Open mike 29/01/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, January 29th, 2021 - 59 comments
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59 comments on “Open mike 29/01/2021 ”

  1. Ad 1

    No rain in the North Island forecast through to the second week of February.

    Sure it's summer, but it's getting brutal.

    http://www.metvuw.co.nz/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain&region=nz&noofdays=10

    Meanwhile, Wellington Council blows two big pipes in a week: one wastewater, and one water main.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300216758/watergate-torrential-fountain-gushed-20-metres-into-the-air-in-yet-another-wellington-pipe-burst

    Minister Mahuta keeps getting political gifts delivered to her massive water reform door.

  2. Jimmy 2

    The South African strain of Covid doesn't seem to be as easily passed on as they thought as the person from the Pullman didn't seem to infect any close contacts, which is good. Not sure about the UK variant. Watching the news last night, the one that concerns me more is the Brazilian variant, as if you believe the news article, it seems to have a much higher death rate, and also is killing far more young people.

    • I think Boris is using the UK Covid variant super-infection argument to cover up/act as a diversion from his atrocious Covid response….another 1400 deaths in the UK today.

    • Treetop 2.2

      Either NZ has dodged community transmission or Covid-19 is spawning undetected.

  3. Anker 3
    • Jimmy the scientists are saying STH African strain and UK strain more infectious so I would go with that.

    we seem to have got lucky in Northland, but actually I wouldn’t bet on there being no cmty transmission in Northland or Auckland. I hope I am wrong

    • McFlock 3.1

      They're testing pretty hard and the SA strain is more infectious, so the longer we go without transmission from those cases then the more likely it is that the people had been infected in the past, gotten better, and when they got tested it just picked up the corpses of the viruses that had already been killed by the immune system.

      a good reminder to keep good habits, though

  4. Ad 4

    Everyone braced for the Climate Change Commission's reports next week? Me neither.

    Here's the key lines from Matthew Hooten in the (paywalled bit of) the NZHerald this morning:

    "Nothing about Ardern's record suggests anyone need take the new carbon budgets any more seriously than tax reform, flooding the housing market with cheap houses, consolidating district health boards, abolishing school boards, reducing poverty or tackling inequality.

    Yesterday's announcement on electric vehicles simply laid out a timetable for never-ending bureaucratic report-swapping, with nothing like the environmnetal ambition of even Boris Johnson's Conservative Government which has banned the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030.

    Everything about Ardern's Government soon reduces to mere talk, with Covid taking the political heat away. Enjoy the status quo."

    • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1

      Nothing about Ardern's record suggests anyone need take the new carbon budgets any more seriously than tax reform, flooding the housing market with cheap houses, consolidating district health boards, abolishing school boards, reducing poverty or tackling inequality.

      If Hooten's prognostications are accurate, then an extended succession of Ardern-led Magenta-Green coalition governments is a good bet. Hope the opposition National party MPs enjoy the status quo – Ruthanasia can't rescue them now.

  5. Ad 5

    I think we can safely say that Australia doesn't really appreciate China's diplomatic effort to drive a wedge between ourselves and Australia, by conferring much improved trading relations between NZ and China compared to Australia and China.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/28/china-calls-on-australia-to-follow-new-zealands-lead-in-how-it-deals-with-beijing

    But it sure hasn't stopped Damien O'Connor following Nanaia Mahuta's lead in proposing that New Zealand should broker a peace agreement between Australia and China. That's like a major disagreement breaking out between Ardern and Scottie, and the Prime Minister of Kiribati trying to step in as peacemaker.

    • RedLogix 5.1

      And interestingly all the reports here indicate that apart from iron ore (which China absolutely needs at the moment), other Australia exports have done rather well from the diversification effort they've had to do in the wake of the CCP trade bullying this past year. Quite a few people here are realising that Xi Xinping's efforts to 'make an example' of Australia have ended up doing the Aussies a favour.

      The simple, brutal lesson NZ should learn is that the CCP is perfectly willing to openly use trade as a tool of coercion if it suits them. They don't even feel the need to be a tiny bit subtle about it.

      • Ad 5.1.1

        We're still pretty good at taking large companies and turning them into much smaller ones: Fonterra, Fletchers, Ports of Auckland, etc.

  6. Sanctuary 7

    The Auckland Tories at the Northern club have found their candidate to run against Goff, and the appropriate discussions have been had with their propaganda organs.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/paula-bennetts-untold-story-my-daughter-saved-me/U4KJ4TUKPPMNC7EXLA7FL7IA7Y/

    • Ad 7.1

      She'd bring more energy to the job than the current guy.

      • fender 7.1.1

        Loud ass big mouth =/= more energy

        • Ad 7.1.1.1

          She was the standout performer under Key and certainly brings tonnes of Select Committee and Ministerial experience, qualifications, and her background looks like a Labour candidates'. I ain't defending her policies.

          We need a mayor who willreally stand up to government, because at the moment Goff is just getting rolled around like a dead seal on a beach.

          • Sanctuary 7.1.1.1.1

            No one will vote for a right wing candidate, simply because everyone is terrified they will flog off all the cities assets to pay down debt and we'll all end up paying five times as much for water to privatised and unaccountable water company, which will be paying it's CEO ten million a year or something.

            The super city needs serious reform, driven by central government, to undo the worst of Rodney Hide's screw ups. For a starter, double the number of councillors. 20 for over 1.5 million people? Really? And some sort of reform to up the number of people voting in local body elections. The city needs more & better coumcillors so we don't just get name recognition jobs for life representatives rubber stamping the decisions of unelected council bureaucrats.

        • Herodotus 7.1.1.2

          She already from your attributes listed, offers more than the last few mayors we have been gifted. 🤭

        • Drowsy M. Kram 7.1.1.3

          "Zip it, sweetie." Bennett's too good for the 'supercity', I reckon, just like Banks.

          • "I don't remember." (John Banks’ response when asked about his helicopter ride to Dotcom's mansion.)
          • "You think I came up the river on a cabbage boat." (John Banks responding to media questions about Dotcom.)
  7. mac1 8

    "last few mayors we have been gifted."

    I know this is a light-hearted jibe but the word 'gifted' is very well chosen.

    We ought not to have Mayors, or any other politician, 'gifted' to us.

    They should be selected by us at community level by parties or political groupings, supported and advised by us, and voted for by us.

    Not gifted by a small cadre of business and political interests and voted for by fewer than those who can't be bothered to vote.

    Auckland mayoralty 12 October 2019 Registered 1,065,383 Turnout 367,796 (34.5%).

    Phil Goff Independent beat John Tamihere Independent by a popular vote of 180,146 to 80,903 Percentage 48.97%

    180, 000 of 1,065,000 voted for the mayor. 16.9% of the registered voters.

    Gifted to us………….

  8. Stuart Munro 9

    "For years, the same hedge funds, private equity firms, and wealthy investors dismayed by the GameStop trades have treated the stock market like their own personal casino while everyone else pays the price," she(Elizabeth Warren)said in a statement.

    Free-market economy always seems to be the answer until it's the wolves of Wall Street who are getting bled.

  9. RedBaronCV 10

    Maybe I'm a bit thick but how does permission to maintain and refit a boat suddenly seem to morph into the green light for the selling of cruises by the boat concerned. And how on earth can "maintenance" be done if the cruises start not long after arrival? I actually think the headline could be a bit more critical of the attempt to bypass quarantine.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/124090262/government-halts-cruise-ship-insists-crew-must-be-kiwi

    In a written statement, MBIE said the border exception request was lodged on January 8th.

    “For foreign crew to be granted an exception to enter New Zealand under these circumstances, they must be considered essential for the operation of the ship to travel to New Zealand for the purpose it was granted permission i.e. refit or refurbishment of the vessel. Immigration instructions specifically exclude anyone on a ship who is not essential for the purpose,”

    • Stuart Munro 10.1

      It's a first step – the cleaner and hospitality jobs are reserved for New Zealanders. Imagine though, what MBIE would be doing if they actually operated in NZers interests. The prestige jobs would go to New Zealanders too. You think NZ people can't skipper ships? A bunch of big expensive yachts racing in Auckland about now seem to be proof that's just not true.

      • David 10.1.1

        But of course 4 Australians who can sing wiggle wiggle big red car is totally different.

        • Stuart Munro 10.1.1.1

          Well yes actually – the Wiggles are artists after a fashion. You could go on stage and do their routine, but it wouldn't be the same – you wouldn't draw a crowd and their supporters wouldn't find you adequate.

          A ship's captain or engineer or airline pilot has a set of practical skills that can be learned and if NZ isn't training enough of our own, MSA has a lot explaining to do – which being an outfit entirely populated by expat Poms they do anyway.

          • Graeme 10.1.1.1.1

            Strange thing to this is that a lot of new Zealanders work in the international super yacht and small cruise industry, especially in the hospo side, and are sought after for their practical hands on attitude. I know of one who's built quite a career managing the hospo side of yacht in Europe and a couple of chefs who've worked yachts. Surely they could have put together a crew out of NZ, but that mightn't have been as good a value proposition for the promoter as the French crew.

            • Stuart Munro 10.1.1.1.1.1

              I think the line I'd be inclined to push comes from here at 3:45 "We're talking about jobs, but jobs that bring dignity". There was a time when we didn't need to explain that in NZ.

  10. Graeme 11

    Welcome to the morality and ethics of the cruise industry. They’re a delightful bunch.

    • Pat 11.1

      they gambled…and lost

    • Treetop 11.2

      Turn the cruise ship around. If NZers are on board and want to return they will need to book MIQ.

      Can those running the cruise guarantee that there will be no community transmission?

      Government cannot afford to be kind or soft. Stupidity sums it up for me.

      • Pat 11.2.1

        As Faafoi said it is not about covid…they neglected to get the proper immigration clearances

        • Treetop 11.2.1.1

          Regardless of visas for the 61 hospitality crew, the track record of Covid on cruise ships is the issue and it cannot afford to be chanced.

          • Pat 11.2.1.1.1

            The covid risk is negligible….other risks however..

            • Treetop 11.2.1.1.1.1

              I have no sympathy for the organiser and his impatience. The communication the organiser has had with INZ and NZ health made it clear about the visas and conditions of entry.

              It is about trust and I would not trust the Organiser.

              • Pat

                I have zero sympathy either…but again this has nothing to do with covid excepting that covid closed the border

                The (claimed) 700 hopeful cruisers however I do have sympathy for…I hope they dont end up bankrolling this farce

              • Graeme

                We'll probably find that the 'organiser' and the boat operator are pretty close to the same. There's a lot of overseas ownership in the NZ tourist industry, with most of the revenue going back overseas. This one's a prime example, French boat, French crew and I doubt they'll be serving much New Zealand wine with dinner.

                It's be a huge slap in the face for New Zealand tourism operators if this was to go ahead. Most of the industry is running at less than 20% capacity and this lot think they can rock up and suck customers out of the place. I hope these leaches get smacked so hard they go away and never come back.

                • Treetop

                  There is a good reason why the hospitality crew need to be employed from NZ.

                  I would be interested in knowing if there were 61 qualified people in NZ who could work on the cruise ship. I think there is and more.

                  An exception was made for the fishing industry due to not having the qualified people in NZ. The cruise organiser probably thought the same would apply to them. To have booked the passengers for the cruise before ensuring the ship could sail, the organiser was asking for it.

                • RedBaronCV

                  I'm still pretty stunned that they can give their visa reason as "repairs & maintenance" when it really seems to be – "run cruises."Ii'm zero sympathy too.

                  And apparently the tourism industry has a lot of yo yo money – comes in and goes straight back out to overseas owners leaving us with the social costs.

  11. Sabine 12

    Oh my gosh, i can't put in words how exited i am to know that the wiggles are essential workers or something and thus must come to the country.

    What would we have done without the Wiggles.

    • Forget now 12.1

      My children are going to have to do without The Wiggles, Sabine.

      I'd like to say it is just because of ethical objections to their not being willing to use kiwi crew in a pandemic. But really; $76 per ticket in the stalls ($300 upstairs)? So; $225 (to $900) for a couple of hours of a kids show! They can make do with Netflix Wiggles.

      https://www.viagogo.com/nz/Theater-Tickets/Family/The-Wiggles-Tour-Tickets/E-4773398?qty=3

      Edit: A mere $60 per ticket for the second show of the day! First is at 10am, second at 1pm. So I guess they’ll be lower energy then? Still; just no.
      2 shows of 2200 at $70 = $300,000+

      • Incognito 12.1.1

        Perhaps the matinée is in te reo.

        • Forget now 12.1.1.1

          Not many Māori will be buying those morning tickets at $300 a seat, Icognito. I sure won't be! No muso I know has ever made that kind of money in a single day…

          But it's not just siphoning off the NZ children's treat money for the year (hell; I couldn't afford to buy them clothes or stationary, let alone toys, at that price) for a fleeting, likely soon forgotten couple of hours. The emergency MIQ places are now not available for, well; emergencies:

          On the same day The Wiggles were given a space in managed isolation (MIQ), Yvonne Ponting was told there was no emergency spot for her dying brother to come home to see his family…

          The family's application for an emergency spot in MIQ was denied on Friday morning, as it did not fit under the “serious risk to health” category… An MIQ spokeswoman said there was no guarantee a person fittting the emergency categories would get an allocation…

          “Even if we manage to get a managed isolation spot just via the general public way, he's going to be dead by the time he gets his spot," Yvonne Ponting said.

          She feared there was a two-prong risk for the family.

          Firstly, that Ponting would not make it home to New Zealand in time altogether or that he would get back, but not recognise his family due to his worsening brain tumours.

          https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/124099130/covid19-kiwi-dying-of-brain-cancer-cant-get-miq-spot-yet-the-wiggles-can

  12. Incognito 13

    I don’t want to derail the post by MickySavage with an off-topic comment but I wonder if Social Media could be used to influence democratic elections, for example. Imagine some cashed-up investors have taken a ‘long’ position on an asset influenced by which political party gets into power. Purely fictional stuff, of course.

    • Macro 13.1

      Imagine some cashed-up investors have taken a ‘long’ position on an asset influenced by which political party gets into power. Purely fictional stuff, of course.

      You mean like this?

      Donald Trump was cultivated as a Russian asset over 40 years and proved so willing to parrot anti-western propaganda that there were celebrations in Moscow, a former KGB spy has told the Guardian.

      Yuri Shvets, posted to Washington by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, compares the former US president to “the Cambridge five”, the British spy ring that passed secrets to Moscow during the second world war and early cold war.

      Now 67, Shvets is a key source for American Kompromat, a new book by journalist Craig Unger, whose previous works include House of Trump, House of Putin. The book also explores the former president’s relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

      • Treetop 13.1.1

        I find this sort of stuff to be read it and decipher it for yourself. People are out there who can verify the facts but fear for the safety of their family or theirselves and being employed.

        • Macro 13.1.1.1

          That is true. However, Yuri Shvets, apparently does have some serious credentials to back up his claims. He was a major in the KGB and served as an undercover agent in Washington DC 1985-87 before his defection to the US in 1993, where he is now a US citizen. So he would have known if tRump was being regarded as a Russian asset, and to be given favourable treatment. This is not the first instance. There have been many others. tRump of course. would never be aware of it, just thinking that his "wonderful" personality was the main reason for the largess bestowed upon him. But underlying it was the long term goal, that should he ever hold a political position of power, his divisiveness would suit the aims of Russia to a T. A country divided, such is now the case in the US, is now less of a threat to Russian ambitions.

      • Incognito 13.1.2

        I was thinking closer to home.

        • Macro 13.1.2.1

          Something like this?

          A land banking business with a big piece of residentially zoned real estate on Auckland's outskirts has made more than $6 million a year for almost two decades – doing nothing.

          QV records shows Yi Huang Trading Company owns 39 Flat Bush School Rd, which it bought in 1995 for $890,000.

          Now, this 29ha block is listed on the market for $112.6 million, promoted as "the land of opportunity, vacant but close to Barry Curtis Park".

      • Anne 13.1.3

        Macro @ 13.1
        I planned to post that story here this morning but forgot.

        My personal view: it is likely there is a good dollop of truth to it. He would have been one of numerous individuals they kept an eye on as ideal candidates for future manipulation. So, the Ruskies had Trump’s measure 40 years ago.

        Of course, the West does it too, but maybe not to the same extent.

        • Macro 13.1.3.1

          So, the Ruskies had Trump’s measure 40 years ago.

          Yes – it seems highly likely – and they wouldn't have had to do much arm twisting to get their intentions across. From all earlier accounts of his dealings, much of the money flowing to the Deutsche Bank and on into tRump's pocket, was from Russian sources. He has been, and still is, heavily indebted to Russian influencers.

          They picked him because of his outlandish political ideas that formed the basis of his popular ideology. This nativism, and far right mean thinking was perfect for creating the division that now ferments the US body politic.

        • joe90 13.1.3.2

          So, the Ruskies had Trump’s measure 40 years ago.

          ‘The perfect target’:

          https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/29/trump-russia-asset-claims-former-kgb-spy-new-book

      • mauī 13.1.4

        This sounds much like Luke Harding's book, which was light on evidence and heavy on innuendo. But some smart folks do enjoy a good spy thriller novel.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ikf1uZli4g

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    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government lowering building costs
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