Open mike 22/09/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 22nd, 2020 - 87 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

87 comments on “Open mike 22/09/2020 ”

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  1. adam 1
    22 September 2020 at 6:07 am

    Thank God for the ICIJ and the ABC. As dirty money is still rolling around the globe.

    https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/

    Video for those who want a quick introduction.

    • Adrian Thornton 1.1
      22 September 2020 at 8:16 am

      Yes as usual there is very little coverage of news that really matters diseminated by pretty much all msm outlets in NZ…I see RNZ and the Guardian managed to make this story all about RUSSIA and PUTIN yesterday…sort of like fake news really.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2
      22 September 2020 at 11:58 am

      When making a profit is the prime objective then corruption is sure to follow. Why do it the hard way when its more profitable to do it the easy way?

    • Cinny 1.3
      22 September 2020 at 4:11 pm

      Informative clip, thanks for posting yes

  2. Ad 2
    22 September 2020 at 7:17 am

    It would be an excellent moment for Labour to announce a cash bonus to enable office workers to work from home, rather than use either the car or public transport.

    Both car use and public transport for commuting are massive sunk costs in public capital, and private productive time, and public transport is now a public health risk as well.

    At minimum it has the potential to lower the fragility of the Auckland network and delay costly infrastructure spend.

    At best it could permanently shift society to rely less on cars.

    And of course it would be a little redemptive policy goodness to come out of the pandemic.

  3. millsy 3
    22 September 2020 at 7:36 am

    Jacinda needs to put in a good performance at the first debate tonight. She cannot afford a "show me the money" moment. Collins will have few tricks so she needs to be careful.

    Going to be a long few weeks.

    • Robert Guyton 3.1
      22 September 2020 at 7:47 am

      Show me the money?

      Jacinda has 4 billion quips to choose from if challenged.

      I think Judith will be quite reluctant to talk about money.

  4. Dennis Frank 4
    22 September 2020 at 7:57 am

    Solidarity amongst splitters? Paradox – but at least they were having a go at it: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/22-09-2020/what-the-conspiracy-theorist-parties-believe-and-why-it-matters/

    Debate moderator Mark Thompson also had an unusual role, in that he was also highlighted consensus positions.

    The cool thing about editors becoming irrelevant is that journos can liberate themselves by being ungrammatical in public. So they do.

    I went along out of a desire to understand where these parties – the New Conservatives, Advance NZ, the Outdoors Party and the One Party – were coming from, not to grab the most outrageous or shocking soundbites.

    Alex Braae went to Nelson to encounter our political fringe, but he's also a zealot in his disregard of journalistic convention. Outrage & shock sells, so the funding stream of the media pays his wage, eh? Biting the hand that feeds him is brave.

    Each party on stage was forged out of a sense of betrayal.

    Like the New Labour Party and NZ First, he failed to add. Too young to connect those dots, unfortunately, as it would strengthen his thesis if he did.

    At a candidate meeting in Martinborough last week, MP Kieran McAnulty increasingly directed his barbs against the Advance NZ candidate and associated hecklers in the crowd, rather than against his actual rivals for the seat from National and NZ First.

    Near the end, he earned the biggest cheer of the night from everyone else by thundering that the government’s Covid-19 response was built on “listening to the experts, not reading conspiracy theories on Facebook”.

    Sheeple everwhere will be thrilled! Obedience good, rebellion bad. A future Labour leader, who knows which button to push.

    Outdoors Party co-leader Sue Grey… is a lawyer, and is an intelligent enough person to have won legal battles against highly resourced opponents.

    But intelligence tends to become relative to context in which it gets used, eh? So when the public divides into those captivated by the official narrative and those into the meta-narrative, who's really clever is an opaque question. So here's the bottom line:

    everyone who is considered to be media literate has an instinctive understanding that they’re being lied to in some shape or form all the time, and continues broadly trusting those sources.

    We use both/and logic during media consumption. We trust media to give us something currently relevant worth considering, while knowing it's as likely as not to be a lie.

    • Gabby 4.1
      22 September 2020 at 10:34 am

      So, there was a meeting, and the report had a grammatical error.

      • Dennis Frank 4.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 10:51 am

        You forgot to mention that the sun rose this morning. Political commentary looks better to readers if elementary facts get factored into the big picture.

  5. ScottGN 5
    22 September 2020 at 8:02 am

    It was good to hear the PM on Morning Report this morning insist that a future 3rd harbour crossing in Auckland absolutely had to have a rail component. In fact she refused to confirm if further traffic lanes were in the mix at all. Let’s just hope it’s a Labour led government that gets the job of planning this rather than National cos we know how that would work out.

  6. tc 6
    22 September 2020 at 8:10 am

    Collins fronting the National ad I saw last night had a very deja vu quality to it.

    I thought I started seeing Muldoon's smirk one side of the mouth at times as the similarities struck a chord. Not a pleasant old tune that one btw.

    • greywarshark 6.1
      22 September 2020 at 11:50 am

      About Muldoon expression, I'd noticed that too.

      • Dennis Frank 6.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 2:52 pm

        Ah, so she's channelling Muldoon, that explains it. The threatening part of his style is coming through rather wimpish, though, eh? Perhaps up there on cloud nine he's been well & truly lectured at by do-gooder angels explaining that good vibes work better than bad on the earthly plane (as in heaven).

        Since he likely rolled his eyes at them persistently for the first few years, they would have had to shift gear up to indoctrination level 2. Reincarnational karma would have come as quite a shock to the old turk. Long enough mulling it over, now to try being nice, through that nice young(ish) pretend Nat leader…

  7. ScottGN 7
    22 September 2020 at 8:16 am

    Poor old Corin on Morning Report just now. He’s vox popping some punters from around the country about the change to level 1 and desperately trying to generate some anger and conflict and drama out of them but they’re all sweet as!

  8. Dennis Frank 8
    22 September 2020 at 8:42 am

    Subtle, nuanced solidarity on the airwaves:

    Hosking: "No you are being too linear. It's not a matter of a perfect model or a non-perfect model, it's about nuance and subtlety."

    Ardern: "Mike, if you're saying you're now a person of nuance and subtlety, bless.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12366679

    • greywarshark 8.1
      22 September 2020 at 11:54 am

      Oh thanks for that clip DF it has made my month. Holding on for this coming few weeks till the election is over is trying. I hope that the Auckland evangelicals get toads raining down on them from the high one above.

    • Wensleydale 8.2
      22 September 2020 at 1:54 pm

      Someone get poor Michael some asbestos underpants. He just got burned. I don't know how she endures his endless needling and pedantry. The desperation to get a hit on her is almost palpable. He's a miserable excuse for a human being.

  9. Reality 9
    22 September 2020 at 8:57 am

    What a brilliant response by Jacinda to Mike Hosking. Responds to him without being nasty, snide and sarcastic like someone who can't help herself being nasty, snide or sarcastic. And when that person tries to be nice it always is sooooo insincere.

  10. Dennis Frank 10
    22 September 2020 at 9:03 am

    Waikato has been a hotbed of racism since the colonial govt conquered the region. Nowadays it's being led by the ruling council of the university: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12366140

    Primary evidence of the residual colonialist mind-set is retention of Hamilton as the name of the region's capital city, to honour the 19th-century British aristocrat. Quite why the citizens of the city believe such perpetual honouring is a good idea isn't being explained to sceptics in the 21st century. Progress might happen. Keep head in sand.

    Local peasants entertain themselves by aping the behaviour of an ancient European tribe; the Vandals. https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/300112102/election-vandalism-rife-in-hamilton-with-tyres-and-signs-sliced

    Vandalism is culturally interesting in that it isn't a belief system – unlike other isms – but a behavioural tradition. Local yokels preserving local culture. Come the superhighway, invasion by Aucks will threaten their peace of mind though. How to form a united front against multiculturalism? That's a question unable to enter their heads, due to lack of brain. Dinosaurs prior to comet-strike, the Hamiltonians.

    • In Vino 10.1
      22 September 2020 at 11:28 am

      Aristocrat? More like upper Middle Class, I would hazard.

      • greywarshark 10.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 11:57 am

        Please leave that alone DF. It is a hot kumara, and not appropriate to stir the pot and stew about it before the election hangi.

        And just to add before I sign off, local iwi have an interest in the uni. So something to look at after the election please.

    • Stuart Munro 10.2
      22 September 2020 at 11:33 am

      Hamilton? Thought it was called The Tron.

    • Gabby 10.3
      22 September 2020 at 5:22 pm

      The university council are slashing tyres? The rotters.

  11. francesca 11
    22 September 2020 at 9:04 am

    An interesting overview of Nordstream 2 and its geopolitical struggles(for those who are interested)

    Written by a

    Policy Analyst at The Russian Public Affairs Committee (Ru-PAC). His work is focused on Russo-American relations, the Eurasian space and with a long-term goal of building better relations between Russia and his country of birth, Sweden

    https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/09/19/dont-expect-sanctions-to-stop-nord-stream-ii/

    And regarding Amnesty International and the Assange trial it's heartening to see Amnesty come to the party after a very long silence. They are actively being excluded from the hearings, even remote access has been revoked

    They're beginning to realise the consequences of their original limp response, and they may, along with many others just now jumping in , be too late

    https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/09/why-are-amnesty-international-monitors-not-able-to-observe-the-assange-hearing/

  12. Sabine 12
    22 September 2020 at 11:33 am

    well it was good for the goose so why should it not be good for the gander, and besides we need to 'teach these people in emergency housing the value of paying rent' or some other bullshit like that.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300113282/plan-to-charge-for-emergency-housing-back-on

    The Government may have paid $6000 a fortnight to house them in a private rental at one stage – part of a scheme to pay landlords motel-level room rates to put families in houses rather than motels.

    When the scheme ended abruptly they had to shift all of their belongings overnight into a friend's garage and eventually ended up in a Mangere motel – where they live today.

    Now the Labour-led government is pushing ahead with a plan to charge families like hers 25 per cent of their income for staying in these emergency motels.

    The change was announced in February, set to come into place in March, but was delayed due to Covid-19.

    Now it will come into effect on October 19 – two days after the election.

    The Government argues it is a question of fairness along with a much-needed incentive to get people out of emergency housing and into private, transitional or social housing.

    Mangere East Family Services social worker Alastair Russell said it's not a question of incentives. The reason people aren't moving out of emergency housing is because the whole system is "stuck".

    The backlog of people waiting for social housing spaces has meant people stay in transitional housing longer.

    The backlog of people in transitional housing has meant people can't move out of emergency accommodation.

    yeah, sure keep charging these homeless families 25% of their wage for 'emergency accomodation', surely this will teach them the value of paying for a rental that they can't find even if they have full time jobs working for hte council.

    Kinder, gentler, bullshit.

    • The Al1en 12.1
      22 September 2020 at 11:42 am

      What percentage of a wage would be paid in a state house?

      • Draco T Bastard 12.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 12:17 pm

        IIRC, its 25% of income.

      • Sabine 12.1.2
        22 September 2020 at 6:03 pm

        1. Do i have an issue with people paying for housing? No, i don't.

        1. Renting a state house from housing corp is a secure rental agreement with the Housing Corp and i am sure that particular family and others would be more then happy to pay the regular rents on such a property. Too bad, that we sold them under the last govenrment and under the current one we can't build them fast enough. So they are not renting a State House, but nice try of deflection.

        3.why does emergency housing in shoddy motels/flats cost 3000NZD per week?

        1. Is the government that useless at negotiating a fair price, and is this really the best they could do with the tools they have and all the intelligent and highly educated people working high paying jobs in government. Cause if it is, then they need to be hiring better staff, the current one seems useless.
        2. why does the government not simply pay the standard rental prices for motels/shoddy housing in the first place, see above, useless at negotiating?

        6. do i have an issue with people spending 25% of their wages/welfare income on 3000NZD per week for a property that Winz has not even inspected and that according to various articles now are often times not safe, not sanitary, over crowded, and sometimes even illegal? A property that is EMERGENCY or TRANSITIONAL housing, and not a stable secure rental?

        Yes, yes i do.

        And i don't care if this shit comes from National or Labour.

        I hope that answers any question you may have.

        • The Al1en 12.1.2.1
          22 September 2020 at 8:10 pm

          Too much cacao tasting today? lol

          The question of the social problems in not having enough affordable homes for people to buy or rent, or how the number of state houses should be much higher are a given for most left voters and all would like to see what we have now reversed.

          I don't get your bitterness in charging someone 25% of $635 and $980pw after tax to stay in a motel, which clearly may not be ideal, but is much better than market rate rentals or living in a car or under a bridge.

          Those people would still have 75% of their wage and a roof over their heads until circumstances change with better housing outcomes.

          I completely refute the idea that's somehow "bullshit"

          Rooms in big houses is different and I doubt it’s the best policy if guarantees of safety and quality can’t be given.

    • Ad 12.2
      22 September 2020 at 12:22 pm

      Sabine, you get more ammunition about this here:

      https://www.cpag.org.nz/

      Also this big one launched five days ago, going into most social welfare areas you can think of:

      https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/latest-report

      • Sabine 12.2.1
        22 September 2020 at 6:05 pm

        Sadly the Sally Army is not government, and the current government will ignore the findings of the Sally Army (to which i have linked a few days ago btw), as they did with their own fact finding group.

        This government gives no more a fuck about the poor then did the last ones.

  13. greywarshark 13
    22 September 2020 at 12:16 pm

    I thought Prof Nick Wilson had good point about saying that we would do better to have a 1.5 lockdown level with masks on public transport and reductions in numbers at high contact settings, bars and clubs, gyms. It's my preference. We have a lot to lose, and want to open up as much as poss and with as much as poss safety.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018765039/covid-19-public-health-expert-not-happy-with-alert-level-1

  14. Peter 14
    22 September 2020 at 12:17 pm

    Brownlee's on talking about privatising isolation etc, with all the usual bullshit 'probable' 'they'll have to etc.' Then the "all we're saying is …"

    And all the crap about getting on the plane virus free.

    I stuffed up yesterday entering my name as 'failed UE twice.' That was a typo directed at Gerry. That was him. I presume he got School C to get to 6th form. I think he has regressed.

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1
      22 September 2020 at 12:19 pm

      Sounds like Gerry's trying to spin the line that the private sector always does it better.

      He'll have a hard time of it though because, after four decades of that BS, we now know that the private sector does it worse and costs more.

      • mac1 14.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 1:27 pm

        And when they've got it wrong, and the virus escapes from poorly run, poorly managed, short-funded private isolation who gets to put it right?

        And Brownlee talks about an agency to supervise the privateers. Who pays for that?

        The answer to both questions- it sure ain't private enterprise.

      • woodart 14.1.2
        22 September 2020 at 1:59 pm

        yes, we have melbournes experience to show us how good private enterprise is. wonder if jerry has factored insurance into cost of private phuckups? after his triumph in chch, he should be well aware or how insurance can bite arses.

    • greywarshark 14.2
      22 September 2020 at 12:21 pm

      Peter
      I think we all have, or alternatively, most of us have not progressed past whatever level of formal learning we had early in life. We need more than vocational training and silo studies of one aspect of life to study in depth.

    • gsays 14.3
      22 September 2020 at 12:36 pm

      In regards Brownlee's new department: it could be called CERA,

      Covid

      Entry

      Repatriation

      Authority.

      What could go wrong?

  16. greywarshark 16
    22 September 2020 at 12:24 pm

    Syrian man freed from detention in Oz. Landmark ruling. Sounds interesting – I haven't read yet but include this here for us all to know about.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018765026/ruling-sets-detainee-free-and-opens-door-for-others-in-limbo

  18. Siobhan 18
    22 September 2020 at 12:28 pm

    Well, how very very odd.."The Guardian" are today, an actual part of the Assange trial…..yet they have decided to not cover the story (as yet)..thats dedication..then again..no news sources have actually applied to have their journalists in Court..any thoughts out there on when 'No News' becomes 'Fake News'…

    so we shall have to go with the Daily Mail link ..again…

    "The US government is wrong to charge WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with publishing unredacted classified documents because they had already appeared online, a London court has heard.

    Computer scientist Professor Christian Grothoff said the organisation was not the first to make public 251,000 diplomatic cables when they appeared on its website on September 2, 2011."

    Now I know many of you are "So Over" Assange, but, well, its a big trial, and THE GUARDIAN ARE IN IT..so…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8756265/Julian-Assange-NOT-charged-WikiLeaks-files-available-online.html

    https://shadowproof.com/2020/09/21/guide-to-journalists-assange-trial-upset-by-media-blackout/

  19. greywarshark 19
    22 September 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Climate change continues – can we manage to think of multiple problematic and destructive things at the same time??

    https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/worlds-richest-1-cause-double-co2-emissions-of-poorest-half-says-oxfam/

    The wealthiest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015, according to new research. EURACTIV’s media partner, The Guardian, reports.

    Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 60% over the 25-year period, but the increase in emissions from the richest 1% was three times greater than the increase in emissions from the poorest half.

    The report, compiled by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute, warned that rampant overconsumption and the rich world’s addiction to high-carbon transport are exhausting the world’s “carbon budget”.

    Perhaps we could support this news media amalgamation and hear more about the rest of the world that is outside the range of the voice of Hosking et Al.

  20. greywarshark 20
    22 September 2020 at 1:06 pm

    Anyone who finds wikipedia a useful and mostly factual source! They need an injection of money. Amazingly, they say, 98% of people who use them don't give them anything. WTF. This is a chance to join a group almost as elite as the 1% Mr Creosotes. This group is of the virtuous goodies who get behind people-power-with-integrity – the 2%.

    https://donate.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:LandingPage&country=NZ&uselang/

  21. UncookedSelachimorpha 21
    22 September 2020 at 1:37 pm

    Labour moves fast to drive wages down:

    Visa changes, border exemptions for specialised workers

    I see some of the workers are so specialised they will be filling " labour shortages in horticulture and wine growing. "

    • greywarshark 21.1
      22 September 2020 at 1:53 pm

      NZ helping poor people everywhere?

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 21.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 2:03 pm

        A fair point, although I doubt that is the intention. Expanding the pool of people to exploit more likely.

        It is probably better if there are at least pockets of working people being paid better around the world, rather than the entire world being driven down to a low level with only the rich masters doing well anywhere.

    • Adrian 21.2
      22 September 2020 at 2:16 pm

      I wouldn't call 1000 – 1500 bucks a week "driving wages down ". Most wages in agriculture in NZ are well in excess of the same in Australia. Grape harvester drivers 10 to 15 dollars more per hour, winery workers above living wage and above Oz, ask any young traveller about the comparison.

      • Stuart Munro 21.2.1
        22 September 2020 at 7:12 pm

        If those are really the wages, government should be moving heaven and earth to make sure that those jobs are going to New Zealanders, not migrants.

      • KJT 21.2.2
        22 September 2020 at 7:55 pm

        So. The family member working in horticulture on 50c above minimum wage, and unpaid every time it rains, or they run out of work, while being on call 24/7, is an an exception.

        I don't think so.

  22. Byd0nz 22
    22 September 2020 at 2:45 pm 
          Debate   stakes.</p>

    The gates are open its an even jump,
    Rude Jude on the outside Smiley J the inner,
    The debate is on Campbell holds the whip,
    Things now start to simmer.

    Rude Jude tried to trip up Smiley J,
    But Smiley J had none of that,
    The calmness of Rude Jude is fading,
    And out-pours her lines of crap.

    Campbell tries to intervene in vain,
    Smiley J streaks clear for home,
    Rude Jude way back in the trail,
    Her mouth now full of foam.

    The punters of colour blue,
    Rip their tickets up and groan,
    The clear concise goals of Smiley J,
    Have given her the throne.

    • greywarshark 22.1
      22 September 2020 at 4:51 pm

      Hope we can celebrate that win on October 17th? Get out all the silver cups that you won back then and fill them with champagne that your horse Came Home. /humour

  23. Andre 23
    22 September 2020 at 3:18 pm

    Here's the campaign ad Judthulhu really needs to copy. Yes, it really is a pro-Kelly Loeffler ad running in Georgia.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/21/politics/kelly-loeffler-ad-attila-the-hun/index.html

    • greywarshark 23.1
      22 September 2020 at 4:49 pm

      Why do women want long hair so much? Why is the fashion so long-lasting? It must be a time user keeping it in good order. This woman's hair would look nice on a palomino pony.

      • Patricia 2 23.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 8:00 pm

        Grey – maybe it is a macho male leader thing ? John Key was fascinated by long hair (especially pony tails) on females of all ages.

  24. greywarshark 24
    22 September 2020 at 4:47 pm

    This might help landlords whose tenants will not air the house, open some windows etc to reduce humidity and the mould it brings.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018764722/how-better-building-design-can-fight-the-spread-of-covid-19

  25. Ric Stacey 25
    22 September 2020 at 4:52 pm

    I cannot get the donate page to open. I click on the button and the address appears in the new window and the page stays blank. I'm using Win 7 and it happens in Firefox (latest version)and also in Chrome(at least a recent version) I need the bank account no.

    • greywarshark 25.1
      22 September 2020 at 6:16 pm

      Will someone help this person. He wants to donate and is having trouble. This is a time when someone should definitely come to the aid of the party – a good cause!

      • Heather Grimwood 25.1.1
        22 September 2020 at 8:49 pm

        to Rick at 25 and greywarshark at 25.1 :

        email labour.org.nz and have bankcard beside you!…the form appears to fill in .
        Yours in the cause and pleased to help.

    • Incognito 25.2
      22 September 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Which donate page?

    • Heather Grimwood 25.3
      22 September 2020 at 9:06 pm

      To Ric Stacey at 25 :
      i copied your name wrongly in my reply to greywarshark, ( busy day).
      To donate to Labour, email labour.org.nz and the donation sheet will appear.
      You only need your bankcard beside you. The procedure is easy. Yours in the cause.

  27. PsyclingLeft.Always 27
    22 September 2020 at 5:16 pm

    New Zealand State "care" : (

    "The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has resumed its public hearings in Auckland on Monday focusing on evidence from survivors of abuse who have sought redress for what happened to them."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426656/abuse-in-state-care-inquiry-survivor-calls-for-independent-claims-process

    Electric shock torture…: (

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/abuse-care-ect-used-treat-womans-sexuality

    Suffer the little Children…: (

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/424173/marylands-school-abuse-inquiry-it-s-about-time

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/347975/abuse-victim-backs-inquiry-including-religious-institutions

    Wha?…this is absolutely gut wrenching (and no BS about a different time/move on !!)…

  28. Chris T 28
    22 September 2020 at 7:10 pm

    Don't suppose anyone has a link to the debate online.

    The TVNZ stream is stuck in the loading cycle of death

  29. observer 29
    22 September 2020 at 7:14 pm

    John Campbell has a severe case of the waffles. Stop talking. And for God's sake stop giving them a cuddle.

  30. Anker 30
    22 September 2020 at 8:25 pm

    Thought tvone gave Collins the advantage. Often camera on Collins when Ardern was talking. I am sure he allowed Collins more time. Wtf

    • Chris T 30.1
      22 September 2020 at 9:31 pm

      When she was talking about Kiwibuild and the CGT?

      Ardern was hardly going to interrupt to talk about that mess.

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    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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