Let's grant Damien the courtesy of a reply to his latest effort at demonstrating the ineptness of what passes for thinking out loud by libertarians.
He first notes that most of the income received by Kainga Ora for housing its tenants comes from a government rent subsidy top up.
And suggests because the amount paid by tenants is so much less than that for private market rentals, it would be better for both government and tenants, if they were gifted ownership of their property.
Thus the government would lose $30B ($45B of asset to remove $15B of debt).
He seems to fail to note that government can afford the cost of subsidising rent and borrowing to build more housing, because its land and property assets are rising in value – does he know nothing about the value of CG via ownership? How landlords acquire more and more property via leverage?
Most of our populations wealth is in the rising value of the land and yet he pretends to fail to understand.
It shows he just does not care about the health of government finances. And wants to divest government of its assets and capability.
Bill English just wants the coalition to do the same more slowly – less new debt and rising property value portfolio for Kainga Ora and transfer of taxpayer money to other social housing providers.
It shows he just does not care about the health of government finances. And wants to divest government of its assets and capability
Yep – and and also true for Luxon, Willis, Seymour etc. The scary talk about debt is just to garner popular support for their real agenda
Bill English just wants the coalition to do the same more slowly – less new debt and rising property value portfolio for Kainga Ora and transfer of taxpayer money to other social housing providers.
Yep – and just wait for the definition of social housing providers to be radically widened beyond what the popular imagination would normally consider to be such a thing. It's likely to encompass private sector mega-landlords showing their commitment to something called "the community" through participation in the Government's "social investment strategy" – aka Billy's Boondoggle.
Perhaps the calculations would be different if the government gifted the house but retained ownership of the land, which they would then rent out to the tenant. That rent could be kept relatively low with respect to the household income, and would take take into account the fact that the house was no longer included in the rent.
I don't have a problem personally with giving tenants the house eventually, but would do it after 12 years of paying 25% of income as rent regardless of income (so no maximum rent) since after that, the tenant would have paid 3 year's worth of income as rent.
Could be set up as peppercorn (or no) leaseholds, and probably a clause in the contract or legislation that gives the Crown first right of refusal on sale at a reasonably low value to avoid it being on-sold at high profits.
That said, does the Crown need to retain the land? If it wants to borrow, it can do it via A grade bonds backed by a sovereign currency with no history of defaults. It doesn't need to land as collateral.
1.giving people land ownership while others were paying market rents (and unable to afford to buy) would be unwise.
2.this is why I prefer assistance to those paying market rents into home ownership on leasehold land and continuing with income related rent for state housing.
3.debt to assets is an important part of government accounts (across time).
The Technology Institutes had embarked on Reform by unififying the content so that experts in soil management for example would design a universal program so that each Institute could use the same plan.
No! No says Penny Symonds. De-Unify this minute!
Reading programs were designed by teachers using a wide range of methods.
No! No says Erica Stanford. Unify the teaching of Reading and we will call it what the Dyslexic Association named it, Structured Literacy.
Does this sound like a coherent consistent plan or does it sound like a shambles?
(Incidentally, 80% of children do learn to read using the previous systems, but it is true that the 20% who can't, do need specific help, but bath/baby spring to mind.)
as a general principle, we should do both. We need national standards, but we also need those to be adaptable to local situations. All good sustainability design arises out of the environment in which it will be applied, because the local environment is what we have to work with.
The trouble with National Standards Weka, is that no two people learn at the same rate. We might say that the average class of 10 year old reads at the 10year Reading age. But some of those children read at the 15+ RA and some are reading at the 7y RA with all the others sprinkled between. Those below 7y RA need specific assistance. And they always had needs as the NZ long tail has shown. (Dyslexia.)
NZ has always had majority of children reading very well above "average" with a significant number weighing the average down. In UK there was (is?) a test day so cunning Principals asked certain kids to stay home so that their averages stayed higher.
(Note: Just because a 10 year old has a RA of 15+ doesn't mean that they should read Adult books because their interests are still that of 10 year olds.)
(Note: Just because a 10 year old has a RA of 15+ doesn't mean that they should read Adult books because their interests are still that of 10 year olds.)
I dunno bout that. By 10 I was reading stuff like Robert Ruark's – Uhuru, Edge and Adam Steele westerns, Robert Heinlen's – Stranger in a Strange Land, loads more scifi.
Even just looking at stuff now I got for Christmas that I can find – Black Beauty at 5, Dog Crusoe at 7, Huckleberry Finn and Ivanhoe at 8. I distinctly remember outgrowing the traditional children stuff and moving to adult books post the Ivanhoe / Three Musketeers era – somewhere in that period was Wilbur
Smith as well – though I think I was about 15 when I realised that Sean was not pronounced "seen". Sadly I also read the Erich von Däniken stuff about then as well.
11 to 12 was reading Sven Hassell (became interested after reading The Blue Max to read more books about the opposition's perspective of the war), Anne McCaffrey, etc etc
The point is, is that there was nothing in any of that that was not able to be read and understood and worked through – sex, violence, religion (for and against).
I read plenty of non-fiction too and magazines like my uncles Mind Alive.
I'm not sure what you mean by interests of 10 year olds. Just let people read what they are comfortable with. I suspect there may be some stuff I didn't fully understand at the time but not much – and if I didn't understand it it likely didn't matter. Just like so many people don't pick up on what Lola by The Kinks is about ….
I, too, was an extensive reader (and borrower of books from the adult section of my local library) – lovely librarians who were delighted to help me find new authors.
I think that I would have been bored silly by the 'books suitable for 10-year-olds' then (and even more so, now, when the literary level has been lowered even further).
If I was (and I was) interested in historical fiction, then the natural progression from Rosemary Sutcliffe, Cynthia Harnett, or Elsie Locke (all, BTW, probably too 'advanced' for today's 10-year-olds) – was Jean Plaidy, Mary Renault, or Robert Graves (or even Georgette Heyer). – from the shelves of the adult collection.
I will admit that I entirely skipped over the YA novels – which seemed to be entirely concerned with relationships or social problems – neither of which I was interested in.
If something came up in one of the novels (or non-fiction books) which I didn't understand – I could always discuss with my family (dinner-table conversations about torture, martyrdom, abuse, political shenanigans, etc.).
As an aside, I vividly remember the first time I asked my Dad something he didn't know the answer to (What was the Babington Plot) – and he said 'I don't know, but let's go and find out' – leading to consulting an encyclopedia, and a further trip to the library to look into Tudor history – no Google in those days).
It made a huge impression on me. Not only that adults didn't know everything, but that it was OK (even praiseworthy) to admit it, and go and find the answer.
We'd all gotten used to death and destruction I guess quite early on reading the bible from cover to cover anyway. Pretty sure I knew what killing people, stoning people to death, adultery, eternal damnation and being prejudiced was about quite early on in the piece. As well as the good bits. Focus on the good bits……..
My 8-year-old was horrified by the killing of the first-born (reason for the Jewish Passover). The Bible is not for the faint-hearted!
The Wars of the Roses was the inspiration for Game of Thrones – those of us familiar with Medieval history were not surprised by any of the blood-thirsty dramatization.
George R. R. Martin has stated many times that the Massacre of Glencoe, along with the Black Dinner at Edinburgh Castle in 1440, is what gave him the idea for Game of Thrones' most infamous scene – the Red Wedding.
And the wall and storms of winter coming from the north.
As to the bible stuff, the acts of god are just exaggerations of abuse of power judgment (beyond the capacity of empire, let alone mere kings). And there is no evidence any of them were real (not even a conquest of Canaan and decimation of the population). It can be explained as the shock and awe narrative of cult myth making.
Though belief in such inspires real acts of dubious morality by those of Christian, Moslem and Jewish faith.
"(Note: Just because a 10 year old has a RA of 15+ doesn't mean that they should read Adult books because their interests are still that of 10 year olds.)"
I too read anything and every thing. What I meant was that teachers who read a 15+ RA should not thrust adult books on kids as part of the reading program. There is heaps of stuff available for challenging instruction. (I remember a book from the National Library Exchange whizzing around a class of 10 year old girls. Judy Blume wrote for younger kids but this particular book that excited the girls, was the book aimed at adolescents experimenting with sex. RA 15+.)
I don't know where you're getting your figure of 80% of kids learning to read under balanced literacy (the current MoE approach to teaching).
We don't have any figures – AFAIK – measuring this for primary age children.
The only independent measure has been the pass rate at the NCEA literacy test – which has been hovering around 65% for reading.
Note: this is *after* any interventions such as Reading Recovery, and/or expensive tutoring programmes (for higher wealth families).
Given that, I'd put the success rate of balanced literacy approach in actually teaching reading in the classroom- closer to one third (which aligns with overseas results)
Yes, of course, *some* kids learn to read under balanced literacy. They will also learn to read under structured literacy (phonics based) – and would probably learn to read with no actual teaching at all (all those anecdotes of people teaching themselves to read as preschoolers).
Yes, of course, *some* kids will not learn under structured literacy in the classroom and will need further intervention. But – all the research shows, that it's a lot fewer of them (and the current Reading Recovery programme won't teach them either)
The point is that structured literacy has a whole string of research-based evaluation – everything from neuroscience (what's going on in your brain when you learn to read), through to practical classroom-based results (including in NZ) – to show that it's a better methodology for teaching *all* kids to read.
Time for the NZ teachers unions and the MoE to get on with implementing best-practice, rather than trying to defend their previous (failing) systems.
The assumption is that "35%" of children based on the offered data cannot read.
Yet Pisa stated 21% of 15 year olds reading at the lowest level. That leaves 79% at some reading skill through to above age levels. Included in the below to high group is a group of kids who have mono-syllabic language language skills, deprived backgrounds where going to school is not part of their survival skills. I do not think it is possible for every kid to be above average. If they were then average would have no place.
The structured learning program was designed for the dyslexic kids who were failing, by the Dyslexic association and good on them. (Spectacles help poor sight so will we give every person a pair of spectacles?)
We will look forward to seeing if the quality of reading that we enjoyed, will translate from the mechanics and dissection of the bits of words into meaningful language. (I helped an adult man recently who could read the words but had never learned to understand the wholeness of the language.)
And your evidence for the 80% of kids learning to read through the current classroom balanced literacy approach has still not been provided.
The difference between the PISA results and the NCEA ones can very easily be explained by a difference in evaluation (I would assume that the bottom and next to bottom PISA results would be equivalent to the NCEA result – covering those kids who have some level of literacy, but are functionally illiterate when measured against NCEA standards)
Note that the PISA results absolutely do not include those kids who are not present at school, and I would strongly argue, don't include many kids who are noticeably struggling with learning. PISA evaluation is an 'opt-in' programme- and not all schools opt in (and not all students at those schools participate).
The structured learning programme may well benefit Dyslexic kids – but it also benefits many, many other children. There is zero evidence that only dyslexic kids are failing to learn to read using the current system – indeed thousands of kids, with no identifiable learning disability (apart from failing to learn to read), are being sent to Reading Recovery. Which makes this whole argument, a red herring.
The proof is, as always, in the pudding. But NZ schools which have already transitioned to structured literacy (at their own cost, and against MoE pressure) have reported significantly improved results for their students in learning to read.
Thanks Belladonna. Your thoughts are well informed and useful. In my time teaching NE to year 6, most of the kids could read from a bit below to 15+ but now in my 80s, so perhaps I need a wee lie down.
Appreciate the discussion Ianmac. Reading and literacy are a subject that I care deeply about. And the reality that too many Kiwi kids can't read worries me a lot.
Not so much reading for pleasure (although that's been a lifelong recreation for me) – but I recognize not everyone gets their kicks out of books.
But being able to read full stop. It's a huge barrier to employability (no driver's licence for example, or not able to read safety briefings), and to participation in society.
Well-researched and successful changes to teaching practice are absolutely worth trying.
I supported this under Jan Tinetti (although I doubted that she'd get it across the line against the MoE). And I support it under Stanford.
Does Chris Luxon shave? The answer is No! because he doesn’t have the balls to stimulate the growth of any facial hair. The reason is that he’s been politically castrated and neutered by his coalition buddies in a messy coup d’état.
But if/when he does grow some balls shit will hit the fan and the most likely scenario is that he’ll be replaced to keep the coalition alive.
But it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Prime Minister overrides his co-deputies to mete out the same clear and swift retribution suffered by National Party MPs and ministers. It’s unlikely the coalition would come out of that unscathed.
Unlikely – who needs balls when you're juggling seven properties. The whole governance thing is tangential to getting 'our' country back on a landLord's track.
Who chooses to be a tenant in NZ? Imagine what it's like for, say, a family with children to always be only 90 days away from eviction – that’s the 'stability' rent will buy.
In Vienna, the Renters’ Utopia [10 Oct 2023]
Soaring real estate markets have created a worldwide housing crisis. What can we learn from a city that has largely avoided it?
That's what differentiates Vienna. Perhaps no other developed city has done more to protect residents from the commodification of housing. In Vienna, 43 percent of all housing is insulated from the market, meaning the rental prices reflect costs or rates set by law – not "what the market will bear" or what a person with no other options will pay.
…
The mean gross household income in Vienna is 57,700 euros a year, but any person who makes under 70,000 euros qualifies for a Gemeindebau unit. Once in, you never have to leave. It doesn't matter if you start earning more. The Government never checks your salary again.
Vienna is also the city with the shortest working week, ~29.5 hours on average, andthe 7th most productive city in the world. Vienna shows that planning/regulation to minimise landLord greed is possible. And, with what's in the pipeline, imho NZ govts would be stupid to stay on a landLord's track. Just hope we don't run out of time.
Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed. – Einstein
If only prospective tenants could find out the history of bonds lodged for a given rental address – dates only would suffice, but actual dollar-amounts would be a bonus – then this could serve as a warning bell not to touch it with a barge pole. Knowledge is power and tenants need all the power they can get in this lopsided environment.
Yeah, that excuse is wheeled out way too easily and often, IMO. A rental agreement is a legal (commercial) contract between two parties and both parties should be able to do full due diligence, e.g., make it a pre-requirement before lodging the bond. This could be seen as the equivalent of obtaining a LIM report, title check, and builder’s report when buying a house – one could call it a RIM report.
There’s no time to think, so I operate on instinct. My task is ridiculously complex. I need to deescalate any signs of aggression, guide the man into a state of emotional balance, and exit the situation safely, all at once. This process requires all of my attention, energy, and intellect. It’s really hard.
I’ve been in this position so many times that it exhausts me just to write about it. Sometimes, it’s not that I’m afraid of men; I’m just really, really tired.
The ICJ has now formally agreed with the SA application for urgency in dealing with Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza by demanding they cease operations in Rafah, open the Rafah crossing to allow the quantity of needed aid into Gaza (at last count, perhaps 10 trucks – pictures showed these only half full, perhaps due to the instability of a floating platform – had delivered aid to warehouses, a big zero to acrual Palestinians), and to allow any investigators of appropriate UN bodies in.
Of course, the chances of this occurring so long as the US remains staunch in its support for genocide, approaches zero. With regard to ICC warrants, Germany has conceded that should Netanyahu or Gallant visit after the warrants have been issued they will be obliged to arrest them.
The US is now increasing the depth of its complicity with law changes enabling US citizens in the IDF to claim the same benefits as US servicemen. It is estimated that around 20,000 US citizens serve in the IDF. One of the benefits accrued will be immunity from prosecution for war crimes.
In effect, H.R. 8445 is a measure designed to ensure U.S. legal and financial protections are being extended directly to U.S. citizens on the ground in Occupied Palestine as they assist in the ongoing colonization, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Palestinians.The amendments it proposes formally bring U.S. citizens fighting in a foreign military into the fold, opening up further incentives for becoming an active participant in the Gaza genocide.
In addition to those serving in the IDF, US citizens have a large footprint in Israeli cotrolled areas.
This figure is bolstered further by the reality that an estimated 600,000 Americans were living in areas under Israeli control, including illegal West Bank settlements, prior to October 7. These settlers play key roles in advancing Zionist and, by extension, U.S. imperial interests. As such, it is no surprise that they have been consistently enabled to travel and settle in Occupied Palestine, being joined by billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic aid.
Albeit a little late, this is much-needed funding from central government to add to allocation by local government to clear choked and blocked waterways in greater Auckland of debris.
With increased housing density and in-fill housing one wonders if these clean-up efforts are going to be enough to prevent future flooding and major infrastructure damage caused by natural events. Probably not.
People could help by stopping littering, taking waste to waste & recycling stations, and by reporting major blockages in/of waterways by debris.
People who recycle should be paid instead of charged a recycling cost. I used to help my primary school collect old newspapers because they could earn money by selling it for recycling. In the Netherlands there’s a container deposit on glass and plastic bottles and cans and customers/consumers receive their deposit back upon returning the empty containers; many Dutch love it!
Interesting if we were to collate the malfeasance of the Government because bit by bit they slip bits through. So guess what. In Nick Rockel's Korero he has published Gerald Otto's compilation, from the side bar:
Footnote: Further to that “independent” review of Kāinga Ora by Bill English whose departing record in his final year in office ( o.e. minus 1500 state houses) somehow qualified him to damn Kāinga Ora, which was well on track to build 4,800 to 6,000 state houses a year. Despite its allegedly “unsustainable”forecast debt of $9 billion debt, Kāinga Ora was actually building up housing assets worth tens of billions
The salient detail is that the coalition of chaos was/is trying to imply that Kainga Ora''s operational management was the concern as per growing debt forecasts, when this was mostly related to the build up planned.
"The salient detail is that the coalition of chaos was/is trying to imply that Kainga Ora''s operational management was the concern as per growing debt forecasts, when this was mostly related to the build up planned."
That is a political red herring thrown up by Labour. The assets being accumulated mean nothing, if the organisation can't generate sufficient cash flow to service and pay back the debt.
KO is forecasting losses over somewhere around $2.5bn over the next 4 years. Interest costs exceeded the net operating income for 2023 and are forecast to do the same for 3 of the subsequent 4 years. KO is facing negative net operating cash flows such that they will have to take on even more debt just to pay its interest.
KO has been poorly governed – it doesn't matter which way you slice this.
Landlords who are unable to pay the mortgage – either from rents or supplemented with other revenue – do not do 'fine'. They either sell the loss-making house, or the bank forecloses.
Some may well run at an interest-only mortgage for some time (although banks are fairly wary about these, with the potential for a dropping housing market). And many may just break even (or even make a technical small loss – although they can not set that off against any other taxes).
I don't have an issue with KO having borrowed money to build the houses. But there is indeed an issue if the interest repayments are increasing substantially – with no way to offset these by increased income.
Note that money spent on repaying interest is not available for other uses. And if that amount of money increases a lot over the next few years, then what do you think the government should cut to pay for it?
Landlords at the very least, have to ensure that their outgoings on interest, are balanced by their income on rents.
The argument that they make their profit when they sell (assuming it’s outside the bright line period) – is indeed true. But not relevant to the government – unless they are proposing to sell off this state housing (which I think, we’d all say is not desirable)
Any landlord having a problem paying a mortgage out of rent income can just borrow more against the property (as farmers do in any year where cost is higher than profit). Using growth in equity (CG).
Landlords were doing this because of rising interest payment liability coinciding with the full realisation of Labour's end to deduction of this cost against rent income. There were not any mortgagee sales.
And now with the CoC in power they will be back buying more.
An organisation with $15B in debt and $45B in assets was well set to add thousands of new builds each year.
Landlord equity is higher in 2024 than in 2019, much higher – so this can be borrowed against to manage a temporary rise in mortgage cost.
Rents go up when there is a market shortage, the constraint is ability of the tenant class to afford the rent (and desirability of the landlords property vs others)
Landlord equity means nothing if landlord income cannot fund the debt.
As far as rents are concerned, market pressure from excess demand is going to be exacerbated when landlords have additional costs imposed on them. And we know that from the data. From 2008 through 2017, the median weekly rent in NZ increased by just 4% per year. From 2017 through 2023, the average rise was 6%. In 2023 alone the increases was 9%! That's the impact of government policy right there. https://figure.nz/chart/dnQKC3FHjhAE6Kqw
Maybe the high level of migrant labour inflow 2022-23 has an impact on rent demand.
And in adding that level of demand, the government just made things worse. Add costs to suppliers, and then throw extra demand on top.
Anyone whose equity has gone from 40% to 66% can borrow money rather easily (banks know higher mortgage rates are temporary).
Where do those figures come from? You're also forgetting that interest rates have risen substantially. Any landlord who purchased in the year or so up to November 2021 will have seen their equity decline.
Anyone whose equity has gone from 40% to 66% can borrow money rather easily (banks know higher mortgage rates are temporary).
Really? You have evidence that people with an increase in equity, but not increase in income (either current or projected) can "borrow money rather easily"?
Perhaps you could share the source of your information.
No. Banks require landlords to prove that they have a reasonable expectation that income will grow to meet the mortgage repayment requirements.
So, yes, the banks may agree to an interest-only period to meet a specific crisis: e.g. someone loses their job, a serious operation (requiring an extended period of convalescence) or the house needs to be gutted and refitted after being trashed by a tenant. Or, as you say, a bad farm year (with future projections being positive). All of those are time-limited issues. If things don't improve (i.e. income doesn't increase) after this period – then the banks will move to foreclosure. [Note that many farms operate on an entirely different commercial reality – with annual mortgage payments, rather than the regular fortnightly ones that most of us experience]
Banks may also agree to a reverse-mortgage. Although this is usually not for landlords.
Banks are now stress-testing additions to the capital sum borrowed at something around 9%. And, if you cannot afford this, they will not increase the capital sum they lend to you. They certainly won't loan you more, if you cannot pay interest on the amount you already owe!
This has nothing to do with the amount of equity you have in the property. It has to do with your ability to pay the interest and repay the capital.
But, if you cannot meet your interest repayments (setting aside capital repayments) the bank will indeed force foreclosure. From their perspective, a quick mortgagee sale gets them their money – and the prospect of a new loan to someone better able to pay.
But, in any case, comparing private individuals and even companies with state owned housing is entirely pointless.
Unless you are envisaging that the government is going to sell off state housing in order to achieve the capital gain, the 'assets' have no commercial value. The liabilities (the debt) however, is indeed real, and the government needs to find this money in order to pay off the lenders (interest and capital). If the income generated by the 'assets' isn't sufficient to match the liabilities (and we're just looking at debt here, setting aside maintenance, repairs and rates) – then there is a major issue for the government to manage.
If these repayments are ballooning because of increased mortgage rates – then this money has to come from somewhere. And means that the government has to cut spending in other areas. There is no money tree.
Historically, this was why governments issued bonds, rather than borrowing.
I suspect that the last government was over-persuaded by the very cheap capital available at the time, and didn't consider the long-term consequences if/when that situation changed.
There you go, so it is all about Kainga Ora being profitable. According to some psycho the only way NZ should expand social housing provision is at a profit.
There is no money tree Nic. KO has a funding model that enables it to build new housing and manage social housing stocks. When it is governed well, that works. When the organisation allows its borrowing and operating costs to balloon out beyond what is sustainable, it doesn't.
If the government wants to expand social housing that is a non-issue, if it wants to reduce social housing this is a convenient excuse. That is all that is going on here.
You can read that the KO funding model changed just from the report. The conditions include operating surplus within two years (That's what is known as profit in private sector terms, by the way) and it became clear that the boards expectation of increased borrowing (needed to expand social housing) was not going to be reciprocated.
The governance of KO didn't change, they were sacked for holding onto ideas of the previous government, after the government changed.
The funding model did not change. The way KO is funded is still the way it was funded under the previous government. And BTW, an operating surplus is not the same as a profit in private sector terms. In private sector terms terms 'profit' includes deduction of the cost of funding. The operating surplus examined in the KO review does not include funding costs.
"Kieran's claim is wrong. We're funding 1500 new homes for people in need. The vast bulk of those will be new houses."
$140M for 1500 new homes.
Bishop is now claiming the "vast" bulk of the funded 1500 new "homes" will be new houses.
It cannot include ownership of new land for housing. So it would have to be homes within existing or new building. One still wonders who can build a house for under $100,000 (a bed sit within a group house maybe)(otherwise factory sourced small build).
The delivery window does run over two years (so I guess the potential of additional funding in the second year).
The intention is that a large chunk of this is emergency housing (or it seems so) – operated by community housing providers (I guess the Sallies, etc.) I imagine, to free up the money currently being spent on motels.
Another chunk is for longer term housing – but very little detail on this.
Some verbiage about it not necessarily being built in the areas where there has been other social housing investment. I've no idea what they mean by that – unless it's a veiled hint that it will not be Rotorua!
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TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
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Let's grant Damien the courtesy of a reply to his latest effort at demonstrating the ineptness of what passes for thinking out loud by libertarians.
He first notes that most of the income received by Kainga Ora for housing its tenants comes from a government rent subsidy top up.
And suggests because the amount paid by tenants is so much less than that for private market rentals, it would be better for both government and tenants, if they were gifted ownership of their property.
Thus the government would lose $30B ($45B of asset to remove $15B of debt).
He seems to fail to note that government can afford the cost of subsidising rent and borrowing to build more housing, because its land and property assets are rising in value – does he know nothing about the value of CG via ownership? How landlords acquire more and more property via leverage?
Most of our populations wealth is in the rising value of the land and yet he pretends to fail to understand.
It shows he just does not care about the health of government finances. And wants to divest government of its assets and capability.
Bill English just wants the coalition to do the same more slowly – less new debt and rising property value portfolio for Kainga Ora and transfer of taxpayer money to other social housing providers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350287662/what-do-problem-kainga-ora
Yep – and and also true for Luxon, Willis, Seymour etc. The scary talk about debt is just to garner popular support for their real agenda
Yep – and just wait for the definition of social housing providers to be radically widened beyond what the popular imagination would normally consider to be such a thing. It's likely to encompass private sector mega-landlords showing their commitment to something called "the community" through participation in the Government's "social investment strategy" – aka Billy's Boondoggle.
Perhaps the calculations would be different if the government gifted the house but retained ownership of the land, which they would then rent out to the tenant. That rent could be kept relatively low with respect to the household income, and would take take into account the fact that the house was no longer included in the rent.
I've long argued that housing could be much cheaper if government owned the land and all you had to do was buy the house.
Put the land on 99 year peppercorn leases – after all if it is good enough for Taranaki farmers…..
Very Singaporean!
Not with state houses, but to help people into first homes (also hopefully Kiwi Saver and NZSF move to provide long term rentals).
That would allow more into a home than the First Start deposit (given rising land values).
And the rising land value would be a government asset.
I don't have a problem personally with giving tenants the house eventually, but would do it after 12 years of paying 25% of income as rent regardless of income (so no maximum rent) since after that, the tenant would have paid 3 year's worth of income as rent.
Not with the land, the government needs the rising land value to borrow against to build more new state housing.
Could be set up as peppercorn (or no) leaseholds, and probably a clause in the contract or legislation that gives the Crown first right of refusal on sale at a reasonably low value to avoid it being on-sold at high profits.
That said, does the Crown need to retain the land? If it wants to borrow, it can do it via A grade bonds backed by a sovereign currency with no history of defaults. It doesn't need to land as collateral.
1.giving people land ownership while others were paying market rents (and unable to afford to buy) would be unwise.
2.this is why I prefer assistance to those paying market rents into home ownership on leasehold land and continuing with income related rent for state housing.
3.debt to assets is an important part of government accounts (across time).
The Technology Institutes had embarked on Reform by unififying the content so that experts in soil management for example would design a universal program so that each Institute could use the same plan.
No! No says Penny Symonds. De-Unify this minute!
Reading programs were designed by teachers using a wide range of methods.
No! No says Erica Stanford. Unify the teaching of Reading and we will call it what the Dyslexic Association named it, Structured Literacy.
Does this sound like a coherent consistent plan or does it sound like a shambles?
(Incidentally, 80% of children do learn to read using the previous systems, but it is true that the 20% who can't, do need specific help, but bath/baby spring to mind.)
as a general principle, we should do both. We need national standards, but we also need those to be adaptable to local situations. All good sustainability design arises out of the environment in which it will be applied, because the local environment is what we have to work with.
The trouble with National Standards Weka, is that no two people learn at the same rate. We might say that the average class of 10 year old reads at the 10year Reading age. But some of those children read at the 15+ RA and some are reading at the 7y RA with all the others sprinkled between. Those below 7y RA need specific assistance. And they always had needs as the NZ long tail has shown. (Dyslexia.)
NZ has always had majority of children reading very well above "average" with a significant number weighing the average down. In UK there was (is?) a test day so cunning Principals asked certain kids to stay home so that their averages stayed higher.
(Note: Just because a 10 year old has a RA of 15+ doesn't mean that they should read Adult books because their interests are still that of 10 year olds.)
(Note: Just because a 10 year old has a RA of 15+ doesn't mean that they should read Adult books because their interests are still that of 10 year olds.)
I dunno bout that. By 10 I was reading stuff like Robert Ruark's – Uhuru, Edge and Adam Steele westerns, Robert Heinlen's – Stranger in a Strange Land, loads more scifi.
Even just looking at stuff now I got for Christmas that I can find – Black Beauty at 5, Dog Crusoe at 7, Huckleberry Finn and Ivanhoe at 8. I distinctly remember outgrowing the traditional children stuff and moving to adult books post the Ivanhoe / Three Musketeers era – somewhere in that period was Wilbur
Smith as well – though I think I was about 15 when I realised that Sean was not pronounced "seen". Sadly I also read the Erich von Däniken stuff about then as well.
11 to 12 was reading Sven Hassell (became interested after reading The Blue Max to read more books about the opposition's perspective of the war), Anne McCaffrey, etc etc
The point is, is that there was nothing in any of that that was not able to be read and understood and worked through – sex, violence, religion (for and against).
I read plenty of non-fiction too and magazines like my uncles Mind Alive.
I'm not sure what you mean by interests of 10 year olds. Just let people read what they are comfortable with. I suspect there may be some stuff I didn't fully understand at the time but not much – and if I didn't understand it it likely didn't matter. Just like so many people don't pick up on what Lola by The Kinks is about ….
I, too, was an extensive reader (and borrower of books from the adult section of my local library) – lovely librarians who were delighted to help me find new authors.
I think that I would have been bored silly by the 'books suitable for 10-year-olds' then (and even more so, now, when the literary level has been lowered even further).
If I was (and I was) interested in historical fiction, then the natural progression from Rosemary Sutcliffe, Cynthia Harnett, or Elsie Locke (all, BTW, probably too 'advanced' for today's 10-year-olds) – was Jean Plaidy, Mary Renault, or Robert Graves (or even Georgette Heyer). – from the shelves of the adult collection.
I will admit that I entirely skipped over the YA novels – which seemed to be entirely concerned with relationships or social problems – neither of which I was interested in.
If something came up in one of the novels (or non-fiction books) which I didn't understand – I could always discuss with my family (dinner-table conversations about torture, martyrdom, abuse, political shenanigans, etc.).
As an aside, I vividly remember the first time I asked my Dad something he didn't know the answer to (What was the Babington Plot) – and he said 'I don't know, but let's go and find out' – leading to consulting an encyclopedia, and a further trip to the library to look into Tudor history – no Google in those days).
It made a huge impression on me. Not only that adults didn't know everything, but that it was OK (even praiseworthy) to admit it, and go and find the answer.
A L Rowse's book on The Tudors was fascinating.
We'd all gotten used to death and destruction I guess quite early on reading the bible from cover to cover anyway. Pretty sure I knew what killing people, stoning people to death, adultery, eternal damnation and being prejudiced was about quite early on in the piece. As well as the good bits. Focus on the good bits……..
My 8-year-old was horrified by the killing of the first-born (reason for the Jewish Passover). The Bible is not for the faint-hearted!
The Wars of the Roses was the inspiration for Game of Thrones – those of us familiar with Medieval history were not surprised by any of the blood-thirsty dramatization.
As was Scottish history.
And the wall and storms of winter coming from the north.
https://blog.nms.ac.uk/2019/02/14/exploring-the-true-history-behind-game-of-thrones-at-the-national-museum-of-scotland/
As to the bible stuff, the acts of god are just exaggerations of abuse of power judgment (beyond the capacity of empire, let alone mere kings). And there is no evidence any of them were real (not even a conquest of Canaan and decimation of the population). It can be explained as the shock and awe narrative of cult myth making.
Though belief in such inspires real acts of dubious morality by those of Christian, Moslem and Jewish faith.
"(Note: Just because a 10 year old has a RA of 15+ doesn't mean that they should read Adult books because their interests are still that of 10 year olds.)"
I too read anything and every thing. What I meant was that teachers who read a 15+ RA should not thrust adult books on kids as part of the reading program. There is heaps of stuff available for challenging instruction. (I remember a book from the National Library Exchange whizzing around a class of 10 year old girls. Judy Blume wrote for younger kids but this particular book that excited the girls, was the book aimed at adolescents experimenting with sex. RA 15+.)
I don't know where you're getting your figure of 80% of kids learning to read under balanced literacy (the current MoE approach to teaching).
We don't have any figures – AFAIK – measuring this for primary age children.
The only independent measure has been the pass rate at the NCEA literacy test – which has been hovering around 65% for reading.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/499391/ncea-numeracy-literacy-test-results-show-55-percent-student-pass-rate
Meaning that around 35% of kids are functionally illiterate at age 14-15.
The PISA test found that 21% of NZ 15-year-olds were 'reading' at the lowest level (either completely or functionally illiterate)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516423/using-a-structured-literacy-approach-to-teach-reading-what-you-need-to-know
Note: this is *after* any interventions such as Reading Recovery, and/or expensive tutoring programmes (for higher wealth families).
Given that, I'd put the success rate of balanced literacy approach in actually teaching reading in the classroom- closer to one third (which aligns with overseas results)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/two-thirds-of-american-kids-cant-read-fluently/
Yes, of course, *some* kids learn to read under balanced literacy. They will also learn to read under structured literacy (phonics based) – and would probably learn to read with no actual teaching at all (all those anecdotes of people teaching themselves to read as preschoolers).
Yes, of course, *some* kids will not learn under structured literacy in the classroom and will need further intervention. But – all the research shows, that it's a lot fewer of them (and the current Reading Recovery programme won't teach them either)
The point is that structured literacy has a whole string of research-based evaluation – everything from neuroscience (what's going on in your brain when you learn to read), through to practical classroom-based results (including in NZ) – to show that it's a better methodology for teaching *all* kids to read.
Time for the NZ teachers unions and the MoE to get on with implementing best-practice, rather than trying to defend their previous (failing) systems.
The assumption is that "35%" of children based on the offered data cannot read.
Yet Pisa stated 21% of 15 year olds reading at the lowest level. That leaves 79% at some reading skill through to above age levels. Included in the below to high group is a group of kids who have mono-syllabic language language skills, deprived backgrounds where going to school is not part of their survival skills. I do not think it is possible for every kid to be above average. If they were then average would have no place.
The structured learning program was designed for the dyslexic kids who were failing, by the Dyslexic association and good on them. (Spectacles help poor sight so will we give every person a pair of spectacles?)
We will look forward to seeing if the quality of reading that we enjoyed, will translate from the mechanics and dissection of the bits of words into meaningful language. (I helped an adult man recently who could read the words but had never learned to understand the wholeness of the language.)
And your evidence for the 80% of kids learning to read through the current classroom balanced literacy approach has still not been provided.
The difference between the PISA results and the NCEA ones can very easily be explained by a difference in evaluation (I would assume that the bottom and next to bottom PISA results would be equivalent to the NCEA result – covering those kids who have some level of literacy, but are functionally illiterate when measured against NCEA standards)
Note that the PISA results absolutely do not include those kids who are not present at school, and I would strongly argue, don't include many kids who are noticeably struggling with learning. PISA evaluation is an 'opt-in' programme- and not all schools opt in (and not all students at those schools participate).
The structured learning programme may well benefit Dyslexic kids – but it also benefits many, many other children. There is zero evidence that only dyslexic kids are failing to learn to read using the current system – indeed thousands of kids, with no identifiable learning disability (apart from failing to learn to read), are being sent to Reading Recovery. Which makes this whole argument, a red herring.
The proof is, as always, in the pudding. But NZ schools which have already transitioned to structured literacy (at their own cost, and against MoE pressure) have reported significantly improved results for their students in learning to read.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/education/schools-footing-the-bill-to-teach-teachers-new-literacy-approach/3SMWSF3BSOCO5LJ76733SMBIOQ/
Thanks Belladonna. Your thoughts are well informed and useful. In my time teaching NE to year 6, most of the kids could read from a bit below to 15+ but now in my 80s, so perhaps I need a wee lie down.
Appreciate the discussion Ianmac. Reading and literacy are a subject that I care deeply about. And the reality that too many Kiwi kids can't read worries me a lot.
Not so much reading for pleasure (although that's been a lifelong recreation for me) – but I recognize not everyone gets their kicks out of books.
But being able to read full stop. It's a huge barrier to employability (no driver's licence for example, or not able to read safety briefings), and to participation in society.
Well-researched and successful changes to teaching practice are absolutely worth trying.
I supported this under Jan Tinetti (although I doubted that she'd get it across the line against the MoE). And I support it under Stanford.
All good.
Does Chris Luxon shave? The answer is No! because he doesn’t have the balls to stimulate the growth of any facial hair. The reason is that he’s been politically castrated and neutered by his coalition buddies in a messy coup d’état.
But if/when he does grow some balls shit will hit the fan and the most likely scenario is that he’ll be replaced to keep the coalition alive.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/22/christopher-luxon-the-disciplinarian/
Unlikely
– who needs balls when you're juggling seven properties. The whole governance thing is tangential to getting 'our' country back on a landLord's track.
Who chooses to be a tenant in NZ? Imagine what it's like for, say, a family with children to always be only 90 days away from eviction – that’s the 'stability' rent will buy.
https://rentersunited.org.nz/
Vienna is also the city with the shortest working week, ~29.5 hours on average, and the 7th most productive city in the world. Vienna shows that planning/regulation to minimise landLord greed is possible. And, with what's in the pipeline, imho NZ govts would be stupid to stay on a landLord's track. Just hope we don't run out of time.
https://www.greens.org.nz/ending_poverty_together
If only prospective tenants could find out the history of bonds lodged for a given rental address – dates only would suffice, but actual dollar-amounts would be a bonus – then this could serve as a warning bell not to touch it with a barge pole. Knowledge is power and tenants need all the power they can get in this lopsided environment.
Yeah, that excuse is wheeled out way too easily and often, IMO. A rental agreement is a legal (commercial) contract between two parties and both parties should be able to do full due diligence, e.g., make it a pre-requirement before lodging the bond. This could be seen as the equivalent of obtaining a LIM report, title check, and builder’s report when buying a house – one could call it a RIM report.
Man or bear?
.
There’s no time to think, so I operate on instinct. My task is ridiculously complex. I need to deescalate any signs of aggression, guide the man into a state of emotional balance, and exit the situation safely, all at once. This process requires all of my attention, energy, and intellect. It’s really hard.
I’ve been in this position so many times that it exhausts me just to write about it. Sometimes, it’s not that I’m afraid of men; I’m just really, really tired.
https://bikepacking.com/plog/man-or-bear-debate/
When confronted with a bear here is what you should do. Run like mad. It will give you something to do in the last minutes of your life.
Best advice I ever heard was to never, ever take your pants off and climb a tree. If you do you'll always have a bear behind.
The ICJ has now formally agreed with the SA application for urgency in dealing with Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza by demanding they cease operations in Rafah, open the Rafah crossing to allow the quantity of needed aid into Gaza (at last count, perhaps 10 trucks – pictures showed these only half full, perhaps due to the instability of a floating platform – had delivered aid to warehouses, a big zero to acrual Palestinians), and to allow any investigators of appropriate UN bodies in.
Of course, the chances of this occurring so long as the US remains staunch in its support for genocide, approaches zero. With regard to ICC warrants, Germany has conceded that should Netanyahu or Gallant visit after the warrants have been issued they will be obliged to arrest them.
The US is now increasing the depth of its complicity with law changes enabling US citizens in the IDF to claim the same benefits as US servicemen. It is estimated that around 20,000 US citizens serve in the IDF. One of the benefits accrued will be immunity from prosecution for war crimes.
In addition to those serving in the IDF, US citizens have a large footprint in Israeli cotrolled areas.
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/05/new-bill-seeks-to-extend-u-s-military-benefits-to-americans-serving-in-the-idf/
Albeit a little late, this is much-needed funding from central government to add to allocation by local government to clear choked and blocked waterways in greater Auckland of debris.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/517790/funding-boost-aims-to-clear-auckland-waterways-of-debris
With increased housing density and in-fill housing one wonders if these clean-up efforts are going to be enough to prevent future flooding and major infrastructure damage caused by natural events. Probably not.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018936992/how-much-of-our-extreme-weather-is-due-to-climate-change
People could help by stopping littering, taking waste to waste & recycling stations, and by reporting major blockages in/of waterways by debris.
People who recycle should be paid instead of charged a recycling cost. I used to help my primary school collect old newspapers because they could earn money by selling it for recycling. In the Netherlands there’s a container deposit on glass and plastic bottles and cans and customers/consumers receive their deposit back upon returning the empty containers; many Dutch love it!
Interesting if we were to collate the malfeasance of the Government because bit by bit they slip bits through. So guess what. In Nick Rockel's Korero he has published Gerald Otto's compilation, from the side bar:
"Threads of Corruption."
https://nickrockel.substack.com/p/threads-of-corruption
More on Corruption this time from Gordon Campbell:
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2405/S00075/on-blurring-the-lines-around-political-corruption.htm
Another appropriate meaning of CoC.
This government is shaping up to be the most PC government in NZ history.
The salient detail is that the coalition of chaos was/is trying to imply that Kainga Ora''s operational management was the concern as per growing debt forecasts, when this was mostly related to the build up planned.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2405/S00075/on-blurring-the-lines-around-political-corruption.htm
"The salient detail is that the coalition of chaos was/is trying to imply that Kainga Ora''s operational management was the concern as per growing debt forecasts, when this was mostly related to the build up planned."
That is a political red herring thrown up by Labour. The assets being accumulated mean nothing, if the organisation can't generate sufficient cash flow to service and pay back the debt.
KO is forecasting losses over somewhere around $2.5bn over the next 4 years. Interest costs exceeded the net operating income for 2023 and are forecast to do the same for 3 of the subsequent 4 years. KO is facing negative net operating cash flows such that they will have to take on even more debt just to pay its interest.
KO has been poorly governed – it doesn't matter which way you slice this.
Landlords who leverage do just fine. They become multi-millionaires.
Some farmers operate at a loss for years too, provided the equity grows they survive.
Landlords who are unable to pay the mortgage – either from rents or supplemented with other revenue – do not do 'fine'. They either sell the loss-making house, or the bank forecloses.
Some may well run at an interest-only mortgage for some time (although banks are fairly wary about these, with the potential for a dropping housing market). And many may just break even (or even make a technical small loss – although they can not set that off against any other taxes).
I don't have an issue with KO having borrowed money to build the houses. But there is indeed an issue if the interest repayments are increasing substantially – with no way to offset these by increased income.
Note that money spent on repaying interest is not available for other uses. And if that amount of money increases a lot over the next few years, then what do you think the government should cut to pay for it?
Landlords at the very least, have to ensure that their outgoings on interest, are balanced by their income on rents.
The argument that they make their profit when they sell (assuming it’s outside the bright line period) – is indeed true. But not relevant to the government – unless they are proposing to sell off this state housing (which I think, we’d all say is not desirable)
Any landlord having a problem paying a mortgage out of rent income can just borrow more against the property (as farmers do in any year where cost is higher than profit). Using growth in equity (CG).
Landlords were doing this because of rising interest payment liability coinciding with the full realisation of Labour's end to deduction of this cost against rent income. There were not any mortgagee sales.
And now with the CoC in power they will be back buying more.
An organisation with $15B in debt and $45B in assets was well set to add thousands of new builds each year.
They can’t just borrow more if they can’t meet the costs of servicing the loans, and if they have no foreseeable ability to repay the loans.
There were not any mortgagee sales.
Do you rent? Did you notice what happened to rents?
Rents go up because of a shortage of supply.
Landlords were able to ride the rise in mortgage cost because they had equity from CG (did you not notice the rise in property value 2019-2021).
Property sales peaked in mid 2021, and the market peaked around November 2021. Since then, landlords equity has been declining.
Rents go up by more when landlords costs go up in a market where supply lags demand.
Landlord equity is higher in 2024 than in 2019, much higher – so this can be borrowed against to manage a temporary rise in mortgage cost.
Rents go up when there is a market shortage, the constraint is ability of the tenant class to afford the rent (and desirability of the landlords property vs others)
Landlord equity means nothing if landlord income cannot fund the debt.
As far as rents are concerned, market pressure from excess demand is going to be exacerbated when landlords have additional costs imposed on them. And we know that from the data. From 2008 through 2017, the median weekly rent in NZ increased by just 4% per year. From 2017 through 2023, the average rise was 6%. In 2023 alone the increases was 9%! That's the impact of government policy right there.
https://figure.nz/chart/dnQKC3FHjhAE6Kqw
Maybe the high level of migrant labour inflow 2022-23 has an impact on rent demand.
Anyone whose equity has gone from 40% to 66% can borrow money rather easily (banks know higher mortgage rates are temporary).
Maybe the high level of migrant labour inflow 2022-23 has an impact on rent demand.
And in adding that level of demand, the government just made things worse. Add costs to suppliers, and then throw extra demand on top.
Anyone whose equity has gone from 40% to 66% can borrow money rather easily (banks know higher mortgage rates are temporary).
Where do those figures come from? You're also forgetting that interest rates have risen substantially. Any landlord who purchased in the year or so up to November 2021 will have seen their equity decline.
Really? You have evidence that people with an increase in equity, but not increase in income (either current or projected) can "borrow money rather easily"?
Perhaps you could share the source of your information.
No. Banks require landlords to prove that they have a reasonable expectation that income will grow to meet the mortgage repayment requirements.
So, yes, the banks may agree to an interest-only period to meet a specific crisis: e.g. someone loses their job, a serious operation (requiring an extended period of convalescence) or the house needs to be gutted and refitted after being trashed by a tenant. Or, as you say, a bad farm year (with future projections being positive). All of those are time-limited issues. If things don't improve (i.e. income doesn't increase) after this period – then the banks will move to foreclosure. [Note that many farms operate on an entirely different commercial reality – with annual mortgage payments, rather than the regular fortnightly ones that most of us experience]
Banks may also agree to a reverse-mortgage. Although this is usually not for landlords.
Banks are now stress-testing additions to the capital sum borrowed at something around 9%. And, if you cannot afford this, they will not increase the capital sum they lend to you. They certainly won't loan you more, if you cannot pay interest on the amount you already owe!
This has nothing to do with the amount of equity you have in the property. It has to do with your ability to pay the interest and repay the capital.
But, if you cannot meet your interest repayments (setting aside capital repayments) the bank will indeed force foreclosure. From their perspective, a quick mortgagee sale gets them their money – and the prospect of a new loan to someone better able to pay.
Mortgagee sales rose substantially in 2023.
https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/cheap-as-2023-the-year-of-price-slashing-mortgagee-sales-and-1-reserves-44381
But, in any case, comparing private individuals and even companies with state owned housing is entirely pointless.
Unless you are envisaging that the government is going to sell off state housing in order to achieve the capital gain, the 'assets' have no commercial value. The liabilities (the debt) however, is indeed real, and the government needs to find this money in order to pay off the lenders (interest and capital). If the income generated by the 'assets' isn't sufficient to match the liabilities (and we're just looking at debt here, setting aside maintenance, repairs and rates) – then there is a major issue for the government to manage.
If these repayments are ballooning because of increased mortgage rates – then this money has to come from somewhere. And means that the government has to cut spending in other areas. There is no money tree.
Historically, this was why governments issued bonds, rather than borrowing.
I suspect that the last government was over-persuaded by the very cheap capital available at the time, and didn't consider the long-term consequences if/when that situation changed.
There you go, so it is all about Kainga Ora being profitable. According to some psycho the only way NZ should expand social housing provision is at a profit.
There is no money tree Nic. KO has a funding model that enables it to build new housing and manage social housing stocks. When it is governed well, that works. When the organisation allows its borrowing and operating costs to balloon out beyond what is sustainable, it doesn't.
If the government wants to expand social housing that is a non-issue, if it wants to reduce social housing this is a convenient excuse. That is all that is going on here.
The KO funding 'model' has been in place for years. And social housing can expand under that model.
What changed is that under the governance of KO, operating costs and borrowing were allowed to spiral out of control.
You can read that the KO funding model changed just from the report. The conditions include operating surplus within two years (That's what is known as profit in private sector terms, by the way) and it became clear that the boards expectation of increased borrowing (needed to expand social housing) was not going to be reciprocated.
The governance of KO didn't change, they were sacked for holding onto ideas of the previous government, after the government changed.
The funding model did not change. The way KO is funded is still the way it was funded under the previous government. And BTW, an operating surplus is not the same as a profit in private sector terms. In private sector terms terms 'profit' includes deduction of the cost of funding. The operating surplus examined in the KO review does not include funding costs.
$140M for 1500 new homes.
Bishop is now claiming the "vast" bulk of the funded 1500 new "homes" will be new houses.
It cannot include ownership of new land for housing. So it would have to be homes within existing or new building. One still wonders who can build a house for under $100,000 (a bed sit within a group house maybe)(otherwise factory sourced small build).
Please use the link when quoting next time.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/05/south-auckland-woman-living-in-car-with-two-kids-gets-emergency-accommodation-from-ministry-of-social-development.html
The announcement is pretty light on detail (to be expected, I guess, pre-budget). The detail is supposed to be released on the 30th of June.
https://www.hud.govt.nz/our-work/social-and-transitional-housing
The delivery window does run over two years (so I guess the potential of additional funding in the second year).
The intention is that a large chunk of this is emergency housing (or it seems so) – operated by community housing providers (I guess the Sallies, etc.) I imagine, to free up the money currently being spent on motels.
Another chunk is for longer term housing – but very little detail on this.
Some verbiage about it not necessarily being built in the areas where there has been other social housing investment. I've no idea what they mean by that – unless it's a veiled hint that it will not be Rotorua!