Running for cover

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 pm, April 21st, 2020 - 41 comments
Categories: food, jobs, poverty, uncategorized, us politics, welfare - Tags:

More 1% Americans are heading our way, according to Bloomberg. The Texas company building underground bunkers is getting more enquiries. They’re not running from the virus but fear the aftermath when the breadlines turn.

Seeing the pictures of those queuing for food, sometimes packed close together or practising social distance in long lines of cars, one feels that this fear is not without justification. Trump has handled the virus appallingly, focused only on himself, to the point of egging on open-air protests against State governors, with some carrying arms.

With an expensive insurance-based system mostly provided those in permanent work and a low level of unemployment support, costs of adjustments to economic shock in the US fall on workers. The helicopter money of $1,200 to individuals pales in comparison to the trillions d going to banks and corporates, without any oversight or regulation. No wonder the rich are fleeing.

Some of our corporate leaders such as Rod Drury want to welcome the self-centred refugees. He’s apparently put the idea to David Parker, who was not keen. I’m not either. Our culture of support for each other and manaakitanga is what has seen us start well on our way through this crisis.

One Silicon Valley refugee mentioned in the Bloomberg article mentioned how he had found a place to live in Waiheke Island, chosen because he had heard it was where the billionaires were. Unfortunately because of the lock-down he hadn’t met any billionaires. They’re probably in the bunkers.

41 comments on “Running for cover ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Nick 1
    21 April 2020 at 9:49 pm

    It's $1,200 only.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 1.1
      22 April 2020 at 7:21 am

      Yep. From the IRS:

      Eligible individuals will receive $1,200. Two eligible individuals filing a joint return will receive $2,400. You will receive an additional $500 Payment for each qualifying child you claimed on your tax return being used to calculate your Payment who meets the following conditions …

    • weka 1.2
      22 April 2020 at 7:54 am

      I edited it now, thanks.

  2. weka 2
    21 April 2020 at 10:23 pm

    The Herald tweeted this earlier today. However the article appears to instead be about Ardern toying with Hoskings (a delight to read).

    https://twitter.com/nzherald/status/1252319579168071680

  3. Peter 3
    21 April 2020 at 10:34 pm

    So you help create chaos, shit in your own nest as it were and then you escape. The great democracy that you sing about and salute, pay allegiance to from the time you're born and say is the greatest country in the world isn't that.

    You can't get your own way, things end up with fuckwits running around your capitals with guns so want to come here?

    All the money you've made to prove how successful you are at life is used to escape the sign of how unsuccessful you've been at creating a good country.

    At least if you get here you'll probably have enough money to pay for your bone spur surgery you seem the types to suffer with that.

  4. McFlock 4
    21 April 2020 at 10:39 pm

    Give me your scared, your wealthy, your cowering elite, yearning to be safe from the people they exploited…

  5. RedBaronCV 5
    21 April 2020 at 10:42 pm

    I have a lot of trouble with the idea that government ministers ( who I expect are generally pretty busy at the moment) having to waste time listening to the rich pushing what I would call off the wall wacky ideas like Mr Drury's to benefit other rich people. The rest of us wouldn't even get the phone answered if we called – so why do the rich have this selfish compulsion to jump the queue and think their ideas are best.

    .I also wonder if those installing the bolt holes here are dodging work visa requirements when doing so.

    Lastly should there be a ban on the arrival of foreign business jets/reduce the length of visa for those that can leave. Frankly I think those who fled here are overwhelmingly selfish in that they may have brought the virus and I'm sure they expect to be able to use our health system if they need to. Maybe it's time to toss a few of these people out. Do we know how many people are still here on a visitor visa and when are they are going home? Shouldn’t the investor visas be canned if they are trying to get one? Rich people arriving to destroy another country. I have seen in the past visa’s being awarded because a donation has been made to a local school or similar. Passport selling.

  6. Gabby 6
    21 April 2020 at 11:03 pm

    Surprised Rod hasn't found a buyer for the whole outfit. Why think small.

  7. mac1 7
    21 April 2020 at 11:08 pm

    These 1%ers come from the land that Utah Phillips sang about. They are the ones who flee when they fear the consequences of verse three. The first verse is a deadly accurate portrayal of US 2020 conditions.

    "This Land is Their Land" sung to the tune of the Woody Guthrie original, and itself a protest song if you get to the last verses.

    "As I was walking
    An endless breadline
    My landlord gave me
    A two week deadline
    The local paper
    Printed a better headline
    This land is not for you and me

    This land is their land
    It is not our land
    From your plush apartment
    To your Cadillac car land
    From your wall street office
    To your Hollywood starland
    This land is not for you and me

    So take your slogan
    And kindly stow it
    If this is our land
    You'd never know it
    Lets get together
    And overthrow it
    This land was made for you and me"

  8. aom 8
    21 April 2020 at 11:17 pm

    Hey, let the buggers come. A couple of weeks locked down in a cheap hotel with bags of food dropped of at the expense of the state, followed by a severe financial fleeing to invest in the country and no access to tax havens and they might make desirable citizens. If not, they know what they can do.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 8.1
      22 April 2020 at 7:23 am

      " they might make desirable citizens. "

      They didn't get filthy rich by being desirable citizens, in general. They did it by exploiting those around them and minimising their contributions to society.

      The very last sort of people we need here.

    • georgecom 8.2
      22 April 2020 at 1:41 pm

      thank goodness we have a Labour/Green/NZF government where it has become harder for the 1%ers to simple set up their bolt hole here. Key would have been welcoming them with red carpets. If they want to transfer their wealth here and pay tax on it and take NZ residency/citizenship then yes, maybe so, they are welcome to make an application for residency.

      • georgecom 8.2.1
        22 April 2020 at 4:26 pm

        another option I did consider. The 1000 people Drury want to be able to build houses here, for every year they are not living in NZ, charge them a (suggested) 20% land tax on the value of their house. When they decide to live permanently in NZ the tax can be scrapped but until they do each and every year they pay the 20% tax.

  9. RedBaronCV 9
    21 April 2020 at 11:22 pm

    I forgot to ask. How is the bloke in the Bloomberg story holed up on Waiheke being allowed to work here or is he doing it illegally? I'm assuming he came on a visitor visa and it seems to have been replaced with something else pretty quickly- has it all been within the rules? Note how he says he will go back when things become more normal!

  10. joe90 10
    22 April 2020 at 4:56 am

    pales in comparison to the trillions d going to banks and corporates, without any oversight or regulation.

    First up, best dressed.

    But by April 16, less than two weeks after the program launched, it ran out of money. Many thousands of small businesses, some of the brink of permanent closure, were not able to secure loans.

    […]

    But, before the money ran out, Ruth's Hospitality Group, the parent company of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, was able to secure a $20 million loan. How did a company with thousands of employees and over $441 million in revenue last year — and $86 million cash reserves — benefit from this fund while thousands of real small businesses received nothing?

    The law contained an exception for restaurant chains as long as the chain didn’t have more than 500 employees at any single location. Ruth’s Hospitality Group exploited that exception by applying through two corporate subsidiaries, obtaining twice the limit for a single company on April 7. Ruth’s Hospitality Group was able to get to the front of the line because JP Morgan Chase, like many banks, gave preference to companies that had a preexisting banking relationship.

    https://popular.info/p/a-raw-deal

  11. dv 11
    22 April 2020 at 8:15 am

    See Branson is asking for the British tax payer to bail him out.

    And putting up his island for a loan

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/121173438/coronavirus-richard-branson-turns-to-his-island-to-help-bolster-virgin-empire

    "Branson has not paid tax in this country for 14 years," British lawmaker Diane Abbott tweeted in response to his letter. "On no account should he get a taxpayer bailout, loan or otherwise."

  12. Ad 12
    22 April 2020 at 8:31 am

    Prime Minister Ardern should get off her high horse and actually welcome such tourists here.

    It's not like there's any other tourists coming.

    We've got plenty of billionaires from across the world who have invested here over the last two decades.

    Ardern has just enforced a country that is 100% Pure (again). It's high time she figured out that this is a massive competitive advantage for New Zealand.

    • Anne 12.1
      22 April 2020 at 10:43 am

      The last thing I want to see is a large bunch of Peter Thiels in this country trying to turn it into a super-duper neo-liberal tax haven for the rich and powerful!

      I refer you to Mac 1 @ 7.

    • Gabby 12.2
      22 April 2020 at 10:46 am

      They sound more like refugees than tourists.

    • AB 12.3
      22 April 2020 at 12:14 pm

      It's not a particularly high horse – but it does have the virtue of actually being a horse. More supine members of the animal kingdom are available.

    • RedLogix 12.4
      22 April 2020 at 12:39 pm

      I've had the opportunity to spend several hours, one on one, with one of those genuinely wealthy people most people here so deeply resent. It was a rare, accidental slice of messed up travel time, circumstances beyond both our control momentarily giving me a once only insight into the mind of a real billionaire. (Tens of billions actually).

      I asked him questions about his role, about how and why he thought he had become so wealthy. In short nothing about him conformed to the stereotypes so many people here have about the rich. I didn't find his demeanour arrogant or secretive, but it was clear that he had the capacity for both intense work and an appetite for risk most of use could not embrace.

      He was very aware that everything depended on the people he had working for him, he was clear that he regarded choosing and managing them as his primary contribution, a role that demanded insight and empathy, but also the ruthlessness to cut out deadweight when it threatened the whole. There was nothing casual about him, he carried huge commercial responsibilities and one bad decision on his part could have major consequences in all manner of directions.

      If nothing else I got the sense that he found his wealth both an opportunity and a burden at the same time that separated him from the mass of ordinary people more often than he'd like. People like him are always surrounded by others with an agenda. He never got to sit around in the bar like I could and chill with a beer and bullshit.

      Yes you can resent people like him for their wealth if you want, but it's a waste of energy IMO.

      • Mike Smith 12.4.1
        22 April 2020 at 1:37 pm

        I'm guessing he didn't have an underground bunker in Wanaka.

        • RedLogix 12.4.1.1
          22 April 2020 at 2:06 pm

          No.

          Although oddly enough he was digging one of the largest holes in the ground in the world, and the copper production from it is part of a system that makes much of the modern, comfortable electrical based life you take largely for granted, possible.

      • AB 12.4.2
        22 April 2020 at 2:46 pm

        Wariness concerning the very rich makes no moralising assumptions about them as individuals. That would be foolish and hypocritical. Sensible objections are entirely systemic:

        • to an economic system that allows accumulation of wealth that is disproportionately great compared to other citizens – as well as only loosely correlated with the effort involved or any social value produced
        • to the flow-on political influence that accrues to the very wealthy and its potential to weaken democracies

        In a society where everyone was free of financial insecurity, the first point probably wouldn't worry too many people. The second point is more intractable.

        In fact the second point is exactly why we don’t have a society in which everyone is free of financial insecurity, i.e. the intractability of the second point brings the first point into play as an issue.

        • RedLogix 12.4.2.1
          22 April 2020 at 3:00 pm

          I can mostly go with that comment AB; it's self-evidently a lot more thoughtful than much of the kneejerkery that goes on around this topic.

          as well as only loosely correlated with the effort involved or any social value produced

          It's definitely true the correlation is often looser than anyone would want to defend; yet it's not zero either. While it's easy to imagine all the wealthy as little more than idle parasites, the reality is different. Some are very hard working and produce a great deal of social value; often in ways that are very unfamiliar to ordinary working people. No they rarely if ever wield shovels in a fashion you or I would recognise as work, but what they really do is align resources in ways they hope will produce a reward. And in doing so often take on a level of risk most of us can scarcely comprehend.

          Putting U$7b at risk on one project, as the person I met was doing, is not a casual undertaking; it's demanding, stressful and above all requires good judgement in many dimensions to pull off successfully. His ambition and drive was employing over 10,000 people from 40 different countries, and transforming the economic outlook of the country it was located in. It only looks easy in hindsight, but the truth is if it were really that easy everyone would do it. But only a few of us can; it's actually a rare talent.

          For certain there are many people whose wealth is not honestly earned in any manner I would care to defend, but that is not the same thing as condemning all hyper-successful people as a class.

          • KJT 12.4.2.1.1
            22 April 2020 at 3:25 pm

            "The rich are rich because they are more, hard working, talented and/or meritious than, "ordinary" people".

            The other day you were claiming they are "the same".

            Make your mind up!

            • RedLogix 12.4.2.1.1.1
              22 April 2020 at 3:53 pm

              Yet many people here consider them sub-human parasites that according to the title of the post should be 'eaten'. Very confusing.

              • KJT …
                22 April 2020 at 5:43 pm

                Some aren't, obviously.

                I've a couple in the family who became rich through developing innovative technology. Both acknowledge the role of luck, and the excellent start they got from NZ tax payer funded education and business development, though. And, they pay taxes in New Zealand.

                But do you really think Trump, and his enablers, including the Koch brothers, Bezos, and also tax dodgers like Branson, are not, repulsive, parasites?

                • RedLogix …
                  22 April 2020 at 5:55 pm

                  Why ask questions I've already answered. "For certain there are many people whose wealth is not honestly earned in any manner I would care to defend,"?

  13. Anon 13
    22 April 2020 at 9:08 am

    Seen on NBR in the comments about Richard Branson’s need for a bailout: 

    The following NZ rich listers have put in for chump change through the wage subsidy scheme….

    Wyborn Management: $42,000
    Cook Property Group: $21,000
    Tournament Group $127,000
    Bob Clarkson Ltd: $42,000
    Masfen Holdings: $88,000

    If they need the money that badly, they must be on the ropes. Or very greedy!

  14. A 14
    22 April 2020 at 9:13 am

    In as little as a month or so the US will begin running into the start of food and possibly have water issues (not the food banks – think much wider scale). The coming situation is so bad that it is my belief that the news around this will far eclipse anything about Covid.

    Food has been wasted due to not having the ability to process it. The faster there are discussions around how to ramp up food production the less suffering there will be (sorry I'm getting off track cause a bit emotional about so many starving to death).

    A number of factors have compounded the issue globally making the next year very precarious.

    Key point: NZ will open up and allow compassionate resettlement here, billionaire or not, which will result in an explosion in population.

    When this occurs let's remember NZers first. Of course we should assist where we can. I had visions of every berm in NZ being utilised for food production…

    But we need to stop being the fucking global doormat because you can bet the same people who don't pay corporate taxes (eg Google, Facebook….many more) will land here and organise themselves in such a manner as to exploit as many of our resources as possible while not paying their fair share.

  15. Obtrectator 15
    22 April 2020 at 9:52 am

    "I had visions of every berm in NZ being utilised for food production… "

    Forget it. Too many toxic traffic fumes. Unless your vision included the current little or no traffic as a permanent state of affairs.

    • A 15.1
      22 April 2020 at 10:20 am

      Polluted food is better than no food 🙁

      Plus we don't know if the cars will be running – and with those cars goes a hefty chunk of tax revenue. The govt is going to be desperately searching for income to replace this, possibly looking to those billionaires. They won't miss 500 million.

  16. Grumpy 16
    22 April 2020 at 10:40 am

    These types of schemes never work. Anyone with that level of disposable income probably already have a bolt hole maybe even in New Zealand. They will not come to a country where they have no contacts or political influence and are still subject to the US IRS for their global earnings.

  17. bill 17
    22 April 2020 at 12:41 pm

    egging on open-air protests against State governors, with some carrying arms

    Seems to me that the Trump Admin is trying to push a Hobsons choice on swathes of Americans. Apart from the absolute arseholes who out there are banging on about "not China" and "constitutional rights" (or whatever) – there are a lot of very desperate people who have lost their jobs, their health care coverage and their ability to buy food or pay rent.

    Unacceptable, except that for some reason, we basically accept people in the likes of India get to choose between starving or "getting back out there" and maybe being lucky. It's been being said for some years now the 'third world' that was 'over there' was coming to a doorstep near you.

    And of course, we have seen it coming true in terms of homelessness and desperate poverty right here in NZ. Trump's horrible bullshit is just the next logical step, and one embracing a mentality not a million miles distant if austerity is rolled out as a post covid prescription for liberal capitalism in NZ.

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  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

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