Open Mike 22/10/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 22nd, 2017 - 250 comments
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250 comments on “Open Mike 22/10/2017 ”

  1. Tony Veitch (not etc) 1

    Many will not want to accept this, but we humans are in a struggle for our very existence. Most people just do not realise how perilous our situation is!

    If we continue to do as we have done for the past 30 plus years – we are doomed, and Guy MacPherson will be proved right – gone in ten years!

    If we tinker round the edges and set long term but modest goals – well, we may last a bit longer.

    We need RADICAL solutions to climate breakdown. We need to rethink the whole way we live at the moment. Sorry, farmers, industrial farming has got to go, large dairy herds have got to go. To survive we may all have to become vegetarian (not something that I could contemplate with equanimity!)

    We must have transport – but we need to make it as little polluting as possible – and that means abandoning our love affair with cars. Rail and public transport must have an absolute priority.

    Etc. etc.

    Will the Coalition be radical enough? I have my doubts, but one thing I know for certain – they’ll be a 1000% better than the lot we, thankfully, just got rid of!

    Read the article by George Monbiot referenced in yesterday’s Open Mike!

    • Tony Veitch (not etc) 1.1

      For those too lazy to go looking, here’s the article – posted by savenz yesterday:

      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/20/insectageddon-farming-catastrophe-climate-breakdown-insect-populations

      • greywarshark 1.1.1

        thanks Tony.
        +100

      • Bill 1.1.2

        Except that the German study Monbiot refers to did not say or claim that The most likely cause of this Insectageddon is that the land surrounding those reserves has become hostile to them: the volume of pesticides and the destruction of habitat have turned farmland into a wildlife desert.

        It’s not just Monbiot who has been jumping on the farming practices bandwagon. Almost every other piece referring to the German study does the same in spite of the German study itself expressing confusion on that front (the impact of farming).

        Think about it. The study was done on nature reserves. So no loss of habitat and no insecticides. And yet a 80% drop in numbers.

        But what those reserves have in common with every single other piece of land on this planet is that the vegetation has something like 30% less nutritional value than it had before the onset of the industrial revolution.

        That has repercussions for insects, not just in terms of malnutrition and possible starvation, but in their ability to resist the effects of toxins and/or parasites. And of course it has severe knock on effects all the way up various food chains.

        Now here’s the kicker. The study highlighting the drop in nutritional content explicitly pointed to the fact that the drop tracked the rise in atmospheric CO2. That study looked at goldenrod (which is not subject to agricultural practice) from 1842 to the present. Recent drops in the nutritional content of goldenrod are in line with the known drop across a range of studied crops (rice, wheat etc).

        We don’t have samples of those plants going back to the 1840s as is the case with goldenrod, but it would seem entirely appropriate to assume the same degree of degeneration given that the drop from the past 30 or 40 years is the same.

        So sure, change the way we farm. But don’t expect that to turn things around, because it won’t. We want this shit to come to a halt? Then we need to stop sparking up fossil fuels today. But we’re going to choose to not do that.

        • Tony Veitch (not etc) 1.1.2.1

          Bill, the kick is in the tail of your post – “But we’re going to choose to not do that.”

          Altogether, too little, too late! (Or worse, not at all!)

          • Bill 1.1.2.1.1

            I can provide links to various studies/articles for the following if you want them…

            Tropical forests now exuding more CO2 than they capture.

            Studies on warmed soils in temperate regions showing they will exude more CO2 than they capture in a warming planet.

            Antarctica’s inevitable collapse locked in now and possibly happening in the space of a human life span and not the thousands of years usually touted. (Because ice cliffs that are not anchored on land can only be about 300m high and ‘explode’ if higher than that, and the “grounding line” in Antarctica is already essentially gone..)

            Nutritional content of plankton, just like terrestrial plants, dropping under accelerated growth conditions and that knocking seven shades of shit out of oceanic eco-systems.

            So on top of disappearing terrestrial species, throw in the joyful observations of “peanut head” orca. They’re starving on the west coast of N America (and possibly/probably elsewhere to).

            And yes, industrial fishing and farming don’t help matters. And urbanisation doesn’t help matters. And spraying/spreading chemical toxins and what not doesn’t help matters.

            But the one thing that underpins it all is us spewing CO2 into the environment via the combustion of fossil fuels. So, I dunno.

            Jump in the car and grab yourself a ‘top shelf’ something from the local bottle store that likely has the carbon footprint of an elephant this long weekend?

            • Rightly or wrongly 1.1.2.1.1.1

              Ok. And if the sun cools down and we enter a mini ice age what then?

              You might need to burn your ‘The World is doomed’ signs just to stay warm when the Waikato river starts freezing over each winter.

              Sound far fetched? It has happened before and will happen again.

              The big yellow ball in the sky has more of an effect on climate than anything puny humans do…

              • Andre

                Do you have any actual expertise around solar output and how it affects climate? IF you do, want to share that with us? Coz here’s what actual experts have to say about that particular piece of denialism.

                https://skepticalscience.com/solar-activity-sunspots-global-warming-advanced.htm

                TL;DR

                “In the last 35 years of global warming, the sun has shown a slight cooling trend. Sun and climate have been going in opposite directions. In the past century, the Sun can explain some of the increase in global temperatures, but a relatively small amount.”

              • Tony Veitch (not etc)

                @ R or W

                Your honour, I rest my case – humans will do nothing until it’s far too late!

            • Tony Veitch (not etc) 1.1.2.1.1.2

              lol – I live just along the road from a bottle store, so can walk to find solace!

              But your prognosis is quite negative – because, one thing we can be certain of, people won’t be giving up their cars in the near future! We need a revolution in ‘thinking’ and how we achieve that before the abyss opens up in front of us, I’ve no idea.

    • We need RADICAL solutions to climate breakdown.

      The climate isn’t breaking down. The climate is changing and, if we don’t stop doing what we’re doing to change it, then the change will possibly be enough to ensure that life will go on without us.

      But it’s still not a ‘climate breakdown’ as the climate’s working fine.

      We must have transport – but we need to make it as little polluting as possible – and that means abandoning our love affair with cars. Rail and public transport must have an absolute priority.

      QFT

      And, yes, we need to reduce the amount of farms that we have and change farming practices to ones that are less damaging.

      • Tony Veitch (not etc) 1.2.1

        Draco, the term ‘climate breakdown’ was, apparently, coined by George Monbiot – the point being that we have moved beyond just climate change.

        The ultimate ‘breakdown’ will be a climate that precludes human life!

  2. Ed 2

    Wow!
    Heather du Plessis Allen is not happy.
    The tone of this article is extraordinary as her true colours come to the fore.
    The sheer bile and prejudice spewing from this petulant rant is something to behold.
    And she is apparently a ‘journalist ‘.
    It makes you wonder if she was on the turps as it was been written.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11935500

    • Robert Guyton 2.1

      How is this bad?
      “The Greens

      Finally. It’s been a long apprenticeship.

      Don’t let anyone tell you four positions outside Cabinet is a slap in the face. It’s a win. It gives the Greens power in the areas they care about, but enough arms-length from bad decisions to give them a chance at surviving in government. Remember, no minor party has yet survived an MMP coalition. But, the Greens probably will because co-leader James Shaw understands MMP and because they’ll already claimed a win with the marijuana referendum.”

    • Robert Guyton 2.2

      Or this win
      “Humanity

      It has to be said that National let the country down in this general category. It’s been a tough few years for lower income earners, and now the minimum wage is set to increase. It’s been tough for those needing mental health intervention, and Labour’s promised a ministerial inquiry (not that that necessarily means much). And it’s been awful for the Pike River families who deserve to go into the mine if that’s what they want. Now, it sounds like they’ll get it.”

      • tracey 2.2.1

        I agree it seemed an attempt at balance. Far more balance than pre election or up until friday night

    • Sumsuch 2.3

      Long live right-wing journalists posing as disinterested.

  3. Ed 3

    And if that article was not ridiculous enough for you, here’s conclusive proof the Herald is losing the plot and its owners are terrified their privileges will be removed by the new government.

    The Herald are reporting that the All Blacks lost because of Jacinda.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11935595

    • Once was Tim 3.1

      “Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses
      You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
      Oh, you’re a hard one
      I know that you got your reasons
      These things that are pleasin’ you
      Can hurt you somehow

      Don’t you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy
      She’ll beat you if she’s able
      You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet

      Now, it seems to me some fine things
      Have been laid upon your table,
      But you only want the ones that you can’t get

      Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger
      Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home

      And freedom, oh freedom, well that’s just some people talkin’
      Your prison is walking through this world all alone

      Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
      The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
      It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
      You’re losin’ all your highs and lows;
      Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?

      Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
      Come down from your fences; open the gate
      It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
      You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late

      ( Glenn Frey / Don Henley )
      not that I was ever that big a fan

    • mac1 3.2

      Ed, I’ve read both articles. Somehow I just don’t get that these are ‘ridiculous’ or ‘sheer bile and prejudice’ and I started reading them expecting to find what you complain of.

      With your two posts above you made a set of assertions and gave us the articles to look up. I suggest now is the time when you should back your assertions with examples from the two articles and argue where and how they are ridiculous or sheer bile and prejudice.

      Robert Guyton in reply to you seems to have the same problem as I have in finding what you say is actually there.

      I’m happy to be proved wrong and shown this media commentary is biased and stupid. I’ve just reread them, and a leftie would have little to complain of. The only bit I found unreasonable was a reference to Labour and NZF ‘obsessing’ over truck numbers.

      • Once was Tim 3.2.1

        The first article seems to be a Plastic-Allen attempt at pragmatism and putting on a brave face but the other with the headline “Did Jacinda Ardern ‘curse’ the All Blacks?” is sure as shit getting a little desperate

      • ankerawshark 3.2.2

        Hi Mac1,

        The Herald article about Jacinda and the All Blacks is SEXIST. I can’t believe they thought this was acceptable.

        If you don’t get that its sexist associating a “negative” outcome with women in power then I beg you to do a consciousness raising course. Soon.

        • mac1 3.2.2.1

          The article says, at the beginning, “and as silly as it sounds, don’t be surprised at some tongue-in-cheek finger-pointing at the changing face of our Government.

          A few such “jokes” circulated on social media after the game.”

          The Herald says that such a view is silly, and a ‘joke’.

          Come on.

          • ankerawshark 3.2.2.1.1

            Mac1

            Just put in there “because we have a Maori PM we lost the rugby and when we look back at times when the AB’s lost the world cup, there was a Maori as PM….

            Would that be acceptable to you?????? Do you see any problems with that….???

            Would be interested to hear. If you do think that would be problematic, then what is the difference if they say some are blaming the new woman PM for the AB’s loss.

            If they were going to critique the “sillly” comments on social media, why then did they go on to publish previous data about AB’s results and woman leaders. That gives the “silliness” some credibility.

            • mac1 3.2.2.1.1.1

              And I’d say that they’d be talking about some ‘silly’ ‘tongue-in-cheek’ rubbish that is being bandied about in the social media, and saying how stupid people can be to believe that synchronicity implies causality- in this case, the All Blacks losing whilst at the same time we are blessed with a woman PM, or for that matter a Maori PM.

              Now, I understand you are well-meaning and sincere, and i thank you for taking the trouble to convince me that I am wrong- but one of us is reading more into that article than was intended, as I read the words written.

              Because the writer went on to say that the All Blacks lost in the time of Clark and Shipley as well, does not in my view add to the credibility of a stupid allusion to a causal link, but instead makes it dafter as I believe the writer intends.

              That writer is saying they were silly saying it about Ardern, and idiots abounded too in the time of Clark and Shipley.

              I was last Saturday talking about dexterity with a musical student of mine. I mentioned, since I studied Latin, the derivation of the word as being right-handed; and that in former days left-handedness was seen as bad, from which we get the word ‘sinister’ which means left-handed. We agreed that was indeed stupid.

              In no way was that former commonly held belief given any credibility by us, or by any reasonable person. A similar process was involved with the Herald article. So I believe. I did ask my wife to read the same article, and she thought “it was a jokey thing to poke fun at how people could be so silly.” She would have set me right otherwise! I would not have it otherwise.

              There is I believe a clue in the headline to the article in which the word ‘curse’ is placed within quotation marks, denoting that this is not to be given credibility.

              Thanks for the discussion, Ankerawshark.

        • Wensleydale 3.2.2.2

          It’s because Jacinda is a woman, and therefore likely a witch. She must be dunked in the nearest badly polluted waterway. If she drowns, she wasn’t a witch and we’re safe from the minions of Lucifer. If she doesn’t drown, then she’s an agent of evil and must be burned in Aotea Square. For the good of the nation, you understand. We can’t be losing at rugby. It’s just not on.

    • red-blooded 3.3

      “The Herald are reporting that the All Blacks lost because of Jacinda.”

      No they’re not – settle down. They said there had been some “tongue-in-cheek” comments on social media (eg the link to a loss following Jenny Shipley’s ascension – the supposed link being – gasp! – a female in charge). This is a light-hearted piece of fluff, not a politically biased accusation.

      BTW, I’m no fan of Heather du Plessis Allen, but the Herald article you linked to above was actually pretty restrained and balanced.

      • Once was Tim 3.3.1

        It’s not the article so much as the headline. Now that we’re sub-editor absent these days, I suspect it’s an editorial attempt at denigration.

    • mary_a 3.4

      (3) Ed … NZH resorting to witchcraft perhaps? I think it was said in jest though. Well I hope it was!

  4. Ad 4

    How to destroy the third largest communist party in the world:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/the-indonesia-documents-and-the-us-agenda/543534/

    The US complicity in the massacre of millions of Indonesian people, plenty of them now clearly innocent according to the now-released diplomatic cables from the time, has got reasonable coverage in the last decade But this new set of releases shows how neck deep in blood they were.

    I don’t really blame LBJ – he was fully focussed on his domestic agenda.

    I blame CIA Director Dulles, and Kennedy himself. While Kennedy was gone in 63 and the big Indonesian massacres didn’t start until 65, it was from Kennedy’s appointees and his strategies that these nightmares rolled out across the under-developed world.

    Another sick game from the Best and the Brightest.

  5. Sanctuary 5

    “…Heather du Plessis Allen is not happy…”

    She is probably feeling a bit besieged, what with all the pointed criticism her hubby has been getting for his sexist and antediluvian line of questions aimed at Jacinda Ardern (what did Linda Clark say the other day? Certain aging male journalists who need to update get out?).

    Still, the constant binary politics attacks on the coalition continues today with a Sunday paper screaming about the Keramadec sanctuary, and Jenna Raeburn (wife of a National party MP and active propagandist for the National election campaign from a National party aligned PR firm) being used as some sort of usefully unbiased commentator on Natrad.

  6. Et Tu Brute ? 6

    Julie Bishop is a creature of Gina Rinehart – both from West Australia ..
    http://www.smh.com.au/…/gina-rinehart-flew-mps-to-india-for-lavish-wedding- 20110616-1g5zf.html
    http://www.smh.com.au/…/expenses-scandal-a-minister-in-the-marquee-worth-a- tentfull-of-dlist-celebs-20170111-gtpbfl.html
    http://www.watoday.com.au/…/wa-mining-magnate-gina-rinehart-faces-hefty-legal- payout-to-rival-20171012-gyzyc7.html

    who may be the next Prime Minister of Australia ..
    http://www.news.com.au/…julie-bishops…/21b1b39bdfcd83fc923a539790f42d38
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-05/grant-i-was…by…/7299940
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-14/julie-bishop…over…/8618288
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid...

    … West Australia is hardly a champion for indigenous rights.
    https://thewest.com.au/…/canberra-cuts-funds-for-aboriginal-communities-ng -ya-378250
    https://www.sydneycatholic.org/news/latest…/201548_1299.shtml
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia…/fears-western-australia-will-close- remote-indigenous-communities-by-stealth
    rightnow.org.au/…/explainer-what-happens-when-a-remote-aboriginal- community-in-western-australia-is-closed/
    http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=43792
    http://www.smh.com.au/…/remote-indigenous-communities-under-threat- 20141114-11myb9.html
    http://www.aljazeera.com/…/shutting-down-australia-aboriginal-areas- 2014124124749741868.html
    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/…/indigenous/…aboriginal…cut/…/ 925b6c9db28f8ae08da13e6807b90c8b

    • greywarshark 6.1

      Julie (jewel-ly) Bishop and Gina Rinehart (heart of stone? rhinestone? rhino horn?) Well matched.

      Thanks Et Brute’ for giving us Oz news. The left coalition here will have to keep watch and alert for RW dirtiness both in Oz as well as here. Just a few decades of anti-poor-people and we are both sliding back to colonial conditions.

      You can’t take the sneer out of colonials it seems, which divides into them and us, and the us are the goodies and the others baddies. (NZ started judging the new colonists early on and sent some of the poor back, and has always been ready to condemn and blame ordinary people for real or imagined faults and failures.) And soon the slide is back to Wild West (W.Australia?) conditions.

      Cut the crap with the externalities, such as poor people suffering imposed bad conditions, especially aborigines, and get to the wealth-making possibilities is the main driver and slogan.

  7. The Kermadec Ocean sanctuary appears to be dead in the water after a deal between Labour and NZ First (who of course have close ties to the fishing industry).

    it is understood Jacinda Ardern agreed a Labour-NZ First government would not progress legislation to establish the sanctuary in this three-year Parliamentary term. That will disappoint some of her MPs and supporters, but will win favour among her Maori MPs who argued it undermined iwi commercial fishing rights.

    The Kermadec sanctuary was one of the dealbreakers that swung negotiations in Labour’s favour.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/98122008/kermadec-ocean-sanctuary-put-on-ice-by-nz-first-catching-greens-unaware

    And swung the deal in the green party’s favour.

    This is something the Greens have allowed presumably without knowing the Kermadec deal had been done. James Shaw said he trusted Jacinda Ardern to protect green interests.

    Ardern has shown she has a ruthless streak beneath her absolutely positive surface.

    [“James Shaw said he trusted Jacinda Ardern to protect green interests.” Where did he say that?You look like you might be trolling, so I’d like to see you back that up. Provide a specific link and quote please. – weka]

    • Sanctuary 7.1

      Oh fuck off you Tory troll.

      • Pete George 7.1.1

        What made you so tetchy this morning? A celebration hangover?

        In the main I’m supporting the incoming government, and I hope they do well.

      • eco maori 7.1.2

        +1000 Sanctuary

      • North 7.1.3

        Oh Sanctuary thank you for the laugh. Am in a time zone 5 hours behind NZ and waking early still. ‘Tis a comfort to read sentiment such as yours which aligns with my own annoyance about fuck off talking heads, concern trolls, loud mouth media wankers and a bunch of others passively/aggressively demanding explanation from a majority of NZ voters. Sorry arseholes…..your discomfort with the institution of MMP…..your pique/ignorance you’ll just have to get over it. As for HooHaa Plastic-Allan in The Herald…..her article wasn’t that bad. If anything underneath its facile silliness it had the smell of a sly design to ingratiate with ‘now’ power. Which would indicate that at least for the moment she’s determined to get over her ridiculous self. No mean feat while sharing lodgings with crusty Barely Sopher. Garner’s another story of course. Pugnacious ass in a studied sort of way will take a while yet. Little hope for Mikey Toss-King however. Still on suicide watch they say……

      • greywarshark 7.1.4

        Pete
        George
        ‘Ardern has shown that she has a [pragmatic] streak [as part of] her absolutely positive surface.’
        FIFY

    • This is something the Greens have allowed presumably without knowing the Kermadec deal had been done. James Shaw said he trusted Jacinda Ardern to protect green interests.

      Where did you learn your weaselry, Pete? Surely it must have been at one of the world’s top weaselry schools? Come on, don’t be modest, you can tell us.

      • Pete George 7.2.1

        Where did you learn to avoid the topic in the thread and resort to petty attack?

        • Psycho Milt 7.2.1.1

          Your effort to put the Greens in the worst possible light while pretending to be a neutral observer is the topic of your comment.

          • Pete George 7.2.1.1.1

            I’ve never pretended to be a neutral observer, that’s your misconception. And I’m not trying to “put the Greens in the worst possible light”.

            The Greens took a big risk trusting that their interests would be served by giving Labour a blank cheque in negotiations with NZ First.

            There was bound to be disappointments. I hope this is one of the biggest, because it’s not the end of the world, or the end of the sanctuary, it’s just a ‘nice to have’ (that I support, so I’m a bit disappointed by this apparent deal).

            • Psycho Milt 7.2.1.1.1.1

              And there it is again: like your disappointment yesterday with James Shaw’s inability to bind future governments to a referendum decision, today’s disappointment with the Green Party’s inability to dictate terms to its coalition partners is disingenuous, passive-aggressive anti-Green propaganda.

          • Robert Guyton 7.2.1.1.2

            It might be that Pete is tone deaf and unaware of the mosquito-whine that accompanies his comments. The disappointing thing is, when alerted to the phenomenon, he doubles-down and denies, thus cranking up its volume; doubtless this comment will ramp it up further, but fortunately, skipping is easy.

            • Pete George 7.2.1.1.2.1

              Ironic that you’re talking about whining and unawareness Robert.

              I’l be disappointed if the Kermadec Sanctuary is a casualty of the deal with NZ First, and all you can do is express disappointment that I brought the subject up? Don’t you care about the sanctuary?

              • millsy

                We care more about National not being in government to shrink the state and allow the rivers and airs to be polluted.

              • Brigid

                What we don’t care about is your faux concern that the Greens
                ” took a big risk trusting that their interests would be served by giving Labour a blank cheque in negotiations with NZ First.”

              • AB

                Sorry to hear you’re feeling disappointed PG – especially as you were such a vigorous advocate for the sanctuary right from the start.
                Oh wait, I can’t find evidence of such forthright advocacy…
                Could it be (and call me a cynic if you must) that you don’t give a rat’s about the sanctuary itself, but are using it as a convenient hook from which to hang an attack on the Greens?

              • Patricia Bremner

                JK never discussed this with any interested parties.

                He just announced it knowing it would cut across Maori established fishing rights.

                But hey, he looked good overseas. Then he left!!

      • greywarshark 7.2.2

        Psycho Milt
        I’m thinking of Hogworts and their four student groups – weasels went to Slytherin didn’t they?

        Interesting point about Sur Peter Talley being a National donor. I think he used to donate to Labour as well. It falls under pragmatic politics and the way we control funding, don’t, and don’t publicly contribute to funding Parties. It can compromise them.

        Pete George is going to be such a regular here. He will be like a pig in mud heaven, a hippopotamous where the tail makes the fan, during this coalition. Can TS commenters stand it? Perhaps if we keep the Left only post going permanently we will be able to discuss deeply and thoughtfully with informed input there. Now and then we get some threads that are startling in their substance and we realise what we can achieve when we aren’t crowded out by nah-nah tiny minds.

        • The Fairy Godmother 7.2.2.1

          I think you will find that the weasleys were in Griffin or the house for the brave.

    • Zorb6 7.3

      Generous National donor ,now Sir Peter Talley will be happy then.’Put on Ice’,does not infer the issue is hopeless.

    • Ad 7.4

      National should put the legislation for the Kermadecs up in the House and force the issue.
      There’s been smoke swirling around this for so long it needs pulling into the sunlight.

      If National put a bill up to promote the Kermadec sanctuary, it’s a great opportunity for the Greens to signal their independence from the cross-benches by crossing the floor and ensuring it passes. Vote with National, and make the new PM sit up straight.

      This in turn would make a good-sized rift in NZF between Peters who has gone hard for the Scampi fishers funding National, and the iwi fishers to whom Shane Jones is so beholden.

      • Pete George 7.4.1

        National should be able to dominate the Members Bills. Labour, NZ First and Greens will be busy working on Government business, so the ballot should be fairly open for National (plus David Seymour).

        If they limit the number of bills put into the ballot and include the Kermadec Sanctuary then it would improve the odds.

        It would be good to see Members’ Bills used positively by the Opposition, and also by any of Labour, NZ First and Greens, any of whom could enable a Member’s bill to progress.

        The Kermadec sanctuary should have an insignificant fiscal impact so shouldn’t be able to be overruled by Cabinet.

      • weka 7.4.2

        There’s already a Bill in the house (passed its first reading). How does that work when Labour say they won’t progress it? Do they have a choice?

        I don’t think the Greens would go hard out confrontational on this (they’ll try other ways first), but I’m also curious to know if there is any reason they can’t vote with National on it?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 7.4.2.1

          Makes far more sense to wait for the High Court – and possibly Supreme Court – to rule, and engage in the consultation process the National Party utterly failed at.

          This certainly won’t be the last consequence of Dr. Sir Key’s overreach and sloppy attitude to government the country will have to deal with over the next decade or two.

          The Greens can make a huge difference to that process without siding with corrupt and incompetent trash.

          • Fran 7.4.2.1.1

            To OAB,

            Very sensible, this was mishandled from day one and now we need to wait for the courts to rule before proceeding. The lack of consultation and the ignoring of Iwi rights makes it a very hot potato for any government right now. Just another example of how utterly arrogant the last lot were (are).

            • One Anonymous Bloke 7.4.2.1.1.1

              I asked myself “how would the Greens respond to this?”

              We absolutely need to work alongside Māori to make sure it happens but I think we are all committed to make sure that it does.

              James Shaw.

              😀

            • Anne 7.4.2.1.1.2

              Hi Fran,
              @ 18… I put up a link to a RNZ political discussion this morning which included further insight into John Key’s Kermadec Sanctuary announcement at the UN. Not only does it confirm what you and AOB (and others) are saying but it also sheds light on Key’s real agenda.

              I didn’t pick up this matter was already under discussion so here is the link again:

              http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018618833

              The discussion on the Kermadec deal comes near the end….

          • weka 7.4.2.1.2

            That makes sense. So when the Bill comes up for the second reading, the Greens vote against it? Where then is the push to create a sanctuary that also engages in consultation with iwi?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 7.4.2.1.2.1

              See reply to Fran – 7.4.2.1.1.1 🙂

              • weka

                I’m clear on the general GP approach, I was just wondering how it would work logistically.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  One way: via amendments to the bill in the house. As for consultation, again, one way to do it is via a select committee.

                  Procedures.

                  • weka

                    Cheers.

                    Do you know what the timing is with the courts vs the second reading?

                    • weka

                      crikey, I really should go and read more of the parliament website.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      The timing of the second reading is entirely up to Parliament.

                      Once a bill has been referred to a select committee, the committee usually has six months to report to the House, unless the House specifies a different date. Reporting dates may be extended if it turns out more time is needed for the committee to consider the bill…

                      Once the committee has presented its report, the bill is available for second reading any time from the third sitting day after presentation…

          • marty mars 7.4.2.1.3

            + 1 yep oab

          • tracey 7.4.2.1.4

            But but but Pete George says ” The Kermadec Ocean sanctuary appears to be dead in the water after a deal between Labour and NZ First (who of course have close ties to the fishing industry). “…

        • Ad 7.4.2.2

          The Greens could put it up first.

          That would bring National straight in.

          Perfectly within the remit of the Minister of Conservation.

          That would be quite a stir.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 7.4.2.2.1

            speculation and rumour

            And trolling. Don’t forget trolling.

          • weka 7.4.2.2.2

            Strange to see you as one of our most conservative left wing people, who supports stability, arguing for a junior partner in a government that is still forming to start stirring.

            Not only is it not how the GP operate, I wouldn’t expect any party to start a government out that way.

            “Perfectly within the remit of the Minister of Conservation.”

            Still has to go through Cabinet though right?

        • red-blooded 7.4.2.3

          I’m pretty sure this was presented as a government bill, so it would be up to the new government whether they progress it. The second reading comes after the bill has been passed through the select committee, and any changes not agreed at committee stage can be put before the house. The bill is presented back to the house by the member in charge of it. Unless it’s a member’s bill, I’m pretty sure that would be the relevant minister and that it would be up to them when and if it’s taken back for the second reading.

          Having said that, it’s my understanding that this bill hasn’t been killed, but that Labour wants to work things out with representatives of relevant Māori. There’s also chatter about NZF and fishing interests, but James Shaw seemed pretty confident on Q+A this morning that this proposal was still live.

      • greywarshark 7.4.3

        Do we want rifts occurring so soon after forming the coalition and shunting the train onto the tracks ready for the first journey.

        Here’s Hank Marvin and group singing Mystery Train
        If only our politicians can look as happy and integrated as these guys playing this good music. Great bright guitar playing of the 1960’s variety.
        (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyozANj5tRE
        and

        Arlo Guthrie The City of New Orleans and great images
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF1lqEQFVUo

        and talking about Arlo Guthrie and a rousing song we need to remember —
        This Land Is Your Land, this land is My Land.
        with Arlo, Woody and Judy Collins. Pete Seeger and many others all in their own way, having fun.
        (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bphP7Hh_gxU

    • repateet 7.5

      The power of language and choice of words nicely demonstrated.

      “Ardern has shown she has a ruthless streak beneath her absolutely positive surface.”

      Ruthless as in synonyms I found?: merciless, cruel, unfeeling, steely, vicious, fierce?

      Ruthless as a condemnation and put-down or ruthless as determined and not letting personal feelings and emotion get in the way of putting into action ones principles?

      Since the description has been used on here it might not make other forums. I think if it were on Kiwiblog something like “Ruthlesscindi” would become common use for some of the children there.

    • weka 7.6

      moderation note above, please respond.

      • Pete George 7.6.1

        I don’t see why I should be subject to such pedantry when others aren’t, especially while you seem to turn a blind eye to other rules like personal attacks. You seem obsessed with targeting me.

        Shaw confirmed his trust in Ardern to negotiate a deal that won’t see his party locked out in the cold, or pushed beneath NZ First.

        “Jacinda made fairness one of her principle values in the campaign, I’ve known her a number of years and, I said this before the election, I trust her and she seems to be doing a good job of it.

        “It’s got to be a stable and responsible Government that’s going to go the full distance in the national interest. Labour are working very hard on ensuring that that happens. That’s of paramount concern to all of us,” he said.

        Shaw said he was confident he would be happy with the deal Labour eventually presented to them, but all the partners had to be “pretty sure” of their Government’s direction to ensure stability. </blockquote.
        https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97761745/james-shaw-trust-labour-to-bring-back-fair-deal-from-winston-peters

        [well seeing as how you’re unclear about it, I’ll explain. You’re a well-known troll on TS who has been banned multiple times for causing problems for the site and moderators. Those bans have been given by a range of moderators (not just me). So when I see you back on site, I generally check whether you are engaging in non-troll ways or not.

        Today looked like it was going to cause problems (going by what you wrote and how people reacted). Shaw didn’t say what you claimed and now you’ve had to provide evidence that shows you were wrong. This is how it works here.

        And yes, you can expect more of this (not just you). Because I won’t be sitting by and letting bullshit and lies be spread around here about any of the new government parties or MPs. People can say what they like up to a point but they have to be able to back up statements of fact. I will generally step in when statements appear to be pushing certain anti-left lines or ones that seek to dishonestly undermine LW parties, MPs, or LWers in general. This is a left-aligned site after all. – weka]

        • One Anonymous Bloke 7.6.1.1

          James Shaw said he trusted Jacinda Ardern to protect green interests.

          What James Shaw actually said:

          Shaw confirmed his trust in Ardern to negotiate a deal that won’t see his party locked out in the cold, or pushed beneath NZ First…fairness… the national interest…stability.

          Thanks for confirming your beige dishonesty.

        • Robert Guyton 7.6.1.2

          Pete George said: “I don’t see why I should be subject to such pedantry”

          Lordy! I can barely breathe!

        • Pete George 7.6.1.3

          “You’re a well-known troll on TS ”

          Funny. I could praise you here for your balanced and inclusive moderation and would probably be called a troll. From what I see it’s most often a lazy form of abuse from people who are intolerant of points of view they don’t like, or people they have labelled as some sort of perceived enemy.

          I hope that eventually the positive and inclusive approach to politics as demonstrated by Jacinda Ardern is embraced by those on the left embittered by 9 years in opposition.

          I thought things might have changed here after success, but I might give things a while longer for the changes to take place.

          [you still don’t get it Pete. Moderation isn’t here to be inclusive to you. It’s to protect the site and authors, to limit the amount of work for the moderators, and to encourage robust debate that is accessible to as wide a range of people as possible. Inclusivity and access ends where people are being anti-social.

          Me calling you a troll isn’t lazy abuse, it’s from many years of observing your behaviour here and how that impacts negatively on the site. There are plenty of people here who I disagree with politically but who never end up on my moderator radar because they know how to argue their position without winding people up, lying, or derailing. – weka]

          • One Anonymous Bloke 7.6.1.3.1

            😆

            You’re the victim here Pete. Never forget that.

            • weka 7.6.1.3.1.1

              The utter inability to take responsibility for having lied in a political debate and instead make out he is here to lead TS to a new era of positivity and inclusivity.

              Uber troll.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                Surely an uber-troll would come up with an original tactic or two.

                “Someone” publishes an incomplete story from anonymous sources. Pete George’s amygdala reacts as expected. The story then has to be amended once the facts are known.

                So far so Dirty Politics.

                • weka

                  “Surely an uber-troll would come up with an original tactic or two.”

                  Not really. Trolling well without getting banned, managing that over time, knowing what will wind up the regulars and derail the conversation and implementing that to the point that people want to tear their hair out, if he can’t get people to talk about his views then he manages to get people talking about not talking about his views, on and on. Originality isn’t necessary if the goal is to control the debate.

                  Agreed about the Dirty Politics.

            • Brigid 7.6.1.3.1.2

              Calling Jeremy Wells…

            • Pete George 7.6.1.3.1.3

              You keep trying to make me out as victim, and other things, never forget that.

              I don’t feel like a victim at all.

              Will you note weka’s comment and take responsibility for all the lying you’ve done here? Or is there an utter inability or unwillingness?

              Uber troll indeed.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                Thinking you are a boring unoriginal disingenuous passive aggressive right wing wanker isn’t lying, Peter, it’s an honestly held opinion with a mountain of evidence to support it.

                The only “uber” you’re likely to come anywhere near is the one that takes you for a ride.

            • tracey 7.6.1.3.1.4

              LOL… He is giving us all time to come round to his way of thinking which gives us a gilt edge opportunity to ensure his absence?

    • Assurances that the sanctuary hasn’t been sunk yet.

      Green Party leader James Shaw told TVNZ’s Q +A this morning the scheme was still on the table.

      “Obviously there are still a lot of issues to work through, it is a complicated issue, but we are still doing our best efforts to make sure it happens,” he said.

      “We absolutely need to work alongside Māori to make sure it happens but I think we are all committed to make sure that it does.”

      A spokesperson for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the scheme was very much alive.

      That’s vague. Alive perhaps, but on life support for three years?

      I wonder if Shaw’s comments are with or without knowledge of the details of the Labour-NZ First agreement. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some kicking of cans down the road on this and other policies. Like:

      9. Refugees

      Review, as well as “adequately fund and support” refugees under the family reunification scheme.

      http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/the-greens-10-big-policy-gains.html

      Reviews were a method National used to pay lip service to small party policy ‘wins’.

      • Robert Guyton 7.7.1

        “A spokesperson for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the scheme was very much alive.” (my bold)

        Pete George said: ” That’s vague.”

        This is fun!

      • Robert Guyton 7.7.2

        Pete almost said, “That’s beige”.
        Lordy!

      • One Anonymous Bloke 7.7.3

        And there it is again: like your disappointment yesterday with James Shaw’s inability to bind future governments to a referendum decision, today’s disappointment with the Green Party’s inability to dictate terms to its coalition partners is disingenuous, passive-aggressive anti-Green propaganda.

        Deja vue all over again.

      • tracey 7.7.4

        Not alive, ” very much alive”. The difference might have been too subtle for you to see how big it was?

    • red-blooded 7.8

      James Shaw said on Q+A this morning that he didn’t see the sanctuary as dead and that there was a need to work with Māori and with other parties to find the best way to go forward towards creating the sanctuary. Of course, he hasn’t seen what’s in the NZF agreement (maybe it has been put aside – I don’t know), but at this stage he still seems to be hopeful there’s a way forward.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 7.8.1

        …but but but the uncertainty! And the concern! Such deep deep concern. Whatever shall we do? I’m feeling so lost and scared without Bill and John to hold me 😈

    • KJT 7.9

      Relax George.

      What Adern actually said is that the sanctuary is still on the table.

      Just going back to public, Maori and fishery interests for consultation. As it should be!

      As usual you add nothing to discussions other than waffling and bad faith bullshit.

  8. Although, much as I dislike Pete George’s weaselry, that story about the Kermadec Sanctuary will be annoying if it’s true:

    NZ First, whose senior MPs are close to the fishing industry and whose campaign was partly bankrolled by players in the fishing industry, demanded Labour stop the sanctuary.

    It’s one thing to hold off on the sanctuary because there are Treaty issues to sort out first, quite another to hold off on it because your coalition partner consists of corrupt politicians. If the report’s accurate, this will be the first of no doubt many instances of Labour getting up with fleas from the NZ First dog it lay down with.

    • DoublePlusGood 8.1

      Time to nationalise Talleys and Sealord?

      • Barfly 8.1.1

        A Kermadec Sanctuary is entirely feasible – the opposition to it was Sealords who demanded to retain the right to fish there . I couldn’t work out wtf that was about as the fishing in the area covered by the sanctuary was only around 1000 tonnes which in fishing terms is essentially zero . (the 1000 tonnes wasn’t even taken by Sealords)

        The Kermadecs are so bloody far away people don’t fish there because of the time and fuel costs involved – they can fill there quota closer to port – that’s the only reason National suggested it .

        I didn’t understand Sealords opposition to it until the penny finally dropped. If at some point the future management of the fisheries requires quota reductions fishing in the Kermadecs area may be commercially desirable. If there is to be a sanctuary this is the issue that would need to be negotiated with Sealords to their satisfaction IMHO.

        • Patricia Bremner 8.1.1.1

          Thank you for that Barfly. That explains a lot.

        • greywarshark 8.1.1.2

          Could there be another aspect to the refusal by Sealord to accept the Kermadec sanctuary – aren’t they half owned by Japanese interests? And they dig their toes in about rights to the sea. Perhaps that is a reaction to
          being nuclear bombed on big areas of their small country. In the high seas they should be free they think, possibly.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1.2

        Make persistent and deliberate breaches of human rights and employment law subject to the Crimes Act, then go after assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

        That will help cure the Mr. Talley disease.

    • David Mac 8.2

      The Kermadecs are 1000km to the North East. You’re a long way from home when the sea whips up cruel up there in the cyclone prone tropics. If our fishing fleet need to steam 1000km for a catch, we’re doing something frightfully wrong 100kms offshore. Policing the far-flung 750,000 ha would be made a lot more simple if no fishing boats were allowed. They can be located and identified via satellites and tracked to a home port.

      I don’t think Iwi are particularly concerned about losing potential fishing grounds, they’d just like to stick a Tino Rangatiratanga flag in the region. Fair enough, there’s a good chance Kupe filled his water gourds at Raoul Island on the way down. I’m hopeful we can arrive at an MMP flavoured compromise that leaves all points of view quite satisfied. That’s how it goes with balanced compromise, nobody gets exactly what they want.

    • KJT 8.3

      It is not true.

      See my comment to George above.

      • Pete George 8.3.1

        We don’t know what the situation is yet, and won’t until the Labour-NZ First agreement is made public, and then we may have to still wait until we see what happens in practice.

        It would be interesting to know who claimed/leaked to Stuff, and why.

        • KJT 8.3.1.1

          You, didn’t know!

          So, just like our , so called, Journalists. You made something up.

          I have already had a guts-full of that sort of behavior. From our media about the election. You are lucky Weka has more patience than me.

        • tracey 8.3.1.2

          So having it had it shown that it is not “dead in the water” you want to change the focus to “who leaked it”?. Who leaked what though? The imaginary dead in the water sanctuary?

          • Pete George 8.3.1.2.1

            If the claim is dead in the water than it’s of interest who leaked the story to Stuff.

            NZ First, whose senior MPs are close to the fishing industry and whose campaign was partly bankrolled by players in the fishing industry, demanded Labour stop the sanctuary.

            And it is understood Jacinda Ardern agreed a Labour-NZ First government would not progress legislation to establish the sanctuary in this three-year Parliamentary term.

            https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/98122008/kermadec-ocean-sanctuary-put-on-ice-by-nz-first-catching-greens-unaware

            That sounds like it’s based on information given to SIMON MAUDE AND JONATHAN MILNE. There must have been a motive behind that.

            More here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98130588/kermadec-sanctuary-still-on-table-but-iwi-consultation-key–labour

            • Psycho Milt 8.3.1.2.1.1

              The same Jonathan Milne who was so outraged about major parties having to negotiate with Winston Peters to form a government? There’s a motive alright, but I doubt it involves someone in NZF or Labour leaking stuff.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 8.3.1.2.1.2

              The National Party is perfectly capable of leaking it, since it will have come up in negotiations with NZF, they have no respect for confidentiality or ethics and crucially, have form in this regard.

              I don’t give a shit what you pretend to think about it though, so don’t let me know.

            • Tracey 8.3.1.2.1.3

              You said it was dead in the water… you reply to me as though I said it. You made the claim. Tgen having been asked to prove it were found wanting. Now you are all about the “leak”… fickle much

              • Your assertion has been found wanting. You’re misquoting me, careful doing that, it’s against the rules here.

                I said “appears to be dead in the water”, which at the time that’s how it seemed. It’s been an evolving story through the day, like many political stories.

                It’s of interest to me who leaked it and why – I think it’s very unlikely Sunday Times journalists completely made the story up.

                And responses by Shaw and Ardern also seem vague. It will be interesting to see what the agreements relating to this actually look like when released on Tuesday. I’m keeping an open mind on it all, seemingly in contrast to you.

                • Tracey

                  Lol @ evolving. You jump on assumption to assumption that suit you. Have you read Jaques Ellul? He talks of you extensively in Propaganda: the formation of mens attitudes.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  Your mind is open, and everyone can see the malice posing as passive aggressive dishonesty and bias.

                  It’s pathetic. Farrar, Williams, Slater, they’re toxic vile people, but at least they don’t lie to themselves about it.

  9. Ad 9

    Hey Marty how’s the stent going?

    • fender 9.1

      This comment prompted me to do a search, and I discovered what you were talking about. I didn’t read Open Mike on Friday (very rare for me) so missed the news from Marty.

      Hope you are recovering well Marty, thinking of you bro.

    • Pretty good off home today happy but bit scared too. I just about was going to participate in a double blind international experimental drug trial but long weekend stymied that.

      Edit will prob have to limit my reading here gotta keep my blood pressure on low side and the beige poo always pisses me off lol

      • Once was Tim 9.2.1

        Did you watch them put it in @marty mars? Pretty amazing tech seeing it all on a screen as they shuffle through your veins.
        Hope all’s well! You’ll be set to take on the PG onslaught in no time

      • weka 9.2.2

        Good to hear you are home marty.

        There’s always Lefties on the Standard posts, which tend to be less blood pressure risky 😉

      • Macro 9.2.3

        Take care marty and all the best for a good recovery.

        • marty mars 9.2.3.1

          Thanks everyone – i did see the before and after photos – pretty freaky. I’ve got a long way to go and it’s also given me a greater appreciation of the psychological aspects of recovery and certainly acceptance. Many on here have had to learn to trust their bodies again I know. My journey on that is underway.

          • Patricia Bremner 9.2.3.1.1

            marty mars, yes having faith takes a while, but you won’t get short of breath now, as blood flows freely.

            Watch out for foods with Vit. K if you are on warfarin. Have everything in moderation xx Watch out for bruising or strains.

            Take it slow and steady. Norm has two stents, and after 6 weeks played golf and felt much better.

            10 years now. Read up about it. Be glad the blockage wasn’t too great.

            Go and celebrate life and the election. 2017 will be your year.

          • Karen 9.2.3.1.2

            Marty, I haven’t been reading TS much lately and missed news about your heart attack. I hope you are now on the way to recovery. Kia ora, kia taha.
            I am very relieved you were able to get the healthcare you needed in time – the world would have been a much worse place without you.

            “Ko te kāhu te whakaora, waiho kia rere ana”.

      • tracey 9.2.4

        A 49 yr old pal of mine had a quad bypass. Trusting her body again and not panicking have been hard to achieve but she has. You are good people marty. Be kind to yourself

        • Incognito 9.2.4.1

          Be kind to yourself and to others

          I hope you don’t mind me completing your sentence.

          It’s not even directed at marty mars specifically but at all good people here.

          @ Marty, I wish you a speedy recovery; the mental side of it is much harder than the physical one but remember “mind over matter”.

      • Andre 9.2.5

        Hey marty, I know my EQ is precisely zero so I’m not going to try to fake being a normal human and try to say something empathetic. It would probably come out Trumpian anyway.

        But several of my near and dear have gone through heart attacks and getting stents. They all got prescribed statins afterwards. They all had to work hard with their doctors and experiment a lot to find a good dose rate that gives the benefits of the statins without too much side effect. So if you start taking statins and feel like they may be messing you up in other ways, get onto it quick with your doctor to adjust the dose.

        And I really hope to see you back here at full strength soon.

      • McFlock 9.2.6

        glad to hear you’re on the mend.

  10. Ed 10

    Jacinda.

    “There is no point gloating about the economic growth of a nation if you have some of the highest rates of homelessness in the developed world.”

  11. Robert Guyton 11

    Kiwiblog’s Farrar writes:

    Socialist Youth leader decries capitalism
    The Herald reports:

    Incoming prime minister Jacinda Ardern says capitalism has been a “blatant failure” in New Zealand when measured by child poverty.

    Ardern is the former head of the International Union of Socialist Youth so it is no surprise that our new Prime Minister thinks capitalism is a blatant failure. I look forward to hearing about the success of socialism in curing child poverty.”

    Sneaky. And you’d have to be dim to fall for his tricks:
    Who is this Socialist Youth leader?
    How does “capitalism has been a “blatant failure” in New Zealand when measured by child poverty (my bold) become, “our new Prime Minister thinks capitalism is a blatant failure”
    Do you think it possible that his readers can’t see how they are being fooled by this sort of twist-wording? Their responses suggest they have no awareness at all.

    • Ed 11.1

      Farrar must be worried.

      • Sanctuary 11.1.1

        Farrar’s reaction so far is that of an insolent and whiney frat boy who bitterly resents getting failed by a woman professor. To which I say keep it coming, we are joyfully lapping up your salty tears of rage.

    • Capitalism isn’t a failure, or at least it’s the least failing economic system of the past couple of centuries.

      It does allow too many people to fail without adequate regulation and social conscience, and that’s what successive New Zealand governments have tried to balance.

      National made improvements on the social costs in someways, and did too little in other ways. They campaigned on promises to do more to address obvious social issues, but the parties that formed the incoming government promised more. This should lead to better outcomes for more people, but it won’t be easy.

      It should be acknowledged that under capitalism (albeit far from pure capitalism) a huge number of people have been lifted out of poverty and have had their standard of living improved. We should strive to better, but it can be a complex and difficult balancing act.

      • Robert Guyton 11.2.1

        Right up to the election, Pete, you professed to not having made up your mind which way you’d cast your vote. Now that the moment has passed, care to share?
        I voted for Liz Craig, Labour and Party vote Green.

        • Pete George 11.2.1.1

          That’s right, I have always left it until election day to until i decided who to vote for. I think that’s especially important with tactical voting under MMP.

          Right up until fifteen minutes before making his big announcement Winston Peters claims he didn’t know who he would choose to anoint as his coalition partner.

      • Robert Guyton 11.2.2

        “Capitalism isn’t a failure…”
        Q.E.D.

      • millsy 11.2.3

        The advances in lifting people out of poverty came largely due to technological developments, ie mechanisation of agrifculture

      • Capitalism isn’t a failure, or at least it’s the least failing economic system of the past couple of centuries.

        Capitalism is most definitely a failure and it’s been constantly failing over the last few millennia. The only that’s been able to keep capitalism going as well as it has over the last couple of centuries has been socialism and the Enlightenment where people actually looked after each other. The times when this didn’t happen was the times when capitalism failed completely.

        It should be acknowledged that under capitalism (albeit far from pure capitalism) a huge number of people have been lifted out of poverty and have had their standard of living improved.

        Did those people think that they were in poverty before capitalism introduced it to them?

        Living without guns and war and trade isn’t the same as living in poverty.

      • David Mac 11.2.5

        Recent efforts to address the concerns you speak of have all seemed to revolve around money. Money ain’t people. An extra $100 a week or a warm dry place to live is the easy part of any solution.

        I think capitalistic solutions lie in creating more opportunities for us to strive and reap the benefits of our efforts. A person working hard in any job, living frugally, they should have a house deposit after some years of studious saving. Hopefully our need for houses can hook up with our need for developing satisfying career pathways.

        If the port goes North, we’re going to need a new Whangarei suburb to house the workers that take up a relocation offer. Close to the coast would be good, make it a desirable spot to live. Developers tendering for the job could be required to partner with North Tec and career paths plotted over the course of the development. 2000 houses would get freed up in Auckland. Capitalism has been working for too few of us.

        • Draco T Bastard 11.2.5.1

          I think capitalistic solutions lie in creating more opportunities for us to strive and reap the benefits of our efforts.

          Capitalism doesn’t do that though. It has people working hard to make others, the parasitical owners, better off. It is this that causes the massive inequality and poverty that always accompanies capitalism.

      • KJT 11.2.6

        Average incomes/GDP in third world countries have been lifted, is not the same as “large numbers lifted out of poverty” as non democratic countries capture increases in National wealth, in the ruling classes.

        The farmers in Mexico, Asia and Africa, who have lost their livelihoods to massive import dumplings of “free trade” US grain, are much worse off, to give just one example. It does free them to work 14 hour days as almost slave labour, in Nike and Apple factories, though.

    • Do you think it possible that his readers can’t see how they are being fooled by this sort of twist-wording?

      I’m pretty sure that’s it precisely. the only way that National ever gets power is through lying and so they have to make the lies believable and so they use spin doctors to use false logic to make it so. DPF seems to be one of their favoured ones.

      And, yeah, indications are that the RWNJs over on Kiwiblog are really dim as well.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 11.3.1

        Speaks wonders about those who claim a “balance” of opinion, look for the fabled “middle ground” then wonder why they get greeted with ridicule when they get there.

        Earth is flat. With some spherical areas. Or something.

    • red-blooded 11.4

      Jacinda was President of the International Federation of Socialist Youth in 2008 (the same year she first entered parliament). Of course, Farrar is misrepresenting (through implication) the actual nature of this group.

      As I understand it, the federation is more a general leftist alliance than a genuine socialist group (the name dates back to the 1920s, and the group was first formed in 1907, before a split between the communists and social democrats in 1919). Their main efforts through the years have focused on fighting fascism, promoting peace, supporting decolonisation and struggles for independence, working against human trafficking, supporting refugees, promoting human rights, fighting AIDS, promoting youth involvement in political debate and activity…
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_of_Socialist_Youth

      I think it’s greatly to her credit that Ardern was elected president of this group. She’s been a strong political activist all her life and has worked on policy and managed the practicalities of an international organisation (100+ countries involved) when in her 20s. Good on her!

      • tracey 11.4.1

        When Key became Chair of a group of right wing leaders set to ensure domination of right wing ppolly parties we were meant to be proud…

        Reds unfer the Beds… the Nats are hurting and Farrar is doing the hierarchies bleeding for them. At least we know how

        English
        Joyce
        Collins
        Bennett

        Are feeling cos Farrar is their mirror.

    • Incognito 11.5

      Capitalism is a failure by many measures. It has led to everything being commodified for exchange (sale for profit) – the few things that cannot be commodified (inalienable) are regulated & controlled in such way that they can still be used to generate profit and accumulate more capital. This exchange is or was meant to be on a voluntary basis but this is an illusion for all intents and practices because free choice and willingness to exchange are not absolute. The same can be said about employment where employers are free to sign a contract or not. Reality is not that black & white. Capitalism demands growth and this, in turn, demands more extraction of (natural) resources. But the biggest failure of capitalism is that we seem to have accepted it as the best available system to conduct our affairs and live our lives; it leaves no room for alternative thinking and any dissenting or opposing voices are silenced very quickly. Ergo capitalism is an abject failure of human thinking and action because it has stymied human evolution to become Homo economicus. Whether this is an evolutionary dead-end remains to be seen.

      • Ergo capitalism is an abject failure of human thinking and action because it has stymied human evolution to become Homo economicus.

        QFT

        Whether this is an evolutionary dead-end remains to be seen.

        Certainly looking that way with anthropogenic climate change and other changes to the world that we’ve made in our ignorance and arrogance and in our pursuit of profit having the very real capacity to wipe us out.

    • tracey 11.6

      Next 1 year old Ardern will be pilloried for not remembering if she was anti or pro tour.

  12. cleangreen 12

    Truck gridlock all over NZ now is the worst seen in history and we have roads not designed to carry all these massively large heavy trucks so good news is coming read this;

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11935500

    NZ HERALD SAYS THIS; The days of freight-carrying trucks cutting up our highway network are numbered. Both NZ First and the Greens are obsessed with getting freight off our roads and back on the railways.
    NZ Herald.
    NEW ZEALAND
    Heather du Plessis-Allan: Winners and losers of the new Government
    22 Oct, 2017 5:00am
    5 minutes to read
    Jacinda Ardern will be New Zealand’s next Prime Minister but who really won when New Zealand First decided to back Labour.
    By: Heather du Plessis Allan
    Heather du Plessis-Allan is a columnist for the Herald on Sunday
    Change is coming. Big change. That much Winston Peters has told us.
    Exactly what that means we won’t know until the new government reveals its coalition policy deals in the next few days. But still, we have enough hints and clues to already declare some winners and losers.
    WINNERS
    Anyone with a car
    The days of freight-carrying trucks cutting up our highway network are numbered. Both NZ First and the Greens are obsessed with getting freight off our roads and back on the railways.

  13. millsy 13

    Pete — you need to stop your shit-stirring. The reality is that if we are to have our side in government then certain compromises have to be made. Plain and simple. This was one such comprimise.

    The stakes are waaaayyyy too high for people to be throwing their toy at the moment. Thursday feels like a long way away..

  14. L0L !

    Been over at The Daily Blog this morning ,… I am so excited about this govt , – and Peters coming war on neo liberalism !

    Go Peters Go , you beauty !!!

    Its going to be a Blitz !!!

    A Ballroom Blitz !!!

    Yeeehaaaa !!! Lets Goooooooo !!!

    Sweet – The Ballroom Blitz (Official Video) – YouTube
    Video for Sweet – The Ballroom Blitz (Official Video)▶ 4:01
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFBuYHldeY

  15. Robert Guyton 15

    James!
    The ABs!
    Political and sporting misery
    (I’ll bring you down a blanket and a hot Milo)

    • Ed 15.1

      Was it James’s theory that Jacinda put a curse on the All Blacks?

    • gsays 15.2

      Hi Robert, I don’t think too many rugby fans will begrudge the wobblies their one win in seven.
      Key AB players were out, ockers were certainly hungry, and a little bit of rub of the green (Barnes not sin binning oz player under his posts who came from off side to play ball).

      It is good for rugby the ABs being beaten occasionally.

      • The decrypter 15.2.1

        “Bring back buck”

      • NewsFlash 15.2.2

        Hey G

        The ABs looked out of breath in the 30th min, struggling, the Wallabies had some new players that out muscled the ABs and had more desire to win, I said last week that the Wallabies were expecting to win.

        It’s good for the game to have the top team lose the odd game, but they’re still the top team.

        Twitter was very aggressive against the rant on ZB, every response was critical.

        • gsays 15.2.2.1

          While teams are constantly rebuilding, there is a feel of the ABs being slightly over a peak they have maintained for a few seasons now.

          We are looking at having our depth tested at prop, hooker and to a lesser extent wing and fullback.
          Good on the ozzies, like you I picked a wallaby win.

          As for Twitter, opinions are like backsides, everyone has one, some are more deserving of sharing than others.

  16. eco maori 16

    In my view we are all human first I don’t believe in using race to distinguish/ dived our people we are all on this Waka called EARTH together and we all need to fight for our Mother Earth together . All our worlds culture’s need to work together for a future for our Moko grandchildren . And letting the neo liberals of our world use a word race to dived US what’s the other meaning of race well it mean’s a competition so strait away this word pits us against each other so let’s not let them use that word to dived US so they can hold onto there stolen power. It is not Intelligent and we are intelligent . What makes us unique is our culture and if we all let this thought become OUR reality than we have taken away the main one of the main tool’s that these Idiots use to divide US.
    Now I can see that some of our people with different culture’s are saying he’s just a radical Maori well no I’m not but I am PRO Maori. As it is our culture that has lost the most Mana because of this neo libral bullshit And this is what our society classes me as Maori ie dividing us , I no that being Radical put’s off most other people off one’s cause. Which is a fair and Equal society that respects all people and our mother earth
    and have the ideals that we must leave our Moko Grandchildren a healthy Mother Earth.
    Now this poor boy Kharl Wirepa come on VOGUE can’t you people see that Kharl is being used as a tool to put down our gay people our Maori culture and being used to divide US as the people of New Zealand please see the big picture and give his Mana back , Kharl is one of our people that should be celebrated as how one can go from Rags to Riches with a lot of innovation and determination and Mana / strength/power now let’s help this future Maori leader get his Mana baback that some neo liberal stole from him . Kia Kaha

  17. Carolyn_Nth 17

    A look back to when John Key became PM: 2008.

    RNZ reported:

    National Party leader John Key has won a decisive victory in the 2008 general election, with 59 seats in Parliament.

    National will be able to form a new Government with the support of ACT and United Future. New Zealand First was not returned to Parliament this term.


    National secured 45.5% of the party vote to Labour’s 33.8%.

    The results would give a potential National-led Government, with ACT and United Future, 65 seats in Parliament.

    Labour would have 43 seats, the Green Party eight seats, the Maori Party five and United Future and Progressive one each.

    The Green Party gained 6.4% of the party vote, which would give it eight MPs.

    Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons told about 200 supporters gathered in central Auckland the results give them a stronger voice in Parliament.

    She also said she wonders whether in 20 years’ time people will look back on this election and say they’re glad they voted for tax cuts rather than the future of their children.

    New Zealand First was on 4.2%, below the 5% threshold to get back into Parliament without winning an electorate.

    The Maori Party won five of the seven Maori seats, and has 2.2% of the party vote.

    Perhaps the Nats were hoping to repeat that victory by taking NZF out to drive them below the 5% threshold?

    The 2017 result in comparison:

    Nats – 44.4% 56 seats
    Lab – 36.9% 46 seats
    NZF – 7.2% 9 seats
    GP – 6.3% 8 seats
    TOP – 2.4%
    Mp – 1.2%
    ACT – 0.5%

    • Carolyn_Nth 17.1

      2009 – John Key’s first economic changes = tax cuts for the rich, with the poor less well of.

      NZ Herald Business writer seems relaxed about it:

      National has unveiled an economic and tax package that will give an extra $18 a week above Labour’s cuts for an average worker but has to reduce expenditure elsewhere to pay for it.

      The package has provided winners and losers in its mix.

      Party leader John Key revealed a slightly pared down tax cut package that puts more in people’s pocket’s next April, but offers less than planned.

      The cuts are funded by cutting planned increases to Government subsidies for those in KiwiSaver and axing research and development tax credits for businesses.

      “Basically it says economic growth is not about savings, and investment and innovation at all, it’s simply about encouraging people to spend,” Dr Cullen said.

      Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said funding tax cuts from the science research budget is tantamount to mortgaging the future.

      NZ First leader Winston Peters said: …

      “Instead, they are proposing a reduction in workers’ pay conditions, a cut to the state sector, and a reduction in the amount of investment in New Zealand’s businesses. Such policies have led to lower wages, lower investment, and lower growth in the past and will do so again.”

      In Dec 2008, Colin James wrote:

      As governments go, ours was less profligate but did join the party. The whiplash from towering Budget surpluses to monstrous deficits is the legacy. The new government seems frozen in the headlights, presiding, on its own admission, over nearly the biggest fiscal stimulus in the “rich” world but scared to rein it in.

      We have water in a world that is increasingly water-constrained. (We manage it incompetently but that can be fixed, with a will.)

      We produce high-quality food in a world that is increasingly food-constrained. It will take huge improvements in technology (including water use) and in national and international organisation to meet the food needs of the world’s fast-growing population.

      Included in our food store are vast expanses of well-managed fisheries. (But can we stop others plundering them as they have plundered their own fisheries?)

      We have abundant energy in a world which will be able to ward off shortages only with leaps of technology. This year’s oil price spike was a curtain-raiser. We have vast amounts of coal, oil, gas, wind, steam, water and, when the new technologies reach maturity, sunlight and biological energy sources.

      We come relatively well out of climate change, compared with nearly every other country. There will be a cost but we will be able to adapt relatively easily.

      OK, this next year will be tough and maybe the one after and the one after. But if we want to look past that we have the potential to be very rich — and clean-green with it. Chuck another scallop on the barbie.

  18. Anne 18

    Very good political discussion on RNZ this morning. Perhaps the most insightful was at the end when it was declared… John Key’s announcement to the UN General Assembly concerning the setting up of the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary had been “nothing but a stunt by and an exercise in personal aggrandizement on Key’s part. There had been no consultation whatsoever with any of the interested parties and they are unlikely to be concerned it has been “put on ice” for the next 3 years.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018618833

  19. joe90 19

    Our Adam’s going to be very conflicted about the ethnicity of this bloke charged with terror offences. A white man!.
    /

    https://wydaily.com/2017/10/20/gloucester-man-charged-with-terrorism-after-ied-explosion-near-cw-nws/

  20. cleangreen 20

    On the funny side look here;

    [deleted]

    [Unless you are the person who originally wrote that on social media, you need to link. Otherwise it’s plagiarising. Getting sick of having to pull people up on this, so deleting your comment and will replace it with a link when I can find one. – weka]

    [From Eva Allan via Grant Robertson’s fb page] – Bill

    Allow me to explain MMP
    There’s one mince and cheese pie left in the shop it costs $5
    Bill has $4.50
    Jacinda has $3.70
    Winston has 70c
    James has 60c
    and David has 5c
    No one has enough money to buy the pie by themselves but Jacinda, Winston and James. put their money together and buy the pie. Bill gets no pie because he needed 50c but didn’t have any friends to help him pay for the pie.
    I hope this helps explain things.

    • fender 20.1

      LOL

      Oh well, at least he ended up with the custard square, even if was all over his face 😀

    • Patricia Bremner 20.2

      This is excellent. You forgot to say, the friends having bought the pie, intend to share it with everyone, not just the 1%.

    • Incognito 20.3

      Nice one!

      Obviously, this example is completely wrong because Bill will privatise the shop and make up any shortfall by borrowing to get the pie and eat it too. He will then raise GST so that all other customers get to pay off the loan + interest and effectively pay for Bill’s pie as well as more into the pockets of the new shop owner who has already put up the price of pies to $5.50 made solely from imported ingredients and made by people on no more than the minimum wage (preferably casually-employed overseas students on Student VISAs).

      This is how National works operates.

      • In Vino 20.3.1

        You forgot that he might be able to double-dip on the very generous pie allowance given to Ministers who do not have pie-bakers employed in their Wellington residence.

    • mary_a 20.4

      @ (20) … well clarified Cleangreen. Proves it’s a bugger not having any friends to help one out when needed 🙂

    • Macro 20.5

      I like that!
      Poor ol Bill – how Sad!
      Never mind.

    • AB 20.6

      Also – did you notice that numerous passers by in the street shouted at James and told him he had a moral duty to give his 60c to Bill.

      • AB 20.6.1

        And Bill said “I am a strong and stable eater of pies. I ate all of the previous 9 and so I have a right to this one too. And I believe Jacinda has an 11 cent hole in her $3.70 anyway.”
        Jeepers – this could become a parable.

    • weka 21.1

      Of particular note is that Labour’s position on the foreign land ownership issue still seems focussed on residential properties (and they’re ok with new builds), I haven’t seen much that’s encouraging on rural land.

      • Incognito 21.1.1

        This is the most recent post I could find on this on the Labour website:

        “Labour will not support the TPP if it undermines New Zealand’s sovereignty.

        This means:

        • Pharmac must be protected
        • Corporations cannot successfully sue the Government for regulating in the public interest
        • New Zealand maintains the right to restrict sales of farm land and housing to non-resident foreigner buyers
        • The Treaty of Waitangi must be upheld
        • Meaningful gains are made for our farmers in tariff reductions and market access

        http://www.labour.org.nz/labour_will_not_support_tpp_if_it_undermines_nz_sovereignty

        • weka 21.1.1.1

          Ardern sidestepped the rural land issue the other day when asked about it. I reckon they’ve got another week to sort out the new govt and then they’re going to have to up their game. Ardern is good at not answering but we’re not in a campaign now.

          • Incognito 21.1.1.1.1

            I agree it’s too soon to criticise but that said, Ardern has been talking up accountability but not much has been said about transparency so far. I hope the new Government is not going to hide behind the toothless OIA like the previous one did.

            • Anne 21.1.1.1.1.1

              Good grief, she’s only been PM elect for three days. Of course she’s not going to say anything much until after Tuesday when all will be revealed – or possibly Thursday after she has been sworn in as PM.

              • ankerawshark

                100 plus Anne

              • Incognito

                During the campaign, in the period of the coalition talks, and as PM-elect Ardern has been interviewed many times and she’ been talking a lot but not saying all that much that is particularly informative IMO, just setting the scene it seems. My comment pertained to what has not been said, so far, to what I’ve been missing from the scene setting. I do believe this is a valid comment under the circumstances, don’t you?

        • Once was Tim 21.1.1.2

          And I suspect one thing Winnie might suggest – if not Labour of their own volition, is to give both CommComm and Overseas Investment Office some clear guidlines. Often they’re little more than rubber stampers.

  21. cleangreen 22

    Austria bans George Soros ha ha ha so should we too.

    http://yournewswire.com/youngest-leader-george-soros/

  22. Penny Bright 23

    If the EU tightens up on its smallest member State – Malta – regarding money-laundering, what more might be revealed about the role of NZ foreign trusts?

    https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21730390-daphne-caruana-galizia-wrote-fearlessly-about-corruption-death-crusading-journalist-rocks

    “The leaking in 2016 of the so-called Panama Papers, more than 11m documents taken from a Panamanian law firm, opened new horizons for Ms Caruana Galizia.

    Her son Matthew is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which has been mining the documents for stories.

    Last year Running Commentary revealed that Mr Muscat’s chief of staff and one of his ministers had Panama-registered companies and trusts in New Zealand.

    Ms Caruana Galizia claimed, and they denied, that the offshore vehicles received kickbacks from Russians who had bought Maltese passports.

    In April she wrote that Mr Muscat’s wife was the beneficial owner of a company that allegedly received $1m from the daughter of the president of Azerbaijan, with which Malta has commercial ties.

    The government called it a lie.

    …..”

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption whistle-blower’.

  23. Anne 24

    Anyone else spot the online news from Australia? I think it was either the NZ Herald or Stuff. As far as I can tell it’s gone now.

    The Premier of NSW issued a snarky press statement about Jacinda Ardern and “invited NZers to come and live in NSW where growth is on the rise and they would be welcomed”.

    Attached was a video message from the leader of the NSW Labour Party apologising for the Premier’s statement and assuring Jacinda she would be warmly welcomed when she visits NSW.

    How disgusting!

    Wonder if an instruction was issued to take the item down in an attempt to avoid a “diplomatic incident”.

    • NewsFlash 24.1

      Anne

      Saw that tweet, she was slapped down pretty quickly by the wider community for that, both Berejecklian and Bishop have been heavily critisised for their actions against a NZ Labour Govt, both are Liberal MPs in Governments with almost no other women MPs, that says a lot about them.

      Some of the reply tweets reminded Berejecklian what a prick of a place it is get around with a heavily overloaded public transport system from very high population growth, and the City with more tolled roads than any other city in the world, petrol’s cheap but it costs $1200 a year to register your car.

      • Anne 24.1.1

        What I saw wasn’t a tweet NewsFlash. It was a full bodied article complete with the video of the NSW Opposition Labour leader apologising to NZ etc. It’s been taken down now so suspect someone further up the ladder has ordered its removal in an attempt to avoid a diplomatic incident?

    • joe90 24.2

      Sixty plus replies trashing Ms Berejiklian on everything from trains to housing affordability to car racing.

      https://twitter.com/GladysB/status/920907521958621184

      • Anne 24.2.1

        Wow… that nasty dig at Jacinda back-fired on her big time didn’t it. Think I got through about 100 then gave up…

  24. NewsFlash 25

    An interview with Jancinda from Corin Dann this after noon, Corrin ‘s interjecting when he doesn’t like the reply to start with but settles down towards the end, covers a few good topics, worthwhile watching if you haven’t seen it.

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/full-video-pm-elect-jacinda-ardern-nzs-future-and-should-keep-being-world-leader?auto=5621230786001

  25. greywarshark 26

    Here is some good news about a blind man, his dog, some helpful hostesses, and AirNZ.
    We need to hear positive things like this, on a regular basis.
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/97957020/blind-man-and-his-guide-dog-thrilled-with-their-treatment-by-air-new-zealand

  26. joe90 27

    So, shitheart navel-gazing is my new fav.

    'Capitalism is a blatant failure', New Zealand prime minister-elect Jacinda Ardern says in first major TV interview https://t.co/09QTg2FOxD pic.twitter.com/Y9qraF1hcV— The Australian (@australian) October 21, 2017

    Political leaders who didn’t know the world before the wall came down. And haven’t been educated about it. A worry. https://t.co/RVKJKA3yM7— Chris Kenny (@chriskkenny) October 21, 2017

    Old farts who tsk a female leader for not sharing their delusion that fighting plutocracy is a slippery slope to Soviet communism. Typical. https://t.co/tMou90Jgfc— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) October 22, 2017

    I mean, the shitheart navel-gazing to get from this quote to “Oh tsk, another whippersnapper who knows nothing of The Soviet Evil” is epic pic.twitter.com/Brzgr23cWY— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) October 22, 2017

  27. Keepcalmcarryon 28

    Decent aftershock down this way 5.4, no harm done by the sound of it.
    Pretty sure it can’t be a coincidence, labour government, all black loss , earthquake.
    Thinking of penning an article for the herald.

  28. joe90 29

    I’ve not thought about it before but yes, the awful messes on the windscreen after a night drive across the central plateau are a thing of the past.

    Entomologists call it the windshield phenomenon. “If you talk to people, they have a gut feeling. They remember how insects used to smash on your windscreen,” says Wolfgang Wägele, director of the Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity in Bonn, Germany. Today, drivers spend less time scraping and scrubbing. “I’m a very data-driven person,” says Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Oregon. “But it is a visceral reaction when you realize you don’t see that mess anymore.”

    http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/where-have-all-insects-gone

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1604/S00004/insect-losses-symptomatic-of-ailing-environment.htm

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  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 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
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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
    1 week ago

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