Open Mike 26/03/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 26th, 2018 - 61 comments
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61 comments on “Open Mike 26/03/2018 ”

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  1. Pete 1
    26 March 2018 at 8:18 am

    Herald headline:
    Mike Hosking: KiwiBuild ‘suburb’ will look like a dump in a decade.
    Bridges on RNZ: It’s just our scheme rebranded.

    Conclusion: If National were doing exactly the same thing as is proposed Hosking it would have it forward thing, the way of the future, tackling a need head on and whatever other bullshit he’s capable of coming up with.

    • Keepcalmcarryon 1.1
      26 March 2018 at 8:25 am

      The government needs to grow a pair and deal with media bias or continue to suffer death by a thousand spun lies.

      • McFlock 1.1.1
        26 March 2018 at 10:53 am

        how? declare war on the media, abuse them, whinge about bias, or do a muldoon?

        Do you have a better option?

        • JohnSelway 1.1.1.1
          26 March 2018 at 11:18 am

          It’s never a good look to have the government of the day complaining about the media.

          It’s Better to push back with facts rather than complaints. Look at Trump for example going on and on about CNN et al for an extreme example

          • McFlock 1.1.1.1.1
            26 March 2018 at 11:44 am

            And the push back can’t be snarky, grumpy, or whatever because then the story becomes the tone rather than the content

        • Keepcalmcarryon 1.1.1.2
          26 March 2018 at 1:58 pm

          A charter on balance for all news media and break up the oligopolies.
          Who’s talking about snarking?

    • Muttonbird 1.2
      26 March 2018 at 8:39 am

      Bridges is lying because the National scheme would not have had affordable housing in there as it ‘sabotages house prices’ which is what his mentor John Key said of Hobsonville in 2007.

      National’s scheme would have had rows and rows of $1.5M+ houses for the well-to-do only. This would please Mike no end.

    • Wayne 1.3
      26 March 2018 at 8:48 am

      Presumably Hobsonville is the primary model for the Unitec site. Hobsonville is very high density with a large number of apartments within 4 and 5 story buildings. Hobsonville is about half finished and there already serious problems with traffic, especially parking. A lot of the owners have two cars and the second car is parked on the street.

      Hobsonville is a bit higher end than what the government is proposing for the Unitec site. Hobsonville has about 20% “affordable” homes. The idea for the Unitec site is 40% “affordable” homes, presumably mostly apartments. It will almost certainly have a higher density than Hobsonville.

      Personally I think the density of 4000 homes on 29 hectares is way too high a density, especially taking account the provision of roads, parks and recreation, shops, etc. It works out to 62.5 square meters of land per dwelling (taking 25 hectares as the effective subdivided are, excluding roads etc). Obviously just about all multi-storey apartments and terrace houses.

      I think that no more than 2,000 would be more realistic. Auckland does not need Hong Kong density levels, certainly not in the suburbs.

      When people realise just how much density is involved, I would anticipate quite a lot of objection.

      • patricia bremner 1.3.1
        26 March 2018 at 9:02 am

        Wayne, Hobsonville is 26.9 kms from the CBD. Mt Albert Unitec land is about 9 kms from the CBD. Apples and Oranges.
        29 hectares is big enough to have one or two high rises and many town houses, just as they do in Australia. The footprint would be quite small.
        43 -29 hectares leaves another parcel of 14. Plenty of space still there Wayne.
        But I note you and your friends in National are out in force. This must be galling.

        • adam 1.3.1.1
          26 March 2018 at 11:14 am

          And no public transport, except for a very sparse bus service.

          • You_Fool 1.3.1.1.1
            26 March 2018 at 12:27 pm

            Bus service is actually better in Hobsonville Point than it was, problem is that the buses go from west gate to the ferry and take longer than driving, or the 120 from Henderson (and train) to Constellation (and NEX) but also take longer than driving, so all the good Aucklanders just drive instead.

            The ferry is reasonably well used, but way to limited in services,and AT is stalling on upping the number of services available, mostly because that will require a 2nd boat, but there is not demand for a whole other boat (but more than the 1 boat available). It is probable that better/more ferry services will bring more people to use the ferry – although they would just drive to the station and not take the bus, so will lead to parking issues at the wharf.

            Most of the issue at Hobsonville Point is around the collusion of ideas between the people who brought because of the ideal of sustainable living and the people who just needed a house (or wanted to buy for the prestige). These second group don’t drop # of cars, and tend to not use their garages for parking cars, but tend to be like typical Aucklanders and store all their excess stuff there. So the issue with parking at Hobsonville is not really an issue with the design, but an issue with the typical home-owner in Auckland not able to change from their previous habits. It is also a product of the housing crisis, so a lot of people didn’t have a lot of options, so making decisions based on what the philosophy behind the development wasn’t an option. Also I found in my case that it was actually cheaper to buy at Hobsonville Point than try and buy elsewhere, as the prices were based on values when they got consent/started to sell so were relatively cheap compared to other houses on the market with the same function (# of bedrooms, etc)

          • Pete 1.3.1.1.2
            26 March 2018 at 6:02 pm

            Magically we’re back to Hosking: We don’t need public transport, everyone should drive their own car everywhere. Preferably a flash car.

      • Pat 1.3.2
        26 March 2018 at 9:08 am

        Objection to property development is par for the course…not an excuse for inaction… the objectors only have one vote each like everyone else… unless some votes count more than others?

      • Carolyn_Nth 1.3.3
        26 March 2018 at 9:18 am

        All those cars! Clogging up the roads and parked empty all over the place!

        What a waste! Under Nats housing programme, so many cars would make great living places for whole families, parked away from “nicer” residential areas.

        Fortunately, the UNITEC development will be well served by mass transit systems, so no need for cars.

        • tracey 1.3.3.1
          26 March 2018 at 9:39 am

          Yes! Wayne might not know the Mt Albert train station is right there. That buses going all over Auckland drive past regularly. As someone pointed out above, that Wayne is comparing Hobsonville, perched on the very outside of Auckland with a central suburb is revealling.

          • Carolyn_Nth 1.3.3.1.1
            26 March 2018 at 9:52 am

            And there’s the cycle and walkway nearby – goes right into the city – free to all.

      • tracey 1.3.4
        26 March 2018 at 9:32 am

        Yet you didnt speak out about this when Hobsonville and then Unitec were being planned Wayne.

      • tracey 1.3.5
        26 March 2018 at 9:34 am

        How woukd you solve the problem Wayne given National have only been prepared to deal with this by altering the supply side not the demand side.

      • Muttonbird 1.3.6
        26 March 2018 at 9:35 am

        A lot of the owners have two cars and the second car is parked on the street.

        Oh, the horror!

      • Tricledrown 1.3.7
        26 March 2018 at 11:00 am

        Wayne Kerr.
        But simple Simon no bridges said it was their project.
        Wayne you can’t have it both ways.

      • Ad 1.3.8
        26 March 2018 at 2:23 pm

        We all just need to learn Mandarin and adjust.

    • Herodotus 1.4
      26 March 2018 at 11:50 am

      https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/353359/mt-albert-kiwibuild-homes-private-sector-needs-help-twyford
      Building “hopefully” start in a year but will take at least a decade to complete. That is extremely slow for a development of this size. averaging 300-400 pa when we need 10,000+
      There is a risk that this announcement has been over sold, Phil in this interview corrected the 4,000 number to 3 – 4,000.
      Good that this is happening and will help in a small way, but we need 30 of these to meet the requirements that the “experts” are telling us.

  2. Pat 2
    26 March 2018 at 8:43 am

    Brian Easton asking the right questions again…..all we need is the right answers.

    https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/are-we-boiling-frogs

  3. patricia bremner 3
    26 March 2018 at 8:47 am

    Agreed Pete. I made a comment on Jude’s remarks at Underarm.
    The fact they are down playing this widely tells us our current Government got it right.

  4. AsleepWhileWalking 4
    26 March 2018 at 9:23 am

    A whole bunch of people need to stfu.

    That ExReal Estate sales guy who brought the bowling green, Elon Musk’s Dad, Aussie cricketers in general, and anyone called Mike Hosking.

  5. AsleepWhileWalking 5
    26 March 2018 at 9:53 am

    Thar she blows!

    Another 500 Billion was added to US Debt in the last six weeks alone.

    Today a new oil futures contract denominated in Chinese yuan and convertible into gold will be open to the market.

    I think together these signal the final death throws of the USD.

  6. adam 6
    26 March 2018 at 11:04 am

    Well done the workers in Spain!! 2 day strike shuts down the gig economy thug, Amazon.

    https://libcom.org/news/two-day-strike-biggest-amazon-warehouse-spain-24032018

  8. Muttonbird 8
    26 March 2018 at 3:14 pm

    Umm, why are we compensating 28 farms for the culling of 28,000 animals? Why doesn’t their private insurance cover this? And what link is there between dairy intensification in the area and this disease?

    Another massive bail out for South Canterbury at the taxpayers expense…they’ve done well over the last few years, haven’t they?

    • adam 8.1
      26 March 2018 at 3:48 pm

      You got anymore links for this Muttonbird? This piece from the granny is light weight, as always.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12015937

      Why are they talking of re-building a disease-free herd, if this happens why not take the opportunity to diversify at the very least.

      Here’s a radical suggestion – try a new, a completely new approach to farming altogether.

    • Keepcalmcarryon 8.2
      26 March 2018 at 5:59 pm

      I’m no defender of industrial dairy farming but it would be absolutely gutting for the staff to see animals you had reared and farmed for years , be sent to be killed en masse.
      Compensation is fair for those not at fault. Maybe make it dependent on NAIT compliance, just watch compliance levels improve.

    • Exkiwiforces 8.3
      26 March 2018 at 9:19 pm

      Like to know why these dairy farmers don’t have insurance this day in age IRT banks and weather etc or were they expecting the taxpayer to cough up for their stuff ups as usual?

      • Keepcalmcarryon 8.3.1
        26 March 2018 at 10:39 pm

        Don’t think most cockies insure their stock it’s expensive.

        • ExKiwiforces 8.3.1.1
          27 March 2018 at 12:00 am

          And they expect the taxpayer to cough up!!! yeah right

          In Oz the Farmer is expected to have insurance to cover them over before the State and Federal pollies handout funds or cover them until there is a insurance payout which btw is very quick unlike in NZ.

          • Keepcalmcarryon 8.3.1.1.1
            27 March 2018 at 12:16 am

            Compensate them but sheet the bill home to the person responsible for bringing in the bug.

            • ExKiwiforces 8.3.1.1.1.1
              27 March 2018 at 1:00 am

              But with the last government running the Border Protecting into the ground is just plan wrong especially at the Ports and Airports. They should be nailing everyone who comes through the Airports regardless of who they are and doubling their effort on problem countries at the ports. “Its just plain common sense” as old Winnie would say.

              The MPI people should’ve put a full movement ban in that Province when it was first detected and not have waited for the new government to pull their finger out of their freckle unlike the last government who seem to have very hands off approach to everything they.

    • veutoviper 9.1
      26 March 2018 at 5:02 pm

      The judgement itself.

      https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Decisions/2018-nzhrrt-7-dotcom-v-crown-law-others.pdf

      I have not yet read it, so cannot comment. KDC is very active on Twitter at the moment, including claiming his extradition case should be dropped.

      https://twitter.com/KimDotcom?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

      • Carolyn_Nth 9.1.1
        26 March 2018 at 5:17 pm

        Thanks.

        The judgement document is very long.

        But seems to come down to there having been “no proper basis for the refusal” by the Attorney General

        The Conclusion:

        [255]
        For the foregoing reasons the decision of the Tribunal is that it is satisfied on the balance of probabilities that an action of the Crown (represented by the Attorney General) was an interference with the privacy of Mr Dotcom and
        [255.1]
        A declaration is made under s 85(1)(a) of the Privacy Act 1993 that there was an interference with the privacy of Mr Dotcom by:
        [255.1.1]
        The transfer, without legal authority, to the Attorney General of the information privacy requests made by Mr Dotcom in July 2015. The Attorney General had no lawful authority, as purported transferee under the Privacy
        Act 1993, s 39(b)(ii), to refuse the requests on the grounds that they were
        vexatious and there was no proper basis for that refusal; in the alternative, if the transfers were lawful:

        [255.1.2]
        Refusing the information privacy requests on the grounds that they were vexatious when there was no proper basis for that decision.

        [255.2]
        An order is made under s 85(1)(d) and (e) of the Privacy Act 1993 that the agencies (including the Ministers of the Crown) to which the information privacy requests were sent by Mr Dotcom in the period 17 to 31 July 2015 must comply with those requests subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993 and in particular (but not exclusively) Parts 4 and 5 of that Act. For the purposes of this order the date of receipt of the requests is to be taken to be the fifth working day which follows immediately after the day on which this decision is published to the parties.

        [255.3]
        Damages of $30,000are awarded against the Attorney General under
        ss 85(1)(c) and 88(1)(b) of the Privacy Act 1993 for the loss of a benefit Mr
        Dotcom might reasonably have been expected to obtain but for the interference.

        [255.4]
        Damages of $60,000 are awarded against the Attorney General under
        ss 85(1)(c) and 88(1)(c) for loss of dignity and injury to feelings

  10. logie97 10
    26 March 2018 at 5:53 pm

    Just an observation on the Dr Brian Edwards – erstwhile Labour candidate, and political pundit amongst other areas of prominence.

    Nearly six months now and still no recognition/acceptance that we have a left of centre coalition government, lead by a young and dynamic woman from his own Labour Party. Meantime, there have been several columns on his http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz blog discussing the National Party – the most recent of which appears to be his warming to the new HM Opposition leadership.

    • In Vino 10.1
      26 March 2018 at 7:25 pm

      He is friends with Michelle Boag now… And sees the new leaders as prospects for his TV image grooming business.

    • Keepcalmcarryon 10.2
      26 March 2018 at 8:28 pm

      Brian Edwards is all about Brian Edwards. He’s a great fit for the Nats

      • logie97 10.2.1
        26 March 2018 at 10:23 pm

        In a couple of his recent blogs he has called out the usage of Te Reo by Pakeha radio announcers – yet in his profile/intro on his site it reads quote …
        Why You Should Choose Us:
        Because no one else in New Zealand has the mana, experience … unquote.

        He feels it quite natural to throw in the odd word that has more recently become accepted parlance… “mana” … well done Brian and Judy.

  11. Pete 11
    26 March 2018 at 8:46 pm

    Mark Mitchell went to extraordinary lengths to get to be the candidate for Rodney in the first place and now he is up for anything in his attempt to be seen to be relevant.
    He has a thirsting MSM at his mercy.

  12. Jenny 12
    27 March 2018 at 4:32 am

    Nightmares that keep me awake at night.

    Amnesty International Report

    Responding to reports that an alleged Russian air strike using an incendiary weapon burned to death 37 civilians – mainly women and children – hiding in an air-raid shelter in the Syrian town of Arbin on Friday, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Advisor Rawya Rageh said:

    “We have previously documented how the use of incendiary weapons is burning alive civilians who are literally left with nowhere to hide. This attack would appear to be the latest horrific example in that pattern.

    “In areas besieged by the Syrian government such as Daraya and elsewhere, civilians told us what particularly struck fear into their hearts during the final period of the siege before they were forced out was the use of incendiary weapons.

    “Many told us they stopped going down to shelters for fear of being burned alive. Those fears seem especially poignant today in light of this latest horrifying loss of life.”

    According to Russian state media, Russia’s Ministry of Defence denied responsibility for the attack.

    https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/03/syria-nowhere-to-hide-for-civilians-killed-by-reported-russian-air-strike-in-arbin/

    Amnesty International Report

    Saydnaya Prison is where the Syrian state quietly slaughters its own people.
    Every week, often twice per week, between 20 and 50 people are taken from their cells to be hanged, in the middle of the night. As many as 13,000 people have been killed in Saydnaya since 2011, in utmost secrecy. Many other people at Saydnaya have been killed after being repeatedly tortured and systematically deprived of food, water, medicine and medical care. The bodies of those who are killed at Saydnaya are taken away by the truckload and buried in mass graves. It is inconceivable that these large-scale and systematic practices have not been authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government.

    https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/08/syria-torture-prisons/

    These atrocities are happening to real people right now in real time as we here are sleeping.

  14. eco maori 14
    27 March 2018 at 7:35 am

    The AM Show when one has a guest one must treat them with respect well that’s the
    Maori cultured way of doing things .
    Hopefully the Warriors get there stolen gear back Kia kaha people .
    ECO MAORI Backs the ban on new oil drilling especially if it endangers the survival of our dolphins .
    I do not play games Duncan if you study more Maori culture you will understand my moves plus there is a big push back on everything I support so I have to be tactful with everything . I play the flute well.
    That show last nite has opened my eyes to another phenomenon that is happening in Aotearoa at the minute its another of shonkys take from the poor and give to the wealthy but this has been out of the public view the reality of this phenomenon I will reveal this in time .
    I make sure my recycling an rubbish bins are full takes two weeks and then put them out to lower the work load of our workers in this industry if the councils can save half of the cost by having rubbish picked up 2 weekly I say that’s is innovation all services should innovate to save money and our environment think about the amount of fuel that will not be burned because of this wonderful Idea .
    P.S Ladies get the big picture decades before men Duncan.
    Ka kite ano

  15. eco maori 15
    27 March 2018 at 11:30 am

    The sandflys are swarming today in Tauranga but like sand flys I could just swat them away but today I chose to ignore them like the little bugs they are. They are just a little challenge that’s part of my lifes fate Kia kaha Ka kite ano

    • JohnSelway 15.1
      27 March 2018 at 11:42 am

      The Police (if that is who you mean by sandflies) were doing drug raids throughout the BoP today.

      BTW – quick question. I live in Mount Maunganui and often drive past the fruit and Veg stalls lining Maunganui road. I saw a big sign once that said “ECO MAORI” and I thought about you. I might drop by and buy some stuff from you and say hello one day if that is you selling stuff (unless that’d be strange for ya…then I won’t)