Open mike 23/11/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 23rd, 2015 - 60 comments
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60 comments on “Open mike 23/11/2015 ”

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  1. Atiawa 1
    23 November 2015 at 6:49 am

    Why would Goff stand for the Auckland mayoralty as an independent candidate considering his life-long commitment to the Labour Party?

    • tc 1.1
      23 November 2015 at 7:02 am

      Possibly tactical given the dirty politics that will continue to be played.

      goffs experience with that aspect of nationals campaigning during the 2011 election will serve him well, all the best phil.

      • Atiawa 1.1.1
        23 November 2015 at 7:16 am

        Tactical! How would that be considering his holding cabinet positions along with leadership of NZ’s oldest political party?
        Are you suggesting he wants to distance himself from his past? Or does Labour want to distance itself from Goff’s past?

        • te reo putake 1.1.1.1
          23 November 2015 at 8:58 am

          Generally speaking, the major political parties don’t stand candidates under the party name in local government elections. National have C&R in Ak and Labour have endorsed various coalitions and independents over the years.

          • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1.1
            23 November 2015 at 12:17 pm

            I believe that’s changing though, particularly with recent news that National are starting to organise in Auckland for council seats etc.

          • Ad 1.1.1.1.2
            24 November 2015 at 8:42 am

            That seriously needs to change.

            In the Whau Ward last election, the incumbent piece of Tory sludge was beaten by Ross Clow.

            Ross proudly stood under a Labour brand. That meant he could call on all the ground troops from New Lynn, Mt Roskill, and Kelston to get those voting papers in.

            In the final week that papers were due, they went door to door. They got those papers to the libraries.

            Ross Clow won by around 100 votes.

            Labour works. Team Labour wins local elections.

    • Tracey 1.2
      23 November 2015 at 9:30 am

      Cos he isnt really a Left wing politician… and this way the right and left voters can both think he is neutral…

      I for one think it is more honezt than he has been for years. Now if he would just resign from parliament too.

  2. Tory 2
    23 November 2015 at 7:06 am

    Oh dear, another bad nights sleep for the left after so much expectation……..
    http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/national-still-ahead-in-polls-despite-rapist-remarks-2015112217#axzz3sFF10RuJ

    • b waghorn 2.1
      23 November 2015 at 7:13 am

      Have you ever built a dam of sand and watched it , first I drip ,then a trickle, then the front collapses in a flash.

    • mickysavage 2.2
      23 November 2015 at 7:16 am

      Why? Polling would have been conducted over 10 days or so and if historical patterns were followed would have finished last Wednesday. Few of the people polled would have seen Key’s appalling behaviour. Given other recent events the poll results ought to have National very afraid.

      • Sabine 2.2.1
        23 November 2015 at 7:36 am

        it does not matter at all this poll, like the last one does not matter
        But interestingly enough, the last Poll had the National Party down, and this Poll has the Leader of the National Party down.
        By the time the next poll arrives, and I am sure of this, John Key will have found another group to insult and malign, as he can’t help himself. He seems to me to be a very unpleasant fellow and seems to get more and more unpleasant by the day. Higher Office does not suit him.

        In the meantime, drip drip drip…..and the buckets gets fuller by the day. Its gonna be a fun time till 2017.

        • Chooky 2.2.1.1
          23 November 2015 at 9:04 am

          +100…polls are not worth worrying about at this stage ….and they are deeply sus

        • Puckish Rogue 2.2.1.2
          23 November 2015 at 10:10 am

          Its gonna be a fun time till 2017. I think you’ll find it’ll be 2020 🙂

          • Sabine 2.2.1.2.1
            23 November 2015 at 12:23 pm

            first we do 2017 and then 2020. Never celebrate before you have won PR, you might find humblepie not to your liking.
            So why not just lean back and enjoy the spectacle 🙂 after all its just our country that is done over, so really no hard feelings ey 🙂

    • galeandra 2.3
      23 November 2015 at 7:42 am

      Oh dear, schadenfreude.
      Except Tory won’t join us here for the celebration when NZ finishes turning on the worm he so admires.

    • DoublePlusGood 2.4
      23 November 2015 at 7:56 am

      A bad night’s sleep for the country – as long as people like you are willing to wreck it.

    • Tracey 2.5
      23 November 2015 at 9:31 am

      Given your adherence to polls, when will you call for National to not ratify the TPP given only 35% want it?

      • Srylands 2.5.1
        23 November 2015 at 9:44 am

        Tracey most people are not competent to have a view on the merits of the TPP. Of course New Zealand will ratify it. There is alternative. You are deluded for thinking otherwise.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.5.1.1
          23 November 2015 at 11:06 am

          Actually, I’m pretty sure that most people are and the people who say that most people aren’t are the people who aren’t competent enough to have a say.

        • savenz 2.5.1.2
          23 November 2015 at 12:28 pm

          The Natz are the least competent managers ever! 7 budget deficits in a row, 11 million is Saudi bribes and the million dollar Sky City convention centre corporate welfare, the list is so extensive of incompetence so long, I can not be bothered repeating…

  3. Jenny Kirk 3
    23 November 2015 at 7:43 am

    Yes – from a high of mid-40s, ShonKey’s rating has been dripping downwards …. and its not anything much that Labour is doing – plodding along quietly and gaining traction – but its ShonKey’s own behaviour . Maybe people are finally waking up to his sycophantic fawning and getting tired of it.

    • Sabine 3.1
      23 November 2015 at 8:32 am

      In the last few days i have heard of two people being diagnosed with cancer. One is early stage and with a mastectomy there is a chance of survival the other one is a stage 4 terminal cancer. I am sure all their families will appreciate to know that their loved ones are still expected to find a job in order to get a ‘benefit’, lest they abuse the system.

      It is these little tweaks to the welfare state that went under the radar and seem to be bubbling up now. People having to raise funds for cancer treatment, as there is no guarantee anymore here in NZ that a. they will get timely help with waiting lists and the like, and b. that they will be allowed to die in dignity without have to eat humble pie every four weeks in front of a dis-interested WINZ drone. Eventually all the cuts to services and welfare benefits will come home to people that previously would have never thought that they might be in need of these services and/or benefits.

      Drip drip drip. And then the bucket is full.

      • Smilin 3.1.1
        25 November 2015 at 2:44 pm

        Yeah it like watching another McDonalds go up at about 1.5 mil and you think of where that money could have gone to alleviate the suffering caused by all the crap in their low grade plastic food
        The immorality of it really is beyond redemption

    • Tracey 3.2
      23 November 2015 at 8:38 am

      and perhaps the media are getting bored and want a new game?

      • Sabine 3.2.1
        23 November 2015 at 9:04 am

        nope, the bubble heads that are the media know that their pay cheque depends on them not being too interested in anything but to be good stenographers.

        I really believe that a lot of the cuts that were supposed to only hit the un-deserving ‘welfare blugers’ are now hitting those that consider themselves to be deserving of welfare.
        I.e. the terminally ill that have to go to their doctors and prove they are still dying.
        the ‘Solo’ Parents that have lost their partners in mine accidents, road accidents, and to illness to just name a few and that are now learning that there is no widowers benefit anymore, and they too need to get a job – somewhere – so they can pay for child care and maybe get a benefit, bugger the welfare of the children.
        The ones that need knee surgery but can’t get it because of our underfunded Health system, and that eventually get bumped of the waiting list altogether.
        The ones that have to watch their children trying to find jobs and houses elsewhere because they can’t afford houses in AKL and certain other places in NZ. They are no waking up because the kids moving away means they are not only loosing out on the kids, but also the grand children. Suddenly the ‘if they can;t afford it they can just move away’ is not that sexy anymore.

        I have been hearing a lot of that lately. What goes around comes around. And it is now hitting the nicer suburbs, and it is hitting those that have jobs and pay taxes. And it hits and hurts them just as much.

  4. vto 4
    23 November 2015 at 8:03 am

    The USA really is an extremist state heading rapidly towards full blown fascism along the lines of 1930’s Germany.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/74291560/us-presidential-hopeful-trump-would-absolutely-bring-back-waterboarding

    Ignore at your peril

    Like so many in Europe and the UK did in the 1930s.

    Eh.

    Not really happening is it.

    Like it wasn’t happening in 1930s Germany. Nup

  5. Penny Bright 5
    23 November 2015 at 8:33 am

    Beware the ‘weasel words’?

    Where does current Labour Party MP – ‘Independent’ 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate Phil Goff stand on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) – particularly for water services?

    Penny Bright

    Genuinely and fiercely INDEPENDENT 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.

  6. joe90 6
    23 November 2015 at 9:33 am

    Cynical fuck says terror attacks a positive development.

    AdamWeinstein

    This Rubio gaffe is not a gaffe, but the consequence of habitually treating terrorism & natsec as spectator sports. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92YInDPydnk&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop …

    https://twitter.com/AdamWeinstein/status/668503088131608576

  7. Morrissey 7
    23 November 2015 at 10:13 am

    “He’s just very very upset with what’s going on at the moment.”
    The Pope’s highly selective, therefore propagandist, expression of Christmas gloom
    Morning Report, RNZ National, Monday 23 November, 8:45 a.m.

    There have been terrible atrocities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa recently. Apparently they make Pope Francis “very very upset”. Oddly, however, when he recently sermonized about the atrocities that make him “very very upset”, he offered as examples the killings in Paris, Lebanon and Mali. He apparently forgot to mention the sustained bombing of Kunduz Hospital, the daily terror inflicted on the people in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza, and the massive, illegal, flagrant programme of drone killings carried out in Yemen and Afghanistan.

    However, when you consider the insalubrious company he’s been keeping recently [1] and recall his highly questionable behaviour during the Argentine dictatorship [2] perhaps it should come as no surprise that His Holiness has chosen to speak so selectively. …..

    SUSIE FERGUSON: With Christmas little more than a month away, the Pope has sounded a gloomy note, describing this year’s Christmas celebrations as “empty”. Even as the Christmas tree was being erected at the Vatican, the Pope said lights, parties and nativity scenes of the season were a charade, with so much war and hate. With us now is our Rome correspondent Sabina Castelfranco. Hi there Sabina.

    SABINA CASTELFRANCO: Hello there. He’s called it a “charade” during a sermon this week in which he reflected on the recent atrocities in the world. Uh, what happened in Paris, what happened in, uh, Lebanon, what happened in, ahh, in Mali, he’s just very very upset with what’s going on at the moment.

    SUSIE FERGUSON: So some of these, ahhh, some of these comments that he actually made, uh, seeming very very downbeat. Is that in itself a surprise?

    SABINA CASTELFRANCO: You know what, it isn’t a real surprise. I think this is a Pope that’s very frank about how he feels, and he’s really saying, y’know, this is not going to be a Christmas of lights, and a Christmas of enjoyment and a Christmas of entertainment. You know, he said we should ask for the grace to weep for this world, uh, which doesn’t recognise the path to peace. Umm, he said God is weeping and Jesus is weeping and he said this at his morning mass at Santa Marta which is the mass he holds every morning inside the Vatican, so he’s very concerned about the situation and he thinks that this is not going to be a Christmas like other Christmases, basically.

    SUSIE FERGUSON: Now as for how these comments then have been received, what are people saying?

    SABINA CASTELFRANCO: Well I think people in St Peter’s Square are saying that they’re seeing a lot of security and they’re feeling comforted by the security, ummm, y’know, there’s two thousand extra policemen on the road, extra security guards, including army, in Rome. So people are feeling comforted about this but, y’know, something can happen any time, I mean this is a very difficult time in Rome, at the Vatican, and I think people just don’t know what’s gonna happen but want to try and lead their lives as if nothing were different.

    SUSIE FERGUSON: Thank you very much for your time, Sabina Castelfranco, joining us from Rome.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201779831/pope-denounces-christmas-charade

    [1] http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2015_39/1233356/150922-pope-arrival-412p_a63f3a713caad910ccb8667fbd1d5122.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg

    [2] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/14/pope-francis-argentina-military-junta

    • Ad 7.1
      23 November 2015 at 10:56 am

      Morrissey what is your point?
      The Pope isn’t gloomy enough?
      Should recite a more complete list of atrocities in the world?
      Or you want him to lighten up and down the egg nog?
      What would you like?

      • Morrissey 7.1.1
        23 November 2015 at 11:13 am

        1.) Morrissey what is your point?

        You know perfectly well what my point is, Ad.

        2.) The Pope isn’t gloomy enough?

        My problem is with his highly political choice of atrocities.

        3.) Should recite a more complete list of atrocities in the world?

        Yes. His Holiness focused on a select few, ignoring the far more numerous atrocities inflicted by, funded by, and diplomatically supported by, the United States and the United Kingdom.

        4.) Or you want him to lighten up and down the egg nog?
        What would you like?

        I’d like a Pope who spoke forthrightly and honestly, and didn’t tailor his message in order to avoid political condemnation by the right wing media attack machine.

        • Lanthanide 7.1.1.1
          23 November 2015 at 12:21 pm

          1.) Morrissey what is your point?

          You know perfectly well what my point is, Ad.

          IMO Morrissey should receive a moderation warning for this. This silly style of ‘cat and mouse’ refusing to answer simple straight forward questions only leads to flaming.

        • Pat 7.1.1.2
          24 November 2015 at 4:24 am

          and his target audience was?

    • pwmcm 7.2
      23 November 2015 at 11:19 am

      Perhaps it might be worth going back to a more detailed report of what the pope said. It seems to me that he was doing more than condemning “useless slaughters.”

      To quote the man himself: “What shall remain? Ruins, thousands of children without education, so many innocent victims: and lots of money in the pockets of arms dealers. Jesus once said: ‘You can not serve two masters: either God or riches.’ War is the right choice for him, who would serve wealth: ‘Let us build weapons, so that the economy will right itself somewhat, and let us go forward in pursuit of our interests. There is an ugly word the Lord spoke: ‘Cursed!’ Because He said: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers!.’ The men who work war, who make war, are cursed, they are criminals. A war can be justified – so to speak – with many, many reasons, but when all the world as it is today, at war – piecemeal though that war may be – a little here, a little there, and everywhere – there is no justification – and God weeps. Jesus weeps.”
      http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-lord-weeps-for-the-sins-of-a-worl

      As for Palestine… sometimes pictures say more than words…..
      https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fshalomrav.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F05%2F2014-05-25t114931z_505521652_gf2ea5p0w.jpg&f=1

      • Morrissey 7.2.1
        23 November 2015 at 11:29 am

        You’ve made some very good points, my friend. I am probably being overly harsh in my judgement of the Pope. No matter what he says, his words are going to be either ignored or distorted by the de facto government media in the United States. The same thing happened to Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai,

  8. Draco T Bastard 8
    23 November 2015 at 11:17 am

    Lessons from HBOS: why we need new types of banks

    These ‘stakeholder banks’ are owned by the members (cooperatives) or held in public trust (savings banks). They aim to support their customers and the regions where they lend rather than deliver double digit returns to their shareholders.

    Academic research shows that stakeholder banks maintained their lending during the 2007-08 crisis in contrast to shareholder banks. It was the shift towards meeting the needs of shareholders over stakeholders that led banks into increasingly risky activities such as mortgage securitisation.

    Shareholders = bludgers

    And these bludgers are destroying our economy and our world so as to get unearned income.

    • Chooky 8.1
      23 November 2015 at 12:07 pm

      +100 Draco…and get rid of those Aussie Banks fleecing New Zealand and taking the profits out of New Zealand

      KiwiBank gives far better deals as do other NZ Banks….why anyone would bank with an OZ bank is beyond me

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/73626116/qa-are-australian-banks-really-rorting-new-zealanders

      http://m.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10687194

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10571272

    • Sabine 8.2
      23 November 2015 at 12:32 pm

      well maybe we need a second ‘illegal’ banking system like China has one?

      http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-police-reveal-busted-illegal-banking-operation-1448030259

      Quote: BEIJING—Chinese police announced a crackdown on an illegal foreign-exchange network that it said handled up to $64 billion in transactions.

      According to a report by police in Jinhua, a city of five million people in eastern Zhejiang province, the network involved hundreds of people in eight separate “gangs” working out of more than two dozen “criminal dens.” The operation routed money through hundreds of accounts held at financial institutions in China and Hong Kong to evade restrictions on moving currency outside the country, it said.

      According to recent state media accounts and a detailed police report released Friday, police launched its crackdown on the network on Dec. 15, 2014, after months of investigation. It was unclear why the clampdown was only being disclosed now.

      The official People’s Daily newspaper said 69 people had been criminally charged and another 203 people had been given administrative sanctions.

      The amount of money involved, up to 410 billion yuan ($64.25 billion) in cross-border transactions, raised questions among some analysts about China’s supervision of money outflows. “The fact that multiple real banks were involved raises questions about oversight. They’ve just allowed $64 billion to leave the country without knowing,” said Fraser Howie, coauthor of “Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundation of China’s Extraordinary Rise.”

        • sabine 8.2.1.1
          24 November 2015 at 7:01 am

          i have no idea where it goes and i don’t actually care, i just find it hilarious that a totalitarian state like China gets bested by the banks.

          No matter how many they arrest, this will continue, and the speculators regardless of ethnicity will always find a way to park their money, it is up to he other countries of the world to implement rules and regulations to protect their countries.. Alas, our free market tosser is only getting up more rules and regulations for us.

          • Chooky 8.2.1.1.1
            24 November 2015 at 8:59 am

            Well quite frankly New Zealand political parties on the Left should care, as should ALL New Zealanders …when there is an acute housing shortage in New Zealand due to scarce New Zealand housing being bought off shore

            …. and there are many New Zealand families going homeless because of this housing shortage

            http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201779986/professor-housing-policy-is-failing-vulnerable-families

            …and yes “it is up to the other countries of the world to implement rules and regulations to protect their countries”

            ….but first we have to RECOGNISE THE PROBLEM and jonkey nactional must be called to account for creating the problem with a smiling face

            …thus far NZF and Labour have tried to do this but the Greens have rejected it as “crude racial profiling” ( buying into Nact framing)

            http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70186455/Greens-accuse-Labour-of-crude-racial-profiling-on-housing-sales

            • Sabine 8.2.1.1.1.1
              24 November 2015 at 9:09 am

              I know all of this. But frankly the problem is not migrants that want to come here and live, for what its worth, the problem is that we have a government that does not want to regulate the flow of migrants into this country, the problem is that we allow people to migrate here on ‘purpose to invest’ but that then actually don’t live here, nor pay taxes, the problem is that we allow people to buy a ‘residence’ permit under rather ‘spurious’ investments schemes.
              The people that want to come and live and work here are not the problem, so pretending it is does not help.

              The main issue that I have with our current housing problem is that our current government is hellbent on selling state houses and / or letting them fall into disrepair to the point where knocking them down is the only option.
              The other issue that i have with our current and previous government is that they rather pay a ‘accommodation subsidy’ to Landlords instead of building new houses, or letting the market ‘regulate itself’.

              Keeping our existing State House Stock in good shape, building new State Houses to keep up with demand and doing away with the ‘Accommodation Benefits for Landlords’ would go a long way in addressing our Housing Issues. Non of these things have anything to do with Migrants.

              But then we can’t have the market regulate itself, that would be to the detriment of a handful of large scale landlord and Kiwi Mom and Pop Landlords, who, while they charge exuberant rent for their ‘investment’ properties, have yet to come to understand that they are pricing their children and grand children out of the market.

    • Chooky 8.3
      23 November 2015 at 10:32 pm

      @DTB…re banks … On the Keiser Report this is interesting….Max interviews chartered accountant, tax justice campaigner, professor and Jeremy Corbyn’s informal adviser, Richard Murphy

      https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/322973-episode-max-keiser-839/

      In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the balance of payments crisis on the horizon as share buybacks trump capital expenditure and the income stream from privatized industries heads overseas.

      In the second half, Max interviews chartered accountant, tax justice campaigner, professor and definitely not Jeremy Corbyn’s paid adviser, Richard Murphy, about a town in Wales going ‘offshore’ as part of a tax campaign to force the government to make multinationals pay their share of taxes.

  9. te reo putake 9
    23 November 2015 at 9:04 pm

    And … we’re back. Cheers to whoever sorted out the problem!

    • mickysavage 9.1
      23 November 2015 at 9:17 pm

      All thanks to Rocky!

    • lprent 9.2
      24 November 2015 at 11:26 am

      Yeah I was in transit. Lyn was in Amsterdam. Looks like it was a hot day yesterday and the system didn’t like the temperatures in a locked up apartment.

      My time in Hong Kong consisted of running several kilometres to catch the connecting flight after the plane departed Frankfurt late due to de-icing. So I didn’t even get a chance to read my mail let alone the site.

      Thanks rocky….

      Now I need a shower and some clean clothes after nearly 36 hours of flying from Innsbruck and driving up from Italy. I don’t want to sit down. My arse feels like it has been glued to too many seats.

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    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • 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
    16 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
    19 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
    24 hours 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 ...
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