South Dunedin and sea level rise

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 6th, 2017 - 44 comments
Categories: climate change, Environment, science - Tags: , , ,

In a week that brought more serious flooding to the North Island, Stuff reports that the University of Otago, the Dunedin City Council, and the Otago Regional Council have compiled a database of areas in Dunedin at risk from sea level rise.

Areas in South Dunedin less than 1 metre above sea level

Dunedin City

 

Dunedin has more houses under the 50cm above sea level mark than any other city in NZ. The new database looks at places less than 1 metre above sea level and includes flood hazards, how water might pond in different scenarios, house ages, demographic details, social assets and history. The University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainability has made a simplified version of the interactive map for the public that can show the different data.

South Dunedin by median personal income

 

From the University,

Dr Stephenson says asking how much sea-level may rise and how soon is important.

“But it shouldn’t overshadow the human side of the question, which is, ‘who may be affected and how should we respond?’.”

Dunedin City Council’s Second Generation District Plan proposal is for all new buildings in South Dunedin and other coastal areas to be relocatable. Developers are objecting of course, and it may be limited to residential buildings under 9m. It seems like a no brainer to me but I’m guessing most of the objection is because of the impact on the potentially lucrative development of the Otago Harbour waterfront.

It’s not just sea level rise. Dunedin is at risk from large rainfall events and these are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. Given the number of floods that the North Island has seen in the past month, now might be a good idea for similar mapping and database creation to be happening across the country (if anyone knows of other mapping, please link below).

Dunedin City Council commissioned a Peak Oil Vulnerability Assessment in 2010. It looks like Dunedin might be leading the way for NZ on preparing for the world we now live in and I’m guessing that South Dunedin residents in particular are having to grapple with the initial direct-impact realities of CC more than most in NZ. It’s harder to avoid seeing the climate for the weather when bylaws are about to affect your home and it’s not even raining. This isn’t flood prevention or even mitigation, it’s first steps in permanent change to how society functions. There is so much that needs to be done on auditing infrastructure and incorporating climate change into town and country planning. This is a start at least.

It’s also critical that we don’t think only in terms of adaptation, that we keep centred on mitigating the worst effects of CC and build that into everything we do. The Greens have a Bill that would require all government legislation to be considered within a Climate Impact Disclosure Statement and how the legislation would impact on climate and our GHG emission responsibilities. This would keep MPs and the public informed, give opposition parties more information to hold government to account, and would ensure that climate is a key consideration in the running of the country. Local bodies need to be stepping up for this too, so that it becomes normal for climate change to be at the front of our minds and how we manage our collective resources and communities.

Niwa’s Climate Change and Urban Impacts Toolbox

MfE’s Climate change effects and impacts assessment: A guidance manual for local government in New Zealand

Sea level rise map of NZ

The Green Party’s Legislation (Climate Impacts Disclosure Statement) Amendment Bill (draft for consultation)

Moderator note: climate change denial is not welcome here and will be moderated accordingly. I’m also aware that we could have big debate about whether 1m is a useful setting for councils and other bodies to work with. Please try and relate that back to the post, and let’s try and do something useful other than just talk about what is wrong.  

44 comments on “South Dunedin and sea level rise ”

  1. Antoine 1

    I’m not sure how useful the 1 masl line is as an indicator. There may be homes above that line that are still highly vulnerable to storm damage.

    • dv 1.1

      Heres your chance then. WHAT do you suggest?

      • Antoine 1.1.1

        My suggestion is to get someone (meterologist, hydrologist?) To do a storm surge vulnerability zone and front foot that – rather than emphasizing the 1m line in the comms.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1.1

          Antoine suggests we commission a study and do nothing in the meantime.

          At district and regional level, we have no choice but to plan for climate change because we see the effects directly: it’s far easier to open a conversation about “managed retreat” (for example) in a community that has first-hand experience of frequent floods.

          At a national level this government is in the way and needs to be knocked down and used as a sandbag, or something.

        • dv 1.1.1.2

          Knowing where the dangers areas are is certainly a step in the right dirrection. Other analysis can follow.

  2. BM 2

    Not looking good for South Dunedin.

    I can imagine the property owners will be rather pissed as this sort of prediction knocks a fair chunk off the value of their property and will probably turn south Dunedin into a run down slum.

    The issue now becomes can south Dunedin be saved? or is it worth being saved?

    • Paul Campbell 2.1

      South Dunedin is one of the densest areas of housing in NZ, while it’s not ‘a slum’ it’s largely not a high-income area, it’s lots of tiny houses with no backyards, lots of rental properties and pensioner flats, has been this way for generations

      • BM 2.1.1

        Would you build or invest in South Dunedin?
        How would you even raise finance or get insurance?

        I assume the council does actually have a plan to deal with this?

        • Paul Campbell 2.1.1.1

          Nope, I live on the hill, on purpose. My brother rents there, the water table is stupidly high.

          The council doesn’t really have a plan, though they at least mostly admit it’s an issue. Deciding that all new housing should be moveable seems to be a smart start

          • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1.1

            Getting to the point that they need to say that all new housing needs to have adequate floatation.

            And, yeah, if I was to buy a house I’d be looking at how high it and the surrounding land is above sea level.

    • jaymam 2.2

      Have a look at the 1 metre prediction for Auckland. Much of the CBD and seaside suburbs are below the 1 metre level. Anyway, what datum are they talking about? Mean Sea Level? Mean High Water Springs? Highest Astronomical Tide?
      I assume it’s MHWS.

      • lprent 2.2.1

        As someone who got exposed to earth sciences at a young age, I looked around New Zealand for a reasonably safe location to live. It turns out there isn’t one.

        So I did the next best thing, I brought a apartment in low block based on some impressive foundations. It is 85m above sealevel, just below the brow of a ridge on reasonably stable geology facing down into a gully with a higher facing ridge and with quite limited line of sight.

        It just happens to be inside the basaltic volcano field known as Auckland City, a type of volcano that usually telegraphs its intentions well in advance. But even so the geography should alleviate any urgent issues with the heavy (and short range) basaltic ash or volcanic bombs. And unlike most of NZ, Auckland is well off the major fault lines, and therefore doesn’t seem to have too many major earthquakes.

        Hey – I’m not paranoid. But after you look at the probabilities of natural disasters for a while and the potential downstream effects on peoples lives, you do get a wee bit cautious.

  3. dv 3

    I think that global insurance companies will have a role.
    Insurance premiums are going to increase in CC affected areas, if some properties will be insured at all.

    Maybe the insurance companies could/will build a factor into the premiums that reflects the countries response to CC gases?

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1

      The insurance companies have been aware of climate change and the increased risks for quite some time now. I find it interesting that our present government and climate change deniers the world over are ignoring what the insurance industry is saying despite them also telling us that business is always right – or, perhaps, it’s only the favoured businesses that are always right.

      Climate change threatens ability of insurers to manage risk

      The ability of the global insurance industry to manage society’s risks is being threatened by climate change, according to a new report.

      The report finds that more frequent extreme weather events are driving up uninsured losses and making some assets uninsurable.

      How the Insurance Industry Is Dealing With Climate Change

      “Our business depends on us being neutral. We simply try to make the best possible assessment of risk today, with no vested interest,” says Robert Muir-Wood, the chief scientist of Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a company that creates software models to allow insurance companies to calculate risk. “In the past, when making these assessments, we looked to history. But in fact, we’ve now realized that that’s no longer a safe assumption—we can see, with certain phenomena in certain parts of the world, that the activity today is not simply the average of history.”

      • dukeofurl 3.1.1

        EQC is the only place you can buy ‘flood insurance’

        You wont find it in any of the standard company policies
        eg State
        “This is the cover provided by the Earthquake Commission in the event of damage to houses and their contents caused by natural disaster such as a flood or earthquake.”

        But their cover is conditional
        http://www.eqc.govt.nz/what-we-do/house/conditional-building-consents

        Flooding would certainly be a ‘hazard’ for any new buildings in the area

  4. dukeofurl 4

    Its seems that South Dunedin has the affects of 3 things combining.
    1)It sits on an old swamp which usually means the ground level is sinking to some extent
    2)The shape of Dunedin harbour which can lead in times of low atmospheric pressure combined with winds in the right direction can lead to the sea level at high tide being ‘pushed up’ at the end of the harbour.
    3) the general rise in average sea levels

    I dont know if this is an complwete answer for South Dunedin but I noticed in Cairns which has most of the older city suburbs on reclaimed swamp land in an area of very high seasonal rainfall. These suburbs are crisscrossed with large drainage ‘canals’- they are roughly the width of a normal road and allow rainfall from the hills surrounding the flat land to reach the estuary of the Trinity river. ( The low lying areas get higher areas rainfall as water will flow to lowest point, maybe a bypass canal to the ocean frontage)

    • Paul Campbell 4.1

      A friend points out that a canal between the harbour basin and St Kilda could produce good tidal power generation …. build a canal down Queens Drive (we really don’t need two) which used to be train tracks anyway

      • dukeofurl 4.1.1

        Tidal power is best done at the opening to a inlet not at the far end.
        That would put the best location between Port Chalmers and Quarantine Is and Quarantine Pt. this location has 3 narrow openings.

        • Paul Campbell 4.1.1.1

          My plan for saving Dunedin involves putting a dike across there, and another across the St Kilda/St Clair beach ….

  5. Paul Campbell 5

    Before everyone goes crazy about South Dunedin, it’s not the lowest spot in Dunedin, the area around the airport is – the Taieri river is tidal around there but there are already dikes protecting the airport (mostly) from flooding.

    The thing I don’t understand: the regional council is responsible for things like protecting people around the rivers from flooding – what’s the difference between that tidal portion of the Taieri and St Clair beach? in that the Regional council is responsible for one but not the other (of right, of course, farmers)

    • weka 5.1

      At a guess I’d say that it’s because the ORC is responsible for rivers not oceans. It’s the Taeiri River that involves them in that. Am just guessing though, I don’t know about the airport issue.

      We can get crazy about the airport too, but my first comment is that there is no alternative to avgas on the horizon and in cc terms we will just have to stop flying except for critical reasons. I’d want to see adaptation conversations re the Dunedin airport happen in that context.

      I’d also like to see agriculture potential of the Taieri Plains discusses in terms of producing food for Dunedin.

      • Paul Campbell 5.1.1

        to do that you’ll have to stop Mosgiel expanding over what is some of the best soil in the entire country.

        (see above, I think we should put up dikes and reclaim the upper harbour, we could even put the airport there …. and reserve that wonderful Mosgiel soil for what it does best)

  6. Sabine 6

    i have been saying the same thing now for a long time,

    when insurance companies stop insuring businesses and properties then we will start talking about the issue of raising water levels and other inconvenient truth. Until then, many will just expect someone else to do something.

    btw, Edgecumbe is evacuating as ‘wall of water’ hits town.

    • weka 6.1

      Lots of business in South Dunedin, I’m guessing we’ll be hearing from them in due course.

      • Sabine 6.1.1

        i am not diminishing the issues that Dunedin has.

        What i am pointing out is that these issues are shared, and sadly until Insurance Companies balk at bailing out properties and businesses and stop insuring these that are in high risk areas nothing will happen.

        I looked two years ago at the property in New Lynn that was flooded in the last floods. On the way by there three days ago, i was shocked at the damage done, one side of the roads about 20 businesses all gone, and the ‘my’ shop on the other side has two walls gone, and the three businesses and one large upstairs businesses are are all gone too.

        This is one and the same boat Weka, Dunedin at one end, Akl at the other end, and Edgecumbe, Whanganui and other places in the middle. Non of them is prepared for what is coming.

        And in the meantime we build willy nilly, without a care in the world, concreting nature over, ripping out trees like there is no tomorrow and we wonder why shit is not working for us anymore.

        So it does not matter how many businesses or houses will be lost, until the Insurance companies stop paying out nothing will happen.

        • weka 6.1.1.1

          I wasn’t suggesting you were diminishing Dunedin’s issues, I was actually agreeing with you and pointing to the fact that South Dunedin has a lot of businesses in it. I’m guessing they’re starting to feel nervous too.

          I do think that Dunedin is a bit ahead of the ball compared to the rest of the country. It’s now framing this in terms of CC. The rest of the country is still largely talking about weather.

          Re the insurance, I agree there will be a big jump in attention once they start playing hardball. I think there is smaller change happening in the meantime. And the DCC banning the build of non-relocatable houses in South Dunedin (and beside the harbour) isn’t ‘nothing’. It starts the difficult process of what do to about SD, but just as important, it wakes people up. Even a few years ago people weren’t willing to take this seriously, now they are.

          edited.

          • Sabine 6.1.1.1.1

            yeah, my wording could have been better.

            I am watching the crumbling hillsides in AKL with interest. There is one overbuild cliff just right above the motorway leading to the Harbour Bridge. 🙂

            Can you imagine the mess when that pile of sand decides to slide?

            Te Atatu Peninsula with its multi million GJ Garnder Piles right at the water front, while the new motorway was build above sea level.

            Its there, everyone can see it, most know it, but still non so blind as those that keep their eyes closed on purpose.

            • weka 6.1.1.1.1.1

              I don’t know the area, can you find a picture?

              I’m old enough to remember Abbortsford (big slip in Dunedin in 1979). It beggars belief that we are still building in dodgy places.

              From what I remember some big chunks of east Chch were deemed unsuitable to build on because of the instability of the ground and the council and developers went ahead anyway. And that assessment of the ground wasn’t that long ago.

              It’s end of the empire stuff. If we have the money and big enough machinery why not keep building bigger and better? 😉 Boys with their toys, and the colonial mindset, everything has to be improved regardless.

              The interesting thing about Sth Dunedin is that it’s low socio economic and has lots of elderly people living in it. I’m hoping this will force us to some collective action.

              • Skeptic

                You must have seen the same maps and reports I saw back in the late 1970s that were with the old SAC (State Advances Corporation) and the old CWB (Chch Water Board). The offending developers were Enterprise Homes and Maugers – but they’re no longer around to answer for Bromley & Bexley. I would hazard a guess that deep in the bowels of DCC records there are similar files with reports and maps showing where building was initially prohibited due to unsafe/low-lying ground. Who paid off whom to get the houses built?

                • weka

                  I didn’t realise it went back that far. I only knew because after Chch2 some geologists spoke out about it.

                  South Dunedin suburbs are much older and I think the commitment into developing there would have been made long before there was recognition of a problem, or that level of corruption/stupid.

                • weka

                  Found this tonight, about the Invercargill 100 year flood,

                  The January 1984 floods also changed views on what constituted a 100-year flood, he recalled.

                  For Mr Goodman and his team, the floods were a vindication in one sense. They were about to be taken to the then equivalent of the Environment Court for making things difficult for a developer planning a subdivision on low-lying land.

                  After the floods, the hearing never occurred. But to this day Mr Goodman holds fast to a belief for public education about the lie of the land and what is likely to happen if there’s a flood.

                  http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/features/1984-floods/808687/If-its-this-bad-now-whats-still-to-come

                  • Skeptic

                    In the late 1970s the HCNZ – before it was downsized – was charged with “design & build” and had a whole section devoted to just that in each of the main branches in NZ.

                    Among the files – there were dozens of them – were geological surveys of nearly all NZ cities, major and minor along with water table reports, soil reports, erosion reports, probable liquifaction reports etc. In Chch, the Chch Water Board had files and maps showing the 1860 flood expanse, projected failure of Halkett stop-banks flood damage etc. I saw these, and so did innumerable other who worked there. Prior to Bexley and Bromley being built and a lot of the development near the Avon loop and east of the Avon , south of Aranui and Wainoni, much of the area was designated “Unsuitable for Building” in very large red capital letters.

                    I’m sure Dunedin had/had similar files and maps.

                    How these areas got built on/developed is something I guess must be too scandalous to make any type of inquiry about, because it would involve disclosure of bribes and corruption that far too many Nats and supporters would care to kknow about.

            • dukeofurl 6.1.1.1.1.2

              ‘Te Atatu Peninsula with its multi million GJ Garnder Piles right at the water front”

              Auckland Council GIS maps show Te Atatu waterfront properties being 10-15m elevation, a few older areas may be less than that on the estuary side.

          • dukeofurl 6.1.1.1.2

            ‘Non relocateabale’ just means no concrete slab floor, brick walls and tile roof.

            • weka 6.1.1.1.2.1

              I’m guessing the issue is people that want to build multi story and do out of the ordinary architecture.

  7. Philj 7

    Linda Clark expressed very serious concerns about the climate change issue on Jim Mora THE PANEL. It’s a classic, the gold is about 20 minutes in when Linda delivers the missile. Very funny and Jim is brilliant and so funny haha. A must listen. Brave stuff Linda. “The Panel with Gary McCormick and Linda Clark (Part 2)” on Radio New Zealand

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/201839285/the-panel-with-gary-mccormick-and-linda-clark-part-2

  8. Sabine 8

    i am not sharing your optimism, but i blame my inner german for that.

    This is an article from England last year, and i expect the same to happen here with regards to insurance.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3382241/First-flooded-fleeced-Victims-forced-pay-thousands-despite-promised-180million-Government-insurance-three-years-ago.html

    I have a hard time believing that anything worthwhile will be done to a poor/low socio economic area. They rather displace the people elsewhere then to finally start addressing the issue. And sadly, the Council alone can’t do it, it needs resources from the government and for now i don’t think it will happen.

    To an extend it abandonment might even needs to happen, but will it be done humanly or will people just be expected to ship out to where ever.

    https://www.google.co.nz/maps/search/Flanshaw+street/@-36.8414136,174.7452135,329a,35y,270h/data=!3m1!1e3

    Ring Street TCE. lol.

    • dukeofurl 8.1

      “i expect the same to happen here with regards to insurance.”

      Ah no. EQC is really the only place where you can get flood insurance for this type of thing. ( but you have to have fire insurance )
      http://www.eqc.govt.nz/what-we-do/eqc-insurance

      • Sabine 8.1.1

        these were areas that previously did not flood. So getting flood insurance was no issue, now however some of these places get regularly flooded and hence no insurance anymore or only with a huge deductible.

        this will happen here too.

        and i think the EQC is having problems already

        http://www.interest.co.nz/insurance/85658/iag-and-tower-demand-eqc-coughs-cash-having-allegedly-short-changed-thousands

        • dukeofurl 8.1.1.1

          I have to repeat this, but you havent read it properly. You dont buy flood insurance as a standalone. Its part of the EQC cover, I would pay the same rate as those along the Whanganui or indeed South Dunedin, and there is no chance of me flooding.

          Yes dealing with EQC would be one of lifes horrors, but the article refers to ‘land damage’ ( liquefaction in this instance) which is different to flood damage.

          • Sabine 8.1.1.1.1

            i am not talking about flood cover per se….

            what happens to the stuff inside your house? Home and contents? How many time do you think you can claim flood damage before they balk at insuring such things near a flood prone are?
            Car Insurance? Flood Damage?

            is that all coverred by EQC and how long can EQC pay out if these floods, earthquakes and wild fires become standard?

            that is what i speak about when i say “Insurance” .

  9. timeforacupoftea 9

    These guys are crazy from The University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainability always negative with no solutions only retreat retreat retreat, but then you expect that from an academic don’t you.

    It was far worse in the 1950’s 1960’s, our back yard in Tainui would go under water 5 times a year, but the water receeded very quickly.
    Around the late 1960’s the council built a pumping station and our back yard would only flood once or twice a year.
    We could dig down 2 spade depths in the winter and water would come and go daily, maybe it was tidal I never new why.
    Old photos of Tainui showed most of the area as a sort of inlet.
    Where Tahuna Intermediate School is, in the 1950’s that was a large pond where in winter it would freeze over and I could walk across it and play etc. It would stay frozen for a couple of weeks. Winters were much colder then at least at night but beautiful clear days.
    If the sea is ever to rise we do have many options, here are two ideas.

    1) A dam could be built between St Martins Island and Portobello.
    A lock could be built between St Martins Island and the mainland near Port Chalmers and ships could be allowed up into the upper harbour when there was no chance of flooding in South Dunedin. But most of the time the upper harbour could be kept at half tide or whatever height tide was necessary to keep South Dunedin dry.
    Which means there is this huge area for drainage during heavy rain etc.
    Some parts of the Upper Harbour could be filled in for future housing.

    2) Part of the upper harbour could be filled in obviously higher than the Portobello Road and block by block of South Dunedin could be shifted there temporarily so each block of South Dunedin could be raised to the required height above predicted sea level, then the houses could be shifted back.
    You might ask where would we get the fill from. Well there are many hills around Dunedin so no worry there.

  10. Michael 10

    There used to be a lot of Labour voters in Dunedin South before Clare Curran became the MP. Perhaps that explains why so little political will exists towards the people who live there?

  11. red-blooded 11

    “…before Claire Curran became the MP”

    Hey, Michael, Curran was reelected and her personal vote was higher than Labour’s party vote (which was still considerably higher than the national average). How does your dismissive comment account for these inconvenient facts?

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    2 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    2 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    2 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    3 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  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. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    3 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    3 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    3 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    4 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    5 days ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    6 days ago
  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago
  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    6 days ago
  • 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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 ...
    7 days 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
    7 days 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 ...
    7 days 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 week 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 week 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 week 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 week ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week 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
    2 weeks 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
    3 weeks ago

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