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Open mike 29/12/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, December 29th, 2014 - 75 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeThe Authors of the Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm. Open mike will continue every day and prepare yourself for some year in review posts and some recycling of old stuff. And as R0b has said be nice to each other.

Open mike is your post.

The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

75 comments on “Open mike 29/12/2014 ”

  1. what will bill english do when his pope issues his edict/call to climate-change action for all catholics..?

    ..will he obey his spiritual-master..?

    ..or his temporal-master..?

    • Paul 1.1

      Here is the article about this story.

      And an excerpt.

      ‘In recent months, the pope has argued for a radical new financial and economic system to avoid human inequality and ecological devastation. In October he told a meeting of Latin American and Asian landless peasants and other social movements: “An economic system centred on the god of money needs to plunder nature to sustain the frenetic rhythm of consumption that is inherent to it.

      “The system continues unchanged, since what dominates are the dynamics of an economy and a finance that are lacking in ethics. It is no longer man who commands, but money. Cash commands.

      Maybe Bill English should an evangelical church (Destiny?) as it would appear they are happy to see the world destroyed.

      ‘Francis will also be opposed by the powerful US evangelical movement, said Calvin Beisner, spokesman for the conservative Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, which has declared the US environmental movement to be “un-biblical” and a false religion.

      “The pope should back off,” he said. “The Catholic church is correct on the ethical principles but has been misled on the science. It follows that the policies the Vatican is promoting are incorrect. Our position reflects the views of millions of evangelical Christians in the US.”’

      http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/27/pope-francis-edict-climate-change-us-rightwing

    • Skinny 1.2

      Sounds like Mike Sabin is a good practicing catholic ‘gets drunk on a Saturday night, has a domestic incident and goes to church on a Sunday and washes his sins away’ in typical catholic fashion.

      • Tracey 1.2.1

        proof for domestic incident allegation skinny?

      • Skinny 1.2.2

        Oh for goodness sake Tracy why you persist in defending Sabin’s honour is beyond me. His mug is plastered all over this site, in the newspapers. Why your intent on demanding proof of any wrong doings by this right wing mongrel beggars belief.

        [karol: it’s a legal thing, skinny. If you publish allegations on TS, without publicly available evidence, then TS trustees (mainly Lynn) will be the ones called up to account for it in any defamation proceedings. It’s not about politics but TS authors and mods protecting the site owners from lengthy and possibly costly law suits.]

        • Skinny 1.2.2.1

          Yes point taken Karol.

          As I understand there is a police investigation underway involving Sabin and a domestic incident. The police are using police investigators outside the Northland region due to Sabin being a former police officer. Sabin has made no comment and rather excise his right to silence. A real man would front up and end speculation.

          • karol 1.2.2.1.1

            Is “domestic incident” explicitly stated in the published reports?

            • Skinny 1.2.2.1.1.1

              i guess the operative word is ‘an alleged domestic incident’ in saying that I have a close friend (police prosecutor) that I socialise with, you get off the record comments about internal goings on.

              I think Sabin has more to worry about than my ranting, however if he take exception feel free to forward my name which makes up my email addy. I gave him a torrid time during the election campaign so not a problem renewing the battle.

              • karol

                As a general rule for TS – from memory, Lynn’s comments in the past have been that it is TS’s trustees that will be dragged to court, not the commenter. And Lynn says an off the record statement to a commenter is not something he can verify – he needs publicly available evidence to be assured he is not going to be dragged through the courts.

                • Skinny

                  In the case of Sabin here, very highly unlikely any action would even be considered. In the unlikely event should any defamation action be taken it would fall over at the first hurdle by simply failing the test. Public interest, smoke & fire.

                  Enough said and out of respect I’ll park it.

                  [lprent: Read our privacy policy. It still wouldn’t allow me to use your details. And I would still be liable for publishing it even if you did release them. Out of pure self-protection we usually just ban people who put us at risk.

                  Thank you. ]

                  • Lanthanide

                    “In the unlikely event should any defamation action be taken it would fall over at the first hurdle by simply failing the test. Public interest, smoke & fire.”

                    Er, “public interest” doesn’t mean you get to start rumours and make shit up. That’s kind of the point of “defamation”. See also: Clark calling that guy a murderer when he was convicted of manslaughter.

                • Bill

                  What if a comment begins ‘A man with a dog down the pub I was talking to reckoned that….’ type lead in?

                  Then, as long as it wasn’t an utterly objectionable comment that would be deleted or edited anyway, there really wouldn’t seem to be any point of traction for any would be, so it is alleged, sheep shagger, no?

                  • karol

                    I have just stated the rulings as I understand them. I’ll leave it for those with a better legal knowledge than me to answer Bill and skinny’s questions.

                    • Bill

                      Sorry Karol. My comment was intended more as absent musing than anything demanding definitive answers. Anyway…

                • lprent

                  Yep. Amongst other reasons because the privacy rules we run with mean that we won’t be releasing commenter details.

          • Lanthanide 1.2.2.1.2

            “Sabin has made no comment and rather excise his right to silence. A real man would front up and end speculation.”

            And a sensible one would follow his lawyers advice, which is almost invariably, not to comment in the media…

        • Bill 1.2.2.2

          Way I’m reading that comment from Skinny, the only actionable bit would be the allegation that he (Sabin) is a good practicing Catholic.

          The rest of the comment, within the inverted commas, is a caricature of Catholicism and Catholics in a general sense…and I can’t see the Pope or any other official voice of the Catholic Church being overly concerned.

          Anyway, in a more general sense, the thing about being careful, is that it can become guided by fear and result in an unwarranted silence.

          Maybe people should learn when to use little qualifiers to distance themselves from content that effectively run along the lines of ‘I heard/hear that…’, or ‘I wouldn’t ever say/contend that…’ or ‘Did you hear that…’ (Then of course, there are the hook slipping ‘allegedly’, ‘presumably’, ‘understandably’ ‘maybe’ etc)

          • lprent 1.2.2.2.1

            If I see a concerted attempt to leak information or spread a meme unbacked by verifiable facts then I’d clamp down on it. I really don’t like insinuation trolling.

    • Clemgeopin 1.3

      Good question : Faithful to spiritual God or appease the temporal Dogs? Divided loyalty…..A conscience killer!

  2. Lindsey 2

    He will probably do what most Catholic women do about the birth control edicts – ignore it.

  3. lprent 3

    Test comment, just to make sure that the server saves them

    Ok. Welcome to the alternate server. I’ll watch it for a little while to make sure that it doesn’t have memory or CPU issues.

    But it looks like time to wake up Lyn and hit the road again

  4. did you know that we have joined up with china and russia..

    ..in the upcoming currency-war with america..?

    ..i didn’t know that..

    “..From December 29 China – Russia – Malaysia – and New Zealand –

    – will start the usage of national currencies in mutual transactions.

    Beijing hopes to make the yuan an alternative to the US dollar in global trade..”

    (cont..)

    http://whoar.co.nz/2014/new-zealand-joins-with-russiachina-and-malaysia-in-a-new-financial-regime-one-that-byepasses-the-american-dollar-who-knew/

    ..(has anyone told peters..?..he should go into yellow-peril overdrive at this news..

    ..but our gummint has kept this significant move very quiet..haven’t they..?..

    ..i wonder why..?..

    ..(and our mainstream media seems to have been caught flat-footed..)

    ..and gee..!..i hope it won’t make for awkward moments on the golf courses of hawaii..eh..?..

    ..elderly americans cd throw their golf clubs at him..

    ..and call him a ‘commie’…eh..?..

    ..he might even have to come home early..eh..?..)

    ..so this is why he took his security-detail with him..eh..?..

    • rawshark-yeshe 4.1

      PU .. John Key arranged this for NZ when he was in China earlier in the year .. he permitted the direct exchange between renminbi/yuan and NZ dollar. After the public announcement in China, Key said he would become a money-trader again ( or still!) and play the market between the two currencies .. and was forced a few minutes later to say he was ‘only joking’. Sleazy fool he really is.

      Beware this link .. it has the smuggest image ever of Key .. and that is really saying something .. unctuous and unclean even …

      “You can now convert New Zealand dollars into renminbi, if you are of such a mind to do so. So, life after politics, I might go back to the foreign exchange markets and smack around the renminbi. Maybe not.”

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11224933

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2

      The China Foreign Exchange Trade System has announced that since December 29, China, Russia, Malaysia and New Zealand will start the usage of national currencies in mutual transactions.

      Now that is interesting but I don’t think that it will have the effect that China hopes it will. The actual effect would be a move to truly floating international currencies and the removal of the reserve currency.

      • nadis 4.2.1

        What is treated as a reserve currency is more about perception than anything else, and its not primarily about the currency (as long as it is freely convertible), it is more about the size and liquidity of domestic debt markets.

        Given the size and legal structure of the US economy, the USD is the reserve currency of choice and will remain so for some time. My opinion is that until China is similar in size and global trade origination to the US the USD will remain paramount. And until China has a functioning domestic debt market and banking sector that is attractive to foreign investors (they need to park their reserve renmimbi somewhere) they won’t be the major reserve currency. And China still has currency controls which excludes it as a sensible choice anyway. But many central banks now hold some RMB as part of their reserves portfolio.

        The obvious sign for us in the street will be when commodities, global trade and alibaba start pricing in RMB rather than USD.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.1

          What is treated as a reserve currency is more about perception than anything else, and its not primarily about the currency (as long as it is freely convertible), it is more about the size and liquidity of domestic debt markets.

          I’m sure that the private banks love you for believing such crap but you’re wrong. Money is an unfulfilled demand upon a countries resources. Once that demand is fulfilled the money should cease to exist. The fact that it’s not this way is just part of the delusional financial system that we have.

          My opinion is that until China is similar in size and global trade origination to the US the USD will remain paramount.

          It’s official: America is now No. 2

          There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it: We’re no longer No. 1. Today, we’re No. 2. Yes, it’s official. The Chinese economy just overtook the United States economy to become the largest in the world. For the first time since Ulysses S. Grant was president, America is not the leading economic power on the planet.

          It just happened — and almost nobody noticed.

          And until China has a functioning domestic debt market and banking sector that is attractive to foreign investors (they need to park their reserve renmimbi somewhere) they won’t be the major reserve currency.

          There shouldn’t be a reserve currency at all.

          • nadis 4.2.1.1.1

            mate – your very long qualifiers like “shouldn’t be” and “should be”. Meanwhile, here in the real world the USD is still the reserve currency for the globe and the RMB is decades off the same status.

            And do I really need to explain the difference between GDP measured on a PPP basis versus a real basis? PPP basis is great when your gdp per capita is less than 10% of the USA.

            On a real basis the GDP of the US is still over twice the size of China.

            • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.1.1.1

              Meanwhile, here in the real world the USD is still the reserve currency for the globe and the RMB is decades off the same status.

              That’s just it – it’s not the ‘real world’ but the one that we’ve made up that conforms to how we want things to be.

              And do I really need to explain the difference between GDP measured on a PPP basis versus a real basis?

              Nope, the article I linked to explains why it’s a better measure. Not that I needed the article to know that anyway as I worked it out some years ago. It’s obvious when you think about it. If I pay $100 for an item in NZ that someone in India pays 10 rupees for then it’s obvious that we just paid the same amount because we got the same item. The value of the item doesn’t change from place to place.

              On a real basis the GDP of the US is still over twice the size of China.

              Nope. On a real basis China is larger. Basically, they produce more than the US.

            • Colonial Viper 4.2.1.1.1.2

              The International Monetary Fund recently released the latest numbers for the world economy. And when you measure national economic output in “real” terms of goods and services, China will this year produce $17.6 trillion — compared with $17.4 trillion for the U.S.A.

              As recently as 2000, we produced nearly three times as much as the Chinese.

              To put the numbers slightly differently, China now accounts for 16.5% of the global economy when measured in real purchasing-power terms, compared with 16.3% for the U.S.

              This latest economic earthquake follows the development last year when China surpassed the U.S. for the first time in terms of global trade.

              I agree the USA may still be the bigger economy by some specific measures. But the trend is clear: China is the one with the economic momentum.

              http://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-official-america-is-now-no-2-2014-12-04

              Also consider this (my emphasis):

              PPP is the real way of comparing economies. It is one reported by the IMF and was, for example, the one used by McKinsey & Co. consultants back in the 1990s when they undertook a study of economic productivity on behalf of the British government.

              Yes, when you look at mere international exchange rates, the U.S. economy remains bigger than that of China, allegedly by almost 70%. But such measures, although they are widely followed, are largely meaningless.

              • nadis

                Sure China has the momentum, and on every measure except gdp per capita, China will surpass the US by probably 2025. An extra 1.1 billion people does that for you.

                PPP is not the only legitimate way to compare economies. If we are talking about international trade and capital flows (which I thought we were) then market based GDP is more appropriate.

                If I want a big mac from New York then I have to pay New York prices, the fact I can buy 3 in China for the same price is irrelevant, I want a NY one.

                For any goods, services, valuations that are not substitutable by a local alternative (think commodities for instance) then PPP is irrelevant.

                On a PPP GDP basis, Equatorial Guinea ranks higher than NZ. You telling me that shitehole (60% of the country doesnt have access to clean water, child mortality rate = 50%) really ranks ahead of NZ on any useful measure? It’s the EM effect on PPP GDP, less developed countries rank much higher than developed countries for many reasons, but most significantly because PPP only applies to the non-tradeable sector (EM countries typically have much greater proportion of non-tradeables than developed) differences in quality of goods and services (house vs shack) etc.

                I’m confident – when talking about trade, capital flows investment flows etc use market based GDP. When comparing the LOCAL purchasing power use PPP measures. But you cant take Equatorial Guinea PPP and spend it in NZ, you can only spend it in Africa.

                • Colonial Rawshark

                  So you’ve told me that people want to buy and eat their Big Mac where they happen to be at the time. And that GDP (PPP or otherwise) doesn’t cover many aspects of quality of life. That’s not exactly a revelation, is it.

  5. Here is a doco which people could watch if they want a complete picture of our weather. Not saying we don’t have problems with the weather due to human activities but what if some of that activity was actually geared towards manipulating weather patterns? Chemtrails: the secret war

    • is that you..?..col craig..?..

    • TheContrarian 5.2

      People still believe the chemtrail thing? Wow.

      • phillip ure 5.2.1

        well..there’s trav..and col craig..

        ..that makes two..

        ..any other takers out there..?

        ..keen/willing to sign up..?

        ..to scanning the skies nervously..?

        ..i understand the thing with the chem-trails crew..

        ..is eternal vigilance..

        ..chiropracters make a fortune off them..

        ..all that looking up is not good for the neck..

        ..(and..f.y.i.. i am told that is why col craig walks funny…

        ..his natural equilibrium is shot..

        ..from too much chem-trail hunting/spotting..

        ..too much looking up while perambulating forward..

        ..that’s where the involuntary crab-motion comes from..)

        ..woof..!

      • BassGuy 5.2.2

        Early this year, I saw a most impressive set of contrails over my house.

        I emailed a copy of the photos to my father, who posted back a rant about chemtrails. I had no idea what he was talking about, and so looked it up.

        I thought it was a well-constructed joke for the first couple of pages that I browsed through, then I came across one where the owner was talking about using psychic energy to help the Sylph maintain it’s integrity against the airline pilot – apparently there’s some kind of war going on there? The same guy talks about using white vinegar in a spray bottle, to dilute the evil CIA chemicals that were being sprayed.

        Hmm. A friend-of-a-friend just recently completed his airline pilot training. I should ask him how many classes he had on chemtrail dumping. (If I vanish you’ll know why!)

        • Lanthanide 5.2.2.1

          The best parts are the glimpses of her lawn, covered in brown patches of dead grass…

          • phillip ure 5.2.2.1.1

            i’m predicting a run on vinegar..by conservative party supporters esp…

            ..and now you know what to give col for birthdays/xmas..

            ..a vinegar spray-set..

            (and only watch up until ‘we’re an unusual family’..the rest is just more of the same..

            ..there is no climax built up to..

            ..woof..!..woof..!..)

          • BassGuy 5.2.2.1.2

            I have no words for that.I’ve had a good couple of hours to think about what I saw in that video, and I’m stumped. It’s still left me speechless.

            I did get a good laugh out of that lawn, though!

    • short answer..plse trav..

      ..who..?..and why..?

  6. Draco T Bastard 6

    Amazon Offers All-You-Can-Eat Books. Authors Turn Up Noses.

    Amazon, though, may be willing to forgo some income in the short term to create a service that draws readers in and encourages them to buy other items. The books, in that sense, are loss leaders, although the writers take the loss, not Amazon.

    Modern capitalism defined perfectly.

    Thing is, that’s how it’s always been. The producers are screwed over so that the bludgers, in the form of shareholders or aristocrats (there isn’t any actual difference between the two), can have more.

    • greywarshark 6.1

      Yeah DTB everything is compost under capitalism. But that just provides fertile soil for the rose of socialism. We will all arise smelling of roses.

  7. Penny Bright 7

    Hi folks!

    My Xmas grrrly swot has discovered some information about local government, in which some of you may be interested?

    Local government: Results of the 2012/13 audits

    http://www.oag.govt.nz/2014/local-govt/docs/local-govt.pdf

    “Setting rates

    During the year, it became apparent that there were several widespread problems with rating practices.

    Our audit work on rates revenue found that most local authorities had some level of compliance failure.

    Problems ranged from potentially serious legislative breaches, which created a significant financial risk to the local authority’s revenue, through to low-risk legal breaches.

    The problems we saw were related to all aspects of the rating legislation.

    Many of the problems seem to have arisen because of insufficient attention to legal requirements.

    The power to rate comes with obligations that need to be given the appropriate level of attention.

    It is important that local authorities use their legal powers to impose rates on their communities properly. ……… ”

    Kind regards

    Penny Bright

    • greywarshark 7.1

      I wonder if these rating misdemeanours are as a result of not complying strictly with shitty ACT instituted legislature that would tighten up local bodies desires to create business, attract tourists, hold community events etc. That is all the interesting things that make life attractive.

      But probably it would have allowed expensive stadiums sich as Dunedin’s to be built ushered in by determined self-interested councillors funding their own enthusiasms.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.2

      Good luck reversing any of the decisions made: they’ll have papered over the cracks by now: a fait accompli.

  8. Clemgeopin 8

    Pope Francis reveals top 10 secrets to happiness:

    http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1403144.htm

  9. Penny Bright 9

    How to help ensure that elected representatives at local government level make decisions that comply with the ‘Rule of Law’?

    A simple suggestion – which I think would make a HUGE difference – what do you think?

    In my considered opinion, Councils should employ competent in-house lawyers, who are specialised in LOCAL GOVERNMENT law, and legislation that particularly pertains to Local Government.

    Before local government elected representatives ‘put their mind’ to any matter, in my opinion, they should first be briefed by their competent in-house lawyer, who draws their collective attention to the underpinning LAW that covers that matter.

    That way, elected representatives at local government level, (most of whom will NOT be lawyers), can help ensure that the ‘Rule of Law’, which they swore to the public that they would uphold, will be followed.

    That will help to prevent elected representatives at local government level from relying upon the advice of senior Council staff, who also are not necessarily lawyers, and who, in my opinion, and indeed experience, often tend to just ‘make it up’.

    If elected representatives at local government level, from the outset, act according to the ‘Rule of Law’, then that should help stop having to fix a multitude of stuff-ups further down the track, from NOT following the ‘Rule of Law’?

    Wouldn’t this be a very simple solution?

    That way, elected representatives would become VERY familiar with their statutory legal obligations?

    If you don’t agree- then how would YOU fix this problem?

    Seriously?

    Here is what is said in the Local government: Results of the 2012/13 audits, regarding ‘legal advice’:

    http://www.oag.govt.nz/2014/local-govt/docs/local-govt.pdf (Pg 11)

    “Legal advice

    1.16 Managing legal risk is vital for public entities that exercise public power and spend public money.

    Legislative obligations affect all aspects of a local authority’s work – how it operates, consults, runs meetings, makes decisions, and carries out what it actually does. Internal rules, such as organisational policies and delegations of authority, can also affect the lawfulness of individual decisions and actions.

    1.17 Local authorities need to be meticulous about complying with the law and showing that they are acting within the law.

    The governors of the local authority should set that tone.

    In our Kaipara District Council report, we noted numerous inadequacies in the attention that the Council paid to legal issues when its Mangawhai wastewater project began, problems with the way it sought legal advice, and damage to its reputation within the community as a result.

    1.18 If elected members are in doubt about their legal obligations, they should ask for professional legal advice.

    Some local authorities have internal capacity to provide legal advice. Many others rely on external legal advisers.

    The cost of obtaining such advice needs to be set against the importance of being seen to be careful to act within the law. ”

    Kind regards

    Penny Bright

  10. philip Ferguson 10

    War facts the ‘mainstream’ media never told us: https://rdln.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=10368&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2

    This has links to a bunch of stories on Redline about World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, Afghanistan. . . . included are links to the policies pursued in NZ by the first Labour government during the war and its introduction of peacetime conscription (and the fight against that) in the late 1940s.

    Phil

  11. The Fairy Godmother 11

    On a completely different topic what is to be done about youth unemployment. How do we help our young people who are qualified, intelligent and capable but can’t find work? How do we deal with annoying relatives who ask the awkward questions and want to give all sorts of advice which the young person already knows and is trying to do. Christmas is an awful time for this. It makes me want to weep. It seems as if no-one seems to accept that work is hard to get if you don’t have the contacts, and it must be the young person’s fault because they must be doing something wrong. Is there some sort of support group out there? And its not training that is needed she is really capable of a number of things it is a job.

    • karol 11.1

      Yes, I think personal contacts can count for a lot in getting jobs. And this is especially difficult for young people trying to get their first jobs. And even more difficult if they don’t come from a middle class family with the kind of contacts that lead to jobs.

      I don’t know about a support group, but blogs and other forums which target fairly young people might help e.g. On the Left.

      Or I could post your comment and question as a guest post here, if you like?

      • Draco T Bastard 11.1.1

        Yes, I think personal contacts can count for a lot in getting jobs.

        70% or more of roles are filled by word of mouth. Being highly skilled doesn’t get you a job but knowing the right person does even if you don’t have the skills.

    • Murray Rawshark 11.2

      In the short term, I don’t know the answer. For a lot of young people, the job market is a total lottery and the prizes often aren’t worth winning. All I can do is wish you success.

  12. The Fairy Godmother 12

    Thanks for that Karol. I have been thinking about work for some time. I am fortunate to have a job even though it sometimes really hacks me off, and I have been looking for another one for the past two and a half years off and on to no avail. Nearly there 2nd on the shortlist but not quite. So I know that the competition is huge. Once my daughter said to me dispairingly there are too many people and another time she said the problem is not enough work it is not enough money. This I believe to be true. In my work we are often short staffed. If we had another team member we would be able to do our job really well and of course there would be one more job for someone. The money is going to highly paid managers who have an interest in keeping costs down. Money being siphoned off to a few is the reason for no jobs. There is loads of work that needs to be done.

    I think that young people need a chance.

    If you want to put my comments in a guest post that would be cool.

  13. Draco T Bastard 13

    Why we should all learn to love paying our taxes

    The vision of tax as a punishment of the rich for the audacity of their wealth, distilled in the phrase “squeeze them until the pips squeak”, was not Kinnock’s but Denis Healey’s. And it was not about the rich – it was about property speculators. His suspicion was that if landlords were left unchecked, Britain would slowly become a rentier economy. Vast and ever increasing numbers of people would be paying unreasonable, verging on impossible, proportions of their wages to a tiny number of landlords. What an old idiot, huh? Thank God nobody listened to him.

    And just how much of Britain and NZ have now become rentier economies?

    IMO, I’d say that we’re close to, if not over, the line at which the rentiers will destroy the economy because the economy no longer produces enough to cover their greed.

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  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    9 hours ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    9 hours ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    11 hours ago
  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    13 hours ago
  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    15 hours ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    23 hours ago
  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 day ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago
  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    2 days ago
  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    2 days ago
  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    2 days ago
  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    2 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    3 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    3 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    4 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    4 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    4 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    4 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    6 days ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    7 days ago
  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    7 days ago
  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    1 week ago
  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture wars
    Thomas Cranmer writes  Like it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
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