The government had the opportunity to get rid of neoliberalism and return to its roots as a working class party. Labour 2022 is not socialist. It is simply a manager for the corporate establishment.
It chose the liberal middle class instead and consigned itself to the dustbin of history.
Can’t put it much clearer than that. And evidence is there via the neo liberal Parliamentary consensus–whereby the State Sector Act, Reserve Bank Act, monetarist transactional methods etc. roll over with each election. Labour has enacted a number of useful reforms that the Natzos would not have…but…when the pirate banks and supermarket duopoly laugh in their and citizens faces and keep raking it in, and a state house mega build remains wanting…
As for the current RB rate hike, unemployed are often viewed by tories as “dirty filthy bennies”, a sub class of despicable losers…yet the RB Governor now says we need to add to their ranks to fight inflation, what the…while at the same time employers say they are labour starved and want more migrant labour. Now sure, jobs and people cannot always be linked, but the employers position says little more than–“cheap labour now please”–just as a number of workers are rediscovering their fight and winning decent wage increases.
The faux separation of, and ‘independent’ status of the Reserve Bank, under the RB Act, is such a travesty and reveals like little else why the NZ neo liberal state has to be booted.
Descending into negative equity is going to be a humbling experience for some holders of thumping great mortgages, and guess what–voting for Baldrick is not going to make it better–the contrary in fact. Retired, middle class, working class and alienated need to find some points of unity and develop public action to combat the coming shit show.
I see that the National Party and Groundswell are crowing about the number of signatures included in their petition which Groundswell describes as a "farming tax" but Stuff.co.nz describes as a "food tax" (Interesting contrast!).
By my rough calculations the petition at just over 102,000 was signed by something like 3% of the electorate – not a particularly impressive result and does not confirm Groundwell's claims that the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders support them.
By the way Groundswell keep sending me unsolicited feeds on Facebook and then getting angry when I respond to them asking questions which they don't want to answer. The solution is simple – if they don't want any criticism then stop sending them to me. The very first question I asked is "why are you calling it a farming tax when it is not a farming tax per se – it is an agricultural carbon emissions tax – which is not the same thing as in if you farm without emitting then you don't pay. I then told them that they were really just a front for the National Party at which point I received some hysterical troll responses.
They get angry unless you tell them what they want to hear.
net zero carbon. You sequester more GHGs than you produce. This means transitioning to regenerative models that build soil, biodiversity and grow forests, as well as reducing the GHG emitting practices and stopping relying on pay to pollute carbon credit schemes.
This is physically possible. The main blocks are economic, political and philosophical. I favour subsidising farms to transition, but farmers have to be on board. We also can't do industrial farming at the scale we currently do, so we need to transition our economy at the same time.
I'm generally in agreement about the large scale dairy farms we have here in Canterbury. However I know many local farmers with small holdings who claim they will go out of business as a result of these new laws
that's tough, and again, I would support the government assisting family farms including small ones, to transition. Continuing to farm without taking climate and ecology into account is not a solution to their problem. Groundswell can't help them. I hope someone sorts that out though, because we don't need small family farms being bought up by corporations either.
I know a guy spent the last 30 years on the family farm on low wages, 10 years of it nursing the parents as well as running the farm , the siblings want their cut now , the farms not big enough to pay the mortgage on the 3 to 4 mill he'd have to borrow to pay them out.
Occasionally parents can structure it to hand it down , but it will usually involve getting bigger, and most likely at some point it will be to dare to hand down,
The family farm is terminal it just might be a long slow death for some.
the problem there is the decisions of the parents. Not being overly critical, lots of people are like this and don't sort this stuff out until it's too late. But there are other options to just selling up and splitting the money.
And if the parents want all the kids to have an equal share and thus are ok with the farm being sold, then they’re ok with it no longer being a family farm. That’s on them.
bearing in mind that my parents' generation were the ones where the farm got left to the oldest boy and the girls were supposed to marry farmers if they wanted a farming life.
I’ve also seen the farmers who inherited a farm but then when they want to retire they want bought out. So yeah, the land prices are a huge problem, but there are other factors here too.
I know a farming family who put the farm into a trust and now the kids and their mum run it and when she dies the kids will run and I guess their kids when they have them.
Not every human activity has or is for a profit motive. Profit per se is not the issue anyway, it is about businesses paying their fair share and including this into their business models.
The banks tell us we must stop buying silly smashed avocadoes – officially! They have come to save us all from inflation by taking every cent we have left. They have come to save us from leaky homes by fire-saling the houses. They have come to stop the silly notion of anyone but the chosen rich accumulating capital by taking it all back.
The RBNZ is also telling you to hold on to your job and enjoy your pay-rise while you can, because it is projecting unemployment starting to rise in 2023, which just so happens to be election year.
Yes, but to those of us who are not schooled in even basic economics such as I it is not clear what that really means. That article doesn’t mention the RBNZ projections of the unemployment rate over the next 3 years and they are dire. It does, however, mention recession three times! The Proletariat will shrink, the Precariat will grow and NACT + NZF will ride in as our economic saviours and apply the razor gangs to government spending, including social welfare. As they always do because they are a one-trick pony with the memory of a goldfish.
We interpret the term 'maximum sustainable employment' (MSE) or full employment to mean the level of employment at which the job market is tight, but not so tight that inflation is rising out of control.
More formally, we define MSE as the highest use of labour resources that can be sustained over time without creating a sustained acceleration in inflation.
What is interesting about the RBNZs position regarding MSE, is that we had increasing inflation before wage growth rates began rising. It's almost as if workers don't have anything to do with setting prices, the actual origin of inflation.
My limited understanding of it is that headline inflation was high to start with, because of Covid and other global issues, and this is starting to feed into core inflation such as the MSE and wage inflation. I guess our economy, like so many others, was and is not resilient enough to weather so many large shocks in rapid succession.
Whatever the source of inflation, it is those least responsible for rising prices who are already bearing the brunt of its effects. It's apparently unreasonable to expect lower margins of those businesses that have enjoyed rising profits despite COVID and other global issues.
It's apparently unreasonable to expect lower margins … [my italics]
What do you mean? How is this apparent [to you]? How do you envision RBNZ and/or Government to control or influence those margins?
Yes, of course, the people at the bottom always suffer most and will always suffer more when things get worse. Rightly or wrongly, this Government does acknowledge this with the CoL adjustment, for example. However, RBNZ sees it as a contributing factor to stubbornly high household spending:
Household spending has stayed elevated, despite high inflation, rising interest rates, falling house prices and uncertainty about the global outlook. Recent spending has been supported by high employment, increasing wages, cost of living payments, and savings built up by households during COVID-19 lockdowns. [my italics]
It is apparent because the call from the RBNZ is for reduced consumer spending, not restricted profit margins. Monetary policy has significant lag and it is not always as effective as hoped.
Seeing that we must consume to live and that inflation in the cost of living (a ghoulish term when examined) has been rising faster than wages, a interventionist government could clamp down on these costs through price controls, rent controls, excess profit tax and other fiscal policies.
The Cost of Living Payment was unwise IMO and not directed properly. A reduction in tax liability for those at bottom would have been a much better move.
Petrol is still 25 cts. off per litre, PT fares are still discounted. The fuel discount also benefits the transporting industry, which unsurprisingly have asked for it to remain.
There are plenty more examples of how Government shoulders some of the burden of rising costs (inflation) for New Zealanders.
Any changes to the tax system can easily backfire and stoke the inflationary fire even further. This is the double-edged sword of given the people more money in the hand which they will spend rather than save and/or pay off debt. Consumer spending needs to come down, not go up.
At least that’s my limited understanding of the tricky situation we’re in.
It is apparent because the call from the RBNZ is for reduced consumer spending, not restricted profit margins
Its called demand destruction,it removes profits by enforcing providers to reduce margins to retain sales.it works efficiently in highly informed markets such as the US,where the prices fall to meet demand.
The RBNZs tool kit is limited and their remit is also, I am not expecting them to achieve something that is not within their capabilities. Monetary policy such that it is.
The government, however, has a commanding parliamentary majority and control of fiscal policy; which can form much more directed and precise set of tools. While they have made plenty of prudent decisions I would also join those calling on the government for a reinstatement of the rent freeze. It seems to me as an abdication of sorts to the RBNZ; rather than institute the needed redistributive laws.
People are relying on the charity, such as food banks, for the bare necessities of life in increasing numbers, but they must some how spend less? If those on the lowest incomes had more spending power they may be able to improve their living conditions, for example, no longer skipping meals, or moving out of the unhealthy rental into something better for them. Targeted tax policy could ensure that, RBNZ policies cannot. Some demand is simply unavoidable. There is also plenty of spending being done by those who do not require philanthropy, more often doling it out. It is the governments role to attempt to solve these inequities, not the RBNZ.
The only one I have seen doing anything like this is the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which is an arm of Government and certainly isn't involved in lending you money to buy your home. There is only one RBNZ so you shouldn't be using a plural like "they".
I can only answer some. That may lose rentals – yes! That may lose homes – yes! I base my answers on historical precedent. This is a modern day land grab, as predicted, so blatantly obviously the same old same old.
Measures to counter this would have been to stop corporates jacking the price of everything and RBNZ not leading the charge to fuck all the little guys.
"Measures to counter this would have been to stop corporates jacking the price of everything and RBNZ not leading the charge to fuck all the little guys."
Yes. Making the impacts on little guys a political priority would be a start.
First home owners, not speculators, whose house should not be some widget in the enormous games of finance these fools play. I'm pissed off. Why were they (Government, RBNZ) all allowing so much practically free money to be lent out. And everyone BUY BUY BUY! We saw it coming, if we were meant to be paying attention and didn't… we were asleep. Everyone gets overextended and… hey presto, interest goes up, land grab.
They had the gall to tell us on the news last night those with savings are better off. Like it all balances out, this periodic stealing of people's life savings, via draining them trying to pay interest, then mortgagee sales, to further the rich.
I have an arrangement with my Bank that I pay the minimum fortnightly payment. That has not changed in the 4 years I have had the current mortgage. When interests rates were very low during Covid I was paying more principal and less interest. Now that rates are going up, I pay less principal and more interest. My fortnightly payment does not change.
The only thing that changes is the term of the loan. The date of final payment stretches out further and further. This does not bother me in the slightest – I will be long dead by then and the loan will be paid when either I, or my estate sells the property.
I bought my house over 40 years ago. I was paying 6% on the first mortgage and 9% on the second mortgage. I was single then (in the eyes of the State anyway) so I got flatmates in to help with the outgoings. In the bad days of the mid 1980's I had paid off the second mortgage, but was paying something like 17% on the first mortgage. I was lucky because my first mortgage was with Housing NZ because I bought in an area where the Government of the time was attempting to encourage home ownership. Other people were paying over 20% interest.
You do not sound that 'lucky' to me. You bought the property over 40 years ago and still have a mortgage on it? Sounds to me like your bank has done you no favours and has made a lot of money at your expense. You should probably get a good mortgage broker and some sound financial advice.
I have this mortgage now because when I paid off the original amount in 1992, I did not actually discharge the mortgage – just left it sitting there for nearly 3 decades. I borrowed against it again 4 years ago when I retired in order to fund an extensive upgrade of part of the dwelling (which at 90 odd years old was badly needed) and I rent out that part while living in the other part myself.
That sounds very smart but offset mortgages are at floating interest rate or higher and your comment makes no sense; your interest payments will go up too.
Only on the portion not offset – if it's fully offset (which is how I read the comment), no interest is charged. On the other hand, it's not much of a mortgage if it is fully offset – a mortgage in name only perhaps?
Loving the irony of Black Friday sale ads merrily sprinkled between the RBNZ pleading for people not to spend. This is the problem with capitalism, everyone constantly rowing against each other, sending out competing messages.
RBNZ says don't spend but every industry, everywhere, especially retail banking, says umm, no.
Covid relief was supposed to be security in uncertain times. What did middle New Zealand do? Went out and bought investment properties, fucking muppets.
Yes indeed, and various jackals are now gleefully buying property at lower prices. We sold six months back to move, in no rush, and the agent was really offended we held out for a less speculative buyer.
Unemployment will save us says the RB–yet–employers demand urgent imports of migrant labour. Which is really a call for low wages.
It's sad to see crime appearing to be on the increase – violent crime especially.
I did a training session at work recently about safety awareness. One of the questions the speaker asked was would you feel safer working in a bank or a dairy (in relation to the threat of robbery and/or the potential for violence)?
That is because there has been a lot of target hardening in other places. Service stations used to be easy targets, – not any more. Dairies – with their windows covered in advertising and run by family members, are the softest target around at the moment.
I have noticed some diaries starting to increase their security but I think there needs to be some consistency. I can't remember which of the big players owns 4 Square but they should be rolling out something to all their stores (though from what I know they are franchises)
They are part of the Foodstuffs Cooperative along with Pak 'n' Save and New World – technically not a franchise, but certainly looks and acts like one most of the time.
I have no idea what you are doing, but if it's a moderation issue, then moderate. If it's not, then hassling someone new like this is both rude and not great for the site. It also reflects badly on moderation.
No no, Incognito has obviously looked at my email address, matched with a previous account then is using it to needle me. I had no intention of trolling or the like – just wanted to get into some conversation again but, well, I think s/he has made themselves clear.
if it’s a moderation issue, then it needs to be dealt with as moderation not trolling someone.
I’ve had a look at your email and IP address. Email address is fine. IP address is shared with someone else who is currently active on TS. If that’s you using two names, then you cannot do that. Some mods will allow a name change for a good reason, others taking a harder line, but either way you cannot run two names here at the same time.
If there is a different explanation for the same IP address, then please explain. Otherwise, please drop pick one name and stick to it.
The IP address matches someone else's? That's weird.
Without betraying confidence/someone elses details is the person I share an email address with a long time user here? Because it isn't me – I only have one account but am on a large network.
Unfortunately for you, I’ve now looked more closely at the email address and see it’s similar to someone who’s on a permanent ban because of a long history of trolling and causing problems for moderators by trying to skirt bans. I’m putting you on the ban list again. If you think this is a mistake, then reply and your comment will end up in the back end where I will see it.
At some point lprent will do an amnesty on the permanent bans. At which point I suggest that if you want to comment here you pick one name, stick to it, and keep your head down.
I am not sure what sort of training such businesses offer.
they are usually family run and they work 24/7. My family owned such a business when I was growing up. The work is endless.
your comment does hint at a blame the victim approach. Was that what you were meaning or have I misinterpreted you? My apologies if I have. The blame lies with the a…hole who stabbed the worker to death.
Right, and who do you think should provide the training to the bosses? The police? The military?
Who do you think is equipped in NZ currently to ward off some shitheel with a knife? Would you be trained enough?
The last knife attacker is now in a female prison for attacking three people, inclusive his/their ex girlfriend who will have lasting scars in her face. And these victims simply had the audacity to go to a restaurant for a dinner and thought that was safe in NZ.
If you think dudes/ettes outside are shifty, close the door – which we do a lot now a days.
They will have to break the door, and by that time she should be able to get out the back door.
No heroics, no nothing. Just try to get out and not worry about a single thing or a single cent. Money is replacable, a cut up face is for live. IF you can't get away, give them the contents of the till, if they want a coffee to go with that , make that coffee, pack the box of chocolates and wish them a good day. Anything to stay unharmed and alive.
But in fact there is no training that can help you to get a way from someone who just simply has no respect for others, for society or their communities.
What will happen now is that Dairys will arm themselves, will hopefully always have a two people policies – if they don't have for the most part even more CCTV that they already have and if all falters, just shut. Because clearly it onus is on us to keep us alive, the police will come to mop up what is left over if the robbery/raid goes wrong, and of course lay a charge for murder or assault.
If the government is serious about winning the next election, and helping those at risk of being impacted by rising mortgage rates, then the government should change the target inflation range temporarilly to reflect the reality of the economic situation.
Those at risk don't only include mortgage holders. But also likely tenants who may face rent increases to cover increasing mortgage costs incurred by landlords.
If a lot of the inflation is imported, then, that component of inflation will not be affected. So, the only way to bring inflation back within the target band is to basically force NZ into a full-blown recession.
I think the target rate for the next three years should be say 3-5%, which would be much more achievable with a lot less pain.
I was trying to find some data to refute your claim,
But also likely tenants who may face rent increases to cover increasing mortgage costs incurred by landlords.
which I just don't think is true, at least not to the same scale of increase or remotely close to it. I do note you have couched your claim using the words, "likely", and "may".
There's this GA article from 2014. Best line is first in the comments section,
I read a lot about this also on interest, but the most obvious thing is that rents are paid from real money, out of real people income, sweat, work and productivity, that is finite. Houses are paid with fake bank money that don’t exist, so they can be as expensive as many zero you can put on a computer screen. Banks want houses to be more expensive, so they give you more fake money and so on, while we all get poorer. If we started listening a bit less to the Economists (with capital E) and a bit more on our brain cells, we would all be better off.
It is true to the extent that landlords will try to pass on their costs to tenants if they are able to. Of course, market conditions may not allow that. For instance, if there is a glut of houses on the market. So, it isn't given.
Firstly, within a historical context, the inflation rate has been much higher in the past reaching an eye-watering 17% in 1987. So, I am not sure that 3-5% inflation is intolerable for several years, given the extra-ordinary times we have been through, and that the RB did cock things up a bit.
Secondly, adjusting the inflation target range is not without historical precedent. For instance, in 1996 the target range moved from 0-2% to 0-3%.
If we do have a recession, there is no guarantee it will be shallow, and it may cost a lot of jobs. But applying the handbrake a bit slower may allow a lot of jobs to be saved.
Even if the RB crashes the economy, there still won't be price stability. For instance, we import a lot of stuff as part of my company. Prices have gone up at least 30% from most suppliers over the last several years. There is no sign that imported inflation is going to end any time soon.
What will happen though, in a recession, is a lot of people will lose their jobs, and there will be a lot of hardship that could be avoided by taking a more measured approach to bringing down inflation. It is not the fault of voters that the RB way over-stimulated the economy. Yet they are being expected to take the medicine to fix it.
Someone pays one way or another whether target inflation range stays the same or is increased temporarilly to a more realistic level. That is through either slightly higher prices, but lower interest rates. Or higher interest rates, and slightly lower prices.
One of the understood effects of the OCR tightening is the currency appreciation.There are 2 parts here the appreciation of the US$ as a reserve currency with large reservoirs for liquid assets such as cash,and the differential in the interest rates (with forex risk)
Here with the OCR being largely forecast there has been an appreciation of 10% since the start of oct,against the US$.This in turn reduces the cost of imports along with reducing the freight and insurance component ( freight rates now back to around pre covid)
The question you need to ask your supplier is why the price has not adjusted.
"Increasingly National’s election pitch is simply that they are “not Labour”. But is that really enough during an economic recession? Does National have any policies of substance that might help navigate the current economic crisis? Even if voters punish Labour for mismanaging the economy, there are no signs that they should have confidence that National would do any better."
When a Government takes from more people than it gives too or does not give enough to those who believe they deserve more then a majority is formed for its demise. The major problem is inflation which takes from many and gives to few – so once the incumbent Government is blamed for "letting inflation get out of control" it is on the way to being toast.
The current Gov may have a lot to answer for but in reality the current economic situation has been little influenced by them, this situation has been building since 2008 , and as is noted in the linked piece that will butter no parsnips for the electorate come next year.
Question: Why the first house price spike 2002-2008?
While looking for something else I saw again the there has been constant and severe house price inflation in NZ for 20 years now, briefly interrupted by the GFC. We know about 2010-2018 (Jong Khee), and 2020-2021 (Covid relief).
Why did the 2002-2008 spike occur? Accelerated immigration? Free trade deal with China? Is it just the cost of open tap neoliberal economics?
I suspect it is, which is why I applaud this government's commitment to managing immigration and foreign capital interference in the residential housing market.
it's also because the Retirement Commissioner spent years telling NZ to invest in property. That alongside the narrative that we couldn't afford superannuation any more and people needed to save for their own retirement. It was very anti-socialist/pro neolib.
Yes, i remember that. And the re-zoning of residential properties/zones to mixed which resulted in many nice villas being turned into offices, dental clinics and the likes. These lost residential houses were never replaced.
There was also the share market collapse in 1987 causing the losses of retirement savings of many, so for some, property probably would at least be worth something, unlike shares which can theoretically become worthless.
I also wonder how much impact Rich Dad, Poor Dad had – the book had more to it than "buy underpriced real estate using leverage", but that was probably the main message people took from it. It was published in 1997 and was a big seller, and I could see that message slowly percolating through to NZ after the 1997 Asian financial crisis as the economy first recovered in 1998-9 and then picked up steam under Labour.
I remember a real slump in house prices in 1991. I was overseas for most of 1990 and I remember when I came back giving some serious thought to buying an investment property in early 1991 as there was quite a glut on the market. I did decide not to – which was probably wise.
Those that have shall be given more, and they will have an abundance. But those that do not have, even what they have, will be taken away from them.
Matthew 25:29
The OCR: What you need to know
RNZ Business
12:46 pm on 23 November 2022
…… increasing the OCR, the cost to consumers of borrowing money from their banks also increases, and as consumers find themselves spending more of their take-home pay on servicing their debts, they have less money to spend on other things.
Banks made record profits, there was no pandemic for them. Rents, mortgages still had to be paid even under lock down.
To keep up with paying higher interest rates demanded by the banksters. Adrian Orr says the public will have to cut their spending,
Adrian Orr has also linked higher unemployment to job competition as the answer to 'wage inflation'.
Adrian Orr says unemployment must rise, before inflation, (particularly wage inflation) will be brought under control.
Bigger mortgage payments, less wages, more unemployment, more job competition, this is all sweet music to the banksters and bosses.
Listening to the car radio. Newstalk ZB, a representative of the banking community said; Can't meet your new mortgage interest rate. Talk to us. 'We can help. 'We don't want to see you out of your home.' 'We are here for the long haul'. (And so are you).
Bought at the high end of the housing market?
Feeling squeezed between inadequate wage increases and high interest rates?
Go to your local bank manager and beg for mercy like the desperate wretch you are, He will see what he can do for you. Agree to a mortgage holiday, or longer period of payment, he will let you stay in your home to work longer to pay off your mortgage.
The March of the Greedies;
Adrian Orr admits Reserve Bank is 'deliberately engineering recession'
Tom Pullar-Strecker 10:02, Nov 24 2022
Orr told Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure select committee it was correct that the Reserve Bank was engineering a recession, saying it was deliberately trying to slow spending in the economy.
"….You know, if you just start behaving, ‘1% different’ around inflation expectations and wage growth that makes our job easier."
Reserve Bank manager, Adrian Orr. also says government spending must be cut.
(Y'know, health care, education, welfare all that unnecessary stuff that gets in the way of maximising bankster profits).
…..Adrian Orr's message to think harder about spending – or "cool the jets" – isn't just for the public. He has told the Government to spend sensibly or risk even higher inflation.
No one should expect their investment to be underwritten by taxpayers. You are responsible for your own risk more than banks are.
Hindsight won't be kind to this government wasting billions on non-delivered services. Robertson may think the RB is overreacting, but honestly so did Robertson.
The fed minutes last night said they showed a greater then even chance (likely) of recession,.The IIF models forecast recession,so it is an expected outcome from high inflation and the necessary mechanism to curb animal spirits,through the forced extinction of Zombie companies,that take easy capital and transform it into empty pixels such as the removal in value of 2.2 trillion $ in crypto,or the deleveraging of property values.
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
You can only do one rent rise a year but the Reserve Bank has ensured it will be very big.
This government has had multiple chances to force greater price competition, but now the the RBNZ has just told Labour: "Too late!".
someone with a lot of money is going to have lots of fun buying up houses penny to the dollar. I wonder if we are going to see investors/hedgefunds/pension funds etc buying up large as they did/do in the US.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2022/housing-market-investors/
Yes next year there could well be some real property bargains to be had for those lucky enough to be cashed up
The government had the opportunity to get rid of neoliberalism and return to its roots as a working class party. Labour 2022 is not socialist. It is simply a manager for the corporate establishment.
It chose the liberal middle class instead and consigned itself to the dustbin of history.
Can’t put it much clearer than that. And evidence is there via the neo liberal Parliamentary consensus–whereby the State Sector Act, Reserve Bank Act, monetarist transactional methods etc. roll over with each election. Labour has enacted a number of useful reforms that the Natzos would not have…but…when the pirate banks and supermarket duopoly laugh in their and citizens faces and keep raking it in, and a state house mega build remains wanting…
As for the current RB rate hike, unemployed are often viewed by tories as “dirty filthy bennies”, a sub class of despicable losers…yet the RB Governor now says we need to add to their ranks to fight inflation, what the…while at the same time employers say they are labour starved and want more migrant labour. Now sure, jobs and people cannot always be linked, but the employers position says little more than–“cheap labour now please”–just as a number of workers are rediscovering their fight and winning decent wage increases.
The faux separation of, and ‘independent’ status of the Reserve Bank, under the RB Act, is such a travesty and reveals like little else why the NZ neo liberal state has to be booted.
Descending into negative equity is going to be a humbling experience for some holders of thumping great mortgages, and guess what–voting for Baldrick is not going to make it better–the contrary in fact. Retired, middle class, working class and alienated need to find some points of unity and develop public action to combat the coming shit show.
[corrected typo in user name – Incognito]
Mod note
Thank you.
I see that the National Party and Groundswell are crowing about the number of signatures included in their petition which Groundswell describes as a "farming tax" but Stuff.co.nz describes as a "food tax" (Interesting contrast!).
By my rough calculations the petition at just over 102,000 was signed by something like 3% of the electorate – not a particularly impressive result and does not confirm Groundwell's claims that the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders support them.
By the way Groundswell keep sending me unsolicited feeds on Facebook and then getting angry when I respond to them asking questions which they don't want to answer. The solution is simple – if they don't want any criticism then stop sending them to me. The very first question I asked is "why are you calling it a farming tax when it is not a farming tax per se – it is an agricultural carbon emissions tax – which is not the same thing as in if you farm without emitting then you don't pay. I then told them that they were really just a front for the National Party at which point I received some hysterical troll responses.
They get angry unless you tell them what they want to hear.
I see nothing because you haven’t provided a single link besides a vague reference to Stuff.
stuff.co.nz/national/130485650/groundswell-nz-presents-its-food-tax-petition-at-parliament
Had to be typed out by hand because of my stupid IMAC that refuses to let me copy and paste links on this site, regardless of which browser I use.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130485650/groundswell-nz-presents-its-food-tax-petition-at-parliament
try copying and pasting into another app first. Text Edit if you have it, then select plain text, then copy and paste to TS.
If that doesn't work, please let us know because it shouldn't be doing that (the TS edit box). Details of what happens would help.
Thanks Mike.
How do you farm without emitting? This seems like an impossibility to me.
Every human activity has some emissions attached to them
net zero carbon. You sequester more GHGs than you produce. This means transitioning to regenerative models that build soil, biodiversity and grow forests, as well as reducing the GHG emitting practices and stopping relying on pay to pollute carbon credit schemes.
This is physically possible. The main blocks are economic, political and philosophical. I favour subsidising farms to transition, but farmers have to be on board. We also can't do industrial farming at the scale we currently do, so we need to transition our economy at the same time.
I'm generally in agreement about the large scale dairy farms we have here in Canterbury. However I know many local farmers with small holdings who claim they will go out of business as a result of these new laws
that's tough, and again, I would support the government assisting family farms including small ones, to transition. Continuing to farm without taking climate and ecology into account is not a solution to their problem. Groundswell can't help them. I hope someone sorts that out though, because we don't need small family farms being bought up by corporations either.
The small family farm is terminal, land prices mean that it's only a matter of time before they are all gone,
can't see how that follows, unless farmers sell their family land on the open market.
I know a guy spent the last 30 years on the family farm on low wages, 10 years of it nursing the parents as well as running the farm , the siblings want their cut now , the farms not big enough to pay the mortgage on the 3 to 4 mill he'd have to borrow to pay them out.
Occasionally parents can structure it to hand it down , but it will usually involve getting bigger, and most likely at some point it will be to dare to hand down,
The family farm is terminal it just might be a long slow death for some.
the problem there is the decisions of the parents. Not being overly critical, lots of people are like this and don't sort this stuff out until it's too late. But there are other options to just selling up and splitting the money.
And if the parents want all the kids to have an equal share and thus are ok with the farm being sold, then they’re ok with it no longer being a family farm. That’s on them.
bearing in mind that my parents' generation were the ones where the farm got left to the oldest boy and the girls were supposed to marry farmers if they wanted a farming life.
I’ve also seen the farmers who inherited a farm but then when they want to retire they want bought out. So yeah, the land prices are a huge problem, but there are other factors here too.
I know a farming family who put the farm into a trust and now the kids and their mum run it and when she dies the kids will run and I guess their kids when they have them.
I just think that people who think money is more important than land are insane, but that does describe most of society 🤷♀️
Not every human activity has or is for a profit motive. Profit per se is not the issue anyway, it is about businesses paying their fair share and including this into their business models.
The banks tell us we must stop buying silly smashed avocadoes – officially! They have come to save us all from inflation by taking every cent we have left. They have come to save us from leaky homes by fire-saling the houses. They have come to stop the silly notion of anyone but the chosen rich accumulating capital by taking it all back.
Questions?
Which “banks” or do you mean the RBNZ?
The RBNZ is also telling you to hold on to your job and enjoy your pay-rise while you can, because it is projecting unemployment starting to rise in 2023, which just so happens to be election year.
so to add to DB's list, "the banks" are also saying, sorry beneficiaries, better luck next time.
The official statement being:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/479336/official-cash-rate-raised-by-75-basis-points-to-4-point-25-percent
Gotta maintain precariousness for workers. How else can we ‘encourage’ them to accept insufficient wage increases and unimproved working conditions.
Yes, but to those of us who are not schooled in even basic economics such as I it is not clear what that really means. That article doesn’t mention the RBNZ projections of the unemployment rate over the next 3 years and they are dire. It does, however, mention recession three times! The Proletariat will shrink, the Precariat will grow and NACT + NZF will ride in as our economic saviours and apply the razor gangs to government spending, including social welfare. As they always do because they are a one-trick pony with the memory of a goldfish.
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/about-monetary-policy/inflation-and-maximum-sustainable-employment
What is interesting about the RBNZs position regarding MSE, is that we had increasing inflation before wage growth rates began rising. It's almost as if workers don't have anything to do with setting prices, the actual origin of inflation.
My limited understanding of it is that headline inflation was high to start with, because of Covid and other global issues, and this is starting to feed into core inflation such as the MSE and wage inflation. I guess our economy, like so many others, was and is not resilient enough to weather so many large shocks in rapid succession.
Whatever the source of inflation, it is those least responsible for rising prices who are already bearing the brunt of its effects. It's apparently unreasonable to expect lower margins of those businesses that have enjoyed rising profits despite COVID and other global issues.
What do you mean? How is this apparent [to you]? How do you envision RBNZ and/or Government to control or influence those margins?
Yes, of course, the people at the bottom always suffer most and will always suffer more when things get worse. Rightly or wrongly, this Government does acknowledge this with the CoL adjustment, for example. However, RBNZ sees it as a contributing factor to stubbornly high household spending:
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/-/media/884276dd2ebb4962b325130eef7ae725.ashx
It is apparent because the call from the RBNZ is for reduced consumer spending, not restricted profit margins. Monetary policy has significant lag and it is not always as effective as hoped.
Seeing that we must consume to live and that inflation in the cost of living (a ghoulish term when examined) has been rising faster than wages, a interventionist government could clamp down on these costs through price controls, rent controls, excess profit tax and other fiscal policies.
The Cost of Living Payment was unwise IMO and not directed properly. A reduction in tax liability for those at bottom would have been a much better move.
"It is apparent because the call from the RBNZ is for reduced consumer spending, not restricted profit margins. "
That is a distinction that should be acknowledged.
I’m not aware of RBNZ having anything in their tool kit to adjust or influence profit margins in the private sector.
Yes, price controls are an option and Government is making moves on those. Of course, the rent freeze has ended but the HRC has called for a return.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/472987/human-rights-commission-says-freeze-on-rent-increases-should-return
Petrol is still 25 cts. off per litre, PT fares are still discounted. The fuel discount also benefits the transporting industry, which unsurprisingly have asked for it to remain.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/11/cost-of-living-transporting-nz-calling-for-fuel-tax-cut-to-remain-so-kiwis-can-have-certainty.html
There are plenty more examples of how Government shoulders some of the burden of rising costs (inflation) for New Zealanders.
Any changes to the tax system can easily backfire and stoke the inflationary fire even further. This is the double-edged sword of given the people more money in the hand which they will spend rather than save and/or pay off debt. Consumer spending needs to come down, not go up.
At least that’s my limited understanding of the tricky situation we’re in.
Its called demand destruction,it removes profits by enforcing providers to reduce margins to retain sales.it works efficiently in highly informed markets such as the US,where the prices fall to meet demand.
https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/commodities/lbs
The RBNZs tool kit is limited and their remit is also, I am not expecting them to achieve something that is not within their capabilities. Monetary policy such that it is.
The government, however, has a commanding parliamentary majority and control of fiscal policy; which can form much more directed and precise set of tools. While they have made plenty of prudent decisions I would also join those calling on the government for a reinstatement of the rent freeze. It seems to me as an abdication of sorts to the RBNZ; rather than institute the needed redistributive laws.
People are relying on the charity, such as food banks, for the bare necessities of life in increasing numbers, but they must some how spend less? If those on the lowest incomes had more spending power they may be able to improve their living conditions, for example, no longer skipping meals, or moving out of the unhealthy rental into something better for them. Targeted tax policy could ensure that, RBNZ policies cannot. Some demand is simply unavoidable. There is also plenty of spending being done by those who do not require philanthropy, more often doling it out. It is the governments role to attempt to solve these inequities, not the RBNZ.
Which "Banks" (plural) are these?
The only one I have seen doing anything like this is the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which is an arm of Government and certainly isn't involved in lending you money to buy your home. There is only one RBNZ so you shouldn't be using a plural like "they".
We all know the 'official' banks follow the lead of RBNZ. It's dishonest to pretend otherwise.
Those are commercial banks and have completely different ‘mandates’ and accountability compared to RBNZ.
Kiwibank is owned by us. Do you think they blindly follow that lead as well?
If they do then Grant has to reprogramme their reason for being.
What is the plan for those currently struggling financially who face rising cost of lving increases?
For those that may lose their rentals?
For those that may lose their homes?
Any chance of measures to counter this stress and disruption?
Is that enough questions, for now?
I can only answer some. That may lose rentals – yes! That may lose homes – yes! I base my answers on historical precedent. This is a modern day land grab, as predicted, so blatantly obviously the same old same old.
Measures to counter this would have been to stop corporates jacking the price of everything and RBNZ not leading the charge to fuck all the little guys.
"Measures to counter this would have been to stop corporates jacking the price of everything and RBNZ not leading the charge to fuck all the little guys."
Yes. Making the impacts on little guys a political priority would be a start.
Little guys, and maybe I meant middle guys.
First home owners, not speculators, whose house should not be some widget in the enormous games of finance these fools play. I'm pissed off. Why were they (Government, RBNZ) all allowing so much practically free money to be lent out. And everyone BUY BUY BUY! We saw it coming, if we were meant to be paying attention and didn't… we were asleep. Everyone gets overextended and… hey presto, interest goes up, land grab.
They had the gall to tell us on the news last night those with savings are better off. Like it all balances out, this periodic stealing of people's life savings, via draining them trying to pay interest, then mortgagee sales, to further the rich.
I have an arrangement with my Bank that I pay the minimum fortnightly payment. That has not changed in the 4 years I have had the current mortgage. When interests rates were very low during Covid I was paying more principal and less interest. Now that rates are going up, I pay less principal and more interest. My fortnightly payment does not change.
The only thing that changes is the term of the loan. The date of final payment stretches out further and further. This does not bother me in the slightest – I will be long dead by then and the loan will be paid when either I, or my estate sells the property.
I bought my house over 40 years ago. I was paying 6% on the first mortgage and 9% on the second mortgage. I was single then (in the eyes of the State anyway) so I got flatmates in to help with the outgoings. In the bad days of the mid 1980's I had paid off the second mortgage, but was paying something like 17% on the first mortgage. I was lucky because my first mortgage was with Housing NZ because I bought in an area where the Government of the time was attempting to encourage home ownership. Other people were paying over 20% interest.
I was also lucky because I always had work.
You do not sound that 'lucky' to me. You bought the property over 40 years ago and still have a mortgage on it? Sounds to me like your bank has done you no favours and has made a lot of money at your expense. You should probably get a good mortgage broker and some sound financial advice.
I have this mortgage now because when I paid off the original amount in 1992, I did not actually discharge the mortgage – just left it sitting there for nearly 3 decades. I borrowed against it again 4 years ago when I retired in order to fund an extensive upgrade of part of the dwelling (which at 90 odd years old was badly needed) and I rent out that part while living in the other part myself.
That makes more sense. So was re-paid back in 1992. This is a new mortgage / draw down.
Listen to yourself and take you own advice: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05-10-2022/#comment-1913857.
Yes I will speak to myself. As its an offset mortgage and is completely offset the rate increasing wont affect me.
That sounds very smart but offset mortgages are at floating interest rate or higher and your comment makes no sense; your interest payments will go up too.
Only on the portion not offset – if it's fully offset (which is how I read the comment), no interest is charged. On the other hand, it's not much of a mortgage if it is fully offset – a mortgage in name only perhaps?
Loving the irony of Black Friday sale ads merrily sprinkled between the RBNZ pleading for people not to spend. This is the problem with capitalism, everyone constantly rowing against each other, sending out competing messages.
RBNZ says don't spend but every industry, everywhere, especially retail banking, says umm, no.
Covid relief was supposed to be security in uncertain times. What did middle New Zealand do? Went out and bought investment properties, fucking muppets.
Yes indeed, and various jackals are now gleefully buying property at lower prices. We sold six months back to move, in no rush, and the agent was really offended we held out for a less speculative buyer.
Unemployment will save us says the RB–yet–employers demand urgent imports of migrant labour. Which is really a call for low wages.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sandringham-homicide-the-worst-has-happened-manhunt-under-way-as-community-left-shocked/DMOJJJWROZA3PA7RTK4SLNVHXU/
heartbreaking. Young guy in his 20s – 30s recently married. Stabbed while at work.
An absolute tragedy. My condolences to friends and family in this community, including the owners who were away on holiday.
It's sad to see crime appearing to be on the increase – violent crime especially.
I did a training session at work recently about safety awareness. One of the questions the speaker asked was would you feel safer working in a bank or a dairy (in relation to the threat of robbery and/or the potential for violence)?
Everyone said dairy
They said safer in a dairy?
Don't they read the new? Did the session allow for determining why they felt that way?
Sorry – meant that they felt less safe in the dairy. My typing error
A sad state of affairs. Being a dairy owner is a dangerous profession these days
All good.
That makes more sense.
That is because there has been a lot of target hardening in other places. Service stations used to be easy targets, – not any more. Dairies – with their windows covered in advertising and run by family members, are the softest target around at the moment.
This is a good point. As other retail businesses improve their security and minimise risk, criminals will look for easier targets.
When you get burgled the police come around and talk about steps you can take to make your house/car a less attractive target.
I have noticed some diaries starting to increase their security but I think there needs to be some consistency. I can't remember which of the big players owns 4 Square but they should be rolling out something to all their stores (though from what I know they are franchises)
They are part of the Foodstuffs Cooperative along with Pak 'n' Save and New World – technically not a franchise, but certainly looks and acts like one most of the time.
I think you meant occupation.
Well, whatever – you know what I meant
Yeah, you mean you are sloppy with words & meanings.
No – I just wasn't really thinking about it too deeply
Yes, that was obvious, as was your annoying typo earlier on 🙁
I'm sorry – is there some kind of problem?
Yes, there is, a major one in fact.
I’m more than happy to share it with you. Don’t you want to hear it? Don’t be shy, you normally aren’t, just say the word 😉
Oh right I get it.
Ban me then if its a problem for you.
no, there is no problem. My suggestion is walk away from this convo and just focus on other ones that appeal 👍
I’m afraid that won’t work, this time.
I have no idea what you are doing, but if it's a moderation issue, then moderate. If it's not, then hassling someone new like this is both rude and not great for the site. It also reflects badly on moderation.
No no, Incognito has obviously looked at my email address, matched with a previous account then is using it to needle me. I had no intention of trolling or the like – just wanted to get into some conversation again but, well, I think s/he has made themselves clear.
if it’s a moderation issue, then it needs to be dealt with as moderation not trolling someone.
I’ve had a look at your email and IP address. Email address is fine. IP address is shared with someone else who is currently active on TS. If that’s you using two names, then you cannot do that. Some mods will allow a name change for a good reason, others taking a harder line, but either way you cannot run two names here at the same time.
If there is a different explanation for the same IP address, then please explain. Otherwise, please drop pick one name and stick to it.
Making a note in the back end.
The IP address matches someone else's? That's weird.
Without betraying confidence/someone elses details is the person I share an email address with a long time user here? Because it isn't me – I only have one account but am on a large network.
Unfortunately for you, I’ve now looked more closely at the email address and see it’s similar to someone who’s on a permanent ban because of a long history of trolling and causing problems for moderators by trying to skirt bans. I’m putting you on the ban list again. If you think this is a mistake, then reply and your comment will end up in the back end where I will see it.
At some point lprent will do an amnesty on the permanent bans. At which point I suggest that if you want to comment here you pick one name, stick to it, and keep your head down.
Oh right – sorry it's been so long I had forgotten I was banned. I knew my email would be picked up but hadn't remembered the ban.
That's OK, no amnesty required nor asked for. I'll just do something else with my time.
Enjoy yourself 🙂
Have to wonder what sort of training this guy had to deal with such a dangerous situation.
I am not sure what sort of training such businesses offer.
they are usually family run and they work 24/7. My family owned such a business when I was growing up. The work is endless.
your comment does hint at a blame the victim approach. Was that what you were meaning or have I misinterpreted you? My apologies if I have. The blame lies with the a…hole who stabbed the worker to death.
No doubt about where the blame lies but, family owned business or not, employers must provide proper training for staff.
Not saying they didn't but these incidents are more likely not to end in tragedy if the retail worker doesn't resist.
Also could be that he didn't resist and the perpetrator attacked him anyway.
Right, and who do you think should provide the training to the bosses? The police? The military?
Who do you think is equipped in NZ currently to ward off some shitheel with a knife? Would you be trained enough?
The last knife attacker is now in a female prison for attacking three people, inclusive his/their ex girlfriend who will have lasting scars in her face. And these victims simply had the audacity to go to a restaurant for a dinner and thought that was safe in NZ.
My shop girls training is simply.
If you think dudes/ettes outside are shifty, close the door – which we do a lot now a days.
They will have to break the door, and by that time she should be able to get out the back door.
No heroics, no nothing. Just try to get out and not worry about a single thing or a single cent. Money is replacable, a cut up face is for live. IF you can't get away, give them the contents of the till, if they want a coffee to go with that , make that coffee, pack the box of chocolates and wish them a good day. Anything to stay unharmed and alive.
But in fact there is no training that can help you to get a way from someone who just simply has no respect for others, for society or their communities.
What will happen now is that Dairys will arm themselves, will hopefully always have a two people policies – if they don't have for the most part even more CCTV that they already have and if all falters, just shut. Because clearly it onus is on us to keep us alive, the police will come to mop up what is left over if the robbery/raid goes wrong, and of course lay a charge for murder or assault.
If the government is serious about winning the next election, and helping those at risk of being impacted by rising mortgage rates, then the government should change the target inflation range temporarilly to reflect the reality of the economic situation.
Those at risk don't only include mortgage holders. But also likely tenants who may face rent increases to cover increasing mortgage costs incurred by landlords.
If a lot of the inflation is imported, then, that component of inflation will not be affected. So, the only way to bring inflation back within the target band is to basically force NZ into a full-blown recession.
I think the target rate for the next three years should be say 3-5%, which would be much more achievable with a lot less pain.
I was trying to find some data to refute your claim,
which I just don't think is true, at least not to the same scale of increase or remotely close to it. I do note you have couched your claim using the words, "likely", and "may".
There's this GA article from 2014. Best line is first in the comments section,
It is true to the extent that landlords will try to pass on their costs to tenants if they are able to. Of course, market conditions may not allow that. For instance, if there is a glut of houses on the market. So, it isn't given.
Lovely thought, but please explain how you’d ensure employment and price stability at those inflated rates.
Firstly, within a historical context, the inflation rate has been much higher in the past reaching an eye-watering 17% in 1987. So, I am not sure that 3-5% inflation is intolerable for several years, given the extra-ordinary times we have been through, and that the RB did cock things up a bit.
Secondly, adjusting the inflation target range is not without historical precedent. For instance, in 1996 the target range moved from 0-2% to 0-3%.
If we do have a recession, there is no guarantee it will be shallow, and it may cost a lot of jobs. But applying the handbrake a bit slower may allow a lot of jobs to be saved.
You didn’t answer the question, just beating around the bush.
Even if the RB crashes the economy, there still won't be price stability. For instance, we import a lot of stuff as part of my company. Prices have gone up at least 30% from most suppliers over the last several years. There is no sign that imported inflation is going to end any time soon.
What will happen though, in a recession, is a lot of people will lose their jobs, and there will be a lot of hardship that could be avoided by taking a more measured approach to bringing down inflation. It is not the fault of voters that the RB way over-stimulated the economy. Yet they are being expected to take the medicine to fix it.
Someone pays one way or another whether target inflation range stays the same or is increased temporarilly to a more realistic level. That is through either slightly higher prices, but lower interest rates. Or higher interest rates, and slightly lower prices.
One of the understood effects of the OCR tightening is the currency appreciation.There are 2 parts here the appreciation of the US$ as a reserve currency with large reservoirs for liquid assets such as cash,and the differential in the interest rates (with forex risk)
Here with the OCR being largely forecast there has been an appreciation of 10% since the start of oct,against the US$.This in turn reduces the cost of imports along with reducing the freight and insurance component ( freight rates now back to around pre covid)
The question you need to ask your supplier is why the price has not adjusted.
"Increasingly National’s election pitch is simply that they are “not Labour”. But is that really enough during an economic recession? Does National have any policies of substance that might help navigate the current economic crisis? Even if voters punish Labour for mismanaging the economy, there are no signs that they should have confidence that National would do any better."
https://democracyproject.nz/2022/11/24/bryce-edwards-politicians-and-the-reserve-bank-are-being-blamed-for-an-escalating-economic-crisis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bryce-edwards-politicians-and-the-reserve-bank-are-being-blamed-for-an-escalating-economic-crisis
History would suggest not being the incumbent will be sufficient
When a Government takes from more people than it gives too or does not give enough to those who believe they deserve more then a majority is formed for its demise. The major problem is inflation which takes from many and gives to few – so once the incumbent Government is blamed for "letting inflation get out of control" it is on the way to being toast.
The current Gov may have a lot to answer for but in reality the current economic situation has been little influenced by them, this situation has been building since 2008 , and as is noted in the linked piece that will butter no parsnips for the electorate come next year.
Question: Why the first house price spike 2002-2008?
While looking for something else I saw again the there has been constant and severe house price inflation in NZ for 20 years now, briefly interrupted by the GFC. We know about 2010-2018 (Jong Khee), and 2020-2021 (Covid relief).
Why did the 2002-2008 spike occur? Accelerated immigration? Free trade deal with China? Is it just the cost of open tap neoliberal economics?
I suspect it is, which is why I applaud this government's commitment to managing immigration and foreign capital interference in the residential housing market.
it's also because the Retirement Commissioner spent years telling NZ to invest in property. That alongside the narrative that we couldn't afford superannuation any more and people needed to save for their own retirement. It was very anti-socialist/pro neolib.
Yes, i remember that. And the re-zoning of residential properties/zones to mixed which resulted in many nice villas being turned into offices, dental clinics and the likes. These lost residential houses were never replaced.
There was also the share market collapse in 1987 causing the losses of retirement savings of many, so for some, property probably would at least be worth something, unlike shares which can theoretically become worthless.
I also wonder how much impact Rich Dad, Poor Dad had – the book had more to it than "buy underpriced real estate using leverage", but that was probably the main message people took from it. It was published in 1997 and was a big seller, and I could see that message slowly percolating through to NZ after the 1997 Asian financial crisis as the economy first recovered in 1998-9 and then picked up steam under Labour.
Would you like to produce some evidence to support your last sentence?
I remember a real slump in house prices in 1991. I was overseas for most of 1990 and I remember when I came back giving some serious thought to buying an investment property in early 1991 as there was quite a glut on the market. I did decide not to – which was probably wise.
Can we please get rid of these repulsive commercial American holidays like black friday and thanksgiving? They are not New Zealand.
+1
wait, are people in NZ doing Thanksgiving? (who aren't American)
The big trashy retailers certainly are , and it's repulsive. Likewise Halloween has become a commercial spendfest.
I haven't seen any NZ retailers (not even Costco) advertising Thanksgiving.
OTOH – they're all going full out on Black Friday – and actually some (PB Tech) have been doing Black Friday sales for a month.
The only people in NZ I know who are doing Thanksgiving are transplanted Americans.
The funny thing is that Halloween derives from Hallowed Evening which presumably is the holy evening before All Saints Day on Nov 1st.
the great us-americanisation continues unabated……
Agree. What happened to Black Friday being any Friday that fell on the 13th of the month?
'
Engineering a Recession
Those that have shall be given more, and they will have an abundance. But those that do not have, even what they have, will be taken away from them.
Matthew 25:29
Banks made record profits, there was no pandemic for them. Rents, mortgages still had to be paid even under lock down.
To keep up with paying higher interest rates demanded by the banksters. Adrian Orr says the public will have to cut their spending,
Adrian Orr has also linked higher unemployment to job competition as the answer to 'wage inflation'.
Adrian Orr says unemployment must rise, before inflation, (particularly wage inflation) will be brought under control.
Bigger mortgage payments, less wages, more unemployment, more job competition, this is all sweet music to the banksters and bosses.
Listening to the car radio. Newstalk ZB, a representative of the banking community said; Can't meet your new mortgage interest rate. Talk to us. 'We can help. 'We don't want to see you out of your home.' 'We are here for the long haul'. (And so are you).
Bought at the high end of the housing market?
Feeling squeezed between inadequate wage increases and high interest rates?
Go to your local bank manager and beg for mercy like the desperate wretch you are, He will see what he can do for you. Agree to a mortgage holiday, or longer period of payment, he will let you stay in your home to work longer to pay off your mortgage.
The March of the Greedies;
Reserve Bank manager, Adrian Orr. also says government spending must be cut.
(Y'know, health care, education, welfare all that unnecessary stuff that gets in the way of maximising bankster profits).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zatnIhwmu1c
No one should expect their investment to be underwritten by taxpayers. You are responsible for your own risk more than banks are.
Hindsight won't be kind to this government wasting billions on non-delivered services. Robertson may think the RB is overreacting, but honestly so did Robertson.
The fed minutes last night said they showed a greater then even chance (likely) of recession,.The IIF models forecast recession,so it is an expected outcome from high inflation and the necessary mechanism to curb animal spirits,through the forced extinction of Zombie companies,that take easy capital and transform it into empty pixels such as the removal in value of 2.2 trillion $ in crypto,or the deleveraging of property values.
https://twitter.com/RobinBrooksIIF/status/1595075683298025477?cxt=HHwWioC9zcC47KIsAAAA