Open mike 22/07/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 22nd, 2016 - 86 comments
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86 comments on “Open mike 22/07/2016 ”

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  1. miravox 1
    22 July 2016 at 6:43 am

    so, is Donald Trump’s Vice presidential choice, the Koch brother-funded, tea party stalwart and neo-lib devotee, Mike Pence, the Machiavelli to Trump as Cheney was to Bush Jr?

  2. Paul 2
    22 July 2016 at 7:24 am

    Bill English has no answers to the housing crisis.
    Listening to him being interviewed on Morning Report revealed a complete lack of ideas.
    How on earth is this guy credited with any competence at all?
    Utterly useless.

    • TC 2.1
      22 July 2016 at 10:13 am

      Hes credited by the msm copy/pasting national spin.

      National run a very effective intimidation regime which gags fact based analysis on their performance.

      English has presided over a systematic sale of kiwi assets, bailed out a finance company he and key were told not to have in the guarantee scheme, done nothing about broadening the tax base and generally been the arrogant front of the hollowing out of the nz economy.

  3. mauī 3
    22 July 2016 at 8:16 am

    Women armed with tennis balls terrorise Republican convention (5 min clip). The absurd:

    • ianmac 3.1
      22 July 2016 at 8:38 am

      I suppose the police just have to follow orders. But the publicity on the World stage underlines the absurdity. So the consolation for the police is that they are doing something to further cause of dis-arming.

    • save nz 3.2
      22 July 2016 at 9:45 am

      Apparently they are all allowed guns in the protest, but toys are banned. The police rushed over to pepper spray their tennis ball protest against guns. Only in America!

      • Bill 3.2.1
        22 July 2016 at 10:54 am

        Hmm. Wonder what happens if you’re carrying a toy gun? Or maybe one that shoots splurge like in that old Bugsy Malone film? What if it fires out tennis balls – maybe a bit painful – or ping pong balls?

        • adam 3.2.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 1:40 pm

          All criminal Bill.

          You will be arrested.

          • McFlock 3.2.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 1:54 pm

            actually, that could be challengable, as long as the device propels a projectile. It’s the right to bear arms. Nerf guns might be defensible.

            • adam 3.2.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2016 at 2:59 pm

              One simple sentence, with two different capitalisations and punctuation. Both recognised as part of the constitution. No wonder this is a headache.

              “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

              And the other

              “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

              Yeah I think it may be defensible, if you get to court. Before then, I was under the impression the police were running with everything is illegal, hence a crime, then they would arrest you.

  4. Paul 4
    22 July 2016 at 8:36 am

    Winston calls for English’s resignation.

    If you can’t provide adequate housing for yor citizens, you shouldn’t be in the business of government.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/309184/peters-calls-for-english-to-resign-over-housing-crisis

    • ianmac 4.1
      22 July 2016 at 8:43 am

      Winston can put across ideas so effectively. Who else can match him for colour. Key just mumbles and contradicts himself and dissembles.
      (And I don’t even vote for NZF,)

      • TC 4.1.1
        22 July 2016 at 10:25 am

        Simple, effective and delivered with a passion people can buy into.

        If only the rest of the opposition could do the same and stop lecturing voters to sleep. Twyford does good work but when the opportunity arises blows it with nerdy unecessary statements rather than short snappy soundbites.

        Learn from the master lab/greens ! Expose the sellouts for what they are.

  5. Ad 5
    22 July 2016 at 9:19 am

    I’ve wondered over the last 48 hours whether the uproar at the Republican Convention would more hurt or hinder their electoral chances overall. My view now is it’s been overwhelmingly positive.

    Trump and Cruz are speaking a very precise populist dialect, which has been honed by professional wrestling. It’s about the feuds; whether one wife has perkier tits than the other, their father a wastrel, one family’s makeup and wardrobe tattier than the other, one verbal beat-down more spectacular than the next. This stuff inspires legendary feuds and legendary followers.

    As a reality television star, Donald Trump is the Masked Undertaker taking down the era of austerity, surveillance, neoliberal nightmares, zero class mobility, broken Washington, global anxiety, all mixed with the race hotsauce of rage, guns, and protecting the Poh-lice.

    …. and gets to do it with one arm holding the hot girl, flying the best jets, quaffing the most expensive stuff, and the other hand grasping the pistol that will shoot down anyone stopping America being Great Again.

    Cruz gets all that, and is ready for 2020.

    No, I don’t think Trump’ll win. But it will be close. He’ll lose mostly on the ground-and-pound than on the standup ie he’s left it too late to get up his vote-gathering infrastructure. But he’s a big lesson for the left: forget the facts and become the fictional star we want you to be.

    Ah-Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh
    Ah-Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh

    Ah-RRRRRRR!!!!

    • adam 5.1
      22 July 2016 at 1:48 pm

      Glad you noticed the nutter (drumpf) does not play the game like everyone else.

      He has the whole Republican machine to help him, with all those bodies on the ground Ad. Just to cause you nightmares – sorry dude.

      He has gone for the money with his V.P choice, and lets not even go to the place where by people on the right in the USA, hate Clinton.

      It’s theater, ratings, and a show. And it works best when it is all flash and no substance.

      So I’m sorry, I think the muppet will win.

      This is how empires fall – slowly, and with stupid out in front.

  6. Xanthe 6
    22 July 2016 at 9:23 am

    Anyone else feel the deep sense of unease about the police methods to “get their latest child killer”
    Deeply unethical,
    Unsafe conviction

    What does it say about our judiciary that they go along with this shit

    • Puckish Rogue 6.2
      22 July 2016 at 10:47 am

      They got the highest permission possible and no laws appear to have been broken so its all good, would you rather the child killer remain free?

      • joe90 6.2.1
        22 July 2016 at 10:54 am

        Apparently there’s no need to obtain a warrant so whose permission did they obtain?.

        • Puckish Rogue 6.2.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 11:42 am

          http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11678728

          • It must be authorised at the most senior levels within the police force and must only be used as “a last resort” when other investigative options have been exhausted.

          • joe90 6.2.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 12:10 pm

            • It must be authorised at the most senior levels within the police force and must only be used as “a last resort” when other investigative options have been exhausted.

            So, despite their inability to gather enough evidence to convict him you’re okay with police brass saying fuck it, this scrote is as guilty as sin so let’s bypass the judiciary, throw any ethics we have out the window and go get him?.

            • Puckish Rogue 6.2.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2016 at 12:25 pm

              There are times the police can only gather so much evidence and they need a confession, think the Kahui twins case, so they used methods that haven’t been found to be illegal, that have been scrutinized by legal experts and have found the person that killed the child

              So, in summary, yes

              • joe90 …
                22 July 2016 at 12:43 pm

                Legal experts ain’t the courts and a police force going about it’s business without judicial oversight is okay by you.

                What could possibly go wrong…
                /

                https://www.aidwyc.org/cases/historical/kyle-unger/

                • Puckish Rogue …
                  22 July 2016 at 1:12 pm

                  If the police are found to have broken any laws in this case then I’d expect them to be punished and because of the unusual circumstances in gaining the conviction I’m sure the case will be looked at

                  • joe90 …
                    22 July 2016 at 1:33 pm

                    If the police are found to have broken any laws in this case then I’d expect them to be punished

                    Detective Superintendent Rod Drew and Senior Sergeant Warren Olsson broke the law with impunity.

                    • Puckish Rogue …
                      22 July 2016 at 1:57 pm

                      So does that mean this case is unlawful?

                    • joe90 …
                      22 July 2016 at 2:17 pm

                      Precedent says unlawful or not, they’ll most likely be able to thumb their noses at the law.

                    • Puckish Rogue …
                      22 July 2016 at 2:57 pm

                      How about innocent until proven guilty or does that not apply to the police?

                    • joe90 …
                      22 July 2016 at 3:07 pm

                      Neither Drew nor Olsson were charged over the forging of a court officials signature so obviously some are above the law.

                  • Xanthe …
                    22 July 2016 at 3:52 pm

                    PR You seem to be saying that the police have no obligation to be ethical….. only lawful.. or do you conflate the two?
                    Do you think the process to gain the conviction we are discussing was ethical?
                    Do you perhaps think it was not ethical but somehow justified because a baby had died?

    • Muttonbird 6.3
      22 July 2016 at 11:22 am

      It’s weird they manufactured crime in order to get a confession. Seems a very elaborate and very expensive use of police time to me.

      • Puckish Rogue 6.3.1
        22 July 2016 at 11:45 am

        So you’d rather have a child murderer walking around free?

        • Muttonbird 6.3.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 11:51 am

          Of course not. This scheme seems overly elaborate and expensive and based upon an American crime show rather than sustainable policing methods. The conviction looks shaky too.

          No, I’d rather see the current government do something about the underlying causes of child abuse instead of paying lip-service to it. Under the current government New Zealand has climbed to the number one ranking for child abuse – not something to be proud of.

          This undercover operation is but an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

          • Puckish Rogue 6.3.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 11:58 am

            No, I’d rather see the current government do something about the underlying causes of child abuse instead of paying lip-service to it. Under the current government New Zealand has climbed to the number one ranking for child abuse – not something to be proud of

            – that’s all very well and good but it probably wouldn’t have stopped this guy and it certainly wouldn’t have gained a conviction

          • McFlock 6.3.1.1.2
            22 July 2016 at 12:26 pm

            why is the conviction shaky? The supreme court said it was ok.

            I’m not entirely happy with using it to just get a confession, but another guy done for it actually led the undercover cops to the body, so in that one I was happier.

            But confessions when combined with high-resource operations give the cops an incentive, even an unconscious one, to justify the resources they allocated. Leading questions, salted information, that sort of thing.

            • Muttonbird 6.3.1.1.2.1
              22 July 2016 at 1:48 pm

              why is the conviction shaky? The supreme court said it was ok.

              Through the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court (the decision of which was split). Plenty of contention there.

              • McFlock …
                22 July 2016 at 4:05 pm

                still the final decision went to the prosecution in the SC.

                Sort of firms it up a bit.

    • Molly 6.4
      22 July 2016 at 12:01 pm

      Thanks for the heads up Xanthe.

      Yes, I do feel unease about the police methods as they have been reported in the article.

      (It is unlikely that the police will have a psychologist look into how much they need a confession as time goes by – given the energy and focus invested in obtaining one.)

      • Puckish Rogue 6.4.1
        22 July 2016 at 12:32 pm

        I’d feel more unease with the thought the murderer was walking around free

        • Muttonbird 6.4.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 12:39 pm

          He was convicted of manslaughter, btw.

          • Psycho Milt 6.4.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 12:59 pm

            The courts necessarily have a much higher threshold for what constitutes murder than personal opinion does. This guy’s a murderer no matter what he got convicted for.

            • marty mars 6.4.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2016 at 2:30 pm

              wtf – “This guy’s a murderer no matter what he got convicted for.” You are such a BADARSE – lol – what a noggin

              • Psycho Milt …
                22 July 2016 at 3:42 pm

                Why wtf? According to the courts, Peter Ellis is a child molester, but fucked if I’d ever call him one. Likewise, according to the courts this guy who shook a baby to death isn’t a murderer, but I’m happy to call him one.

          • Puckish Rogue 6.4.1.1.2
            22 July 2016 at 1:09 pm

            Oh well pardon me, I’m sure that’s a great comfort to the deceased or the deceased’s family

            • Muttonbird 6.4.1.1.2.1
              22 July 2016 at 1:15 pm

              *shrugs* Just pointing out the facts.

              On Psycho Milt’s position, John Banks is a crooked bastard no matter what he got convicted or not convicted for. Personal opinion, of course.

  7. save nz 7
    22 July 2016 at 9:43 am

    Is this true? Apparently at the same time as the US warship is here, we are having a weapons conference of 500 delegates at the Aotea Centre? Including Lockheed Martin, Serco etc…

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/07/22/america-sends-a-warship-while-trying-to-seize-our-economic-and-political-sovereignty/

  9. Morrissey 9
    22 July 2016 at 10:07 am

    Hapless Cleveland cops ordered to confiscate TENNIS BALLS and SLEEPING BAGS
    —but Trump’s violent, goonish supporters are allowed to openly carry assault rifles

    CLEVELAND—Welcome to Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention (RNC) is underway. The RNC is a highly scripted, elaborately staged and lavishly publicly funded private party. Here, credentialed Republican delegates, most of them party activists from around the country, circulate within a militarized perimeter of what authorities have designated a “national special security event.” As such, the U.S. Secret Service is handed complete control of an area, in this case downtown Cleveland. The area is ringed with a temporary but imposing black steel fence, patrolled by the full spectrum of law enforcement, from local police to federal SWAT teams. Yet because Ohio has extremely lenient gun laws, people can “open carry” here. And they do. Scores of Trump supporters have proudly shown up with their guns at their sides, including semi-automatic AR-15s, walking the downtown streets.

    It is not a total free-for-all, however. Many things are banned: tennis balls, sleeping bags, selfie sticks and canned goods. To highlight the absurdity of the situation, the women’s peace organization Code Pink staged a demonstration at the security checkpoint to enter the RNC. In their bags, the dozen or so pink-clad women carried 500 pink and green tennis balls with the phrase “Ban Guns, Not Balls” written on them. They began tossing them to each other.

    A line of Cleveland police officers quickly formed and tried to encircle the protest. They started to confiscate the tennis balls. There was confusion, as one officer asked a superior, “What do we do with the balls?” “Put them in your pocket,” came the exasperated reply. The police aggressively expanded their line, pushing observers, and us journalists, farther away. We managed to dodge them and got in close to ask Code Pink member Chelsea Byers what was going on: “We’re here saying that it’s ridiculous that the RNC has banned tennis balls, and yet they continue to let open carry happen in these streets. If they’re concerned about safety, they should be taking the guns off of these streets, not banning toys.” To reinforce the Cleveland police, a large contingent of Indiana State Police showed up, then riot police were deployed. Finally, a phalanx of police on horseback arrived. All this for about 15 women and one man from Code Pink and their 500 tennis balls.

    Read more…

    http://www.democracynow.org/2016/7/21/terror_tennis_balls_and_tamir_rice

  10. Draco T Bastard 10
    22 July 2016 at 10:10 am

    According to a just-released United Nations study, poorer workers and manual laborers are especially affected by heat stress. In developing countries, fewer working hours can translate into serious economic strain. In Southeast Asia, heat is already cutting work hours by 15 to 20 percent. By 2050, that number could be as high as 40 percent.

    “It’s a whole working month that would be lost because it’s so hot you can’t work,” the report’s coauthor Tord Kjellstrom told the Washington Post. If global warming continues at its current rate, extreme heat could cost global economies $2 trillion by 2030.

    Bold mine.

    So, not only do we have a huge cost incurred by climate change but we have to ask:
    How long before those in Southeast Asia decide to leave because the heat is, quite literally, killing them?
    When they leave, because they will, where are they going to go?

    • Rosie 10.1
      22 July 2016 at 12:17 pm

      I don’t know if they can leave. These manual outdoor workers live in appalling poverty. They could be left stuck, with no where to go.

      Meena Kandasamy’s book The Gypsy Goddess was about the Kilvenmani massacre in Tamil Nadu. It looked at the oppressive working conditions for rice field workers, the heat being part of it. The book covered a period ion the late 1960’s – India is only getting hotter. The fate of outdoor workers in hot and tropical climates now in into the future is surely dire.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meena_Kandasamy

  11. te reo putake 11
    22 July 2016 at 10:32 am

    Where getting a lot of first time callers on the RM post (mostly gloating righties, of course). This means that a lot of comments have to be manually released from the mod queue. Apologies to those who don’t see their comment instantly appear, but they will turn up eventually. And, remember, our service is still way better than your average Telco or power company.

  12. AmaKiwi 12
    22 July 2016 at 1:43 pm

    Media predicting the theme of Trump’s grand speech on Thursday will be law and order.

    The odds are 999 to 1 he won’t call for prosecuting police who murder unarmed Black men.

    • joe90 12.1
      22 July 2016 at 1:50 pm

      No doubt about it – he’ll toss a little raw meat to his people.

      .

      The Illinois Republican Party on Wednesday revoked credentials from one of its delegates to the Republican National Convention who made racially charged comments online and used the social media handle “whitepride,” The Chicago Tribune reported.

      Lori Gayne, a Trump delegate, posted on a photo of police officers to her Facebook on the opening day of the RNC, according to the report.

      “Our brave snipers just waiting for some “N—- to try something. Love them,” the caption read, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

      http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/lori-gayne-removed-rnc-delegate-white-pride

  13. joe90 13
    22 July 2016 at 1:51 pm

    Gone.

    Roger Ailes has resigned from his role as Fox News chairman, effective immediately. https://t.co/bYxJ4VjP7J pic.twitter.com/Il6SenZrBA— ABC News (@ABC) July 21, 2016

    • Rodel 13.1
      22 July 2016 at 9:33 pm

      Joe90. That’s good news about Roger Ailes. I heard he got $50million severance pay.
      Makes me wonder about the rest of the leggy Fox presenters still there..and the private lives of the Hannitys, O’reillys, and the rest of the fair, balanced and unafraids.

      Watched O’reilly on you-tube having a tantrum some time ago exhibiting violent insanity. Unafraid? yes! but fair and balanced he was not. About as loony as Donald.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvEFeV92h6A
      God bless America.

      But don’t worry nice balanced Rupert Murdoch has taken over Fox…Younger women will be safe with him..

  14. Morrissey 14
    22 July 2016 at 1:58 pm

    “America’s Finest” strike again:
    This time they’ve bagged a therapist and an autistic man.

    http://www.vox.com/2016/7/21/12244938/north-miami-police-shooting-charles-kinsey-video

  15. Morrissey 15
    22 July 2016 at 2:06 pm

    FORGET TRUMP: PETER THIEL IS SO DANGEROUS
    AND FASCINATING YOU HAVE TO WATCH HIM TONIGHT
    by Sam Biddle, The Intercept, 22 July 2016

    TONIGHT, PETER THIEL, an openly gay immigrant hailing from San Francisco, will address the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. His speech will close out the coronation of Donald Trump as the nominee claof his party, which three days earlier finalized a platform affirming the definition of marriage as “between one man and one woman.”

    Thiel may seem an unlikely warm-up act for a raving nativist like Trump. But the pair are actually an impeccable ideological tag-team. In fact, Thiel outmatches Trump both in the preposterousness of his capitalistic ambition and in the sheer pathology of his political inconsistency.

    Like Trump’s, Thiel’s speech will be one of the few in Cleveland (or Philly, for that matter) worth viewing in full, if only because the libertarian billionaire is, even more so than the man he’s opening for, a bizarre and fascinating man—his support for Trump is just one more strange item on a long list. And, unlike those who have taken the stage before him, Thiel isn’t a retired general, washed-up actor, incendiary evangelical, or reality show star, but a complicated member of the Silicon Valley elite.

    Many Americans found Thiel the same way they found Donald Trump: on a screen, presented as something between caricature and real-world business figure. In The Social Network, Hollywood’s 2010 rendition of the Facebook creation myth, Thiel’s character appears briefly to write Mark Zuckerberg a $500,000 check and suggest that he utterly betray his best friend and co-founder, Eduardo Saverin — a fictionalized version of one of the greatest moments of treachery in modern business history. …

    Read more….
    https://theintercept.com/2016/07/21/forget-trump-peter-thiel-is-so-dangerous-and-fascinating-you-have-to-watch-him-tonight/

  16. Rosie 16
    22 July 2016 at 2:13 pm

    A witty and sharp poem. “The first time she saw a ciabatta”. A reflection on brexit from a Scottish perspective.

    http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2016/07/14/the-first-time-she-saw-a-ciabatta/

  17. Morrissey 17
    22 July 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Two days ago, Jim Mora compared plagiarist Melania Trump to Johnny Cash.
    Now look who he compared her race-baiting, hate-spewing husband to this afternoon.
    The Panel, RNZ National, Friday 22 July 2016
    Jim Mora, Golnaz Bassam Tabar, Duane Major, Zara Potts

    “All right, we heard about the 180,000 illegal immigrants, but he also seemed to recast himself as the candidate of compassion. He was almost Gandhi-like….”

    —-Jim Mora, affecting his most deadly “serious” voice, 4:25 p.m.

    Again I ask: why is this dope still stinking up our airwaves?

    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20072016/#comment-1206328

    • Morrissey 17.1
      22 July 2016 at 5:08 pm

      There was worse to come: even more dismal than Mora’s vapidity was Golnaz Bassam Tabar’s wandery and ill-informed chat about ISIS, in which she compared the U.S.-U.K.-Turkish-supported terror group to Hamas and Hezbollah.

      There have been hundreds—make that thousands—of brain-dead NewstalkZB-calibre statements made on The Panel over the last eleven years, but Bassam Tabar’s foolish little fugue is right up, or down, there with the worst kind of ignorance spouted on this horrible show by the likes of Stephen Franks, Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, Barry Corbett or Michelle Boag.

  18. Kevin 18
    22 July 2016 at 5:23 pm

    Why Corbyn Terrifies the Guardian

    An interesting article that looks a little deeper than what the title says.

    http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2016-07-22/why-corbyn-so-terrifies-the-guardian/

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    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
    19 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
    22 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
    22 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
    1 day ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

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

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

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

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

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

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