The many and varied Covid reckons of Mike Hosking

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, June 30th, 2020 - 49 comments
Categories: jacinda ardern, labour, making shit up, Media, national, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, uncategorized, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: , , ,

Dear readers.

I have gone out on a limb for you all and done something that I would not recommend.  I have read the past couple of months’ Mike Hosking reckons on Covid and my head hurts.

I decided to do this after reading his latest missive where he said that the Government has to open up the border so that tourism can be renewed.  He said this:

So where does all this lead? Think about that.

As we speak, people all over Europe are going on holiday. It is summer, the borders are now largely open, planes are flying, tickets are being booked, and you can go on holiday.

IATA last week issued a warning for countries like ours that if we keep borders shut we run the risk of being left behind. There is, of course, self interest in that. They are desperate for planes to fly and normality to return.

So where does all this lead? Think about that.

As we speak, people all over Europe are going on holiday. It is summer, the borders are now largely open, planes are flying, tickets are being booked, and you can go on holiday.

Clearly he wants tourism to resume.  But he does not mention lockdown.  So I presume that he thinks we should just get on with it and enjoy the wave of infections and the countless deaths that will ensue when tourists from Covid hot spots visit.

He might want to talk to his partner Kate Hawkesby who wants compulsory testing of everyone, even if they do not consent.  From Newstalk ZB yesterday:

We didn’t work as hard as we did and sacrifice as much as we have, our little team of 5 million, only to have a few people assume they’re above all that and can just swan back home without a test. No siree, that’s not the way it should go.

At this stage of the pandemic – which we’re told is “growing not slowing” – it should not even be an option to refuse a test. The test goes with the territory of coming home and isolating, surely.

Of course the testing is a side show.  The most important aspect of quarantine is to spend two weeks without showing symptoms.  If you show no symptoms then the risk of subsequent transmission is very low.

Mike has other reckons.  Like these:

  • On June 19 he thought that despite there being no examples of community spread for some time and for the quarantine system picking up a trickle of new cases the “health side of the equation been botched in comedic, tragic and gobsmackingly unprofessional fashion“.
  • On June 10 he said Ashley Bloomfield was useless and should be sacked but we should feel sorry for Air New Zealand and cut them some slack even though they are a complete financial basket case and are on Government Life Support.
  • On June 5 he insisted that New Zealand go to level one now and that Bloomfield was a “likeable wonk at the Ministry of Health who clearly has no real interest in the rest of us, unless it involves a nasal swab, an ICU bed, or some stats associated with a virus now essentially eradicated.”  And that the forecasts of doom are being proven wrong, and in many cases badly and wildly so.  I wonder if he is aware that the world has just clicked over 10 million reported infections and 500,000 reported deaths.
  • On May 29 he complained  that it was too difficult for Americas Cup teams to get into the country.  The border was obviously being too heavily policed.
  • On May 20 he thought that to win the election National needed to show “in dark days is spine, courage, conviction, and ethics“.  He also thought National should have selected Steven Joyce as leader.
  • On May 12 he thought that the lockdown “was too severe, that the evidence was there for us all to see way sooner than the Government was prepared to act on, that seven weeks should have been about four or five.”
  • On May 7, when there was one new community spread case he complained that “the success of the lockdown, even though it came too late and was messed up through a lack of quarantine, enabled the Government to fudge their way to global recognition as far as “crushing the curve” was concerned. Sadly for them, those days are fast fading” and he said confidently that we are not going to eliminate the virus after all.  Since then we have had 5 cases of community transmission, and none since May 22.
  • On May 6 he relished the High Court decision ruling that allowed a recent arrival to see his dying father and railed against Ardern and Bloomfield saying they were heartless, cold and driven by little more than statistics.
  • On April 30 he was complaining that the Government was allowing self isolation when they should have been insisting on quarantining returning kiwis.
  • On April 23 he said that in June and July we will all decide if all that emphasis on health, the panic around ICU access, being kind and the determination that weeks on end crashing an economy was worth it.  So far I am very appreciative of how it has gone.
  • On April 21 he thought the lockdown worked a treat.
  • On April 17 he railed against Ardern’s suggestion that we could eliminate the virus.  “She is wrong. Elimination is a mirage. Unless you have a vaccine, you don’t eliminate a virus. And what, given we don’t have a vaccine, does elimination look like? Ask anyone and you will not get a straight answer.”  This was potentially the dumbest take of a series of dumb takes.
  • On April 14 he thought that asymptomatic sufferers of the virus were spreading the virus around like wildfire.  Medical experts are yet to confirm this actually happens.
  • On April 9 he said that he would have quarantined all returning New Zealanders, and that all we had to do was engage in social distancing.  Tough and soft at the same time.
  • On April 1, a day made for Mike Hosking, he questioned the disease modelling.  Well ten million infections and five hundred thousand deaths later I think we can conclude that the modelling is quite sound.
  • On March 23 he opinionated that Kiwis were not “taking it seriously. And the Government telling us to simply isn’t working. If you’re not taking shopping advice from the Prime Minister you’re certainly not taking health advice.”  Five million kiwis would beg to differ.
  • March 19 and he opined that the Government should have shut the borders.  And John Key should be in charge.
  • March 16 and the Government “doesn’t know how to be bold. You don’t close your country on Saturday and tell us to wait three days to be told how the economic gaps are to be filled.”

On Covid 19 Hosking has promoted a series of contradictory positions with the only common factor being that they are all anti Government.

Hosking is the Karma Sutra of New Zealand political reckons with an incredible number of rather strange positions.  The only predictable thing is that he will be pro National and anti Labour.  The only time he criticises National is when they are performing that badly it is clear they will lose.

Whether it is being too kind or not kind enough, too early or too late, or being too staunch or being too lax, the negative spin is so apparent and so toxic.

And yesterday when he and his wife managed to have totally contradictory and at the same time totally negative opinions on the Government was jarring.

And here is the thing.  When I look through the Covid statistics for countries I see spiking infection rates, stable infection rates, and infection rates for countries, like Australia, that managed to flatten the curve but are seeing a second wave happen.

And here in Aotearoa New Zealand I see a curve that has been flattened, trampled on, spat on, rucked over and buried.

And we have a border quarantine system that is holding up and detecting cases.  And a surge of returning kiwis wanting to escape the horrors of what is happening overseas.  And there is no sign of community spread even though extensive numbers of tests are being conducted.

We do need to have an important discussion about New Zealand’s future and how and why we maintain eradication.  And what we do with our economy.  Mike’s reckons are not helping that discussion.

49 comments on “The many and varied Covid reckons of Mike Hosking ”

  1. He wouldn't know ETHICS if one of them jumped up and bit him on the bum.

    All Mike is interested in is having people listen to him – look at me, look at me – so the ratings look good enough to justify the salary and benefits He demands.

    More fool His flock.

    Oh, and btw, Granny and Co are again hard at it trying to bring back Sir John. John Key this, JohnKey that, John Key would be happy to give the plastic lady a reference.

    • tc 1.1

      Nah it's all about the brand which Bridges and Bennet sullied so JK gets rolled out in his ambassadorial role as granny is an extension of brand national party.

      Key's not going back, way too many skeletons and the odious SCF which could still bite him if the political will existed.
      His hands up Luxon’s back now advising on such arts as plausible deniability, minimising parliamentary time and getting others to do your dirty work.

      • OnceWasTim 1.1.1

        Isn't about time we saw a biography of Sir John? "Moi Loif on the Global Stage through the Ages", by Nick Leeson, with a Forward by Peter Thiel. Available and exclusively on Amazon

        • Incognito 1.1.1.1

          Peter Thiel’s memoirs will be entitled “I Have Been Watching You”.

      • vto 1.1.2

        Yes… never forget South Canterbury Finance and the rort that Key and English inflicted on the RDGS to enable their constituents to recover their poorly considered investments after the fact…. to the tune of $1.7billion… the biggest ripoff this country has suffered.. at the hand of English and Key

        Bill English is a cheat who defrauded the taxpayer

        So is Key

        Never forget

  2. tc 2

    Essential reading for anyone who lives in Lala land and doesn't see the agenda in the MSM that the hosk, tawdry and all the other lackeys push.

    Its' not about looking after kiwis interests it's always been about the national party so given they're using taxpayer funds how's the wider public being served by all this BS and sowing of dissent.

    Time for public broadcasting as the private model serves its owners and not the people.

    • Heather Grimwood 2.1

      to tc@ 2 : absolutely ……has been needed for decades, but more so than ever
      as more and more rubbish or worse pervades our media.

  3. Incognito 3

    Micky read Mike. You took one for the team but you should have gone for the cartoon version for the un-thinking, which is much easier to follow.

    The list of Mike’s reckons is starting to look like BLiP’s list of lies.

    I like Karma Sutra laugh

    • One for the team indeed. Reminds me of the last lines of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens:

      "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done;"

      You’ve got a stronger stomach than me, Micky.

  4. Reality 4

    I think a few, maybe many, are starting to see through Hosking's contradictory irrational ravings. Even with some missteps, most people know that NZ has done pretty well compared with overseas. As has been said, there was no rule book for getting through this pandemic so thank you Jacinda.

    • I Feel Love 4.1

      I heard that the other day listening to work pals talking in staffroom, "that Hosking is all over the place", NZrs aren't stupid.

  5. Kay 5

    Yes, I can see why your head hurts sad

    • Incognito 5.1

      I thought it was those chickens again 😉

      • Kiwijoker 5.1.1

        I have it from an impeccable source that hoskings funds the Labour Party and has pics of Savage and Ardern over his bed.

        • Incognito 5.1.1.1

          Yeah, I think it’s time he finishes this charade and comes out. You can see his inner struggle and torment and it hurts to see him in so much pain. Kindness will cure him and Kate can swab him every time he’s been out and about.

        • Chris 5.1.1.2

          I like it when people call him 'Hoskings'. It's like John 'Keys'. Just a little bit wrong. It’s nice.

  6. RedLogix 6

    There's a difference between provocative and being a pseudo random click bait generator. Hosking stepped over that line a few years back.

  7. I Feel Love 7

    https://mobile.twitter.com/nz_voter/status/1275354116454182915 Woodhouse releases photo of homeless man (not sure if Twitter link works?)'

    • ianmac 7.1

      Poor old Mike. Homeless though secure in the National Home.

      Liked this comment from Glen McConnell re Paula:

      A lot of pressure on Paul Goldsmith now, as the only Māori MP in National's top 15.

  8. AB 8

    "On Covid 19 Hosking has promoted a series of contradictory positions with the only common factor being that they are all anti Government."

    That certainly. I also think he believes that whatever is irritating him on any given day deserves a public airing – long-term coherence doesn't come into it.

    • ianmac 8.1

      Perhaps not so much what irritates him, so much as how can he spin this to smear the Government.

      • peterh 8.1.1

        Hosk and his other half get on the wine at night,and by morning believe all the crap they have thought up

    • tc 8.2

      That's how talk back works …..outrage, over the top rhetoric and the whinging. Manufactured if not available freely as we've seen.
      All filtered, trimmed and delivered to the airwaves as a package.

  9. Dennis Frank 9

    Such an easy target, the hosk. Just to provide a bit of balance, here's something he wrote this morning that I agree with. It looks suspiciously like philosophy(!):

    politics is hopelessly broken, and it mostly ends badly

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12344116

    • RedLogix 9.1

      politics is hopelessly broken

      Erratic and irresponsible fools like him being a large part of the problem. It's one thing to change your mind when new information compels it, but as Mickey has documented, the inconsistent, contradictory demands from this jumped up, over-entitled little twerp look more like the tantrums of a four year old than media commentary.

      • Dennis Frank 9.1.1

        Oh yes. I'm not dissenting from any of that. Just a question of balance. Seeing the good in someone doesn't mean denying the bad you see in them. It does provide a basis for a more balanced view, and that's all I intended…

        • RedLogix 9.1.1.1

          You are right, but honestly I've given up on straining my aging eyes looking for the good in the Hosk. The squint does not help the complexion.

      • Peter 9.1.2

        Hosking: "Politics is hopelessly broken."

        What chance a treatise on the solutions?

  10. esoteric pineapples 10

    I'm glad someone was smart enough to take that photo when the opportunity arose

  11. Peter 11

    Over years a number of times I've heard of Hosking's relentless positivity.

    For someone to be regarded as being relentlessly positive when the evidence suggests that they get out of bed every day with a, "What can I bitch and moan about and who can I get at today?" attitude, says a lot about his admirers.

  12. Byd0nz 12

    My head hurts just reading through this as well. If ever the word 'Bludger' should be inflicted on someone, it sure would be an apt description of the Hoskings, Big paypackets for pure drivel, nothing useful to give to the betterment of the world.

    Wheres the Panadol.

    • Kiwijoker 12.1

      Isn’t hoskings father in law one of our largest social welfare beneficiaries?

  13. Hosking-

    Big Mouth

    Small Brain

    And as lazy as hell, just a headline reader.

    • Just Is 13.1

      You forgot "small prick", often a contributing factor with for people like Hoskings

      • Halfcrown 13.1.1

        You are so right. Commonly known as Penis Inadequacy Sydrome (PIS) What they lack in size they make up with mouth and that is why he's so full of piss & wind.

  14. Leighton 14

    Great article. Just a clarification on MH's March 19 "reckon" – Although the headline refers to closing the borders this appears to be a sub-editor's error. The body of the column makes no specific mention of border closure. It goes much further than that and advocates a full lockdown of the kind which ultimately happened a week layer. It is clear that this is what MH is talking about from his reckon that "China has given us the answer". At that stage China had not closed its international borders but were in the midst of their stringent lockdown of Wuhan in particular.

  15. gsays 15

    If Darren Watson's Planet Key wasn't allowed to be seen or heard last election cycle, then surely it's OK for this clown to be out of sight and hearing until after the election.

    We can, at a later date post election, be told that it was not the right thing to do.

  16. Just Is 16

    I'm pretty sure Hoskings gets his style from Alan Jones, who made that infamous statement about Ardern, "the shove sock in it" which reportedly cost his employer $20M in lost advertising revenuefrom the outrage of critising a highly respected global leader, something Hoskings does nearly every day without any consequence from his employer or sponsers.

    They're both giant TURDS

  17. Halfcrown 17

    "Hosking is the Karma Sutra of New Zealand political reckons with an incredible number of rather strange positions."

    Ha ha ha I do like that.

    • Incognito 17.1

      Q: what do you get when you combine Karma with Kama Sutra? A: a sore back.

  18. Halfcrown 18

    Incognito @ 17.1

    I do like that as well It is great to see the intelligent wit on this site.

  19. Andre 19

    I miss "Like Mike".

  20. JohnSelway 20

    That photo at the header is fucking priceless

  21. Toni R 21

    That fact that Hosking used the word 'ethics' and 'National' in the same sentence shows his grasp on reality is tentative at best.

  22. Toni R 22

    BTW I love the Standard.

  23. Ken 23

    Perhaps the government should create a wealth tax specifically for that wanker.

  24. Draco T Bastard 24

    And I still say that spreading misinformation should be a crime. Especially considering that such misinformation about a deadly virus will lead to multiple deaths.

    Wonder how the hosk would react if he knew that his reckons could lead to charges of mass manslaughter. Or the TV directors considering that it was their decision to broadcast those reckons.

    • Just Is 24.1

      Draco, I'm inclined to agree with you, should fall under the advertising standards authority, media should be held accountable for the factual accuracy of the their reporting, failures to comply should result in significant fines as a deterrent on spreading Fake News, which seems to prevalent for the Nat fan club.

      Any story labeled Opinion should have a disclaimer stating that there are literally no facts and is written for the benefit of a specific group or party.

      Clickbait should made illegal.

  25. georgecom 25

    Hoskin is basically ABL – anyone but labour. So whatever the Government does he will moan about it and take a contrary view.

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    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    1 day ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    6 days ago
  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
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