Own our future

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, October 6th, 2022 - 43 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, efeso collins, elections, local body elections, local government, supercity - Tags:

This year’s Local Government election is reaching a critical stage.

And it is vital to get the right people elected.

Conservative cost cutting mayors will cause mayhem.  At a time when we need to prepare Aotearoa for climate change and accelerate investment in walkways and cycleways and public transport anyone advocating for anything but this is doing our grandchildren a great disservice.

The science is settled.  Thanks to global warming we are facing decades of carnage.  All we can hope for is that enough people throughout the world adjust their lifestyles and enough governments and councils throughout the world change the way they run their countries and their cities.

Then we hang on.  And hope.  And prey.

If right wing mayors and councillors and MPs get elected then we continue a debate that was frankly settled by the science some time ago.

They will adjust their language.  It will now be about sensible spending and consulting with road users when Council wants to make cycling safer and more attractive and why can’t we reduce rates and prepare for the climate change cataclysm at the same time?

Unfortunately we can’t do both.  Either Councils prepare for the future or they ignore it and become part of the problem.

There are only a few days before the local elections close.  And can I suggest that you make sure that friends and whanau and aiga and anyone who wants a better world votes?

If you want my personal recommendations for the mayoral races in the four major cities here they are:

  1. Dunedin Otepoti – Aaron Hawkins is great.  Give him another chance.
  2. Christchurch Ōtautahi David Meates.  He wants to make Christchurch a climate leader.  Let’s give him that chance.
  3. Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Tory Whanau.  I am afraid that Paul Eagle lost me with his comments about cycleways.
  4. Auckland Tamaki Makaurau – this is easy.  Efeso Collins who has placed climate change at the centre of his campaign and will make it the centre of his mayoralty if he wins.

And remember to vote for progressive councillors and local board members.  In Auckland there are some tight council seat races.  In particular can I recommend Kerrin Leoni for Whau, Pippa Coom for Waitemata, Julie Fairey for Albert Eden and Richard Hills for the North Shore.  And any Labour, City Vision, Green or Future West candidate.

It is too late to post your ballots in.  But they can be dropped off at libraries, Council service centres and some Countdown supermarkets.

But please vote.  Your kids and your grandkids futures depend on it.

43 comments on “Own our future ”

  1. Ad 1

    +100

    Hope you make it Efeso.

    All power to every progressive who took the time and money out of their lives to stand for civic life.

  2. Roy cartland 2

    Then we hang on. And hope. And prey.

    Hope it doesn't come to that! Jokes; good article and couldn't be more relevant. Vote!!

  3. bwaghorn 3

    Took my stab in the dark yesterday,with a special vote .never received voting papers , they sent a letter to my old address acknowledging my change of address,but no voting papers arrived at either.??

    I don't get local rags as nz post has sold local run to slack barstard whoo only delivers when feels like it,so couldn't read up,

    Was short on time so only picked a couple on each category that a was vaguely aware of ,while trying to work out if they are vff loons or not.

    Democracy 2023!

    • lprent 3.1

      That is terrible. It was ok in Auckland.

      I eliminated most candates by what was in the wee booklet that came with the voting papers.

      Then I looked up the Auckland city vouncil site that had fuller statements from each candidate – and eliminated based on internal policy coherence (vague hand waving at salaries, stopping rate rises and more services 🤔), local body experience (like mayoral candidates who have never been even on a local board), and idiots who don't know basic law (sacking CCO boards as mayor or counciler just indicated that they have never read the legislation).

      Basically I applied the scammer test. If it sounds too good to be true, then look for a suitable branch for a rope.

      • bwaghorn 3.1.1

        A couple of the wealthy old fallas I know where keen on a youngish Maori fulla by the last name of Pue for mayor so went for him ,over a business man, a recycled ex mayor or a lady that looks like she'd be into crystals and incence.

      • weka 3.1.2

        I went with anyone who said something coherent about climate (not vague greenwashing type things)

        • bwaghorn 3.1.2.1

          Was in a rush and only has a quick scan of booklet, but picked one lady for district council that I've been informed by a local cockie has some funny green ideas, ! That'd make me a class traitor around here ,and awhile I don't entirely trust the green movement a bit of stirring is good.

        • lprent 3.1.2.2

          Like Mickey I tend to count that under the "coherent" category. Obvious delusional unrealism and simple self-wishing insanity isn’t coherent.

          Anyone who thinks that the climate isn't rapidly changing from our effects on it is right up there on the self-delusional pedestal with Bishop Usher. Those who think that it won't make a real difference need to learn to learn some paleo-climatology of the Jurassic and the stress limits on human food production systems.

          Not to mention the physiological limits of a humans and human ancestral species who evolved during entirely within the current 45 million year old ice age with its frequent glacial periods.

          • weka 3.1.2.2.1

            it's the ones who say they believe in CC and that we should do something about it, but then go on to promote BAU that worry me.

            • AB 3.1.2.2.1.1

              Yep – the latest and to date most sophisticated stage of denialism, i.e. governments should get the incentives right and then step back so the market can innovate to come up with solutions and so move to a new equilibrium. The mechanism which created the problem will also solve it – the way forward is the way back.

            • mickysavage 3.1.2.2.1.2

              Yep and I deal with them every day. They don't seem to understand that climate change needs radical adjustment not business as usual. Any candidate who says the right things about climate change but rails against a cycleway deserves contempt. Hence my dissing of Paul Eagle.

      • Incognito 3.1.3

        Easiest Local Election ever! No DHB candidates this time certainly helped and I only had to vote for three different sub-elections instead of the five in the past.

  4. Poission 4

    Conservative cost cutting mayors will cause mayhem

    You don't own your future,the credit markets do.Auckland city council in hock for 11.5b,with large debt awaiting such as CRL ( at least >3 b) plus accumulated debt rolling into a higher interest burden as investment markets say nah.

    • Ad 4.1

      Auckland Council's next mayor has very, very little room to move aside of selling more assets off, and have lost over 1/3 of their asset base from water.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5

    Political participation needs a shake up. Central Govt. is not a big fan of Local Govt. as history shows. Online voting and or paid time off on a voting day needs to happen.

    Voting in my Far North area only reached the low 20% mark two days ago, with the codger vote on the more white/Tauiwi East Coast trending higher. So veteran Wayne Brown and John Carter suck up, Deputy Mayor Ann Court, who has done virtually no campaigning could quite likely be FNDC Mayor.

    With the low turnout it is in reality a lottery. My pick, young Moko Tepania, a guy who fought back against Carter and got a Māori Ward via a special Council Meeting with hundreds of people in attendance, before the legislation changed, has shown his form and has campaigned in the tiniest communities. So we wait…Tai Tokerau needs its first Māori Mayor.

  6. mosa 6

    " But please vote. Your kids and your grandkids futures depend on it "

    That sounds like the Greens election campaign slogan some years back and like " build back better " they are just that slogans.

    Neo liberal Labour and its members are good at those including " a brighter future " and we all know how that turned out.

    The “No Confidence” vote in local body elections could be as high as 60 per cent by the end of this week

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/10/05/political-roundup-no-confidence-in-dire-local-govt-elections/

    ” In Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill, for instance, it’s not clear who will win ”

    Well here in Christchurch one of the candidates Mr Maugher believes he had already won three weeks ago and began having meetings with ” like minded ” councillors and candidates about what they were going to do when he had won. That is refreshing arrogance !

    For the first time in 36 years I tore up my ballot paper and I don’t regret joining many thousands of others who won’t be casting a vote because every three years its the same. I promise to listen , I promise to act , I will get things done , I am independent but you will never know which way I will vote until after they have cast a vote , I am going to support ” modest rates rises ” we need action to repair earthquake damage ten years after the event and so on and this area has been ignored by council.

    All I see in Christchurch is neglect , blocked drains , weeds and unkempt areas , graffiti , rubbish everywhere , broken dangerous foot paths , vacant land that is left to the vandals the litter and the weeds , many flooded areas particularly in the east of the city.

    Christchurch has had for the last three terms one of Mickey's progressives and the result has been a huge drop in confidence and satisfaction with the council , in other words they have failed and Mickey wants to reward that failure over again by voting to " own our future " I am sorry but when was that ever going to happen ? this is part of the problem. Its just not reality , read Chris Trotters post on local government.

    I think most of these things get neglected because to fix any of it does not return a profit which reflects how this country is run in other words no profit won’t get done !

    I know this is how the council operates because I know people who work in administration for the council and how inefficient they are with the billions of dollars they collect in rates.

    Local government is more about squeezing hard pressed ratepayers by adding on ridiculous costs to do anything and suffocating bureaucracy. They are legalised gangsters and they want to be re elected every three years to continue acting like a dictatorship.

    Chris Trotter got it right.

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/09/29/they-call-it-democracy-but-theyre-lying/

  7. James Simpson 7

    The four major cities? Are you talking about the 1980 election?

    Tauranga and Hamilton are much bigger than Dunedin by population, are growing much quicker, and are much more important to the National GDP.

    The golden triangle region makes up 50% of New Zealand’s population and generates most of New Zealand’s GDP, and the New Zealand Government forecasts 35% population growth over the next 25 years.

    Although for the purposes of your post there is no election in Tauranga for some bizzare reason. So I can guess you can ignore them

    • Ad 7.1

      So Mickey was right to ignore Tauranga since there isn't an election there.

    • lprent 7.2

      I was down in Hamilton yesterday and realised that I had absolutely no idea of any idea about any of the names on billboards there.

      As an Aucklander I know way more about Dunedin local politics than I do about Hamiltons. I even know more about Southland and invercargill politics than that of Hamilton and the Waikato.

      I will bet that MS is in the same boat.

      And I did uni in Hamilton, work for an office in Hamilton and have quite a few relatives there.

      • tc 7.2.1

        V8's, events centres, flogged assets from previous leaves little room. Trons grown heaps without matching it in infrastructure thanks to consistent political alignment in that town. Blue as which will continue.

      • Temp O'Rary 7.2.2

        https://factaotearoa.nz/misinformation-linked-candidate-media-roundup/

        This site collects articles about candidates across the country. Hamilton only has two results about 3 mayoral candidates to be aware of :

        Donna Pokere-Phillips​ is amongst three Hamilton City Council candidates using their social media platforms to disperse misinformation about vaccinations and anti-government conspiracies.

        She is a deputy leader of the Freedom and Outdoors Party…

        Rudi Du Plooy is a member of a four-strong Team Integrity group seeking election to Hamilton City Council… Du Plooy has been part of the New Conservative party as well as the Hamilton Residents and Ratepayers Association…

        Roger Stratford was an early adopter when it comes to an anti-vaccine stance, but says he’s changed his tune now… In long, rambling posts, Stratford also linked the “illegal vaccine mandate” to 5G contamination and the closure of the Marsden Point refinery – with the prime minister responsible for all.

        https://i.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/300675179/revenge-and-antivax-agendas–the-motives-behind-hamiltons-mayoral-hopefuls

      • Jilly Bee 7.2.3

        The three candidates vying for the mayoralty in Matamata Piako DC are all of the farming variety, one (female) is already a councillor, the other two being vehemently opposed to Three Waters. One of the candidates is an ex NZ First candidate and a little bird told me that apparently he offered to settle a difference of opinion with a heckler outside the hall after a 'meet the candidates' meeting. I do fear that he is going to be our next Mayor. I have voted for the sitting councillor as I guess she has the experience of being in the council tent for the past three years.

    • Poission 7.3

      Although for the purposes of your post there is no election in Tauranga for some bizzare reason.

      Of course not,the rating agency had voiced concerns.

      “The Crown commissioners outlined a baseline for the council's operating and capex requirements,as well as its funding strategy. We believe there are risks to the council achieving the objectives of the 2021-2031 LTP, particularly as the council transitions back to elected councilors in October 2022. This is because elected officials may refrain from imposing the significant rate increases proposed beyond fiscal 2023 (ending June 30, 2023) for political purposes. Tauranga prepares an annual plan yearly and a long-term plan every three years.”

      https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/council/reports/credit_rating/standard-and-poors-oct2021.pdf

  8. adam 8

    A few things.

    Lack of special voting papers in Northland.

    Myself and quite a few others, have just fallen off the role. Got no papers, so went and checked the role myself. Talked about this on facebook and other social media. Have found, I'm far from being the only one in Northland to be no longer on the roll.

    So much for doing it Online if it just removes you.

    Last and Most Disturbing

    Hearing today that Māori ward candidates have been harassed in their homes by far right nut bars. And that their addresses are being made public.

    • mickysavage 8.1

      Yep after the election we need to review closely what happened. There have been too many examples of lost voting papers. Basically our postal system is stuffed and all Councils need to find a different system.

  9. Just filled out my papers (I prefer to wait until close to the end – just to make sure nothing breaks which would change my vote) – ready to trot down to the library tomorrow and hand them in.

    Astounded that there were actually 23 names on the ballot for mayor (Auckland)!

    This kind of potential confusion does no favours to the politically unaware (apparently a lot of Aucklanders – Wayne who? Efeso – come again?).

    How many people would look at the list, and the booklet, and think – I can't be bothered reading 23 sales pitches.

    Yes. You could argue that those people deserve the local government they get. But if you want to engage people, and increase the voter participation – then eliminating candidates who have no background or experience in any form of local or regional government – from the mayoralty election – would be a good way to start.

    TBH – the hardest choice is at the community board level – where I actually have personal knowledge of many of the (extremely hard-working) incumbents. And have to decide who to vote back in, and which of the newbies deserve a chance.

  10. Mat Simpson 10

    " How many people would look at the list, and the booklet, and think – I can't be bothered reading 23 sales pitches "

    Then that is not an informed vote. It won't make any difference read the following but its probably to late.

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/09/29/they-call-it-democracy-but-theyre-lying/

    • Belladonna 10.1

      So how many votes really are 'informed'!
      Very few, I'd say.

      There's lots of research around the fact that people at the top of the voting paper have an advantage over those lower down; that 'name recognition' (just being a minor celebrity for some completely irrelevant reason) gives candidates an advantage; I even recall one that said names that were shorter and easy to pronounce gave people an advantage.

      If being ‘informed’ is a requirement to exercise the franchise – we’d better admit that we’re aiming for 10% of the electorate – at the very best!

      And, yes, I agree with the lived reality that none of the elected representatives (certainly at the local level) have any capacity to shift the Council bureaucracy. The active contempt that AT have shown our local community board is …. I would say 'unbelievable'; but, sadly, it's all too believable.

      I vote because of civic duty – not because I actually believe it will make a difference.

      • Mat Simpson 10.1.1

        " I vote because of civic duty – not because I actually believe it will make a difference.

        That is why we go around pretending we live in a democratic country because people like you make themselves feel better because they did their civic duty but admit it won't make any difference when their vote gets counted.

        That is why this country is continually shafted by elected corrupt political parties.

  11. Muttonbird 11

    Voted today for myself and my wife who simply doesn't care.

    Two more votes for Efeso Collins and associated Labour council candidates.

  12. Barfly 12

    Well it was easy for me …voted for the brown guy rather than the Brown guy. Also voted for the City Vision Candidates I guess I was lucky in it being so easy smiley Oh and 2 years without alcohol ..any suggestions how to celebrate? Lol.

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 12.1

      Onya Matey : ) And also re the alcohol ? Great stuff! I could say…the Feel Good from having made your personal voting choice, and followed your moral compass is also something to be proud of : ) ?

      Maybe climb some cool hill? Or Bike somewhere nice ( if you bike?) Or walk somewhere also nice? Feeling great about making that choice. For you. And for a better place.

      Even meet up some fellow Like Minds….Alike : )

  13. Mike the Lefty 13

    Stuff posted a story today claiming that nationally at least 200 local body election candidates had links to anti-vaccination conspiracy groups, the so-called "Voices for Freedom", Q-Anon and other similar groups.

    But true to form Stuff didn't actually provide a list, which would have been helpful if you want to avoid accidentally voting for nutters but provided a series of links to old stories which (after a lot of scrolling) you could find a few names but not the 200 claimed.

    Not very good for a news service that always tells you how great they are and begs for donations every time you go onto their web page. Also one of the story writers was Andrea Vance and I would have expected such a senior journalist to do a better job than that.

  14. Ad 14

    Really popular late voting in Dunedin this morning.

    Hundreds of Specials coming in.

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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