National under the piece. Granny never bothers explaining Tawdrey Young's associations with national, no surprises there.
Being too generous to property investors is just hiking up housing prices. First home buyers are finding it difficult to get on the property ladder. People are requiring mental health services because of homelessness and hospital care because of unhealthy homes. The government need to build homes instead of having to find the money to fix the problems which homelessness and poor housing cause. A lot of money needs to be printed or redirected into affordable housing.
Ardern has ideas, her planning and the implementation of the idea needs to be put into action when the idea is a good solution to the problem.
Even a stopped cock, etc..
The rumour was, as a young fella in the army, that stop cock was put in the food served at the mess. Ya know, to stop unwanted distractions…Potassium Bromide, my unreliable memory tells me.
Also popular in prisons back in the day. Seems to come naturally to these blowhards.
I see what you did there.
I'm looking forward to pretty concrete plans coming out of the Labour caucus in Nelson today. The new public housing areas are going to be a good start. But let's see more.
Do you think, perhaps, that if Labour were to hold their Caucus somewhere around Baird's Road in South Auckland or maybe Poet's Corner in Hamilton they'd have a better idea of how urgent the housing issues are? Instead of Nelson…head up North…getting up early in the morning to catch the homeless as they vacate the park benches and bus shelters before the 'real' people begin their day.
They could have the best of both worlds…poncy hotel in downtown Tauranga with a side trip of reality as the indigent are rooted from their waterfront digs as the sun comes up.
No.
They are clear about where the needs are, and announced the development areas today.
They are: Napier-Hastings, Hamilton, Wanganui, Whangarei, and a few more. These are specific developments delivering several thousand dwellings in total
I agree with John Bishop
The Labour govt needs to unapologetically roll up its sleeves and get to work
But the alternative ??
Can't see myself ever voting National , and The Greens(I'm a member) need to step up a bit more loudly
How much longer can we hope for the change that never comes?
Its not even incremental improvement , we're getting worse outcomes for housing, poverty and climate disaster as time goes on
The alternative is: any other country in the world except Australia.
Even Denmark is screwed for 2021.
If these two twits can't feel the blood in my eyes at the horror of our housing situation in Gisborne I know them for the Blairites they are.
Speak, carry on their comfortable lives, can't do … a shit.
There is a whole rank of social democrats in their 50s up who know what to do but politics has left them out. The switcheroo can come though.
Finally, some murmurings on housing. I'll believe it when I see it.
Yeah. Right. Had a read of that at sparrow's this morning having been driven of Natrad by them broadcasting (for reasons that escape me) the bleeding US Big Boss Installation.
Here are The Plans. Look glossily awesome. I am excited.
https://www.hud.govt.nz/community-and-public-housing/increasing-public-housing/public-housing-plan/
You mean the re-announcement of last years plan?
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ardern-lays-out-path-to-18000-more-state-homes
There is nothing new there, they have simply moved the end date to 2024 and the consequent expected build numbers.
Local initiatives to solve local problems are putting the Labour govt to shame
This guy is brilliant and wonder of wonders has managed to get TDC on side
The first house is being built now
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/homed-series/123658588/golden-bays-affordable-housing-project-receives-multiple-land-offers
If there are many thousands more homeless now where were they a few years ago? Were they excluded from the statistics under some disqualifying pretext, which would be my guess. But where were they living, there seems to be a disconnect ( hate that word ) as surely 5000houses or so have not burnt down? Even if low housing mortgage rates, which we have been dreaming of having for years are responsible for more ownership surely new owners must have left somewhere?
Well, how many are owned by foreigners and only occupied when their owners are here?
A total of 196,506 homes were left unoccupied across the country at the 2018 census, according to Stats NZ. The figure includes homes with no current occupants, unoccupied properties being renovated, baches, and holiday homes.
200k empty 'ghost' houses: Why and what would … – Stuff.co.nz
http://www.stuff.co.nz › life-style › homed › 200k-empty-ghost…
One solution, from the web.
In the Spanish region of Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, municipalities have been permitted to take over vacant properties since 2016. For this, the apartments have to be empty for more than two years. The cities can then start to rent them as public units at affordable prices for a period of ten years at most.Jul 22, 2020
Barcelona will take over empty apartments as affordable …
Thats one of the solutions this government dosnt have the political stomach for…
A very succinct analysis of the implications of NZs mortgage debt.
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/108685/once-threat-covid-recedes-we-will-need-tackle-enormous-debt-mountain-thats-propping
"So there is no shortage of tools the Government could use to start bulldozing down the mortgage debt mountain and bringing the housing market it supports back to affordable levels.
It’s a question of whether the Government has the political will to do so and the guts to see it through"
Pat taking the worst case scenario Innes used the floating interst rates where fixed interest rates were 2% lower.
Scaremongering the actual impact on the economy is minuscule a few $100 million.
The chances of interest rates going up by anything significant in the next 5 years are very remote indeed.
The positives of high prices in houses is that more houses are being built old houses upgraded.
With 45'000 new permits the housing crises will be solved if that level can be maintained.
Are you denying the fact that fixed rate is the choice of around 80% of mortgages in NZ, with a 2 year fixed term the most common?…he hasnt cherry picked anything.nor is there any scaremongering merely simple arithmetic.
As to whether interest rates increase in the next few years there are several economists suggesting exactly that, so his possit is not out of left field.
"The positives of high prices in houses is more houses are being built"…..pardon?, are you serious…even if they were (which they have not been) the problem is the price and the subsequent level of debt (and servicing) require in gthe long run to purchase them….as earlier posts have shown (200.000 empty houses) there is no shortage of housing but a shortage of "affordable housing".
Are you advising the government?…it may explain a few things.
Dunno about that but I do know that Tricledrown never replies to replies to their comments, never reads Moderation notes, and basically does not engage in debate here in any meaningful way. In other words, they are a spray-and-walk-away troll. They don’t even realise it when they are banned and happily keep submitting comments being blissfully unaware and oblivious to the fact that their comments are not appearing in the front-end 🙁
Thank you…I confess I hadnt noticed the form
It drives me nuts at times …
Not arguing about ‘trickledrown’ who does seem a law unto him/herself, but sometimes I don't reply either. It's not deliberate but we all have other things to do and I don't always get back to TS until the next day or so by which time its usually too late. I'm sure that would apply to many people who comment here.
Yup
A person buys an investment property in the last 12 months and the rent goes up to pay the bank.
Is this a good investment?
Who is buying an investment property now?
I doubt it would be first time property investors.
The government need to introduce a new special needs grant SNG as the accommodation supplement AS and temporary additional support TAS payment for rent is not enough.
The more the government increase the AS and TAS the greedier the landlord becomes and the poorer the housing conditions become because people can only afford slum housing.
A mass government housing build is required 20,000 minimum as people are facing high stress in low cost private rental.
Some one buying an investment property now is not making any money on the rental return and it would not cover mortgage payments let alone rates insurance or the big one maintenance.
The latest figures show an increase in first home buyers.
Interest rates have never been cheaper. If they are going interest only at a fixed rate they could make money. However, most used to be negative geared, though the losses are now ring fenced.
If he has to increase the rent to pay the mortgage then, on the face of it, it looks like an unsound investment; unless the rent was well below the going rate originally. The tenant should not be expected to pay the landlord's mortgage.
We badly need rent control.
The tenant should not be expected to pay the landlord's mortgage.
Put so well what is happening to investment properties. Rent control is required because the banks are loaning to those who need to fleece the tenants.
Subsidizing rent was a stupid idea . Cut all subsidies now force land lords to wear it or get out .
Subsidies just support landlords mortgages.
Who should force landlords the government or the bank or both?
I can see why people need subsidies to pay the rent. I cannot see why landlords need to raise the rent to pay the bank for an investment property they cannot afford.
Landlords get a good return when they sell. This is why people are buying an investment property.
If subsidies were not being paid then many tenants would not be able to afford the rent being asked. However, in that case, landlords may have difficulty finding tenants with sufficient incomes, and rents may fall.
NCEA results will be released today.
Ive been working near the Pullman, from what ive seen the quarantine facilities are not secure at all. When the area for fresh air is on a busy intersection where those in isolation can chat with freinds through the security fence… its a disaster waiting to happen.
Crinkle wood there is always room for improvement no country can claim to have all their bases covered like we have seen in Australia.
With more variants developing even variants that could be immune to vaccination 'also vaccine availability 'vaccines length of protection.
It looks like we could be in for the long haul and just accept this is the new normal.
Sure, but with a more contagious variant here wouldnt you want to make sure there is no face to face contact between those in managed isolation and those outside living in the 'new normal'
Does seem pretty basic stuff.
Quarantine as in having Covid like at Jet Park?
There would also be a risk if an object was passed to the outside.
Do you know if they have fence visiting hours as using a cell is not enough for some?
This Govt. could impose an immediate Rent Freeze with no warning, until there are enough public houses and apartments. Rents should be set at an actual 25% of income max. for State Tenants anyway, and benefits massively raised.
Activists and homeless need to start entering and occupying empty houses from one end of the country to the other. Bach? oh sorry, no one was home…speculators have to be encouraged to “diversify” somehow if the Govt. will not go there.
+1 and I know a lot of people who would support this 100%..including a few home owners as well, contrary to popular belief.
+1
I once dated someone who had a bach around Red Rocks in Wellington. It was great to fish and the sunsets were amazing. The place had a bath tub with a direct view of the ocean and an oven, those were the best days.
There is quite a nice house in Wellington that is almost always empty. It should be in pretty good condition as they have just spent about $3 million on an upgrade if the rumour mill is to be believed.
Usually has one person living there for about 3 nights a week, for about 9 months/year. Address is 260 Tinakori Road. Move in and occupy it. I'm sure you will be welcome
83 Archers Rd, Glenfield, unoccupied for 10+ years https://goo.gl/maps/xiaYRFk9dNwgtNdP9
Windsor Tavern, Parnell, unoccupied for 5+ years https://goo.gl/maps/7L1PDsMsAhmWC3RH9
It's a land-banking crisis.
Sounds like there is room for people. The occupant might get lonely. I always clean up after myself and do a tidy up where ever I stay. I even wash the sheets before I leave.
Are the rumours correct that the Cabinet paper going up from Minister Mahuta is proposing just 3 water entities to run the entire country? This looks like a nice deep political alliance between Mauhta and Parker on both regulatory and institutional fields.
The university tube's logarithm made me aware of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYdtWxdr-c4
There is a wee sales spiel for a few minutes, but the vibe is great.
In 20 minutes, it ticks lots of boxes.
Regenerative agish, something lots of individuals can do, hands on, soil building, empowerment in the face of CC, expaining why wildfires are a good thing.
"And she said the Government would leave "no stone unturned" in its plans to fix the housing market – a market that has seen 20 per cent year-on-year price inflation."
So a CGT is now being examined to be implemented ?? Otherwise The Government is NOT leaving stones unturned. Perhaps our PM should not play with words 🤥. and give a false impression.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-puts-fixing-housing-crisis-at-the-top-of-her-political-agenda/RDYHSCQPIRY7Z5R4ZWWATOO6AU
They've already turned that one.
https://www.theidioms.com/leave-no-stone-unturned/
Meaning
Source: theidioms.com
According to this definition: Our govt is not doing "everything or making every possible effort it can to achieve a good result". Looking and doing are not the same, but I do see your point 🤔 !!
Stone you were looking for:
https://taxworkinggroup.govt.nz/resources/future-tax-final-report.html
Any proposed CGT I have seen proposed in New Zealand will exclude the family home from the tax. That will have the effect of increasing rather than decreasing house prices.
Look at what has happened in Australia where they have a CGT and a means tested national superannuation scheme. All that happens is that most people, as they reach 65, will move to a larger house, or massively do up their existing home and have a great world trip so that they can get under the means test limit where they lose their entitlement to super and they don't open up a CGT obligation if they have to move to a rest home like property.
House price increases in Australia are rising by about the same percentage as here. So much for a CGT holding house prices down. Purely as an example I would offer the following story.
"Property expert forecasts 'double-digit' growth for Aussie house prices in 2021"
https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-property-prices-experts-predict-double-digit-growth-in-2021/dadddfde-0b6b-4e1d-aad6-6b77105e932b
This is getting bloody ridiculous
"Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has mapped out a timeline for when the public can expect new announcements from the government on housing."
An announcement about an announcement…that'll make a difference, FFS
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/434929/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-details-timeline-for-housing-annoucements
Which housing crisis? The shortage of state houses one (which they can address and have made a start on) or the middle class price / ownership one which I don't think they are willing to do what it takes (or really anyone wants them to).
Unfortunately Labour has conflated these before (e.g with the 'affordable' 600k homes) but which crisis do you expect them to address?
Fail to see any 'conflation' of the two with the Kiwibuild fiasco.
If you wish to break it into sectors you can add private rentals to the mix as well.
The entire market is in crisis (with the possible exception of the luxury market) and interconnected. After 4 years the re-announcement of a modest state housing programme that falls far short of state housing levels of even the 1990s may be considered 'addressing' in your book, it isnt even close in mine.
The deliberate fuelling of the residential property market bubble they have clearly shown they are unwilling to address but i fail to see how you conclude no one wants them too…..some clearly do not but substantial numbers obviously do or it would not be considered the dominant issue, not to mention the fact that the goals of this Governments stated social policy are impossible without doing so.
So 'which crisis' do i expect them to address?…all three
But they didn't. They need to.
Quite a big ask then. I never thought that kiwibuild would address house prices and I don't think Labour believed it would either.
I have seen them end the policy of using Housing New Zealand as a nice earner (by selling off the stock, sometimes emptying them using meth testing scams) and that Kiwibuild has basically started growing that stock again. Obviously accomodating people, who will continually need provided housing, is quite a different problem to significantly reducing house prices. But as I thought at the time they talked up Kiwibuild as addressing the later while it could only really address the former. In politics when you make promises you can't deliver on then moving the goal posts (e.g the definition of affordable) is the next strategy you often use.
I don't think the public really wants house prices to suddenly shrink. Ignoring the lack of mechanism imagine if prices fell by 30% what happens? Many new owners are suddenly under water. At this point the banks put more pressure on the reduce debt and the savings behaviour tips the economy towards recession. If the government doesn't respond with spending much more strongly than 2010 then fresh batches of unemployed ultimately pay the price for the housing price adjustment. Ardern has now said multiple times this is not something she wants to see happen. As far as I have seen people who say they want a large fall in prices don't understand what this implies, or acknowledge this problem with that scenario but I assume they don't want this outcome (and they didn't understand likely consequences) not that they thought it was equitable.
Kiwibuild was the part of the overall plan intended to shift private developers towards cheaper builds. Relied too much on them not behaving in their own commercial interests. 'Naive' is being polite.
Building state houses was always a separate part of the same overall plan, incredibly badly communicated by that guy who lost his job over it.
The biggest economic problem with cutting house prices is that too many of NZ's small businesses are also secured against them by our lazy banks.
Am well aware of the potential fall out from a sudden price correction of any significance however the current situation is both unsustainable and will correct at some point in any case…..a serious attempt to wind back the price to income ratios does not necessitate a collapse though that risk exists….the current Gov. position is contrary to such…i.e. 'moderated price growth'
The economy can be stimulated (and employment preserved) through other mechanisms should the Government so choose and underwater mortgages (for owner occupiers) can be removed from the banks balance sheets as has been done before….its not as if we dont have alternative areas that need the investment.
The current situation simply highlights the dearth of any other strategy despite all the time they have had to develop such and also is a one way trip as no central bank has any idea how to unwind what was supposed to be a temporary support measure without causing what they are charged with avoiding and why the RBNZ has constantly called for the fiscal arm to play its role….our current fiscal arm appears bereft of such capability.
Meanwhile increasing numbers of households are losing the wherewithal to contribute to the economy that will cost us in the medium/long term….something both Robertson and Ardern claimed they would avoid.
I agree a price correction while dealing with the fall out would be acceptable.
Unfortunately Labour has shown only interest in avoiding the price correction, while the comment above suggests some people don't seem to think there will be a negative fall out from a price correction (and don't address mitigation).
"but which crisis do you expect them to address".
I am a realist. I don't expect them to address any of the problems relating to housing. They haven't done anything significant in the first 3 years and I really don't expect to see any real improvement in such numbers as the number of of families on the waiting list has risen from 5844 in September 2017 to 22,409 in November 2020.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-zealands-public-housing-crisis-waiting-list-grows-nearly-1000-in-two-months/UFYUW4QAUXIYZARA2ASC2L56VY/