Oh, well done the Grey District Council – defying the facts of climate change science! sarc.
It will take a major world-wide catastrophe to shake the mantle of complacency off the shoulders of too many people before any real action will be taken – and by then, I fear, it will be too late.
The problem is that they don’t believe they need to do anything as they’d be long gone by the time the council is sued for doing nothing. Which they’ve just increased the risk by incoherently misplacing physics advice. Any reasonable people, that’s the standard, knows Mars has a atmosphee, Venus too, due to the Sun, that all the basic gas molecules have been intensely studied, they all know you put more of them into a planet’s atmosphere they raise the temperature. Dig them up a burning will do that.
so are the councilors now liable to be sued for incompetence, not engage basic science advice and winging it with their own thinking. Should we check they are doing the same when deliberating on the law, geology, biology, etc. Or is it the council ending someone to shout a lot at them so whomever they need to hear doesn’t do armchair physics like physic hasn’t been around for a hundred years.
Tony, I read that article as well. Amazing!! Funny if it wasn’t so serious.
It is 31 deg there today, and people have been losing their sections to the sea.
Jacinda has just attended Davos, a gathering of the rich and powerful who have talked of increasing risk costs from storms and encroaching sea levels caused by climate change.
Scientists have written open letters to governments outlining how bad it could be. Recent research tells us the sea has stored 40% more carbon than previously thought. We are in an extinction phase and they want more proof King Canute!!
They are like frightened children seeking some hand to hold. They are supposed to lead.
Like you I think it may be too little too late. Being informed from government sites only needs a computer.
“Jacinda has just attended Davos, a gathering of the rich and powerful who have talked of increasing risk costs from storms and encroaching sea levels caused by climate change”
Funny you should mention Davos….I watched the closing statement from that august body (ahem) and there were two words noticeable by their absence…and they wernt ‘Jacinda Adern’.
And your point is?
I was pointing out that our Prime Minister attended the Environmental session of Davos.
That actuaries were indicating huge costs for businesses caused by climate change. Impacts on insurance Forestry and Property/land values, where super funds are heavily invested.
If you are inferring I was trying to make Jacinda important, well I could have quoted several things she said, and flattering things said about her by others.
But this is about climate Change, and as our Prime Minister said “”You want to be on the right side of history”‘ and that includes the West Coast Regional Council.
the point is where was the acknowledgement of the single most important issue of the time…namely climate change…they couldnt even bring themselves to say the words in their summary statement…which begs the question…why the hell did our PM waste her time attending?
Trying to get my head around their thinking, must be down to money. What other reason could any person have to not want to improve/save their environment/air quality
Once upon a time, near on every house down the coast had a coal range in the kitchen, a coal fire in the lounge and no insulation.
Coal down those ways is a cheap or free way for their home heating, and it’s grey and wet down there most of the winter.
Are there any Coasters here on the TS they could shed some light on the thinking over that way?
The Grey District Council looks like an old boys club, a bunch of old white men and one token young lady. I don’t like to stereotype but…. go freaken figure.
Oops! I might have maligned the good people (?) of the Grey District Council – it was the West Coast Regional Council with the fact-denying blinkers on.
Not sure what the difference is, but they remind me of a rhyme I heard many years ago about the natives of the Isle of Wight – from a recent arrival:
“Island born and Island bred,
Strong in the shoulder and thick in the head.”
The West Coast Regional Council: Left to right: Terry Archer, Neal Clementson, Stuart Challenger, Andrew Robb, Peter McDonnell, Alan Birchfield and Peter Ewen.
Turns out they are all old white men, the whole lot. Crikey one even gives his email addy as @heaphymining wonder what industry he runs/works for
Good article on the ruthless and cynical PR pushed by dairy around dirty rivers
In aggressively pushing the notion that water pollution is everyone’s problem, DairyNZ is following a well-worn play-book to minimise its own responsibility. That’s its job – last year it collected $66m in levies from farmers, part of which is expected to be used to lobby for farmers’ interests…
…The campaign (The vision is clear) consistently equates urban and rural water pollution, but only 1 per cent of New Zealand’s waterways flow through urban areas (where 86 per cent of the population live) while 43 per cent flow through pastoral land (where 14 per cent of the population live).
Including beaches does little to change that proportion. If anything, it would make the comparison worse, given coastal water quality tends to be better than freshwater quality. In Christchurch city, for example, one of four river sites is suitable for swimming, but 20 of 21 coastal sites are swimmable (the one that isn’t is an estuary polluted by the rivers).
Numerous studies have demonstrated a link between poor lowland water quality and the boom in more input-heavy forms of agriculture in the 1990s and 2000s. A recent peer-reviewed assessment, based on analysis of 26 years of data, found that the greatest negative impact on water quality in New Zealand had been “high-producing pastures that require large amounts of fertilizer to support high densities of livestock”.
Toxic algal blooms are increasingly common in rural waterways, partly in response to nutrient enrichment and water extraction for irrigation. New Zealand has the highest percentage of endangered freshwater fish species in the world, partly due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture.
The ‘they’re too stupid to collude’ defense. Chris Christie reckons the Chumps are so clueless they had no idea they were getting played, so they didn’t commit crimes.
Maybe he’s still got hopes of ass-kissing his way back into the inner circle if he can only just clear out all the other “best people” Benedict Donald has surrounded himself with.
Plenty of commentators here the past few years have been emphatic that the Greens are to the left of Labour, but Sue Bradford views this framing as a joke.
Plenty of commentators here the past few years have depicted National as an enemy of nature. I’ve spent most of my life with that view too. Otoh…
“National is often slated by the left as being some kind of environmental destroyer, but it was under a National-led Government that Kahurangi National Park was created, it set up 11 marine reserves, protected the Ross Sea, set up an extensive national network of cycleways, set up Predator Free 2050 and banned shark finning.”
RNZ’s Chris Bramwell: “So while the talk is of there being space for a centrist environmental party, there is not really that much of a gap that needs filling.” Seems reasonable? Perception and reality are two different things. MMP reality provides a gap, Winston has leverage on it but is due to retire, and NZF is likely to exit. The gap is where swing-voters operate, and they determine election results.
Yeah, good points. Re predator-free, some dismiss such stunts as virtue-signalling. A valid criticism, but dismissing it as such is unfair and politically naive. Establishing a goal does actually reframe both the strategic aims and political culture of the party. How much is the question, then. With National, not much!
Establishing a goal, that isn’t utopian and also aiming at absolute purity instead of excellence, would helpfully frame the aims and personal and political culture of the party for informed, practical and achievable outcomes. FIFY
The important thing politically is that the existing Greens get some runs on the board, and in the polls, so that they remain politically viable for the 2020 election, so that a further government with Labour is formed. The should worry less about futile little spats about ideological purity and more about performance.
Planting trees, not Green, a NZF policy. Given the relentless neolib agenda for the past thirty years, the Greens are firmly in the center. It’s the Nats who live in the Trumpian cockoo land off the edge on the right, and of course engage in socialism for the 1% who must never fail.
Winston has leverage on it but is due to retire, and NZF is likely to exit.
I don’t think that a party disintegration is likely to happen past a Winston Peters departure. I’ve attended two NZF conferences as media just to have a look at the people and structure.
Firstly, I really can’t see Winston Peters wanting to retire unless he gets a medical issue.
Secondly, the party structure and internals seems reasonably sound (and I have a skeptics eye about that). Sure they have a lot of nutbars and that shows up in the policy remits. But so does every other mainstream party.
Thirdly, there seemed to be some political talent in the party and its MPs. The ones who have been or are ministers or their associates haven’t screwed up too much. Many of the ones coming through seem to have been constructive in select committees.
NZ First is always going to have a problem because of the way that National operates against other parties (think of that auditing crap against NZF from 2007/8 for instance or 1997). But I suspect that NZF will survive as a party of old style liberal conservatives.
Thanks for that insight. I hear you, and concede there’s more resilience there perhaps than has seemed to be the case. However, he will need to do some heavy lifting to get them back over the threshold, eh?
The portion who returned to National aren’t likely to be recoverable in the short to medium term. Competition from the NewConservatives will subtract some too. It will probably hinge on how well Shane Jones does with regional development. If the regions see tangible benefits, NZF will become secure.
I support everything lprent has said above re NZF.
I have been watching them quite closely since Peters ‘return from the dead’ in 2011, or in fact earlier since he lost out in 2008.
Peters worked really hard under the radar in the year before the 2011 general election, holding and attending meetings all over the country with diverse groups of people, not only Grey Power meetings. At the same time, the NZF Party was quietly renewing and reinventing itself.
To anyone watching all of this, it was no surprise that Peters and NZF won 6.8 percent of the party vote and eight seats in Parliament. In the 2014 general election, NZF increased this to 11 seats and 8.66 percent, although this dropped slightly to 9 seats and 7.2 percent In the 2017 election,
I haven’t attended any NZF meetings or conferences as lprent has done, but my observations (confirmed by people who have attended NZF functions) is that the membership of the Party and its governance Board etc now covers a wide range of ages and backgrounds. It is certainly no longer an old peoples’ party as some wrongly still perceive it to be.
Their current team in Parliament appears united and stable (although IMO Jones is their weakest link). I am particularly impressed with the job Tracey Martin is doing in her portfolios, and Ron Mark seems to be doing well in Defence. Peters himself is excellent in the Foreign Affairs role, and so far has made a reasonable job of DPM. The rest of the team seem to be working well in carrying the NZF in the day to day work of Parliament.
In terms of succession, Fletcher Tabuteau has been with NZF from its conception and appears to be the one selected for succession to the top role. As well as now being Deputy leader of the party, he is also Parliamentary Undersecretary to both Peters and Jones in respect of Foreign Affairs, Regional Economic Development, and Disarmament and Arms Control. At 45, he still has plenty of miles still to be used on his clock.
I put very little weight on the fact that the NZF vote in polls since the election have dropped. This was inevitable whichever way Peters went in deciding between National and Labour. They always seem to drop in polls between elections, and then usually gain in the election itself (2008 being one of few exceptions to this trend).
Sorry, Dennis, I think there is a little wishful thinking going on there. If the way National is going currently continues, it would not surprise me if there is a disillusioned National voter move to NZF rather than from it. Nat voters may still be choosing Nats in polls, but some of that support may not be as strong as it appears imo.
But time will tell, and there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet.
A shift from National to NZF is an intriguing possibility, but depends what provides the stimulus at the time. I can’t see why the 3% or so that are disgruntled sufficiently to currently not support NZF (due to them choosing the Labour option) are going to be motivated to switch back at the next election – unless Winston & Jacinda have a falling-out, and he signals pre-election that the National option is again viable…
I was actually suggesting (badl)y that with the current leadership and dramas etc, there may be some Nat voters who are softening in their loyalty. They may currently still be answering polls as saying they would still vote National if an election was held today but may be looking around at other options. I know and have heard of some traditional National voters now thinking along those lines.
Thank Veutoviper, you have inside knowledge. So Crisp is not as Barclay painted him, and had total overarching responsibility. You know Crisp and value his expertise so I’d say you probably have it right. Cheers.
I am not sure that Crisp did have overall responsiblity, Patricia. He was only appointed permanent Head of the hew Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (which includes Kiwibuild) as from 17 December 2018, by which time Barclay was actually already on garden leave pending the investigation being completed. See my reply to Dennis Frank at 7.2.4.4.1. below. Will try to research this further but won’t be until later tonight probably as have other things to do for the next few hours.
(Hope you have seen doctor and x-ray has been scheduled for soon. Keep smiling, things will get there, friend.)
could even make a good NF1 leader when Winnie pops his clogs or has to start shitting into a colostomy bag – and that’ll be a while, if ever, although I imagine there are others lined up to take on the mantle even if they do come equipped with diamond shaped little blue pills bought from some shady internet site.
But then I guess most of that is what is afflicting the senior ranks of the gNats, and probably why there are the likes of Finlayson that chose to retire rather than keep up the chirade
Flectcher Tabuteau is the current forerunner for that role, with Tracey Martin’s blessing is my understanding. Tracey was Deputy Leader for some time, but Tabuteau now holds that role as well as understudy to both Peters and Jones. See about halfway down my long comment at 4.3.1.1.above.
/agree, and with lprent’s analysis – which is not to say that Tracey Martin wouldn’t be another viable candidate as leader. Pretty sure NZ1 won’t be dead anytime soon though, not that I’ve ever voted for them. If it ever got that desperate, it’s more of a possibility that a Winnie’s bro’ (a decent sort of chap) would be tempted back into politics
( Btw, I’ve taken to intermittent and brief visits to TS again throughout the day. Often trying to engage in a conversation can be a complete waste of precious time.
Today 7.1.1.1.1.2 on OM, yesterday 8.1.3 and below on ‘The Power of Anger’
The time stamps and ‘replies’ button on the right are quite useful at times.
I put it all down to my cynicism and what my daughter says is sometimes my “passive/aggressive behaviour at times dad”. [Must be all that power of anger] )
A++++++ gsays. I follow Tracey Martin on Facebook (in fact I’m a friend), though I’m not a NZ1st voter or member of that party. She is one smart cookie, though I do get annoyed at some of the NZ1st policies and attitudes to progressive social policy and will watch for her reaction to some of her colleagues entrenched conservative ideas.
Yep pretty much, I believe to most people here it is more so they’ hope nzf survive Peters is way better in oppostion as a populist, he can say what he wants to his loon bag base Unfortunately for Peters he can’t revert to his go to strategy re blaming Jonny forgeiner and hark back to the good old days. Similarly he will loose the right wing vote of his base and also have conservatives breathing down his neck National should also step up and refuse to work with him if they have any brains ( which is debatable at times)
“Former Green Party MP Sue Bradford said it was laughable that the Green Party is considered far left at all now saying that under James Shaw the party is more centrist than it had ever been.”
“So while the talk is of there being space for a centrist environmental party, there is not really that much of a gap that needs filling.”
Chris Bramwell – RNZ
“…..Until National changes and really accepts sustainability, no green party worthy of the name can support them as a government. And anyone who tells you differently is either a fool, or trying to sell you something.”
Idiot/Savant – No Right Turn, January 29, 2019
I wonder where all this leaves poor old James Shaw diligently slogging away, deep in the parliamentary salt mines in Wellington forgotten to human memory, valiantly trying to stitch together a climate accord with the Nats?
Does he know something we don’t?
When James finally struggles back to the surface world, will he be holding up to the light for all to see, a jewel of inestimable value? or a polished piece of coprolite?
We are going to need a bunch more North Island irrigation if we are going to keep the bulk dairy production we have going here.
[Hey, Ad, you’re still regularly misspelling your email address, which means your comments get held up and have to be manually released. Can you check it before posting, please? Ta, TRP]
No sweat, comrade! It’s not a big deal to release the comment, but it does mean the conversations get disjointed if a mod doesn’t spot it immediately.
(Just to clarify for other readers, first time comments are automatically held until manually released. A misspelled email address or handle triggers this response.)
It is more likely that you have a login with the same email as your commenting address. Since you’re not logging in to comment (no blue background), the comment will automatically get held up by the anti-identity theft settings.
I had to put those settings in after having some identity thefts by people using emails for other people to write comments to try to trash their reputations.
Either login (I can send you a new password) or get me to change the email so there isn’t a conflict.
Simple. Dial back the dairy a bit. When it’s not so intensive, it won’t be as polluting either. But probably just as profitable because input costs are much lower.
They could remove their inputs of the majority of fertilisers, offsite feed, antibiotics, herbicides, pesticides, power…
But they want turnkey systems. Ease of use. Single persons controlling large swathes of land. Monoculture extraordinaire. They dream of robots. They have no vision that is not handed to them by industry.
Throw money at me I’ll breed them a microbe that uses carbon dioxide and methane to build meat and milk. Then I will charge like a wounded bull for the tech and spend all the money lobbying government and educating public on overstocking and the unnecessary importation of feedstock and fertilisers.
Guano factories aka sea bird sanctuaries can be built. Nitrogen supplies can be from recycled farm/industry wastes and via plant fixation.
High nitrogen feedstock comes rapidly and in large volumes from azolla (pteridophyte) and duckweed (angiosperm) cultures. Will also reduce vet bills via large quantities of nutraceuticals in these plants.
Just, so many ways to help farmers. I get sick of wasting breath trying to help rich fuckwits who think they’re the ‘backbone’ but they’re actually the asshole of our society.
This blog always amuses me when snowflake idiots pretend they know how to farm.
Fortunately Wethebleeple, there are plenty of farms for sale at the moment so there is absolutely nothing stopping you from buying a farm and showing us all how to do it. I look forward to your results.
You RG could take the opportunity to learn something, get some perspective.
But that is dangerous, you might be thrown out of your in-group; become an outside without the comfort blanket of the other farmers Who Know It All. Or perhaps you are one of those financial farmers who know how to turn a profit from animals while others do the nitty-gritty and feel pretty happy about that.
I only milked cows once as a favor helping a mate because screw that for a job. But I have got the hay in and fenced 5 wire, 9 wire, deer, post and rail, landscape work galore…. worked in many aspects of horticulture from research on the milk yields via grass types to picking packing and pruning kiwifruit. I’ve done floriculture, viticulture, aquaculture, nursery and greenhouse work. I’ve been in the forestry planting and low and high pruning. I’ve lived in the bush, cleared tracks and built structures in the bush, been a fisherman, a bouncer, an editor, and now a snowflake.
“Simple. Dial back the dairy a bit. When it’s not so intensive, it won’t be as polluting either. But probably just as profitable because input costs are much lower.”
with that dialling back it would lower the amount of trucks on the road, therefore lowering exhaust and tyre emissions and wear and tear on our roads.
That would be true if there hadnt been 20 years of land/development cost inflation that needed to be serviced….the unavoidable truth is someone is going to have to take a hit in order to make a less intensive model workable again…and my guess is it wont be the banks.
Just in case we think The Man In The High Castle was a silly little piece of fascist imaginary, yes Hitler really did have plans for the rest of the world’s Jews.
Nothing like the annual concentration camp liberation commemorations to focus the mind on saving endangered peoples in this world. It was two days ago.
If anyone gets a moment, there’s a really good little Jewish memorial inside the Auckland War Memorial Museum on the third floor. Worth taking a moment there.
‘Rummel, a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii, estimates that between 1937 and 1945, the Japanese military murdered from nearly 3 to over 10 million people, most likely 6 million Chinese, Koreans, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos and Indochinese, among others, including Western prisoners of war’
We’ve had several days overcast, plus drizzle the past two, here in Taranaki. For a gardener, welcome dampening of soil & relief from watering with hose. Young pumpkins & butternuts now sprouting on the vine. Decided I would need only a single courgette plant this summer and I was right – a month since I last watered that and still producing so many that I’ve taken some to a couple of local foodbanks (as well as supplying a couple of neighbours.
Also, had to stop watering the scarlet runner beans a couple of weeks ago due to excess production (a large handful every day) also over-supplying neighbours & foodbanks as well as me. Goes to show how much being Green in a practical sense could produce community reslience if more folks acquired the skills…
What are you talking about. I’m at the coal face here. Living on an upper North Island Dairy farm. So far this has been one of the best years we have had in the last 10 years. It’s normal for low rain to no rain at this time of year and we are getting some on a regular basis. Tommorow I’m having to help with hay bail collection that we use for dry stock, yearlings etc. Twice as good as other years, so my body isn’t looking forward to it.
Yes Ad, hasn’t taken long for things to get brittle with heat and wind. Perhaps farmers need to consider animals and crops which need less water and palms for feed. Land use needs to become Land improved. Rotation is proven.
WtB
Ad is referring to irrigation. Would this be a good time for farmers to put in some of those seepage ponds that have been referred to. Getting out on the tractor
early in the morning before the sun gets hot, and be off before say 11.30 when the Fire Service suggests that its dangerous to work in because of fire from sparks.?
Absolutely. This system and Yeomans Keyline irrigation hold the most promise for dairy. Real conversions would go for contoured swales, tree crops and dairy.
We really need to get trees back on our farms, it is a bloody travesty they’re mostly gone. Heat stress will lower production considerably, as will cold/wind.
As for this ‘drought’. I found mushrooms in two spots this morning as I carried a bucket of water down the back to help some new plantings I was worried about. Mushrooms, ha ha, water situation seems fine for now.
If you want to irrigate gardens but need to conserve water, drip is a good way to go. Turn on the tap and it’s working, nice. A friend installed them for new homes with central controllers and timers and sensors… could get really efficient (or wasteful) with a set-up like that.
Drip and mulch rules, so the water doesn’t evaporate after application and the soil is cooler for your plants. Overhead irrigation is extremely wasteful in hot weather.
The trick is to put the water in the ground, not the air.
Well, I’m halfway thro & doesn’t seem any worse yet. Thanks for the link, though, because he’s clarifying the problem sufficiently in general terms to give us insight into what went wrong.
So sounds like his role was project manager. That function is executive: it executes. It makes things happen. Actions produce outputs. You can imagine bureaucrats aghast at someone with a `know-how, can-do’ attitude being given the authority to get results. Obviously they had to stop him!
So classic leftist bureaucratic stonewalling of a rightist infiltrator, seems to me. The method they used was to manufacture personal complaints about his style of leadership. Clearly telling people what to do was unacceptable to them. It would have seemed autocratic. The idea that a leader issues instructions to subordinates in order to make an operation a success would have freaked them out. Not how the public service is meant to operate. Twyford got kneecapped accordingly. Will he learn from the experience? I doubt it. He’s Labour.
Okay, I’ve listened to almost all and now I get where you’re coming from. I’ll give readers the context:
“The ousted boss of KiwiBuild says he has been put through an awful few months by the head of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Crisp. Stephen Barclay faces allegations about his management style but says he was given no chance to properly challenge them. He won’t detail the exact nature of the allegations but rules out bullying or any financial or sexual misconduct. Mr Barclay is also mystified that KiwiBuild is now missing its targets – saying they were on track when he was at the helm.”
He’s explained it as an interpersonal problem between him & Crisp. Seems to have been created as a result of the govt shifting the goalposts after he signed his contract. He signed up to operate the scheme more independently, then they gave Crisp either authority over him or enough leverage to interfere. So he ought to win his grievance case unless there’s stuff we aren’t being told. Twyford’s fault.
Twyford looks like he has not got a handle on one of the key planks of his ministerial portfolio. Also, according to Barclay, they were on track to meet the 1000 house target for this tear UNTIL his unit was absorbed in to the new ministry. That needs investigating further.
Yes, I was addressing that point while you posted that. I agree. Twyford is out of his depth. Has Labour got someone who can finesse the mandarin syndrome that seems to take over the minds of top public servants? If not, Ardern needs to do a cabinet reshuffle & give the job to Winston so he can do the necessary arse-kicking. We’re talking about the flagship coalition policy being derailed by typical Labour ineptitude. That’s unacceptable.
I agree that there needs to be some radical changes if this policy is to be rescued from failure. Appointing Peters would be a laugh in my opinion (not that I think he would do a bad job just that it would be a laugh). Obviously I think the policy is doomed given my ideological leanings but it does have a potential to deliver some wins for the government if done better and a potential for a colossal mess if done badly (which it looks like it is being done).
“Has Labour got someone who can finesse the mandarin syndrome that seems to take over the minds of top public servants?”
So far, it seems not @ Dennis although there appears to be some small changes in culture happening. It was always going to be that the biggest hurdle this coalition faced would be the senior and upper middle ranks in our PS.
I notice (for example) we’re starting to see some serious effort put into cracking down on exploitative employers – yet another case on RNZ/Stuff today. What prevented that happening four or five years ago when many/most of the same people were involved? Indeed one now feigns a concern when he was the very same person that was assuring us all that they had sufficient Labour Inspectors just before the election. (And now they wonder why no one wants to report exploitative arseholes).
Oh, and they even had the benefits then of having a private force in the form of T&C, as well as a few nudge nudge wink winks and Chinese whispers at play – not to mention a demographic spreadsheet or two.
Keeps them in an over-paid job though I guess
Exactery @ Gabby. And especially after I L-G has been forced to go through some ‘learnings going forward’ when it comes to having to deal with them.
You know, it buggers my mind at times trying to understand a coalition with the best of intentions hasn’t yet come to learn where many of the roadblocks are. It has a stellar record of failure in everything from worker exploitation and immigration fuckups (which might as well have been decided on the basis of rolling a set of dice or an auction system), to shitty steel and building related failures, to radio spectrum interference.
Btw – have you ever had to try and deal with any of them directly?
It sounds to me like Twyford was knee-capped. I presume he was the one who appointed Barclay to the position. I know him well enough to believe he’s not the sort to be taking it lying down. He’s an astute politician and he will be staying out of it for a very good reason. We just don’t know what it is – yet. There will come a time when he will probably speak out, and maybe we’ll get the real deal about what went down.
The Public Service knows how to close ranks and rid themselves of perceived out-siders. They’ve had 150 plus years of practice. It would not surprise me if Twyford was coerced – or possibly even bullied – to change the goal posts. If so, it would have been motivated by self interest and a reluctance to concede power and authority.
There is also the possibility of political interference behind the scenes. If my past experiences of the P.S. are any indication, then the “bureaucrats” are more likely to be National supporters (not Labour) and they know how to undermine cabinet ministers and their perceived toadies. I’ve seen it first hand – albeit a long time ago.
Interesting view, thanks Anne. Nothing there I’d disagree with, so I’ll just add that the intent seems to be to defeat the coalition agenda. Your theory fits that fact better than mine – but it wouldn’t surprise me if the mandarins actually vote Labour and just feel that defending their traditional privilege is more important than serving the public. The mandarin syndrome is a privileged-class thing that goes back all the way to the rise of empires, and their need for admin.
The mandarin syndrome is a privileged-class thing that goes back all the way to the rise of empires, and their need for admin…
OMG yes!. They can become so blinded to reality, they actually end up by destroying their own positions. I saw it happen in one sector of the PS in the early 1990s.
No idea re his political alignment, Gabby, but it looks like he was given authority over the project manager: “State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes says Crisp’s career includes 13 years in senior and executive leadership roles. He says he also has a deep understanding of the New Zealand housing system.”
Dennis your bias is showing. Making sweeping generalisations is not your usual style.
They wanted Crisp and stonewalled, accused Steven Barclay of aggressive leadership and he was hamstrung. Public Service was manned by National for the 9 years prior to this, and had limited budgets. They probably spent all their energy on endless staffing reviews as National was aiming for less Government.
Suddenly, there is a plan, money for it and a leader. The undermanned service coped , were on track with the building but complained They brought the complaints up and from that day forward progress halted, to the point where Steven Barclay resigned and the Minister was left saying an internal employment issue was the problem. What is with your “They are Labour so they won’t learn”
I’ve been equally critical of both establishment parties since I realised I had to become neither left nor right in ’71. My conscience refused to allow me to fake it and pretend Labour were somehow the lesser of two evils. That’s my bias.
One final comment: in respect of his view that they had 600 houses contracted when he bailed out, it smells to me very much like a smoking gun. He seems genuinely mystified that Twyford’s told the public they won’t meet the target, and said that conflicts with the fact that the operation was on track to deliver the target of 1000 in the first year. So I must now endorse your view – the fiasco is indeed getting worse.
How the hell can they have 600 signed up, and then Twyford tells the media & public that they will only deliver 300? Can we please get someone in the media to demand an explanation?! If it’s just logistics, and builders don’t want to build houses fast enough to deliver in the required time-frame, say so! Okay, he did imply that, but he’s creating the impression that he feels no need to keep the public fully informed. Labour voters deserve more respect and accountability from the minister.
If it’s just logistics, and builders don’t want to build houses fast enough to deliver in the required time-frame, say so! Okay, he did imply that, but he’s creating the impression that he feels no need to keep the public fully informed.
Hang on Dennis, he may well have reiterated the reason but it could have been edited out of the report that made it into the public arena. Nowadays most news items consist only of sound bites and the substance of an interview never sees the light of day. It happens all the time.
True – I saw that happen regularly when I was making news & current affairs stories for TVNZ. But the onus is then on the media manager of the party to rectify the impression in the public mind by issuing a follow-up…
I may be unduly cynical but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is an attempt by Twyford to shift all the blame onto Barclay and to set himself up as being the hero who improves things.
Barclay says he already had 600 houses scheduled before July 1. Twyford announces instead that there will only be 300. Who would I believe? Barclay over Twyford any day.
Imagine if they manage, and it will be a real stretch, to get to 500 or so. Twyford will claim that he took over, got rid of Barclay and then heroically improved the scheme from only producing 300 houses and got up to 500. Hip, hip hooray for Phil. He will of course ignore the fact that 500 is really an epic fail. The MSM will of course tell us what a great man Twyford is.
Still, he will say that it was only his intervention that got the number up from the phantom 300 that he will credit Barclay with. Twyford will be lying of course but he, along with the rest of the CoL, have never found this something they are uncomfortable with.
Or could it be that Barclay was a bully boy who through his toys out of the coat when pulled up for it and is know pulling numbers out of his arse to discredit his former boss.
It appears building stopped while the case of employment complaints was reviewed. Then Barclay resigned and left. Any shortfall is under Crisp’s watch? Barclay said they were up to date and on track when he left. He is suing HNZ for constructive dismissal. Twyford is at arms length as it is an employment matter.It will get sorted in court when the truth may then come out.
Well you lot on this 7 thread (with one or two exceptions eg Patricia) are all now off my 2019 Hanukkah card list*. You only have 10 months to redeem yourselves.
(*Or Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays list. I don’t do Christmas cards).
First, what a one dimensional pile-on on all public servants. As one for over 40 years, I really take offense (well a little). Not all of us are like that!!!!!
Two, I would not be so fast to make decisions on this situation from a role definition, power, and employment perspective.
The real situation is far from clear and certainly not as clearcut as Barclay is claiming.
Sacha and I had a late night conversation on this last night on OM 28 Jan (at 11 down). Won’t try to link but still easy to find.
As I commented at 11.1.1.1, I worked with/for Andrew Crisp some years ago and have utter respect for his integrity, management style etc and do not believe that he would have lost any of that over the years. He also has experience in sorting out messy CE employment situations such as this and is scrupulous in doing so. The fact that he has come out and said certain things about the Barclay situation strongly reinforces to me that Crisp has his ducks in a row.
Barclay is interesting though. Sure, he seems to have had a strong private sector background mostly in the building area, but also some other very different roles more recently.
Barclay was chief executive of the 2013 America’s Cup defence in San Francisco. Sacha found and posted a link on the OM thread at 11 to an article about Barclay copping bitter criticism from both city politicians and media amid accusations the event had not delivered sufficiently for San Francisco, leading him to launch a parting broadside after the event had ended.
Yes Fletcher is from Rotorua, and well known to a past pupil who worked with him at Waiariki Polytech. Said he was amazing. The past pupil was amazing so….
@vv
I have always made it clear that my viewpoint regards the Public Service is based on my personal experiences and relates to only two agencies – more like one and a half. Your experiences were obviously different to mine.
Yes, there are very good public servants with plenty of integrity. There is also the other kind which I had the misfortune to come up against. To deny the second category doesn’t (or didn’t) exist is not facing up to reality. Perhaps the second kind is (was) more prevalent outside of Wellington.
Sure, my experiences date back 25 years so there may well have been a lot of improvement since.
I can also claim from the same experiences that personal political attitudes – lined up against Labour suppporters – was rife in my day. And there is plenty of recorded evidence to back up that claim.
Anne, I certainly don’t deny the existence of public servants such as the ones you have experienced, as I also have. And I fully support you in what you have discussed here many times and have done so many times in comments. Not all my experiences were good by any means, and I left of my own accord in the end due to those types of experiences.
Nevertheless, I will stand up and speak against some of the one dimensional, one size fits all approach of some here who take every opportunity to denigrate public servants – who cover a massive range of people, roles, political views, approaches to neutrality etc – and occupations.
As you may not have noted, my comments were also half tongue in cheek. After it was too late to edit, I realised that I had left you out of the exceptions, so my apologies for that. I know you have had experience of differing sorts as I have had.
However, when I see people denigrating/condemning someone who I have high regard for such as Andrew Crisp on the basis of very little information about them and the situation, I am not going to stay quiet. I am trying to keep an open mind about the whole situation until more is known, and my intent was primarily to suggest that others do the same and not rush to opinions, condemnations etc.
I’ve done it too. Made mistakes or haven’t explained something clearly but too late to edit. Tend to leave it and hope for the best.
I’ve also stood up for individuals who are being unfairly criticised. Take Phil Tywford. Some ignorant MSM twat tried to claim recently that he had no managerial skills. That is laughable. Anyone who knows Phil well can tell you about his brilliant managerial and organisational skills honed during previous occupations linked to the UN.
Fair enough, if he is indeed conscientious. And after learning he was indeed given authority over Barclay after the latter signed his contract, it looks like the blame ought to be allocated to either Twyford or SSC or both, eh?
Perhaps we leave ‘blame’ out of it until we know a lot more, Dennis.
I don’t know what process was used in appointing Barclay and who was involved in the process*. Presumably Twyford as Minister would not have been involved in any way … hopefully.
Perhaps some form of trial period such as the 90 day provisions should be applied to such high level contracts – rather than the types of employment they were applied to!!!!!!!!!! LOL.
* Actually I now remember seeing something to the effect that Barclay’s appointment was made by the head of MBIE. That was about midnight last night when I had been awake for 20 hours. Don’t have time for the next few hours to recheck but will see what I can find/refind re the appointment process.
** Crisp actually only formally became overall permanent head of the MInistry of Housing and Urban Development on 17 December 2018 – ie weeks after Barclay had been sent on garden leave while the investigation was undertaken. So the reporting structure (ie who Barclay formally reported to prior to that) is unclear. Crisp was seconded to the overall organisation earlier than Dec but I am unclear as to his secondment role and employment relationship to Barclay in that role. More research to do.
Crisp had nothing to do with the ridiculous spends on signs etc when MBIE was set up. He only moved to Housing recently, and this and Kiwibuild are now a separate Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which Andrew Crisp became Chief Executive of only on 17 Dec 2018. See my 7.2.4. LOL.
Thank Veutoviper, you have inside knowledge. So Crisp is not as Barclay painted him, and had total overarching responsibility. You know Crisp and value his expertise so I’d say you probably have it right. Cheers.
It’s a Kate Aronoff piece, for anyone else that didn’t click the link because they’ve come to the opinion that Greenwald’s become irrelevant and boring and doesn’t have anything new to say.
Greenwald is failing to entertain you? Habet, Hoc habet! Shall we send him to the lions?
Then again, maybe he’s fighting the same ‘boring’ fights because the same boring powers that be are doing the same boring stuff??
When Snowden’s stuff dropped in his lap he had a period when he was relevant, had things to say that people hadn’t heard before. He had the thrill of genuinely opening people’s eyes to shit that had been going on in the shadows.
But that was a while ago now. And the way The Intercept negligently mishandled the information Reality Winner gave them means any future whistleblower with any sense will likely use a different conduit to get their info out in the open.
So now Greenwald seems to be reduced to just writing day-late-and-dollar-short polemics against the mainstream media and Dems, ranting about shortcomings that other parts of the msm have already pointed out.
A great article. Not sure if anyone’s been following this story – pure gold 😀
Truth is the issues discussed in this article can be extrapolated to many things imo from the environment to peace.
Until men do their share – not just nappy-changing but feeding, bathing, cooking, caring for children when they’re sick, organising birthday parties and play dates – they’ll never be proper co-parents. Patting yourself on the back for doing 10 per cent isn’t enough, closer to 50 per cent needs to be the target.
It boils down to this: are you prepared to grow up, almost overnight?
Because that’s ultimately what the job requires.
Russell Brand, it appears, clearly isn’t. He should focus on the mystical connotations of that.
Maybe women should try actually letting men be parents. For the 1 in 5 who fit into the stay at home dad catagory I can say my partner who works hard is no different to how the “men” behave. What is it now in NZ? 45% are raised with no father.
The organising play dates thing is a resultant of underlining bigotry. There is no way in my daughters case that a random call by a strange man to one of her freinds mothers for a play date, or stay over is going to work.
My partner pretty much refuses to change shitty nappies. I’m the person who had to clean up the shit artwork, when my son decided to use poo for decoration.
Andrew Crisp does not need ‘looking at’, patricia. Or rather if you want to “look at” him, see my comment at 7.2.4 above and also at 7.1.1.1. on OM 28 Jan last night.
Both threads also cover Barclay’s previous history – it seems he has at least once before badmouthed former employers when they question whether or not he achieved the expected performance.
On TVNZ 1 news online …..
“ arrest warrant has been issued for a 26-year-old man who was part of the group of unruly British travellers after he failed to appear in court today on three charges.
The man, who has name suppression, was on bail and failed to appear at the Auckland District Court for a bail hearing this morning.”
“It is not clear if the 26-year-old was with the group who had flown back to the UK.”
Why is it not clear, if immigration is doing their job right?
He has either gone through the airport or not, hasn,t he?
From the ODT:
“Sarah Dowie’s short-lived political career looks all but over.
The Invercargill MP from 2014 is almost certain not to be a National Party candidate in the 2020 election – assuming she does not resign beforehand….
…Several members of Dowie’s electorate committee had resigned in recent months.
It is understood several members of Dowie’s staff have also resigned.
She is advertising for staff to work in her Wellington office.
Dowie was not answering her mobile phone yesterday or responding to a text message requesting comment.”
But all will be well because Simon and Paula see no hypocrisy in firing Jamie for infidelity while supporting Sarah for the same thing. (Paula should regret ever raising the matter in the first place.)
Kennedy Graham backs the TavaGreens.
I/S isn’t impressed.
“The problem isn’t that the Greens won’t work with National – they have done so in the past and have signalled their willingness to do so again. The problem is that National won’t work with the Greens. On environmental fundamentals – climate change, rivers, mining – National is utterly opposed to sustainability and Green policy.” http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/01/getting-problem-backwards.html
As I siad yesterday Robert If Tava builds credible team around him they the pure greens will be existential threat to the watermelons, no matter what hate is thrown at them personally, This to will just work in their favour It’s no point prattling on anout national, blue:green etc if this goes ahead they will be judged on thier policies alone and left right neutrality, what the hard left greens think will be irrelevant
Bewildered (love the variable spellings you employ), I liken the formation of a political party to the building of crystals in a super-saturated solution – the crystal you get reflects the purity and form of the seed crystal. If Vernon is the genuine seed, his party will be stunning. That’s why I have no concerns.
Hmmm, “hard left greens”, you say. Are those the undercooked Brussels sprouts that your kid leaves on their plate because they hate them? If so, maybe you could change your preparation and presentation to make them more palatable and turn them into yummy firm greens that will be left no more? What’d you say?
New Blue – Green Party is purely an angle to get into Government, they will have no say when the Natzi’s are elected in a Coalition with the New Greens & the New Conservative Party.
I doubt that very much, National will manage relationship to ensure 9 +years, they also know rwnj also care about the environment but want Governent based on responsibility not on virtue signalling and dying in a ditch on idealogy
WATCH : A new #Israeli crime, by attacking directly a paramedic with a Gas bomb 💣, while helping wounded #Palestinians participating in the peaceful #GreatReturnMarch eastern Of #Gaza city. #ICC4Israel #GazaMassacre #SaveGaza #BDS pic.twitter.com/cgIw7j6lJu
9.) Israel has three regimes. First, there is the “liberal democracy” which is the privilege of its Jewish citizens, but there are many threats to this. The second regime is aimed at the Palestinians—the “Israeli Arabs” who comprise 20 per cent of the population, and who have formal civil rights; they are deeply discriminated against in every way. The third regime is very different from any “liberal” posturing—this is Israel’s dark heart, the regime in the Occupied Territories. This is one of the most brutal tyrannies on Earth today, no less than that.
10.) Israel cannot be defined as anything other than an apartheid regime. It is apartheid. No one with an open heart could not be shocked and moved by the situation in the Occupied Territories. Israel claimed for years that the Occupation was “temporary. We cannot find a partner.” The Occupation is part of Israel, therefore we cannot define Israel as a democracy. Either ALL the inhabitants of Israel enjoy civil rights, or they do not. Either you are a democracy, or there are other names to call you.
—-Israeli journalist GIDEON LEVY, speaking in Auckland, Dec. 3, 2017
lol the dipshit managed to call her a figurehead and say she was apparently finding that, with leadership, “the job is a little difficult”. Still pushing the “pretty woman out of her depth” meme – I guess she’s next on the probing round after Twyford. Full circle so soon, they must be so disappointed after the promising start they had with Curran.
That is a nasty attempt by a Nat lackey to undermine Jacinda Ardern.
1)Every PM since time immemorial has gone on holiday at Xmas and doesn’t return until the end of January. John Key used to disappear off to Hawaii and we saw or heard nothing from him until the end of the month.
2) She fronted at the first weekly post cabinet press conference of the year this afternoon.
3) Suggesting she is weak and has no ideas flies in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.
Just a pathetic and dirty attempt to undermine her. What a creep.
I was looking at Michael King’s book of photographs of Maori from early days to modern. He explains what they felt about being pictured and what was happening in their lives..
In the later years, there is the famous photo of Dame Whina Cooper, in her 80s, setting off with her grandchild on the long march in 1975, Then Bastion Point occupation – In 1977–78 a 506-day protest against a proposed Crown sale was held there. (Land was to be sold for high-value housing. The sections would have nice sea views I suppose.)
‘In 1978, largely in response to the protest at Bastion Point, the Government made a settlement with some of Ngati Whatua. The Crown returned only some of the land taken under the Public Works Act – the land which had not been used for the purpose for which it had been taken. The tribe was to pay $200,000 for its return.’ This was settled by the Waitangi Tribunal in 1987. https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/publications-and-resources/school-resources/orakei/resolving-the-grievances-of-the-past/
In 1981 there was defiance against the Goverment over the Springbok Tour, protests and some violence and injuries. There were however only two games cancelled.
In 1984 Ernie Abbott was blown up at the Trades Hall by a bomb in a suitcase.
Later the USS Buchanan was forbidden a berth as a protest against the USA’s use of nuclear power coming in to our ports. The Rainbow Warrior was blown up by French security agents with a loss of life as a result of protest against nuclear testing.
1985 Roger Douglas began the economic changes of Lange’s government. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/john-minto/692334/Douglass-reforms-were-an-economic-disaster-for-the-country The scale of the disaster is apparent from an OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) report, Growing Unequal, which was released last week….The report’s title refers to the dramatic growth in inequality in OECD countries and New Zealand in particular from 1985 to 2005.
The gap between rich and poor widened rapidly.
Roger Douglas told us there was no alternative to his reforms and there would be no gain without pain. What he neglected to say was that the gains would be for the wealthy and the pain for the poor. And so it was.
We have finally reached the top of the OECD but for the wrong reasons. We are second to none for growth in income inequality from 1985 to 2005 and we are also close to the top for the sharpest increase in poverty over the same 20-year period.
This was a bit like our Brexit. We had no idea of what was to come, innocent bunnies that we were.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Douglas David Caygill, who was also Minister of Trade and Industry, and Richard Prebble, who was also Minister of Transport.[36] Douglas and his associate ministers became known as the “Treasury Troika” or the “Troika”.[37]
The 1984 budget was a radical departure from Labour’s established approach to economic management. Douglas answered criticism that the government’s intentions had not been made clear to the electorate by saying that he had spelled out his whole programme to the Policy Council, which, he said, had understood and endorsed his intentions. He maintained that the detail was not made available to the public because it did not have the capacity to absorb it in the short time available.[45]
The budget owed almost nothing to Labour’s manifesto. Its content closely matched the Treasury view set out in Economic Management.[46] Douglas’s identification with Treasury was complete by 1985. Treasury initiatives adopted by the government that were not signalled before the 1984 election included the introduction of a comprehensive tax on consumption (GST), the floating of the dollar (which Douglas opposed until 1984) and the corporatisation of the government’s trading activities, announced at the end of 1985….
The juxtaposition of the preceding years on the 1985 economic reforms had never occurred to me. I think the wealthy whites were taking fright at the idea of Maori getting control of government, and that they had to act swiftly while they still had a chance. Our finances were already in flux, internationally also. So seize the day.
Interesting about the horticulture industry crying out for workers. – what a load of crock. My 18 year old has been trying to get fruit picking or other similar work and applied for lots of jobs but heard nothing or they don’t want them because they want migrants or people back packing or a particular gender. Accommodation is expensive or difficult to get if you don’t have a car. Here is a physically fit young person who is keen to work and is now giving up and looking at retail work. What the industry means is they want to be able to exploit migrant labour because my kid knows their rights.
Here is a story that say Australia can be run on renewable energy that use less water is better for the environment and more cost effective that carbon based energy
Our electricity system of the future could be powered by sun, wind and waves However, the big four banks and the big three energy companies are not having a bar of it. Indeed the majority of Australia’s energy companies are working towards a very different future for the country’s energy system, a future powered by clean, renewable energy.
There are now at least nine studies conducted during the decade that have analysed how Australia can move from an electricity system based on polluting coal and gas to one powered by the sun, wind and waves.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – the body tasked with making sure we have energy when we need it – found there were “no fundamental limits to 100% renewables”, and that the current standards of the system’s security and reliability would be maintained.
These studies show different pathways towards 100% renewable energy, but what they all agree on is that it can be achievedhe Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – the body tasked with making sure we have energy when we need it – found there were “no fundamental limits to 100% renewables”, and that the current standards of the system’s security and reliability would not be lost.
1. Big on wind and solar
In future, the bulk of our electricity will come from the most affordable technologies – wind and solar photovoltaic (PV). In areas with the best renewable resources, big wind and solar projects connected to transmission lines will generate electricity to power Australia’s industry, transport, cities and exports.
Modelling by the University of New South Wales suggests that wind generation could supply up to 70% of Australia’s electricity needs, while modelling by CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia found that wind and solar could provide nearly all generation in future. UNSW’s analysis, backed up by AEMO’s Integrated System Plan, also found that many of the best solar and wind sites in Australia were in remote locations – renewable energy zones, needing new transmission investments to harvest these amazing resources e supply gaps will then be filled with a range of on-demand renewables and storage, such as concentrating solar thermal with storage, pumped hydro, batteries (grid and domestic), sustainable bioenergy and more.
A study by Andrew Blakers at Australian National University found that pumped hydro could provide enough backup for a grid entirely powered by wind and solar power.
Hold on … hydropower in the dry continent of Australia? Yes, they have identified 22,000 potential sites, mainly off-river reservoirs in hilly terrain or abandoned mine sites, and just 0.1% of those could meet all of Australia’s storage needs in a 100% renewable grid.
This means we will move from a power system paradigm of baseload (big thermal generators) and peaking plants (quick-start gas) to one where our bulk energy is supplied by variable renewables and dispatchable renewables, and storage will fill the gaps.
3. Small, so everyone can benefit
According to CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia, between 30% and 45% of the country’s future energy generation will be local and customer-owned – in homes, businesses and communities. This means solar panels on every sunny roof, and batteries in households and commercial buildings. In apartment blocks, there will be microgrids powered by solar and batteries. Renters will join community solar projects and landlords will be required to make properties more energy efficient. When you go to the shopping centre and plug in your electric car, it will be shaded by solar panels
Ka kite ano links below https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/28/what-would-australia-look-like-powered-by-100-renewable-energyhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1kUE0BZtTRc
Kia ora Newshub Jenna Phil was baited with that question and I don’t think it was respectful doing that to him. It’s not as hot today as it was yesterday all tho ECO has put up and repair some more shade but records are being broken all around Papatuanukue. simon that’s just a spinning ap
There some fools who have broken into the blue penguin whare and stole them Its a stunt leave our wild life be.
That’s cool the seal population at Kaikorua has started booming after the Rua moko quake their and the authorities have built car parks so people can watch them from a safe distance Ka pai. I have just read that a court has ruled that the authoritie that allocated the water in the Murray Darling basin the Wai water was supposed to be allocated and managed with the environment first but the allocation was giving business needs over the environment that is why there are millions of fish dying in the Murray Darling river. It gets hot in Alexander Alex Alot of times they have the countrys highest temperature.
One day I will go fishing with Matt Watson that’s a cool way to tag fish instead of killing it yes Times Are Changing. That person killed his wife in front of there child was alcohol a factor????? Ka kite ano
The big picture is its is cool that the voices are finally getting out through the media that people with more money than they could spend in a life time is outrageous when we have people dieing of starvation around the world . The billionaire have to be pressured into paying more money back to the society that they got the wealth from and Eco Maori can see that happening now. The new currency the hitts on the net and + AND – hitts will give all peoples a conscience and then equality will BOOM.
After the panel Bregman tweeted a link to a opinion piece he wrote for the Guardian in 2017, saying “most wealth is not created at the top, but merely devoured there
Historian berates billionaires at Davos over tax avoidance
Rutger Bregman tells panel that the real issue is the rich not paying their fair share
A discussion panel at the Davos World Economic Forum has become a sensation after a Dutch historian took billionaires to task for not paying taxes.
In a video shared tens of thousands of times, Rutger Bregman, author of the book Utopia for Realists, bemoans the failure of attendees at the recent gathering in Switzerland to address the key issue in the battle for greater equality: the failure of rich people to pay their fair share of taxes.
Noting that 1,500 people had travelled to Davos by private jet to hear David Attenborough talk about climate change, he said he was bewildered that no one was talking about raising taxes on the rich.
Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion.
Rutger Bregman
“I hear people talking the language of participation, justice, equality and transparency but almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right? And of the rich just not paying their fair share,” Bregman tells the Time magazine panel on inequality.
“It feels like I’m at a firefighters conference and no one’s allowed to speak about water.”
Industry had to “stop talking about philanthropy and start talking about taxes”, he said, and cited the high tax regime of 1950s America as an example to disprove arguments by businesspeople at Davos such as Michael Dell that economies with high personal taxation could not succeed. “That’s it,” he says. “Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion.”
Davos 2019: the yawning gap between rhetoric and reality
Larry Elliott
Read more
A member of the audience, former Yahoo chief financial officer Ken Goldman, challenged his comments and said it was a “one-sided panel”. He argued the fiscal settings across the global economy had been successful and had created record employment.
But another panel member, Winnie Byanyima, an Oxfam executive director, took up the fight and said high employment was not a good thing in itself because many people found themselves in exploitative work. She cited the example of poultry workers in the US who had to wear nappies (diapers) because they were not allowed toilet breaks.
“That’s not a dignified job,” she said. “those are the jobs we’ve been told about, that globalisation is bringing jobs. The quality of the jobs matter. In many countries workers no longer have a voice. Ka kite ano links below P.S its hard finding good vides on this subject $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ distorting our reality once again
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
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Oh, well done the Grey District Council – defying the facts of climate change science! sarc.
It will take a major world-wide catastrophe to shake the mantle of complacency off the shoulders of too many people before any real action will be taken – and by then, I fear, it will be too late.
The problem is that they don’t believe they need to do anything as they’d be long gone by the time the council is sued for doing nothing. Which they’ve just increased the risk by incoherently misplacing physics advice. Any reasonable people, that’s the standard, knows Mars has a atmosphee, Venus too, due to the Sun, that all the basic gas molecules have been intensely studied, they all know you put more of them into a planet’s atmosphere they raise the temperature. Dig them up a burning will do that.
so are the councilors now liable to be sued for incompetence, not engage basic science advice and winging it with their own thinking. Should we check they are doing the same when deliberating on the law, geology, biology, etc. Or is it the council ending someone to shout a lot at them so whomever they need to hear doesn’t do armchair physics like physic hasn’t been around for a hundred years.
Tony, I read that article as well. Amazing!! Funny if it wasn’t so serious.
It is 31 deg there today, and people have been losing their sections to the sea.
Jacinda has just attended Davos, a gathering of the rich and powerful who have talked of increasing risk costs from storms and encroaching sea levels caused by climate change.
Scientists have written open letters to governments outlining how bad it could be. Recent research tells us the sea has stored 40% more carbon than previously thought. We are in an extinction phase and they want more proof King Canute!!
They are like frightened children seeking some hand to hold. They are supposed to lead.
Like you I think it may be too little too late. Being informed from government sites only needs a computer.
“Jacinda has just attended Davos, a gathering of the rich and powerful who have talked of increasing risk costs from storms and encroaching sea levels caused by climate change”
Funny you should mention Davos….I watched the closing statement from that august body (ahem) and there were two words noticeable by their absence…and they wernt ‘Jacinda Adern’.
https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting/sessions/closing-remarks-the-road-ahead/
And your point is?
I was pointing out that our Prime Minister attended the Environmental session of Davos.
That actuaries were indicating huge costs for businesses caused by climate change. Impacts on insurance Forestry and Property/land values, where super funds are heavily invested.
If you are inferring I was trying to make Jacinda important, well I could have quoted several things she said, and flattering things said about her by others.
But this is about climate Change, and as our Prime Minister said “”You want to be on the right side of history”‘ and that includes the West Coast Regional Council.
the point is where was the acknowledgement of the single most important issue of the time…namely climate change…they couldnt even bring themselves to say the words in their summary statement…which begs the question…why the hell did our PM waste her time attending?
Trying to get my head around their thinking, must be down to money. What other reason could any person have to not want to improve/save their environment/air quality
Once upon a time, near on every house down the coast had a coal range in the kitchen, a coal fire in the lounge and no insulation.
Coal down those ways is a cheap or free way for their home heating, and it’s grey and wet down there most of the winter.
Are there any Coasters here on the TS they could shed some light on the thinking over that way?
The Grey District Council looks like an old boys club, a bunch of old white men and one token young lady. I don’t like to stereotype but…. go freaken figure.
https://www.greydc.govt.nz/our-council/mayor-and-councillors/Pages/default.aspx
Edit… one last thing… looks like it’s an election year for them. Fingers crossed that change will come,
Yes Cinny, they change or change will overtake the West Coast Regional Council actually xx
Thanks for the correction Patricia, much love xxx
Oops! I might have maligned the good people (?) of the Grey District Council – it was the West Coast Regional Council with the fact-denying blinkers on.
Not sure what the difference is, but they remind me of a rhyme I heard many years ago about the natives of the Isle of Wight – from a recent arrival:
“Island born and Island bred,
Strong in the shoulder and thick in the head.”
Opps from me too….
The West Coast Regional Council: Left to right: Terry Archer, Neal Clementson, Stuart Challenger, Andrew Robb, Peter McDonnell, Alan Birchfield and Peter Ewen.
Turns out they are all old white men, the whole lot. Crikey one even gives his email addy as @heaphymining wonder what industry he runs/works for
https://www.wcrc.govt.nz/our-council/councillors/Pages/default.aspx
Good article on the ruthless and cynical PR pushed by dairy around dirty rivers
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/110103636/the-public-relations-war-over-freshwater-has-restarted
The time for sorting our rivers is NOW.
Their big item Pike River Mine tragedy, so distracted?
The ‘they’re too stupid to collude’ defense. Chris Christie reckons the Chumps are so clueless they had no idea they were getting played, so they didn’t commit crimes.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/28/politics/chris-christie-donald-trump-no-collusion/index.html
Christie put the slipper into almost everybody but tRump.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/15/chris-christie-book-jared-kushner-accusations-hit-job
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/16/chris-christie-book-trump-fired
Maybe he’s still got hopes of ass-kissing his way back into the inner circle if he can only just clear out all the other “best people” Benedict Donald has surrounded himself with.
Plenty of commentators here the past few years have been emphatic that the Greens are to the left of Labour, but Sue Bradford views this framing as a joke.
“Former Green Party MP Sue Bradford said it was laughable that the Green Party is considered far left at all now saying that under James Shaw the party is more centrist than it had ever been.” https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/29-01-2019/could-the-idea-of-a-new-blue-green-party-really-fly/
Plenty of commentators here the past few years have depicted National as an enemy of nature. I’ve spent most of my life with that view too. Otoh…
“National is often slated by the left as being some kind of environmental destroyer, but it was under a National-led Government that Kahurangi National Park was created, it set up 11 marine reserves, protected the Ross Sea, set up an extensive national network of cycleways, set up Predator Free 2050 and banned shark finning.”
RNZ’s Chris Bramwell: “So while the talk is of there being space for a centrist environmental party, there is not really that much of a gap that needs filling.” Seems reasonable? Perception and reality are two different things. MMP reality provides a gap, Winston has leverage on it but is due to retire, and NZF is likely to exit. The gap is where swing-voters operate, and they determine election results.
And what did she say about the relative position of the Labour Party? Relative to Bradford all NZ parliamentary politics is right wing.
set up Predator Free 2050
Nearly pissed myself when i read this. All they did was say “predator free by 2050”. By this standard Shaw has already sorted CC.
Yeah, good points. Re predator-free, some dismiss such stunts as virtue-signalling. A valid criticism, but dismissing it as such is unfair and politically naive. Establishing a goal does actually reframe both the strategic aims and political culture of the party. How much is the question, then. With National, not much!
Establishing a goal, that isn’t utopian and also aiming at absolute purity instead of excellence, would helpfully frame the aims and personal and political culture of the party for informed, practical and achievable outcomes. FIFY
The important thing politically is that the existing Greens get some runs on the board, and in the polls, so that they remain politically viable for the 2020 election, so that a further government with Labour is formed. The should worry less about futile little spats about ideological purity and more about performance.
Planting trees, not Green, a NZF policy. Given the relentless neolib agenda for the past thirty years, the Greens are firmly in the center. It’s the Nats who live in the Trumpian cockoo land off the edge on the right, and of course engage in socialism for the 1% who must never fail.
I don’t think that a party disintegration is likely to happen past a Winston Peters departure. I’ve attended two NZF conferences as media just to have a look at the people and structure.
Firstly, I really can’t see Winston Peters wanting to retire unless he gets a medical issue.
Secondly, the party structure and internals seems reasonably sound (and I have a skeptics eye about that). Sure they have a lot of nutbars and that shows up in the policy remits. But so does every other mainstream party.
Thirdly, there seemed to be some political talent in the party and its MPs. The ones who have been or are ministers or their associates haven’t screwed up too much. Many of the ones coming through seem to have been constructive in select committees.
NZ First is always going to have a problem because of the way that National operates against other parties (think of that auditing crap against NZF from 2007/8 for instance or 1997). But I suspect that NZF will survive as a party of old style liberal conservatives.
Thanks for that insight. I hear you, and concede there’s more resilience there perhaps than has seemed to be the case. However, he will need to do some heavy lifting to get them back over the threshold, eh?
The portion who returned to National aren’t likely to be recoverable in the short to medium term. Competition from the NewConservatives will subtract some too. It will probably hinge on how well Shane Jones does with regional development. If the regions see tangible benefits, NZF will become secure.
I support everything lprent has said above re NZF.
I have been watching them quite closely since Peters ‘return from the dead’ in 2011, or in fact earlier since he lost out in 2008.
Peters worked really hard under the radar in the year before the 2011 general election, holding and attending meetings all over the country with diverse groups of people, not only Grey Power meetings. At the same time, the NZF Party was quietly renewing and reinventing itself.
To anyone watching all of this, it was no surprise that Peters and NZF won 6.8 percent of the party vote and eight seats in Parliament. In the 2014 general election, NZF increased this to 11 seats and 8.66 percent, although this dropped slightly to 9 seats and 7.2 percent In the 2017 election,
I haven’t attended any NZF meetings or conferences as lprent has done, but my observations (confirmed by people who have attended NZF functions) is that the membership of the Party and its governance Board etc now covers a wide range of ages and backgrounds. It is certainly no longer an old peoples’ party as some wrongly still perceive it to be.
Their current team in Parliament appears united and stable (although IMO Jones is their weakest link). I am particularly impressed with the job Tracey Martin is doing in her portfolios, and Ron Mark seems to be doing well in Defence. Peters himself is excellent in the Foreign Affairs role, and so far has made a reasonable job of DPM. The rest of the team seem to be working well in carrying the NZF in the day to day work of Parliament.
In terms of succession, Fletcher Tabuteau has been with NZF from its conception and appears to be the one selected for succession to the top role. As well as now being Deputy leader of the party, he is also Parliamentary Undersecretary to both Peters and Jones in respect of Foreign Affairs, Regional Economic Development, and Disarmament and Arms Control. At 45, he still has plenty of miles still to be used on his clock.
I put very little weight on the fact that the NZF vote in polls since the election have dropped. This was inevitable whichever way Peters went in deciding between National and Labour. They always seem to drop in polls between elections, and then usually gain in the election itself (2008 being one of few exceptions to this trend).
Sorry, Dennis, I think there is a little wishful thinking going on there. If the way National is going currently continues, it would not surprise me if there is a disillusioned National voter move to NZF rather than from it. Nat voters may still be choosing Nats in polls, but some of that support may not be as strong as it appears imo.
But time will tell, and there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet.
A shift from National to NZF is an intriguing possibility, but depends what provides the stimulus at the time. I can’t see why the 3% or so that are disgruntled sufficiently to currently not support NZF (due to them choosing the Labour option) are going to be motivated to switch back at the next election – unless Winston & Jacinda have a falling-out, and he signals pre-election that the National option is again viable…
I was actually suggesting (badl)y that with the current leadership and dramas etc, there may be some Nat voters who are softening in their loyalty. They may currently still be answering polls as saying they would still vote National if an election was held today but may be looking around at other options. I know and have heard of some traditional National voters now thinking along those lines.
Thank Veutoviper, you have inside knowledge. So Crisp is not as Barclay painted him, and had total overarching responsibility. You know Crisp and value his expertise so I’d say you probably have it right. Cheers.
I am not sure that Crisp did have overall responsiblity, Patricia. He was only appointed permanent Head of the hew Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (which includes Kiwibuild) as from 17 December 2018, by which time Barclay was actually already on garden leave pending the investigation being completed. See my reply to Dennis Frank at 7.2.4.4.1. below. Will try to research this further but won’t be until later tonight probably as have other things to do for the next few hours.
(Hope you have seen doctor and x-ray has been scheduled for soon. Keep smiling, things will get there, friend.)
Personally think that is wishful thinking.
Winston goes the party goes.
Which of the others could seriously lead it with any credibility?
Certainly not Jones or Mark
since you asked chris, tracey martin.
has integrity, honesty and seems to be respected by colleagues and opponents.
could even make a good NF1 leader when Winnie pops his clogs or has to start shitting into a colostomy bag – and that’ll be a while, if ever, although I imagine there are others lined up to take on the mantle even if they do come equipped with diamond shaped little blue pills bought from some shady internet site.
But then I guess most of that is what is afflicting the senior ranks of the gNats, and probably why there are the likes of Finlayson that chose to retire rather than keep up the chirade
Flectcher Tabuteau is the current forerunner for that role, with Tracey Martin’s blessing is my understanding. Tracey was Deputy Leader for some time, but Tabuteau now holds that role as well as understudy to both Peters and Jones. See about halfway down my long comment at 4.3.1.1.above.
/agree, and with lprent’s analysis – which is not to say that Tracey Martin wouldn’t be another viable candidate as leader. Pretty sure NZ1 won’t be dead anytime soon though, not that I’ve ever voted for them. If it ever got that desperate, it’s more of a possibility that a Winnie’s bro’ (a decent sort of chap) would be tempted back into politics
( Btw, I’ve taken to intermittent and brief visits to TS again throughout the day. Often trying to engage in a conversation can be a complete waste of precious time.
Today 7.1.1.1.1.2 on OM, yesterday 8.1.3 and below on ‘The Power of Anger’
The time stamps and ‘replies’ button on the right are quite useful at times.
I put it all down to my cynicism and what my daughter says is sometimes my “passive/aggressive behaviour at times dad”. [Must be all that power of anger] )
A++++++ gsays. I follow Tracey Martin on Facebook (in fact I’m a friend), though I’m not a NZ1st voter or member of that party. She is one smart cookie, though I do get annoyed at some of the NZ1st policies and attitudes to progressive social policy and will watch for her reaction to some of her colleagues entrenched conservative ideas.
Tracey Martin is no mug
Tracey Martin is all shades of awesome, huge respect for that lady.
@ Chris T (4.3.2) … seems NZF has more life and credibility in it now and I’d say post Winston as well, than Natz has at present!
Tracey Martin is one experienced, hard working and credible politician. Can see her leading and taking NZF forward in the future.
Yep pretty much, I believe to most people here it is more so they’ hope nzf survive Peters is way better in oppostion as a populist, he can say what he wants to his loon bag base Unfortunately for Peters he can’t revert to his go to strategy re blaming Jonny forgeiner and hark back to the good old days. Similarly he will loose the right wing vote of his base and also have conservatives breathing down his neck National should also step up and refuse to work with him if they have any brains ( which is debatable at times)
I wonder where all this leaves poor old James Shaw diligently slogging away, deep in the parliamentary salt mines in Wellington forgotten to human memory, valiantly trying to stitch together a climate accord with the Nats?
Does he know something we don’t?
When James finally struggles back to the surface world, will he be holding up to the light for all to see, a jewel of inestimable value? or a polished piece of coprolite?
Another reason why you should use Uber.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/01/scottish-tourist-charged-930-for-5-minute-taxi-ride-in-wellington.html
The kiwi taxi industry is full of cowboys
And another reason not to use Uber.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46790540
Well on that basis you’d never take a cab either
https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/taxi-driver-stabs-commuter-to-death-in-full-view-of-passengers-18377779
I think I’ll take my chances with taxi drivers, thanks!
All good. My kids use Uber, particularly when they work late, and they’ve never had an issue. Hopefully never do.
Or pay in cash.
Still no North Island rain through to mid-February at least.
http://metvuw.com/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain®ion=swp&noofdays=10
We are going to need a bunch more North Island irrigation if we are going to keep the bulk dairy production we have going here.
[Hey, Ad, you’re still regularly misspelling your email address, which means your comments get held up and have to be manually released. Can you check it before posting, please? Ta, TRP]
my apologies.
my desktop seems not to have the automated settings.
will seek to improve.
No sweat, comrade! It’s not a big deal to release the comment, but it does mean the conversations get disjointed if a mod doesn’t spot it immediately.
(Just to clarify for other readers, first time comments are automatically held until manually released. A misspelled email address or handle triggers this response.)
It is more likely that you have a login with the same email as your commenting address. Since you’re not logging in to comment (no blue background), the comment will automatically get held up by the anti-identity theft settings.
I had to put those settings in after having some identity thefts by people using emails for other people to write comments to try to trash their reputations.
Either login (I can send you a new password) or get me to change the email so there isn’t a conflict.
Simple. Dial back the dairy a bit. When it’s not so intensive, it won’t be as polluting either. But probably just as profitable because input costs are much lower.
They could remove their inputs of the majority of fertilisers, offsite feed, antibiotics, herbicides, pesticides, power…
But they want turnkey systems. Ease of use. Single persons controlling large swathes of land. Monoculture extraordinaire. They dream of robots. They have no vision that is not handed to them by industry.
Throw money at me I’ll breed them a microbe that uses carbon dioxide and methane to build meat and milk. Then I will charge like a wounded bull for the tech and spend all the money lobbying government and educating public on overstocking and the unnecessary importation of feedstock and fertilisers.
Guano factories aka sea bird sanctuaries can be built. Nitrogen supplies can be from recycled farm/industry wastes and via plant fixation.
High nitrogen feedstock comes rapidly and in large volumes from azolla (pteridophyte) and duckweed (angiosperm) cultures. Will also reduce vet bills via large quantities of nutraceuticals in these plants.
Just, so many ways to help farmers. I get sick of wasting breath trying to help rich fuckwits who think they’re the ‘backbone’ but they’re actually the asshole of our society.
We’re working on a seagull attractor for our garden. It will emit the smell of fish&chips.
You could sell that as perfume for homesick expats.
You can get fishnchips here sashy.
This blog always amuses me when snowflake idiots pretend they know how to farm.
Fortunately Wethebleeple, there are plenty of farms for sale at the moment so there is absolutely nothing stopping you from buying a farm and showing us all how to do it. I look forward to your results.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeSearchResults.aspx?search=1&cid=5745&sidebar=1&rsqid=8e1f1641fb3a494c86677c030609a8b6&132=PROPERTY&selected135=&134=&157=Dairy&49=0&49=0&159=0&159=0&153=&178=0&178=0&sidebarSearch_keypresses=0&sidebarSearch_suggested=0
You RG could take the opportunity to learn something, get some perspective.
But that is dangerous, you might be thrown out of your in-group; become an outside without the comfort blanket of the other farmers Who Know It All. Or perhaps you are one of those financial farmers who know how to turn a profit from animals while others do the nitty-gritty and feel pretty happy about that.
To be fair I was being rude first.
I only milked cows once as a favor helping a mate because screw that for a job. But I have got the hay in and fenced 5 wire, 9 wire, deer, post and rail, landscape work galore…. worked in many aspects of horticulture from research on the milk yields via grass types to picking packing and pruning kiwifruit. I’ve done floriculture, viticulture, aquaculture, nursery and greenhouse work. I’ve been in the forestry planting and low and high pruning. I’ve lived in the bush, cleared tracks and built structures in the bush, been a fisherman, a bouncer, an editor, and now a snowflake.
Snowflakes have many facets.
Plenty of farms for sale huh. I can mostly feed myself off 1/8th of an acre; but you folks with hundreds are struggling?
Plant some trees and get some more shade it seems you’ve had too much of the sun.
You’ll need snowflakes for cooling.
“Simple. Dial back the dairy a bit. When it’s not so intensive, it won’t be as polluting either. But probably just as profitable because input costs are much lower.”
with that dialling back it would lower the amount of trucks on the road, therefore lowering exhaust and tyre emissions and wear and tear on our roads.
That would be true if there hadnt been 20 years of land/development cost inflation that needed to be serviced….the unavoidable truth is someone is going to have to take a hit in order to make a less intensive model workable again…and my guess is it wont be the banks.
Just in case we think The Man In The High Castle was a silly little piece of fascist imaginary, yes Hitler really did have plans for the rest of the world’s Jews.
https://www.dw.com/en/book-shows-hitlers-holocaust-plans-for-canada-us/a-47251347
Nothing like the annual concentration camp liberation commemorations to focus the mind on saving endangered peoples in this world. It was two days ago.
https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-german-football-supporters-send-vital-message-on-holocaust-memorial-day/a-47256925
If anyone gets a moment, there’s a really good little Jewish memorial inside the Auckland War Memorial Museum on the third floor. Worth taking a moment there.
These are just numbers…
‘Rummel, a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii, estimates that between 1937 and 1945, the Japanese military murdered from nearly 3 to over 10 million people, most likely 6 million Chinese, Koreans, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos and Indochinese, among others, including Western prisoners of war’
Yes, it appears that holocausts are actually quite common in modern times.
We’ve had several days overcast, plus drizzle the past two, here in Taranaki. For a gardener, welcome dampening of soil & relief from watering with hose. Young pumpkins & butternuts now sprouting on the vine. Decided I would need only a single courgette plant this summer and I was right – a month since I last watered that and still producing so many that I’ve taken some to a couple of local foodbanks (as well as supplying a couple of neighbours.
Also, had to stop watering the scarlet runner beans a couple of weeks ago due to excess production (a large handful every day) also over-supplying neighbours & foodbanks as well as me. Goes to show how much being Green in a practical sense could produce community reslience if more folks acquired the skills…
What are you talking about. I’m at the coal face here. Living on an upper North Island Dairy farm. So far this has been one of the best years we have had in the last 10 years. It’s normal for low rain to no rain at this time of year and we are getting some on a regular basis. Tommorow I’m having to help with hay bail collection that we use for dry stock, yearlings etc. Twice as good as other years, so my body isn’t looking forward to it.
Yes where I am it has averaged 37C since Christmas so my
water melons are each at least 90 kilos.
See a doctor quick 😊
Ice packs first, then the doctor.
Yes Ad, hasn’t taken long for things to get brittle with heat and wind. Perhaps farmers need to consider animals and crops which need less water and palms for feed. Land use needs to become Land improved. Rotation is proven.
WtB
Ad is referring to irrigation. Would this be a good time for farmers to put in some of those seepage ponds that have been referred to. Getting out on the tractor
early in the morning before the sun gets hot, and be off before say 11.30 when the Fire Service suggests that its dangerous to work in because of fire from sparks.?
And think Peter Andrews:
Superb doco gw.
Often think about this one when the Canterbury and Hawkes Bay farmers start whining about irrigation schemes. What are they doing to help themselves?
Yes a marvelous story. It was big news in Aus, it really stirred discussion.
Absolutely. This system and Yeomans Keyline irrigation hold the most promise for dairy. Real conversions would go for contoured swales, tree crops and dairy.
We really need to get trees back on our farms, it is a bloody travesty they’re mostly gone. Heat stress will lower production considerably, as will cold/wind.
As for this ‘drought’. I found mushrooms in two spots this morning as I carried a bucket of water down the back to help some new plantings I was worried about. Mushrooms, ha ha, water situation seems fine for now.
If you want to irrigate gardens but need to conserve water, drip is a good way to go. Turn on the tap and it’s working, nice. A friend installed them for new homes with central controllers and timers and sensors… could get really efficient (or wasteful) with a set-up like that.
Drip and mulch rules, so the water doesn’t evaporate after application and the soil is cooler for your plants. Overhead irrigation is extremely wasteful in hot weather.
The trick is to put the water in the ground, not the air.
Oh when will they learn.
The Kiwibuild fiasco is getting worse.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018680145/kiwibuild-boss-put-through-awful-few-months
Well, I’m halfway thro & doesn’t seem any worse yet. Thanks for the link, though, because he’s clarifying the problem sufficiently in general terms to give us insight into what went wrong.
So sounds like his role was project manager. That function is executive: it executes. It makes things happen. Actions produce outputs. You can imagine bureaucrats aghast at someone with a `know-how, can-do’ attitude being given the authority to get results. Obviously they had to stop him!
So classic leftist bureaucratic stonewalling of a rightist infiltrator, seems to me. The method they used was to manufacture personal complaints about his style of leadership. Clearly telling people what to do was unacceptable to them. It would have seemed autocratic. The idea that a leader issues instructions to subordinates in order to make an operation a success would have freaked them out. Not how the public service is meant to operate. Twyford got kneecapped accordingly. Will he learn from the experience? I doubt it. He’s Labour.
Okay, I’ve listened to almost all and now I get where you’re coming from. I’ll give readers the context:
“The ousted boss of KiwiBuild says he has been put through an awful few months by the head of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Crisp. Stephen Barclay faces allegations about his management style but says he was given no chance to properly challenge them. He won’t detail the exact nature of the allegations but rules out bullying or any financial or sexual misconduct. Mr Barclay is also mystified that KiwiBuild is now missing its targets – saying they were on track when he was at the helm.”
He’s explained it as an interpersonal problem between him & Crisp. Seems to have been created as a result of the govt shifting the goalposts after he signed his contract. He signed up to operate the scheme more independently, then they gave Crisp either authority over him or enough leverage to interfere. So he ought to win his grievance case unless there’s stuff we aren’t being told. Twyford’s fault.
Twyford looks like he has not got a handle on one of the key planks of his ministerial portfolio. Also, according to Barclay, they were on track to meet the 1000 house target for this tear UNTIL his unit was absorbed in to the new ministry. That needs investigating further.
Yes, I was addressing that point while you posted that. I agree. Twyford is out of his depth. Has Labour got someone who can finesse the mandarin syndrome that seems to take over the minds of top public servants? If not, Ardern needs to do a cabinet reshuffle & give the job to Winston so he can do the necessary arse-kicking. We’re talking about the flagship coalition policy being derailed by typical Labour ineptitude. That’s unacceptable.
I agree that there needs to be some radical changes if this policy is to be rescued from failure. Appointing Peters would be a laugh in my opinion (not that I think he would do a bad job just that it would be a laugh). Obviously I think the policy is doomed given my ideological leanings but it does have a potential to deliver some wins for the government if done better and a potential for a colossal mess if done badly (which it looks like it is being done).
“Has Labour got someone who can finesse the mandarin syndrome that seems to take over the minds of top public servants?”
So far, it seems not @ Dennis although there appears to be some small changes in culture happening. It was always going to be that the biggest hurdle this coalition faced would be the senior and upper middle ranks in our PS.
I notice (for example) we’re starting to see some serious effort put into cracking down on exploitative employers – yet another case on RNZ/Stuff today. What prevented that happening four or five years ago when many/most of the same people were involved? Indeed one now feigns a concern when he was the very same person that was assuring us all that they had sufficient Labour Inspectors just before the election. (And now they wonder why no one wants to report exploitative arseholes).
Oh, and they even had the benefits then of having a private force in the form of T&C, as well as a few nudge nudge wink winks and Chinese whispers at play – not to mention a demographic spreadsheet or two.
Keeps them in an over-paid job though I guess
Who’s the genius who decided that any possible good could come from getting MBIE involved? Let alone putting them in charge.
Exactery @ Gabby. And especially after I L-G has been forced to go through some ‘learnings going forward’ when it comes to having to deal with them.
You know, it buggers my mind at times trying to understand a coalition with the best of intentions hasn’t yet come to learn where many of the roadblocks are. It has a stellar record of failure in everything from worker exploitation and immigration fuckups (which might as well have been decided on the basis of rolling a set of dice or an auction system), to shitty steel and building related failures, to radio spectrum interference.
Btw – have you ever had to try and deal with any of them directly?
It sounds to me like Twyford was knee-capped. I presume he was the one who appointed Barclay to the position. I know him well enough to believe he’s not the sort to be taking it lying down. He’s an astute politician and he will be staying out of it for a very good reason. We just don’t know what it is – yet. There will come a time when he will probably speak out, and maybe we’ll get the real deal about what went down.
The Public Service knows how to close ranks and rid themselves of perceived out-siders. They’ve had 150 plus years of practice. It would not surprise me if Twyford was coerced – or possibly even bullied – to change the goal posts. If so, it would have been motivated by self interest and a reluctance to concede power and authority.
There is also the possibility of political interference behind the scenes. If my past experiences of the P.S. are any indication, then the “bureaucrats” are more likely to be National supporters (not Labour) and they know how to undermine cabinet ministers and their perceived toadies. I’ve seen it first hand – albeit a long time ago.
Interesting view, thanks Anne. Nothing there I’d disagree with, so I’ll just add that the intent seems to be to defeat the coalition agenda. Your theory fits that fact better than mine – but it wouldn’t surprise me if the mandarins actually vote Labour and just feel that defending their traditional privilege is more important than serving the public. The mandarin syndrome is a privileged-class thing that goes back all the way to the rise of empires, and their need for admin.
The mandarin syndrome is a privileged-class thing that goes back all the way to the rise of empires, and their need for admin…
OMG yes!. They can become so blinded to reality, they actually end up by destroying their own positions. I saw it happen in one sector of the PS in the early 1990s.
Does Crispy strike you as a leftist frankie? Where’s he been working and what’s he been doing?
No idea re his political alignment, Gabby, but it looks like he was given authority over the project manager: “State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes says Crisp’s career includes 13 years in senior and executive leadership roles. He says he also has a deep understanding of the New Zealand housing system.”
“Crisp is currently the acting CEO at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, on secondment from his substantive role as CEO of Land Information New Zealand. Previously he was the deputy CEO of Building, Resources and Markets at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.”
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/97196/andrew-crisp-appointed-ceo-new-ministry-housing-and-urban-development-responsible
“Crisp holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington and is a Chartered Accountant.” Glorified bean counter.
Sounds like he’s a professional roadblock frankie. Nothing happens until the title on his parking space is just so.
Dennis your bias is showing. Making sweeping generalisations is not your usual style.
They wanted Crisp and stonewalled, accused Steven Barclay of aggressive leadership and he was hamstrung. Public Service was manned by National for the 9 years prior to this, and had limited budgets. They probably spent all their energy on endless staffing reviews as National was aiming for less Government.
Suddenly, there is a plan, money for it and a leader. The undermanned service coped , were on track with the building but complained They brought the complaints up and from that day forward progress halted, to the point where Steven Barclay resigned and the Minister was left saying an internal employment issue was the problem. What is with your “They are Labour so they won’t learn”
I’ve been equally critical of both establishment parties since I realised I had to become neither left nor right in ’71. My conscience refused to allow me to fake it and pretend Labour were somehow the lesser of two evils. That’s my bias.
One final comment: in respect of his view that they had 600 houses contracted when he bailed out, it smells to me very much like a smoking gun. He seems genuinely mystified that Twyford’s told the public they won’t meet the target, and said that conflicts with the fact that the operation was on track to deliver the target of 1000 in the first year. So I must now endorse your view – the fiasco is indeed getting worse.
How the hell can they have 600 signed up, and then Twyford tells the media & public that they will only deliver 300? Can we please get someone in the media to demand an explanation?! If it’s just logistics, and builders don’t want to build houses fast enough to deliver in the required time-frame, say so! Okay, he did imply that, but he’s creating the impression that he feels no need to keep the public fully informed. Labour voters deserve more respect and accountability from the minister.
Hang on Dennis, he may well have reiterated the reason but it could have been edited out of the report that made it into the public arena. Nowadays most news items consist only of sound bites and the substance of an interview never sees the light of day. It happens all the time.
True – I saw that happen regularly when I was making news & current affairs stories for TVNZ. But the onus is then on the media manager of the party to rectify the impression in the public mind by issuing a follow-up…
I may be unduly cynical but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is an attempt by Twyford to shift all the blame onto Barclay and to set himself up as being the hero who improves things.
Barclay says he already had 600 houses scheduled before July 1. Twyford announces instead that there will only be 300. Who would I believe? Barclay over Twyford any day.
Imagine if they manage, and it will be a real stretch, to get to 500 or so. Twyford will claim that he took over, got rid of Barclay and then heroically improved the scheme from only producing 300 houses and got up to 500. Hip, hip hooray for Phil. He will of course ignore the fact that 500 is really an epic fail. The MSM will of course tell us what a great man Twyford is.
Still, he will say that it was only his intervention that got the number up from the phantom 300 that he will credit Barclay with. Twyford will be lying of course but he, along with the rest of the CoL, have never found this something they are uncomfortable with.
Or could it be that Barclay was a bully boy who through his toys out of the coat when pulled up for it and is know pulling numbers out of his arse to discredit his former boss.
It appears building stopped while the case of employment complaints was reviewed. Then Barclay resigned and left. Any shortfall is under Crisp’s watch? Barclay said they were up to date and on track when he left. He is suing HNZ for constructive dismissal. Twyford is at arms length as it is an employment matter.It will get sorted in court when the truth may then come out.
Well you lot on this 7 thread (with one or two exceptions eg Patricia) are all now off my 2019 Hanukkah card list*. You only have 10 months to redeem yourselves.
(*Or Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays list. I don’t do Christmas cards).
First, what a one dimensional pile-on on all public servants. As one for over 40 years, I really take offense (well a little). Not all of us are like that!!!!!
Two, I would not be so fast to make decisions on this situation from a role definition, power, and employment perspective.
The real situation is far from clear and certainly not as clearcut as Barclay is claiming.
Sacha and I had a late night conversation on this last night on OM 28 Jan (at 11 down). Won’t try to link but still easy to find.
As I commented at 11.1.1.1, I worked with/for Andrew Crisp some years ago and have utter respect for his integrity, management style etc and do not believe that he would have lost any of that over the years. He also has experience in sorting out messy CE employment situations such as this and is scrupulous in doing so. The fact that he has come out and said certain things about the Barclay situation strongly reinforces to me that Crisp has his ducks in a row.
Barclay is interesting though. Sure, he seems to have had a strong private sector background mostly in the building area, but also some other very different roles more recently.
Barclay was chief executive of the 2013 America’s Cup defence in San Francisco. Sacha found and posted a link on the OM thread at 11 to an article about Barclay copping bitter criticism from both city politicians and media amid accusations the event had not delivered sufficiently for San Francisco, leading him to launch a parting broadside after the event had ended.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1901/S00241/housing-ministry-head-hints-he-acted-against-barclay.htm
So Barclay has form for badmouthing after leaving a role.
Between his San Fran role and moving to the Kiwibuild role, Barclay was (drumroll):
“Chief People and Transformation Officer at the Ministry of Health”.
Yes, I will not be upset if you say “What the Hell !!!!!!???” or similar. That one really is a mind-blower even to me.
So, lets wait and see what happens on that perspective. I won’t even dare speculate on how many houses will be built …
Yes Fletcher is from Rotorua, and well known to a past pupil who worked with him at Waiariki Polytech. Said he was amazing. The past pupil was amazing so….
@vv
I have always made it clear that my viewpoint regards the Public Service is based on my personal experiences and relates to only two agencies – more like one and a half. Your experiences were obviously different to mine.
Yes, there are very good public servants with plenty of integrity. There is also the other kind which I had the misfortune to come up against. To deny the second category doesn’t (or didn’t) exist is not facing up to reality. Perhaps the second kind is (was) more prevalent outside of Wellington.
Sure, my experiences date back 25 years so there may well have been a lot of improvement since.
I can also claim from the same experiences that personal political attitudes – lined up against Labour suppporters – was rife in my day. And there is plenty of recorded evidence to back up that claim.
Anne, I certainly don’t deny the existence of public servants such as the ones you have experienced, as I also have. And I fully support you in what you have discussed here many times and have done so many times in comments. Not all my experiences were good by any means, and I left of my own accord in the end due to those types of experiences.
Nevertheless, I will stand up and speak against some of the one dimensional, one size fits all approach of some here who take every opportunity to denigrate public servants – who cover a massive range of people, roles, political views, approaches to neutrality etc – and occupations.
As you may not have noted, my comments were also half tongue in cheek. After it was too late to edit, I realised that I had left you out of the exceptions, so my apologies for that. I know you have had experience of differing sorts as I have had.
However, when I see people denigrating/condemning someone who I have high regard for such as Andrew Crisp on the basis of very little information about them and the situation, I am not going to stay quiet. I am trying to keep an open mind about the whole situation until more is known, and my intent was primarily to suggest that others do the same and not rush to opinions, condemnations etc.
All good vv.
I’ve done it too. Made mistakes or haven’t explained something clearly but too late to edit. Tend to leave it and hope for the best.
I’ve also stood up for individuals who are being unfairly criticised. Take Phil Tywford. Some ignorant MSM twat tried to claim recently that he had no managerial skills. That is laughable. Anyone who knows Phil well can tell you about his brilliant managerial and organisational skills honed during previous occupations linked to the UN.
Thanks that is well said.
Fair enough, if he is indeed conscientious. And after learning he was indeed given authority over Barclay after the latter signed his contract, it looks like the blame ought to be allocated to either Twyford or SSC or both, eh?
Perhaps we leave ‘blame’ out of it until we know a lot more, Dennis.
I don’t know what process was used in appointing Barclay and who was involved in the process*. Presumably Twyford as Minister would not have been involved in any way … hopefully.
Perhaps some form of trial period such as the 90 day provisions should be applied to such high level contracts – rather than the types of employment they were applied to!!!!!!!!!! LOL.
* Actually I now remember seeing something to the effect that Barclay’s appointment was made by the head of MBIE. That was about midnight last night when I had been awake for 20 hours. Don’t have time for the next few hours to recheck but will see what I can find/refind re the appointment process.
** Crisp actually only formally became overall permanent head of the MInistry of Housing and Urban Development on 17 December 2018 – ie weeks after Barclay had been sent on garden leave while the investigation was undertaken. So the reporting structure (ie who Barclay formally reported to prior to that) is unclear. Crisp was seconded to the overall organisation earlier than Dec but I am unclear as to his secondment role and employment relationship to Barclay in that role. More research to do.
I guess that’s where a culture of secrecy and needtoknowism gets you veuty.
Sticking someone on paid leave for months seems a strategy of which urgency is not a key feature wouldn’t you agree veuty.
Crispy wanted to get the big granite sign right before wasting any time on those housey things.
Thanks Gabby.timely reminder of the previous priorities, like heated seats in the limos.
Crisp had nothing to do with the ridiculous spends on signs etc when MBIE was set up. He only moved to Housing recently, and this and Kiwibuild are now a separate Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which Andrew Crisp became Chief Executive of only on 17 Dec 2018. See my 7.2.4. LOL.
Thank Veutoviper, you have inside knowledge. So Crisp is not as Barclay painted him, and had total overarching responsibility. You know Crisp and value his expertise so I’d say you probably have it right. Cheers.
Anyone else shake their heads at Jessie Mulligan’s outburst on Dowie/JLR on the Project last night?
Can you sum it up?
Muggins is on the telly is he? Lovely.
“Climate Change, Not Border Security, Is The Real National Emergency”
Sure Greenwald isn’t saying anything new here, but it’s a good contrast.
And has a lovely cache of links.
https://theintercept.com/2019/01/28/border-wall-national-emergency-climate-change/
It’s a Kate Aronoff piece, for anyone else that didn’t click the link because they’ve come to the opinion that Greenwald’s become irrelevant and boring and doesn’t have anything new to say.
Greenwald is failing to entertain you? Habet, Hoc habet! Shall we send him to the lions?
Then again, maybe he’s fighting the same ‘boring’ fights because the same boring powers that be are doing the same boring stuff??
Y’know, I kinda feel sorry for Greenwald.
When Snowden’s stuff dropped in his lap he had a period when he was relevant, had things to say that people hadn’t heard before. He had the thrill of genuinely opening people’s eyes to shit that had been going on in the shadows.
But that was a while ago now. And the way The Intercept negligently mishandled the information Reality Winner gave them means any future whistleblower with any sense will likely use a different conduit to get their info out in the open.
So now Greenwald seems to be reduced to just writing day-late-and-dollar-short polemics against the mainstream media and Dems, ranting about shortcomings that other parts of the msm have already pointed out.
“ranting about shortcomings that other parts of the msm have already pointed out.” man you really are a joke.
MSM media still use Donna Brazile ffs…I could go on and find all the examples of all the pro Iraq war MSM presenters and/or journalists who still have their jobs and all the anti war ones who don’t in MSM…ie; all of them, but why bother, you obviously like what you hear on MSM.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/01/24/donna_brazile_on_kamala_harris_in_post-clinton_era_people_are_looking_for_someone_fresh_and_new.html
A great article. Not sure if anyone’s been following this story – pure gold 😀
Truth is the issues discussed in this article can be extrapolated to many things imo from the environment to peace.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/110223275/stop-talking-twaddle-and-get-stuck-in–russell-brand-under-fire-for-parenting
Maybe women should try actually letting men be parents. For the 1 in 5 who fit into the stay at home dad catagory I can say my partner who works hard is no different to how the “men” behave. What is it now in NZ? 45% are raised with no father.
The organising play dates thing is a resultant of underlining bigotry. There is no way in my daughters case that a random call by a strange man to one of her freinds mothers for a play date, or stay over is going to work.
My partner pretty much refuses to change shitty nappies. I’m the person who had to clean up the shit artwork, when my son decided to use poo for decoration.
It sounds like you’re being a parent. Well done, big pat on the back from me.
Best of luck Minister Twyford for Cabinet this morning.
For a second I thought he was declaring himself interim leader.
Ad, Twyford has moved mountains, Crisp needs looking at.
Crisp meaning?
Andrew Crisp does not need ‘looking at’, patricia. Or rather if you want to “look at” him, see my comment at 7.2.4 above and also at 7.1.1.1. on OM 28 Jan last night.
Both threads also cover Barclay’s previous history – it seems he has at least once before badmouthed former employers when they question whether or not he achieved the expected performance.
Oops, that was meant for Patricia. Sorry Ad.
On TVNZ 1 news online …..
“ arrest warrant has been issued for a 26-year-old man who was part of the group of unruly British travellers after he failed to appear in court today on three charges.
The man, who has name suppression, was on bail and failed to appear at the Auckland District Court for a bail hearing this morning.”
“It is not clear if the 26-year-old was with the group who had flown back to the UK.”
Why is it not clear, if immigration is doing their job right?
He has either gone through the airport or not, hasn,t he?
If he had taken out a Student Loan while he was here…
Why on earth would you assume Immigration were doing their job right?
From the ODT:
“Sarah Dowie’s short-lived political career looks all but over.
The Invercargill MP from 2014 is almost certain not to be a National Party candidate in the 2020 election – assuming she does not resign beforehand….
…Several members of Dowie’s electorate committee had resigned in recent months.
It is understood several members of Dowie’s staff have also resigned.
She is advertising for staff to work in her Wellington office.
Dowie was not answering her mobile phone yesterday or responding to a text message requesting comment.”
But all will be well because Simon and Paula see no hypocrisy in firing Jamie for infidelity while supporting Sarah for the same thing. (Paula should regret ever raising the matter in the first place.)
Ross was a “serial” infidel! He was also a bit of a traitor to his leader wasn’t he?
Kennedy Graham backs the TavaGreens.
I/S isn’t impressed.
“The problem isn’t that the Greens won’t work with National – they have done so in the past and have signalled their willingness to do so again. The problem is that National won’t work with the Greens. On environmental fundamentals – climate change, rivers, mining – National is utterly opposed to sustainability and Green policy.”
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/01/getting-problem-backwards.html
As I siad yesterday Robert If Tava builds credible team around him they the pure greens will be existential threat to the watermelons, no matter what hate is thrown at them personally, This to will just work in their favour It’s no point prattling on anout national, blue:green etc if this goes ahead they will be judged on thier policies alone and left right neutrality, what the hard left greens think will be irrelevant
A “credible” team crewing a sock puppet? Surely, operating a sock puppet strongly militates against credibility?
Bewildered (love the variable spellings you employ), I liken the formation of a political party to the building of crystals in a super-saturated solution – the crystal you get reflects the purity and form of the seed crystal. If Vernon is the genuine seed, his party will be stunning. That’s why I have no concerns.
Fat thumbs, poor eye sight and no time, not a good mix I am afraid, 😊
‘Pure’?
ahahaha
Hmmm, “hard left greens”, you say. Are those the undercooked Brussels sprouts that your kid leaves on their plate because they hate them? If so, maybe you could change your preparation and presentation to make them more palatable and turn them into yummy firm greens that will be left no more? What’d you say?
New Blue – Green Party is purely an angle to get into Government, they will have no say when the Natzi’s are elected in a Coalition with the New Greens & the New Conservative Party.
I doubt that very much, National will manage relationship to ensure 9 +years, they also know rwnj also care about the environment but want Governent based on responsibility not on virtue signalling and dying in a ditch on idealogy
You’re so sweet and innocent Bemildewed. Or thick,. I don’t know which.
A balmy 23.7c with 78% humidity.
https://screenshots.firefox.com/pvCqTTMbiTXumxPU/www.weatherwatch.co.nz
Pick your spot.
https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/observations
Attacked by dogs, shot by rubber bullet, and teargassed:
Trump, Pompeo, Bolton, Abrams are all bloodyminded supporters of this.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israeli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
WATCH : A new #Israeli crime, by attacking directly a paramedic with a Gas bomb 💣, while helping wounded #Palestinians participating in the peaceful #GreatReturnMarch eastern Of #Gaza city. #ICC4Israel #GazaMassacre #SaveGaza #BDS pic.twitter.com/cgIw7j6lJu
— Dr. Basem Naim (@basemn63) January 26, 2019
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2019/01/25/great-return-march-news/
Idiot/Savant gets it right again on two counts:
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/01/getting-problem-backwards.html
Growth at ANY cost is not sustainable
and
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/01/climate-change-local-government-in.html
I guess we’ll have to wait and see after the next local body elections whether or not they should just be left to the whims of human-assisted Mother Nature’s fury or not.
Might change their tune when the insurance premium start rising
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12198025
Spot on
Jesus. Too visible one minute, not visible enough the next. Can’t win with the RWNJs.
If you don’t drink the kool aid around here like all the other zombies you must be a RWNJ. Lesson learnt. Sorry
lol the dipshit managed to call her a figurehead and say she was apparently finding that, with leadership, “the job is a little difficult”. Still pushing the “pretty woman out of her depth” meme – I guess she’s next on the probing round after Twyford. Full circle so soon, they must be so disappointed after the promising start they had with Curran.
That is a nasty attempt by a Nat lackey to undermine Jacinda Ardern.
1)Every PM since time immemorial has gone on holiday at Xmas and doesn’t return until the end of January. John Key used to disappear off to Hawaii and we saw or heard nothing from him until the end of the month.
2) She fronted at the first weekly post cabinet press conference of the year this afternoon.
3) Suggesting she is weak and has no ideas flies in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.
Just a pathetic and dirty attempt to undermine her. What a creep.
I was looking at Michael King’s book of photographs of Maori from early days to modern. He explains what they felt about being pictured and what was happening in their lives..
In the later years, there is the famous photo of Dame Whina Cooper, in her 80s, setting off with her grandchild on the long march in 1975, Then Bastion Point occupation – In 1977–78 a 506-day protest against a proposed Crown sale was held there. (Land was to be sold for high-value housing. The sections would have nice sea views I suppose.)
‘In 1978, largely in response to the protest at Bastion Point, the Government made a settlement with some of Ngati Whatua. The Crown returned only some of the land taken under the Public Works Act – the land which had not been used for the purpose for which it had been taken. The tribe was to pay $200,000 for its return.’ This was settled by the Waitangi Tribunal in 1987.
https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/publications-and-resources/school-resources/orakei/resolving-the-grievances-of-the-past/
In 1981 there was defiance against the Goverment over the Springbok Tour, protests and some violence and injuries. There were however only two games cancelled.
In 1984 Ernie Abbott was blown up at the Trades Hall by a bomb in a suitcase.
Later the USS Buchanan was forbidden a berth as a protest against the USA’s use of nuclear power coming in to our ports. The Rainbow Warrior was blown up by French security agents with a loss of life as a result of protest against nuclear testing.
1985 Roger Douglas began the economic changes of Lange’s government.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/john-minto/692334/Douglass-reforms-were-an-economic-disaster-for-the-country
The scale of the disaster is apparent from an OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) report, Growing Unequal, which was released last week….The report’s title refers to the dramatic growth in inequality in OECD countries and New Zealand in particular from 1985 to 2005.
The gap between rich and poor widened rapidly.
Roger Douglas told us there was no alternative to his reforms and there would be no gain without pain. What he neglected to say was that the gains would be for the wealthy and the pain for the poor. And so it was.
We have finally reached the top of the OECD but for the wrong reasons. We are second to none for growth in income inequality from 1985 to 2005 and we are also close to the top for the sharpest increase in poverty over the same 20-year period.
This was a bit like our Brexit. We had no idea of what was to come, innocent bunnies that we were.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Douglas
David Caygill, who was also Minister of Trade and Industry, and Richard Prebble, who was also Minister of Transport.[36] Douglas and his associate ministers became known as the “Treasury Troika” or the “Troika”.[37]
The 1984 budget was a radical departure from Labour’s established approach to economic management. Douglas answered criticism that the government’s intentions had not been made clear to the electorate by saying that he had spelled out his whole programme to the Policy Council, which, he said, had understood and endorsed his intentions. He maintained that the detail was not made available to the public because it did not have the capacity to absorb it in the short time available.[45]
The budget owed almost nothing to Labour’s manifesto. Its content closely matched the Treasury view set out in Economic Management.[46] Douglas’s identification with Treasury was complete by 1985. Treasury initiatives adopted by the government that were not signalled before the 1984 election included the introduction of a comprehensive tax on consumption (GST), the floating of the dollar (which Douglas opposed until 1984) and the corporatisation of the government’s trading activities, announced at the end of 1985….
The juxtaposition of the preceding years on the 1985 economic reforms had never occurred to me. I think the wealthy whites were taking fright at the idea of Maori getting control of government, and that they had to act swiftly while they still had a chance. Our finances were already in flux, internationally also. So seize the day.
Please keep the respect of the human rights of your citizens at the forefront in the sorting out of your political problems.
Good luck & success
New Zealand
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/29/venezuela-crisis-new-zealand-guaido-interim-president
Interesting about the horticulture industry crying out for workers. – what a load of crock. My 18 year old has been trying to get fruit picking or other similar work and applied for lots of jobs but heard nothing or they don’t want them because they want migrants or people back packing or a particular gender. Accommodation is expensive or difficult to get if you don’t have a car. Here is a physically fit young person who is keen to work and is now giving up and looking at retail work. What the industry means is they want to be able to exploit migrant labour because my kid knows their rights.
Here is a story that say Australia can be run on renewable energy that use less water is better for the environment and more cost effective that carbon based energy
Our electricity system of the future could be powered by sun, wind and waves However, the big four banks and the big three energy companies are not having a bar of it. Indeed the majority of Australia’s energy companies are working towards a very different future for the country’s energy system, a future powered by clean, renewable energy.
There are now at least nine studies conducted during the decade that have analysed how Australia can move from an electricity system based on polluting coal and gas to one powered by the sun, wind and waves.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – the body tasked with making sure we have energy when we need it – found there were “no fundamental limits to 100% renewables”, and that the current standards of the system’s security and reliability would be maintained.
These studies show different pathways towards 100% renewable energy, but what they all agree on is that it can be achievedhe Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – the body tasked with making sure we have energy when we need it – found there were “no fundamental limits to 100% renewables”, and that the current standards of the system’s security and reliability would not be lost.
1. Big on wind and solar
In future, the bulk of our electricity will come from the most affordable technologies – wind and solar photovoltaic (PV). In areas with the best renewable resources, big wind and solar projects connected to transmission lines will generate electricity to power Australia’s industry, transport, cities and exports.
Modelling by the University of New South Wales suggests that wind generation could supply up to 70% of Australia’s electricity needs, while modelling by CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia found that wind and solar could provide nearly all generation in future. UNSW’s analysis, backed up by AEMO’s Integrated System Plan, also found that many of the best solar and wind sites in Australia were in remote locations – renewable energy zones, needing new transmission investments to harvest these amazing resources e supply gaps will then be filled with a range of on-demand renewables and storage, such as concentrating solar thermal with storage, pumped hydro, batteries (grid and domestic), sustainable bioenergy and more.
A study by Andrew Blakers at Australian National University found that pumped hydro could provide enough backup for a grid entirely powered by wind and solar power.
Hold on … hydropower in the dry continent of Australia? Yes, they have identified 22,000 potential sites, mainly off-river reservoirs in hilly terrain or abandoned mine sites, and just 0.1% of those could meet all of Australia’s storage needs in a 100% renewable grid.
This means we will move from a power system paradigm of baseload (big thermal generators) and peaking plants (quick-start gas) to one where our bulk energy is supplied by variable renewables and dispatchable renewables, and storage will fill the gaps.
3. Small, so everyone can benefit
According to CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia, between 30% and 45% of the country’s future energy generation will be local and customer-owned – in homes, businesses and communities. This means solar panels on every sunny roof, and batteries in households and commercial buildings. In apartment blocks, there will be microgrids powered by solar and batteries. Renters will join community solar projects and landlords will be required to make properties more energy efficient. When you go to the shopping centre and plug in your electric car, it will be shaded by solar panels
Ka kite ano links below
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/28/what-would-australia-look-like-powered-by-100-renewable-energyhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1kUE0BZtTRc
Links to the above post just trying to get use to a tablet my other computer crashed some how ?????????????????????????
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1kUE0BZtTRc
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/28/what-would-australia-look-like-powered-by-100-renewable-energy Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub Jenna Phil was baited with that question and I don’t think it was respectful doing that to him. It’s not as hot today as it was yesterday all tho ECO has put up and repair some more shade but records are being broken all around Papatuanukue. simon that’s just a spinning ap
There some fools who have broken into the blue penguin whare and stole them Its a stunt leave our wild life be.
That’s cool the seal population at Kaikorua has started booming after the Rua moko quake their and the authorities have built car parks so people can watch them from a safe distance Ka pai. I have just read that a court has ruled that the authoritie that allocated the water in the Murray Darling basin the Wai water was supposed to be allocated and managed with the environment first but the allocation was giving business needs over the environment that is why there are millions of fish dying in the Murray Darling river. It gets hot in Alexander Alex Alot of times they have the countrys highest temperature.
One day I will go fishing with Matt Watson that’s a cool way to tag fish instead of killing it yes Times Are Changing. That person killed his wife in front of there child was alcohol a factor????? Ka kite ano
The big picture is its is cool that the voices are finally getting out through the media that people with more money than they could spend in a life time is outrageous when we have people dieing of starvation around the world . The billionaire have to be pressured into paying more money back to the society that they got the wealth from and Eco Maori can see that happening now. The new currency the hitts on the net and + AND – hitts will give all peoples a conscience and then equality will BOOM.
After the panel Bregman tweeted a link to a opinion piece he wrote for the Guardian in 2017, saying “most wealth is not created at the top, but merely devoured there
Historian berates billionaires at Davos over tax avoidance
Rutger Bregman tells panel that the real issue is the rich not paying their fair share
A discussion panel at the Davos World Economic Forum has become a sensation after a Dutch historian took billionaires to task for not paying taxes.
In a video shared tens of thousands of times, Rutger Bregman, author of the book Utopia for Realists, bemoans the failure of attendees at the recent gathering in Switzerland to address the key issue in the battle for greater equality: the failure of rich people to pay their fair share of taxes.
Noting that 1,500 people had travelled to Davos by private jet to hear David Attenborough talk about climate change, he said he was bewildered that no one was talking about raising taxes on the rich.
Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion.
Rutger Bregman
“I hear people talking the language of participation, justice, equality and transparency but almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right? And of the rich just not paying their fair share,” Bregman tells the Time magazine panel on inequality.
“It feels like I’m at a firefighters conference and no one’s allowed to speak about water.”
Industry had to “stop talking about philanthropy and start talking about taxes”, he said, and cited the high tax regime of 1950s America as an example to disprove arguments by businesspeople at Davos such as Michael Dell that economies with high personal taxation could not succeed. “That’s it,” he says. “Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion.”
Davos 2019: the yawning gap between rhetoric and reality
Larry Elliott
Read more
A member of the audience, former Yahoo chief financial officer Ken Goldman, challenged his comments and said it was a “one-sided panel”. He argued the fiscal settings across the global economy had been successful and had created record employment.
But another panel member, Winnie Byanyima, an Oxfam executive director, took up the fight and said high employment was not a good thing in itself because many people found themselves in exploitative work. She cited the example of poultry workers in the US who had to wear nappies (diapers) because they were not allowed toilet breaks.
“That’s not a dignified job,” she said. “those are the jobs we’ve been told about, that globalisation is bringing jobs. The quality of the jobs matter. In many countries workers no longer have a voice. Ka kite ano links below P.S its hard finding good vides on this subject $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ distorting our reality once again
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/30/historian-berates-billionaires-at-davos-over-tax-avoidance
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute