What to do about ridiculous housing prices prices? What actions would bring things back to only somewhat crazy, instead of the absolutely insanely ludicrous we have now?
Ashley Church has reckons, but as a spokesgargoyle for the wealthy land-owner class, his comments have the whiff of throwing out silly ideas in hopes of poisoning the well for more credible ideas.
Personally, I see a lack of reasonable investment alternatives as part of the problem in New Zealand.
The local share and bond markets are viper pits stuffed with unaccountable predatory wide-boys, leading to significant risk of serious losses for ordinary small investors. Yields have dropped to negligible levels.
There's certainly a lot of room for government actions to make improvements there, starting with more personal accountability for those at the top, and making it much harder for those that have behaved poorly to get back on the grift train after their wet-bus-ticket slap.
In the US, the managed investment community (mutual fund managers, pension managers etc) actually play a significant role in holding company top brass accountable. That doesn't seem to happen here. Dunno how much of that is fragmentation of that industry here, we've got lots of small players like Fisher, Kiwiwealth, Simplicity etc etc etc, each too small to have significant clout (and that smallness also contributes to the exorbitantly high management fees here). Some of it may be cultural, these people just don't see exercising accountability as part of their role.
Beyond that, there's potential punitive measures targeted directly at housing "bad people", ie landlords/investors. Such as mortgage surcharges for non-owner-occupied property, differential rating for owner-occupied vs unoccupied vs tenanted, stamp duties etc.
Coz sure as shit, the "solutions" being tossed around at the moment such as LVR, brightline test are going to have negligible effect at best.
The biggest impact on house prices is and always will be, fear.
Fear of missing out (FOMO) will drive them up…and fear of financial loss will drive them down….time to scare the crap out of those that think property is a one way trip.
There are multiple options to do so, but the gov has to have credibility or speed of ACTION….not jawboning
add to that fear of being unable to paying rent and ending up in a ditch with no help, cause well, where would you go to if you end up in a ditch? Winz? Lol.
It may be educational to see and hear this doco dated 1984 about the UK housing plan and how it became a political football where the parties threw large housing number targets at each other like mud pies, with chest beating similar to Twyford's.
Targets are a form of snake charming I think. Watch them rise up out of the throats of ambitious pollies and officials to the tunes of mendacious businessmen. But watch out they might bite you sooner or in later years when they show their cracks and faults.
Of course you're welcome to turn it into a guest post.
As a brief(-ish) comment it was more intended as a conversation starter. As a post, I'd fill out the ideas a bit more, but I'm about to take off for some errands so I can't do that filling out right now.
I have been doing some reading that offers solutions/different ways of doing things..that I was going to start sharing today…I'll save it for the post…
Just the first two that come to mind where family members have lost five-figure sums are Feltex and CadmusProvenco. There's been plenty more. You got any recollection what was happening around the 2008ish timeframe?
BTW, "significant risk of serious losses" (my actual phrase) is a very different concept to "serious losses" (the truncated quote you chose).
Also of interest post the exchange of letters between Orr and Robertson, Orr mentioning that he would appreciate a debt to income ratio. And to date after previous requests this tool has not been granted to the RB.
Now did not Roberson seek "Robertson has written to the Reserve Bank seeking advice on possible ways it could support the Government to meet its economic objectives, in particular with relation to house prices." Well Grant how about allow the RB this tool to limit the amount of debt anyone can accumulate, as was commented on during the interview – This tool is already available elsewhere ??? Low hanging fruit easy to pick !!!
The DTI was requested by a previous RBNZ Gov. (not sure when) but it was declined….Orr mentioned this yesterday at the stand up. He has since said that he would be happy to add DTI to the tool kit …that dosnt necessarily mean he will use it now or that he believes it will change prices. As he has reiterated, his mandate (and primary concern) is unemployment and financial stability.
The reality is there are many things the gov could do (or done) to improve housing affordability and they have done sweet FA.
I hope that at least there is considerable background work done the previous three years that can accelerate a response now, though I doubt it on past form
Speech from the Throne about 11am today on Parliament TV Channel 31.
In which the government outlines its legislative programme for the session – will this government with an impressive mandate be truly 'transformative' or merely another place-holder neokindness sort of do nothing government?
This would be the most-paid-attention-to speech from the throne in a while…they have to start pulling rabbits out of the hat…if they don't we will see some direct action pretty soon..methinks..
Direct Action will happen, and I will be looking for opportunities to be involved.
No Labour Minister or new MP should make a public appearance from now on without a small or large crew reminding them of a few items that need attention…
Don't despair, we have the next emergency already being lauded and it will be all focus on that since it is urgent and popular. Environmental emergency. There is another price to be won.
And everybody will forget that we have an infrastructure that fails – drinking water and sewage in particular – as this is palmed off to local councils. How they want to build new housing without getting that one right is beyond me.
Hospitals millions being used for contractor payouts and not the much needed upgrade to this "3rd world" hospital. But thank god we paid billions(!) to those needy companies to make sure the shareholders get their pound of flesh.
Labor is stumbling around without any action plan and may I say clue.
Very soon we will be going back in time. Get the horses and carts out, dust off the medical tools that have become museum pieces, be prepared to have all those yesteryear illnesses – Encephalitis, Hepatitis A, Typhoid Fever etc…
Meanwhile, incomes are not covering real inflation. Desk theorist that have never done a honest day job in their live are in charge and it shows.
Tuberculosis was all the thing back in George Orwell's day. And new strains of it are out and about – the old one could lurk and infect as covid does. Meningitis kills almost overnight sometimes.
In science people are encouraged to be critical of their measurement systems. In economics, not so much. For a long time not measuring housing inflation allowed a pack of charlatans to pretend to, and be handsomely paid for, their "expertise". As that system fails, the cornerstone falsehood of neoliberalism – the expertise of economists and bankers – has crumbled. Watch those with a political stake in it continue to defend it even as it washes away.
Rents are included in the CPI, because they are expenditures that are "consumed" in current period of time. But house prices are not, because they are expenditures on an asset to be consumed over many years. If you own a house, you will benefit from the rising prices–if and when you sell it. In a sense, houses are treated like capital goods–for consumers. That is, rising house prices are not a burden to home owners, whereas rising rents are a burden to renters.
Plausible, that they just didn't consider a market with scarcity created by ill-considered immigration policies on top of a building deficit created by the destruction of apprenticeships and compounded by the shoddy regulation and even shoddier inspection regimes that caused the leaky homes debacle. Plausible – but not excusable. They are paid like professionals – they ought to be responsible for outcomes.
Could it be as simple as the small movement of people or families moving to smaller cities and towns. It only takes a few numbers to distort a market and cashed up buyers from Auckland or Wellington descending on a town of 20 or 30 thousand will push up prices substantially. The houses they are leaving will inevitably get a very good price because of one simple fact, a lot of people want or need to move to Auckland but the fucking place is full.
A sure way to make things worse is to get the government trying to fix it with numerous measures ,the vast majority just inadvertantly making the problem worse.
This situation crops up every 10 years or so and has done since the 60s.
Mangakino is one of these places, and even worse, they knock down the houses to build boatsheds. So when it all comes crashing down the locals can buy boatsheds, cause the houses are all gone.
Ah, if we would just have a government that would actively try to entice businesses to settle elsewhere then just AKL, or even move some of the government burocracy to some other towns like it used to be.
Ah, if we just had a government that could, and would, but alas, nothing much will get done, just like the last three years nothing much was done.
One of the reasons i always lived in AKL was simply the fact that i can earn a living there.
Now i am self employed and i can take my trade with me, but if you are a standard office drone, female – and want a little bit of a career, it will be the big towns. Also for schools, recreation etc. The need for at least two cars – just to go shopping for food, lack of choices in regards to food, cost of living, housing is the same, but food costs more, line charges add a huge amount to winter heating, no access to doctors, i still travel to my dentist and gp to akl as do other people i know, lack of tradespeople to fix the delipidatedet houses, trades people that can't move cause they can't find an affordable rental or house to buy, trades people that can't find affordable commercial properties, you know all that stuff that for years have been ignored by all and everyone who ever called themself a 'honorable' MP/PM.
btw, Mangakino has a rental crisis. Go figure, as does Tokoroa. Locals can't afford to buy anymore. Go figure.
But the Queen is gonna give a speech telling us all that she will do fuck all as outlined before the election. We are going to have this discussion again in three years, just as we did under John Key a few years ago.
Seems tricky for any government to make recreation and employment opportunities that arise from greater concentrations of people somehow appear in small towns.
Nothing unique to NZ about it either. Most people like what cities offer more than they dislike the downsides. Others who prioritise things differently will thrive in smaller settlements.
Hospitals, or rural clinics, birthing centres, etc.
Jobs, yes, if the government is in job creation, then they must look also at the overlooked parts of NZ. One thing to make moving jobs to the country side easier would be adequite public transport, say trains for goods and people. I think Winston called it 'heavy rail'. A start. There is absolutly no need for Morrinsville, Huntly, etc to not be busy feeder towns. But alas, they are not. Go figure.
Recreation, i.e. restaurants, cinemas, playgrounds,swimming pools etc generally come with population mass. No population, no recreation.
So the question is not what can the government do, the question really should be 'why the fuck is the government not doing anything'. Start with reviving some rural clinics, birthing centres.
Schools, i hear we closed a whole bunch of them under John Key, and with many of these schools the last 'community centre' of the rural area closed. Well gee, THANKS A BUNCH government.
And honestly if this is not part of the Government why the fuck do we need one in hte first place? To give these empty, unintelligent, unimaginative people a pay they would not earn in private industry? and we have to pay them perks, and accommodation allowances and all that jazz, just so they can say 'We do nothing"? Really? If they can't to what needs to be done, we can fire at least half of either side of hte bench, and only do hte min. Build more roads.
What does the public of NZ get out of subsidising facilities in small towns to the same level of service that a city can sustain? Which other things could be funded instead that would benefit more people?
Jobs. It will get jobs. For a starter. I don't see hte issue, why the government can not help a company move to a rural area via tax incentives rather then the town that is full to bursting the seems.
Why can the government not build small clinics in thbe rural areas? The ones in our towns are pretty much at capacity. Again, these are jobs.
Schools. The government could really start building better schools, some on the country side are really really crappy i hear, and Jobs.
By the same token we could say, why should hte Government build another bridge over the Harbour? Let some private entity build it, and the users will just have to pay toll.
And then, we don't need government, and we do away with elections, and rulers and usless suits, Cause why would the Governement be needed if tey don't do what is needed?
And currently the thing that would benefit people is jobs. Jobs that generate Tax revenue, that bring life back to towns that are needing the influx of young people, it takes the pressure away from the larger towns etc etc etc.
Btw, "the government' funds but pays for nothing. "the taxpayer' pays for everything the government 'funds'. Just in case that people reallyh believe that 'the government' has any money to its name. It does not. The money to fund all the vanity projects that generally only serve the few – see Americas Cup (now what could be funded with all that money down that rich mans drains) – comes from us, the Tax paying citizens.
Because in a civilized country every live has the same value. A baby born has to have the same chance to live, be educated, able to survive, have drinkable water, is not exposed to contamination that is the result of waste and waste water…etc. etc.
so your new clinics don't need nurses, doctors, admins etc? nah? ok then.
i guess we don't need government at all then, right. We can just do away with it cause if they are no good to building public infrastructure what the fuck are they good for?
what would you that our current lot could/would/should do in order to get our smaller towns a bit of live back all the while we stop our larger towns busting and exploding all over the place just because that wafer thin mint was just to much to absorb?
Yes Adrian, I have seen this in the past when people from cities and bigger towns have descended on smaller more isolated towns and bought up. Locals thought great, my house price has gone up. A few months later, when the excitement has passed (which it always does) the out-of-towners leave and the local house market is back to the locals only, and the prices slowly slide back down again.
Adrian – sit back in your seat and enjoy the spectacle. As if it is the Colosseum and the needy are being pitted against well-fed, muscled gladiators.
This situation crops up every 10 years or so and has done since the 60s.
Don't bother to write and explain that it is a cyclical thing, 'been there, done that' before. That makes me feel sick and a number of people here who have to confront the problem. Your point must be, it has happened before, so the government should know about it, the causes and the horrific results on people, and the degrading of society and the country.
The people are revolting, and the government draws back from this indelicacy to positions above the maddening crowd.
The point is that shit happens in spite of governments best intentions. Governments racing around trying to control every little, or big thing, just becomes a shit-fight and begets bad law. Everything is cyclical, like the weather, sometimes you just have to ride it out with a little bit of sail trimming here and there until it blows over and then plan for it in calmer waters.
yep, that is quite the fucked up story there if ever there was. Suffer the little children cause the adults in charge give no fuck, and their overseers don't either.
I was witness to a similar situation with a close friend of mine who adopted her daughter on a permanent placement order, which her lawyer advised her to couple with a care support order.
The care support order, which required CYFS to provide additional counselling and support if the child required it became the bone of contention for social workers who diligently worked to put in obstacles to actually providing the support. Despite reassurances that the child was not affected by issues to do with Foetal Alcohol syndrome, it was only several years after placement that the social worker admitted that the way they determined this was to ask the biological mother if she had drunk during pregnancy. She said No.
Despite taking her daughter to the numerous consultants requested by CYFS, and others privately, and having a confirmed diagnosis of FAS, ADD, and a severe attachment disorder, CYFS continued for years to refuse to honour the care agreement. Until they came up with a solution during a family meeting. If my friend and her husband would sign a care order during the meeting, CYFS would then have access to all the funds they needed, and her daughter would then receive any and all support that was necessary.
They returned home, to discover the next day that the meeting records had them relinquishing custody to CYFS, who had organised that their daughter be removed from their care and given to the biological father and his new wife who had had no contact with the child at any stage. This family lived in Christchurch.
After watching the love, care and attention given to this child for years, it was painful to watch the distress of my friend who immediately challenged this interpretation of the meeting minutes. She was told that her view was not accepted. It took two years of legal intervention and a judgement in the Family Court to overturn this malicious act. The judge advised that he considered what had taken place as abuse by CYFS towards the family.
My friend was able to borrow the $20,000 from her mother to fight the case, but that is not always available to others. I suspect the ease of practice and disregard they had for the family, and also the wellbeing of the child, comes from repetition – and getting away with it more often than not.
They maligned the previous caregiver, and when it suited them, maligned my friends family, mostly because they asked for the professional support that the child was supposedly entitled to receive. I have a disregard for the way the previous institution was run. I have a suspicion that the same practices have been maintained in OT.
This is beyond a bad apple or an oversight, it speaks to culture, inflexibility and perhaps being able understaffed.
Celia Lashlie spoke of this. The parent, often Mum in isolation, is held accountable for every action or inaction. Meanwhile the PTB can carry on acting appallingly.
Ego driven social engineering where it goes without saying that the consequential harm to these children is completely ignored, but countered with bullshit 'it's a journey we're all taking' speak.
Most of what the social worker was saying in the interview with the foster parents was completely unintelligible and/or grossly insulting.
Might want to watch the opening segments of Alan Kohler’s Finance Report on the ABC as he has a couple of interesting graphs which made be of interest to a number of people here on the The Standard which would confirm what we already know about wage growth vs company profit vs sharemarket prices.
Shitty people with shitty motivations can still sometimes produce a worthwhile result.
In this case it seems Kim Jong Orange Jr's desires to murder wild animals were influential in denying a mining company's desire to poison wild animals by ruining their habitat. This time it's the Pebble Mine in Alaska, that had been previously denied by the Obama administration and then the Mandarin Mugabe cast some incantations over its crypt and it rose again. Hopefully this time the lid is on for good.
The flood gate of pardons has opened. Starting with "Lock her up" Flynn.
In theory, that's a move that could backfire. Since Flynn is now no longer at risk of personal consequences for the crimes he committed in service of Twitterfinger J. Putinpussy, he cannot take the Fifth Amendment. So now, he has no grounds to refuse to testify fully and truthfully, and is at risk of criminal charges if he doesn't.
Unless he gets an immunity from the relevant state he could make himself liable to prosecution – I don't think you can get him convicted for refusing to incriminate himself by testifying against someone else.
For starters, it's an hour and three quarters of video, which probably only has the information content of a few minutes worth of reading.
Video as a format is great for propagandists wanting to hook the gullible into investing a lot of time into having emotions manipulated who then have a sunk time cost in absorbing and regurgitating the intended message.
But video is a terrible medium for conveying factual information to anyone that likes to fact-check by looking for alternative sources and views on a topic in the midst of considering an argument being presented..
Every now and then I'll read something of Greenwald's, including a couple of his pieces on Flynn, to see if he's developed anything useful to say. But every time it's a disappointment. He's a propagandist presenting gish-gallops of misrepresentations, partial truths, omitted context, false equivalences, omission of any big picture, and other misinformation. Dunno what his angle really is, but his blind hatred of … something… taints his polemics to the point of uselessness.
As the councillor who, last year, proposed that the Southland Regional Council (Environment Southland) do the same thing, I'm hugely supportive and encouraged by the Government's proposal and at the same time greatly disappointed by my own council's failure to make the declaration, despite my best efforts to build support and understanding for the action. I've alerted my fellow councillors to the news and to my thoughts around their response 🙂
Ha! Concrete – yes, I baulk at the use of that word also, solkta, along with "ground-breaking" and "road-map"; these get used a lot in governance and tell me that we are bound by our language and until that changes or broadens, we will make change but slowly. The recent acceptance of Maori words and phrases by the courts and the Government ("hauora" and "te mana o te wai" in particular) gives the possibility of change a huge lift! I'm becoming excited at the potentials here.
Yes, but lets start at those things that matter. Like drinking water and sewage. If both fail, we wont need to think about any other issues as the illnesses from yesteryear will take care of those who still drive cars, heat their homes without expensive power, etc..
You don't think Climate Change matters? My sewage and drinking water are fine thanks. Climate Change though is likely to restrict my use of that drinking water for other things like it already has.
"To add further stability to the New Zealand Government, the Labour Party has agreed to work together with the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand through a Cooperation Agreement. This agreement commits the Government to working in the best interests of New Zealand and New Zealanders, working to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and working together on specific policy areas where the Green Party can continue to add expertise and where both parties can achieve mutual gains that advance the goals of the Government."
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of us men concerned about the welfare of our poorer sisters as well. We sadly have gone the "pilot" route when common sense says just do it.
Thanks DoS I am sure you are right. But I am particularly concerned about how many middle-class ambitious women are self-contained parcels – 'untouchable girls' to the reality of other less able and differently encultured females living within stone-throwing distance of them.
I have wondered what would happen to the country if there was a breakdown in the chain for milk sales to the world. We could only dry a proportion of it. In Denmark they have been intensively breeding mink and in the wake of Covid 19 being passed by the animals have done a panicked kill with had results.
This is one of many stories that will fester on from the last 5 years, and continue to polarise opinions.
Key Mueller witness Rick Gates debunks key Russiagate conspiracy theories: Konstantin Kilimnik is a Russian spy; Paul Manafort served Russian interests; and Roger Stone gave Trump campaign advance notice on Wikileaks’ email releases.
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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 ...
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 ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
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. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
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What to do about ridiculous housing prices prices? What actions would bring things back to only somewhat crazy, instead of the absolutely insanely ludicrous we have now?
Ashley Church has reckons, but as a spokesgargoyle for the wealthy land-owner class, his comments have the whiff of throwing out silly ideas in hopes of poisoning the well for more credible ideas.
https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/38723
Personally, I see a lack of reasonable investment alternatives as part of the problem in New Zealand.
The local share and bond markets are viper pits stuffed with unaccountable predatory wide-boys, leading to significant risk of serious losses for ordinary small investors. Yields have dropped to negligible levels.
There's certainly a lot of room for government actions to make improvements there, starting with more personal accountability for those at the top, and making it much harder for those that have behaved poorly to get back on the grift train after their wet-bus-ticket slap.
In the US, the managed investment community (mutual fund managers, pension managers etc) actually play a significant role in holding company top brass accountable. That doesn't seem to happen here. Dunno how much of that is fragmentation of that industry here, we've got lots of small players like Fisher, Kiwiwealth, Simplicity etc etc etc, each too small to have significant clout (and that smallness also contributes to the exorbitantly high management fees here). Some of it may be cultural, these people just don't see exercising accountability as part of their role.
Beyond that, there's potential punitive measures targeted directly at housing "bad people", ie landlords/investors. Such as mortgage surcharges for non-owner-occupied property, differential rating for owner-occupied vs unoccupied vs tenanted, stamp duties etc.
Coz sure as shit, the "solutions" being tossed around at the moment such as LVR, brightline test are going to have negligible effect at best.
The biggest impact on house prices is and always will be, fear.
Fear of missing out (FOMO) will drive them up…and fear of financial loss will drive them down….time to scare the crap out of those that think property is a one way trip.
There are multiple options to do so, but the gov has to have credibility or speed of ACTION….not jawboning
add to that fear of being unable to paying rent and ending up in a ditch with no help, cause well, where would you go to if you end up in a ditch? Winz? Lol.
It may be educational to see and hear this doco dated 1984 about the UK housing plan and how it became a political football where the parties threw large housing number targets at each other like mud pies, with chest beating similar to Twyford's.
Targets are a form of snake charming I think. Watch them rise up out of the throats of ambitious pollies and officials to the tunes of mendacious businessmen. But watch out they might bite you sooner or in later years when they show their cracks and faults.
Thanks Andrew and very topical. Mind if I convert this into a guest post?
Of course you're welcome to turn it into a guest post.
As a brief(-ish) comment it was more intended as a conversation starter. As a post, I'd fill out the ideas a bit more, but I'm about to take off for some errands so I can't do that filling out right now.
I have been doing some reading that offers solutions/different ways of doing things..that I was going to start sharing today…I'll save it for the post…
Any evidence for Andre’s claim of "serious losses for ordinary small investors" on the "local share and bond markets" since the 1987 crash ?
Just the first two that come to mind where family members have lost five-figure sums are Feltex and CadmusProvenco. There's been plenty more. You got any recollection what was happening around the 2008ish timeframe?
BTW, "significant risk of serious losses" (my actual phrase) is a very different concept to "serious losses" (the truncated quote you chose).
From the horse’s mouth
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018774440/adrian-orr-on-nz-economy-s-financial-stability
Dann interrupted almost every answer before Orr finished. Very annoying as usual.
Yep…surprised Orr didnt tick him off this time
Also of interest post the exchange of letters between Orr and Robertson, Orr mentioning that he would appreciate a debt to income ratio. And to date after previous requests this tool has not been granted to the RB.
Now did not Roberson seek "Robertson has written to the Reserve Bank seeking advice on possible ways it could support the Government to meet its economic objectives, in particular with relation to house prices." Well Grant how about allow the RB this tool to limit the amount of debt anyone can accumulate, as was commented on during the interview – This tool is already available elsewhere ??? Low hanging fruit easy to pick !!!
Heh. Orr is quite ready to suggest taxes etc to Robertson, it seems: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300167639/adrian-orr-puts-tax-back-on-the-table-in-affordable-housing-debate
If it was a tennis match…that was an excellent return from orr..that will have robertson running..
The DTI was requested by a previous RBNZ Gov. (not sure when) but it was declined….Orr mentioned this yesterday at the stand up. He has since said that he would be happy to add DTI to the tool kit …that dosnt necessarily mean he will use it now or that he believes it will change prices. As he has reiterated, his mandate (and primary concern) is unemployment and financial stability.
The reality is there are many things the gov could do (or done) to improve housing affordability and they have done sweet FA.
I hope that at least there is considerable background work done the previous three years that can accelerate a response now, though I doubt it on past form
Speech from the Throne about 11am today on Parliament TV Channel 31.
In which the government outlines its legislative programme for the session – will this government with an impressive mandate be truly 'transformative' or merely another place-holder neokindness sort of do nothing government?
Unfortunately, I'm not holding my breath!
This would be the most-paid-attention-to speech from the throne in a while…they have to start pulling rabbits out of the hat…if they don't we will see some direct action pretty soon..methinks..
Direct Action will happen, and I will be looking for opportunities to be involved.
No Labour Minister or new MP should make a public appearance from now on without a small or large crew reminding them of a few items that need attention…
She'll finally get her crown? Queen Jacinda, the first and the last of her name?
So far, decidedly underwhelming. Lots of platitudes but basically, 'steady as it goes.'
Nothing really innovative or radical.
‘Govern for all NZers’ code for do bugger all to upset the wealthy!
Don't despair, we have the next emergency already being lauded and it will be all focus on that since it is urgent and popular. Environmental emergency. There is another price to be won.
And everybody will forget that we have an infrastructure that fails – drinking water and sewage in particular – as this is palmed off to local councils. How they want to build new housing without getting that one right is beyond me.
Hospitals millions being used for contractor payouts and not the much needed upgrade to this "3rd world" hospital. But thank god we paid billions(!) to those needy companies to make sure the shareholders get their pound of flesh.
Labor is stumbling around without any action plan and may I say clue.
Very soon we will be going back in time. Get the horses and carts out, dust off the medical tools that have become museum pieces, be prepared to have all those yesteryear illnesses – Encephalitis, Hepatitis A, Typhoid Fever etc…
Meanwhile, incomes are not covering real inflation. Desk theorist that have never done a honest day job in their live are in charge and it shows.
Tuberculosis was all the thing back in George Orwell's day. And new strains of it are out and about – the old one could lurk and infect as covid does. Meningitis kills almost overnight sometimes.
Is it not a tad crazy to not include house prices when measuring inflation..?…when it is inflation on steroids..
Nope, it’s not a tad crazy unless you base it on your gut feeling AKA ‘common sense’.
In science people are encouraged to be critical of their measurement systems. In economics, not so much. For a long time not measuring housing inflation allowed a pack of charlatans to pretend to, and be handsomely paid for, their "expertise". As that system fails, the cornerstone falsehood of neoliberalism – the expertise of economists and bankers – has crumbled. Watch those with a political stake in it continue to defend it even as it washes away.
Are there any good articles to understand how they decided to exclude housing costs from the CPI in the first place?
I think this is the reasoning
Rents are included in the CPI, because they are expenditures that are "consumed" in current period of time. But house prices are not, because they are expenditures on an asset to be consumed over many years. If you own a house, you will benefit from the rising prices–if and when you sell it. In a sense, houses are treated like capital goods–for consumers. That is, rising house prices are not a burden to home owners, whereas rising rents are a burden to renters.
inflation – Why aren't house prices included in CPI? – Economics Stack Exchange
Plausible, that they just didn't consider a market with scarcity created by ill-considered immigration policies on top of a building deficit created by the destruction of apprenticeships and compounded by the shoddy regulation and even shoddier inspection regimes that caused the leaky homes debacle. Plausible – but not excusable. They are paid like professionals – they ought to be responsible for outcomes.
Ta. Not accounting for ongoing increase in capital value over time. How convenient.
Could it be as simple as the small movement of people or families moving to smaller cities and towns. It only takes a few numbers to distort a market and cashed up buyers from Auckland or Wellington descending on a town of 20 or 30 thousand will push up prices substantially. The houses they are leaving will inevitably get a very good price because of one simple fact, a lot of people want or need to move to Auckland but the fucking place is full.
A sure way to make things worse is to get the government trying to fix it with numerous measures ,the vast majority just inadvertantly making the problem worse.
This situation crops up every 10 years or so and has done since the 60s.
Mangakino is one of these places, and even worse, they knock down the houses to build boatsheds. So when it all comes crashing down the locals can buy boatsheds, cause the houses are all gone.
Ah, if we would just have a government that would actively try to entice businesses to settle elsewhere then just AKL, or even move some of the government burocracy to some other towns like it used to be.
Ah, if we just had a government that could, and would, but alas, nothing much will get done, just like the last three years nothing much was done.
What do you reckon is stopping people moving to smaller towns?
Jobs. Simple as that.
One of the reasons i always lived in AKL was simply the fact that i can earn a living there.
Now i am self employed and i can take my trade with me, but if you are a standard office drone, female – and want a little bit of a career, it will be the big towns. Also for schools, recreation etc. The need for at least two cars – just to go shopping for food, lack of choices in regards to food, cost of living, housing is the same, but food costs more, line charges add a huge amount to winter heating, no access to doctors, i still travel to my dentist and gp to akl as do other people i know, lack of tradespeople to fix the delipidatedet houses, trades people that can't move cause they can't find an affordable rental or house to buy, trades people that can't find affordable commercial properties, you know all that stuff that for years have been ignored by all and everyone who ever called themself a 'honorable' MP/PM.
btw, Mangakino has a rental crisis. Go figure, as does Tokoroa. Locals can't afford to buy anymore. Go figure.
But the Queen is gonna give a speech telling us all that she will do fuck all as outlined before the election. We are going to have this discussion again in three years, just as we did under John Key a few years ago.
Seems tricky for any government to make recreation and employment opportunities that arise from greater concentrations of people somehow appear in small towns.
Nothing unique to NZ about it either. Most people like what cities offer more than they dislike the downsides. Others who prioritise things differently will thrive in smaller settlements.
its not like, its must have.
Hospitals, or rural clinics, birthing centres, etc.
Jobs, yes, if the government is in job creation, then they must look also at the overlooked parts of NZ. One thing to make moving jobs to the country side easier would be adequite public transport, say trains for goods and people. I think Winston called it 'heavy rail'. A start. There is absolutly no need for Morrinsville, Huntly, etc to not be busy feeder towns. But alas, they are not. Go figure.
Recreation, i.e. restaurants, cinemas, playgrounds,swimming pools etc generally come with population mass. No population, no recreation.
So the question is not what can the government do, the question really should be 'why the fuck is the government not doing anything'. Start with reviving some rural clinics, birthing centres.
Schools, i hear we closed a whole bunch of them under John Key, and with many of these schools the last 'community centre' of the rural area closed. Well gee, THANKS A BUNCH government.
And honestly if this is not part of the Government why the fuck do we need one in hte first place? To give these empty, unintelligent, unimaginative people a pay they would not earn in private industry? and we have to pay them perks, and accommodation allowances and all that jazz, just so they can say 'We do nothing"? Really? If they can't to what needs to be done, we can fire at least half of either side of hte bench, and only do hte min. Build more roads.
What does the public of NZ get out of subsidising facilities in small towns to the same level of service that a city can sustain? Which other things could be funded instead that would benefit more people?
Jobs. It will get jobs. For a starter. I don't see hte issue, why the government can not help a company move to a rural area via tax incentives rather then the town that is full to bursting the seems.
Why can the government not build small clinics in thbe rural areas? The ones in our towns are pretty much at capacity. Again, these are jobs.
Schools. The government could really start building better schools, some on the country side are really really crappy i hear, and Jobs.
By the same token we could say, why should hte Government build another bridge over the Harbour? Let some private entity build it, and the users will just have to pay toll.
And then, we don't need government, and we do away with elections, and rulers and usless suits, Cause why would the Governement be needed if tey don't do what is needed?
And currently the thing that would benefit people is jobs. Jobs that generate Tax revenue, that bring life back to towns that are needing the influx of young people, it takes the pressure away from the larger towns etc etc etc.
Btw, "the government' funds but pays for nothing. "the taxpayer' pays for everything the government 'funds'. Just in case that people reallyh believe that 'the government' has any money to its name. It does not. The money to fund all the vanity projects that generally only serve the few – see Americas Cup (now what could be funded with all that money down that rich mans drains) – comes from us, the Tax paying citizens.
Not hearing any reason that there would be more jobs by building new clinics or schools in small towns rather than large cities.
Because in a civilized country every live has the same value. A baby born has to have the same chance to live, be educated, able to survive, have drinkable water, is not exposed to contamination that is the result of waste and waste water…etc. etc.
Living in a smaller settlement is not a human right. Access to essential services does not mean to the best, nor that they must be next door.
so your new clinics don't need nurses, doctors, admins etc? nah? ok then.
i guess we don't need government at all then, right. We can just do away with it cause if they are no good to building public infrastructure what the fuck are they good for?
what would you that our current lot could/would/should do in order to get our smaller towns a bit of live back all the while we stop our larger towns busting and exploding all over the place just because that wafer thin mint was just to much to absorb?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/tokoroa-doctor-job-that-still-cant-be-filled-despite-400000-salary-12-weeks-annual-leave-and-going-viral/CVHVK7DVY363UAR2KK43TDDYOA/
Gosh, what could possibly be making cities explode all over the place? It's almost as if people prefer to live in them or something.
Yes Adrian, I have seen this in the past when people from cities and bigger towns have descended on smaller more isolated towns and bought up. Locals thought great, my house price has gone up. A few months later, when the excitement has passed (which it always does) the out-of-towners leave and the local house market is back to the locals only, and the prices slowly slide back down again.
Is happening exactly like this again right now.
Adrian – sit back in your seat and enjoy the spectacle. As if it is the Colosseum and the needy are being pitted against well-fed, muscled gladiators.
Don't bother to write and explain that it is a cyclical thing, 'been there, done that' before. That makes me feel sick and a number of people here who have to confront the problem. Your point must be, it has happened before, so the government should know about it, the causes and the horrific results on people, and the degrading of society and the country.
The people are revolting, and the government draws back from this indelicacy to positions above the maddening crowd.
The point is that shit happens in spite of governments best intentions. Governments racing around trying to control every little, or big thing, just becomes a shit-fight and begets bad law. Everything is cyclical, like the weather, sometimes you just have to ride it out with a little bit of sail trimming here and there until it blows over and then plan for it in calmer waters.
A general truth about society and the wealth it produces… (repeat, sorry)…
Push the wealth down and society strengthens and prospers
Push the wealth up and society weakens and fails
Here endeth the truth
The unbelievable shitfuckery of Oranga Tamariki continues
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/two-wrongs-dont-make-a-right
yep, that is quite the fucked up story there if ever there was. Suffer the little children cause the adults in charge give no fuck, and their overseers don't either.
That is fucking disturbing as.
Well done Labour govt.
I was witness to a similar situation with a close friend of mine who adopted her daughter on a permanent placement order, which her lawyer advised her to couple with a care support order.
The care support order, which required CYFS to provide additional counselling and support if the child required it became the bone of contention for social workers who diligently worked to put in obstacles to actually providing the support. Despite reassurances that the child was not affected by issues to do with Foetal Alcohol syndrome, it was only several years after placement that the social worker admitted that the way they determined this was to ask the biological mother if she had drunk during pregnancy. She said No.
Despite taking her daughter to the numerous consultants requested by CYFS, and others privately, and having a confirmed diagnosis of FAS, ADD, and a severe attachment disorder, CYFS continued for years to refuse to honour the care agreement. Until they came up with a solution during a family meeting. If my friend and her husband would sign a care order during the meeting, CYFS would then have access to all the funds they needed, and her daughter would then receive any and all support that was necessary.
They returned home, to discover the next day that the meeting records had them relinquishing custody to CYFS, who had organised that their daughter be removed from their care and given to the biological father and his new wife who had had no contact with the child at any stage. This family lived in Christchurch.
After watching the love, care and attention given to this child for years, it was painful to watch the distress of my friend who immediately challenged this interpretation of the meeting minutes. She was told that her view was not accepted. It took two years of legal intervention and a judgement in the Family Court to overturn this malicious act. The judge advised that he considered what had taken place as abuse by CYFS towards the family.
My friend was able to borrow the $20,000 from her mother to fight the case, but that is not always available to others. I suspect the ease of practice and disregard they had for the family, and also the wellbeing of the child, comes from repetition – and getting away with it more often than not.
They maligned the previous caregiver, and when it suited them, maligned my friends family, mostly because they asked for the professional support that the child was supposedly entitled to receive. I have a disregard for the way the previous institution was run. I have a suspicion that the same practices have been maintained in OT.
Thanks Brigid, that is heartbreaking to read.
This is beyond a bad apple or an oversight, it speaks to culture, inflexibility and perhaps being able understaffed.
Celia Lashlie spoke of this. The parent, often Mum in isolation, is held accountable for every action or inaction. Meanwhile the PTB can carry on acting appallingly.
Ego driven social engineering where it goes without saying that the consequential harm to these children is completely ignored, but countered with bullshit 'it's a journey we're all taking' speak.
Most of what the social worker was saying in the interview with the foster parents was completely unintelligible and/or grossly insulting.
Might want to watch the opening segments of Alan Kohler’s Finance Report on the ABC as he has a couple of interesting graphs which made be of interest to a number of people here on the The Standard which would confirm what we already know about wage growth vs company profit vs sharemarket prices.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/business/kohler-report/
Shitty people with shitty motivations can still sometimes produce a worthwhile result.
In this case it seems Kim Jong Orange Jr's desires to murder wild animals were influential in denying a mining company's desire to poison wild animals by ruining their habitat. This time it's the Pebble Mine in Alaska, that had been previously denied by the Obama administration and then the Mandarin Mugabe cast some incantations over its crypt and it rose again. Hopefully this time the lid is on for good.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-denies-alaska-mine-permit_n_5fbe9e90c5b63d1b7708e3eb
The flood gate of pardons has opened. Starting with "Lock her up" Flynn.
In theory, that's a move that could backfire. Since Flynn is now no longer at risk of personal consequences for the crimes he committed in service of Twitterfinger J. Putinpussy, he cannot take the Fifth Amendment. So now, he has no grounds to refuse to testify fully and truthfully, and is at risk of criminal charges if he doesn't.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-pardon-michael-flynn_n_5a216c7fe4b03350e0b64a66
Surely he can refuse and take the fifth – as the pardon is only for FEDERAL offences
That's if a state goes after him for something.
In this particular case, the interest is more about Flynn taking the Fifth as a witness in a potential prosecution of Individual-1.
Unless he gets an immunity from the relevant state he could make himself liable to prosecution – I don't think you can get him convicted for refusing to incriminate himself by testifying against someone else.
Have you watched this Andre?
Nope. Not going to, either.
For starters, it's an hour and three quarters of video, which probably only has the information content of a few minutes worth of reading.
Video as a format is great for propagandists wanting to hook the gullible into investing a lot of time into having emotions manipulated who then have a sunk time cost in absorbing and regurgitating the intended message.
But video is a terrible medium for conveying factual information to anyone that likes to fact-check by looking for alternative sources and views on a topic in the midst of considering an argument being presented..
Every now and then I'll read something of Greenwald's, including a couple of his pieces on Flynn, to see if he's developed anything useful to say. But every time it's a disappointment. He's a propagandist presenting gish-gallops of misrepresentations, partial truths, omitted context, false equivalences, omission of any big picture, and other misinformation. Dunno what his angle really is, but his blind hatred of … something… taints his polemics to the point of uselessness.
RationalWiki's entry on Greenwald sums him up pretty well:
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Glenn_Greenwald
You've not watched it but can determine what Greenwald says.
That's mighty clever of you.
Remain ignorant.
Nobody cares.
https://twitter.com/DavidPriess/status/1331744272559771653
Official 'speech from the throne' about what our government intends to do with its mandate: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2011/S00086/speech-from-the-throne.htm
The Government intends to declare a climate emergency and will propose the move next Thursday.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300168280/government-to-declare-climate-change-emergency-in-parliament-next-week
As the councillor who, last year, proposed that the Southland Regional Council (Environment Southland) do the same thing, I'm hugely supportive and encouraged by the Government's proposal and at the same time greatly disappointed by my own council's failure to make the declaration, despite my best efforts to build support and understanding for the action. I've alerted my fellow councillors to the news and to my thoughts around their response 🙂
Let's hope that Shaw can get some actual action to go along with it.
I think he will but for the moment, this is a huge step forward; first comes the story, then follows the action; it's always been the way.
It does say in the article that Climate Change Minister James Shaw signalled that the symbolism might be joined by some sort of concrete action.
Though i'm thinking "concrete" may have been a poor choice of words.
Ha! Concrete – yes, I baulk at the use of that word also, solkta, along with "ground-breaking" and "road-map"; these get used a lot in governance and tell me that we are bound by our language and until that changes or broadens, we will make change but slowly. The recent acceptance of Maori words and phrases by the courts and the Government ("hauora" and "te mana o te wai" in particular) gives the possibility of change a huge lift! I'm becoming excited at the potentials here.
Yes, but lets start at those things that matter. Like drinking water and sewage. If both fail, we wont need to think about any other issues as the illnesses from yesteryear will take care of those who still drive cars, heat their homes without expensive power, etc..
You don't think Climate Change matters? My sewage and drinking water are fine thanks. Climate Change though is likely to restrict my use of that drinking water for other things like it already has.
From the Speech from the Throne:
"To add further stability to the New Zealand Government, the Labour Party has agreed to work together with the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand through a Cooperation Agreement. This agreement commits the Government to working in the best interests of New Zealand and New Zealanders, working to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and working together on specific policy areas where the Green Party can continue to add expertise and where both parties can achieve mutual gains that advance the goals of the Government."
I'm going to put a post up on that speech more generally.
Compare it with the 2017 speech.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-throne-2017
The only physical legacy for CC say,was from NZF and the billion tree initiative.The rest is conjunctive claptrap.
Housing 3 years later shows more trees have been harvested for weasel words then 4×2 for framing.
Weasel words is what they specialise in….after all they are little more than sales people
Good.
Nice quote.
Is this a good response to the climate emergency – from The Guardian?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/24/new-zealand-geologists-plan-to-harness-volcano-heat-to-reduce-climate-emissions
Women who are concerned about the welfare of their poorer sisters will be thrilled to read of this help. I think that we are onto this as well.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/24/scotland-becomes-first-nation-to-provide-free-period-products-for-all
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of us men concerned about the welfare of our poorer sisters as well. We sadly have gone the "pilot" route when common sense says just do it.
Thanks DoS I am sure you are right. But I am particularly concerned about how many middle-class ambitious women are self-contained parcels – 'untouchable girls' to the reality of other less able and differently encultured females living within stone-throwing distance of them.
Scotland with ideas for building tourism.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/22/ruins-with-a-view-plan-to-turn-scottish-castles-into-enchanting-hotels
Trump told the 'biggest' porkies in the world, now it is Boorish's turn to carry the banner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQkQAU9iU7I Bi..us Di..us
Boris Johnson has insisted he is not opposed to devolution, days after he described it as a disaster in Scotland.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/21/boris-johnson-insists-he-is-not-opposed-to-devolution-after-disaster-comment
and https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/24/brexit-capitalism George Monbiot
and – Bernie Sanders https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/24/bernie-sanders-working-class-win-back-from-donald-trump
and – https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/24/republicans-joe-biden-history-congress-president-democrat from • 'Adam Tooze is a professor of history at Columbia University'
And – tastes like chicken? Or soy beans?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/25/revealed-uk-supermarket-and-fast-food-chicken-linked-to-brazil-deforestation-soy-soya
I have wondered what would happen to the country if there was a breakdown in the chain for milk sales to the world. We could only dry a proportion of it. In Denmark they have been intensively breeding mink and in the wake of Covid 19 being passed by the animals have done a panicked kill with had results.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/25/culled-mink-rise-from-the-dead-denmark-coronavirus
and food in USA – big demand from hungry families of colour in particular – twice the percentage.
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/nov/25/us-hunger-surges-spiraling-pandemic
The best people:
Kellyalien Conway: "alternative facts"
Oozy Ghouliani: "truth isn't truth"
Jenna Ellis: “I posted it because the ifea itself is true, whether or not he said it!”
https://twitter.com/NumbersMuncher/status/1331617229910253571
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jenna-ellis-teddy-roosevelt-quote_n_5fbf035fc5b61d04bfa6d81e
Very apropos
https://twitter.com/DammedWriter/status/1331629608907776001