Open mike 27/11/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 27th, 2023 - 85 comments
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85 comments on “Open mike 27/11/2023 ”

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  1. Tricledrown 1
    27 November 2023 at 9:27 am

    Pathetic Luxon defends tobacco companies using the tobacco lobbiest's propaganda black market threat and vaping .No mention of the5,000 deaths every year or the $billion cost every year to the health system so robbing Peter to pay Paul . The health system is paying for Nationals tax cuts.

    • dv 1.1
      27 November 2023 at 10:05 am

      There was a report in Stuff (can't find it now!!!) where Luxon said that the labour plan to reducie the tobacco levels etc would increase RAM raids. Duh

  2. Ad 2
    27 November 2023 at 9:41 am

    I think there's so many disheartened people in this country right now that we need some posts on people we draw inspiration and hope from.

    • weka 2.2
      27 November 2023 at 3:30 pm

      good idea Ad. I've been awol with posts, but might get back into it soon.

    • Robert Guyton 2.3
      27 November 2023 at 4:32 pm

      "people we draw inspiration and hope from"

      Visited a sheep farm last week, where the sizeable blocks of remnant native forest have been covenanted and fenced, and a good percentage of the remaining pastureland planted in trees. The farmer, 5th generation on that farm, described the significant increase to his projected income; through the particular "carbon trade" agreements he has undertaken. A very smart man. Also in attendance was a kaumatua manawhenua who described the much-longer and incident-rich history of his hapu with the rolling country, rivers and streams of which the farm was part. The connection and good relationship between him and the farmer was very apparent. There are very good, calm and connected people out there who take "changes of state" in their stride. Both of these men are polite, well informed and refuse to malign anyone. I tried to learn from them 🙂

  3. Reality 3
    27 November 2023 at 9:42 am

    As a non-smoker who grew up from childhood to adulthood and beyond, surrounded by smokers, I have had COPD for many years. This requires frequent daily medication, and my physical activity has been very much affected. This is an appalling cigarette policy of the incoming government. Venal, as always. I have no respect for any of them.

    • Patricia Bremner 3.1
      27 November 2023 at 11:34 am

      Reality, this is affirmation of their hollow nastiness.sad

    • Terry 3.2
      27 November 2023 at 12:33 pm

      Tobacco contains an addictive drug. We should have learned by now that prohibition on drugs leads to a uncontrolled black market.

      I’m absolutely sure the gangs, aka the mongrel mob, black power etc, will fully support the absolute banning of tobacco, alcohol, as well as the continued criminalisation of cannabis. This is how they make their money, so they can buy their Harley Davidsons

  4. Reality 4
    27 November 2023 at 9:51 am

    The lack of people in the new government who have any real and genuine empathy for people I have yet to see. They seem so calculating and cold and make it so obvious money is all that matters – yes that matters but so do people's lives.

    • gsays 4.1
      27 November 2023 at 12:57 pm

      I caught up with a buddy who's is a member of one of the nautical unions. (He works on a cement transport ship).

      He spoke of seeing Brooke Van Helden(?), the new Workplace Relations minister, gleefully saying the end of Fair Pay Agreements was nigh.

      He observed "We knew it was gonna be unfair, but you don't have to be so happy about it."

  5. Robert Guyton 5
    27 November 2023 at 10:02 am

    Well this is awkward…

    “After briefly calling for the world to bid adieu to fossil fuels, Kiwi diplomats may have to change tack at this week’s UN climate summit.

    The election and drawn-out coalition talks have cast uncertainty over New Zealand’s position on a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas – likely to be a major point of debate at the talks that begin Thursday.

    Negotiators were given the green light on the environmental issue by the Labour Government in July, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade gauged public opinion.

    The ministry said it now must consult with the incoming Government before and during the summit. The National, ACT and NZ First parties want to promote, not limit, domestic oil and gas extraction and wouldn’t answer questions on their intentions for the major summit.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/133340711/from-fossilfree-to-fossilfavouring-how-new-zealand-could-pivot-on-world-stage

    • Robin The Goodfellow 5.1
      27 November 2023 at 10:10 am

      Not really, new government new priorities

      • Macro 5.1.1
        27 November 2023 at 10:55 am

        Apart from trashing the environment and grifting themselves more money at the expense of others, just exactly what are those priorities?

        • Robin The Goodfellow 5.1.1.1
          27 November 2023 at 11:03 am

          A stronger economy and well paying jobs, especially in the provinces is a good start

          • Macro 5.1.1.1.1
            27 November 2023 at 12:54 pm

            All achieved at the expense of the environment and externalising costs onto the public and future generations – brilliant!

            BTW what exactly do you mean by "stronger economy"? Nice words – but just exactly what is that? A few extra plums for the well to do? And what is the economy for anyway? Have you ever asked yourself that?

            • Robin The Goodfellow 5.1.1.1.1.1
              27 November 2023 at 1:28 pm

              Which equals well paying jobs which equals more tax money and lower crime rates so yeah it is a good thing

              No more 'captains calls' for awhile and good riddance

              • KJT …
                27 November 2023 at 3:04 pm

                Please explain? How continuing to spend billions in supporting overseas oil companies, is better for an economy than using locally available renewables?

                That is before we even consider the costs of mitigation of long term climate change. We have just had some examples in Hawke Bay. I suppose all that fixing of climate disasters adds to GDP!

                I am OK with words of two syllables or less, as that seems to be the limit of your economic comprehension, combined with the typical right wing nut jobs inability in basic arithmetic.

    • Rolling-on-Gravel 5.2
      27 November 2023 at 10:41 am

      So much for the "we don't matter" contingent.

      Fuck that crowd.

      We goddamn matter and we should know it.

      We must and should be a climate leader.

      • Barfly 5.2.1
        27 November 2023 at 10:57 am

        “We must and should be a climate leader”

        Well we all know we can bend over and kiss that idea goodbye for at least the next three years

        • Robin The Goodfellow 5.2.1.1
          27 November 2023 at 11:00 am

          three six years

          [Stop trolling. This is your warning – Incognito]

        • Rolling-on-Gravel 5.2.1.2
          27 November 2023 at 11:22 am

          There's always protests, crises, and unexpected moments.

          Shrugs.

        • AB 5.2.1.3
          27 November 2023 at 11:26 am

          Maybe they know that the likelihood of actually finding any commercially viable new sources of oil and gas are pretty low. And all they are really after is to juice some provincial economies by having foreigners turn up for a few years and look for the stuff. Then it’s on to the next bit of magical thinking. Could be so, they are that short-termist.

          • Robin The Goodfellow 5.2.1.3.1
            27 November 2023 at 11:41 am

            If, and thats a big if, there is no gas or oil to be found then at least some money has gone into the provinces which is better than none

            Personally I think they'll find some, hopefully enough for stable, long term jobs in the region

            • AB 5.2.1.3.1.1
              27 November 2023 at 12:24 pm

              It doesn't need to be a case of "no gas or oil to be found" for exploration companies to walk away. It can also be a case of oil or gas being found in quantities and places that mean it can't be extracted profitably, or at least more profitably than alternatives in other parts of the world when calculated over the entire lifecycle of the reserves discovered. That is a pretty high threshold and it's why NZ is not Saudi Arabia.

              The risk of course is that if you want to juice the local economy by letting people look for the stuff, you might get unlucky and they do actually find an exploitable reserve. Then the government is committed to climate vandalism that trashes our reputation.

              • Stan …
                27 November 2023 at 12:48 pm

                It's possible that we have one of the world's biggest crude oil fields in the Great South Basin. Drilling there in the 70s was very promising, just too deep and rough to profitably extract but may be now. Here's hoping they do some more exploration there.

                DOI my dad was a geologist on Penrod '74, we still have little bottles of crude and condensate that he brought home stored away somewhere

                • AB …
                  27 November 2023 at 1:25 pm

                  Do you have technology capable of industrial-scale atmospheric CO2 extraction that would remove the CO2 emitted by burning such an oil reserve? Are you and your Dad working on something in the garage perhaps?

                • Robin The Goodfellow …
                  27 November 2023 at 1:26 pm

                  Imagine all the business and employment opportunities if that were to happen in Otago and Southland

                  Heres hoping

                • roblogic …
                  27 November 2023 at 3:27 pm

                  The dirty little secret of socialist utopia Norway is they struck it rich on North Sea oil. It could be a change of fortunes for us stuck here at the arse end of nowhere trying to sell cheese to the world

                  • KJT …
                    27 November 2023 at 4:25 pm

                    Unlike NZ Governments, the Norwegian Government didn't pay the oil companies to take it away.

                    The concessions NZ gave to even get oil companies to bring exploration rigs here, gives a good indication of the lack of economic benefits they expected.

                  • satty …
                    27 November 2023 at 5:14 pm

                    When working for a power company here in NZ a CEO or CIO suggested in an internal post that NZ should follow Norway in fossil fuel extraction. So I had a look into the Norwegian oil industry (as a comparison to UK for example).

                    As a summary, I pointed out he probably wouldn't want NZ to be like Norway. I never got a reply. Everyone only sees the wealth Norway created, but not the how they achieved it.

                    They had (probably still have) higher royalties for their oil than most other countries. They didn't allow the oil companies to burn off anything, they forced the oil companies to have a (head) office in Norway, where all profits have to be declared (employee of the Norway tax office working in the oil company offices) and taxed, all jobs had to be done by Norwegians (after training), all equipment had to be built and serviced in Norway, any oil spills have to be cleaned by the oil company and on top of it the companies have to pay for the lost oil… the list was impressive, not sure if all of the above still applies.
                    Statoil

                    Also all the royalties and tax was invested in a state owned fund, which had very tight investment restrictions, for example none of the investments were allowed to lift inflation within Norway.
                    Norway Government Fund

                    • roblogic …
                      27 November 2023 at 5:26 pm

                      That is brilliant – good for them. Can't see our present coalition of laissez-faire munters lifting a finger to enact such comprehensive protections.

        • Tricledrown 5.2.1.4
          27 November 2023 at 1:14 pm

          Just listening to the farming show on RNZ.Climate change with constant flooding slips then.most likely followed by drought. Then prices are down for lambs, beef ,Dairy all unprofitable .So many farmers will go bust. WHY because farmers are not preparing for the future farmers are a private enterprise a huge number vote ACT .Now farmers will want bailing out again no amount of ripping up the red tape will turn farming to longterm profitability. Value adding is the only answer exporting commodities only makes money for Trucking Shipping and retailers. Until Federated fits pull back from living in the past and add real value like prepared meals that can be microwaved or heated in an oven quickly. Like Nestlé do Farming will rely on capital gain on their land to make money.That stops productivity and innovation.Since exporting frozen meat in the 1890's Farming hasn't made any giant leap forward just making incremental improvements and bigger scale farming. National and Labour need to push farmers out of their comfort Zone. Processors need to be able to send reasonable priced ready meals that markets like China and India desire.But this will require millions of dollars in investment. Our major meat processors are barely profitable even in good years.Dairy profitable every 2 ou 4 years.Not a good way to run a business.

          Now National ACT NZ last are shutting the productivity commission.Dumb idea.

          Only because they have shown Nationals policies are not increasing productivity but the reverse leaving the Agriculture sector to carry-on failing and flailing. Luxon doesn't want any criticism of their lack of policy or vision. The bury your head in the sand and tax cuts and ripping up red tape followed by a heavy dose of Austerity is the only way.Maybe Shane Jones will get another $billion to spread around to a few politically high profile hand outs.

      • Robert Guyton 5.2.2
        27 November 2023 at 12:32 pm

        I'm interested in the "too small to matter" argument. I hear the usual responses; if each state in America claimed the same, the whole of the USA would stop action" etc, but rather than deny that those claiming "too small to matter", I'd agree with their claim that our contribution is small – we are small, after all, but then ask if it's up to us to pull out of the global actions and instead suggest that we should petition the global community and ask their permission to pull out. That would be the correct way of going about it, doncha think? 🙂

        • AB 5.2.2.1
          27 November 2023 at 5:33 pm

          ask their permission to pull out

          Quite so Robert. But the other part of the "too small to matter" delusion is that the rest of the world won't even notice our attempted freeloading if we do pull out, so we're absolved from the obligation to even ask.

    • Patricia Bremner 5.3
      27 November 2023 at 11:36 am

      Hello Robert. Yes this is an about turn that could impinge on Trade.

      • Robert Guyton 5.3.1
        27 November 2023 at 12:20 pm

        Hello Patricia. Trade, yes but also knock back the resolve that more and more New Zealanders were building to confront the challenge of climate change and take meaningful action on it. To be sold out by our Government is a set-back, but we shall see if it serves rather as a provocation to action.

    • Tony Veitch 5.4
      27 November 2023 at 12:02 pm

      The sad fact is:

      Governments will not make required changes to energy policies based on theoretical threats – there must be sufficient emperical evidence of harm to force action.

      Quoted in Nature Bats Last

      NACTNZF will be reactive rather than proactive because they're infested with climate deniers. After the floods . . . droughts . . . storms . . . etc they will do too little too late, a la the ChCh earthquake response.

      Restarting oil and gas exploration is the signal of their intention to burn the only planet we have!

    • Anne 5.5
      27 November 2023 at 12:22 pm

      Hi Robert.

      I thought about you this morning because we hadn't heard from you. Perhaps it was prompted by the same horrifying concerns about Climate change progress.

      The new CC minister is my MP and be assured he must be an expert. He lives in a house on a cliff overlooking the Hauraki Gulf and he can see all the clouds zipping by and the rain and the wind and the waves when they grow big with lots of white flecks so I guess that gives him the necessary knowledge for the role. He has a hybrid car covered in self advertising which he leaves parked in prominent positions close to his home. He also has a BA in management and accounting and finance which I am sure will stand him in very good stead as the CC minister.

      From all accounts he doesn't have a good reputation as our local MP but I'm sure all of that is about to change. crying

      • Robert Guyton 5.5.1
        27 November 2023 at 12:40 pm

        Hi Anne. Thanks for thinking about me 🙂

        I have to say, I'm not personally horrified; there's no gain in being so and I aim to further progress these matters. I don't blame any individual either; we are wrestling with a deeper current and shouldn't be fooled by the behaviour of those individuals bobbling around on the surface. The narrative must change and foolish, myopic actions from central government can serve to galvanise changes of perception. This sounds a bit precious, I know, but I've been on holiday from commenting and it'll take a while to get rhythm back 🙂

    • Ad 5.6
      27 November 2023 at 12:23 pm

      How many brownout threat notices from Transpower do these people need?

      In 2021 we had most of the central North Island shut down in the coldest day of the year.

      But apparently the market will solve it, next year, with fresh gas peaking plant built at the same time as a fresh gas field is discovered with fresh Transpower grid.

      Spare me from these fools.

      • Rolling-on-Gravel 5.6.1
        27 November 2023 at 12:26 pm

        Indeed, we treat the market as too much of a sacred thing. Wish we could consider stuff outside of the usual paradigm and start to do things that National may not expect to see us doing. I do not yet know what that would look like but that's what we need to do.

        • Robert Guyton 5.6.1.1
          27 November 2023 at 12:46 pm

          We do, Rolling. We can, There are solutions hovering in in anticipation of us finding them. Here is a good place to share them when we do.

    • Sandra Le Cron 5.7
      27 November 2023 at 12:44 pm

      No one wants to drill and explore off the coast of New Zealand anyway! It is now far too expensive so the previous ban was essentially just banner waiving and the removal of it will make no difference!

  6. alwyn 6
    27 November 2023 at 12:36 pm

    I almost felt sorry for Hipkins after seeing a press conference he held on Friday. I had been watching some of his interviews with the Press from just before the election.

    At those he had been backed by anywhere from 4 to 6 Ministers, all looking as if they were in awe of hearing their leader talking and all nodding in unison at the words he was uttering.

    On Friday he was all alone without any support and with only a very few journalists listening to him. It was a reminder of the great Bessie Smith singing her classic Nobody knows you when you are down and out.

    How long will Chippie last in the job? He must know that he is now a dead man walking. If he sees two of the Labour MPs talking will he still think they are simply be polite to him when they stop on his approach or will he be thinking that they were discussing his overthrow?

    As I say. I almost think I should feel sorry for him. Then I remember that he was a major figure in the worst New Zealand Government of my lifetime and that we are far better off with him gone.

    • Jack 6.1
      27 November 2023 at 12:58 pm

      Chippie really does have to stop that smarmy nodding donkey routine he perfected in the leaders debates. He was on the news again last night. Can’t remember what he was talking about. Probably wasn’t important. Just more smarmy nodding donkey.

    • Muttonbird 6.2
      27 November 2023 at 1:03 pm

      The worst New Zealand government in my lifetime is the current one.

      • Mike the Lefty 6.2.1
        27 November 2023 at 4:51 pm

        That's pretty hard criticism seeing they were only sworn in today.

        • alwyn 6.2.1.1
          27 November 2023 at 5:29 pm

          When he wrote that Luxon had been PM for about an hour and a half.

          The lefty journalists we have in NZ are probably already complaining that he hasn't got rid of the waiting list for orthopedic surgery yet. I'm sure that Labour would have completed the task by now, or at least claimed they had.

    • Mac1 6.3
      27 November 2023 at 4:34 pm

      Having that song in my repertoire, I must say that I don't think that Chris Hipkins could be the singer of such words as "Once I lived the life of a millionaire, Spent all my money without any care". Words better suited to John Key or Christopher Luxon perhaps.

      And who wants to be like a man who has no friends when he has no money? That's not the left wing ethic. A song for us would be more like "I Don't Want your Millions, Mister" or "The Preacher and the Slave (Pie in the Sky)."

      Both songs seen a mite apposite in today's climate with today's new government.

      • alwyn 6.3.1
        27 November 2023 at 5:37 pm

        If Chris was singing it the second line would be "spent all the tax-payer's money"

        Actually I would have to agree that the songs you mention are great ballads but I've never heard anyone sing them in a voice that was nearly as tuneful as Bessie at her best. I still have a lot of Pete Seeger discs but I would never say he had a great voice.

    • AB 6.4
      27 November 2023 at 5:43 pm

      Dear Alwyn, Those of us who have been around for a while realised long ago that you never feel sorry for anyone but yourself. That's the starting point for all forms of malice. It's OK, none of us is perfect. Life is a journey after all.
      “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”.

    • AB 6.5
      27 November 2023 at 5:57 pm

      “worst New Zealand Government of my lifetime”

      If they had been 'better' your lifetime might have been over by now. This has the makings of a difficult moral dilemma.

  7. Adrian 7
    27 November 2023 at 2:47 pm

    Now it appears as though the ramraids mysteriously all stopped after election night. Intriqueing coincidences always raise my suspicions and combined with my long held reply to any call of "Who did it and why? " I use that old standby,'" just follow the money ". To get all conspirational, can anybody remember hearing anybody proclaim on TV or anywhere…. "The little shits stole my Mazda Demio and crashed it into a dairy ". No? nary any poor old soul waving a walking stick in frustration at losing their shitbox shopping trolley….. so where did all these unclaimed Demios come from, or more to the point who supplied them, along with a bit of cheap piss and 50 bucks each to fund the mayhem?. Who had the money, like a bit of loose change from 6.8 million bucks looking to splash on a bit of destabilising arseholery ? I wonder who that could possibly be ?.

    My money is on a gang, no not one of them, but a gang with a political agenda, a right wing arseholery agenda, to move fast and break things agenda. Too fanciful you say, just don't forget that nearly every coup you can think of starts with broken shop window glass on footpaths, Hackney Diamonds in other words, or a Kristallnacht.

    Now lets start a list of the of rightwing arseholes capable of just such a campaign. Or just start the rumour… newspapers love rumours, it gives them something to follow, like dogs chasing a sewerage truck.

    • Robert Guyton 7.1
      27 November 2023 at 3:15 pm

      That's a bow of impressive length you are drawing there, Adrian, but fun to read. The now-Opposition will be rightly able to claim that the cessation came while it was still Government, which might quell the blowing-hard members who now squat on the Government seats.

      • weka 7.1.1
        27 November 2023 at 3:32 pm

        Great to see you back Robert. Hope all is well in your part of the world.

        • Robert Guyton 7.1.1.1
          27 November 2023 at 4:18 pm

          Thanks, weka. As well as can be, given recent events 🙂

          My garden's thriving; I've 15 banana plants outside amongst the quinces and mulberries and they're looking very comfortable along with tamarillo that are flowering with intent. Council is absorbing the Government's proclamations and insinuations with mixed feelings. It's curious how much bolder one feels, when in "opposition". I see much feather-ruffling in the future.

          • Macro 7.1.1.1.1
            27 November 2023 at 6:37 pm

            mmmmmm Mulberries. Where can I get one. Looked all around the garden centres here. My daughters in Perth is just laden.

            • Robert Guyton 7.1.1.1.1.1
              27 November 2023 at 6:47 pm

              You just have to want one really badly, then it will appear, as mine did 🙂

              It is possible to buy them at some plant stores, but that's cheating 🙂

              They taste so good!

          • weka 7.1.1.1.2
            27 November 2023 at 7:25 pm

            banana, quince and mulberry pie!

            Yes, I feel a term of Opposition has the potential to do good for the left. Hope we rise to the occasion

            • Robert Guyton 7.1.1.1.2.1
              27 November 2023 at 9:39 pm

              I'm looking forward to Day One in the House – for entertainment purposes only.

              So many possibilities, so many past statements to be re-presented as questions to Ministers!

      • Adrian 7.1.2
        27 November 2023 at 5:02 pm

        Glad to amuse you Robert though I'm not much of an archer. Yes it pisses me off that it was rarely if ever mentioned that as the Police had been saying, they had pretty much arrested all the likely suspects and it would all peter out. I see a lot of countries from Australia to Germany seem to be having the same rash of ram raids, a crime as old as the automobile

        Although, there was one person of interest, a snappy dresser in a 3piece brown suit, if 60s style wide lapels, garish ties and a wrong side of town vibe and a big mouth could be called snappy, more sappy to my way of thinking and who always appeared to be there before the cameras and possibly even the cops and yet seemed to know the whole story. Interesting!!!

        • Visubversa 7.1.2.1
          27 November 2023 at 5:17 pm

          Ram raiding goes in and out of fashion. I had a couple of "friends of friends" who were quite keen on it about 30 years ago. They were older and they did the big stuff – warehouses at night, not corner Dairies. Some of them went to jail, some did not – and they all gave it away.

          And Adrian, I know exactly which greasy, waka-jumping opportunist to whom you refer!

          • Mike the Lefty 7.1.2.1.1
            27 November 2023 at 6:49 pm

            Luxon will inevitably claim for success in reducing ram raids, even though it happened before he was sworn in.

    • AB 7.2
      27 November 2023 at 5:51 pm

      Nah – they are all paralysed with fear of the divine, all-seeing wrath of Mark Mitchell. Surely?

    • Patricia Bremner 7.3
      27 November 2023 at 8:04 pm

      Adrian, yes Made a comment to him indoors about where some of those millions might have been spent.devil

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    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    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
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    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
    17 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
    20 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
    20 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
    22 hours 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

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