Open mike 27/08/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 27th, 2022 - 42 comments
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42 comments on “Open mike 27/08/2022 ”

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  1. DB Brown 1
    27 August 2022 at 8:22 am

    Such Sweet Irony.

    Fonterra has started to make 'precision fermentation products' which is marketing jargon for microbial by-products.

    These products can (and will) replace a lot of dairy. Why do I say that? Cheap! Very very cheap after the set-up. You just keep it clean and follow the procedures A + B = product C. Probably be able to automate most of it.

    Yes, that's right – Fonterra will be the death of dairy farming.

    Not if, but when. Profit before people, it's the corporate way.

    "New Zealand's current reliance on whole milk powder meant it was overexposed to such risks. There were not enough signals from the government and the industry that the dairy industry was at risk, Benny said.

    Once companies were able to copy whole milk powder through precision fermentation, could make it on a large scale, and its price was similar or lower than whole milk powder from dairy, then there would be a tipping point, Benny said."

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/129691125/fonterra-takes-first-step-into-nondairy-products

    • Ad 1.1
      27 August 2022 at 8:37 am

      Precision fermentation.

      Hmmm. Fonterra vodka.

      • Matiri 1.1.1
        27 August 2022 at 10:10 am

        NZ Dairy Group which became Fonterra had an Ethanol plant at Tirau using whey. When I worked for them in the nineties, Anchor Gin was the thing. Fonterra still has an Ethanol division.

    • Graeme 1.2
      27 August 2022 at 9:05 am

      Fonterra said it had worked with DSM, a global nutrition and bioscience company, since 2019 to speed up the making of proteins with dairy-like properties using precision fermentation.

      The partnership had already created intellectual property and filed patents, the statement said.

      Jonathan Boswell, programme leader for complementary Nutrition at Fonterra said the patents were confidential because they were not in the public domain yet.

      Dairy nutrition would remain Fonterra’s core strength, the company said.

      So…. Are F'nterra ding this to 'move n' to new business model, of developing patents to control / suppress the technology and maintain their shareholder's current business model

      • Robert Guyton 1.2.1
        27 August 2022 at 9:25 am

        Ring-fencing the competition.

        Business is business.

        • Graeme 1.2.1.1
          27 August 2022 at 9:38 am

          Still and intriguing thought experiment considering the implications of New Zealand's largest company transitioning from a co-op model buying milk from farmer shareholders to a model paying shareholders based on return from an industrial business model with ex farm inputs reduced to high value speciality products and feedstock (sugar / carbohydrates) for the industrial process.

          What would happen to the farms?

          What would happen to the farmers and the farm support industries?

          • Chess Player 1.2.1.1.1
            27 August 2022 at 5:57 pm

            They would adapt, or die out.

            There weren’t always dairy farms, after all.

            • Poission 1.2.1.1.1.1
              27 August 2022 at 6:20 pm

              There wasn't always grass,it coevolved with the grazers.

              Grasslands have long been considered products
              of the coevolution of grasses and grazers (Koval-
              evsky 1873). Few plants other than grasses can
              withstand the high-crowned, enamel-edged teeth
              and hard hooves of antelope and horses. Yet these
              same animals are best suited to the abrasive gritty
              opal phytoliths and dust of flat, open grasslands.
              Grasses recover readily from fire and nurture large
              herbivores such as elephants: both fire and ele-
              phants promote grassland at the expense of wood-
              land

              https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/d/3735/files/2013/07/grasslandscooling-nhslkh.pdf

        • DB Brown 1.2.1.2
          27 August 2022 at 9:48 am

          I recently made some fermented cheese from nuts – for a first attempt it was surprisingly good. Tried cashews and almonds. Almonds were cheaper, cashews were easier. After aging them a few weeks the taste is very similar. Non-aged cashew cheese had an aftertaste that disappeared after a week – this might have been a compromised ferment.

          Also – the 'fake parmesan' I make to sprinkle over pastas is very morish, or as I call it – 'vegan crack'.

          This is my 'low salt' version. I've also made this with macadamias – really good!

          1/2 cup cashews
          2 tbsp nutritional yeast
          1/2 tbsp garlic powder
          tsp onion powder
          1/4 tsp salt

          I've tried various vegan cheeses from the shops and I must say, I'll never buy that crap again.

          I'll try new products as they enter market, but right now I'd rather make my own so I can control how much saturated fat and salt is going into what I'm eating. Many 'vegan' products are simply plant based junk food.

          It's been six months since I switched to eating plants. My belly has vanished along with most of my aches and pains. Lethargy and low level chronic depression dissolved a few months ago. Highly recommended for anyone feeling like age has caught up to them early – it's probably not aging, but poor diet.

          • Matiri 1.2.1.2.1
            27 August 2022 at 10:16 am

            I've been vegan plus fish and eggs for eight years for a specific health reason, that's now sorted plus a few other health benefits. In these inflationary days it's also cheaper.

            Cashews are a wonderful ingredient – very creamy when soaked and whizzed.

            Agree with you DB on the shop vegan cheeses! I don't bother with them.

      • DB Brown 1.2.2
        27 August 2022 at 10:02 am

        The writing's on the wall for dairy. Not today, but not that far away. Groundswell wont save them, a smart business model might.

        We'll still want all manner of food from the land. This will be the impetus required to see farmers diversifying in the face of reality – Fonterra's moving on.

        There's all manner of opportunity arriving for the savvy food producer. As we transition to a largely plant based society (for your health, for your pocket, for the animals, for the planet) there will be enormous demand for alternate products that are actually good.

        Many producers push low quality junk and call it vegan. The door is wide open for the good stuff.

        • Sabine 1.2.2.1
          27 August 2022 at 10:57 am

          I can't wait for the culling of all the cows now that they are no longer needed and besides they fart.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.2.2.1.1
            27 August 2022 at 11:09 am

            Sunflower crop boosts wellbeing for Eketahuna farmer, dairy cows

            https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/sunflower-crop-boosts-wellbeing-for-eketahuna-farmer-dairy-cows/XFQVZEN4QZXPQUSCKNVWRP5JCE/

            What is Regen Ag and why is it big for NZ?

            https://www.newsroom.co.nz/alina-siegfried-good-bad-opportunity

            Sabine….surely not all the cows? Cows munching on Sunflowers…and pretty Sustainably. Def better that the Industrial Fonterra way…

            • Sabine 1.2.2.1.1.1
              27 August 2022 at 11:32 am

              I do have no faith in humans when it comes to the environment and animals. We kill what we don't need. We kill for fun. We start wars to kill our own to get cheap stuff i.e. resources that aren't ours.

              What do you base your faith on that cows will not be an animal like a chimpanzee or a lion in a zoo in say 15 years because as a whole humans are to lazy to actually change their own polluting wasteful lifestyle?

          • bwaghorn 1.2.2.1.2
            27 August 2022 at 11:12 am

            They all get culled at some point anyway, there's no retirement farms for cows

            • Sabine 1.2.2.1.2.1
              27 August 2022 at 11:27 am

              My point is simply that Humans tend to cull what they need no longer. Now ruminants have a place in the eco system, what we consider 'bad' is actully good for nature, the cow pads for fertilising, heating etc.

              So will we end up as in Blade Runner two, were farmers are standing in a puddle with 'worms' and call that 'protein farming' in the name of 'saving the planet'? Or is that again an exercise in shielding humans from their own hubris and pass the blame to the beast in a paddock, who is a 'sentient lactater' with her calf removed for better profit? Cause that will work for many it seems, kill the cows, the deers, the pigs, the fish ( pretty much done that) etc etc, buy the electric car and be green eating cheese from imported nuts – surely that is so much more 'environmentally friendly' rather then going back to a more natural and ethic animal husbandry and diet.

              disclaimer: i self ID as omnivore, so generally if its cooked, smells nice and is not moving on my plate i eat it.

              • DB Brown …
                27 August 2022 at 12:02 pm

                Sometimes you need to get over yourself. All that seething anger at humanity, we're not all CEO's thank you very much.

                I grow my own macadamias, and so far, they can replace imports in several dishes. I also have access to local walnuts, almonds, hell, I'm growing coffee, tea, sugar, bananas. We're not all stupid or shortsighted, even Fonterra's seen the writing on the wall.

                We could diversify and look after ourselves very nicely. And even the factories might come along, with a bit of a retrofit.

                You sound like you would burn it all down just to say told you so.

              • bwaghorn …
                27 August 2022 at 12:48 pm

                You do know there where no mammals in nz ,let alone great hoofing bovines

                • Sabine …
                  27 August 2022 at 3:44 pm

                  Yes, and at the time there were plenty of Moa for people to eat. Maybe the cow is our times Moa and like the bird we don't respect that animal either and thus will go hungry when we have just eliminated enough in order to prevent global warming which is man made and keep to drive a nice flying car or something .

        • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.2.2.2
          27 August 2022 at 11:01 am

          A Southland initiative got a milky boost from the Government to help in its goal to become the main producer of oat milk in the country.

          Economic and regional development minister Stuart Nash visited Invercargill yesterday where he announced the Government would invest up to $6million in New Zealand’s first and largest carbon neutral plant-based beverage processing facility — with oat milk the first product off the production line.

          The project, carried by New Zealand Functional Foods, would bring the construction of a $50million factory in Makarewa to produce 80 million litres of oat milk annually and generate about 50 new jobs when operating by the end of next year.

          https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/horticulture/province-aims-be-nation%E2%80%99s-oat-milk-producer

          Oat milk is my top choice of plant-based milk for environmental reasons. Not only is it relatively low in water and land use, oats also act as a “catch crop” for excess nitrogen in the soil, stopping it from polluting waterways.

          And when grown in rotation with other crops, oats can help ensure the soil remains rich and fertile.

          https://goodmagazine.co.nz/non-dairy-pro-planet/

          Seems good? Not so good sending to Sweden…Surely must be possible to process in NZ ? What think ?

    • ianmac 1.3
      27 August 2022 at 10:02 am

      Extra-ordinary! A sad Moo can be herd.
      Thanks DB Brown.

    • bwaghorn 1.4
      27 August 2022 at 11:07 am

      Hopefully they'll use a nz grown crop as the sugars source,

    • Mike the Lefty 1.5
      27 August 2022 at 1:49 pm

      I thought that dairy farmers had a major stake in Fonterra so how do they feel about this? Or are they even aware of this?

      • DB Brown 1.5.1
        27 August 2022 at 6:36 pm

        The company will likely do both. But as competition springs up and public opinion and law rejects a race to the bottom, farms here should get cleaner and more diversified.

        High end regen-ag. With tree crops, multi-species pastures, happy plants, happy animals…

        There's an ecological and economic case to be made for regen ag – and while the hoi polloi are eating mock dairy, the well off will still pay a premium to eat the real thing. Especially the food with a good 'story'.

        The tipping point for the masses going into alternative products really is a price point as the article outlines. The poor can't afford to be virtuous.

        I paid $10 for 250 gms of vegan cheese, it was crap. Nobody's saving nothing with that silly carry on – so I'm pleased to see a big player like Fonterra exploring options. They could turn their story right round if they do this well.

        • mikesh 1.5.1.1
          28 August 2022 at 6:41 am

          the well off will still pay a premium to eat the real thing.

          Perhaps a switch to A2 milk might be in order.

  2. Jenny are we there yet 2
    27 August 2022 at 8:30 am

    ‘

    2009 .https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-031209/#comment-176216

    The future has arrived

    And still we are building more motorways and and the insanity of tunnels under the Waitemata.

    And starving railways and subsidising air lines

    And mining and importing coal

    The future fossils that will be found will be ours.

  3. arkie 3
    27 August 2022 at 11:06 am

    Stand with workers:

    Purex toilet paper manufacturer Essity is being accused of “starvation tactics” in stopping workers from making hardship withdrawals from their retirement savings.

    Essity locked out 145 Kawerau mill workers without pay on August 9 after they refused to accept a 3% pay rise plus a cash incentive of $1500 per year over three years.

    The Pulp and Paper Union has now obtained a letter showing Essity had instructed the company’s superannuation scheme provider, SuperLife, to block workers from making financial hardship withdrawals from their savings.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/129694184/purex-manufacturer-essity-blocks-locked-out-employees-from-accessing-retirement-savings

    “Our members put money into this super scheme with the promise that if they ever faced hardship they’d be able to access it. It is nothing short of cruel and vindictive to cut off both their pay and their savings.

    “This lockout is being driven by Essity executives in Australia, who don’t care about us and probably don’t even know where Kawerau is on a map. I’d like them to come here and look these workers and their families in the eye.

    “All we are asking for is a pay increase to match the rising cost of living. Essity is a company that made nearly two billion dollars in profit last year so they can easily afford it.

    “Essity should end this lockout today and let our members get back to work.”

    Essity’s brands include Purex, Sorbent, Libra and Handee.

    https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2208/S00189/kawerau-lockout-toilet-paper-giant-blocks-workers-from-accessing-own-savings.htm

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.1
      27 August 2022 at 11:18 am

      “This lockout is being driven by Essity executives in Australia, who don’t care about us and probably don’t even know where Kawerau is on a map. I’d like them to come here and look these workers and their families in the eye.

      “All we are asking for is a pay increase to match the rising cost of living. Essity is a company that made nearly two billion dollars in profit last year so they can easily afford it.

      Never fails to anger me…these company scumbags making unbelievable profits…and yet still screwing down the Workers ! As ever : (

  4. adam 4
    27 August 2022 at 1:38 pm

    Ukraine are the good guys??!?

    Well if you work for a living – definitely not

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine-labour-law-wrecks-workers-rights/

    Just because their are idiots out there who think if you go against Ukraine, your pro Russia. Let me remind you, that you can hate all oligarchs equally, for the scum that they are. Especially when they want working people to die for their wars.

  5. Jester 5
    27 August 2022 at 2:03 pm

    What a joke our justice system is. Home detention! The judge should be sacked or removed. They are probably back loitering around another ATM already.

    "After the sentencing, the pair and their families were seen celebrating with handshakes and hugs being exchanged.

    "We got home D," Henson said as he shook Moeara's hand."

    Two men sentenced to home detention after robbing 95-year-old on Christmas Eve – NZ Herald

    • Chess Player 5.1
      27 August 2022 at 6:02 pm

      You can get used to this.

      You’ll be seeing a lot more of it.

      In some cultures, age is respected, but not in this one.

  6. Jenny are we there yet 6
    27 August 2022 at 3:05 pm

    The Sixth Mass Extinction Event, that we are currently undergoing, reveals the Fifth Mass Extinction event.

    Whatever you think about dinosaurs, love them or loathe them, the one thing about the dinosaurs in their favour. They weren't the cause of their own extinction.

    "It could be one of the longest sequences of dinosaur footprints in the world,"

    Follow them footprints:

    Due to lack of water, previously hidden dinosaur footprints likely to be around 113 million years old have come to light in a dried-up river bed, an official said on Tuesday. a park in Texas, USA….

    …."Due to excessively dry conditions this summer, the river has completely dried

    https://www.tellerreport.com/tech/2022-08-24-dinosaur-tracks-in-a-dry-river-bed-in-texas.ByboQf37ko.html

  7. Anna Benny 7
    29 August 2022 at 8:33 am

    Enjoyed reading this discussion, this is an area I have been interested in for ages. If anyone is interested, Google Milk Without a Moo and my Rural Leaders report on the impacts this new technology could have on NZ dairy is there.

    In summary, I’m a dairy farmers wife with a food science background and I work in the dairy processing industry (Fonterra etc).
    Most countries are self-sufficient for their own dairy requirements, only 9% of all the dairy processed in the world crosses an international border. NZ produces a quarter of this small % that crosses a border. A quarter! From just one little country.

    The dairy produced here is mostly used as ingredients in other food, in 2021 Fonterra made 74% of the milk they processed into ingredients.

    NZ is incredibly exposed here, our reliance on just one product (milk powder) that will soon be able to be produced via other methods to contribute to our export revenue and livelihoods of so many Kiwis is staggering.

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

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