Ports of Auckland is out of control

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, May 3rd, 2015 - 30 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, Conservation, Environment, len brown, local government, Politics, supercity - Tags: ,

I have thought this for a while. Ever since POAL have spent huge amounts of public money to try and rid the Auckland Port of union labour I have thought that they were out of control and should be replaced.

The Standard covered this issue in some detail and I used to blog on this issue at Waitakere News.  The handling was a perfect example of the major weakness of Auckland Super City where democratic control had been sacrificed to corporate priorities.

The basic problem was the insistence that POAL should return a healthy financial return.  It is a publicly owned piece of infrastructure that facilitates economic activity.  Financially it can break even but as long as it contributing to Auckland’s overall economic wellbeing this should not be of concern.  The greater good can mean that it’s profitability is not a priority issue.

Perhaps enamoured by its earlier success POAL has recently engaged in further controversial activity and has proposed to extend the total wharf area and to reclaim land to improve the port’s bottom line.  The Port wants to construct new 97 and 92 metre wharves along either side of the Bledisloe Wharf and will no doubt in the future want to fill in the area between.

The logic is at one level compelling.  Increasing the size of wharves will improve the bottom line.  As long as profit generated can more than sustain the cost of construction then logically POAL should keep building wharves.  They may not stop and eventually the wharves may be approaching Devonport but as long as the bottom line is improving all is fine, according to this analysis.

The gap in POAL’s logic is that it could wreck a beautiful harbour.  Increasing encroachment to essentially provide wharf space for used cars and large liners housing retired Americans appeals to POAL’s corporate view of the world.  Preserving the harbour appeals to the elected representatives, at least some of them as well as huge numbers in the community.

The super city structure is a major impediment.  Despite the Council effectively owning the POAL shares there is a corporate layer in the middle.  Auckland Council Investments Limited is the nominal owner of the shares and the appointer of POAL directors.  Auckland Council owns ACIL’s shares and appoints its directors.

In terms of raw legal power the solution seems clear.  You would think that Council could tell ACIL to tell POAL that if its directors do not reflect the wishes of the Council then they will be replaced.  And if ACIL is not willing to do this then tell ACIL’s directors that they will be replaced by directors willing to do the job.

But in that typical corporate way matters have become somewhat complex.  Everyone lawyered up and people start talking about judicial review and the obligations of a ports company to operate as a successful business.  This analysis however  completely misses the obligations of the Auckland Council to govern in the interests of the city and it shows how limited POAL’s world view is.

The most upsetting thing is the complete disdain POAL has shown to Auckland Council’s expressed wishes.  Correspondence has been exchanged, POAL asked in that polite Council way to stop work and even talk of a thermonuclear option has not deterred it from giving a very clear extended middle finger to the Council.  POAL’s decision to announce on National Radio its response to the letter was unbelievable.

In the ensuing stare down that occurred Auckland Council clearly blinked first.  An agreement to allow one extension to be constructed was supported by the barest of majorities with Mayor Len Brown having to exercise a casting vote to get the agreement over the line.  Cameron Brewer, no doubt with the intent of embarrassing Brown, joined the group of progressive and environmentally protective councillors such as Darby, Clow, Casey and Lee in opposing the resolution.

The brinkmanship exercised by POAL was pretty extreme.  Two days previously its lawyer Jim Farmer had told the High Court that the work could not be stopped.  And then this compromise deal was reached where construction on one of the wharves has been halted, at least for now.

The issue is one of a number that has divided Auckland Council.  Chris Darby described the situation well when he described the compromise as “a black day for Auckland when it is blackmailed by its port company”.

If you want to express your thoughts there is a protest at Downtown Auckland today starting at 11 am.  Details are on Stop Stealing our Harbour’s Facebook page.

30 comments on “Ports of Auckland is out of control ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tc 1
    3 May 2015 at 8:43 am

    Local body dirty politics brought to you by brewer and his associates, works just as hide and key intended it to.

    • dukeofurl 1.1
      3 May 2015 at 10:47 am

      Brewer and colleagues new trick is ‘lease off the port’ but keep the land in public ownership.
      And we are talking very very long leases, and as we found out with Sky City they usually have the clout to run ruffshot over any conditions to get what they want.

      International owners would use every financial trick in the book to avoid paying taxes on profits.

    • Bearded Git 1.2
      3 May 2015 at 11:20 am

      I just can’t believe 5 councilors didn’t turn up to the wharf vote. WTF?

  2. Paul 2
    3 May 2015 at 9:00 am

    This is what happens when a country worships at the altar of neoliberalism.

  3. Sable 3
    3 May 2015 at 9:30 am

    Ever known a government or governing body of any kind in this country to govern in the interests of the people? Sorry to sound cynical but it wont’ happen.

  4. Tracey 4
    3 May 2015 at 9:43 am

    who owns ports of tauranga and northland?

    best thing imo is for those 3 to merge…

    • jenny kirk 4.1
      3 May 2015 at 10:16 am

      Tracey – Ports of Auckland has a large share in both Tauranga and Northland. And Tauranga has a large share in Northland as well. You’d think they could all work together for what is the major good of carting products around the world from NZ – but NO, PoA want to be the biggest and the best and to heck with what that would mean for the environment in which it operates ie the Waitemata Harbour and the greater Hauraki Gulf. Meanwhile the best deep water port in NZ languishes from lack of work and investment (ie Northland).

      • dukeofurl 4.1.1
        3 May 2015 at 10:40 am

        The problem with northland is the additional transport costs to bring imported goods to Auckland.
        It is essentially only an oil import terminal for the refinery, which cant be used for anything else and a logs export wharf nearby – which cant be used for anything else. There is a small cement wharf separate again- which cant be used for anything else.

        Auckland had land set aside for new wharfs at Te Atatu. This would have been ideal for cars etc, but in the amalgamation frenzy the land was sold back in the late 1980s

    • You_Fool 4.2
      3 May 2015 at 8:48 pm

      It does seem to me that would be the best way forward. Offload ships in Tauranga or Whangarei and transport by train to wiri as an inland port then distribute to auckland from there. POA can be converted back into public spaces and a luxury cruise liner terminal. If more space is needed for them (which they don’t really need) then maybe another spot in auckland is needed (with the required direct rail link to downtown)

      Of course this appears to go against the interests of those who run the place

  5. grumpystilskin 5
    3 May 2015 at 10:09 am

    Gotta love the “no big cruise ships” in the headlines now, marketing 101.
    Surely most people can see through the PR?

  6. greywarshark 6
    3 May 2015 at 10:22 am

    large liners housing retired Americans appeals to POAL’s corporate view of the world
    A relative recently had a jaunt on one of the large liners. There are people who have
    had 20 tours on liners.

    POA groans that cruise ships are being turned away – they are too long for the present wharves. I think $40 million was mentioned as the loss to Auckland. How is that calculated then? Is there a basic spend of average for each passenger, which then gives the multiplier effect, usually of diminishing return up to 3 times.) An Australian study gives the sum of $371 a day per passenger. Largest cruisers hold to 6,600 passengers down to 3,000. On the Costa Concordia there were 4252 passengers.
    http://www.cruising.org/vacation/news/press_releases/2014/11/new-study-shows-cruise-passengers-spend-371-day-cruise-industry-generate

    Crews on cruise ships – Most staff work 77 hour work weeks for 10 months continuously followed by 2 months of vacation.[22][23] Numbers on board for the Costa Concordia were about 500 Indians and Filipinos about half the personnel which also had a big number of Indonesians, 170. There are no paid vacations or pensions for service, non-management crew, depending on the level of the position and the type of the contract. Non-service and management crew members get paid vacation, medical, retirement options, and can participate in the company’s group insurance plan.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship

    The cruise ship companies need huge input of money from willing travellers. If the financial system goes down, the oil is depleted and they stop coming then there are wharves which people might not even be able to fish off if the ecology of the area deteriorates because of the building destruction and the ongoing efffects of the extra wharves. Also the leaching from shipping, oil, unsanitary goo which happens despite the best regulations, properly policed. Has anti fouling paint been outlawed and if so is that adequately policed? How? There is something called fanworm come in from overseas that grows rapidly and spreads over native sea habitatsand this requires the sort of precautionary monitoring that careless corporates find inefficient to their bottom line.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship_pollution_in_the_United_States

  7. wyndham 7
    3 May 2015 at 10:22 am

    The objections by the people of Auckland appear based on the spatial and visual despoilation of the Hauraki Gulf.
    Surely the so-called ‘compromise’ decision of allowing one wharf to go ahead is no compromise at all ! One wharf or two make equal contribution to ruination of a gem.
    Besides, we all know that approval given to one is merely the old foot in the door trick. Inevitably the second will follow.

    • greywarshark 7.1
      3 May 2015 at 1:22 pm

      @ wyndham
      I heard a spokesperson on the radio say as much – that the second would happen. The single on was just to break the logjam of complaints and constraints.

  8. Tiger Mountain 8
    3 May 2015 at 10:38 am

    well written Micky

    cruise ships are an optional extra in a warming world (until substantial numbers of people possibly end up living on them ala ‘Waterworld’) POA seems the ultimate undemocratic CCO standover merchant, bastard spawn of Rodney Hide’s Supercity

    the problem is so many Auckland residents and ratepayers are either lazy sods that won’t even submit a postal vote or marginalised and alienated into non participation in any public affairs, such as local boards

    inequality does not breed community spirit just niches and interest groups jostling for position, Len could have stood up for the Wharfies but did the opposite and it has gone downhill since

    yes there are quiet achievements from council activity but it is the big power plays like this one that put people off, one wonders what commitments POA had made in secret to the likes of cruise companies for the directors to so obviously take themselves out of the line of legal fire

  9. Dave Langford 9
    3 May 2015 at 10:48 am

    As a member of the Union which has spent the last 3 or 4 years locked in a fight with these swine,it comes as no surprise to me they don’t give a f..k about any objections from the people of Auckland.The worst thing is the fact that they use your money to buy full page adds to put their views over and no doubt there will be MSM story’s regarding what a fine chap the leader of POAL is (along the lines of loves kittens,and spends his free time helping old ladies cross roads etc) I can’t see any good result from this , and don’t get me started on the stadiums debacle!

  10. Armchair Critic 10
    3 May 2015 at 11:21 am

    Ports of Auckland is one of the few parts of Auckland Council that is operating in the way that ACT and National intended when they designed the reorganisation of local government in Auckland. Those two parties are doing a great job of avoiding responsibility for the mess they made.

  11. hoom 11
    3 May 2015 at 12:35 pm

    This is an example of the fundamental flaws in Corporatisation of Public assets.

    POAL should be properly accountable to its owner & respectful of the desire of citizens of Auckland to have a nice harbor.

    Given the vital importance of shipping to the NZ economy there should be a Central Govt plan & direction to make sure that NZ gets the ships it needs without trashing our environment.

    Also: Can someone explain how in the hell does stopping the West extension but keeping up the East one solve anything?

    The East side is only 220m long currently, no way a big Cruise ship can dock there even with extension -> East extension only makes any sense in the context of the full reclamation between the extensions.

    And the West extension doesn’t really make any sense to me either, the West wharf is already 475m long but the largest cruise ships are only 362m long.

    Previously there was talk of extending Captain Cook wharf for Cruise ships which would have much less visual impact & removal of Marsden Wharf which would enable better use of Bledisloe, what happened to those?

    • greywarshark 11.1
      4 May 2015 at 9:37 am

      Bigness and length obviously has significant meaning for the POA deciders.

  12. Skinny 12
    3 May 2015 at 2:33 pm

    A good turnout for a city full of apathy.

    http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/68226885/Hundreds-of-protesters-march-against-Auckland-wharf-expansion

    The obvious solution would be to use the deep water Marsden Point port and freight goods to and fro from Auckland by rail. This would require the rail link and an upgrade of the North Auckland line. Of course common sense doesn’t prevail when you have a former National MP, turned lobbyist in Annabel Young smashing Kiwi Rail at every given opportunity, aswell as creating opportunity no doubt. Dig a little deeper and you see she is an executive director of the New Zealand Shipping Federation. National tapping another money tree no doubt, and lining the pockets of one of their own. What a disgraceful outfit in charge.

  13. Penny Bright 13
    3 May 2015 at 3:03 pm

    With all due respect – the process for the effective corporate takeover of the Auckland region – this ‘Supercity for the 1%’, started, in my view, on 5 September 2006, with the attempted Auckland ‘Mayoral coup’.

    The then four City Council Mayors in the Auckland region, Dick Hubbard (ACC), Barry Curtis (MCC), George Wood (NSCC) and Bob Harvey (WCC) – all signed an ‘Open Letter’ to Labour PM – Helen Clark, on behalf of big business, calling for the abolition of the ARC, and it’s urgent replacement with an Auckland ‘Supercity’.

    Having been tipped off, myself and fellow community activist Lisa Prager, gate-crashed and effectively disrupted this ‘Mayoral Forum’ meeting, which was not following any ‘lawful due process’ for any ‘reorganisation proposal’ – as outlined in the (then) Local Government Act 2002.

    Such a fuss was made that this ‘Mayoral coup’ was an epic FAIL.

    It was the Labour Government who then appointed the Royal Commissioners for Auckland Regional Governance (including David Shand ex-World Bank /IMF ).

    It was arguably the MOST important of ALL the recommendations of this Royal Commission – that all Auckland’s major infrastructure and trading activities be undertaken by Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs).

    CCOs, have been the mechanism for the corporate takeover of the Auckland region, and the means by which we are being run ‘like a business, by business – FOR business’.

    So blaming Rodney Hide and ACT for the Auckland Supercity is quite simply – NOT historically correct.

    This Auckland ‘Supercity’ amalgamation – has been the second dose of neo-liberal Rogernomic$ forced upon the majority of citizens and ratepayers, at local government level.

    Both times – it was started under Labour.

    Lest we forget …..

    Penny Bright

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

    • John Shears 13.1
      3 May 2015 at 10:44 pm

      Penny,
      You need to read the history again.
      You mention the commission but you omit to note that their report created after several years investigation and careful consultation was thrown in the rubbish bin and Hide , as Nationals dogs body, came up with the present mess of confused governance in a few months.

    • Murray Rawshark 13.2
      3 May 2015 at 10:48 pm

      Thanks Penny. It’s good to know that Brown is carrying on Labour work, rather than being forced into carrying out a devious NAct plan against his will. Just one more example where you need an electron microscope to see the difference between the two parties.

      • greywarshark 13.2.1
        4 May 2015 at 9:30 am

        Looking back at scoop on Hide as Minister when he released the report – this is what was said. But what Auck! got seems different.

        “I can see merit in having one Auckland organisation to drive, manage and be responsible for all planning and delivery of services.
        (Me – But there is not one, the Council, there are a number of silos.)

        “The proposals around management of assets, including water and wastewater, appear well thought through. Having one organisation manage all the regional assets makes a lot of sense.
        (“Makes sense” – sounds subjective to me. And again not one organisation in effect.)

        “However, I have some concerns about whether the report provides for adequate local representation in our many diverse communities, and I want to look more closely at this issue.
        (Local representation? Does this mean some hand-picked gofer or group responding to hand-picked questions from the PTB, when asked ?)

        “It’s important to get Auckland governance right as our decisions will shape the future of Auckland and New Zealand for the next 50 to 100 years. We’re committed to making a great city greater.”
        (You’re right there mate! We are being tied up in a Gordian knot that we won’t be able to wiggle our way out of because our hands are tied, behind our backs.)
        http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0903/S00405.htm

        A quote from nzherald (lower case NZ is appropriate for them) John Clements opinion – retired pilot from Orewa – makes sense.
        The Super City has led to a weird structure in which the Mayor and 20 elected councillors have to joust with seven council-controlled organisations over which they seem to have little control, and aphalanx of unelected bureaucrats. It’s highly questionable democracy.
        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11346670

        David Beatson in Pundit 2009 gives a rapid review of events in reforming Auckland from the 1980’s.
        http://pundit.co.nz/content/super-city-or-super-mess

        Two useful comments by Phil Twyford on Red Alert from 2009
        http://blog.labour.org.nz/tag/royal-commission-on-auckland-governance/

        Ref. Wikipedia on Gordian knot: It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem (disentangling an “impossible” knot) solved easily by cheating or “thinking outside the box” (“cutting the Gordian knot”):

        Think like Shakespeare – he had enough imagination to construct plays thinking into and sometimes. out of problems. We need to use our human trickster-mind to get out of the maze of our illogical-thinking mindset.

        “Turn him to any cause of policy,
        The Gordian Knot of it he will unloose,
        Familiar as his garter” (Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 1 Scene 1. 45–47)
        edited

  14. Draco T Bastard 14
    3 May 2015 at 6:08 pm

    And then this compromise deal was reached where construction on one of the wharves has been halted, at least for now.

    In no way is it a compromise. The harbour will still be narrowed and when that’s been done the excuse will be that extending the other won’t make any difference because it won’t.

    This is an example of an uncontrollable commercial entity walking over the wishes of the people. Exactly as Act and National planned.

  15. Penny Bright 15
    4 May 2015 at 9:04 am

    Sorry if the FACTS are not to your liking, regarding the historical background to the disastrous Auckland ‘Supercity’ ( for the 1%).

    I’m not relying on the reading of the historical record.

    I’m relying on memory and my own research / investigation, as one of the very few who was actually there, opposing the Auckland Supercity, literally from Day One – when it started – in my view on 5 September 2006 – the day of ‘the failed Mayoral coup’.

    The mechanism for the corporate takeover of the Auckland region has been the the Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) model, which, in my view was the most important recommendation of the Labour Government appointed Royal Commission on Auckland Regional Governance – that all major infrastructure and trading activities should be carried out by CCOs.

    Don’t ask me to have a frontal lobotomy.

    Facts are facts and truth is truth.

    Why don’t you ask Mike Lee?

    Penny Bright

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

  16. Richard@Down South 16
    4 May 2015 at 12:04 pm

    Surely Jim Farmer committed perjury by saying the work could not be stopped?

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 hours ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    11 hours ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    13 hours ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    13 hours ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    15 hours ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    16 hours ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 day ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    1 day ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    2 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • The unboxing
    And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the tree with its gold ribbon but can turn out to be nothing more than a big box holding a voucher for socks, so it ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • A cruel, vicious, nasty government
    So, after weeks of negotiations, we finally have a government, with a three-party cabinet and a time-sharing deputy PM arrangement. Newsroom's Marc Daalder has put the various coalition documents online, and I've been reading through them. A few things stand out: Luxon doesn't want to do any work, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Hurrah – we have a new government (National, ACT and New Zealand First commit “to deliver for al...
    Buzz from the Beehive Sorry, there has been  no fresh news on the government’s official website since the caretaker trade minister’s press statement about the European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement. But the capital is abuzz with news – and media comment is quickly flowing – after ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Christopher Luxon – NZ PM #42.
    Nothing says strong and stable like having your government announcement delayed by a day because one of your deputies wants to remind everyone, but mostly you, who wears the trousers. It was all a bit embarrassing yesterday with the parties descending on Wellington before pulling out of proceedings. There are ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Coalition Government details policies & ministers
    Winston Peters will be Deputy PM for the first half of the Coalition Government’s three-year term, with David Seymour being Deputy PM for the second half. Photo montage by Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: PM-Elect Christopher Luxon has announced the formation of a joint National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government with a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • “Old Coat” by Peter, Paul & Mary.
     THERE ARE SOME SONGS that seem to come from a place that is at once in and out of the world. Written by men and women who, for a brief moment, are granted access to that strange, collective compendium of human experience that comes from, and belongs to, all the ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 23-November-2023
    It’s Friday again! Maybe today we’ll finally have a government again. Roll into the weekend with some of the articles that caught our attention this week. And as always, feel free to add your links and observations in the comments. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    7 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s strategy for COP28 in Dubai
    The COP28 countdown is on. Over 100 world leaders are expected to attend this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which starts next Thursday. Among the VIPs confirmed for the Dubai summit are the UK’s Rishi Sunak and Brazil’s Lula da Silva – along ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    7 days ago

  • Coalition talks: a timeline
    Media demand to know why a coalition government has yet to be formed. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    7 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Nov 24
    Luxon was no doubt relieved to be able to announce a coalition agreement has been reached, but we still have to wait to hear the detail. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Passing Things Down.
    Keeping The Past Alive: The durability of Commando comics testifies to the extended nature of the generational passing down of the images, music, and ideology of the Second World War. It has remained fixed in the Baby Boomers’ consciousness as “The Good War”: the conflict in which, to a far ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2023
    Open access notables How warped are we by fossil fuel dependency? Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 35-40 million cubic meters per day of Russian natural gas are piped across Ukraine for European consumption every single day, right now. In order to secure European cooperation against Russian aggression, Ukraine must help to ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-11-30T08:17:24+00:00