Open mike 23/04/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 23rd, 2015 - 78 comments
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78 comments on “Open mike 23/04/2015 ”

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  1. stever 1
    23 April 2015 at 6:36 am

    “He became prime minster simply because he could appear like one. He had the front. He was born to it.”

    No, not ours–theirs…but this article really could in many respects be about ours.

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/22/tories-panicking-david-cameron-election

    • Morrissey 1.1
      23 April 2015 at 7:15 am

      Did Cameron assault any women in public?

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2
      23 April 2015 at 10:10 am

      Or this bit:

      The temper tantrums are beginning. No one, Labour or Tory, seems to be able to accept that people in Scotland will vote for the party they want to represent them, and they continue to portray democracy in action as an actual threat to democracy.

      Because we’ve had that in NZ as well.

  2. Morrissey 2
    23 April 2015 at 7:18 am

    The Entire Western Media is a Troll Army

    The frantic spell of Western media behaviour could be a case-study in how it is centrally manipulated with a political agenda and thought-control. Editors at major Western media corporations are evidently following a political line cast by Washington and its European allies.

    by FINIAN CUNNINGHAM
    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41621.htm
    April 20, 2015

    The multi-billion-dollar Western news media networks are replete with an unquestioning, unwavering anti-Russian agenda. This agenda is recklessly inflaming international tensions to the point of inciting further conflict and even an all-out global war.

    The roll of dishonour includes “stellar” corporate names, from CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Financial Times, Guardian, France 24, Deutsche Welle, and many more. It is a veritable troll army marching in lockstep with their governments’ agenda of disinformation.

    In unison, they are functioning as a global ministry of propaganda.

    Reputable Russian news media have not indulged in the unquestioning Western narrative asserting that Russian aggression is the cause of the entire Ukrainian conflict. In other words, the Russian news industry is providing proper journalistic services.

    Russian media do not talk blindly about Russia’s “annexation of Crimea”. Russian media have refused to toe the Western media line that, against voluminous evidence, denies the Neo-Nazi character of the Western-backed Kiev regime. Therefore, the Western reasoning goes, the Russian media are a Kremlin propaganda tool and Moscow has despatched a “Troll Army” to disseminate disinformation. How richly ironic is that?

    Typically, Western claims of “Kremlin propaganda” are just more assertion layered upon assertion, unsupported by any evidence. The “evidence” is simply that the Russian media do not peddle the mainstream Western viewpoint. So with totalitarian-like mentality, the Western conclusion is that Russian media “must be” propagandist. A US Congressional hearing last week tendentiously described how Russia is “weaponising information” and declared that Russia is “winning the information war”. No evidence is presented, just more provocative assertions piled up on more provocative assertions.

    Paradoxically, the charge of propaganda and media trolls is actually substantiated if applied to the gamut of Western corporate news media.

    We are not talking about clandestine media impostors, bloggers and cyber-trolls on the payroll of the CIA or MI6 who infest the media. We are referring to the entire professional media industry — a multi-billion-dollar global industry.

    Examples abound. Look how the Western media — lock, stock and barrel — went into a collective hysteria over the public absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. It’s astoundingly weird when you look back at that frenzied episode.

    Putin returned to normal work after not being seen in public for over a week, and he has since continued presidential duties, brushing off the brouhaha. Likewise, the Western media seem to have forgotten their fit of madness, even though at the time American and European outlets had gone into a paroxysm over Putin. The madness has subsided, but only a few weeks ago, the Western news media were uniformly transfixed with feverish rumours and speculation on Putin’s absence. Was it a “palace coup?” or “was he dead?” Was he receiving “plastic surgery?” or had his partner “given birth to a baby in Switzerland?”

    This frantic spell of Western media behaviour, based on that incident alone, could be a case-study in how it is centrally manipulated with a political agenda and thought-control. Editors at major Western media corporations are evidently following a political line cast by Washington and…

    Read more….

    • DH 2.1
      23 April 2015 at 1:18 pm

      I think anyone who denies the Russian trolls has their head in the sand… or is one of them. They’re a right pain in the arse, they’ve nearly ruined Liveleak.

    • Paul 2.2
      23 April 2015 at 10:17 pm

      ‘Appalled doesn’t cover it. Disgusted won’t do either. Angry doesn’t come close. Maybe I have yet to learn of a word that would express my feelings on the following topic. There’s a disease, an epidemic, that spreads through out the western world. We are all turning into accomplices to murder. And I still believe we are better than that. Just perhaps not all of us.

      The US, and the rest of the west, have made plenty enemies already without needing to create their own out of thin air – as if there were ever a need to create enemies. But that’s still what we’ve been doing in many places in the world, including Ukraine. And there’s an entire multi-billion machine working just to make us think what someone else wants us to think about these ‘enemies’.

      These days, when you call someone ‘pro-Russian’, that’s about on on the same level as ‘murderer’, rapist, things like that. And that must be why the western press once again resorts to ‘pro-Russian’ as a swear word, or even curse, in reporting on the murders of at least 10 people in Ukraine over the past 3 months. As far as we can see, all were considered ‘allies’ of former President Yanukovych (whatever ‘allies’ may mean in this context) and 2 were journalists (of whom at least 1 was also a historian).’

      Read more….

      http://www.theautomaticearth.com/2015/04/when-did-we-all-become-murderers/

  3. millsy 3
    23 April 2015 at 7:26 am

    You know if I went to a cafe/eatery and I started chasing one of the waitresses around, and pulling her ponytail, I would probably be trespassed from that establishment.

    If I did the same in my office, I would probably be sacked.

  4. logie97 4
    23 April 2015 at 8:33 am

    So the Cafes’s proprietors and the Herald have started.
    With the establishment in full swing now to protect their man, is anyone taking odds that this waitress will be accused of “honey trap”.

    • Murray Rawshark 4.1
      23 April 2015 at 2:29 pm

      I think it has already started, and the (Tory) owners of the cafe seem to be going along with it. She never mentioned it to us, they say. She has strong political views, they say. She made herself look younger and used a ponytail as entrapment of FJK, they don’t say yet.

  5. vaughan little 5
    23 April 2015 at 8:37 am

    i sent a message to @RachelGlucinaNZ on twitter stating my disapproval of her pretty horrific journalistic behaviour. i recommend others do the same. please keep it abuse-free, since this whole scandal was about abuse to start with.

  6. Hateatea 6
    23 April 2015 at 9:13 am

    I see that there are lots of Key supporters waitress bashing on Stuff as well

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/67975281/Waitress-made-a-moral-decision-to-expose-the-Prime-Minister

    • Murray Rawshark 6.1
      23 April 2015 at 2:32 pm

      I can’t see the comments on Stuff. I don’t mind that at all, but are they only available to Kiwi ip addresses?

      • Hateatea 6.1.1
        23 April 2015 at 2:37 pm

        I am not sure about that, Murray, but the linked story is the only one that seemed to have provision for comments when I was looking this morning.

  7. Philip Ferguson 7
    23 April 2015 at 9:21 am

    16,697 New Zealanders were killed and 41,317 were wounded during World War I. Around another thousand men died within five years of the war’s end, as a result of injuries sustained. The lives of countless other men and women were blighted by the conflict.

    The little Wellington street that I live in once housed numerous shell-shocked returned servicemen; poverty, unemployment, and alcoholism was all the reward of their sacrifice.

    One hundred years on, New Zealand’s rulers glorify war. . .

    full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/world-war-1-whats-changed-100-years-on/

  8. Agora 8
    23 April 2015 at 9:27 am

    Hey Morrissey, It is much more efficient to include a relevant quote followed by a link to the source. Something like this ..

    CLINTON’S POPULIST POSTURING CONTINUES

    In a move described by Vox Media as one that “Elizabeth Warren Democrats should cheer,” Hillary Clinton hired former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gary Gensler to be her chief financial officer. Ostensibly, Gensler is a reformed Wall Street tycoon turned liberal progressive. He spent 18 years as co-head of finance at Goldman Sachs before moving to the Clinton White house in the late nineties and is now touted as the most ardent supporter of Wall Street regulations of derivatives. In his debut government position, Gensler worked side by side with fellow Goldman Sachs “Old Boy,” Robert Rubin, in the cabal within the Clinton White House that de-regulated derivatives in the 1990s.

    http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ffdc278104b5964bb04b4251e&id=afdf175f50&e=f36be083ee

  9. Michael 9
    23 April 2015 at 9:33 am

    http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/239688-sanders-tries-to-block-trade-bill

    Bernie Sanders has forced delay of consideration of the TPP fast track by the US Senate, in an attempt to block the bill.

  10. jenny kirk 10
    23 April 2015 at 9:33 am

    A call to action from law professor, TPPA expert and ActionStation supporter Jane Kelsey:
    “Foreign corporations already have too much power over our lives! Imagine if they were given special rights to sue our government for hundreds of millions in private offshore courts for acting in the public interest? That’s what is happening now through secretly negotiated international treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, the TPPA and the Korea NZ free trade deal.
    You have until Friday to tell the government ‘no’ to foreign investors rights to sue in the Korea treaty, and never again.”

    Friday 5pm is the deadline to get a simple written submission into Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committee.

    The select committee is possibly the last place at which people can take a stand against the Korea-NZ free trade deal. Please get onto it today.

  11. Draco T Bastard 11
    23 April 2015 at 10:11 am

    Morning funnies: Famous Man Owns the Gadget

  12. Morrissey 12
    23 April 2015 at 10:12 am

    How much tax does John Key pay compared to a minimum wage worker?
    by JOHN MINTO, The Daily Blog, 27 August 2014

    Yesterday I did some calculations to find out what tax John Key pays compared to a worker on the minimum wage. …

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/08/27/how-much-tax-does-john-key-pay-compared-to-a-minimum-wage-worker/#!prettyPhoto

  13. ianmac 13
    23 April 2015 at 10:45 am

    Oops! Sharp strong jolt earthquake at Blenheim 10:42 just now. Hope it is not worse elsewhere?

  14. Draco T Bastard 14
    23 April 2015 at 10:51 am

    And this is the reason all GMOs need to be banned ASAP:

    Since the genetic code was deciphered in the 1960s, scientists have assumed that it was used exclusively to write information about proteins. UW scientists were stunned to discover that genomes use the genetic code to write two separate languages. One describes how proteins are made, and the other instructs the cell on how genes are controlled. One language is written on top of the other, which is why the second language remained hidden for so long.

    We really just don’t know what we’re doing when changing DNA sequences.

  15. esoteric pineapples 15
    23 April 2015 at 10:55 am

    Don’t know if this has been noted on The Standard before but the case about the “prominent New Zealander” has now moved to the High Court – http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/crime/prominent-kiwis-case-goes-to-high-court/

    • veutoviper 15.1
      23 April 2015 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks for this. I obviously missed your comment while I was writing up my comment at 17 below. The link I gave to the BOP Times is not working now – so really appreciate you finding the newstalkzb article confirming the transfer of the case to the High Court.

    • Murray Rawshark 15.2
      23 April 2015 at 2:42 pm

      That would have been something like a callover. I originally thought he/she/it would be in the High Court, but there was nothing published on Sunday’s list.

    • Tracey 15.3
      23 April 2015 at 2:52 pm

      usually the High Court transfer means the consequences of whatever the charge/s are is worse?

  16. esoteric pineapples 16
    23 April 2015 at 11:01 am

    This looks like how National will use the law to shut down the only media it doesn’t have control of at the moment – The Internet

    http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2015/04/national-wants-to-jail-people-who.html

    • Murray Rawshark 16.1
      23 April 2015 at 2:46 pm

      “A person commits an offence if—

      (a) the person posts a digital communication with the intention that it cause harm to a victim; and
      (b) posting the communication would cause harm to an ordinary reasonable person in the position of the victim; and
      (c) posting the communication causes harm to the victim.”

      All three qualifications have to be satisfied for an offence to occur. An ordinary reasonable person would not be in the position FJK is in with his creepy bullying. Although filthy politicians would try using this law against us, I can’t see it being very effective as written. They’ll probably change it.

  17. veutoviper 17
    23 April 2015 at 11:22 am

    On Monday in open Mike, some of us discussed whether there would be a hearing that day in a District Court (location suppreseed) about a certain highly suppressed court case. Nothing was reported in any of the main media sites that had reported briefly on the case in the past.

    Yesterday, a comment on another blogsite that I will not name (not WO) claimed that there had been a short article in the BOP Times (hard copy only) to the effect that there had been a hearing on Monday, and the case had been transferred from the District Court to the High Court (location again suppressed).

    Lo and behold – this seems to be situation from the lead-in in the link below. Unfortunately the full article is no longer available in the back issues of the BOP Times.

    javascript: showSelectedArticle( ‘60412015042100000000001001’, 17, ‘923236345’, 2 );

    However, this transfer may allow further hearings to be identified through the HC daily lists published online; whereas DC hearings are not published in this way.

  18. fisiani 18
    23 April 2015 at 12:08 pm

    So still no traction on Ponytailgate. You guys must be wondering what if anything can dent the astonishing popularity of Honest John. When even the Council of Women write “We appreciate your apology to her and we understand that your actions were well-intentioned and not meant to offend or do the worker any harm” then no matter what else is said it’s just a bit of froth that will blow away and the image of bloke next door popular larrikin will persist. I can understand the pathetic attempts to make this linger but stop the pretend outrage. It demeans you. There are really important issues in the real world. This is not one of them.

  20. rawshark-yeshe 20
    23 April 2015 at 12:27 pm

    Breaking news … sexual harassment charges against Key

    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/ponytail-saga-sexual-harassment-complaint-laid-against-john-key-6298530

    I love Graham McCready.

    • Colonial Rawshark 20.1
      23 April 2015 at 12:42 pm

      I think Winston is going to have a field day speaking to his new legislation.

      • rawshark-yeshe 20.1.1
        23 April 2015 at 12:47 pm

        now you have made me spill my coffee up the back of my nose !! lol

        Winston will surf these waves as the master we know he can be !

        Will there be calls for Key to stand down ? Let’s see what fools his coalition partners are prepared to make of themselves if they try to support him.

    • Chooky 20.2
      23 April 2015 at 2:34 pm

      +100.. “I love Graham McCready”…I think he belongs to Penny

  21. vto 21
    23 April 2015 at 12:45 pm

    .

    There is no way John Key can survive

  22. wyndham 22
    23 April 2015 at 1:11 pm

    Another surprise (not ). Jenny Shipley appointed to chair of Oravida.

    No link yet – – – reported on RNZ.

  23. phillip ure 23
    23 April 2015 at 2:30 pm

    labour down to 27.5% in latest roy morgan..(a drop of 3.5% since last poll.)

    ..that’s probably down to littles’ coherent/solution-themed responses to the auckland housing crisis..eh..?

    ..how he just stood there – and waved his arms about..and moved his jaw up and down..

    ..and little else..

    • te reo putake 23.1
      23 April 2015 at 2:37 pm

      Northland effect, Phil. NZF gain at Labour’s expense. The next poll will be really interesting!

      • phillip ure 23.1.1
        23 April 2015 at 2:45 pm

        peters and greens have both gained – national has dropped to 45%..

        ..good news is lat lab/nzf/grns form a majority for the first time since sept ’14..

        ..i still contend little has done little to impress ..for far too long now..

        ..and his response to the housing crisis was laughably abject..

        ..and clearly subservient to the interests of land/house-banking elites..(like mp’s..)

        • Murray Rawshark 23.1.1.1
          23 April 2015 at 2:52 pm

          The list of Labour MPs who own several properties is not a short one.

        • Tracey 23.1.1.2
          23 April 2015 at 2:55 pm

          Interesting drop by Nats… quite large by recent polling standards…

        • phillip ure 23.1.1.3
          23 April 2015 at 4:52 pm

          also kinda farcical how little tries to blame labour having a capital gains tax policy-

          – for their two recent election defeats..

          ..were that it were that simple..eh..?

    • Chooky 23.2
      23 April 2015 at 2:40 pm

      pu….lol

  24. Chooky 24
    23 April 2015 at 2:47 pm

    Do you think John Key will be mooting a “my little pony tail” for his proposed new New Zealand flag?…instead of the Union Jack ? ..or the Southern Cross?

    ….in which case I hope Penny’s McCready gets him first

  25. Tracey 25
    23 April 2015 at 2:56 pm

    Anyone else put in mind of Boris Yeltsin’s buffoonery when thinking of our PM?

  27. emergency mike 27
    23 April 2015 at 4:58 pm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/9836454/Roger-Sutton-dubbed-the-Bald-Eagle

    John Key cutting off Roger Sutton’s ponytail. “This is really quite fun.”

  28. Potato 28
    23 April 2015 at 4:59 pm

    FFS no wonder we ‘need’ to sell off state housing (and everything else). We, the NZ taxpayer are funding R +D for rich multinationals. Oracle, Bayer and heaven only knows who else?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11437443

  29. McFlock 29
    23 April 2015 at 5:01 pm

    Interesting – don’t know if anyone else has spotted it, but stuff is trying to talk down ponytailgate as just another of Key’s “awkward moments”.

    Minimise. Victim-blame. Token reparation to pretend it’s all sorted. Make it a joke or “banter”. They’ve pulled out all the stops on this one – but I’m sure that’s just because the PM harrassing women is a non-story, of interest to nobody, right fizzyanus and SSlylands?

    • emergency mike 29.1
      23 April 2015 at 5:18 pm

      To me it started immediately. The first TV1 and TV3 6pm news items yesterday both included women on the street saying they’d be stoked if John Key pulled their hair.

  30. gsays 30
    23 April 2015 at 5:32 pm

    where is the moral backbone of the national party?

    where is the person/people willing to say enough, this must stop.

    the constant obfuscation, mis-leading answers, lapses of memory and out right lying would not be accepted by a child.

    this is a plea to the decency of some of those in the hierarchy (attorney general?, minister of justice?, minister of police?, social welfare minister?) to think beyond themselves, act appropriately and front the prime minister.

    here we are on the eve of one of the most sacred days on the new zealand calender.
    a day where we can reflect on the character of those who have gone before…

    and the domestic and foreign media all printing stories about the premier who cant keep his hands to himself.

    shame on you, sir.

    • McFlock 30.1
      23 April 2015 at 5:36 pm

      Well, much as I won’t vote for him, I suspect that Winston was the last remaining moral backbone of the national party when he ditched it in the early 1990s.

      • gsays 30.1.1
        23 April 2015 at 5:41 pm

        hi mcflock, maybe so…
        although i am no fan of the nats and what they stand for..i am sure that there are a few decent people amongst the tories.

        i just urge some of them to not be afraid and do what they know is right.

  31. rawshark-yeshe 31
    23 April 2015 at 5:48 pm

    Even Monty Python could not have written this .. Oracle gets NZ govt grant of $17.5 million dollars.Please can we be rid of the despicable Steven Joyce et al ? Feed the children? You must be joking. Let’s feed a greedy USA billionaire.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/67998523/americas-cup-team-oracles-new-zealandbased-boat-builders-get-government-grant

  33. Reddelusion 33
    23 April 2015 at 10:10 pm

    Jk at his dopey best is still streets ahead of Gormless little or God help us I’m sorry to be man cunliff, most people see this for what is, stupid yes but a beat up and more so how pathetic the left are with there mock outrage. It’s international news because it’s quirky news story, nothing more, I for one am not embarrassed, what would be embarrassing is having a left wing nut job government

  34. Reddelusion 34
    24 April 2015 at 12:39 am

    I was balanced when I first came here but the crazys I have been exposed to have turned me , thus just trying to balance up opinion on this site, I see this as my morale duty (smile)

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    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

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