Open mike 21/11/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 21st, 2021 - 90 comments
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90 comments on “Open mike 21/11/2021 ”

    • Pataua4life 2.1

      And exactly how 3Waters is going to turn out

    • Ad 2.2

      It will not be re-opening in any form of Level 2, and don't have the resource to enforce the Traffic Light system.

      Alerts and Important Information : Tuhoe (ngaituhoe.iwi.nz)

      And of course DOC don't function there.

      Went there last year and it was a mess. Track to the start was only accessible now by 4WD, no huts maintained, no one there, no track maintenance, nothing.

      The Waikeremoana circuit is largely only visited by the occasional hunter.

      There's no trapping or pest control.

      Some of this has been made worse by COVID, but this ex-National Park is never coming back.

      They promised to maintain public access as part of the deal, and in fact that it "would not be compromised in any way."

      Iwi wants to run Te Urewera National Park – NZ Herald

      This is solely a Tuhoe failure.

      • RedLogix 2.2.1

        Yes – that's the same message I'm hearing from the online tramping community I'm also involved in. One source I trust outlined an unpleasant encounter with a local – passive aggressive signals that make it clear 'you're not welcome here'.

        • Ad 2.2.1.1

          No I have not been a Park Ranger.

          I was just doing the circuit with my sister.

          • RedLogix 2.2.1.1.1

            Sorry I misunderstood.

            The sad thing here is that Tuhoe are sitting on a cultural/environmental goldmine if they chose to use it wisely.

            • Ad 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Like no one saw this coming.

              Still it's their land. Whatever.

              • Brigid

                "Still it's their land"

                Aye it surely is. After 150 years of putting up with the rules set by a government they never signed any treaty with, they have to fly right?

                ".. this ex-National Park is never coming back." 'Coming back'? Good grief!!

                • Ad

                  Just read the Stuff article for the evidence.

                  If you've lost the ability to point and name failure, you are part of it.

                  • swordfish

                    .

                    The dogmatic Woke deploy a highly Paternalistic Nobel Savage Romanticism … [Māori as eternally innocent, eternally virtuous … essentially powerless children, always the victim, always selfless in motivation, always bereft of agency] … to display their "unusually refined moral sensibilities" and enhance their social prestige as they consolidate their privilege & power … these "heroic" Upper-Middle Class Rescuers will close down all criticism of poor Māori governance, corruption, nepotism. And the affluent Woke will, of course, never be the ones suffering the profoundly negative consequences. This is the future we're looking at.

                    • Ad

                      Look, I'm about as HomoPomoGeo as the next person, do 4am Matins venerating the patron saints of woke lost causes, burn midnight offerings to the Protestant work ethic of irredeemable capitalism one flat rebuild skip of waste at a time, and apply the carding brush of inadequacy to my irreconciled black summer dogfur of vanity. So I may well not demur from the nom-de-plume of that same terrifying future you see.

                  • Brigid

                    All I can take from that comment is that:

                    (a) Your lack of insight renders you blind to your white privilege, so well displayed by your pearl clutching because you aren't getting your 'national park back'

                    (b) You're too thick to comprehend what I've written.

                    Tuhoe don't care whether you approve or not that they aren't administering the land in the way you think fit. They are gleefully (with a fair amount of humour) watching your frustration and humiliation with more than a little schadenfreude.

                    • RedLogix

                      Aye it surely is. After 150 years of putting up with the rules set by a government they never signed any treaty with, they have to fly right?

                      Some Tuhoe leaders have long held to the romantic idea this means they never became part of the NZ state and never subject to it's Parliament.

                      Want to go there?

                • Gabby

                  Well yes, if they agreed to.

                • bwaghorn

                  They did sign an agreement to keep it open to all and run under co governance. Guess its different if they are dishonest a??

        • Robert Guyton 2.2.1.2

          "online tramping"?

          What's the world coming too???!

    • millsy 2.3

      I warned several times on this website that this would happen, and it has. And it will happen again once iwi get the rest of our national parks

      • weka 2.3.1

        you’ve ignored moderation, so now putting you on the ban list until you respond. Look back in past few days to my replies to you to see what that is about. Your comments will no longer appear on the front end until this is resolved.

        • Puckish Rogue 2.3.1.1

          Hi weka

          I, personally, have no issue with what Millsy says, he adds humour to this site and he certainly brings a 'fresh' and 'unique' perspective to discussions

          Free the Millsy!

          • weka 2.3.1.1.1

            I have no problem with them participating on site either. I do have a problem with dropping random reckons into threads about controversial public figures with the intention of participating in debate and not providing back up for what they say when asked. Read the Policy, it’s clear.

            Further, they're on the ban list because they ignored moderation.

            All that is easily resolved by Millsy responding to the original requests.

      • weka 2.3.2

        out of moderation now. Please be more careful in the future both about backing up, and responding to mod notes. I've made a note in the back end to that effect in case there is a next time.

    • Foreign waka 2.4

      Waiting for more handouts I guess, sitting back and expecting "initiative".

      I remember some 25 years ago visiting, it felt actually being in the movie Deliverance. I'd hazard a guess it hasn't improved.

    • pat 2.5

      As you say bwaghorn….its politics, if pakeha want flash tracks and huts and tourists then they (via the Gov) need to front the dollars ….and Tuhoe will happily reap the income generated….and if the dollars atrnt forthcoming then they have lost nothing and the land remains in their control.

      • bwaghorn 2.5.1

        You’re putting words into my keyboard! I think tuhoe are in the wrong, they agreed to the terms and a not holding there side up. The article says there is $2.3 mill base available to run it ,with provision to up it if needed,

        Kruger says they wont let doc do work on tracks because thaey want their people to do the work, then admit they cant get there people to do it.

        I grew up in the shadow of the Uruwera and spent a chunk of my 20s hunting and pest controlling there ,also had a basic batch at tuai for a time ,it saddens me greatly that the door is closing on the opportunity to take my young'n there .

  1. Molly 3

    Sunday morning video for Gezza, and anyone else who has done video editing and understands how much a labour of love this would have been.

    For everyone else, Hollywood in its heyday.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1F0lBnsnkE&t=1s

  2. Molly 4

    Doxxing a woman in Scotland. Let's see how fast the police respond to this.

    https://twitter.com/Obsolesence/status/1462067037421948935

    • weka 4.1

      Richard has deleted their tweet now.

      • Molly 4.1.1

        (I wondered how long it would take. It was still up when I posted.)

        Women's Hour BBC, talking with Nancy Kelley, current CEO of Stonewall and touching on the transphobic label ascribed to JK Rowling.

        • Molly 4.1.1.1

          Another quote from Nancy Kelley, when trying to stop the publication of the BBC article on the cotton ceiling: 'We're being pressured into sex by some trans women

          The BBC won much praise for its investigation, which prompted some lesbians to express their anger at how they felt ostracised for wishing to form relationships only with women.

          Campaigner Kat Howard wrote that she was ‘incredibly grateful to Caroline Lowbridge, and the BBC for this article’, adding: ‘We need help protecting young lesbians everywhere from an LGBT community that would rather see them silenced than stand up to the male perpetrators of assault.’

          Yet now it has emerged that months before the article appeared Stonewall’s chief executive Nancy Kelley wrote to the editorial director of BBC News to denounce Lowbridge’s work in an apparent attempt to get her piece stopped.

          In her email, Kelley suggested that the BBC article would end up being ‘transphobic’ because it represented trans women as ‘sexual predators’, which was a ‘central anti-trans argument’.

          She further complained that the ‘highly toxic’ cotton ceiling issue was ‘analogous to issues like sexual racism’.

          Trans lobby group Stonewall brands lesbians 'sexual racists' for raising concerns about being pressured into having sex with transgender women who still have male genitals – The Mail on Sunday.

          And this is the woman who declared in Women's Hour interview that she wanted more influence:

          Ms Kelley added: "In reality, I don't think we've had any real influence over editorial policy. It will be lovely to have more, we would love to be able to kind of have a great amount of influence over the way that the LGBTQ stories are covered by everyone."

          "We'd love to have more influence in the world, we want to grow more inclusive," she said.

          It is understood that it took many months of editorial discussions before the article was published on October 26.

          Stonewall has appeared to confirm that changes were made to the original piece, although it remains unclear whether this was as a direct result of the leaked email, sent in September 2020.

          • francesca 4.1.1.1.1

            Some back pedalling from Stonewall

            Critics say that organisations are in effect paying a lobby group to promote their policies. Dundee University confirmed yesterday that it had replaced “mother” and “father” with gender-neutral alternatives after feedback from its application for the index.

            Explaining why the university scored only five out of 15 points on its policies, Stonewall wrote: “We recommend that you remove the terms mother and father from the body of your policies . . . we’d recommend using gender-neutral language in the body of the policy.”

            After some backlash

            Stonewall has dropped guidance advising groups on its workplace schemes to remove the word “mother” from their policies.

            https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/411482bc-4984-11ec-aa43-5cc5157b09b9?shareToken=a9f1413e89b1ec6780cfc69715813aaa

      • Molly 4.1.2

        Follow up tweet here. All comments I read were about the doxxing and stalking, and reminders they may be acting unlawfully…“aka serious and threatening transphobic messages.”

        https://twitter.com/Richard_Energy_/status/1462128840889798665

    • Anker 4.2

      Bastards.

  3. weka 5

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  4. Patricia Bremner 6

    Apparently ZB stations are going to amplify the Groundswell protest? They intend to open vehicle windows and play their message loudly. Will watch with interest to see if they attract people they would rather not…antivax, gun lobby, to name a couple.

  5. Puckish Rogue 7

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/300455809/recap-france-ensure-shaky-all-blacks-finish-season-with-backtoback-losses

    So glad the All Blacks management decided to renew Ian Fosters contract and not sound out:

    1. Scott Robertson

    2. Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown

    3. Dave Rennie

    • bwaghorn 7.1

      The french were on fire in that first half, the abs looked flat footed and tired, the second half was a ripper, shame about the result but I enjoyed it, after all its just entertainment,

      As a mate said atleast we haven't peaked to soon for the world cup

      • Puckish Rogue 7.1.1

        'As a mate said at least we haven't peaked to soon for the world cup'

        We most certainly haven't laugh

    • Blazer 7.2

      A few more records for Foster today…including 1st time the AB's have lost at Stade DF for 21 years…Foster has a woeful record as a head coach.

      Has never coached a championship winning side.

      Old dinosaur ,oldboy network dud.

      Retalick,Whitelock,Moodie all past their use by date .

      Poor selection,no postive game plan,plenty of lame excuses.

      • Puckish Rogue 7.2.1

        I don't mind the All Blacks losing, its how they're losing is the issue to me.

        • Descendant Of Smith 7.2.1.1

          Yeah they seem far too dependent on "moments of brilliance" rather than having any substantial gameplan they can execute.

          Even when our plan was "be fitter than every other team and win in the last twenty minutes if we have to" – really started by Mourie when he was captain – you knew at least what the gameplan was. Other teams fitness has caught up and we don't seem to have any tactics or gameplan at all. Alternatively we used to wear the opposition down in the forwards first – maybe we need to go back to that. Certainly aimless kicking isn't working.

          • Puckish Rogue 7.2.1.1.1

            Whats the point of having guys that have played the game for 20 plus years and then drill them into a strait jacket

            Makes no point

            • Descendant Of Smith 7.2.1.1.1.1

              You seem to be able to only think in extremes. You've posed the question which is quite different from what I was saying so I guess you'll have to answer that yourself.

    • Ad 7.3

      My boss is French and Rugby mad.

      It's going to be unliveable at work on Monday.

    • Pete 7.4

      Not sound out? And not seriously look at all factors?

    • weka 9.1

      that one btw is where white working class men can politically ally with feminists (assuming they're ok with women having our own politics). However it does rely on acknowledging that discrimination is also a thing.

      To the anti-woke I would say: that solidarity politics across class and groups that experience discrimination has been subsumed into neoliberalism doesn't mean that discrimination isn't an important political issue.

      To the woke I would say: stop fudging the differences between class oppression and discrimination because it's handing power to the neolibs on a plate.

  6. Molly 11

    Looking at NZ legislation for Human Rights:

    Section 21 Prohibited grounds of discrimination

    (1) For the purposes of this Act, the prohibited grounds of discrimination are—

    (a) sex, which includes pregnancy and childbirth:

    (b) marital status, which means being— list provided

    (c) religious belief:

    (d) ethical belief, which means the lack of a religious belief, whether in respect of a particular religion or religions or all religions:

    (e) colour:

    (f) race:

    (g) ethnic or national origins, which includes nationality or citizenship:

    (h) disability, which means— list provided

    (i) age, which means,— list provided

    (j) political opinion, which includes the lack of a particular political opinion or any political opinion:

    (k) employment status, which means— list provided

    (l) family status, which means— list provided

    (m) sexual orientation, which means a heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual orientation.

    The Human Rights Commission has the following:

    • Human Rights Act 1993 – It is unlawful to discriminate against anyone in New Zealand because of their sexual orientation or sex/gender identity. These include applying for a job, at work, in education and health care, in government agencies’ policies and practice, and when you buy things or pay for services.

    The Students Rights NZ website also states:

    Can I attend a single-sex school of my chosen gender?

    Human Rights Act 1993, s 21

    Yes. You have the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex, which includes gender and gender identity. However, the school may ask for proof of your gender or of your intention to transition.

    I'm not as up to the play on legislation processes as others here, so my questions are:

    1. To me these interpretations of the discrimination term – sex are incorrect. The discriminatory practices were on the basis of biological sex. There is no provided list of descriptors as there are for disability and marital status.
    2. If this change conflating sex and gender identity did take place at legislative level, when did it happen?
    3. Where was the public discussion?
    4. What does this mean for discrimination based on biological sex?
    5. Should the Human Rights Commission (and other bodies) be interpreting the law in such a way if it has not been through legislative processes?
  7. Fireblade 12

    Newshub Poll

    Labour – 42.7%

    National – 26.9%

    ACT – 16%

    Greens – 7.2%

    Māori Party – 2.1%

    NZ First – 2.5%

    • observer 12.1

      Also Luxon and Bridges surging up to … 2.5%. So still less popular than their very unpopular leader.

      Anyway, Tuesday is National's last chance for a change (after that there's a week's recess and a change in December means the voters don't notice, no honeymoon, wasted opportunity).

      Prediction: Simon Bridges will be leader in 48 hours.

      • weka 12.1.1

        Aren't they waiting for Luxon? If they put Bridges in now and then have to change to Luxon before the election they'll look even more like numpties.

      • AB 12.1.2

        Nobody with the ability to win wants the Nat leadership now. And maybe not even before 2023 if we bounce fairly well out of Covid next year due to 90+% vax rates and a sensibly cautious dismantling of public health restrictions.

      • georgecom 12.1.3

        The next leader of a National Government will be…….

        David Seymour

  8. bwaghorn 13

    WTF Talleys have oversite on their workers FUCKING ACC CLAIMS, fuck you labour you are dead to me if you dont fix this

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    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, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$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 ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    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. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    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 Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    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 ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    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 ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    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 ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    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. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    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, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    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 ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    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, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    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 ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    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,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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