Polity: Budget 2014: Over-promise. Under-deliver.

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, May 15th, 2014 - 40 comments
Categories: bill english, budget 2014, debt / deficit, housing, national, same old national - Tags:

polity_square_for_lynnRob Salmond at Polity on the budget.

Earlier this week I predicted the Budget would be Labour-lite. I was right, but only in part. Extending PPL, more money for ECE, and extending free doctor visits for more kids are all good ideas.

But in other enormously important areas, I was wrong. National’s commitment to first home buyers and to wage earners isn’t even too little too late. It’s a poke in the eye too late.

Housing

By far the biggest disappointment is in housing. The government signalled help for home buyers would be a highlight in the Budget. This morning, Stuff published a poll showing:

Help for buyers of first homes was top, 76.4 per cent of those surveyed believing it would be good for the country, including those who did not see it making a difference to them personally.

So what did they get? An end to duties and tariffs on plasterboard, reinforcing steel, nails, and some other building materials. Woohoo! The street marches and the letter-writing campaigns worked! The government says this will reduce the cost of building a new home by a paltry $3,500, a good portion of which will be absorbed by contractors and developers.

And that pathetic morsel is it.

This will make next to no difference to the housing affordability crisis. First home buyers aren’t $3,500 short of a house. They are hundreds of thousands short, because there aren’t nearly enough homes. National was vulnerable on housing before today, and are even more vulnerable now.

Growth for owners, but not for workers

Thanks to the global recovery and the rebuild, real GDP growth is forecast to be 14.2% over the 2014-2018 forecast period. That’s around 2.8% annually, which is pretty good.

But real wage growth (wage growth less inflation) is forecast by the government at less than 4% over the entire five year forecast period.1 That’s 0.8% annually. It is pathetic.

How can this government accept – and even celebrate – of a situation where the fruits of growth are mostly hoarded by the owners of capital, and are not shared with wage earners in a remotely fair manner? It is an insult to the millions of workers who missed out in National’s recession-era tax switch in 2010, and are now missing out on the recovery-era growth as well.

The government has run out of its own ideas. Where it can stomach Labour’s plan, it has announced a flaccid imitation. Where it cannot stomach Labour’s plans, it has erected surrender signs instead.

  • 1.Budgert Executive summary, page 3, LHS

40 comments on “Polity: Budget 2014: Over-promise. Under-deliver. ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. lprent 1
    15 May 2014 at 3:20 pm

    Don’t diversion troll this post. I’m getting tired of it. Stay on topic or go to Open Mike

    I’m going to start banning until after the election for the idiots who can’t follow this simple requirement.

  2. You_Fool 2
    15 May 2014 at 3:23 pm

    “How can this government accept – and even celebrate – of a situation where the fruits of growth are mostly hoarded by the owners of capital, and are not shared with wage earners in a remotely fair manner?’

    I thought we had already ascertained that this government isn’t looking out for the common man, but the rich guys in teh top hats and expensive cars

  3. Jepenseque 3
    15 May 2014 at 3:50 pm

    You conflate two statistics that are not the same. One is a per capita measure (ave wage) And one includes pop growth (real GDP). So the 14 vs 4 is not a good comp. Cheers

  4. Clemgeopin 4
    15 May 2014 at 4:13 pm

    This budget is a con artist’s hoax budget.

    Key and English have simply copied and dressed up many of the Labour’s social policies due to shameless political expediency and have pretended it is their own!

    The glaring shame is that IN SPITE of selling off our very profitable power assets raising 4.7 billion dollars, the sleight of hand manipulated trick surplus is so very awfully small. Imagine if these buggers had NOT sold the assets to primarily help their rich mates! That is the extent of their economic proficiency.

    They were not even able to make a dent in their ever growing 65 billion dollar debt! $65,000,000,000! $11,000 per every person in the country!

    This is a very inefficient, useless government full of spin and BS!

    • infused 4.1
      15 May 2014 at 7:39 pm

      Hang on though. If National copied all of Labours policies, isn’t that a win?

  5. Stuart Munro 5
    15 May 2014 at 4:27 pm

    Nice juxtaposition on Stuff:

    Live Chat Bill English: Election year pitch to families … Screams then silence

  6. Tracey 6
    15 May 2014 at 4:30 pm

    so in real terms they cut ece funding, then give some back five years later and call it good news.

    will they legislate that the drop to plasterboard etc must be passed on to consumers or will they rely on companies to do the right thing?

  7. Disraeli Gladstone 7
    15 May 2014 at 4:30 pm

    I’m struggling to be disappointed. It’s a dreary budget, but it’s not anything evil. A little bit of good; nothing bad (except apathy to some issues). It’s just stolid. I think English has given National a pretty firm foundation to run into the election.

    And the rise from under 6 to under 13 free doctor visits is a pretty great policy. I don’t know if that’s been stolen from Labour? But I’m glad it’s being implemented anyway, that’ll be a real life saver for a lot of people.

  8. Olwyn 8
    15 May 2014 at 5:03 pm

    The free doctor’s visits for children up to the age of 13 is good, provided it is not undermined by fine print of some sort. But it is an election year budget, after six years of mean-spiritedness toward much of the population and largesse toward cronies. Hence for the most part it comes across to me as the equivalent of cheap pink bubbly and gas station flowers from a cheating spouse.

    • Blue 8.1
      15 May 2014 at 9:18 pm

      I found the doctor visits part bizarre. It’s not bad by any means, but really, if you think about what Kiwi kids need most, this has not really been on anyone’s agenda, left or right.

      It’s seemingly come out of nowhere.

      I imagine some late-night National strategy meeting which went something like:

      JK: “We need to do something for kids. Labour’s getting traction on all that 250,000 kids in poverty stuff.”

      BE: “Yeah, but we spend most of our time pretending the poor don’t exist or pouring scorn on them. We can’t acknowledge them and we definitely can’t do anything to support them.”

      JK: “It has to be something neutral. What about doctor’s visits? Even hardline poor-bashers make exceptions for medical stuff and Labour can’t attack it.”

      BE: “Works for me.”

      • Anne 8.1.1
        15 May 2014 at 9:23 pm

        Blue’s got it in one…

        Btw. Imperator Fish has sussed it:

        http://imperatorfish.com/

      • Olwyn 8.1.2
        15 May 2014 at 10:08 pm

        I think you’re right Blue. As my comment suggests, I don’t trust those guys in the slightest. I am convinced that genuine alleviation of poverty is simply out of the question for them. I also think that if they win the election they will use their coalition with ACT, gifted with Epsom, to do whatever their sponsors want, regardless of what they promise now.

      • Ergo Robertina 8.1.3
        15 May 2014 at 10:23 pm

        The expanded children’s doctor visits puts me in mind of the Hollow Men inoculations, where Brash had to be gently coaxed into taking unpleasant medicine on govt programmes in order to hide his true agenda and views.
        It is an election year inoculation on child poverty. It also slots in neatly with the rheumatic fever programme when reeling off the list of things National is doing to alleviate poverty.

  9. KJT 9
    15 May 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Meanwhile the reserve bank ACT will ensure any wage increases/small business income, for most people, will go straight to bank profits in increased interest rates and rent.
    While a high exchange rate, asset sales and the cost of Nationals borrowing for tax cuts, for the rich to go on Hawaii holidays, means a negative balance of payments, and continued lose of jobs, is cemented in.

  10. millsy 10
    15 May 2014 at 5:17 pm

    Credit where credit is due about the doctors visits. Not even Jim Anderton could get that in a booming economy.

    • Harriette 10.1
      15 May 2014 at 6:29 pm

      Don’t most practices still charge for the already “free” doctors visits?

      So does this policy just subsidise doctors?

  11. Mr Interest 11
    15 May 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Hi there, I am thick as the bat proverbial when it comes to economics so can someone out deconvolute the budget for me. I know some explanations were given, however, just keen to now more.

    Basically will NZers have an improved standard of living? They keep spouting that incomes with go up but what if everything else does, what does it mean in real terms.

    Please use the indicators below? I’m a little worried that after you take out the effect of assets sales, inflation and the Canterbury build, its all bs. More than happy to be wrong. National strategy seems to be micro wins, that turn into big media wins.

    Seriously, can an economist help?

    Top 10 Economic Indicators:
    1. Real GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
    2. M2 (Money Supply
    3. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
    4. Producer Price Index (PPI)
    5. Consumer Confidence Survey
    6. Current Employment Statistics (CES)
    7. Retail Trade Sales and Food Services Sales
    8. Housing Starts (Formally Known as “New Residential Construction”)
    9. Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales
    10. S&P 500 Stock Index (the S&P 500)

    Aside, wouldnt it be great if all young NZers were taught economics (the study of human behavior) from a young age?

    • Colonial Viper 11.1
      15 May 2014 at 5:29 pm

      Economics is NOT “the study of human behaviour”. Mainstream economics and mainstream economists have almost destroyed the financial world. Why would you want to propagate their ideology further?

      An alternative non-traditional branch of economics “behavioural economics” has established itself over the last 10 years (Daniel Kahneman etc) and they make far more sense than the neoclassical nonsense that infect the private investment banks, Treasury and the Reserve Bank.

      10. S&P 500 Stock Index (the S&P 500)

      If you truly believe that the manipulated gamed casino markets has anything to do with the standard of living of ordinary Americans, you need to be completely re-educated.

      I suggest you start reading zerohedge.com and watching the Keiser Report.

      • srylands 11.1.1
        15 May 2014 at 5:46 pm

        Behavioural economics is hardly “non traditional”. You have been around alternative health care practitioners for too long.

        • Colonial Viper 11.1.1.1
          15 May 2014 at 6:18 pm

          Behavioural economics is completely non-traditional. It is a major break away from the methods of economics which rely on DGSE modelling and other highly mathematized approaches.

          It’s treatment of consumers and of markets is also completely at odds with the “rational agent” approach of classical economics because it not only accepts but actually factors in non-rational heuristics and biases into expected behaviour.

          In many ways behavioural economics is a major repudiation of the dogma of mainstream economics.

          I’m surprised that you would try and insist otherwise.

    • Gosman 11.2
      15 May 2014 at 5:32 pm

      Most of those are only impacted indirectly by any budget. The fact the budget is back in surplus will help somewhat in that there is less stress on money supply affecting inflation.

      • KJT 11.2.1
        15 May 2014 at 5:36 pm

        Surplus. Only if you believe transport funding to Auckland is a loan. Which is just one of the many accounting finagles National have committed to give the illusion of a surplus.

        And we will be paying for National’s sneaky cuts to essential services, for generations.

        • Colonial Viper 11.2.1.1
          15 May 2014 at 5:46 pm

          Balancing stupid electronic ledgers is more important than looking after kids in poverty, tens of thousands of young unemployed or preparing society for an oil depleted future.

          Our civilisation is quietly going insane and destroying itself in the process.

          • KJT 11.2.1.1.1
            15 May 2014 at 5:51 pm

            The neo-liberal structural deficit which we may never be able to recover from.
            Especially as National accelerated it after a sort of pause under Labour.

            As Brain Easton says, “the mismanagement from 1984…………

          • Draco T Bastard 11.2.1.1.2
            15 May 2014 at 6:52 pm

            Our civilisation has been insane for quite some time. If it wasn’t then we wouldn’t have been having massive debates about climate change – we would have been doing something about it. Actually, we probably wouldn’t have it as we would have made more rational decisions such as not having cars and probably capped population back around 1900.

          • Grumpy 11.2.1.1.3
            16 May 2014 at 9:41 pm

            Unless you balance the ledgers you can’t do anything.yi

  12. Colonial Viper 12
    15 May 2014 at 5:24 pm

    Thanks to the global recovery and the rebuild, real GDP growth is forecast to be 14.2% over the 2014-2018 forecast period. That’s around 2.8% annually, which is pretty good.

    Sounds decent except nah, it’s not actually going to happen, not in a million years. Energy depletion and GFC II will take care of it mate.

  13. Mr Interest 13
    15 May 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Col Viper, brilliant, thanks for the advice. I remain told off. Not even a little info on points 1-10, anyone??

    Just one last request, it would be a useful indicator to know how much the national party has influenced the economic up turn. Suspect they may have not have had alot to do with it. More milk being sold to China? Was that really just going to happen any way?

    Just some parting comments CV

    I loved this quote (considering the media is jumping up and down about the brighter future):

    “The economic future, like the political future, will be determined by future human behavior and decisions. That is why it is uncertain. And in spite of the enormous and constantly growing literature on business cycles, business forecasting will never, any more than opinion polls, become an exact science…

    As one investment advisor put it: “No matter how many times they fail, their self-assurance never weakens. Their greatest (or only) talent is for speaking authoritatively.”

    http://mises.org/daily/6417/

    and

    Definition from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economics

    “Social science that analyzes and describes the consequences of choices made concerning scarce productive resources. Economics is the study of how individuals and societies choose to employ those resources”

    Go well

  14. karol 14
    15 May 2014 at 6:14 pm

    It seems to me, while the extras for families such as free doctor visits, will be helpful up front, such things will be undercut by action or non-action in other ways.

    The cuts to ACC car levies for instance – an incentive for more car ownership and use. Meanwhile that will cause a tightening of what ACC can provide for people.

    I don’t see anything that will help those in transport and energy poverty or struggling to get affordable housing.

  15. Ad 15
    15 May 2014 at 6:30 pm

    Take a good look at the transport components of the budget and see if this $1b of infrastructure will assist the housing crisis at all. After all there’s no point having a house if you don’t have the ability to travel to and from it.

    http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/375m-accelerate-auckland-transport-projects
    http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/further-198m-kiwirail%E2%80%99s-turnaround-plan

    $800m on motorway upgrades, and $50 for the AMETI programme with its major road uprgade and dedicated busway (the only public transport component in the package).
    Plus another $50M for East-West, which Brownlee insists at the behest of the business lobby must be nothing but a motorway.

    Nearly $200m on rail, none of which goes to supporting the needs of the cities it should serve. Ridiculous reward for 2 full years of procurement fuckups.

    Any one of those new motorway budget lines could have started the City Rail Link. Exactly this day Auckand Council determined to enable a downtown developer to get the first part of the City Rail Link designed and not precluded.

    Not a single one of those motorway projects will assist the housing crisis.

    But extending rail electrification to Pukekohe would have. Some are worthwhile, but not against Auckland’s screaming public transport deficit, or Christchurch’s groaning and underfunded plans. They could have chucked a couple of those motorway jobs out the window and built an entire dedicated bus line up the SH16 northwestern, to same quality or better than the North Shore SH1 line. Now that would have assisted building massive housing projects in the north-west.

    For $1b, we get ‘car is king’ and no help for cities from rail.

    • karol 15.1
      15 May 2014 at 6:36 pm

      and Generation Zero says the budget is the lowest investment in energy efficiency since 2008.

      “Energy efficiency is an essential part of transitioning our energy and transport systems off fossil fuels and a major opportunity to improve our economy. EECA estimates that we could be saving $2.4 billion per year today simply by implementing cost-effective efficiency measures.

      “Energy efficiency is a win-win solution to climate change, and by cutting back funding the Government is sending a message that it doesn’t care.”

      • Colonial Viper 15.1.1
        15 May 2014 at 10:01 pm

        Applying Jevon’s paradox suggests that making things more energy efficient and cheaper to run results in zero energy savings.

        Why? Because people end up using those things more and no energy is actually saved.

        The classic NZ example -heat pumps. Way more efficient than other electrical heating? Yes. So what do people do? Install two in the home and leave them on all weekend, because “it’s efficient.”

    • Colonial Viper 15.2
      15 May 2014 at 9:54 pm

      For $1b, we get ‘car is king’ and no help for cities from rail.

      This is fertile ground for Labour – it must have the guts to repurpose tens of millions worth of motorway spending on rail, and re-task English’s rail spending on only the most worthwhile rail projects.

      And add this kicker – first preference for all contracts is going to NZ owned and based companies.

      This would win 100,000 votes in a heart beat.

  16. Disraeli Gladstone 16
    15 May 2014 at 7:39 pm

    http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2014/05/national-lite/

    Great piece on this budget and touches upon what Rob was saying about “Labour-lite”.

  17. RedBaronCV 17
    15 May 2014 at 7:40 pm

    “An end to duties and tariffs on plasterboard, reinforcing steel, nails, and some other building materials. ”
    Do we import this stuff or make some of it here? If we import it all then the tax take has just gone down slightly with no guarantte that it ends up in home owner hands. If we make some of it here then here comes cheap, possibly substandard imports, job loss, tax loss, and no guarantee that it ends up with the home owner.

    • greywarbler 17.1
      15 May 2014 at 10:21 pm

      Are we going to buy plaster board from China too along with everything else. Vietnam are tired of Chinese shops and factories in their midst and it seems that now Chinese are building an offshore airport on distant islands and tapping into oil in disputed waters, they are just too ubiquitous. We enjoy them but even we might feel swamped soon.

      Are we going to have another debacle in housing as the NACTs demonstrate their acuity versus their addiction for cheap. Housing could be the slingshot that gets money flowing into the economy if only they would get into it.

      But in Christchurch Brownlee prefers to be the patient wise man saying of course these complex things take time, but the things he is interested in are the CBD, stadiums and big stuff.

      No wonder people couldn’t get portaloos. I suppose English said it’s more of a want than a need. And everything that people since have said honestly and fervently about jobs, houses etc. has just received this distancing treatment. Oh that’s a SEP.

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    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand Honours Maori King ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • The Principles of the Treaty

    Hardly anyone says what are ‘the principles of the treaty’. The courts’ interpretation restrain the New Zealand Government. While they about protecting a particular community, those restraints apply equally to all community in a liberal democracy – including a single person.Treaty principles were introduced into the governance of New Zealand ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Only Other Reliable Vehicle.

    An Elite Leader Awaiting Rotation? Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen.THE SHAPE OF CHRIS HIPKINS’ THINKING on Labour’s optimum pathway to re-election is emerging steadily. At the core of his strategy is Hipkins’ view ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • A Big F U to this Right Wing Government

    Open to all - deep thanks to those who support and subscribe.One of the things that has got me interested recently is updates about Māori wards.In April, Stuff’s Karanama Ruru reported that ~ 2/3 of our 78 councils had adopted Māori wards in NZ.That meant that under the Coalition repeal ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: James Shaw’s legacy keeps paying off

    One of the central planks of the previous Labour-Green government's emissions reduction policy was GIDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry). This was basically using ETS revenue to pay polluters to clean up production, reducing emissions while protecting jobs. Corporate welfare, but it got the job done, and was often a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Gravity

    Oh twice as much ain't twice as goodAnd can't sustain like one half couldIt's wanting moreThat's gonna send me to my kneesSong: John MayerSome ups and downs from the last week of August ‘24. The good and bad, happy and sad, funny and mad, heroes and cads. The week that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Ditch the climate double speak and get real

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The Government announced changes to the Fast-Track Approvals Bill on Sunday, backing off from the contentious proposal to give ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to August 30

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest science of changing sea temperatures and which emissions policies actually work; on the latest from Ukraine, Gaza and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • This Govt’s infrastructure strategy depends on capital gains taxes & new road taxes

    Billions of dollars in value uplift was identified around the Transmission Gully project, but that was captured 100% by landowners and not shared to pay for the project. Now National is saying value capture should be used for similar projects. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/ Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 30-August-2024

    Kia ora and welcome to the end of another week. Here’s our regular Friday roundup of things that caught our eye, in the realm of cities and transport. If you enjoy these roundups, feel free to join our growing ranks of supporters by making a recurring donation to keep the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Table Talk: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.

    “That’s the sort of constitutional reform he favours: conceived in secret; revolutionary in intent; implemented incrementally without fanfare; and under no circumstances to be placed before the electorate for democratic ratification.”TO SAY IT WAS RAINING would have understated seriously the meteorological conditions. Simply put, it was pissing down. One of ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Big Norm and Chris Hipkins

    It’s 50 years ago today that “Big Norm” Kirk died of a heart attack in Wellington’s Home of Compassion. Home of Compassion. Although he was Prime Minister for only 623 days, he has an iconic place in New Zealand history, particularly Labour history. When Labour leaders like Jacinda Ardern recite ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #35 2024

    Open access notables Arctic glacier snowline altitudes rise 150 m over the last 4 decades, Larocca et al., The Cryosphere: We mapped the snowline (SL) on a subset of 269 land-terminating glaciers above 60° N latitude in the latest available summer, clear-sky Landsat satellite image between 1984 and 2022. The mean SLA was extracted ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Unravelling the String of State: New Zealand Sovereignty and the Treaty of Waitangi

    Oh dear. Sometimes people just need to prod the sleeping dog. We currently have a parliamentary dispute over the nature of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, as signed between the British Crown and New Zealand Maori: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/526451/sovereignty-debate-split-on-party-lines Specifically, the National Government takes the traditional view that Maori ceded sovereignty ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Rigour, PLEASE

    You may have noticed I have been taking my time getting home. You may have wondered if that might have anything to do with our brave little nation being constitutionally and morally abused by this woeful excuse for a government. It does. I have enjoyed being able to turn the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Making A Difference.

    The Jacinda and Ashley Show: Before the neoliberals could come up with a plausible reason for letting thousands of their fellow citizens perish, the Ardern-led government, backed by the almost forgotten power of an unapologetically interventionist state, was producing changes in the real world – changes that were, very obviously, saving ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government backs women in horticulture

    “The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says.  “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government to pause freshwater farm plan rollout

    The Government will pause the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “Improving the freshwater farm plan system to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers is a priority for this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Milestone reached for fixing the Holidays Act 2003

    Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says yesterday Cabinet reached another milestone on fixing the Holidays Act with approval of the consultation exposure draft of the Bill ready for release next week to participants.  “This Government will improve the Holidays Act with the help of businesses, workers, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New priorities to protect future of conservation

    Toitū te marae a Tāne Mahuta me Hineahuone, toitū te marae a Tangaroa me Hinemoana, toitū te taiao, toitū te tangata. The Government has introduced clear priorities to modernise Te Papa Atawhai - The Department of Conservation’s protection of our natural taonga. “Te Papa Atawhai manages nearly a third of our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Faster 110km/h speed limit to accelerate Kāpiti

    A new 110km/h speed limit for the Kāpiti Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS) has been approved to reduce travel times for Kiwis travelling in and out of Wellington, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • IVL increase to ensure visitors contribute more to New Zealand

    The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will be raised to $100 to ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Matt Doocey and Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka say. “The Government is serious about enabling the tourism sector ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Delivering priority connections for the West Coast

    A record $255 million for transport investment on the West Coast through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s road and rail links to keep people connected and support the region’s economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Government is committed to making sure that every ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Road and rail reliability a focus for Wellington

    A record $3.3 billion of transport investment in Greater Wellington through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will increase productivity and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. We're focused on delivering transport projects ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Record investment to boost economic and housing growth in the Waikato

    A record $1.9 billion for transport investment in the Waikato through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more efficient, safe, and resilient roading network that supports economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “With almost a third of the country’s freight travelling into, out ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Building reliable and efficient roading for Taranaki

    A record $808 million for transport investment in Taranaki through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Taranaki’s roads carry a high volume of freight from primary industries and it’s critical we maintain efficient connections across the region to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Supporting growth and resilience in Otago and Southland

    A record $1.4 billion for transport investment in Otago and Southland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more resilient and efficient network that supports economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity in Otago ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Delivering connected and resilient roading for Northland

    A record $991 million for transport investment in Northland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s connections and support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “We are committed to making sure that every transport dollar is spent wisely on the projects and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Top of the South to benefit from reliable transport infrastructure

    A record $479 million for transport investment across the top of the South Island through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will build a stronger road network that supports primary industries and grows the economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “We’re committed to making sure that every dollar is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering reliable roads for Manawatū-Whanganui

    A record $1.6 billion for transport investment in Manawatū-Whanganui through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s importance as a strategic freight hub that boosts economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Restoring connections in Hawke’s Bay

    A record $657 million for transport investment in the Hawke’s Bay through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support recovery from cyclone damage and build greater resilience into the network to support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “We are committed to making sure that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Transport resilience a priority for Gisborne

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