Open Mike 29/10/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 29th, 2016 - 66 comments
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66 comments on “Open Mike 29/10/2016 ”

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    • ianmac 1.1
      29 October 2016 at 8:51 am

      Interesting Pat. Here the catch would be that English and Trump want to lower taxes when there would be a need to raise taxes to fund such a scheme.

      • pat 1.1.1
        29 October 2016 at 9:03 am

        Am of the opinion a UBI could only function as part of a wholesale resetting of how our economy works….trying to bolt one on to existing structures is a guarantee of its failure.

        • xanthe 1.1.1.1
          29 October 2016 at 9:16 am

          i agree with your opinion there pat

        • BM 1.1.1.2
          29 October 2016 at 9:20 am

          Which is why it’s time hasn’t arrived.

          Once the economy starts to fail due to automation/robotics then a UBI will probably be looked at.

          • pat 1.1.1.2.1
            29 October 2016 at 9:24 am

            that sounds like a National strategy BM…wait till the shit hits the fan before you do anything about it.

            • BM 1.1.1.2.1.1
              29 October 2016 at 9:34 am

              it’s not a bad strategy as long as you’ve got a plan in place, that way you can adapt more quickly and effectively, speculating on what may may not happen is fraught with danger and ends up just being, a massive money pit.

              You don’t want to waste your resources on a event that may never occur or may occur but not for a very long time.

              The current system is ticking along nicely, I see no reason to change it.

              • Garibaldi …
                29 October 2016 at 9:45 am

                “Ticking along nicely”…. we can tell you’re on Planet Key. “Ticking along nicely “…. yeah, just like a time bomb.

              • pat …
                29 October 2016 at 9:45 am

                “it’s not a bad strategy as long as you’ve got a plan in place,”…except they haven’t and poor decisions are made under pressure.

                “You don’t want to waste your resources on a event that may never occur or may occur but not for a very long time.”…..you would have to be wilfully blind or stupid…or both, to not see what is already here.

                “the current system is ticking along nicely, I see no reason to change it.”….which is it?…wilfully blind, or stupid?

                • BM …
                  29 October 2016 at 9:52 am

                  You need to broaden your horizons pat and start mingling with people who aren’t complete sad sacks.
                  it’s not all doom and gloom for every one.

                  • pat …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:00 am

                    do you mean sad sacks like the WEF?

                    “Without urgent and targeted action today to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with futureproof skills, governments will have to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality, and businesses with a shrinking consumer base,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.”

                    Im picking “both”

                  • Richard Rawshark …
                    29 October 2016 at 11:00 am

                    -it’s not all doom and gloom for every one. quote from BM..classics 101

                    No just for people starting out a family, oir leaving school, retired, or unwell, mentally ill, homeless, poor, unemployed, unemployable, and..

                    The rich are having a whale of a good old time though .. so sweet as, can’t wait for that trickle down?

                  • AB …
                    29 October 2016 at 7:59 pm

                    “It’s not all doom and gloom for eveyone”
                    The economy and society should work for everyone.
                    There are states of desperation and unhappiness that fall short of “doom and gloom” so you are setting the bar too low

                    • BM …
                      29 October 2016 at 8:13 pm

                      The economy and society should work for everyone.

                      Nothing can ever be 100%.

                      What’s that saying

                      If you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing nobody.

                    • AB []
                      30 October 2016 at 8:02 am

                      “Nothing can ever be 100%”.
                      Right. So therefore we are under no obligation to try and improve things. Let’s just tick along, nothing’s perfect and I’m alright Jack.

              • Richard Rawshark …
                29 October 2016 at 10:05 am

                Robots still need a heavy list of backup services, jobs switch to automation programming and maintenance.

                Not sure of the future you see as being as devoind of employment as you imagine. I agree process work will diminish in more developed countries, but there is always something to do, for those whop get off their arses and look.

                A UBI would be good but it would not stop me doing something worthwhile the only benefits I really see is people will have more time to be kind, help and do the things we never had time for before.

                Society I think will be better without so much the need to earn a living. Social outcomes of good, would skyrocket I hope.

                • pat …
                  29 October 2016 at 10:26 am

                  “Robots (computers) still need a heavy list of backup services, jobs switch to automation programming and maintenance.”

                  indeed they do….and the proportion of the population capable of that work is not high.

                  “Not sure of the future you see as being as devoind of employment as you imagine. I agree process work will diminish in more developed countries, but there is always something to do, for those whop get off their arses and look”

                  yes…but at what recompense, if any?

                  “A UBI would be good but it would not stop me doing something worthwhile the only benefits I really see is people will have more time to be kind, help and do the things we never had time for before.”

                  a UBI is not designed to stop you from doing something worthwhile, indeed it is supposed to facilitate that,and ultimately it is designed to provide the (means of) necessities of life where the (future) market cannot.

                  Money (in all its forms including UBI) is simply a means of rationing resources….a UBI in itself will not solve problems of resource access (or poverty if you like)

                  • Richard Rawshark …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:57 am

                    In all you say Pat, I was too trying to point out to BM, though your use of comprehension technics certainly exceeds my ability.

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    29 October 2016 at 11:06 am

                    indeed they do….and the proportion of the population capable of that work is not high.

                    Higher than you think. Maintenance of machines in place is plug-n-play which anyone can do. Once it’s beyond that point in its life-cycle it should be recycled and the resources in it reused – which should also be automated.

                    yes…but at what recompense, if any?

                    Ah, but with a UBI paid by the government would people need any?

                    Money (in all its forms including UBI) is simply a means of rationing resources….a UBI in itself will not solve problems of resource access (or poverty if you like)

                    No, to do that would require democratic control of the nations resources so that groups of people with similar interests can work together to get their projects going. There’s isn’t enough resources for each individual to do their own thing but their are enough resources for groups to work together.

                    • pat …
                      29 October 2016 at 12:12 pm

                      “Higher than you think. Maintenance of machines in place is plug-n-play which anyone can do. Once it’s beyond that point in its life-cycle it should be recycled and the resources in it reused – which should also be automated”

                      beg to differ….experience has taught that “passionate finger” syndrome is alive and well….the owners of that capital (be they private or community) will not be willing to carry those costs. I believe the future is at very real risk of emphasising a societal split between less and more,the direct opposite i suspect of your hoped for outcome.

                      “No, to do that would require democratic control of the nations resources so that groups of people with similar interests can work together to get their projects going. There’s isn’t enough resources for each individual to do their own thing but their are enough resources for groups to work together.”

                      Inclined to agree and is why some form of managed economy will be required….not the laissez faire debacle we currently enjoy(?).

                • BM …
                  29 October 2016 at 10:37 am

                  Looking forward there will no doubt be a reduction in the amount of available work for the average meat unit.

                  A UBI would be good but it would not stop me doing something worthwhile the only benefits I really see is people will have more time to be kind, help and do the things we never had time for before.

                  I think it would be more along the lines of
                  The devil makes work for idle hands

                  Society I think will be better without so much the need to earn a living. Social outcomes of good, would skyrocket I hope.

                  Most people need to have a purpose, be striving for something, sitting around just existing would tire very quickly for most.

                  • Richard Rawshark …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:54 am

                    Very pessimistic outlook on the human species there BM, I see why you vote right, there nasty policies must suit your perceptions of what they deserve.

                    • Pasupial …
                      29 October 2016 at 12:57 pm

                      That “doom and gloom” does make BM sound like a “complete sad sack”. Or is that assertion of his just a way to disparage others?

                  • Gangnam Style …
                    29 October 2016 at 8:29 pm

                    “The economy and society should work for everyone.
                    Nothing can ever be 100%.
                    What’s that saying
                    If you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing nobody.”

                    – Then lets tax the fuck out of the top 10-20%, share out the rest, the top 10-20% might moan that it’s not fair but “If you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing nobody.” right BM?

                  • North …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:56 pm

                    Ha ha ! The Calvinist Bowel Motion. No calypso music in that. Off for re-education Bowel……

        • Richard Rawshark 1.1.1.3
          29 October 2016 at 9:38 am

          I agree pat.

    • Brigid 1.2
      29 October 2016 at 12:35 pm

      There’s no need for a pilot. The research’s been done.

      ” Dauphin, a small farming town of 10,000 people in Manitoba that was once home to one of North America’s largest and most ambitious experiments in basic income.”
      “In 1974, about 1,000 residents began receiving monthly payments with no strings attached.”

      In 2011 “Evelyn Forget, a professor at the University of Manitoba, dug up the data in hopes of getting a sense of the project’s outcomes. What she found was promising. Hospitalisations, accidents, injuries and mental health issues had all declined when the stipend were flowing into the community. “That’s just a huge finding for a country like Canada that spends so much on hospitals every year,” said Forget.”

      Please do read the report
      https://public.econ.duke.edu/~erw/197/forget-cea%20%282%29.pdf

      • pat 1.2.1
        29 October 2016 at 12:39 pm

        lol…pot kettle…I read the article, you failed to mention….

        “The payments flowed for four years, turning Dauphin into a potent test site for the policy. But the project’s budget of $17m – the equivalent of about $85m today – ran short halfway through the project, hindering data collection. A growing federal push for austerity along with a change in Manitoba’s government in 1977 sounded the final death knell for the project.”…
        and…
        “Dauphin wasn’t considered an ideal representative of the labour market; many people were working seasonally, wages were low and nobody belonged to a union. Four decades on, the town seems prescient, said Forget. “Now if you look at the Canadian economy, the whole economy is starting to look like a small town labour market.”

        • Brigid 1.2.1.1
          29 October 2016 at 1:30 pm

          You’ve quoted from the Guardian article. I assumed everybody read it. Why should I mention it?
          I’m not sure what your point is.

          • pat 1.2.1.1.1
            29 October 2016 at 2:36 pm

            apologies….I took your “Please do read the report” and “There’s no need for a pilot. The research’s been done.” as suggesting I had posted without reading the linked article.

            As to my point, well mainly that the quoted Dauphin study was not a good sample and the study was incomplete. I think it fair to say that no government will proceed with a UBI without further up to date and appropiate trials and the more the better. If any form of UBI is going to provide anything like the hoped for outcomes I suspect there is going to be an awful lot of trial and error and modification along the way.

    • Morrissey 2.1
      29 October 2016 at 10:52 am

      Why should Russia not be on the Council? The United Kingdom is on it, as are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Philippines, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, and China.

      The countries in bold are all supporters of ISIS. Russia, for all its crimes, is not in the same league as those countries.

      • Pasupial 2.1.1
        29 October 2016 at 1:06 pm

        Don’t forget the US. Sending robotic death machines into the skies of countries that it hasn’t declared war with to carry out semi-targeted extrajudicial killings (with many collateral deaths), would seem grounds to disqualify a country from any human rights council.

        By excluding Russia, the UN is reducing its own power not Putin’s.

  3. ianmac 3
    29 October 2016 at 9:03 am

    “Paul Henry reveals why he hates people.”
    Crikey! This chap is unbalanced! Worth a read though.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11737753

    • joe90 3.1
      29 October 2016 at 9:13 am

      I thought I was up there with the very worst of the misanthropes, but apparently not.

    • Richard Rawshark 3.2
      29 October 2016 at 9:45 am

      Ianmac, did you get through reading it, think I got down to paragrapgh 2 and just couldn’t take the style of writing, the obnoxious view point, it made me feel sick.

      Paul H , there’s reasons why assault laws should be rewritten as I truly believe those that stay outside the laws and are that nasty, offensive and cause social harm, need some form of a swift smack upside the head to snap them out of it, make them realize their actually ARE consequences to being a complete opinionated nasty piece of verbal vermin.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.3
      29 October 2016 at 11:25 am

      It’s fairly typical of the RWNJ mindset:

      Aaron Gilmore, eh? He’s clearly finished in the National Party. Not for the view he expressed when he threatened to get a young waiter sacked, but because by doing so he’s lifted the veil on the carefully covered elitism that drives the national party’s agenda.

    • RedBaronCV 3.4
      29 October 2016 at 11:48 am

      Looks like the Herald reproduced most of it verbatim maybe so they couldn’t be sued and a lot of it is truly revolting. But printing this negative a story about a favoured commentator, now that is interesting, who or what is on the way out? I remember Bob Clarkson the MP getting similar treatment from the media.

      Also a few comments there that made me wonder if he was euphoric/ depressed and or had some other similar issues? The random relocations and reversing recent decisions were interesting.

    • Brigid 3.5
      29 October 2016 at 4:29 pm

      That’s hilarious. The man is fucked in the head. His synapses are misfiring all over the where.

    • Richard Rawshark 4.1
      29 October 2016 at 9:40 am

      God James three/four days the admins have set up a dedicated US election thread and you still post in the daily one about the US election.

      and have blaring notifications on every thread telling you.

      Get with the program foooool.

  5. Herodotus 5
    29 October 2016 at 9:48 am

    After finding about Max Keys idea of what real men do.
    Joe Jackson may help out …
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA65lg1HWt4
    http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe+jackson/real+men_20072749.html
    ps I like JJ, even when he plays a supporting role to Capt. Kirk
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5m76m_william-shatner-sings-pulp-common-p_music

    • Heather Grimwood 5.1
      29 October 2016 at 10:54 am

      to Herodotus at 5: Thanks for introducing this usually with-it great-gran to Joe Jackson! great video to show to growing kids, or to remind others who never progress from being one, that they could see the way to become a citizen of worth.
      I was in process of commending Bryan Gould’s ‘Real Men’ as a hugely competent article on same theme, when I found your comment. If it has already been on TS somewhere, I apologise….been bit busy this week to scan at leisure.

  6. greywarshark 6
    29 October 2016 at 9:52 am

    I have found this discussion with illustrations with satirical cynical cartoons.
    Rules for Rulers – about 19 mins and should be seen by all particularly the teenagers who would see it as part of civic and political education. Never saw or heard anything so cogent while I was at school.
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

    This brings the name CGP Grey to my attention and it seems there is more from this site with the cartoon background. I guess others have already found this site and have opinions about it. It sees different and fresh. Deceptively simple.

  7. Incognito 7
    29 October 2016 at 1:49 pm

    A good piece in the NZ Herald yesterday Elizabeth Stanley: ‘Responsibility’ won’t fix poverty but caring might.

    I highlight some of the most salient sentences but I recommend reading the whole article.

    Responsibilisation has become a dominant feature of the Government’s approach to significant social problems.

    …

    This data passes above our heads like the digital statistics that wrap around our stock exchange. Constantly updating, but ever present, the knowledge of endemic poverty has become normalised.

    …

    However, our best research repeatedly tells us that other crimes, including family violence or youth crime, are linked to poverty and inequalities.

    …

    Our current talk on responsibilisation insists those communities with the highest levels of poverty have to deliver solutions for their “risks”.

  8. UncookedSelachimorpha 8
    29 October 2016 at 3:52 pm

    Great news in a landmark ruling from from the UK employment court, on a case taken by the GMB Union. This could hopefully have a flow on effect to NZ.

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/28/uber-uk-tribunal-self-employed-status

    Uber is no longer allowed to pretend its workers are “self-employed contractors”, thus evading minimum wages, holiday pay etc. This phony “contracting” is rife in NZ also.

    Uber is valued at $60+ billion, while its workers can end up taking home wages that are well below minimum wage. Of course Uber are appealing…

    • Siobhan 8.1
      29 October 2016 at 6:36 pm

      Best story all week. Actually possibly one of the best ‘Workers Fight Back” of the year.

  9. Richard Rawshark 9
    29 October 2016 at 4:00 pm

    SO Yesterday HNZ comes out and says it only evicted 5 people from HNZ housing for Meth, today it’s 117, because HNZ only counted those they used a bailiff to get out, the rest they served 90 day notices on.

    This is how our government tells us the people the truth and if for no other reason alone why this government should quite frankly be arrested pending investigation into what they really have been up too.

    Enoughs e fucvking nuff

  10. Richard Rawshark 10
    29 October 2016 at 5:42 pm

    When I first started using the internet it was mostly comprised of dialing up universities or BBS’s, for forums and news, then it developed for years it was lovely and peaceful I could get good accurate info and browse in peace.

    Now every time I start reading something suddenly blaring video’s and noise start piercing my ears. What’s with all the damn adverts.

    • BM 10.1
      29 October 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Use an ad blocker Richard.

      Also, this maybe of interest

      Google Scholar is an online, freely accessible search engine that lets users look for both physical and digital copies of articles. It searches a wide variety of sources, including academic publishers, universities, and preprint depositories looking for: Peer-reviewed articles. Theses.

      https://scholar.google.co.nz/

  11. Muttonbird 11
    29 October 2016 at 6:36 pm

    Car crash of an interview with a drunk Paul Henry in the Herald today.

    Farrar of course went into bat for his soulmate and thinks the whole thing is a great joke, from the expletive laden bashing of ordinary Kiwi travellers to the sexual subjectification of the women at the next table.

    I’m in the publicity business so my question to the publicist, who was there the whole time presumably to reign in the worst of Henry’s excesses, is ‘were you also drunk?’

    Also, why is it that the libertarian crowd like Henry, Farrar, and Hooten not accept that not everyone has the same experiences as them? If I didn’t travel much I’d be unsure, confused, and intimidated by the security process but these clowns use that as a stick to beat people who are not as ‘worldly’ as they.

    Make me wonder if the far right has any idea what it is like too be a regular person on the modern world.

    It can only be a matter of time before the Paul Henry phenomenon implodes. He really seems unhinged.

    • Richard Rawshark 11.1
      29 October 2016 at 7:32 pm

      I wish he was, he’d be easier to get rid.

      Thinks it more the fact the naughty little boys can get away with it.

      As for Hooten… he must think he’s bulletproof the amount of people after his hide.

  12. xanthe 12
    29 October 2016 at 7:36 pm

    https://archive.fo/1inAb
    Interesting discussion of war and propaganda

    For example
    ” These organisations are known as the liberal media. They present themselves as enlightened, progressive tribunes of the moral zeitgeist. They are anti-racist, pro-feminist and pro-LGBT.
    And they love war.
    While they speak up for feminism, they support rapacious wars that deny the rights of countless women, including the right to life.”

  13. Morrissey 13
    29 October 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Al Jazeera’s outrageously biased “news” is a scandal.
    Al Jazeera News, Saturday 29 October 2016, 8 p.m.

    Shameless black propaganda, like rust, never sleeps. As ISIL terrorists in Aleppo step up their attacks in Aleppo, the official television outlet for the ISIL-supporting Qatari dictatorship is pulling no stops.…

    PETER DOBBIE: [reading slowly, striving to achieve maximum gravitas] Syrian forces in Aleppo are preparing for the final assault against what THEY call “terrorists.”

    Dobbie intoned darkly about “the Syrian regime and its main military guarantor, Russia”, then notably brightened to inform viewers how the brave “opposition fighters” (in fact, ISIS) are “responding with car bombs and rocket attacks.”

    Of course, anyone wishing to learn something about the Syrian insurrection, as opposed to accepting this dismal misinformation campaign masquerading as news from the likes of Peter Dobbie and Rory Challands, will consult serious and credible writing, such as the following….
    http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/17/noam_chomsky_on_syria_conflict_cut

    • Richard Rawshark 13.1
      29 October 2016 at 8:54 pm

      Several things I don’t like about your post M, and one is it starts with racism, secondly I’ve always found AJ reasonably middle of the road.. though I have’t watched lately.

      Thirdly thanks for the advice on better opinions, but a selection would have been better it feels like your saying this is shit, watch this as that’s what YOU should believe. Kind of… dictatorial you might say.

      • Stuart Munro 13.1.1
        29 October 2016 at 10:48 pm

        A lot of kiwis work for Al Jazeera. They are by no means a facile propaganda organ.

        • Morrissey 13.1.1.1
          30 October 2016 at 8:35 am

          A lot of kiwis work for Al Jazeera.

          Yes they do, and apart from Kamahl Santamaria, who always seems horribly out of his depth, they do a competent job.

          They are by no means a facile propaganda organ.

          The facile propaganda is mouthed by the likes of Peter Dobbie and the large number of other former BBC hacks, who have fitted into delivering anti-Russian, anti-Syrian, anti-Iranian and anti-Houthi propaganda with the same sinister smoothness that they once employed on anti-Irish propaganda.

      • Morrissey 13.1.2
        30 October 2016 at 8:31 am

        Several things I don’t like about your post M, and one is it starts with racism

        I assume you are joking?

        secondly I’ve always found AJ reasonably middle of the road..

        Al Jazeera is middle of the road in the same sense Fox News is middle of the road.

        … though I have’t watched lately.

        That explains it then.

        Thirdly thanks for the advice on better opinions, but a selection would have been better it feels like your saying this is shit, watch this as that’s what YOU should believe. Kind of… dictatorial you might say.

        I don’t mind if anyone wants to watch Al Jazeera—hell, I do after all! I am simply pointing out that, in spite of all its excellent documentaries, its “news” is consistently and outrageously biased in favour of ISIS in Syria.

  14. adam 14
    29 October 2016 at 9:17 pm

    If you need any proof this government is the government of selfish then have a look at this. The Good country index, when first done New Zealand was 5th. We have slipped to 12th under this mob of selfish, self indulgent Tory’s. I’m going to say, if national get another term we will drop down even more.

    I’ll leave you with this, — We are getting more selfish, and that is the enemy of good.

    https://goodcountry.org/index/overall-rankings

  15. marty mars 15
    29 October 2016 at 9:42 pm

    If you like space, science and exploration – watch – this could be totally doable

  16. weka 16
    29 October 2016 at 11:21 pm

    [In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.

    If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted – weka]

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    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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