Open mike 23/05/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 23rd, 2022 - 49 comments
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49 comments on “Open mike 23/05/2022 ”

  1. DB Brown 1

    Now that there's clearly a pattern that proves Talley's don't care about their own workers and will in fact rip them off and lie to them… let's just imagine the level of respect they have for the animals, landscapes and oceans they take food from.

    A huge part of shafting suppliers and artificially inflating our food prices will be found within the greedy grasping hands of such an entity.

    An entity that we now know, for certain, will cause great harm to people and blatantly lie about it.

    Why are so many of the rich pieces of shit. What's to be done other than getting to the point a mob does the doing?

      • weka 1.1.1

        The control Talley's and AFFCO have over staff comes from the Accredited Employers' Programme, designed to give private companies the ability to work "in the shoes of ACC".

        It gives both companies the power to make their own decisions on ACC claims filed by their employees – they can choose whether to accept or reject workers' applications for compensation following accidents at their factories.

        The companies are also financially liable for those injuries and must follow the law and proper procedures. They must rehabilitate injured workers and pay proper weekly compensation, as ACC would.

        But correspondence obtained by 1News under the Official Information Act shows ACC has repeatedly had to intervene after the two companies failed to live up to that standard.

        What set of bright spark MPs thought this scheme would be a good idea given the inherent conflict of interest?

        • Brigid 1.1.1.1

          It's a jolly good scheme from Talleys point of view and quite disgusting. Where's the labour party when one needs it to protect workers right

      • DB Brown 1.1.2

        Sorry bout the missing link – it's just how I look in the morning. wink

    • nzsage 1.2

      "Why are so many of the rich pieces of shit."

      Because the capitalist system rewards those who are "pieces of shit".

    • Patricia Bremner 1.3

      Hello DB. It appears Maryanne Street Labour in 2008 began this accreditation idea. It has probably been tweeked by Smith during his tenure. However Talley's reputation has been sullied by many incidents. Thanks to Weka.

  2. Joe90 2

    @weka

    The set responsible for the Accident Insurance Act 1998, of course.

  3. Joe90 3

    Troubles at home.

    https://twitter.com/MoscowTimes/status/1526346759571750913

    https://twitter.com/MicheleBerdy/status/1528084525057974272

    https://crooksandliars.com/2022/05/fuck-war-russians-shout-concert-st

    “The motherland, my friends, is not the president’s ass that has to be slobbered and kissed all the time,” Shevchuk told an 8,000-strong crowd at DDT’s concert in Ufa Wednesday.

    “The motherland is an impoverished babushka at the train station selling potatoes.”

    https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/05/19/soviet-rock-star-prosecuted-for-putins-ass-anti-war-speech-a77732

  4. nzsage 4

    See: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128681636/how-cereal-is-affecting-what-we-pay-for-milk-in-new-zealand

    Fonterra's textbook example of how to price gouge and demonstrate capitalism at its finest.

    "A Fonterra spokesperson said because New Zealand was an export-led country, the price of dairy products was determined by the international markets."

    So let me get this straight, prices rise due to "international markets" and global grain prices when NZ farmers mainly pastoral feed cows and grain feed only when pastoral feed is low, all this when just 5% of Fonterra's products are sold domestically.

    Maybe NZ wages should be aligned to “international markets”, say Australian wages?

    I can hear David Seymour screaming already.

    • Belladonna 4.1

      Same is true for any of our export agribusinesses (lamb, kiwifruit, crayfish, wine, etc.).

      There is no legal mechanism to require a proportion to be sold in NZ at domestic prices. Which is why crayfish has been out of my price range for the last 20 years.

      So the companies have a legal responsibility to their shareholders to sell goods at the highest price possible – which means that NZ pays international prices.

      If we (as a country) want to change this, then we (as in the government) need to change the legislation to require 'NZ pricing'. ATM, Fonterra (or any other company) would be in breach of their legal duty to shareholders to sell at 'domestic' prices.

      NB: this doesn't explain why it's frequent to find NZ goods cheaper in London (for example) than they are here… I'm still trying to get my head around this one]

      • DB Brown 4.1.1

        "So the companies have a legal responsibility to their shareholders to sell goods at the highest price possible"

        Again, the passive income 'earners' get to sit on their chuff and shaft everyone else courtesy of the law of the land.

        It should be that if you operate within a countries borders you take care of that country and the people of that country. Anything less is simply taking the piss.

        • Belladonna 4.1.1.1

          It's the way capitalism works. Those who invest, reap the rewards of success and bear the cost of failure. For every successful business start-up, there are multiple failed ones. For agribusiness in particular, they have to deal with market fluctuations (there have been times when milk prices are low, and the farms barely cover costs), and they rely on the highs to outweigh the lows.

          We should also factor the climate change emissions targets into this – a major shift away from dairy, reduction in herds, etc. (as is wanted by many of the climate activists), is going to mean that the cost of dairy products will inevitably rise again (when something is in short supply, the cost per unit goes up)

          If you want to modify that, then you need to legislate for it. How do you think that legislation might be worded? Are there any downstream consequences on business viability?

          But moaning about businesses operating as they are legally required to do, is pretty pointless.

          • DB Brown 4.1.1.1.1

            But that's a load of corporate bumper sticker nonsense.

            Remember the bailout for financial institutions?

            "Bear the cost of failure" – do you actually believe what you just posted?

            The environment and populace are those bearing the cost of many of these businesses, and complaining should be done loudly and longly from me, and anyone and everyone else sick of this corporate bullshit. They've got their hands in the till everywhere.

            And no matter how well companies and the economy do, we hear more whinging about how hard they've got it to justify more gouging at the till. Frankly, sick of it. Utter BS.

            Yes, the legalese needs to be challenged. As do all the shits who use and abuse the land and people for profit.

            • nzsage 4.1.1.1.1.1

              … and dare we mention the Air New Zealand bailout?

              "Bear the cost of failure" my ar..!

              • Belladonna

                Air NZ bailout is an example of a business which was too big to fail (in the NZ context). The government bailed it out, because they wanted to have a NZ airline.

                Which has nothing to do with the price of cheese (or any other food commodity)

                I think if you look at agribusiness in general, there have been multiple failures (farmers going broke, winemakers going out of business, kiwifruit orchards being sold off). In these cases, the costs have indeed been borne by the (failed) business owners.

                In fact, there are a constant parade of them selling off land to overseas interests – which I think is a much bigger problem.

            • Belladonna 4.1.1.1.1.2

              If you want to argue that the Ardern government shouldn't have bailed out companies over the Covid crisis, then that's a different conversation.

              My personal belief is that the bail-out should have been reconciled at the end of the financial year – and that companies making a profit (e.g. Briscoes) should have been required to pay it back.

              Labour's argument was that it was better to keep people in jobs during the crisis (especially as the shut-down was Government imposed).

              From a 'pure' capitalism perspective, there should have been neither bail out, nor shut down. If businesses failed (because no one wants to travel or eat out in a pandemic, then bearing the cost of failure should be on that business.

              However, on the local agribusiness scale, individual businesses do fail all the time. And don't get bailed out. Just as individual entrepreneurs fail, and restaurants fail, and companies fail.

              I don't mind agitating for change — though it would be helpful to provide concrete suggestions of what you'd change (in terms of legislation). But it truly is pointless to complain about business doing what they are legally required to do.

      • Brigid 4.1.2

        'companies have a legal responsibility to their shareholders to sell goods at the highest price possible '

        I'm pretty sure that's a fallacy. Can you refer to the legislation that covers this?

        • Belladonna 4.1.2.1

          Companies Act 1993

          https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0105/188.0/DLM320657.html

          " a director of a company, when exercising powers or performing duties, must act in good faith and in what the director believes to be the best interests of the company."

          How could choosing to sell goods at a lower price, be interpreted as acting in the best interests of the company?

          Here's a fairly basic overview – it is from a US website, but my understanding is that company law in this area isn't substantially different in NZ.

          • The board of directors is elected by the shareholders to govern the management team and to make corporate decisions on their behalf.
          • The board is directly responsible for protecting and managing shareholders' interests in the company

          https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/05/shareholderinterest.asp

          • Belladonna 4.1.2.1.1

            This responsibility is delegated to the CEO and to managers on a day-to-day operational basis.

            And, of course, allows things like 'loss leaders' (where products are sold at a lower price to entice customers to buy more), and entry to market pricing (lower price to entice initial sales).

            But there has to be a demonstrated 'benefit to the company', or the managers and directors are at risk of being found personally liable – and the penalties are really severe…

            Companies Law is an arcane minefield.

          • Brigid 4.1.2.1.2

            So no, you can't refer to the legislation that states companies have a legal responsibility to their shareholders to sell goods at the highest price possible.

            • Belladonna 4.1.2.1.2.1

              I just did.

              Did you read any of the links provided?

              Specifically for Fonterra (which is where this started), it’s laid out in black and white in their articles of association

              “The purpose of the Company in carrying out its business is to maximise the wealth of its shareholders by:

              (a) the sale of their Milk; ”

              How would you be ‘maximizing the wealth of shareholders’ by selling at lower prices than the market warrants?

              These aren’t just nice to have sentiments – these are legal documents, with legally enforceable consequences.

    • Ad 4.2

      The international dairy price has little to do with the price of NZ inputs.

      There are both supply-side and demand-side factors, which RNZ outlines here:

      Why are global dairy prices so high? Here's what you need to know | RNZ News

      Less than 4% of NZ milk produced is consumed within New Zealand.

      96% is exported, and with payouts at around $9.40 per kilo continues to keep much of the economy of Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury, Otago and Southland exceptionally buoyant.

      14_Shadbolt.pdf (ifama.org)

      We are rapidly heading for $10 per milksolid kilo in the next year. We were struggling to make $3-$4 when Fonterra was formed.

      In the supermarket yesterday it was $21 for an ordinary kilo of cheese.

      • Molly 4.2.1

        Looking at milk solid prices, without looking at increased debt or environmental or social externalities only paints part of the picture.

        NZers pay costs with or without purchasing at increased prices.

        • Belladonna 4.2.1.1

          Whose debt? The agribusiness (aka farmers) debt? They rely on periodic high prices to pay this down.

          The national debt? They contribute towards the reduction of this (just as every other business and individual does) through their taxes.

          Environmental costs? Do you mean the direct environmental consequences of farming? If so, the ETS is designed to deal with this (we can argue about how effectively, or whether agriculture needs to be brought in earlier – but the mechanism is there). NB: this is likely to reduce the taxable income that the Farmer receives, and therefore their tax payments. Also the reduction in the herd will almost certainly increase milk solid prices substantially.

          Social costs? I don't think it's the job of business to deal pre-emptively with social impacts. It's the job of the government, through regulation and legislation. In the past this was things like safety legislation, reduction on emissions (clean air), and food quality (not adulterating your milk with water); I've not seen any legislative programme to address food pricing in an international environment of world shortages – in NZ (though other countries have banned exports of critical substances).

          • pat 4.2.1.1.1

            The ag sector (of which dairy is the largest0 create the demand for the NZD…without it everything else is moot

            • Belladonna 4.2.1.1.1.1

              I don't follow your argument. Can you expand?

              • pat

                probably shouldnt have been in response to your comment, however quite simply if we have nothing to trade there is no need for anyone else to want NZD…and that is a major problem when we dont/cant provide that which we need/want….what we have to trade is ag produce, mainly dairy.

                If we dont want dairy (or the trade) then we have to accept we dont want imports….or certainly anything like the volume of imports we currently 'enjoy'

                • Belladonna

                  OK. But I don't see that we're never going to require to import anything: EVs (or ebikes), computers, diesel (to run farm machinery), medical supplies, etc. The list goes on.

                  Realistically, we're not going to be producing those in NZ in the short term (and some we can *never* produce – don't have the required minerals).

                  I don't think that NZ is anywhere close to voluntarily giving up our lifestyle, in order to cut out exports.

                  It's a nice thought experiment, but not going to happen in the real world.

                  • pat

                    I think you have completely misunderstood my post…i am not suggesting we dont import (as much as I would like to be in that position) …I am observing that if we want to import then ipso facto we must export…and pretty much the only thing we have to export that the world wants is ag produce.

                    The NZD is only of use if it is tradable….otherwise it is just (more) plastic.

      • Bearded Git 4.2.2

        I seem to remember reading that NZ produces 5% of the world's milk.

        The biggest producer is India.

  5. Adrian 5

    The price of a Tasty 18 month aged cheese block is a rort, it is being sold wholesale to the supermarkets as if it was produced in the last few months rather than at the cost to Fonterra when they bought the milk almost two years ago. That’s the real rort being perpetrated here, these are huge windfall profits, and the next time I hear a Fonterra share owning cow cockie complaining he is getting a fucking earful.

    • Belladonna 5.1

      The sale price has nothing to do with the input price. It the current price that can be gained with international trading.

      As I said above, the business has a legal duty to sell products at the best price. If they don't they are breaching their statutory requirement to their shareholders.

      If you want to change this, you need to change the law.

      • nzsage 5.1.1

        According to Fonterra's "Articles of Association":

        The purpose of the Company in carrying out its business is to maximise the wealth of its shareholders by:

        (a) the sale of their Milk;

        (b) providing a purchaser of that Milk; and

        (c) enhancing the value of the Company as a co-operative.

        So it's about the sale & purchase of milk for shareholders, with no mention of "best price".

        Given the varying retail prices of NZ Dairy products across the globe Fonterra clearly has the ability to determine different prices for different markets. So why not cheaper prices in NZ?

        Are you suggesting @Belladonna that there is an Act of Parliament that imposes the price obligation? If so, a link would be useful.

        • Belladonna 5.1.1.1

          Your quote from Fonterra references ‘maximising the wealth of the shareholders’ through the sale of milk. The word ‘maximizing’ implies ‘best price.

          There's nothing there about making reduced-price sales locally – or factoring in any domestic, environmental or social factors.

          Do you have any evidence that Fonterra sell at reduced prices overseas?

          I'd be surprised if they are, because their shareholder base is very focused on the milk-solids price, and increasing this wherever possible.

          My point about legislation is that it doesn't exist. If we (as a country) want to specify domestic pricing, then we (as the government) need to legislate for this.

      • Poission 5.1.2

        In April we moved to a trade surplus due to higher international commodity prices of which Dairy was part.

        Milk powder, butter, and cheese (our largest export commodity group) was the largest contributor to the rise, up $378 million (30 percent) to $1.6 billion.

        • Milk powder rose $136 million (19 percent) in value, and the quantity exported fell 8.6 percent. The average unit value rose 30 percent.
        • Butter rose $76 million (71 percent) in value, and the quantity exported rose 26 percent. The average unit value rose 36 percent.
        • Cheese rose $49 million (30 percent) in value, and the quantity exported rose 6.3 percent. The average unit value rose 23 percent.

        https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/overseas-merchandise-trade-april-2022

        This helped pay the interest on our half trillion overseas debt.

        • Belladonna 5.1.2.1

          Not to mention all of the imports that Kiwis consume.

          Your EV, electric bike, phone or computer (on which you're reading this), all come from overseas, and are 'bought' with the profits of our international agribusiness sales.

  6. weston 8

    This 9 min vid is about Mariupol and for those who havnt seen it provides interesting glimpses of the city both in 2014 and a couple of weeks ago on the 9th of this month .

    As anyone can see by the drone footage and contrary to most media reportage Mariopol has not been "flattened " in fact large parts of the city are intact .

    Most of this footage is of the may 9th Russian victory day parade but for comparison there are scenes of the initial opening days of Ukrainian occupation also , showing the first tanks smashing through the civilian barricades .

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1I8SZeXGFo

  7. Peter 9

    Came across something giving pause to ponder:

    "Shortly after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison wrote in The New Yorker: "Unlike any nation in Europe, the United States holds whiteness as the unifying force. Here, for many people, the definition of 'Americanness' is color." Reflecting on efforts — largely by White men — to define themselves by sustaining that poisonous definition, Morrison argues that those "who are prepared to abandon their humanity out of fear of black men and women, suggest the true horror of lost status.

    In Morrison's formulation, fear-driven devotion to racial status is more powerful to many White Americans than even self-interest, shame or any belief in humanity. And it is this reality, that White Americans' anxieties in the face of a changing country have been and continue to be weaponized with disastrous and violent results, that has been instrumental in fueling the spread of so-called "replacement theory," the false and bigoted claim that elites are conspiring to replace Whites with minorities."

    Is this what the gerrymandering efforts in some states is about?

    Its application to New Zealand? I reckon fundamentally that the going berserk about hearing "kia ora" or "ngā pitopito kōrero" is about the same thing.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/22/opinions/opinion-weekly-column-carr/index.html

  8. ianmac 10

    Timing? On the eve of Jacinda flying to the USA, Claire Trevett chooses to have a grand page devoted to the glorious John Key's chumming up to the Presidents of the USA.Undermining perhaps? Ugh!

    Last week, Sir John Key spoke to the NZ Herald about the importance of building a personal relationship with the US President – and whether he is still in touch with the President he went to visit at the White House, Barack Obama.

    Key also talked about New Zealand's relationship with China and the United States, saying balancing those relationships was now much harder than when he was PM and he feared the time was coming when New Zealand would be asked to "pick a side".

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sir-john-key-on-white-house-visits-barack-obama-us-president-joe-biden-and-whether-nz-will-have-to-take-a-side-between-us-and-china/WTWXJACLUOLNGAG62OKKDTUUM4/

  9. SPC 11

    It seems the OCR is going up from 1.5% to 2.0% (a second increase of 0.5%)

    The logic of this, rather than a slower rate of increase, is most likely to place upward pressure on the dollar value (a higher dollar value to reduce imported costs).

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128683248/nz-reserve-bank-tipped-to-raise-official-cash-rate-to-highest-level-since-2016

    This will impact floating interest rates domestically. We usually consider the impact of this on homeowners with mortgages – but it will impact on farmers.

    • SPC 11.1

      A graph those with mortgages might want to look at, as to the trend.

      https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/key-graphs/key-graph-mortgage-rates

      OCR levels during those years

      https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/official-cash-rate-decisions.

    • Poission 11.2

      The logic of the OCR price increases is to constrain inflation.The largest driver is the household sector ( purchases ,building costs,utilities such as rates and energy)

      The purpose of the double hike is to remove all doubt from pricing indicators in the housing sectors,that enhanced inflation drivers,will be hammered down to they reach a neutral position.

      All central banks in the developed economy have taken the position,that most asset classes are over valued,and wealth destruction will persist to they return to their historical fundamentals.

      Here we already have the highest priced wholesale bonds in the developed economy,despite having a low gvt/gdp debt.The market also prices in both our total debt risk,and currency risk.Which is why it has not had a substantive movement since the last ocr increase.

      https://twitter.com/RobinBrooksIIF/status/1522658718420242437?cxt=HHwWisC4ma-CyaEqAAAA

    • pat 11.3

      It will impact on everything…as it is designed to do. One of the things it will impact on, that everyone is avoiding is wages, you cannot reduce inflation without impacting earnings…one way or another real wages will fall….think about that.

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    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    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
  • 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
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    8 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
    13 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
    15 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
    15 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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