Open mike 22/12/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 22nd, 2020 - 123 comments
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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 …

123 comments on “Open mike 22/12/2020 ”

  1. aom 1

    This is the latest ride on the merry-go-round of legal shit-fuckery that penalises community groups who dare to face off in opposition to the rape and pillage of the environment. Less than a decade ago, voluntary community organisations were able to apply for Government financed grants, now no longer available, when challenging the likes of Councils, big-moneyed developers, international consortiums and Government agencies in respect of environmental concerns. In almost all but the most frivolous of cases, legal costs were never awarded against community groups but left to lie where they may. This was in the interests of justice being seen to be done in both quasi and full legal proceedings that were being tested by those who were committed to upholding the incrementally unfolding joke of ‘A Clean Green New Zealand’ by their works and deeds. Up and down the country, these communities of voluntary environmental workers and supporters of the notion that we are only caretakers of the land for future generations attempted to mount cases on hard come by donations fund raising efforts and their own knowledge and informational resources that are now regarded as unqualified opinions in hearings, even if they are unpaid witnesses or presenters who are acknowledged experts in their fields. These usually unheralded challengers of 'the system' are rapidly learning that you don’t fuck with rapacious wealth accumulators, Councils, and Government without risking eye-wateringly heavy sanctions and financial penalties. With stuff-all resources, the would-be protectors now not only have to somehow engage expensive lawyers and 'experts' but will be denigrated during hearings by the paid liars who the vested interests can munificently reward, the snide demeaning attitudes of the assembled ‘specialist’ legal teams of the ‘I want brigade’ and usually associated local bodies, various intended beneficiaries of the primary parties and, as in the Coromandel case, the Government, all of who are backed by very deep pockets, often, in part, paid for by the various charges, rates or taxes of the challengers. This could end up a long dissertation of examples and bitter experience from the bottom end of the disenchanted 'protest' chain but no doubt, the shit-fuckery and perversion of environmental legal protection is already sufficiently evident!

    • Ad 1.1

      Some semblance of syntax, grammar, and a link to whatever you're on about would be useful if you want any kind of engagement.

      For example you could always publish the High Court decision on the reasons that their costs application was not considered in the public interest.

      • RosieLee 1.1.1

        Agree about the link, but not a lot wrong with the grammar and syntax.

      • Ed 1.1.2

        You appear more annoyed by poor grammar than the rape and pillage of our environment Ad.

        aom’s passionate piece highlights how far our nation has fallen into being a neoliberal playground for massive multinational corporations.

        Whose side are on, Ad?

        • lprent 1.1.2.1

          I read hundreds of passionate pleas every day. Many of them from people who want to write on this site and are willing to pay money to do it. Those I file them into spam because most of them are made by robots and are passionate about making money for casinos or NGOs. Others are heart rending appeals for donations – like the flood of ones for the Georgian Senate race that I'm getting right now.

          My immediate reaction when I read an unformatted message like the one above is that it was probably done by a badly formed robot copy and pasting text (think of tat as the moderator response). My second is that whoever was making it doesn't care enough to make their points readable (I have a lot of reading to do and not a lot of time to do it). My third is is there was a bug in the comment editor (the programmer response).

          But an ability to communicate clearly is an essential skill in all of them to get me to read the actual content of what they say. That is the responsibility of the person making the passionate plea.

        • Incognito 1.1.2.2

          Whose side are on, Ad? [sic]

          In addition to your premise being wrong, Ad’s record is here for all to judge for themselves: https://thestandard.org.nz/author/advantage/

      • aom 1.1.3

        The link to the RNZ report is contained in the text of the comment. Someone didn't notice the third three words ARE the link. Geez – some people! Not sure what your issue is regarding syntax and grammar but style, like yours is personal and usually experientially influenced.However, if it deters your engagement, perhaps you haven't much of value to contribute on the topic anyway!

      • Adrian Thornton 1.1.4

        @Ad, what the hell is wrong with you?, someone comes on and writes a solid piece on a subject obviously close to their heart and you can do nothing but critique their “syntax, grammar” …maybe you need to go and sit in the corner and think about what you have done.

      • left for dead 1.1.5

        @Ad,,…..At the current rate of knots it will be you and and a couple others that will bother writing or reply to anything on this site,maybe that's for the better.On second thoughts,, nah

        • Incognito 1.1.5.1

          Imagine you go a restaurant and order a three-course meal with drinks. The chef cooks it to your specifications, puts all of it in a blender, and the grumpy waiter dumps a big bowl with the blended mess on your table giving you a straw telling you to “suck it up”.

          Style and presentation are important, as are clarity of thought & word, if you wish to engage in on-line discussion. It doesn’t take much effort to make comments more inviting, accessible, and readable.

          Many readers access the site on mobile phone with tiny screens and not all have the time, energy, or inclination to turn a dense comment into something that their brain can digest more easily let alone respond to.

          Ad has a point, except he missed the link that started at the third word.

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.2

      Here's the link for those who failed to read the article.

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/433343/environmental-group-to-pay-cost-of-failed-bid-to-review-gold-mining-consent

      I get your blind rage aom. I was just about incandescent when I read about this at about 5am this morning. I don't need to add to your well justified rant.

      For a fleeting moment I thought about posting here about this and suggesting a hat-passing to help Catherine Delahunty and Coro Watchdog with these costs. Decided it would be a waste of time considering the drubbing said former Green MP received from some here for her temerity at criticising Shaw over the Privileged Green School debacle.

      • aom 1.2.1

        There is no need to do anything about raising funds Rosemary, that is not the purpose of the Crown's strategy. In days past, the likes of Councils and more so the Crown would not make applicationsfor costs in such cases. It appears that somewhere along the way, it was realised that small 'pain in the arse' organisations could never be sufficiently solvent to comply with Orders for eye-watering costs, hence the applications. It has transpired that small organisations have defaulted and closed down in attempts to financially protect individual members. There is nothing like a legal 'mowing of the lawns' to threaten dissent. Along the similar lines, it was observed in a Wellington case that a developer, enjoined by the Council, attempted to preemptively close down a pending case. The strategy was to lodge an application to have the Court make an Order that funds be lodged in advance to meet indeterminate projected legal fees.

        • Anne 1.2.1.1

          There is nothing like a legal 'mowing of the lawns' to threaten dissent.

          Exactly. Like hiring private investigators tp spy on anyone who dared to protest the destruction of forests, birds and other forms of indigenous species. It went on for decades and various public and private entities used them.

          Thanks for bringing the subject up aom.

      • lprent 1.2.2

        "I think that there is clearly public interest when ministers disagree and when the Act is unclear and we sought clarification.

        "It's a terrible decision in the sense that if you award costs against people who are standing up for the public interest when government can't agree – to be penalised for that is a real kick in the face to a volunteer group that's been working to protect the environment for more than 40 years, and doing it absolutely with blood sweat and tears, so we're incredibly disappointed and appalled at this decision."

        and

        "We can't ask the public to pay for this because we have many people who might want to help us, but they don't want to give money to Crown Law and the mining industry.

        "This is actually really unfair and a real deterrent to the public interest in taking cases like this."

        From the article I completely agree. I'd also say that there is a public interest in finding out the legal position. Funding an appeal about the costs being awarded against the group sounds right to me. Also the ruling does look somewhat suspicious to me. The whole point about legislation is that it needs to be fleshed out in court in the public interest. Penalising groups for doing that is definitely not.

        Does anyone have a link to the judgement?

    • "Less than a decade ago, voluntary community organisations were able to apply for Government financed grants, now no longer available…."

      The Environmental Legal Assistance scheme run by the government is still operating. The community group that I am president of gained grants for both legal assistance for a High Court appeal and for expert landscape evidence in an Environment Court case last year.

      The problem is that these grants only cover part of the cost and if you lose a case the community group may be liable for costs, though if the case is argued well and without wasting the court's time costs are usually left where they fall.

      • aom 1.3.1

        Thanks for that Bearded Git – my bad for not checking. It is ages since I heard of an organisation having successfully tapped that funding, so worked on an obviously incorrect assumption.

        • Bearded Git 1.3.1.1

          No worries….I have much sympathy with your post….the system works against small community groups and community interests

    • RedLogix 1.4

      I hope this helps a bit; I took the liberty of making a few edits … chrs.

      This is the latest ride on the merry-go-round of legal shit-fuckery that penalises community groups who dare to face off in opposition to the rape and pillage of the environment.

      Less than a decade ago, voluntary community organisations were able to apply for Government financed grants, now no longer available, when challenging the likes of Councils, big-moneyed developers, international consortiums and Government agencies in respect of environmental concerns. In almost all but the most frivolous of cases, legal costs were never awarded against community groups but left to lie where they may. This was in the interests of justice being seen to be done in both quasi and full legal proceedings that were being tested by those who were committed to upholding the incrementally unfolding joke of ‘A Clean Green New Zealand’ by their works and deeds.

      Up and down the country, these communities of voluntary environmental workers and supporters of the notion that we are only caretakers of the land for future generations attempted to mount cases on hard come by donations fund raising efforts and their own knowledge and informational resources. These are now treated as 'unqualified' opinions in hearings, even if they are unpaid witnesses or presenters who are acknowledged experts in their fields.

      These usually unheralded challengers of 'the system' are rapidly learning that you don’t fuck with rapacious wealth accumulators, Councils, and Government without risking eye-wateringly heavy sanctions and financial penalties.

      With stuff-all resources, these would-be protectors now not only have to somehow engage expensive lawyers and 'experts', but will be denigrated during hearings by the paid liars who the vested interests can munificently reward, the snide demeaning attitudes of the assembled ‘specialist’ legal teams of the ‘I want brigade’ and usually associated local bodies, various intended beneficiaries of the primary parties and, as in the Coromandel case, the Government. All of whom are backed by very deep pockets, often, in part, paid for by the various charges, rates or taxes of the challengers.

      This could end up a long dissertation of examples and bitter experience from the bottom end of the disenchanted 'protest' chain but no doubt, the shit-fuckery and perversion of environmental legal protection is already sufficiently evident!

        • RedLogix 1.4.1.1

          It's quite peculiar how a bit of white space makes such a difference … the human brain really is quite odd at times. cool

          • lprent 1.4.1.1.1

            I suspect it is an effort issue. By breaking up the text into what are essentially related argument points, you reduce the amount of brain parsing and reparsing.

            Computers are good at state engines and will happily churn through code without any formatting after the pre-parser removes the unrequired white space. Humans have some pretty severe stack limits for processing straight logic. Our writing styles reflect that.

            Humans are way way better as inference and associative engines though. You only need to read the text of any conspiracy theory to see the extremities of that.

          • Phillip ure 1.4.1.1.2

            @red logix..

            if you get into the habit of giving each sentence its' own line…

            soon the paragraphs that most use start to look like bricks..

            and you ask yourself 'why?'

            especially because the paragraph is a habit dictated by the high cost of paper/printing..

            pushing a bunch of sentences together under those circumstances makes perfect sense..

            but not so now..

            we all have acres of white space to stretch/loll about in…

            let your words breathe/gambol..

            banish the brick..

            (and I speak up on this ‘cos sentences don’t have a voice…eh..? they have nobody to speak for them..)

            • bwaghorn 1.4.1.1.2.1

              Mr Ure giving writing lessons…….

              Now that’s gold that will keep me smiling….

              Merry xmas..

            • Incognito 1.4.1.1.2.2

              Nonsense. Paragraphs provide structure to style & contents in and of written comments and help to present a clear and logical argument, just as sentences convey meaning by stringing together certain words in a certain order. In order to achieve this, you don’t pull apart the components but you group them together.

              • Phillip ure

                I can see times when what you say would apply..

                (say in the presentation of complex ideas..they are invaluable then..)

                but in general.. the paragraph has seen its' day…

                doomed to go the way of the whorl..

                • The Al1en

                  If you could write properly, you would, so I get why someone with your ‘can’t be wrong’ personality uses an easy cop out like 'evolving language' to try and disguise the fact.

                • Incognito

                  The world is a complex place and our issues are complex too. Therefore, I don’t see any point in trying to reduce things to single sentences that lack cohesion. Often, one ends up with just simplistic common sense and banal clichés. So, in general, for me, paragraphs are paramount.

                  QED

    • Patricia Bremner 1.5

      Yes aom, this is a strategy. When the mine first wanted to do work in the area it was stopped as the land was slipping. You are right about deep pockets. They afford expensive ranks of lawyers which increases costs.

      My late Mother and I asked how Waihi's water table would be affected. We received a 70 page document which made it plain they would seek costs… made it scary.

      My Aunt and Uncle had a neighbour whose property subsided into old workings disturbed by the underground drilling, and subsequently their own property was shifted to a new section. That whole area has been bought by the mine and is sealed off.

      So much of Waihi has become dangerous or out of bounds. I admire the groups trying to make these mining bodies ethical. We could be worse off without the watch dogs.

  2. Jester 2

    I hope now that police no longer chase, there will not be more of this where a person causes an accident and fails to stop to even see if anyone injured. Time will tell.

    Southern Motorway crash: Car flips, police trying to locate vehicle that crossed two lanes – NZ Herald

    • gsays 2.1

      The police policy on chase had no bearing on this person leaving the scene.

      It is a good decision to end these pursuits, and I applaud the police on taking it.

      • satty 2.1.1

        It will be seen if the end of police pursuits is actually going to improve the situation. The people fleeing the now non-chasing police probably still drive dangerously anyway.

        I also think the fines for hit-and-run and other serious traffic offences should be increased significantly, for example to several years of suspended driver licenses as a starting point.

        Driving a car – especially dangerously – should not be an untouchable entitlement.

    • Andre 2.2

      Errm, how is this in any way relevant to a pursuit policy?

      It appears to be a case of a clueless menace on four wheels changing multiple lanes at once, causing other drivers to take evasive action resulting in those other drivers having a crash.

      The original clueless menace that caused it all is likely completely unaware of the carnage they were directly responsible for unfolding behind them.

    • Jimmy 2.3

      Fatalities from police chases will reduce significantly now as there will be hardly any police chases. I just hope deaths don't increase from more dangerous drivers on the road like the dickhead who caused this crash. Lucky they didn't kill anyone.

  3. Enough is Enough 3

    When people quote you GDP numbers to claim that we, as a country are doing well, tell them they're dreaming.

    Right now, as has been the case for a long time, the rich are getting very rich and looking forward to their Christmas holidays on the waterways at Pauanui, Omaha and Queenstown.

    Meanwhile, under this government, this is the reality for many:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch-city-mission-struggling-under-christmas-pressure/34A3KUPIBPVTT5THF5PPC46W4Q/

  4. Sanctuary 4

    Looks like Judith Collins has made a pointless personal enemy of Shane Te Pou if his Herald column today is any guide!

    • KSaysHi 4.1

      Anyone can forgive, it doesn't require a Christian belief system (which, in case a clue of some kind were needed, shows she wouldn't have made a good PM anyway)

    • Jimmy 4.2

      I don't think they ever would of been friends anyway.

    • Incognito 4.3

      Even though it is pay-walled, you should still provide the link for those who can access the content and read it in full angry

      As such, your comment contains nothing of substance.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/shane-te-pou-why-what-judith-collins-said-to-me-matters/ZQDFFLLOZNYWPSKN3C3XDIP5HY/

      • lprent 4.3.1

        Interesting. I'll quote the relevant interaction.

        "You're lucky I'm a Christian," Judith Collins said to me, like a bolt from the blue, in a radio studio the other day.

        I was incredulous. "Why's that, Judith?"

        "That way, I can forgive you," she replied.

        "Forgive me for what? I'm not seeking your forgiveness."

        Instead of elaborating, she turned to the other panellists to tell them what kind of person I was. Much awkward shuffling ensued.

        Usually, I would observe the unspoken kaupapa that what happens off-air stays off-air. But the truth is, this kind of unpleasant interaction is a rarity – in fact, I'd go as far as to say it was a first for me. Despite what you see and hear in the media, those of us who participate in the New Zealand political discourse are almost always respectful, friendly even, to one another when nobody's watching. We might disagree fiercely on issues but rarely does that translate to personal hostility. New Zealand's too small and, frankly, life's too short to turn every political disagreement into utu.

        So why am I sharing details of my exchange with Collins? It's simple really. She wants to be Prime Minister, and what Collins' conduct reveals about her temperament and mindset should be taken into account when we consider whether she's up to the task.

        Exposing that kind of sanctimonious 'forgiveness' is always a worth while activity.

        As Shane points out it, it just reeks of someone who is unprepared to deal with reality of other people and prefers to try to set their rules about the behaviour of others.

        Not someone suitable for any kind of politics in NZ. They'd never be able to make the kinds of decisions required for people that weren't exactly like their sanctimonious and their probably false internal image of who they are. Someone completely incapable of living up to the actual precepts of their own faith because they’re so busy passing judgement on others – they never look at them as being a person.

        Seen others do that. It never seems to end well. Just think of the fate of damn near every judgemental 'christian' party over the last 40 years in NZ.

        As opposed to those who actually live their faith. Who I usually look at as being somewhat brain strained – but usually trustworthy.

        • RedLogix 4.3.1.1

          I agree, as someone with track record with religion, I find her comment quite odd really. It's like she's learned a good concept, but hasn't worked out how to use it properly.

          Shane's response nails it really; forgiveness is a delicate interchange, and only has meaning when it's sincerely asked for and given.

          Either that or Judith was just taking the piss … she does have an acerbic sense of humour that trips over itself from time to time.

        • mac1 4.3.1.2

          Judith Collins, at least the one who is spoken of in Shane Te Pou's story, seems not to understand what forgiveness is.

          It's not a gift bestowed by a generous benefactor, but an act that frees the giver from the negativity of bearing a hurt.

          If Collins gave forgiveness, she benefits.

          If she still goes on about another's hurtful ways, then she has not forgiven them.

          Instead, the Collins in the story seems to be 'holier than thou', sanctimonious and requiring forgiveness?

  5. Pat 5

    “We are amazed that there are no government, private, or nongovernmental organisation programs or entities dedicated to attempting to understand and calculate EROI and its effects as well and as objectively as possible given that it may be the largest determinant of many aspects of our future.”

    Amazed….or dumbfounded? I'd go with the latter.

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/is-our-renewable-energy-future-what-we-think

  6. KSaysHi 6

    I think we need a simplified two word petition, "DO SOMETHING", directed to the Ministers of Housing.

    Yesterday it was Christmas in a caravan, now this today

    • Jimmy 6.1

      I was just thinking that there seems to be a lot less stories in the media about homeless people and people unable to afford Christmas this year. Have things improved?

    • Adrian Thornton 6.2

      Well unfortunately as long as we have this current neo liberal duopoly (Labour/National) that completely control and dominate the political landscape and are protected by a complicit media in New Zealand, then nothing of substance can or will change.

      Ardern has proved herself to be little more than Tony Blair in heels (or flats), and we all know what he represents…but as has been pointed out on this forum many times, no one should have been surprised at this outcome, after all we all knew Arden worked for the war criminal Tony Blair after Iraq (Adren on this issue "It was totally pragmatic. I wanted to live overseas. I wanted to have that time and experience abroad.")…enough said.

      Jacinda Ardern is no radical, but the 21st-century face of Blair’s Third Way

      https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-01-2018/jacinda-ardern-is-no-radical-but-the-21st-century-face-of-blairs-third-way/

      So sadly we will see no end any time soon of what is obviously nothing more than a ponzi scheme that pretends itself a political ideology, wreak havoc and rip apart any semblance that remains of local community though it’s unhinged and unquenchable thirst for endless growth…oh yeah and burn the planet while it’s at it…happy Christmas one and all!

      • Louis 6.2.1

        Rubbish, Ardern is nothing like Blair. Written by former Nat minister Wayne Mapp who "forgot' about civilian casualties"

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/422487/operation-burnham-former-minister-wayne-mapp-forgot-about-civilian-casualties

        • Ed 6.2.1.1

          On.foreign policy she is different.

          However Robertson and Ardern follow orthodox neoliberal economic policies.

          The policies in place since the betrayal of the working class of New Zealand by Lange, Douglas and that traitorous crew.

          • Louis 6.2.1.1.1

            Labour is not the same party of 30 years ago and introducing a wellbeing budget, a world's first, is a step away from "orthodox neoliberal economic policies" It will take a number of years to fix the mess inherited from the previous National government.

            • Ed 6.2.1.1.1.1

              It is a step….a tiny step.

              Tinkering isn’t going to break the grip neoliberal economic thinking has on this country.

            • Phillip ure 6.2.1.1.1.2

              @ louis..

              we are in year four now..

              and still waiting..

              how much longer do you think..

              ..before we can be a bit questioning..?

              possibly even grumpy..?

        • Adrian Thornton 6.2.1.2

          OK, it is me not Mapp saying Ardern js in the ideological mold of Blair…how about that?

        • The Al1en 6.2.1.3

          Rubbish, Ardern is nothing like Blair

          Apart from them both winning landslide general elections, although at present, Blair has two more in the bag.

          Whilst both are not as left leaning as I had hoped for, they do have similarly impressive records in taking the public with them as they rout tories.

        • Anne 6.2.1.4

          Not sure what the connection is between your link and J Ardern but thanks for reminding me of Wayne Mapp. He has been conspicuous by his absence from TS. Quote from link:

          He [Mapp] said when he checked his diary – which he had under his house – he realised he did get a briefing.

          "Somehow it surfaced back into my memory that I could remember Colonel Blackwell sitting opposite me.”

          He was commenting on his previous claims he had never been told there were casualties.

          I have empathy for him because it happened to me. I was attempting to get to the bottom of some covert incidents in my life and then one day while checking some old material – also under my house – my subconscious threw up an image from a long forgotten occasion and I knew instantly it was the cause of the problems I was encountering.

          It's an intriguing story which should be of much interest to political historians at the least but that is for another time.

          • Andre 6.2.1.4.1

            conspicuous by his absence from TS

            It's an involuntary but self-inflicted absence. The involuntary bit is finished with around Jan 1st or 2nd.

          • gsays 6.2.1.4.2

            Without wanting to pry into your past life, Anne, Mapp was being briefed on NZ Defence Force personnel murdering civilians and children. That sort of thing must leave an impact.

            As it appears now, there seems to be a culture of 'men behaving badly' in Afghanistan among the US, Aus and NZ special forces. So this briefing is hardly likely to be an isolated affair

            • Anne 6.2.1.4.2.1

              It would depend on the way it was delivered to him. If the military officer in question had just mentioned there may have been one or two casualties and gave no further detail, I can well imagine it not registering with Mapp what it meant at the time. It is also what happened to me, and I have wanted to kick myself over and over again for not realising what was going on.

              Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

      • Ed 6.2.2

        Totally agree Adrian.

        Comment of the day.

      • Incognito 6.2.3

        This is just another episode or chapter in and of NZ politics and another will follow it. Ardern and Robertson are stereotypical exemplars of their generation and others from the next and different generation will succeed them.

        https://thestandard.org.nz/colin-james-looking-forward/

        https://thestandard.org.nz/beyond-jacinda-colin-james-and-cr-tamatha-paul/

    • Incognito 6.3

      Make it so.

  7. mikesh 7

    I have been reading, in the paper, about Mike Hosking's gains from crypto currency trading, and wondered what the source of the gain was. Income comes from providing a product or service, and even capital gain comes from some enhancement in the location of, or performance of, an asset, but I don't see either of the above in the case of crypto currencies. In investing in these, as far as I can see see, one is just putting one's cash into sophisticated ponzi schemes.

    • lprent 7.1

      In investing in these, as far as I can see see, one is just putting one's cash into sophisticated ponzi schemes.

      Not quite, but very close. There is a scarcity factor in that it takes resources and effort to mine the bit chain.

      However most of the demand, in my opinion, appears to intimately be driven by demand for untraceable transportable realisable currency from unlawful sources.

      • Andre 7.1.1

        Those mining resources and efforts are permanently gone. A bitcoin is simply a certificate of gratuitously wasted electricity. It's of zero use for creating anything tangible. It's the ultimate expression of something that has value purely and only because a bunch of people collectively decide it has value.

        Shit, even a small rectangle of printed plastic issued by a government has a tangible worth expressed in units of that government's powers of compulsion. Or you can at least grow a pretty flower from a tulip bulb. But a bitcoin has nothing, nada, zilch …

        • Incognito 7.1.1.1

          Hosking and Bitcoin make perfect sense together.

        • Nic the NZer 7.1.1.2

          Slightly paradoxically it appears to be a good way to get illegal activities paid for on a public ledger. I imagine if the govt could identify a buyer and sellers bitcoin identities the amount of drugs they traded could be easily traced for the courts pleasure.

  8. Jimmy 8

    Good to see The Warehouse doing the morally correct thing and paying back the government covid wage subsidy. I'm sure they would have been legally entitled to claim it as their turnover would have reduced way more than 30% while closed down. As the economy has bounced back and they have made up the lost turnover in subsequent months they will get good PR out of paying it back.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300190019/the-warehouse-group-to-repay-68-million-in-wage-subsidy

    • Ed 8.1

      I find little to admire about the Warehouse as a company – ethically or environmentally.

    • RedBaronCV 8.2

      Well that's a good thing. And as they are now sitting on piles of cash perhaps they could look at making up the lower end wages back to 100% (I suspect that legally firms who pay back the subsidy can no longer leave the wages paid in that period at the 80% mark?) for the relevant periods.

      That's about it for the top 50 on the NZX -apart from Fletchers.

    • Stuart Munro 8.3

      Props to Jilnaught Wong, who seems to have helped them find their moral compass.

      • Phillip ure 8.3.1

        heh..!..yeah…I heard a couple of interviews he gave..

        and he clearly wasn't going to let up..

        until this was sorted..

        good on him..

  9. Ed 9

    Peru has suspended flights from Europe for two weeks and has put its health and travel authorities on high alert to prevent the entry of a new strain of coronavirus that appeared in the UK.

    We should too.

    https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN28V2MF

  10. Adrian Thornton 10

    The Courage of Hopelessness

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNlW3HnNqlk

    • Andre 10.1

      It is indeed a state of courageous hopelessness that might lead one to tackle viewing an hour and three quarters of what looks likely to be just rambling from someone that has dedicated a large portion of their life's efforts to dumping on the idea of happiness. With no further hints as to why that might be a worthwhile use of that time, that is.

      • mac1 10.1.1

        Agreed, Andre. I read at least five times as fast as a speaker. I would have read that script of Slavov Zizek in twenty minutes, been able to re-read parts if needed and had 80 minutes left- three of which to write this reply.

        That's why I don't really get Ted Talks et al.

        Also, why I agree with lprent up further where he made a plea for proper paragraphing. How we present arguments, and material for discussion, is important.

        Today I read a poster advertising a talk about conspiracy theory, entitled "Conspiacy Theory." Won't go there either.

        Unless I were Australian……….

        • RedLogix 10.1.1.1

          I read at least five times as fast as a speaker.

          It's an interesting question; like a few others here I'm fortunate to be a pretty good speed reader. I can scan a document about five times faster than my partner for instance. (Oddly enough I sometimes start at the end of a document and then flip backward through the paragraphs to reconstruct the argument. It's not a substitute for a complete and considered read, and sometime I make silly mistakes doing it, but overall it's a handy skill in a world saturated in information.)

          On the other hand unlimited streaming video has been a revolution; I probably listen to as much as I read now. More importantly, while not everyone is a good reader, almost everyone can watch and listen very well. I agree however that it's not always the most time efficient mode, and if that's a concern, I'll listen to podcasts while doing something else.

          Two good YT tricks, one is that you can turn on an 'audio only mode' that saves bandwidth if you're only listening. The other is that you can speed up the playback speed, often to about 1.5 times with most speakers and still track the content just fine. Works well with people who have a naturally slower cadence.

          And if you want to learn something, it's almost certainly on YT. The depth of content is astonishing; future generations may well look back on this past decade where unlimited video streaming became available to a mass audience, as something of equal or even greater significance as the invention of the printing press.

          I think there is a real place for both the text and visual modes; I like the written mode because it's concise, efficient and it favours clear, rigorous thought. But the video mode can be a lot richer and persuasive, and for many people it's a better learning method.

          We're lucky to have both, and I'd never choose one over the other.

          • McFlock 10.1.1.1.1

            I find YT good for seeing how things are done, made, or designed. Someone actually talking and pointing to the specific cam or roller in question is much more informative than "see photo B", in my experience. It's been really useful for a lot of home projects.

            But a person delivering a powerpoint or speech for an hour? Meh. Firstly, my undergrad reflex is still with me to this day – staying awake is always an issue. Secondly, having it on in the background/second monitor while working always seems to end up with one task being tuned out. Usually the one that doesn't attract brain power.

            YT is also good for background music, though

            • Incognito 10.1.1.1.1.1

              I immediately thought of you:

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZAbnn1kTU

              • McFlock

                Ha.

                If things are going well, it's classical. Otherwise there seems to be a scale of 80s new wave, anything that would be on a Tarantino soundtrack, club stuff like KMFDM, or Rammstein/Laibach if everything's gone to crap.

                But I'll try something more serene next year…
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z1WW70R88w

            • mac1 10.1.1.1.1.2

              Even background music disappears when fully engaged in another task. As a muso, it is too distracting. But, music must be heard- it's not much good to me for reading. It must be experienced at its own tempo.

              The only time I found it useful playing music faster was as a bass player to work out the bass line listening to vinyl recordings. There is no 'speed listening' to music.

              • Incognito

                When I was young, I did a holiday job pressing vinyl recordings. After visual inspection, we had to check the sound quality on special sound-tables and usually at 45 rpm to speed up the process while the press was running. I remember that Gregorian chants had a ‘bit of swing’ at 45 rpm 😉

                Classical music LPs were the hardest because they required the highest/perfect quality.

                That was one of the more fun jobs (evening and night shifts) I did in my summer holidays although the smell of overheated/burning vinyl is awful.

            • RedLogix 10.1.1.1.1.3

              I find YT good for seeing how things are done, made, or designed.

              Yes I find that's much the case as well. The channels I subscribe to are usually of this nature. Yet that can't be the whole story; you only have to look at content creators like Joe Rogan to see a quite different and huge demand for people having conversations in a way they can't access in print.

              Right now for instance I've got six YT tabs open, one on COVID, two on next gen nuclear, another on Peter Sagan's 2108 highlights (pro-cycling), a Canadian guy homesteading in the northern wilderness, and finally my favourite sailing channel on a massive 4yr long yacht rebuild. Yes my mind is a bit of a mess … but you knew that already laugh

              • McFlock

                I've watched some interesting interviews, sure. And I'm not saying that YT lectures aren't popular.

                But a written article or a blog can deliver most lectures in a fraction of the time – and that includes speeding up the "is this a waste of my time" assessment. And most of the internet fails that assessment, probably for everyone.

          • mac1 10.1.1.1.2

            Yes, we do have favoured and different learning modes, and for some it's reading, some listening and some it's doing.

            They do all have their place. At least with a document you can scan it for a quick appraisal.

            Adrian Thornton's recommendation had no supporting argument, synopsis or 'taster' for a 107 minute video, such as is useful for a prospective user. Adrian's say-so is not of itself a strong enough persuader, nor is the topic tempting enough with its enigmatic title. "The courage of hopelessness."

          • Incognito 10.1.1.1.3

            Some YT clips have transcripts as do some Zoom recordings, depending on settings used. With a little bit of fiddling, one can transcribe any audio into text and vice versa.

            I’m definitely a text person but when I watch videos or Zoom recordings, I use double playback speed and videos that rely on visual more than text I watch on mute (i.e. sound off). My auditory processing (not my actual hearing) of spoken information is relatively poor (and checked out by a specialist).

  11. aom 11

    Oh what a surprise! The Wellington City Council administration seems to have a few dodgy associations in its closet! The former Mayor was officially involved with The Property Council – the developer's outfit. He was than replaced by Mayor Wade Brown's neoliberal acolyte from the UK, the previous CEO. It seems that further down the executive tree there are other questionable associations given the behind closed door contracts that seem to be written up by the commercial beneficiaries rather than the Council. Wellingtonians hoped that a longstanding Councillor who is now Mayor would know where the skeletons for be hidden and lay them to rest. Instead, a newby Councillor did the detective work to uncover the link with the preposterously titled New Zealand Initiative think tank.

    • RedBaronCV 11.1

      Wellington seems to have managed to get itself a good group of councillors who are intelligently challenging the old boys back room MO.

  12. george.com 12

    anyone remember Simon Bridges comments about how National was going to 'light a bonfire under good ideas' and become a "red tape factory"

  13. Incognito 13

    Interesting thoughts from one expert, which could mean that the new variant might be heading in the direction of a less harmful endemic variant strain of Covid-19 virus:

    As viruses are transmitted, those that allow for increased virological ‘success’ can be selected for, which changes the properties of the virus over time. This typically leads to more transmission and less virulence and for human infecting coronaviruses the end result of this evolutionary process might look like the other 4 commonly found coronaviruses that cause symptoms that we recognise as the common cold – however, these 4 common cold viruses are highly contagious. The new B.1.1.7 may be on the path towards this but is not there yet, and still appears to have all the human lethality that the original had but with an increased ability to transmit.

    https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-brief-summary-of-nervtag-opinion-from-the-nervtag-meeting-on-sars-cov-2-variant-under-investigation-vui-202012-01/

    • Andre 13.1

      For a while now I've been vaguely musing on the topic of coronavirus lethality and long term effects.

      Consider: almost all of us are exposed to the common cold coronaviruses as infants, and very few of us die or apparently suffer long term ill effects from that very early infection. While there's really not yet enough time and data to make a definitive similar statement about SARS-CoV-2, I haven't seen reports of long covid in infants or very young children, but the data seems clear the mortality rate is way way lower in infants.

      It occurs to me that this new covid-causing coronavirus may be more similar to the cold coronaviruses than we currently think, and that the deaths and long-term harms we're getting are almost entirely because none of us have had that exposure as infants with subsequent partial immunity. The difference may be us, the host population, through not having had early exposure, and maybe the new coronavirus won't actually be significantly more dangerous to a population when it becomes endemic.

      No de-lethalisation through evolution needed, maybe we just need to make it through this first pandemic through vaccination and other measures, and then we can live with it just like we live with other cold coronaviruses.

      So once the current pandemic is extinguished by the vulnerable people (basically everyone currently alive that hasn't been exposed as an infant) getting vaccinated (or infected), we may find the new coronavirus behaviour becomes similar to the other cold coronaviruses. It might become something you get as an infant, no biggie, then again occasionally over the rest of your life as just a minor inconvenience. In which case, the benefit from the vaccine might become so minor it's no longer worth administering routinely to infants.

      • Incognito 13.1.1

        It is actually quite fascinating if one ignores the negative effects of this pandemic for a moment.

        In a nutshell, snotty & runny noses might be a good thing and provide some limited (?) and temporary (?) protection against Covid-19.

        Preexisting and de novo humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in humans

        • Andre 13.1.1.1

          That cross-protection from other coronaviruses is another whole field all on its own.

          I can't help wondering if that's part of the reason places like Vietnam and Taiwan have had success that seems out of proportion to the stringency of their response in dealing with the pandemic. Perhaps they've had other coronaviruses circulating in their populations that happen to give good cross-protection.

          The spike protein is gonna be one hellluva intensively studied molecule for quite a while still to come.

          • Phillip ure 13.1.1.1.1

            malaria is an interesting factor to look at..

            countries with high levels of malaria seem to be less affected by covid..

            and on a personal level I was pleased to hear one of jim moras' (professorial) guests uttering the aside: 'of course if you have had malaria..you have immunity to covid'..

            'cos while in new guinea..I contracted malaria..

            also interesting with the flu thing…

            since having had malaria(a fucken hellish experience..I must say)..

            I have never had the flu..

            and I really thought i would never have anything good to say about the malaria thing..but there ya go..

            • Incognito 13.1.1.1.1.1

              and on a personal level I was pleased to hear one of jim moras’ (professorial) guests uttering the aside: ‘of course if you have had malaria..you have immunity to covid’..

              I think that either you may have misheard or the unnamed “(professorial) guests” [plural?] may have misspoken.

              Without a link we will never know 🙁

              • Phillip ure

                'one of'..

                and I couldn't face going back to listen/wade thru moras' shows..

                but of course I know..

                a shard of memory..a vivid one..

                shame we can't allow links into our brains..

                then I would be able to give you a memory-link..

                or else I just made it all up…

                tho' a simple covid malaria question to google..will reveal more..and contrary opinions..

                • Incognito

                  Can you remember the name(s) of the guest(s)?

                  tho' a simple covid malaria question to google..will reveal more..and contrary opinions..

                  And there we have it, the paint point, with only a vague recollection of Mora’s show, one of them, as starting point 🙁

                  I’m not going to start a wild goose chase on Google based on that! The onus is on you!

                  • McFlock

                    Heh. Funnily enough, this Medium article turned up in my FB feed today: A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon.

                    Basically arguing that QAnon has a number of structural tweaks that make it look more like a free-form game (not just computer – escape rooms, LARP, all that stuff. "Games" in the widest sense) than someone leaking hidden knowledge.

                    Part of the giveaway is "do your own research". The players (played) are primed for a particular finding, then encouraged to look for evidence to support the claim. They find it, so the idea becomes theirs (rather than them having to be persuaded by someone else), they get a wee clickbait rush as a reward for their achievement, and they get a sense of community.

                    Interesting article from a completely unexpected perspective.

    • McFlock 13.2

      Public Health England have released another briefing. (pdf download. h/t twitter Mads Albertsen).

      It continues to support via sampling that the variant is more transmissable, but also goes into a little bit of biological detail as to how a specific mutation might increase transmissability.

      But we're still talking <double transmissability, not like an order of magnitude or anything. So everyone suddenly going "isolate UK!" and bojo going "lockdown" is a bit of a joke. If we should do it now, we should have done it months ago.

      • Incognito 13.2.1

        Ta

        Nobody likes surprises, least of all politicians who are already under considerable pressure.

        I found this recent update by CDC in the US illuminating too:

        The VUI 202012/01 variant has not been identified through sequencing efforts in the United States, although viruses have only been sequenced from about 51,000 of the 17 million US cases.

        Of the approximately 275,000 full-genome sequences currently in public databases, 51,000 are from the United States. (The UK currently has the most sequences, with 125,000).

        https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-emerging-variant.html

  14. Macro 14

    So did anyone notice? Yesterday was the longest day of the longest year of our lives.

    • Andre 14.1

      No. I was anxiously waiting for nightfall and hoping for a break in the clouds so I could get a glimpse of the Great Conjunction.

      • Incognito 14.1.1

        Same here, and it was like a gathering in Glencoe during Summer Solstice without the horrible midges – the bitches. No sight of the celestial event though 🙁

        • mac1 14.1.1.1

          Glencoe is a fey place, On my mother's side I am a Glencoe McDonald. It was a memorable place to visit. I went there on a Rabbi's tour bus. The driver/guide asked the twelve passengers why they were going to Glencoe. I was last to answer and said I was going there because on my mother's side I am a McDonald of Glencoe

          There was a long pause. I thought, "Oh, no, he's a Campbell."

          Then he replied,"I, too, am a McDonald of Glencoe on my mother's side." He really looked after us after that!

          He showed me when we reached Glencoe the three islands in the loch, one of which was the ancestral burial ground close to the water, another the island where clans met to sort grievances, the third where clans met to sign their agreements.

          Missed the midges, though………….

          • Incognito 14.1.1.1.1

            Yup, a very special place. My most memorable trip was camping there in a little tent. The midges managed to get through the fly screen and into my tent. I used so much mozzie repellent (lotion) that my plastic cutlery started to dissolve in my hands; it must have been some cheap crap with some nasty chemical solvent – it certainly smelled like a clandestine chemical lab. The only place safe from the midges was literally in the smouldering and smoking campfire – I probably inhaled enough carcinogens to give me lung cancer combined with the chemical poisoning by the repellent. It was also the place and start of a lifelong friendship with a fellow traveller. Bloody good memories of that place 🙂

      • tc 14.1.2

        Alas twas not to be with all that cloud cover.
        Those sky train/satellites are wierd when the sun catches them tracking in a line across the night sky .
        Planned another 10,000 or so over the next few years with the inevitable congestion issues in the orbital space.

      • mac1 14.1.3

        But?

        That’s hard to make work when two other comments are interposed between the two comments needing to be conjoined to make sense or fun.

        • Andre 14.1.3.1

          Abject failure. I went to bed with a profound sense of bitter disappointment.

          Maybe better luck tonight.

          • mac1 14.1.3.1.1

            They're out there tonight. Some folks in the streets looking at Xmas lighted houses and Mr and Mrs Mac1 out looking for conjunctions.

            Light, distance, the solar system, the galaxy, time and place, universal wonder.

    • RedLogix 14.2

      That explains why I woke up this morning feeling older than usual devil

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    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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days 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
    5 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
    7 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
    7 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
    21 hours 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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, ...
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    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 ...
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    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,” ...
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    6 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. ...
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    7 days 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
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