I certainly recall….(having had lower echelon connectivity with Southern Polytechnic’s) The VERY Lucrative remuneration of same CEO’s. Also Ms Penny Simmonds…..Nat mp in waiting role. I’d say Mr Phil….Ker would be very similar politically..
Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker had an increase.
His pay was $330,000 to $339,999, compared with $320,000 to $329,999 the previous year.
In Invercargill, Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds received $270,000 to $279,999, up from $250,000 to $259,999 the previous year.
We have to decide what our tertiary institutions are for. This government has signalled it wants polytechnics to provide a skilled workforce for building housing, infrastructure and health. They should not be a vessel for harvesting foreign cash with dodgy courses, a means to ship in cheap labour. They should train Kiwis old, new, and pending to do the jobs NZ needs them to do.
The chiefs of some of these "personal fiefdoms' will have been hooked on Steven Joyce's corrupt backdoor to residency model. Now they are throwing their toys out of the cot.
Simmonds was selected as the National Party candidate for Invercargill in May 2020 following Sarah Dowie's decision to retire. Dowie had originally been selected to run again in September 2019. Simmonds had been rumoured as a potential candidate for about fifteen years prior.
Hi Muttonbird…and fkn Aye ! Keerist it was past time that Labour sorted this and other shit out. Good on them for pulling the comfy blanket remuneration away from some of these CEO's. I , as maybe you, see the Apprenticeships (Labour restarting ) and all other things in process to get young NZ a Future.
The (now departed) CEO of the new organization, Te Pūkenga was getting $688,235 – one of the highest public sector salaries in the country – and he appointed 6 deputies – on salaries higher than the incumbent polytechnic CEOs (all of whom were retained on the books).
The total wages bill is now over $11 million (figures from 2021 – when they weren't fully operational – so expect it to be higher now) for 139 FTE staff.
When my wife was studying at the local polytech less than 50% of her class were even turning up to class. Half the courses were for jobs that weren't there – e.g. travel agents. Lucrative cash generators but of little practical use given the low volume of jobs in that particular area and even lower vacancies due to hardly any turnover.
I would however like to see a return to the community college concept as well with all the delight educating and training in artistic and practical skills that community colleges used to provide. Second chance learning. Needs to be back to fully utilise secondary schools as well which should be a broader community asset.
“I would however like to see a return to the community college concept as well with all the delight educating and training in artistic and practical skills that community colleges used to provide. Second chance learning. Needs to be back to fully utilise secondary schools as well which should be a broader community asset.”
Absolutely. That… disappeared under Mr …Ker's "Leadership" and of course the sir Key Nat govt.
No need to ask whether I fought against….
Hence my pissed off at his and Penny's comments now.
I can only speak from my experience watching the heartbreaking destruction of Unitec under the incompetent leadership of Rick Eade. If that was any guide then polytech CEO leadership has been long afflicted by an over supply of mediocre talent that has gigantic egos and an even bigger sense of hubris.
Unitec Council Chair, Dr Lee Mathias said: “I want to thank Rick for his tremendous contribution to Unitec’s transformation, which includes significant progress towards the redevelopment of our Mt Albert campus, the introduction of new industry partnerships and a strong foundation to deliver more flexible, work-integrated teaching models that our future students and employers will demand. In his time at Unitec, Rick has also raised the profile of contemporary applied learning in New Zealand.”
"Has the bully boy been intimidated by an articulate and forceful minister?"
Of course he has. Bully boys (and bully girls for that matter) are not usually very bright. Their one source of power is to harass and intimidate those they perceive to be vulnerable. In the case of bully boys, women who have an ethnic background (ie. darker skin) are generally easy targets. He's going to have to call on his 'mates' inside the Police Force to keep him abreast of any meaty stories – don't have to be true – that he can hit Hipkins with in due course.
So it turns out organic AI is already working quite smoothly and efficiently in service of the state as we speak…just watch the host of this show mechanically outline what she has been told to say and think about Unions and Workers….then for the next eighteen minutes, no matter what is said or explained to her, come back again and again and again to her original programming….unluckily for her she is sitting next to Eddie Dempsey from the RMT….watch and enjoy.
It’s a bit like reading The Guardian on Western foreign interventions or real progressive change..trained human bots spewing propaganda endlessly in service of power.
Eddie Dempsey nicely brings the media position in the UK on workers striking into sharp focus at about 12 minutes in….if you don't want to watch all 18 minutes.
"You took the money though and didn't give it back"
"Its a bit of a cheek saying the trade unions are being greedy asking for a pay rise when the profits of the footsie top 350 companies have gone up 73% since 2019. When are we going to ask are they being greedy"
"Companies taking huge profits out to tax havens" while workers wages continue to decline in real terms.
Meanwhile Starmer has sacked a frontbench MP who joined the picket line:
The Guardian understands Tarry was told he was sacked as shadow minister for buses and local transport for saying that it was “not acceptable to offer below inflation pay rises” because it would be a real-terms pay cut for workers.
Of course The Guardian are in no position to take the moral high ground on this (or anything I can think of), no can or should forget that it was The Guardian who actively led the charge to undermine and destroy Jeremy Corbyn, that has now given the UK that piece of shit Centrist Liberal, Starmer…and it goes without saying that Corbyn would have been on the picket lines with his progressive MP's had he still been leader of the Labour Party.
Sure, however I think the Forde report outlines the factionalism inside the party was more responsible than a newspaper.
Both UK Labour and the NZ Labour party have a crisis of ideology:
Mr Corbyn also said the Forde report showed Labour needed to "decide what it is for".
"Are we a democratic socialist party, run by members and affiliated unions, that aims for a fundamental transfer of wealth and power from the few to the many?" he asked. "Or are we something else?"
Corbyn should have purged all the Centrist out…but he was and is too much of a inclusionist to ever do that, I guess he didn't realize that Centrists are as fundamentalist about their ideology as any communist ever was about theirs….still it was probably his biggest mistake IMO.
Funny the BBC reporting on it, as they, at the time, were some of the most openly biased against him……
Agreed Adrian…the Guardian's reporting of the anti-semitic issue was scandalous. This and its less than friendly reporting on Corbyn's Brexit position condemned Labour to lose the last election, which is presumably the outcome the Guardian wanted-Boris instead of Jeremy.
"Labour need Dempsey as leader not Smarmy Starmer"…Yes they do, either him or Mick Lynch…then we would instantly get to see The Guardian and all other so called 'Liberal' press show their real colours, and do the job they are their for..undermining real progressive change (that and selling Western Imperialist wars and interventions as the moral high ground to the Liberal class)…
How The Guardian Betrayed Not Only Corbyn But The Last Vestiges Of British Democracy
The Guardian was despicable in its Corbyn takedown, especially that awful Jonathan Freedland. After every anti-Corbyn article, I went looking for the anti-semitism he was supposed to have engaged in, and could never find anything more than puerile conjecture and upsetting the Israeli govt.
The thing that really grind my gears about The Guardian is that, even after being exposed time and again as being nothing more than Free Market Imperialist Trojan horse that more than any other news source really undermines any serious progressive movement…yet so many 'Lefties' still take it seriously and trust it as a news source….put it this way…there hasn't been a Western intervention the Guardian hasn't supported since Iraq…enough said!!
Interim Cass report indicated changes would be coming for the UK's primary gender clinic, the Tavistock.
Yesterday it was announced the treatment of minors would be transferred to two regional centres, where a comprehensive set of professional support services would be utilised.
. The regional centres should be experienced providers of tertiary paediatric care to ensure a focus on child health and development, with strong links to mental health services. They should have established academic and education functions to ensure that ongoing research and training is embedded within the service delivery model. The centres should have an appropriate multi-professional workforce to enable them to manage the holistic needs of this population, as well as the ability to provide essential related services or be able to access such services through provider collaborations. These should include, but not be limited to: mental health services; services for children and young people with autism and other neurodiverse presentations; and for the subgroup for whom medical treatment may be considered appropriate, access to endocrinology services and fertility services. There should also be expertise in safeguarding, support of looked-after children and children who have experienced trauma. Staff should maintain a broad clinical perspective by working across related services within the tertiary centre and between tertiary and secondary centres in order to embed the care of children and young people with gender-related distress within a broader child and adolescent health context.
For those that have been following these reviews, this appears to be another significant move away from the "affirming healthcare" model we have for minors here in NZ.
Following that announcement, the Telegraph has published a personal account from a detransitioner. Link below to non-paywalled copy:
Detransition followed the deradicalisation. As the politics fell away, so did the desire to transition. I began to address with a therapist and gynaecologist – a good one this time – everything that had led me to the point of wanting surgical sterilisation. I was diagnosed with PMDD (an obscure and little known hormonal intolerance) and several learning disorders, including autism – a co-morbidity common to a disproportionate number of girls turning up in gender clinics.
It's great news for evidence-based care and a potential return to sanity for gender-confused youth in England and Wales. Finally, a proper review of the outcome for youth on puberty blockers and hormones and some decent clinical trials to be done on these off-label drugs. The sloppiness of care for young people for whom notes were not properly kept and outcomes not measured is astounding.
The big question I have is, will this be reported in New Zealand media?
Will the Ministry of Health finally admit that puberty blockers are not "safe and reversible"?
When will the government call for a similar review of gender-affirming care, in line with the concerning findings of the Cass Review?
A couple of thoughts. First, these anti-vax types are clearly capable of a terrorist outrage. This guy is being held for doing something very serious – otherwise he'd be out on bail. Look at the recent bomb threats to schools, apparently robocalls from an overseas location making bomb threats in relation to mask mandates. I don't know about you, but I would have thought an offshore account making bomb threats to schools would pretty much complete the bingo card to make sure you end up on the Five Eyes Kanban board "Work in Progress" column. These people are idiots, but they are dangerous idiots.
Secondly, recent events have shown how monumentally stupid Geoffrey Palmer's reforms repeal of the sedition laws were. In some respects a high water mark of globalist, neoliberal anti-statist law making it has really, really hobbled an effective state response to the anti-vax movement and the rise of seditious behaviour. The repeal of the sedition laws were informed by an ideology that saw the state as a sunset institution that was no longer deserved to be protected by archiac laws.
Well, we definitely need some sort of sedition law if only to protect those arrested from being charged with more serious offenses under anti-terror laws.
To be fair to Geoffrey Palmer, in the 1980s I don't think he could have envisaged the current state of play around the world today and the rise of despotic presidents together with their collective millions of loopy and braindead followers – some of which live in NZ.
In some respects a high water mark of globalist, neoliberal anti-statist law making it has really, really hobbled an effective state response to the anti-vax movement and the rise of seditious behaviour.
The best description yet from the fallout of neoliberalism. Roger and Ruth should be hanging their heads in shame.
Domino effect persists in UK,as housing restrictions on new builds are in effect,due to lack of grid capacity for electricity supply,due to demand from energy hungry data centres,Heat pumps and EV charging.
Australian electricity consumers can expect Nightmare bills as wholesale markets rocket.The grid upgrades and carbon taxes will further increase electricity costs going forward,add to inflation hence increased consumer costs,and transfer of jobs to lower cost manufacturing economies such as NZ.
Well they could just burn some more coal for all their much needed gadgets and stuff.
And if they wanted to appear as Green and considerate for the planet, they could like us not mine themselves but import coal from countries that are far away from us and where we don't care ab9out the pollution cause it is there and not here near by.
Well it appears that they will have to import more coal, or start mining again themselves.
Fwiw, our Hydro Dams are looking good thanks to the relentless rain that we had. That gives me a big happy. Points still stands, we are importing cheap Indonesian coal to generate electricty.
blablabla, we should not laugh at people whilst we are sharing the same boat.
We the People / He Tangata must make a decision to cut on electricity consumption, one way or another. Energy Wars, Water Wars all that stuff is happening already, its creeping into our 'save western first highly advanced' world, and should no longer delude ourselfs that us doing as they do is lesser or better. It is not.
I make funny noises about E – Cars not because I don't like driving. I grew up in Germany and driving on a good road with no speed limit and a car/bike is awesome fun. So is riding a bike. Or walking. Or taking the train.
I make these noises because we already don't generate the Energy we want to consume, we supplement with fossil fuels because of that 'want' and we He Tangata need to bend our mind around that we need to Want less.
E-cars, Heat Pumps, electronic storage/gadgets use energy. That energy needs t o come from somewhere and we should finally get honest and candid about where it is going to come from. Cause those E-cars don't drive without the E.
More an ESG thing which causes a transfer of demand (unquantified) like high immigration makes us have the highest cost housing,rents,a substantive infrastructure quagmire etc.
the UK is the use transformation ,from making things to data centres,and electrification of bus fleets etc.
Here we are producing and consuming the same amount of electricity,it is only the generation type mix that is changed ( gas replaced 50% by wind) consumption has transformed from industry and primary production (decrease) to residential and commercial use (the latter being blingy signs at the mall)
You also need to remember that a huge amount of FF is used in transporting FF,40% of shipping for example.The 2 largest population country's,are mostly dependent of FF for energy,and more importantly for food, food transport and transformation.
Australia with a substantive renewable (solar,wind .hydro) has problems with actually getting it into the grid when needed,and which to reorient the systems (with go round availability ) is close to 22B.
They also have problems with their pumped hydro,due to there being too much water (overfill dams)
The countries it affects FIRST are the developing countries….always going to be the case as a bidding war begins….then we move to national interest as the countries with the resources hold on to them (or dispense them for political gain)…anyone spring to mind?
A quick look around the globe reveals that the 'first world' are somewhat energy (and minerally) challenged.
High prices also see demand destruction (the US saw gasoline volumes decrease 3%).Europe diesel is well down in consumption.
Australia is not renewing its fuel subsidy,here we kept it decrease inflationary pressures ( and interest rates down) If we removed the subsidy on fuel and RT would we see an uptake on PT? Auckland PT use is the worst in years (excluding lockdown).
Youre still thinking local…..we import (currently, the time will come when that option disappears) virtually everything we need to maintain our economy….many western economies are similarly placed, with the addition of the fact they are net food importers.
Households are working more towards living within their means,with larger repayments in their mortgage debt (front loading) and increased household savings 17 billion in the last year,2.1 billion in the last month.
High prices see householders move to a war footing fast,and not so much revenge vacationing as Europe and the US.
a lot of the inflation is in Shelter (rent and housing building cost) and utilities such as rates (which are out of control) which does add to rent costs.
One of the Fed analysts said the problem was not so much employment (an indicator) but mor about high shelter costs with new build costs increasing 17% y on y (familiar) and increased interest rates will see both a decrease in housing prices and costs.
There has been also a move out of corporate residential housing purchases in the US,and the decrease in finacialization ( speculators) has seen a decrease in commodity prices as they return to value stocks.
"Last week, the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in more than eight months. It’s a warning sign foreshadowing what’s to come. Jobless claims for the week ending July 15 increased to 251,000, representing the most significant spike since the pandemic time period of November 13 last year, when 265,000 Americans applied for benefits. The Department of Labor also pointed out that employers advertised fewer jobs in May, another signal of a declining job market, which the Fed is hoping for."
True,not good for land agents here (they will have more articles in herald etc)
GDP figures (and inflation) coming out of Europe now,with strong gdp in Italy,Spain,France. Germany just broke even at .1% Attribution is west,south Europe is from Tourism.
West / spain /portugal/ France ( mostly med though)
Italy lost a good PM ,he had reduced reliance on Russian gas,with increased supply from Algeria (and deal coming with israel) The big fail with the italian economy was the Euro which constrained growth,they are whist indebted the housing market (like spain has been stable) Germany had a large increase in housing cost (value)
Greece is also insulated from Russian gas,as it gets supplied from Azerbaijan.
Powerdown is an intentional strategy. This looks more like decades of ignoring the limits of growth merging with the covid/brexit/climate crisis. Be good if we looked at a sustainable and resilient response rather than chasing green BAU.
The EU has started the single largest intentional energy use reduction we've seen since the 1979 oil crisis. Doesn't have to fit anyone's specific definition. Certainly won't run as any prophet foretold.
This is nothing like Business As Usual for nearly 500 million people and for all EU governments as well as the UK, and it is as permanent as the eye can see. COVID and the Ukraine War is the acceleration of change that's been waiting to happen.
9 of the top 10 countries leading an energy transition are already in Europe or the EEA:
When Florida Power & Light faced a spate of bad publicity and political blowback, a small but ambitious news website called the Capitolist sprang to the public utility’s defense.
[…]
While portraying itself as a feisty independent outlet, the Capitolist — which aims its content directly at Tallahassee decision makers — was bankrolled and controlled by executives of the power company through a small group of trusted intermediaries from an Alabama consulting firm, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald, based on a massive leak of documents. The internal communications, contracts and financial records show how a team of elite communications experts consulting for FPL plucked the Capitolist from obscurity and used it as part of an elaborate, off-the-books political strategy to advocate for rate hikes, agitate for legislative favors, slam political opponents and eliminate anything — even home solar panels — that the publicly traded utility worried might undermine its near monopoly on selling power in the Sunshine State.
The arguments are complex in the US,as the generation mix changes are dependent on tax breaks (accelerated depreciation) and subsidy replacing what is effectively low carbon generation.
In the inflation bill introduced the US has recognized the importance of E=mc2,and brought in taxbreaks for existing infrastructure,and subsidy for the grid upgrades necessary for intermittent power such as wind ad solar ( need to modulate frequency)
"TOKYO — People in a southwestern Japanese city have come under attack from monkeys that are trying to snatch babies, biting and clawing at flesh, and sneaking into nursery schools.
The attacks — on 58 people since July 8 — are getting so bad Yamaguchi city hall hired a special unit to hunt the animals with tranquilizer guns."
As the cost of living soars, people are struggling to make ends meet with one in six New Zealanders saying they’ve experienced homelessness.
And 4% of New Zealanders also said they had to sleep rough in the past year.
A survey from Orange Sky – a not-for-profit organisation that provides free mobile laundry and shower services to people experiencing homelessness – and market research company YouGov also found that 14% of the population say they have been unable to pay living costs such as rent and bills in the past year.
And of the more than 1000 people surveyed, 54% said they were nervous about their financial security and 23% admitted they were scared about losing their homes due to financial struggles.
The Greens are trying to pressure the Government to extend eligibility for the Cost of Living payment to those on benefits and pensions:
The eligibility criteria for the Government's cost of living payment is too narrow, says the Green Party, which wants New Zealanders who receive a benefit or the pension to also get the $350 support.
Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March says the urgent need to provide lower-income Kiwis with more support is highlighted by figures released last week showing an increase in the number of New Zealanders receiving weekly payments from the Ministry of Development (MSD) to cover the costs of essential items.
"What it shows is that people are further behind in meeting those basic essentials and that they need additional top-ups just to be above the bread line," he says.
But extending the cost of living payment to those receiving a benefit is also just a "short-term intervention", the MP says, and more "permanent solutions" are needed.
…
"Unless we increase benefits, those figures regarding the amount that people need for hardship grants and the debt that people are getting into won't be decreasing any time soon," the Green MP said.
He said it "makes no sense" for MSD to spend money and resources delivering temporary supports and hardship grants "when they could simply be increasing benefits to livable levels and not be pushing people constantly to their call centre just to get some extra top-ups just to make ends meet".
I would like to apologize for my angry rants on this site for the last year or two, especially the long ones.
I've been allowing my mental health and cynicism to get the better of me and attacking fellow progressives because I just see everything getting worse for poorer people, I also really care about the left and want it to be successful and sometimes that passion can sometimes turn into near hatred of things I support.
Anyway, I'm not going to comment on here or other sites for awhile and I’m going try to avoid politics in general for awhile while I work on my mental health, hopefully I can learn to love politics and be hopeful and engage in discourse in a healthy and kind way in future.
All the best to everyone on this blog and solidarity with you all.
A horrific video posted online on Thursday appears to show a Ukrainian prisoner of war being castrated by his Russian captors.
[…]
The victim in the video wears Ukrainian-style camouflage fatigues and is shown gagged, his hands tied behind his back. He lies helpless on the floor as the man in a Russian uniform, which features a “Z” patch, uses a box cutter to cut off his clothes and then appears to castrate him while shouting degrading insults in Russian. At least two other men who appear to be Russian soldiers can be seen in the video.
“And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.” – Matthew 27:2“THIS COURT OF INQUIRY will come to order!”The Presiding Officer surveyed the room. The tables arranged to form a hollow square. The soldiers in their dress uniforms. The evidence folders placed neatly ...
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme! The late Bruce Jesson used to say that while National governed for capitalists, Labour governed for Capitalism. Jesson’s suggestion: that National was so firmly locked inside the individualist logic of the private sector that it struggled to see the broader capitalist picture; was a shrewd one.WHY IS THE ...
When Push Came To Shove: If Jacinda Ardern’s government struggled to contain 3,000 angry Kiwis in 2022, how will Christopher Luxon’s cope with 300,000 in 2025?THE OCCUPATION OF PARLIAMENT GROUNDS stands as one of the oddest moments in New Zealand political history. Not the least of its oddities was the mixture ...
Eric Crampton writes – This week’s Budget Policy Statement was disappointing. There are a few things I’d have thought we could all have agreed on. They seem pretty basic. If the Reserve Bank is still using monetary policy to push against inflation, fiscal stimulus is a pretty bad ...
Michael Bassett writes – The Labour Government lost the 2023 election when its support halved from 2020. It deserved to lose on economic grounds alone. Covid lockdowns that went beyond the prudent and wrecked livelihoods in the name of saving lives; an orgy of careless spending of borrowed ...
Happy Easter. 🙂As with last week’s review I’ll begin today with the the view from the right. Which last week seemed cloudy, and lacking in the ideal accoutrements for depth perception. Hosking’s Hall of Heroes.Donald Trump: 7/10 He floated and made a fortune and got a bond reduction with more time ...
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. 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 ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
New Zealand’s opposition Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins delivered a “state of the nation” speech on March 24, in an attempt to resuscitate the party after it lost power in a landslide defeat in the October 2023 election. The speech was ...
Sunday 31 March at 3 pm, protesters with empty plates will march from Aotea Square in a silent protest to raise awareness for the 2.2 million people in Gaza facing imminent famine. The March calls for urgent government action to avert further suffering ...
Asia Pacific Report The University of the South Pacific — one of only two regional universities in world — is facing a “gathering storm” over leadership, a management crisis and a looming strike, reports Islands Business. In the six-page cover story in the latest edition of the regional news magazine ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jocelyn Jones, Research Associate in Justice Health and Social Issues, Curtin University The 1997 Bringing Them Home report into the removal of Aboriginal children from their families was a turning point in Australia’s history. The inquiry rejected past government policies of assimilation ...
EDITORIAL:By Pip Hinman and Susan Price Meta, the giant social media corporation, has “unpublished” Green Left’s longstanding Facebook page, which had tens of thousands of followers. We had been regularly posting stories, videos and photographs on the page from our consistent reporting of the news and views that seldom ...
Richard Shaw’s latest book, The Unsettled, explores the truth behind his and other Pākehā families’ ‘settler’/’pioneer’ histories and considers what to do with them. In this excerpt Shaw reveals how, once family facts come to light, the places around us look and feel different as our view of our place ...
The comedian and Celebrity Treasure Island champion takes us through his life in television, including trying to find his mum a man, the lasting impact of the 3B cream ad and his love for a certain Sticky TV presenter. James Mustapic’s closest collaborator is his mum Janet, who has been ...
Opinion: Although opioid use rates are rising in Aotearoa New Zealand, we have an opportunity to prevent an opioid crisis – let’s not waste the time we have left. Opioid overdose is in the news again as two recent New Zealand studies found overdose rates ticking upwards in Aotearoa. Rates ...
The Government has confirmed the problematic Performance-Based Research Fund will be reviewed over the course of the year, as part of a wider review into the university funding system. The upcoming Quality Evaluation component has subsequently been cancelled with funding to be allocated based on the last evaluation which was ...
Rachel Hunter sold out a Christchurch school hall for a mysterious sounding ‘Community Event’. Alex Casey went along to find out what it was all about. Former international supermodel Rachel Hunter is sitting cross-legged on stage between HEAT PUMP 3 and HEAT PUMP 4. It’s a school night in St ...
Rescue pup Coltrane is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Coltrane’s human, Troy, for his support. Dog name: ColtraneAge: 2Breed: Labrador x InSinkeratorIf rescued, where from? Like his (human) dad, ...
When I next saw James, he was wiping his nose on a paper towel, the kind you get from beside a kitchen sink. The weather had suddenly turned, so he was wearing a dark jacket and an absurd little scarf that I thought made him look years older. Embarrassingly, I ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
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Well theres a Silver lining ! : )
I certainly recall….(having had lower echelon connectivity with Southern Polytechnic’s) The VERY Lucrative remuneration of same CEO’s. Also Ms Penny Simmonds…..Nat mp in waiting role. I’d say Mr Phil….Ker would be very similar politically..
Sour grapes from natfans…IMO.
Be sure that these were topics of intense discussion for lower echelon Staff !
We have to decide what our tertiary institutions are for. This government has signalled it wants polytechnics to provide a skilled workforce for building housing, infrastructure and health. They should not be a vessel for harvesting foreign cash with dodgy courses, a means to ship in cheap labour. They should train Kiwis old, new, and pending to do the jobs NZ needs them to do.
The chiefs of some of these "personal fiefdoms' will have been hooked on Steven Joyce's corrupt backdoor to residency model. Now they are throwing their toys out of the cot.
Penny Simmons, National Party MP, ex-chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology?
There was never much doubt of Penny’s political …ambition
Whatever happened to Sarah?
I see Hamish is big in Queenstown real estate nowadays.
Todd fled to London, afaik.
“Hamish Walker is out of the House and into the housing market.
The disgraced former Clutha-Southland MP has announced he is joining Harcourts as a real estate salesman in Queenstown.
Walker said he had qualified and worked in real estate before entering Parliament, and was now returning to his roots.
In July, the then-National MP announced he would not seek re-election after being found to have leaked private Covid-19 patient information to several media outlets.
Walker said this week he was looking forward to helping connect people to property and spending more time at home.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123310399/former-mp-hamish-walker-launches-real-estate-career-in-queenstown
looking forward to helping connect people to property
Ric…VERY Rich People…to Very Expensive Property : )
Ah the Gravy Train…….there is a better quality of Gravy with..the RIGHT Connections : )
Hi Muttonbird…and fkn Aye ! Keerist it was past time that Labour sorted this and other shit out. Good on them for pulling the comfy blanket remuneration away from some of these CEO's. I , as maybe you, see the Apprenticeships (Labour restarting ) and all other things in process to get young NZ a Future.
Doesn't seem to be much blanket pulling going on.
The (now departed) CEO of the new organization, Te Pūkenga was getting $688,235 – one of the highest public sector salaries in the country – and he appointed 6 deputies – on salaries higher than the incumbent polytechnic CEOs (all of whom were retained on the books).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/122774439/nzs-new-mega-polytech-to-pay-six-deputy-chief-executives-250k-to-400k-each
The total wages bill is now over $11 million (figures from 2021 – when they weren't fully operational – so expect it to be higher now) for 139 FTE staff.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/126785490/staff-wage-bill-for-tertiary-education-provider-te-pkenga-is-11m-boss-tells-mps
Hipkins wanted the organization to be:
In July, Hipkins said he expected NZIST would be “nimble” and not “another layer of management”.
Not seeing much sign that he's got what he wanted.
lol…..Mkay….. Belladonna. Happy now? : )
When my wife was studying at the local polytech less than 50% of her class were even turning up to class. Half the courses were for jobs that weren't there – e.g. travel agents. Lucrative cash generators but of little practical use given the low volume of jobs in that particular area and even lower vacancies due to hardly any turnover.
I would however like to see a return to the community college concept as well with all the delight educating and training in artistic and practical skills that community colleges used to provide. Second chance learning. Needs to be back to fully utilise secondary schools as well which should be a broader community asset.
“I would however like to see a return to the community college concept as well with all the delight educating and training in artistic and practical skills that community colleges used to provide. Second chance learning. Needs to be back to fully utilise secondary schools as well which should be a broader community asset.”
Absolutely. That… disappeared under Mr …Ker's "Leadership" and of course the sir Key Nat govt.
No need to ask whether I fought against….
Hence my pissed off at his and Penny's comments now.
There is a recurring theme here…..we appear incapable of reforming anything at all.
Sadly…some truth in that. BUT…we have to fight to try and make a difference. As ever.
For sure those at the "top" are fighting hard to maintain their Status…Quo.
"For sure those at the "top" are fighting hard to maintain their Status…Quo."
As ever was….ultimately futilely….the real problem is what form the change takes.
I can only speak from my experience watching the heartbreaking destruction of Unitec under the incompetent leadership of Rick Eade. If that was any guide then polytech CEO leadership has been long afflicted by an over supply of mediocre talent that has gigantic egos and an even bigger sense of hubris.
So..I assume that glowing brown nose….also steamed like a freshly laid cow turd on a winters morn : ) ?
Liam Sloan resigned from NMIT to become the CEO at ARA in Christchurch. Not really to be counted as a dis-allusioned CEO surely?
Just an observation:
Mercenary Mitchell has been very quiet during QT in the house lately.
Is it because he finds he can't puff and sneer quite so readily about Chris Hipkins as Police Minister as he thought he could against Poto?
Has the bully boy been intimidated by an articulate and forceful minister?
Poto is a nice woman. They are quite often the target du jour of the mercen..bull… Ah nat mp type.
They come unstuck against the likes of Jacinda. Who can eviscerate quite..nicely. As in their guts (?) are spilled…all nicely of course.
Chris would easily have the measure of these type of shitheads…also : )
"Has the bully boy been intimidated by an articulate and forceful minister?"
Of course he has. Bully boys (and bully girls for that matter) are not usually very bright. Their one source of power is to harass and intimidate those they perceive to be vulnerable. In the case of bully boys, women who have an ethnic background (ie. darker skin) are generally easy targets. He's going to have to call on his 'mates' inside the Police Force to keep him abreast of any meaty stories – don't have to be true – that he can hit Hipkins with in due course.
In his electorate he is known as being lazy. Without an easy mark, he can’t cut it.
So it turns out organic AI is already working quite smoothly and efficiently in service of the state as we speak…just watch the host of this show mechanically outline what she has been told to say and think about Unions and Workers….then for the next eighteen minutes, no matter what is said or explained to her, come back again and again and again to her original programming….unluckily for her she is sitting next to Eddie Dempsey from the RMT….watch and enjoy.
It’s a bit like reading The Guardian on Western foreign interventions or real progressive change..trained human bots spewing propaganda endlessly in service of power.
Eddie Dempsey nicely brings the media position in the UK on workers striking into sharp focus at about 12 minutes in….if you don't want to watch all 18 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fZe6Pq4hn4&t=1s
Ms Widdecomb didn't disappoint.
https://twitter.com/sturdyAlex/status/1132895182247084037
Brilliant-thanks for that Adrian.
"You took the money though and didn't give it back"
"Its a bit of a cheek saying the trade unions are being greedy asking for a pay rise when the profits of the footsie top 350 companies have gone up 73% since 2019. When are we going to ask are they being greedy"
"Companies taking huge profits out to tax havens" while workers wages continue to decline in real terms.
Labour need Dempsey as leader not Smarmy Starmer.
Meanwhile Starmer has sacked a frontbench MP who joined the picket line:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/27/sam-tarry-sacked-labour-frontbench-rail-strike-picket-line-keir-starmer
Funny AND True
Of course The Guardian are in no position to take the moral high ground on this (or anything I can think of), no can or should forget that it was The Guardian who actively led the charge to undermine and destroy Jeremy Corbyn, that has now given the UK that piece of shit Centrist Liberal, Starmer…and it goes without saying that Corbyn would have been on the picket lines with his progressive MP's had he still been leader of the Labour Party.
Sure, however I think the Forde report outlines the factionalism inside the party was more responsible than a newspaper.
Both UK Labour and the NZ Labour party have a crisis of ideology:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62226042
Corbyn should have purged all the Centrist out…but he was and is too much of a inclusionist to ever do that, I guess he didn't realize that Centrists are as fundamentalist about their ideology as any communist ever was about theirs….still it was probably his biggest mistake IMO.
Funny the BBC reporting on it, as they, at the time, were some of the most openly biased against him……
Agreed Adrian…the Guardian's reporting of the anti-semitic issue was scandalous. This and its less than friendly reporting on Corbyn's Brexit position condemned Labour to lose the last election, which is presumably the outcome the Guardian wanted-Boris instead of Jeremy.
"Labour need Dempsey as leader not Smarmy Starmer"…Yes they do, either him or Mick Lynch…then we would instantly get to see The Guardian and all other so called 'Liberal' press show their real colours, and do the job they are their for..undermining real progressive change (that and selling Western Imperialist wars and interventions as the moral high ground to the Liberal class)…
How The Guardian Betrayed Not Only Corbyn But The Last Vestiges Of British Democracy
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2008/S00085/how-the-guardian-betrayed-not-only-corbyn-but-the-last-vestiges-of-british-democracy.htm
The Guardian was despicable in its Corbyn takedown, especially that awful Jonathan Freedland. After every anti-Corbyn article, I went looking for the anti-semitism he was supposed to have engaged in, and could never find anything more than puerile conjecture and upsetting the Israeli govt.
Ken Loach says it better than anyone else:
https://youtu.be/PVP6PlX_UUA
The thing that really grind my gears about The Guardian is that, even after being exposed time and again as being nothing more than Free Market Imperialist Trojan horse that more than any other news source really undermines any serious progressive movement…yet so many 'Lefties' still take it seriously and trust it as a news source….put it this way…there hasn't been a Western intervention the Guardian hasn't supported since Iraq…enough said!!
Interim Cass report indicated changes would be coming for the UK's primary gender clinic, the Tavistock.
Yesterday it was announced the treatment of minors would be transferred to two regional centres, where a comprehensive set of professional support services would be utilised.
https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Cass-Review-Letter-to-NHSE_19-July-2022.pdf
For those that have been following these reviews, this appears to be another significant move away from the "affirming healthcare" model we have for minors here in NZ.
Following that announcement, the Telegraph has published a personal account from a detransitioner. Link below to non-paywalled copy:
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2F2022%2F07%2F28%2Fhad-gone-gender-transition-would-have-committed-suicide%2F
It's great news for evidence-based care and a potential return to sanity for gender-confused youth in England and Wales. Finally, a proper review of the outcome for youth on puberty blockers and hormones and some decent clinical trials to be done on these off-label drugs. The sloppiness of care for young people for whom notes were not properly kept and outcomes not measured is astounding.
The big question I have is, will this be reported in New Zealand media?
Will the Ministry of Health finally admit that puberty blockers are not "safe and reversible"?
When will the government call for a similar review of gender-affirming care, in line with the concerning findings of the Cass Review?
Especially after this week, when the FDA put out a warning that puberty blockers may cause serious side effects, it seems irresponsible for the Ministry to still be pushing these drugs are "safe" and "irreversible" when these drugs have not undergone clinical trials to prove such an assertion (https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/20636/Risk-of-pseudotumor-cerebri-added-to-labeling-for?autologincheck=redirected).
Or is political virtue signalling more important than evidence-based care of vulnerable youth?
post up now, would love to hear your further thoughts if you have time.
https://thestandard.org.nz/why-is-the-uks-only-youth-gender-identity-clinic-closing-and-what-does-this-mean-for-new-zealand/
I guess he's FO what happens when you FA.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/taupo-man-graham-philip-charged-with-sabotage-believed-to-be-first-in-new-zealand-history/ZHOBLOZT5JG5HI4UGXGUQUUHJ4/
A couple of thoughts. First, these anti-vax types are clearly capable of a terrorist outrage. This guy is being held for doing something very serious – otherwise he'd be out on bail. Look at the recent bomb threats to schools, apparently robocalls from an overseas location making bomb threats in relation to mask mandates. I don't know about you, but I would have thought an offshore account making bomb threats to schools would pretty much complete the bingo card to make sure you end up on the Five Eyes Kanban board "Work in Progress" column. These people are idiots, but they are dangerous idiots.
Secondly, recent events have shown how monumentally stupid Geoffrey Palmer's
reformsrepeal of the sedition laws were. In some respects a high water mark of globalist, neoliberal anti-statist law making it has really, really hobbled an effective state response to the anti-vax movement and the rise of seditious behaviour. The repeal of the sedition laws were informed by an ideology that saw the state as a sunset institution that was no longer deserved to be protected by archiac laws.Well, we definitely need some sort of sedition law if only to protect those arrested from being charged with more serious offenses under anti-terror laws.
To be fair to Geoffrey Palmer, in the 1980s I don't think he could have envisaged the current state of play around the world today and the rise of despotic presidents together with their collective millions of loopy and braindead followers – some of which live in NZ.
The best description yet from the fallout of neoliberalism. Roger and Ruth should be hanging their heads in shame.
Mr Kemara has thoughts.
https://twitter.com/Te_Taipo/status/1552763988085092352
I was eating a magnum in parliament and wanted to throw away the wrapper. At that moment Christopher Luxon rounded the corner.
Me (holding up magnum wrapper): Where's ya bin?
Christopher: I've been in Te Puke. Thanks for asking.
Me: No no. Where's ya wheelie bin?
Christopher: Oh. I've really been in Hawaii, but I tell people Te Puke.
That is like the old joke about New Zealanders:
Kiwi person #1: "What's a Hindu?"
Kiwi person #2: "It lays iggs."
Luxon is a better handyman than his mentor then: Key couldn't hammer a nail, but Luxon can round a corner.
About that Kamala Harris introduction everyone's piling in on.
https://twitter.com/Johanna_Ann/status/1552471527500775424
own goal from the GC people this week. So fucking stupid.
Domino effect persists in UK,as housing restrictions on new builds are in effect,due to lack of grid capacity for electricity supply,due to demand from energy hungry data centres,Heat pumps and EV charging.
https://twitter.com/GeorgeNHammond/status/1552552547474456578
Australian electricity consumers can expect Nightmare bills as wholesale markets rocket.The grid upgrades and carbon taxes will further increase electricity costs going forward,add to inflation hence increased consumer costs,and transfer of jobs to lower cost manufacturing economies such as NZ.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-29/aemo-reports-record-wholesale-power-price-customer-nightmare/101279554
Well they could just burn some more coal for all their much needed gadgets and stuff.
And if they wanted to appear as Green and considerate for the planet, they could like us not mine themselves but import coal from countries that are far away from us and where we don't care ab9out the pollution cause it is there and not here near by.
Actually Asia and Europe are using coal in record amounts as global gas prices skyrocket.(as does OZ)
Here we only import coal for the Rankine units at huntly.Industrial use is all local production and being replace by heat pump boilers.
Well it appears that they will have to import more coal, or start mining again themselves.
Fwiw, our Hydro Dams are looking good thanks to the relentless rain that we had. That gives me a big happy. Points still stands, we are importing cheap Indonesian coal to generate electricty.
this is from last year: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-importing-record-amount-of-coal-to-power-homes-and-businesses/3ZLXNQYGRXIOAEWAA5XWF344JM/#:~:text=%22Coal%20imported%20during%202020%20was,tonnes%20consumed%20for%20electricity%20generation.%22
The government: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/energy-statistics-and-modelling/energy-statistics/coal-statistics/
more statistics:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1084011/new-zealand-coal-import-volume/
blablabla, we should not laugh at people whilst we are sharing the same boat.
We the People / He Tangata must make a decision to cut on electricity consumption, one way or another. Energy Wars, Water Wars all that stuff is happening already, its creeping into our 'save western first highly advanced' world, and should no longer delude ourselfs that us doing as they do is lesser or better. It is not.
I make funny noises about E – Cars not because I don't like driving. I grew up in Germany and driving on a good road with no speed limit and a car/bike is awesome fun. So is riding a bike. Or walking. Or taking the train.
I make these noises because we already don't generate the Energy we want to consume, we supplement with fossil fuels because of that 'want' and we He Tangata need to bend our mind around that we need to Want less.
E-cars, Heat Pumps, electronic storage/gadgets use energy. That energy needs t o come from somewhere and we should finally get honest and candid about where it is going to come from. Cause those E-cars don't drive without the E.
Is this the 'power down' thing?
More an ESG thing which causes a transfer of demand (unquantified) like high immigration makes us have the highest cost housing,rents,a substantive infrastructure quagmire etc.
I'd go more with energy decline rather than governance and social license….remembering that all the demanded infrastructure requires yet more energy.
the UK is the use transformation ,from making things to data centres,and electrification of bus fleets etc.
Here we are producing and consuming the same amount of electricity,it is only the generation type mix that is changed ( gas replaced 50% by wind) consumption has transformed from industry and primary production (decrease) to residential and commercial use (the latter being blingy signs at the mall)
Globally….remember the bulk of our energy is sourced from fossil…which will not be replaced by electricity anytime soon….and likely never.
You also need to remember that a huge amount of FF is used in transporting FF,40% of shipping for example.The 2 largest population country's,are mostly dependent of FF for energy,and more importantly for food, food transport and transformation.
Australia with a substantive renewable (solar,wind .hydro) has problems with actually getting it into the grid when needed,and which to reorient the systems (with go round availability ) is close to 22B.
They also have problems with their pumped hydro,due to there being too much water (overfill dams)
Not just transporting FF, but also extracting, refining and transporting minerals (materials)…without which none of the infrastructure can occur.
The reducing availability of energy is going to force some very difficult decisions.
The countries it affects most are developing.
Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,Pakistan,India,Laos,Myanmar.
https://twitter.com/SStapczynski/status/1552587708446707712?cxt=HHwWgMDUye-S84srAAAA
The countries it affects FIRST are the developing countries….always going to be the case as a bidding war begins….then we move to national interest as the countries with the resources hold on to them (or dispense them for political gain)…anyone spring to mind?
A quick look around the globe reveals that the 'first world' are somewhat energy (and minerally) challenged.
High prices also see demand destruction (the US saw gasoline volumes decrease 3%).Europe diesel is well down in consumption.
Australia is not renewing its fuel subsidy,here we kept it decrease inflationary pressures ( and interest rates down) If we removed the subsidy on fuel and RT would we see an uptake on PT? Auckland PT use is the worst in years (excluding lockdown).
https://at.govt.nz/about-us/reports-publications/at-metro-patronage-report/
Youre still thinking local…..we import (currently, the time will come when that option disappears) virtually everything we need to maintain our economy….many western economies are similarly placed, with the addition of the fact they are net food importers.
I was thinking more in terms of peak money,as we are a debtor nation and how we can pay down our commitments,b4 we totally munt our economy.
Thats a problem facing everyone…the old adage of not needing to outrun the bear may apply.
Households are working more towards living within their means,with larger repayments in their mortgage debt (front loading) and increased household savings 17 billion in the last year,2.1 billion in the last month.
High prices see householders move to a war footing fast,and not so much revenge vacationing as Europe and the US.
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/series/registered-banks/banks-liabilities-deposits-by-sector
Yep, had seen that…is worth remembering thats aggregate data…those who can are, many are unable.
Wage increases have also added over a billion to employees over the last yr
https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/employment-indicators-june-2022/
https://www.stats.govt.nz/topics/labour-market
Youth employment going up .
15–19 years – up 16.9 percent (19,180 jobs)
a lot of the inflation is in Shelter (rent and housing building cost) and utilities such as rates (which are out of control) which does add to rent costs.
Yep and until that employment rate/ remuneration falls the RBNZ will keep hiking (unless the FED reverses first)
One of the Fed analysts said the problem was not so much employment (an indicator) but mor about high shelter costs with new build costs increasing 17% y on y (familiar) and increased interest rates will see both a decrease in housing prices and costs.
There has been also a move out of corporate residential housing purchases in the US,and the decrease in finacialization ( speculators) has seen a decrease in commodity prices as they return to value stocks.
https://twitter.com/charliebilello/status/1552130138804047873
Scroll down for NZ.
"Last week, the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in more than eight months. It’s a warning sign foreshadowing what’s to come. Jobless claims for the week ending July 15 increased to 251,000, representing the most significant spike since the pandemic time period of November 13 last year, when 265,000 Americans applied for benefits. The Department of Labor also pointed out that employers advertised fewer jobs in May, another signal of a declining job market, which the Fed is hoping for."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/07/22/why-the-fed-needs-to-crush-the-economy-and-job-market-to-save-it/?sh=15b86afe43b9
(Unable to scroll twitter as I dont have account.)
Central Banks have one blunt tool to curb inflation (when credibility lost)….and it induces unemployment.
Glass half full with employment data,as the open available vacancies fell to 11.3 million ( update next week)
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
Fast food position in California is no good to redundant mortgage broker from New York…x 1000s
True,not good for land agents here (they will have more articles in herald etc)
GDP figures (and inflation) coming out of Europe now,with strong gdp in Italy,Spain,France. Germany just broke even at .1% Attribution is west,south Europe is from Tourism.
If Italy keeps that up they may return their economy to the size it was pre GFC.
and attribution is west means?
West / spain /portugal/ France ( mostly med though)
Italy lost a good PM ,he had reduced reliance on Russian gas,with increased supply from Algeria (and deal coming with israel) The big fail with the italian economy was the Euro which constrained growth,they are whist indebted the housing market (like spain has been stable) Germany had a large increase in housing cost (value)
Greece is also insulated from Russian gas,as it gets supplied from Azerbaijan.
Powerdown is an intentional strategy. This looks more like decades of ignoring the limits of growth merging with the covid/brexit/climate crisis. Be good if we looked at a sustainable and resilient response rather than chasing green BAU.
The EU has started the single largest intentional energy use reduction we've seen since the 1979 oil crisis. Doesn't have to fit anyone's specific definition. Certainly won't run as any prophet foretold.
This is nothing like Business As Usual for nearly 500 million people and for all EU governments as well as the UK, and it is as permanent as the eye can see. COVID and the Ukraine War is the acceleration of change that's been waiting to happen.
9 of the top 10 countries leading an energy transition are already in Europe or the EEA:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/these-countries-are-leading-the-transition-to-sustainable-energy/#:~:text=Sweden%2C%20Norway%20and%20Denmark%20have,Energy%20Transition%20Index%20(ETI).
Yeah but only Norway,Iceland,and NZ are non nuke.Norway also has one of the highest consumption rates in the world ,
Right now real time production is 14.68 gw, local consumption is 11.24 rest exported.
And a heck of a lot of Norway's internal green energy consumption is funded by their North Sea oil exports.
https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/norway-s-new-oil-bonanza-holds-lessons-for-britain
They also lost over 200 billion in investment value in their wealth fund,due to investment in meme stock.
But are UK and Australian owners following suit and trying to limit alternative generation?
https://twitter.com/hcrystal/status/1552265815105339392
https://www.yahoo.com/news/leaked-us-power-companies-secretly-110017016.html
When Florida Power & Light faced a spate of bad publicity and political blowback, a small but ambitious news website called the Capitolist sprang to the public utility’s defense.
[…]
While portraying itself as a feisty independent outlet, the Capitolist — which aims its content directly at Tallahassee decision makers — was bankrolled and controlled by executives of the power company through a small group of trusted intermediaries from an Alabama consulting firm, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald, based on a massive leak of documents. The internal communications, contracts and financial records show how a team of elite communications experts consulting for FPL plucked the Capitolist from obscurity and used it as part of an elaborate, off-the-books political strategy to advocate for rate hikes, agitate for legislative favors, slam political opponents and eliminate anything — even home solar panels — that the publicly traded utility worried might undermine its near monopoly on selling power in the Sunshine State.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article263757423.html
The arguments are complex in the US,as the generation mix changes are dependent on tax breaks (accelerated depreciation) and subsidy replacing what is effectively low carbon generation.
https://twitter.com/lenhe_j/status/1552646381155692550?cxt=HHwWjMClqYnqjYwrAAAA
In the inflation bill introduced the US has recognized the importance of E=mc2,and brought in taxbreaks for existing infrastructure,and subsidy for the grid upgrades necessary for intermittent power such as wind ad solar ( need to modulate frequency)
"TOKYO — People in a southwestern Japanese city have come under attack from monkeys that are trying to snatch babies, biting and clawing at flesh, and sneaking into nursery schools.
The attacks — on 58 people since July 8 — are getting so bad Yamaguchi city hall hired a special unit to hunt the animals with tranquilizer guns."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/japanese-city-alarmed-by-biting-clawing-attacking-monkeys/2022/07/27/a9e9ddec-0d8c-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html
Shocking survey findings:
https://www.renews.co.nz/1-in-6-nzers-have-experienced-homelessness-new-study-finds/
The Greens are trying to pressure the Government to extend eligibility for the Cost of Living payment to those on benefits and pensions:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/07/greens-want-cost-of-living-payment-extended-to-kiwis-on-benefit-more-permanent-solutions-to-address-inequality.html
Enacting the recommendations of WEAG report when?
What's the word on the street on Tuiono?
Does he have enough backing to put his name in the ring by Thursday?
Be serious.
I would like to apologize for my angry rants on this site for the last year or two, especially the long ones.
I've been allowing my mental health and cynicism to get the better of me and attacking fellow progressives because I just see everything getting worse for poorer people, I also really care about the left and want it to be successful and sometimes that passion can sometimes turn into near hatred of things I support.
Anyway, I'm not going to comment on here or other sites for awhile and I’m going try to avoid politics in general for awhile while I work on my mental health, hopefully I can learn to love politics and be hopeful and engage in discourse in a healthy and kind way in future.
All the best to everyone on this blog and solidarity with you all.
I will miss your posts Corey
Best wishes from a glass half-empty fellow traveller – go well.
Now imagine the crimes they’re not recording and posting.
https://twitter.com/vokiratas/status/1552759641104334848
A horrific video posted online on Thursday appears to show a Ukrainian prisoner of war being castrated by his Russian captors.
[…]
The victim in the video wears Ukrainian-style camouflage fatigues and is shown gagged, his hands tied behind his back. He lies helpless on the floor as the man in a Russian uniform, which features a “Z” patch, uses a box cutter to cut off his clothes and then appears to castrate him while shouting degrading insults in Russian. At least two other men who appear to be Russian soldiers can be seen in the video.
https://news.yahoo.com/horrifying-footage-appears-to-show-russian-captors-castrating-a-ukrainian-prisoner-of-war-221414554.html