In 1899 and 1900, electric vehicles outsold all other types of cars. In fact, 28 percent of all 4,192 cars produced in the US in 1900 were electric, according to the American Census. And the total value of electric cars sold was more than gasoline and steam powered cars combined that year.
I looked hard at Ni-Fe batteries but while they do have the potential for a remarkably long life cycle, they do have other fundamental limitations that mean they've been generally overshadowed by lithium chemistries for good reason. But I agree they have an interesting history and are deserved more success than they met with.
It's quite astonishing just how many various types of battery are being researched at the moment, and it's not at all clear which or any of them will rise to commercial success. You only have to have one significant weakness in the entire product system for it to be a show-stopper – not an easy challenge to overcome.
I can understand the temptation to buy more rental properties. Owning property grows savings and is relatively secure with strong backing from government, which doesn’t want house prices to fall. The cycle of disadvantage is fed by the cycle of advantage. I’ve found myself in the cycle of advantage, and now my dilemma is what to do.
This landlord is conflicted. Not conflicted enough to sell his two rentals it seems, but at least he is considering it.
He makes the good point that property investors such as himself are complicit in the widening of social inequality by denying families the ability to generate wealth on their own.
In effect landlords are stealing from poor people.
Twice in fact, first they remove the opportunity for low income families to increase intergenerational social, financial, and geographical security. And second by reaping and keeping un-redistributed tax free income gain.
In effect landlords are stealing from poor people.
And at the same time providing them with a home, an activity that generates relatively little net income. Indeed the mere existence of the now defunct LAQC tax smoothing structure is proof that many landlords subsidised their tenants from their own PAYE income for many years.
Not very good thieves really.
All the gains in the current market come from the capital growth, and in this they are absolutely no different to anyone else who owns property.
No because part of the solution is to remove the ability of people such as yourself to accumulate such massive (in your own words) untaxed gains.
This is about improving intergenerational societal stability which we know improves the lives of all. Most of that is to ensure everyone, or at least as many as possible, is able to access wealth which clearly isn't happening at he moment.
Funny sort of progressive which seeks to deny this as a goal.
As for the root cause, well perhaps this is difficult to find, but that is no excuse to hide behind it’s obscurity while enjoying the benefits.
Even if the gains were taxed more than they are, NZ houses would still be one of the most popular asset classes to invest in. Places to rent are in high demand – so investing in them is obvious.
I can't currently see a policy combination by any kind of NZ Government involving either Labour or National that would make other assets such as shares or business ownership to be more attractive than home ownership.
Of course Robertson will bring in the 10 year Bright Line test in his announcements next week. Plus stop being able to trade off income and interest. Plus go after property-owning trusts with no charitable purpose.
Woods and Parker I'd expect will do the supply side announcements later.
But to choose to sell up one or two of ones' houses and find something far more attractive – well that would require a spectacularly innovative economy with outstanding returns where risk is reasonable and the rate of return is at least as good as property.
There aren't that many countries similar to ours that are like that.
The Gov. could of course stop underwriting the property market, provide an alternative investment option, and restrict the flow of capital into housing WHILE providing the infrastructure and regulatory environment needed to encourage the required housing.
"I can't currently see a policy combination by any kind of NZ Government involving either Labour or National that would make other assets such as shares or business ownership to be more attractive than home ownership."
They could but I suspect it wont occur until after the crash…the opportunity to nationalise the banks was avoided post 2008/9 however , so perhaps not. There is speculation that individual accounts with central banks is the future.
Bright line test ? Don't care – I never intend to sell. And everyone else will just hold off selling until the deadline expires, meaning fewer homes for sale and a sellers market.
And if rents are frozen to levels below the cost of property ownership this will directly lead to a shortage of rentals. You may think this a good thing – until the day you need to move.
Interesting how all the things you want, all work against the people you claim to be helping. This is because problem you’re trying to fix has relatively little to do with the split between renting and owning – and the quite different question of the balance between people who want a home and the number available – and their price,
Of course the benefit will not happen overnight even though you assume that's what all this is about.
A longer bright line test will capture tax on gains that is simply pocketed right now. This can be used to fund the local and national infrastructure required to develop properly because despite what you say, you cannot just magically build homes without means to get people to and from work and without decent local amenities. To load those costs onto new builds and developers means the cost of building goes up.
Another important point is while behaviours are being changed around property investing, which is a long process, security of tenure is hugely important and itself a step toward that change in behaviour. A longer bright line does mean less rental flipping as you've pointed out. Probably the only thing you got right.
And managed rents linked to the CPI means that returns can't fall below the cost of property ownership unless you are an over leveraged speculative investor or an incredible bad one. Once again, tenants should have to pay for the size of a cowboy's mortgage.
Interesting how whenever anyone goes near tenancy reform you start getting hot and bothered.
I can't currently see a policy combination by any kind of NZ Government involving either Labour or National that would make other assets such as shares or business ownership
These balances are necessarily complex – but a relatively low cost measure would be legislating to improve the integrity of the NZSE. As it stands, low level investors would be wise to leave it the hell alone. Key of course did nothing to protect the equity of small investors. A stock market is not supposed to be a casino – it ought to reward productive investment and discourage all but the most statistically anomalous speculators. Been a long time since it operated in that fashion however.
MB. Government is about maintaining and, where possible, improving quality of life (join the queue) with a view to stability/sustainability. Perhaps there should be a MP quota drawn from those 10% of NZers who have accumulated a collective $13 billion debt; debt that might be a barrier to becoming an MP.
And maybe such a quota would foster greater political recognition and understanding of the need for transformative resilience to improve "intergenerational societal stability" (nice phrase that).
Despite 25 years of extraordinary progress in human and social development, with a reduction in poverty, higher education standards, employment growth, rising incomes and increased longevity for hundreds of millions, Mr. Akram pointed out that “today, 26 people own half the world’s wealth”.
And todays crisis has shone a stark light on existing vulnerabilities and inequalities.
“We need to foster transformative resilience by choosing policies that tackles high and rising inequality…[and] policies that empower people and communities to become more resilient and offer multiple opportunities for decent work and social and economic transformation”, the ECOSOC President stated.
In the following sections, the profiles of the two selected cities as well as the main common challenges they have to face have been briefly outlined. In detail, besides some general information related to their administrative demographic and morphological features, the main environmental and social criticalities (such as land take, soil sealing, population aging; etc.) as well as the main shocks and stresses the two cities suffered in the last years have been described in order to highlight why Rome and Athens can be considered as paradigmatic examples of the two main facets of “new urban question” (Secchi 2013): the impacts of climate change and the growing social inequalities.
Not everybody who rents actually wants to own a house. but the trouble is that there are too many landlords for this relatively small market. A further problem is that many are mortgaged to the hilt and are able to avoid paying tax on their net income because the interest deductibility rort gobbles up their "book" profit.
I think it would be better to call it an unethical system, rather than attribute it to unethical people. If we do that, the case for changing it is more easily made, and it doesn't get people's backs up. Plus it doesn't trigger long threads on TS where the usual suspects repeat the same arguments over and over…
Interesting, but can a system have ethics? People have good ethics or they don't and clearly in the case of property investors, they don't.
JA infers as much here when she basically says 'people are bad and if you try stop them they become worse'
"But, of course, whenever you're looking at what you could do to try and adjust people's decision-making, you've also got to keep in mind that, you know, simple ideas of caps and things, people can re-orientate the way they structure their investments to hide some of these issues. So it does become quite tricky.
I don't think you can readily change people's minds or behaviour by telling them how bad they are. And many landlords and investors will be ordinary people like you and me, who are making quite rational financial decisions – given the way the system is set up.
Stuff recent article – only available through Reddit so far!
Nearly 80 per cent of landlords own just one property, data shows
So controls on the other 20% ir seek actual number over two rental properties, and then tailor demands, control the rack–renters who should be dealt to and surveilled, and charge levies that pay for inspections on houses, and a call centre for people struggling to get repairs, have a livable house with decent services.
Completely agree re landlords. Good to know at least one is conflicted.
as posted previously I could easily afford a rental, but I hate the idea that I am depriving first home buyers. If I did buy something it would be to help family.
on a different note I see a 501 who killed two women in Australia has just been charged with sexual assault and sent to jail for 16 years.
for the legal types amongst us surely NZ can change our law to prevent these people being shipped here. 2000 and counting……Oz isn’t going to drop their policy, we need to take responsibility and do whatever we can do to halt it…..but maybe there is nothing we can do?
Looking at how we are going with our Covid19 responses and controls.
Gordon Campbell on Werewolf published on Scoop has had a look at the Ministry of Health and saliva testing and updates in a thoughtful and balanced way.
"Earlier, Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, warned such actions could lead to a major conflict and that Syria has advanced weapons, including the S-300, and that Americans should be very careful."
In other words, "if you bomb Iran's proxy that our proxy is letting live there, we might let our proxy shoot down your jets because our shit is cooler than your shit".
It's kind of nice to be back watching the old dance again, rather than everyone being in uncharted geopolitical territory.
Tangaru Turia, 34, was six months old when he left New Zealand, living in Australia until he was deported in 2017. Turia was shot dead by police while "brandishing" a shotgun.
Well I guess now both Australia and NZ are better places. Harsh, but true. I have zero sympathy for people who did what he was doing in Australia (and doubtlessly here too).
Are his kids better off? Y’know the ones he was trying to stay in touch with via FaceTime?
Did you read the article? Mental health issues for some time. Sure, he got kicked out for domestic violence. The article doesn't say what other convictions he had there but don't let that stop you speculating.
The point is Australia exacerbated an already serious situation in the worst possible way for people in both countries, and especially for his young family.
Whatever chance at rehabilitation he had went out the window with Scott Morrison’s deportation policy.
We really do not know if his children are better off or not, but quite possibly they are.
And no, I am not speculating about other convictions. Just do a Google search for his Australian time. Yeah, mental health issues but that's what his lifestyle in Australia invariably leads to.
Rehabilitation is really a little late, and how many ever truly rehabilitate? Drug rehabs are incredibly ineffective. Very sad for his family I know, but I well understand yhe desire of Australia to shift out their problems.
Trigger-happy people are dangerous, guns shoot people and males get high on guns more than females. Police tried the careful approach to a guman in Aramoana and lost out.
There has to be a better program for these 'lost boys' sent away from home by the sleazy-peazy Australian government wanting to slide out of their failures to integrate people. We are much the same here, but we haven't the option to pass the parcel. So let's have a sensible program, and give them something to ground them here, ability to turn their lives around and have a regular earning job and still keep in touch with there. Perhaps if the rehab was successful some returnees could help in working with our crims here on the basis 'If I can remake my life so can you'. And bring in a visa system so we can keep track of what goes from here to there and vice versa. It would help if we knew how much vice is travelling over the Tasman!
Seems to be a fair chance that untreated (or unsuccessfully treated) mental health issues didn't help the matter, but I doubt anyone will be clamouring for a review into his care.
nats are stuck in the past. even the women in the nats are old white men in disguise. crusher has tried to turn into cushla, but bridges and bishop havent read the memo. you would have thought that bridges would have learnt from last years disaster, when his attack and negativety led to his dumping by his own troops. possibly bridges is the sort of person who CANT learn, and is condemed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. bishop should be young enough to learn, but possibly his inbuilt arrogance will also stop him from learning.
Did it backfire on Bishop and National? They had a moment in the sun feeding their supporters and the anti-Labour brigade. It had those groups energised and frothing at the mouth. All good. It's the sort style of ignorant energy which lives on and nourishes cretins.
It is incredible that in the post Key years National have settled on this; Collins, Bishop, Bridges, Mitchell, and Goodfellow. A callous and evil hive of desperados.
"Immigration New Zealand is standing by its decision to grant a visa to the partner of Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March and says the application was treated "like any other".
Why am I reminded of the immortal response of Mandy Rice0Davies when she was told that Lord Astor had denied having an affair with her? The words she used are generally quoted as "Well he would, wouldn't he".
The same seems likely from the Immigration Department if they were asked whether they had done anything unusual, regardless of what they might have done.
It was also, according to Bob Woodward when talking about Donald Trump's reaction to complaints about his actions with women, also Trump's line.
"When accused of sexual assault or other misdeeds by women, President Trump says you've got to "deny, deny, deny," according to Bob"
You’re as predictable as an old broken record or an old dog that starts drooling upon hearing a certain whistle, hence the term.
Do you know many times you have mentioned good old Mandy here since 2012?
Just as the others, you don’t care at all about “what happened”, it just provides you with a nice opportunistic pivot point that you simply cannot resist. I had you in mind with my comment and you did not disappoint.
Of course, you did not address one single point in the link, as I expected too.
Addendum: This column was drafted before the events involving Andrew Falloon and Iain Lees-Galloway. It has not been rewritten.. However, I must add this. The column tries hard to be fair towards Judith Collins; after all it is really about wider issues than her. But the way she dealt with the Lees-Galloway allegations was inappropriate. She was right to pass her knowledge on to Jacinda Ardern, as the prime minister had done to her over Falloon. She was wrong to announce she had done so (on morning radio) before the Prime Minister had publicly dealt with the information. In contrast Ardern waited until Collins had made her Falloon announcement before explaining her involvement. Collins’ timing has the hallmarks of a Whale Oil counterpuncher. It does not promise a clean election.
No I wasn't talking about him getting into the MIQ facility.
I was talking about him having been invited to apply for an immigration visa.
"Menéndez March's partner was invited to apply for a visa on December 3 last year and a six-month visa was granted on January 11."
"Immigration NZ head Greg Patchell said he would look into it, telling Stanford: "In the situation you've described… it probably wouldn't meet the criteria."
The of course Immigration decided that everything was fine
Nobody gives a damn what you think about their relationship. It was good enough for immigration NZ, so it's unimportant if you are unable to get your head around two guys being in a romantic relationship.
Still a pal for a Green MP is both essential and needs to get in promptly, [sic]
As usual, you’re making up BS and you’re now just trolling. You’ve also twisted the quoted text “the partner of Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March” in your own comment @ 9.3 to “a pal for a Green MP”. Your narrative is pathetic. Get a hobby, soon!
Monday thoughts: My Food Bag's offer is food for thought … http://www.stuff.co.nz › business › opinion-analysis › monday-t… My Food Bag plans to sell up to 185 million shares, valuing the company at just under $450 million. In terms of … 15/02/2021
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/my-food-bag-seeks-up-to-342m-in-ipo-sets-march-5-date-for-dual-listing/H4KS4GW5NFNE5F35JY3LBLML5Y/ Companies Office records show the Waterman Fund 3LP owns 70 per cent of the company having invested in October 2016. Co-founders Cecilia Robinson and her husband James own 10.8 per cent, as does Theresa Gattung. Interests associated with Nadia Lim own 5.4 per cent. My Food Bag says more than 10,000 customers and team members have registered to receive a priority allocation in the IPO. Australian investors were also targeted.
There is money in supplying the hard-working middle and upper class with profits to be made. And there is some advance in government assisting with food at schools for hard-p0ressed parents.
and – Free lunches for school kids, Government announces | Stuff.co …www.stuff.co.nz › national › politics › free-lunches-for-sc…
29/08/2019 — Jacinda Ardern announces initiative that will see kids at 30 schools … is rolling this school lunch programme out to the kids in New Zealand …
and
PM Jacinda Ardern serves up first of many free school lunches …www.rnz.co.nz › news › national › pm-jacinda-ardern-s…
20/02/2020 — Thousands of children have begun receiving a free lunch on every day of the … Official figures show one in 10 children in New Zealand live in material … The $45 million free school lunch programme is one of 75 initiatives …
What a pathetic response. Simple minded D. stating the obvious, can't think beyond it and so proud of a thought that he/she has to write in and show us. The point is that private business can be built on the good incomes that people at the higher salary range can afford, and it could be said it is being built on the deficit of the wages being paid to the strugglers. Why wouldn't private business be built on their needs. Because they can't afford this type of food because they don't get paid enough.
Aristocrats and peasants again!! We had been working hard in society to help the lower income people to get education skills and a happy place in society. So D. got that!
And Ad you show a crack in your understanding of society's needs again. The takeaway shops are micro businesses that some people get into to provide for their family and work hard for themselves. The shutting down of NZ busin ess by Labour free marketers striding forward like Greek heroes, not, leaves pople searching for a place to fit into the NZ economy, so poorly run that extremes of inflation are not registered in official statistics on which so much of our microeconomic measures are based. I go to a number of takeaways and support such people, and they are glad to see me.
I don't know how to recommend this enough – if you have the time that is. A deep dive into the ways the big tech social media companies are fucking us up. It won't be everyone's taste, but I found it pretty special:
Health officials have discovered that two – now-positive – cases of one family went to work and visited a vape store when they were supposed to be isolating at home.
The family also hosted a private home viewing.
Botany MP Christopher Luxon said would-be critics should focus their efforts on keeping the virus at bay.
"We don't know the full facts of the situation, that's really the government and the health officials that will be aware of all of those.
It transpires the young man went to a doctor who gave him a Covid test and he then went on to a gym. How's that for stupidity. It is becoming clear there is a group of young people who cannot be trusted to do the right thing.
Someone needs to be made an example of, in the hope it brings these idiots to their senses.
The Dr would have reminded the person of their statutory responsibilities (being a contact plus)
As there are now a number of self isolation breaches,the AK cordon zone exemption for permitted travel needs to be very restricted,which may include flight constraints (including mps)
collective responsibility, we all do the right thing to ensure the benefit of all. When one person doesn't do the right thing they place everyone at risk. I think Ardern is being too easy on the people who have failed to do the right thing. My view of them is a whole lot less charitable. Act like a clown or a dick and we are all at risk, a week of level 3 risk. And yes, maybe there were reasons why people felt compelled for the need to go to work. Self isolating might have cost some people money. Well the week of level 3 is going to cost a whole lot more people money. Sure, it can be tough isolating. It's going to be tough for the employers and employees now having a week or reduced or no income. Pretty simple, if you are told to isolate do it rather than be an arse.
To what end, Rosielee? I think Ardern had the correct line about not increasing barriers to testing:
we still need an environment where people will speak, come forward and be tested and if people are afraid and they are shamed and vilified, they won't."
unless there are mitigating circumstances that meant the non isolators were totally unaware and genuinely ignorant, then a visit from the police is probably in order and a pretty strong message about doing the right thing. make it crystal clear for the people that no one is impressed.
Spot on georgecom. A visit from the police. Read the riot act. Tell them what isolation means and if they're caught doing it again they're going to be in big trouble. The only language some people understand.
I am going to bed I cannot tell the difference between Muttonbird and Morrissey.
Contrary to popular opinion, I am not running Muttonbird as a sock-puppet. He may have been to visit moi at Chez Breen, but that is something we can neither confirm nor deny.
"You don't know their story, you don't know what it's like to be a person unless you've walked in their shoes.
"We don't know whether the teenagers have to go to work because they're the only income-earners in the family, we don't know if there's any other truma that the family's experience – we don't know any of that stuff.
sure, financial pressures might be telling. I am sure many business owners in Auckland will be feeling that this week. I am sure many of the people who had to isolate from Kmart and KFC were feeling financial pressures. Simple fact really though, the "traumas" a family might have been "experiencing" is now going to be "trauma" a great many more people are forced to "experience".
Not a lot of sympathy for people who break the rules. Maybe charge them, with heavy name suppression as we don’t want vigilantes.
only excuse is if the kfc person was desperate for the money. But the 21 year old going to the gym ffs. Maybe should be made to watch interviews with people whose businesses are on the edge because of the shift of levels. Lots of them
There's support money available from MSD. Health/govt services should have walked them through them application it if they were incapable of doing it themselves.
MSD should have been IMO contacted all Papatoetoe High School families when the school closed and all families were to be tested and isolate (I have not read that they did), with what support is available and contact number/emails on contacting staff to assist any and all queries. And the govt making it as easy as possible for any financial assistance and fast tracking all payments to ease any financial stress. Then family members hopefully would not feel inclined to jeopardise being in level 1. As our PM said it is not their fault (Don't agree totally with her there e.g. Gym goer etc)
But in all seriousness, I do hope the police go round and have some stern words with them. They need to know that because of them Auckland is now at level 2 and how much it will cost businesses/people.
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Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
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“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
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Serpentza latest on of 2022 Winter Olympics.. I agree, I agree I agree.
With every government afraid to offend China the best option is the tourists and to a lesser extent athletes.
The battery invented 120 years before its time – BBC Future
we had electric cars well before Elon Musk showed up to be the worlds saviour.
https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-history-2017-5?r=AU&IR=T#the-electric-car-burst-onto-the-scene-in-the-late-1800s-and-early-1900s-1
But then gasoline came along and ………..
I looked hard at Ni-Fe batteries but while they do have the potential for a remarkably long life cycle, they do have other fundamental limitations that mean they've been generally overshadowed by lithium chemistries for good reason. But I agree they have an interesting history and are deserved more success than they met with.
It's quite astonishing just how many various types of battery are being researched at the moment, and it's not at all clear which or any of them will rise to commercial success. You only have to have one significant weakness in the entire product system for it to be a show-stopper – not an easy challenge to overcome.
https://www.rpc.com.au/solar-news/161/disadvantages-of-nickel-iron-batteries.html
Landlords being landlords. Aren't they so hard done by?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/124342557/landlords-undeterred-by-warning-bad-tenants-lists-could-break-the-law
This landlord is conflicted. Not conflicted enough to sell his two rentals it seems, but at least he is considering it.
He makes the good point that property investors such as himself are complicit in the widening of social inequality by denying families the ability to generate wealth on their own.
In effect landlords are stealing from poor people.
Twice in fact, first they remove the opportunity for low income families to increase intergenerational social, financial, and geographical security. And second by reaping and keeping un-redistributed tax free income gain.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/124358100/the-myth-of-the-ethical-property-investor
In effect landlords are stealing from poor people.
And at the same time providing them with a home, an activity that generates relatively little net income. Indeed the mere existence of the now defunct LAQC tax smoothing structure is proof that many landlords subsidised their tenants from their own PAYE income for many years.
Not very good thieves really.
All the gains in the current market come from the capital growth, and in this they are absolutely no different to anyone else who owns property.
You spectacularly missed the point as usual. By providing them with a home you deny them the opportunity to own their own.
And if the excellent event these same poor people did wind up owning a home, and seeing the same capital gains … would this make them thieves too?
Or maybe you’re looking in all the wrong places for the root cause.
No because part of the solution is to remove the ability of people such as yourself to accumulate such massive (in your own words) untaxed gains.
This is about improving intergenerational societal stability which we know improves the lives of all. Most of that is to ensure everyone, or at least as many as possible, is able to access wealth which clearly isn't happening at he moment.
Funny sort of progressive which seeks to deny this as a goal.
As for the root cause, well perhaps this is difficult to find, but that is no excuse to hide behind it’s obscurity while enjoying the benefits.
Even if the gains were taxed more than they are, NZ houses would still be one of the most popular asset classes to invest in. Places to rent are in high demand – so investing in them is obvious.
I can't currently see a policy combination by any kind of NZ Government involving either Labour or National that would make other assets such as shares or business ownership to be more attractive than home ownership.
Of course Robertson will bring in the 10 year Bright Line test in his announcements next week. Plus stop being able to trade off income and interest. Plus go after property-owning trusts with no charitable purpose.
Woods and Parker I'd expect will do the supply side announcements later.
But to choose to sell up one or two of ones' houses and find something far more attractive – well that would require a spectacularly innovative economy with outstanding returns where risk is reasonable and the rate of return is at least as good as property.
There aren't that many countries similar to ours that are like that.
The Gov. could of course stop underwriting the property market, provide an alternative investment option, and restrict the flow of capital into housing WHILE providing the infrastructure and regulatory environment needed to encourage the required housing.
Your comment is a sentence consisting of a set of abstract nouns with no policy grounding whatsoever.
It is not the job of government to 'provide an alternative investment option'. Markets do that.
What specific policies is the Minister of Finance likely to announce next week? He's given plenty of clues for you.
“Your comment is a sentence consisting of a set of abstract nouns with no policy grounding whatsoever ”
They are only abstract nouns if you have no idea
“It is not the job of government to ‘provide an alternative investment option’. Markets do that”
It used to be the job of government, until the con that markets were best took hold…and the markets are broken.
“What specific policies is the Minister of Finance likely to announce next week? He’s given plenty of clues for you.”
Thats the big question…sadly, to date the clues (rhetoric) don’t match the actions or rather, inactions
The government doesn't owe you an asset class.
The government doesn't 'make an investment option' for you.
Whatever historical fantasy you live in disappeared about 50 years ago. Wake up.
The policies that will be delivered are will signalled for this coming week. It's called a budget and comes around at the same time every year.
Markets quite blatantly haven't been doing that for housing for years.
That's true for non-owners.
So the government should step in.
Owning your own home isn't about an "asset class" or capital gains. Those are related to owning things.
But owning your home is about security. Stability. Self determination.
"I can't currently see a policy combination by any kind of NZ Government involving either Labour or National that would make other assets such as shares or business ownership to be more attractive than home ownership."
27 February 2021 at 1:10 pm
You cant see because you apparently dont know what to look for
27 February 2021 at 2:18 pm
the answer is staring everyone in the face….reject neo-liberalism.
The government should put a stop to the creation, out of nothing, of credit by the privately owned banks.
They could but I suspect it wont occur until after the crash…the opportunity to nationalise the banks was avoided post 2008/9 however , so perhaps not. There is speculation that individual accounts with central banks is the future.
There a rumour, not from a reliable source unfortunately, that it'll be 20 years bright line and rents frozen then linked to CPI.
Looking forward to it.
Bright line test ? Don't care – I never intend to sell. And everyone else will just hold off selling until the deadline expires, meaning fewer homes for sale and a sellers market.
And if rents are frozen to levels below the cost of property ownership this will directly lead to a shortage of rentals. You may think this a good thing – until the day you need to move.
Interesting how all the things you want, all work against the people you claim to be helping. This is because problem you’re trying to fix has relatively little to do with the split between renting and owning – and the quite different question of the balance between people who want a home and the number available – and their price,
Of course the benefit will not happen overnight even though you assume that's what all this is about.
A longer bright line test will capture tax on gains that is simply pocketed right now. This can be used to fund the local and national infrastructure required to develop properly because despite what you say, you cannot just magically build homes without means to get people to and from work and without decent local amenities. To load those costs onto new builds and developers means the cost of building goes up.
Another important point is while behaviours are being changed around property investing, which is a long process, security of tenure is hugely important and itself a step toward that change in behaviour. A longer bright line does mean less rental flipping as you've pointed out. Probably the only thing you got right.
And managed rents linked to the CPI means that returns can't fall below the cost of property ownership unless you are an over leveraged speculative investor or an incredible bad one. Once again, tenants should have to pay for the size of a cowboy's mortgage.
Interesting how whenever anyone goes near tenancy reform you start getting hot and bothered.
A capital gain does not really increase the community's aggregate income, because the seller's gain is offset buy the buyers loss
I can't currently see a policy combination by any kind of NZ Government involving either Labour or National that would make other assets such as shares or business ownership
These balances are necessarily complex – but a relatively low cost measure would be legislating to improve the integrity of the NZSE. As it stands, low level investors would be wise to leave it the hell alone. Key of course did nothing to protect the equity of small investors. A stock market is not supposed to be a casino – it ought to reward productive investment and discourage all but the most statistically anomalous speculators. Been a long time since it operated in that fashion however.
MB. Government is about maintaining and, where possible, improving quality of life (join the queue) with a view to stability/sustainability. Perhaps there should be a MP quota drawn from those 10% of NZers who have accumulated a collective $13 billion debt; debt that might be a barrier to becoming an MP.
And maybe such a quota would foster greater political recognition and understanding of the need for transformative resilience to improve "intergenerational societal stability" (nice phrase that).
Not everybody who rents actually wants to own a house. but the trouble is that there are too many landlords for this relatively small market. A further problem is that many are mortgaged to the hilt and are able to avoid paying tax on their net income because the interest deductibility rort gobbles up their "book" profit.
Would have thought it's a govt responsibility to ensure opportunities for low income earners. Clickbait targeting frustrated renters.
Great idea.
I think it would be better to call it an unethical system, rather than attribute it to unethical people. If we do that, the case for changing it is more easily made, and it doesn't get people's backs up. Plus it doesn't trigger long threads on TS where the usual suspects repeat the same arguments over and over…
Interesting, but can a system have ethics? People have good ethics or they don't and clearly in the case of property investors, they don't.
JA infers as much here when she basically says 'people are bad and if you try stop them they become worse'
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/02/property-investors-making-it-so-much-worse-for-others-in-overheated-housing-market-jacinda-ardern.html
I don't think you can readily change people's minds or behaviour by telling them how bad they are. And many landlords and investors will be ordinary people like you and me, who are making quite rational financial decisions – given the way the system is set up.
Yes, we are taught greed is good and most do not for a moment accept their actions aren't good for society as a whole.
Stuff recent article – only available through Reddit so far!
Nearly 80 per cent of landlords own just one property, data shows
So controls on the other 20% ir seek actual number over two rental properties, and then tailor demands, control the rack–renters who should be dealt to and surveilled, and charge levies that pay for inspections on houses, and a call centre for people struggling to get repairs, have a livable house with decent services.
AB – Huic Sapientia Vinum and further – in Vino Veritas etc.
It's an immoral world, let alone an unethical 'system'.
on a different note I see a 501 who killed two women in Australia has just been charged with sexual assault and sent to jail for 16 years.
for the legal types amongst us surely NZ can change our law to prevent these people being shipped here. 2000 and counting……Oz isn’t going to drop their policy, we need to take responsibility and do whatever we can do to halt it…..but maybe there is nothing we can do?
There'll be a point when Australia realise that the consequences of their policy outweigh the benefits.
That will be when they have damaged the trans-Tasman relationship badly enough for it to begin to affect them negatively.
Eventually they'll have to decide whether it is worth it.
Looking at how we are going with our Covid19 responses and controls.
Gordon Campbell on Werewolf published on Scoop has had a look at the Ministry of Health and saliva testing and updates in a thoughtful and balanced way.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2102/S00112/on-the-rivals-for-the-covid-saliva-testing-dollar.htm
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/170404/Russian-FM-condemns-US-airstrike-in-Syria
"Earlier, Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, warned such actions could lead to a major conflict and that Syria has advanced weapons, including the S-300, and that Americans should be very careful."
In other words, "if you bomb Iran's proxy that our proxy is letting live there, we might let our proxy shoot down your jets because our shit is cooler than your shit".
It's kind of nice to be back watching the old dance again, rather than everyone being in uncharted geopolitical territory.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/papatoetoe-police-shooting-the-501-killed-four-years-from-deportation-to-death-and-his-final-words-to-his-son/EHZ6P47JNADQ7D35B3NGWPEOQQ/
Well I guess now both Australia and NZ are better places. Harsh, but true. I have zero sympathy for people who did what he was doing in Australia (and doubtlessly here too).
Are his kids better off? Y’know the ones he was trying to stay in touch with via FaceTime?
Did you read the article? Mental health issues for some time. Sure, he got kicked out for domestic violence. The article doesn't say what other convictions he had there but don't let that stop you speculating.
The point is Australia exacerbated an already serious situation in the worst possible way for people in both countries, and especially for his young family.
Whatever chance at rehabilitation he had went out the window with Scott Morrison’s deportation policy.
We really do not know if his children are better off or not, but quite possibly they are.
And no, I am not speculating about other convictions. Just do a Google search for his Australian time. Yeah, mental health issues but that's what his lifestyle in Australia invariably leads to.
Rehabilitation is really a little late, and how many ever truly rehabilitate? Drug rehabs are incredibly ineffective. Very sad for his family I know, but I well understand yhe desire of Australia to shift out their problems.
Of course you do. Shifting and ignoring problems is how a lot people operate.
This policy is not sustainable though because as Jacinda Ardern says, it is corrosive. By definition, corrosion ends in destruction.
Trigger-happy people are dangerous, guns shoot people and males get high on guns more than females. Police tried the careful approach to a guman in Aramoana and lost out.
There has to be a better program for these 'lost boys' sent away from home by the sleazy-peazy Australian government wanting to slide out of their failures to integrate people. We are much the same here, but we haven't the option to pass the parcel. So let's have a sensible program, and give them something to ground them here, ability to turn their lives around and have a regular earning job and still keep in touch with there. Perhaps if the rehab was successful some returnees could help in working with our crims here on the basis 'If I can remake my life so can you'. And bring in a visa system so we can keep track of what goes from here to there and vice versa. It would help if we knew how much vice is travelling over the Tasman!
We would be wise to remember the reign of the 1970's drug ring and name Mr Asia who was Marty Johnstone, our well-educated drug thug along with his compatriots who graduated from NZ to bigger things in Australia. Our hands aren't completely clean. This from journalist Pat Booth, the Nicky Hager of that time. https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/opinion/2163928/Mr-Asia-the-real-inside-story
Interesting how someone can be found to give a crim a good report. 'Rude but Harmless' WTF. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3727751/Rude-but-harmless-the-real-Mr-Asia
Johnstone killed on Clark's orders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Clark_(drug_smuggler)#Career
Harsh and fucked up, more like.
You are not only ignorant, you're disgusting.
Trying to live in a strange land while having auditory hallucinations constantly harrassing you for years? Jesus.
This guy was failed by governments on both sides of the Tasman.
Yep. Add to that not being able to see your kids, forever.
Now he is dead.
Better him than his numerous victims. He has only himself to blame, unlike his victims.
501 for very very good reasons. Good ridinance.
Are you trying and convicting him for murders he hasn't committed?
Quite the Nostradamus, aren't you.
He's no Nostradamus. He's something far more malevolent, and ugly.
You can take the man out of Christchurch…
I know a lot of people from Christchurch. Not one of them is as nasty and ignorant as this fellow.
Can Muttonbird and you please drop the ad homs, thanks.
Sure. No problem.
Ta
Stay safe and well.
Can Morrissey and you please drop the ad homs, thanks.
Ok. Just want to say,
Seems to be a fair chance that untreated (or unsuccessfully treated) mental health issues didn't help the matter, but I doubt anyone will be clamouring for a review into his care.
Despite all the dirt-digging attempts, they found nothing but that wasn’t really the point, was it?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/437256/visa-for-green-mp-s-partner-like-any-other-immigration-nz-says
That story has been on the news for a week or more, and it's still as boring as ever.
And shouldn't a politician want to get back to work earlier than most, given he's on the public dime? I know I would.
I think that backfired spectacularly on Bishop and National.
Once it was known he had family health issues over there you'd think they'd lay off but no, double down on the mean-spirited attack was the answer.
Bishop is a busy boy, but he has to keep up with the other busy bad boy Bridges, who apparently only listens to his wife [how sweet].
Bishop is still gunning for Mallard and there is the reoccurring Motion of No Confidence in the House.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/124376188/chris-bishop-asks-for-defamation-claim-document-to-check-trevor-mallards-veracity
National is as shambolic as ever and ACT ill gain a few more seats at the next Election, if this continues.
nats are stuck in the past. even the women in the nats are old white men in disguise. crusher has tried to turn into cushla, but bridges and bishop havent read the memo. you would have thought that bridges would have learnt from last years disaster, when his attack and negativety led to his dumping by his own troops. possibly bridges is the sort of person who CANT learn, and is condemed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. bishop should be young enough to learn, but possibly his inbuilt arrogance will also stop him from learning.
Did it backfire on Bishop and National? They had a moment in the sun feeding their supporters and the anti-Labour brigade. It had those groups energised and frothing at the mouth. All good. It's the sort style of ignorant energy which lives on and nourishes cretins.
It is incredible that in the post Key years National have settled on this; Collins, Bishop, Bridges, Mitchell, and Goodfellow. A callous and evil hive of desperados.
Not much of a clear-out, was it.
"Immigration New Zealand is standing by its decision to grant a visa to the partner of Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March and says the application was treated "like any other".
Why am I reminded of the immortal response of Mandy Rice0Davies when she was told that Lord Astor had denied having an affair with her? The words she used are generally quoted as "Well he would, wouldn't he".
The same seems likely from the Immigration Department if they were asked whether they had done anything unusual, regardless of what they might have done.
It was also, according to Bob Woodward when talking about Donald Trump's reaction to complaints about his actions with women, also Trump's line.
"When accused of sexual assault or other misdeeds by women, President Trump says you've got to "deny, deny, deny," according to Bob"
Who knows what happened.
You’re as predictable as an old broken record or an old dog that starts drooling upon hearing a certain whistle, hence the term.
Do you know many times you have mentioned good old Mandy here since 2012?
Just as the others, you don’t care at all about “what happened”, it just provides you with a nice opportunistic pivot point that you simply cannot resist. I had you in mind with my comment and you did not disappoint.
Of course, you did not address one single point in the link, as I expected too.
Woof woofByeRicardo is getting a pass this time. After this, all bets are off.
the fact that there is no evidence of misconduct is evidence of misconduct eh alwhinge? do you buy your tinhats singly or in lots of ten?
Recycle your pie dishes !
Yeah, who knows what happened, but bugger it, we've picked the tree, we've got the rope, let's do it eh.
Jesus wept.
I wonder if the families of these, genuinely critical, workers were "invited to apply for a visa"?
PM Ardern tells Faafoi to look at 'anything more we can do' to reunite critical migrant health workers with families (msn.com)
I do rather expect not. Still a pal for a Green MP is both essential and needs to get in promptly,
What were you trying to say alwyn? Did you run out of time?
Scuzzy behaviour from Collins imho, but it’s in her nature.
No I wasn't talking about him getting into the MIQ facility.
I was talking about him having been invited to apply for an immigration visa.
"Menéndez March's partner was invited to apply for a visa on December 3 last year and a six-month visa was granted on January 11."
"Immigration NZ head Greg Patchell said he would look into it, telling Stanford: "In the situation you've described… it probably wouldn't meet the criteria."
The of course Immigration decided that everything was fine
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/02/green-mp-ricardo-men-ndez-march-cleared-of-doubt-over-partner-s-visa-by-immigration-nz.html
You’re so tedious
One receives an invitation after a preliminary assessment has been made. It is a formality using formal language.
For the legal context: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0051/32.0/DLM1440722.html
So you were referring to a Green MP's partner – why not just say that, pal?
And there was I thinking they were friends.
Does Senor March only regard it as a business relationship, as in "They were partners in the law firm"? How unromantic.
Nobody gives a damn what you think about their relationship. It was good enough for immigration NZ, so it's unimportant if you are unable to get your head around two guys being in a romantic relationship.
Is that you, Senor Banks? Well howdy, partner
Apparently you're having some 'difficulty' with the meaning of the word 'partner' in context – now why might that be?
Mind you, kudos to The Herald for that sly "green tick" – seems to me that "green light" would have been the more natural choice.
As usual, you’re making up BS and you’re now just trolling. You’ve also twisted the quoted text “the partner of Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March” in your own comment @ 9.3 to “a pal for a Green MP”. Your narrative is pathetic. Get a hobby, soon!
Monday thoughts: My Food Bag's offer is food for thought …
http://www.stuff.co.nz › business › opinion-analysis › monday-t…
My Food Bag plans to sell up to 185 million shares, valuing the company at just under $450 million. In terms of … 15/02/2021
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/my-food-bag-seeks-up-to-342m-in-ipo-sets-march-5-date-for-dual-listing/H4KS4GW5NFNE5F35JY3LBLML5Y/
Companies Office records show the Waterman Fund 3LP owns 70 per cent of the company having invested in October 2016.
Co-founders Cecilia Robinson and her husband James own 10.8 per cent, as does Theresa Gattung. Interests associated with Nadia Lim own 5.4 per cent.
My Food Bag says more than 10,000 customers and team members have registered to receive a priority allocation in the IPO. Australian investors were also targeted.
There is money in supplying the hard-working middle and upper class with profits to be made. And there is some advance in government assisting with food at schools for hard-p0ressed parents.
There are these – Feeding over 30,000 hungry children every week at school being helped by KidsCan and others. https://www.kidscan.org.nz/our-work/food-for-kids
and – Free lunches for school kids, Government announces | Stuff.co …www.stuff.co.nz › national › politics › free-lunches-for-sc…
29/08/2019 — Jacinda Ardern announces initiative that will see kids at 30 schools … is rolling this school lunch programme out to the kids in New Zealand …
and
PM Jacinda Ardern serves up first of many free school lunches …www.rnz.co.nz › news › national › pm-jacinda-ardern-s…
20/02/2020 — Thousands of children have begun receiving a free lunch on every day of the … Official figures show one in 10 children in New Zealand live in material … The $45 million free school lunch programme is one of 75 initiatives …
Not everyone has the time to make a dinner from scratch.
MyFoodBag is one of many that are making it more competitive to avoid takeaways.
Private business makes money selling food. Shock, horror. How dare they!
What a pathetic response. Simple minded D. stating the obvious, can't think beyond it and so proud of a thought that he/she has to write in and show us. The point is that private business can be built on the good incomes that people at the higher salary range can afford, and it could be said it is being built on the deficit of the wages being paid to the strugglers. Why wouldn't private business be built on their needs. Because they can't afford this type of food because they don't get paid enough.
Aristocrats and peasants again!! We had been working hard in society to help the lower income people to get education skills and a happy place in society. So D. got that!
And Ad you show a crack in your understanding of society's needs again. The takeaway shops are micro businesses that some people get into to provide for their family and work hard for themselves. The shutting down of NZ busin ess by Labour free marketers striding forward like Greek heroes, not, leaves pople searching for a place to fit into the NZ economy, so poorly run that extremes of inflation are not registered in official statistics on which so much of our microeconomic measures are based. I go to a number of takeaways and support such people, and they are glad to see me.
I don't know how to recommend this enough – if you have the time that is. A deep dive into the ways the big tech social media companies are fucking us up. It won't be everyone's taste, but I found it pretty special:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGqpVUN3jdk
Luxon showing Labour Right attitudes – perhaps the kinder face of Gnashional from Collins? The bad cop – good cop ploy?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/437289/social-media-criticism-of-family-caught-up-in-covid-19-outbreak-unhelpful-mp-says
Health officials have discovered that two – now-positive – cases of one family went to work and visited a vape store when they were supposed to be isolating at home.
The family also hosted a private home viewing.
Botany MP Christopher Luxon said would-be critics should focus their efforts on keeping the virus at bay.
"We don't know the full facts of the situation, that's really the government and the health officials that will be aware of all of those.
I'm surprised there wasn't more wrap around for this family or why they weren't in managed isolation.
Or if they were casual contacts and told to self isolate, why they didn’t.
Could cost Auckland a lot…
…and it has. Seven days at level 3.
The facts are they should have been in isolation, no exceptions,no excuses.
Name them, shame them and prosecute them.
It transpires the young man went to a doctor who gave him a Covid test and he then went on to a gym. How's that for stupidity. It is becoming clear there is a group of young people who cannot be trusted to do the right thing.
Someone needs to be made an example of, in the hope it brings these idiots to their senses.
The Dr would have reminded the person of their statutory responsibilities (being a contact plus)
As there are now a number of self isolation breaches,the AK cordon zone exemption for permitted travel needs to be very restricted,which may include flight constraints (including mps)
collective responsibility, we all do the right thing to ensure the benefit of all. When one person doesn't do the right thing they place everyone at risk. I think Ardern is being too easy on the people who have failed to do the right thing. My view of them is a whole lot less charitable. Act like a clown or a dick and we are all at risk, a week of level 3 risk. And yes, maybe there were reasons why people felt compelled for the need to go to work. Self isolating might have cost some people money. Well the week of level 3 is going to cost a whole lot more people money. Sure, it can be tough isolating. It's going to be tough for the employers and employees now having a week or reduced or no income. Pretty simple, if you are told to isolate do it rather than be an arse.
Name them, shame them and prosecute them.
To what end, Rosielee? I think Ardern had the correct line about not increasing barriers to testing:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/437321/covid-19-auckland-back-to-alert-level-three-after-new-community-cases-revealed
unless there are mitigating circumstances that meant the non isolators were totally unaware and genuinely ignorant, then a visit from the police is probably in order and a pretty strong message about doing the right thing. make it crystal clear for the people that no one is impressed.
Spot on georgecom. A visit from the police. Read the riot act. Tell them what isolation means and if they're caught doing it again they're going to be in big trouble. The only language some people understand.
Depending on the family dynamic, it's possible h was told to get his arse in to work no ifs no buts.
and the gym rang the person and told them to get their arse down for a workout, no ifs no buts?
I am not surprised at all that the situation regarding Covid is what it is. Since Tuesday Covid has been unravelling due to who could be infectious.
Someone text me yesterday, the government better pray they get lucky again.
Our luck has not held, due to the importance of isolating and being clear on why it must be done.
Testing is important as well, had today's case not have gone for a test we would be none the wiser.
See what the genome sequencing finds.
The new case went to the GP in the afternoon yesterday for a Covid test – they [sic] went to the gym after that.
CORRECTION: he went to the gym after that.
There are a lot of locations of interest whenever there is a community case and foolish to think that the rest of the country is not immune.
Going to the gym cannot be erased, it can only be contact traced.
I am going to bed I cannot tell the difference between Muttonbird and Morrissey.
I am going to bed I cannot tell the difference between Muttonbird and Morrissey.
Contrary to popular opinion, I am not running Muttonbird as a sock-puppet. He may have been to visit moi at Chez Breen, but that is something we can neither confirm nor deny.
Hang in there Aucklanders.
Great week to get fit!
A whole lot of people can’t go to the gym because one person went to the gym with his nasal swab still firmly lodged in his brain
– Papatoetoe High School principal
We do know their story. They are a family of dangerous idiots.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/02/covid-19-papatoetoe-high-school-principal-defends-community-case-who-breached-rules-to-work-at-kfc.html
"You don't know their story, you don't know what it's like to be a person unless you've walked in their shoes.
"We don't know whether the teenagers have to go to work because they're the only income-earners in the family, we don't know if there's any other truma that the family's experience – we don't know any of that stuff.
sure, financial pressures might be telling. I am sure many business owners in Auckland will be feeling that this week. I am sure many of the people who had to isolate from Kmart and KFC were feeling financial pressures. Simple fact really though, the "traumas" a family might have been "experiencing" is now going to be "trauma" a great many more people are forced to "experience".
only excuse is if the kfc person was desperate for the money. But the 21 year old going to the gym ffs. Maybe should be made to watch interviews with people whose businesses are on the edge because of the shift of levels. Lots of them
There's support money available from MSD. Health/govt services should have walked them through them application it if they were incapable of doing it themselves.
MSD should have been IMO contacted all Papatoetoe High School families when the school closed and all families were to be tested and isolate (I have not read that they did), with what support is available and contact number/emails on contacting staff to assist any and all queries. And the govt making it as easy as possible for any financial assistance and fast tracking all payments to ease any financial stress. Then family members hopefully would not feel inclined to jeopardise being in level 1. As our PM said it is not their fault (Don't agree totally with her there e.g. Gym goer etc)
Well, the government shouldn't need covid to proactively go out and offer money to people who might need it, or help them with applications.
Those wacky conservatives and their runes
/
https://twitter.com/hami/status/1365339498364604419
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/26/2018354/-Why-the-Odal-Othala-Rune-Used-By-CPAC-is-100-Explicitly-a-Nazi-Symbol
Sigh.
So some idiot gets his covid test and then decides to go the gym without waiting for the results!
Video of Papatoetoe next week:
Fuel Air Bomb _ Outbreak 1995 720p – YouTube
But in all seriousness, I do hope the police go round and have some stern words with them. They need to know that because of them Auckland is now at level 2 and how much it will cost businesses/people.
That was such a shit movie. Contagion was much better.
I thought it was pretty good for 1995. But, yes Contagion is better IMO too.
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Wow marked cop car are swarming around me
https://youtu.be/eJlN9jdQFSc
The biggest gang in NZ has their undies in A knot whanau must be because my last waiata rings TRUE.
Ka kite Ano