The Nation on housing

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, June 18th, 2017 - 57 comments
Categories: bill english, housing, human rights, national, useless - Tags: , , , ,

The Nation did good work on the housing crisis yesterday:
Is the Government doing enough on housing? (video)
Boarding house horrors (video)
There’s a companion writeup on Newshub:

Rogue landlords on the taxpayers’ payroll

There are growing calls for a tighter controls around boarding houses.

The housing shortage means they’re being relied on for accommodation more heavily by more people, but landlords are not required to register their boarding houses – despite taxpayer money going into them.

Experts say it’s allowing rogue landlords to exploit vulnerable people, with some living in brutal deprivation.

Te Puea Marae opened its doors last year to people needing temporary accomodation. That offer ended in September, but chair Hurimoana Dennis says people keep coming.

“The sad thing is our leaders have known about this problem since 2010. Quite explicit papers have gone up to Cabinet. It was very clear – be careful, this is what’s coming.” [my emphasis]

Major Campbell Roberts of the Salvation Army says it’s more common than many people think.

“There are many situations that people are in that really, you’re horrified by what the situation is – but the inability to do something about it is what’s really hurting at the moment.”

Enforcement isn’t often carried out because of the consequences.

“If you’ve got 30, 40, 50 people in a boarding house and you close it, where do you put them?” he asks. “We’ve let this thing develop into a crisis situation.”

In the Sunday Star Times last week:
18-month-old Julia, the innocent face of modern NZ’s brutal, archaic boarding houses
Greed, desperation, and squalor – life in illegal boarding houses

And last year:
‘Tents and warehouses’ suggested for homeless
Would-be tenants seek to live in cars on driveways to beat Auckland rents

This is the Brighter Future that Bill English warned of in 2010:

PM spoke of housing crisis in 2010 – Sallies

Prime Minister Bill English said privately seven years ago a housing crisis was looming in Auckland, a senior Salvation Army official says.

Major Campbell Roberts said in 2010, Mr English – then finance minister – told him he feared a crisis on the horizon.

But as Prime Minister, Mr English has consistently said in public there is no housing crisis. …

Great chap Bill English. Compassionate conservative I hear.

57 comments on “The Nation on housing ”

  1. millsy 1

    This was happening long before now, in 2008 the Listener did an expose on Kotuku Lodge, a boarding house in Mangere.

  2. greg 3

    well until people decide to vote there not much can be done nacts have had a decade to make a mess nact needs to fix the problem now that they created

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1

      National can’t fix the mess they’ve made because it’s a direct result of their ideology and the policies that they ram through.

      The real problem is that Labour probably can’t either as they’re still following the same failed ideology.

      That failed ideology is capitalism.

      • Red 3.1.1

        Don’t be rediculous Draco, the so called capitalist system houses 99pc plus of nz adequately with choice and diversity, you don’t break the system, you simply tweak it at the boundaries that’s all national and labour are competing on? The only one stuck in an idealogicsl bubble is yourself

  3. AsleepWhileWalking 4

    Can someone mathematically prove that the welfare policies of having “cash assets” + the way the Social Securities Act is set up actually create a situation where in order to get out of the system you need significant assets or a very high income to begin with?

    I don’t mean the piss poor definition of “success” that MSD currently have where the target is to get you off a core benefit (despite still needing extensive state help in other regards).

    I believe this to be the case but not that good with figures. We need hard brutal data to turn this situation around regardless of who is governing.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1

      Can someone mathematically prove that the welfare policies of having “cash assets” + the way the Social Securities Act is set up actually create a situation where in order to get out of the system you need significant assets or a very high income to begin with?

      It probably could be done but would require a dedicated team for a few years with access to all of the data. In other words, a few million dollars of research.

      Still, there is Piketty’s and others research that shows declining social mobility and the entrenchment of the rich.

    • weka 4.3

      To get Accommodation Supplement you can’t have cash assets of more than $8,100 for a single person.

      Cash assets are all financial assets (not Kiwisaver), plus non-financial ones. You can have a caravan or boat so long as its worth less than $2,000, or you use it for day to day accommodation.

      Gifts of cash, payouts from ACC, money from sale of a house etc will all eventually be considered a cash asset (usually after a year).

      So, consider how many people end up on a benefit for 3 – 5 years and have to sell assets to live on, or use up savings, or live off the money from the sale of a house. Once you’ve used up that money the state will help with accommodation costs again. Meanwhile, things change, you get a minimum wage job, but have zero savings and now live hand to mouth with every big bill that comes along.

      It gets even worse if you are on TAS (which is many long term beneficiaries), because the cash asset limit for that is something like $1100. So if you have more than that you are ineligible for TAS until you spend it.

      “Can someone mathematically prove that the welfare policies of having “cash assets” + the way the Social Securities Act is set up actually create a situation where in order to get out of the system you need significant assets or a very high income to begin with?”

      Not sure about getting out of the system because as I’ve just described, you have to use up assets to be eligible in the first place.

  4. Adrian Thornton 5

    Until we have a leading politician and political party that has the courage to just come out and say what every thinking citizen knows already, that the era of the ‘housing market’ and the commodification of domestic housing is over, and today exists only as pure fantasy, solely propped up by government intervention and welfare, that the ideology of the ‘property ladder’ as being the sole means to social mobility and personal security is past just being unsustainable, it is now an active threat to a stable society and safe and coherent communities.

    We need a political party that has radically different answers to this crisis, one with a vision for the future that we can all embrace and want to campaign for, get out on the streets for, poster the walls for, write song for, shout for, protest for, fuck shit up for……..and it is not Labour NZ today, they have made that much is sadly clear to us.

    Turn Labour Left.

    • patricia bremner 5.1

      Labour are promising to tackle this by forming Kiwibuild. You assert Labour will not improve things. Adrian your tone is negative, and troll like at times.
      We can join together and VOTE for change.
      For the finance minister to fail to plan for this over 9 years of public denial is shameful. His private admissions verge on criminal, considering he had the power.
      Many moderate Nats in our family and friends are disgusted as they put the jigsaw together.

      • Bill 5.1.1

        Can’t say I find Adrian’s comments to be particularly negative, and they certainly aren’t trolling comments. Sometimes we don’t like what we hear, but that doesn’t mean that what is being expressed is wrong. In this instance, I’d be saying that Adrian is ‘on the money’.

        You mention kiwibuild. I’ve been critical of that policy in the past, and so I’ll merely ask the following. What proportion of the Kiwibuild houses are for rent? What does that stack up to in raw numbers? How long will it take to build ‘x’ number of rental houses? And how many people are currently homeless or in dire situations?

        I’m asking the above in light of the stated intention to build affordable homes. And picking that more or less all of the people who are homeless or in dire straits with regards accommodation, won’t be in any position to afford any of these ‘affordable’ homes; that any people who are likely to be n such a position are not living at the sharp end of the housing situation.

        • weka 5.1.1.1

          Labour policy isn’t my forte, but afaik Kiwibuild isn’t designed to directly assist homeless or those in dire straights re housing. It’s designed to build upper middle class housing because there is a shortage there as well. The intention is that once people who can afford those houses have access to them, it will free up cheaper houses for buying and for renting. Labour also has other policies that are aimed at directly assisting people who are homeless e.g. their policy on HNZ.

          I agree it’s not brilliant, but it’s not nothing either.

          As for negativity, I think critiquing policy is one thing, writing off a party is another when they are the *only option for changing the government in an election year. I also think that there are numerous thinking citizens who don’t see the era of the housing market as being over, and who in fact are still doing very well out of the housing market. Which is one of the problems for Labour in its attempt to move left.

          • Bill 5.1.1.1.1

            If NZ Labour are the only option for any change, then they are the only option for any change. That doesn’t mean it can’t or oughtn’t to be intelligently pointed out by way of reasoned opinion that they or their policies are possibly not much more than a pile of steaming crap. And that wouldn’t be so much ‘writing them off’ as opining on the “shite state of affairs” that’s the totality of parliamentary options or possibilities in NZ at the moment. As for this supposed attempt to move left that’s coming from Labour – that isn’t something that’s come up on my radar. Maybe I missed it.

            Meanwhile, Adrian commented on what they believe NZ needs, on where they think many people are at, and on the gulf that exists between what we arguably need and what we’re likely to get via NZ Labour.

            He didn’t say (in spite of patricia’s comment to the contrary) that some thing wouldn’t improve under NZ Labour. (I don’t think anyone claims that.) Neither did he troll and neither…well, this whole ‘tone police’ shite that patricia threw out in response is just crap designed to silence voices.

            • Red 5.1.1.1.1.1

              NZers have no desire To bust the system that the Likes of Bill and Draco pursue, any party that purports to do so is also knackered at the election box as more articulately put forward by Rob Hoskins in this weeks NBR He further argued why conservative parties tend to be more successful, they start from a position system is ok, barring recalibration at the boundaries, incremental change and basic level of optimism not the doom and gloom of far left or those in some other weird wacky world of their own proposing to bust the system as their starting point

              • Muttonbird

                Interesting you put up against what you call ‘successful conservatism’ the ‘bust-the-system, weird, whacky world of the far left.

                Typical shark-jumping from a RWNJ troll.

                There is a legitimate alternative to the current ‘recalibration at the boundaries’ and ‘incremental change’ of the National Party led government.

                The National Party government’s approach described above is effectively zero government, and has led to severe housing shortages, severe infrastructure under-investment, increasing social and economic inequality, high youth suicide rate, under-investment in mental health and child protections, a sharp drop in NZ water quality, and an increasingly low wage/high cost of living New Zealand.

                It has led to some very real stresses at the worker and vulnerable end of society, but that doesn’t mean you can paint a far left anarchist solution as the only alternative, you little shit.

                The more moderate and socially responsible path for New Zealand to take is a Labour/Green coalition.

          • Incognito 5.1.1.1.2

            I also think that there are numerous thinking citizens who don’t see the era of the housing market as being over, and who in fact are still doing very well out of the housing market.

            Indeed, I think this is one of the biggest problems. Many economists, for example, have warned that a market correction is necessary, which neither National, the RBNZ, nor Labour will (need to) take responsibility for. However, when political opponents starts to use scare tactics and politics of fear by blaming their (political) opponent for imminent and inevitable doom such a market crash then we find ourselves well and truly in the realm of the irrational & emotional. This kills off any reasonable debate and any non-partisan solutions and the status quo prevails by and large.

            • weka 5.1.1.1.2.1

              Yep. It’s a really difficult one to solve politically. Needs a big change in culture.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1.2

          What proportion of the Kiwibuild houses are for rent?

          A moot point, considering the commitment to increase state housing stock.

          • Bill 5.1.1.2.1

            Then I’m asking the question with the state housing numbers included. And adding a question about “right to buy”. Does that remain or is it due to be scrapped?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1.2.1.1

              Again, a moot point. The commitment is to increase state housing stock. If the “right to buy” remains how does that affect the commitment?

              Whether ‘right to buy’ is a good thing or not is another question.

              • Bill

                “Right to Buy” diminishes the availability of affordable rentals over time.

                The commitment is to increase the housing stock, yes. But by how much and by what terms that would increase accessibility for the poorest?

                That’s the measure of the policy’s effectiveness, given that the stated problem is poor people with no home or in bad housing.

                If the policy opens up access to the housing market for a broader sweep of the ‘middle class’, then ‘bully’ for them. But they aren’t the ones who are suffering and they aren’t the people desperately needing things to be shaken up.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  The right to buy only diminishes stock if you don’t replace it.

                  I agree with your measure of the policy’s effectiveness; in my book, the government should deal with this using emergency powers and requisition accommodation if need be.

                  While increasing state housing stock will have the same effect in the long term, that will be too long for some.

                • weka

                  “The commitment is to increase the housing stock, yes. But by how much and by what terms that would increase accessibility for the poorest?”

                  As I said above, increasing home ownership for the middle classes will increase rentals across the board. Plus changes to HNZ including increasing HNZ housing.

                  Where I disagree with OAB is that we need better and more affordable non-HNZ rentals too, because not everyone is suited to social housing especially around location. But again, more HNZ housing should free up other rentals, eventually.

                  The better rental thing will hopefully be addressed by the rental WOF (I think both L and Greens have this but let’s assume that the GP one is more progressive so again, there’s a voting choice).

                  Once that is in place, or as it’s being put in place, then let’s push for improvements to that. I still think the big flaw in the whole plan is that housing is still tied to investment, which is about retirement and greed. Until we start looking at that, and how to solve that realistically, I think what L/G are offering is actually not too bad. But to go back to the original, IMO inaccurate comment from Adrian, plenty of NZers might have concerns about housing in NZ but they don’t see the market as the problem per se. That’s as big a problem as anything Labour is doing.

                  • Bill

                    How does increasing home ownership for the middle classes necessarily increase the number and availability of rentals for the poorer among us?

                    The assumption would have to be that no young middle class people are living in their parent’s home; that they’ll only be buying houses that wouldn’t otherwise be available for rent; that none of them are currently in multiple occupier rental accommodation. And probably a few other scenarios that aren’t readily popping to mind.

                    But however those numbers stack up, and whatever your thoughts on how it might all fall out, the basic question of how many houses will be specifically for rent (whether through kiwibuild or HNZ) remains.

                    I can’t say I’m at all impressed with this idea that those not really in need should be catered to first, while the rest just wait around for some ‘trickle down’ effect to kick in.

                    Adrian said “what every thinking citizen knows already”. And sure, that along with the rest of that para is debatable. But throw in the legions of poor who don’t even begin to think about home ownership, and for different reasons to those put forward by Adrian, it’s perfectly reasonable to say that it is about time some politician or political party ‘called it’.

                    • weka

                      “How does increasing home ownership for the middle classes necessarily increase the number and availability of rentals for the poorer among us?”

                      It doesn’t *necessarily and it’s why I think Labour’s policy is open to critique. I just think that attacking Kiwibuild for something it’s not designed to do isn’t that useful.

                      “The assumption would have to be that no young middle class people are living in their parent’s home; that they’ll only be buying houses that wouldn’t otherwise be available for rent; that none of them are currently in multiple occupier rental accommodation. And probably a few other scenarios that aren’t readily popping to mind.”

                      No, the assumption would be that enough first home buyers aren’t in those situations.

                      “I can’t say I’m at all impressed with this idea that those not really in need should be catered to first, while the rest just wait around for some ‘trickle down’ effect to kick in.”

                      Yes and no. If Labour weren’t fixing HNZ or doing a WoF, I’d agree. But as far as I can tell the policies are better seen as interrelated (and I’m sure there are other ones too). But sure, I don’t see Labour’s policy as brilliant by any means, I just think that the gap between what Adrian was talking about and where most voting NZers are at is just too wide.

                      “Adrian said “what every thinking citizen knows already”.”

                      Yes, I included the word thinking in my response deliberately. Unless you are suggesting that most of NZ are incapable of intelligent thought (as opposed to having different opinions), then my point stands. Lots of NZers don’t see a problem with the property market. I disagree with them, but I’m not trying to form a govt in Sept.

                      “And sure, that along with the rest of that para is debatable. But throw in the legions of poor who don’t even begin to think about home ownership, and for different reasons to those put forward by Adrian, it’s perfectly reasonable to say that it is about time some politician or political party ‘called it’.”

                      I responded originally because I do find Adrian’s comments often pretty negative. I think they have good insight into what needs to change but the whole Labour-bashing, go left regardless thing doesn’t work in reality when it comes negatively framed.

                      That issue of housing affordability, we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of how to talk about that in real terms in NZ. I just don’t see the value in expecting a centre left party to suddenly start talking about the end of the housing market. Something else needs to happen first for Labour to be able to start moving in that direction.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke

                    Where I disagree with OAB is that we need better and more affordable non-HNZ rentals too

                    Then either you’re misinterpreting my remarks, or they’re unclear in some way.

                    • weka

                      People have a tendency to see fixing HNZ as the solution to renters or the homeless. I think we need to be careful to not assume that HNZ houses are the only response needed for those people. I don’t think you think that but I do see in these debates a promoted reliance on HNZ as the solution.

      • Wainwright 5.1.2

        Kiwibuild will deliver half-million-dollar houses in Auckland and call them affordable. It’s a joke.

        • McFlock 5.1.2.1

          50,000 houses, townhouses, and apartments in Auckland? No joke. That’s why the nats pretend they’ll try to copy it.

          • Bill 5.1.2.1.1

            50 000 is a fair number. But what proportion of those who are either homeless or in dire straits will be able to access them? That’s crucial. If they are mostly for sale and/or beyond the financial wherewithal of those living at the sharp end of this housing crisis, then what’s the point behind building them? What problem would that 50 000 actually be tackling?

            • McFlock 5.1.2.1.1.1

              the poor quality housing stock that’s killing people and the shortage of houses that’s fuelling a speculative market.

              The problems you bring up are targeted more by Labour’s HNZ policy, increasing the housing stock, stopping the asset stripping, stopping the dividend extractions, and so on. But I suspect HNZ will pick up some of the kiwibuild homes, too.

              • Karen

                My understanding is the 100,000 houses over 10 years is the Kiwibuild policy to provide houses for first home buyers. Houses will also be bought and built to provide for social housing needs.

                http://www.labour.org.nz/state_houses_people_over_profit

              • Wainwright

                You can build as many good healthy houses as you like Mcflcok, the point is if people living in cars or moldy shitholes can’t afford them you’re just fuelling inequality.

                • weka

                  Why would new HNZ houses not be affordable?

                  People have a go at Labour’s $600,000 houses or whatever they are, but as beneficiary I couldn’t afford a $100,000 house. There has to be a cut off point, where should it be exactly?

                  • Bill

                    Why would HNZ houses be for sale?

                  • Wainwright

                    Kiwibuild isn’t ‘new HNZ houses’, it’s new private dwellings. There’s a fraction of the 100,000 figure Labour throw around which is new state housing, something like 10,000 over x years. Mcflock is confusing the two either deliberately or not.

                    • weka

                      Yes, I know what Kiwibuild is. I was pointing out that it’s not designed to solve those problems directly (homelessness, substandard housing), there are other policies for that. I wish people would stop conflating those issues.

                    • McFlock

                      They’re planning on building new private dwellings, and also increasing the number of state dwellings as part of a separate plan.

                      I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some overlap in the two, but increasing the number of homes on the market also lowers the cost of increasing the number of state houses, however they’re sourced. Which actually provides a mechanism by which kiwibuild can indirectly help solve homelessness, a relationship that on the face of it looked like a complaint that a policy on farm effluent does nothing to address child labour problems overseas.

                • McFlock

                  yeah well maybe you should take a closer look at the HNZ or rental homes policy. Kiwibuild isn’t supposed to directly address every problem under the sun, just the oversteamed housing market.

        • Incognito 5.1.2.2

          By itself building more houses is not going to solve each & every problem but surely more available houses will allow mobility to occur on a larger scale and I’d like to think that it would free up housing at the lower end of the market. It is no magic bullet but it is better than doing absolutely nothing.

        • greg 5.1.2.3

          i think that was point another comment dealt with a market correction will be needed to deliver affordable houses there is no painless way out of a housing bubble. its much more preferable if national had never allowed one to form.but here we are and we just going to have to deal with it.

      • Adrian Thornton 5.1.3

        @patricia bremner
        I will say what I want, when I want about Labour, and if that happens to be a tough critique of their pathetic attempt at a housing solution to a looming critical national crisis, and you see that as negative, then that is your problem.

        As far as trolling goes, I don’t think so, I have made my views clear to Little, and Lorke face to face, and stand by anything I say, that is why I use my real name on political forums.
        I am open to debate, but I have seen nothing in your answer to me that carries any weight. Blaming a neo liberal economic disaster, that is expressing itself through this housing crisis on National, is quite frankly naive….at best.

        BTW, it speaks volumes that your Nat friends are moving toward Labour, while all the progressives I know and others I talk to in my shop daily, are moving away…

        Turn Labour Left!

        • weka 5.1.3.1

          Who will you vote for Adrian? And who would you encourage people to vote for if not Labour?

        • greg 5.1.3.2

          you need to remember we have mmp and kiwi build is a starting point in any negotiation the disenfranchised can us there vote to get the deal they want the power is theres or they can continue bickering (divide and conquer) and allow national to walk all over them .
          the speculators will be voting and national is counting on the young not to vote

  5. Policy Parrot 6

    This is bullshit – they (or someone else) just need to get on to it.

    The government could easily lease land on the outskirts of Auckland (near Drury perhaps), and contract a consortium to build several Kaikoura style temporary accommodation camps that could house these people, and have them operational at maximum within a couple of months.

    Provide subsidised transport to Takanini Railway Station, so they can travel further afield if desired, for work/family/pleasure etc.

    Obviously these places aren’t ideal, but surely they are several steps up from what they are currently living in. And it will cut the scum operators out of the market.

    • Bill 6.1

      I agree that they (or someone else) just need to get on to it.

      I’ve a memory of an old Campbell Live piece after Christchurch where he went to a ‘lot’ containing basic pre-fab units that could have been rolled out by the truckload. Except it wasn’t happening. (I can’t remember what the excuses were.)

      I’m also going to mention again that NZ Labour said it would build rentals and houses to buy in a ratio such that it would take a hundred years before the number of rentals equaled the initial numbers being touted for ‘the market’.

      Maybe they’ve rowed back on that one.

    • Whispering Kate 6.2

      This Government can roll out temporary housing when it wants to – they are building a mini town to provide for all the workers who are rebuilding the earthquake damaged highways created by the Kaikoura earthquake. From what I remember they were flat pack quick fix housing.

      One thing to build flat packs for their bloody highways but never a consideration for people who need housing. This is being primed up for wholesale privatisation of our social housing in this country. They don’t give a damn for the vulnerable – not one bit.

  6. Philj 7

    There are solutions to the housing crisis. We have a government who have benefited, in the short term, from not taking the sensible options to correct the situation. That is how we find ourselves in the dumb situation we are now in. We are being mislead and deceived.

  7. RedLogix 8

    Historically boarding houses were a regulatory black hole; not a motel, nor a flat. They’re are a very old component of our housing market and served a purpose for those with no other options. But always something that existed at the margins. Undesirable, but tolerable just.

    But with renting by the room has become a rapidly growing practice in recent years. The reasons all tie back into the usual suspects; the loss of social housing, and relentless pressure on rents.

    Since 2010 they have been brought under the mantle of the Tenancy Tribunal. Here are the DBH rules:

    https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/starting-a-tenancy/types-of-tenancies/boarding-houses/

    This section is pretty clear on the landlord’s responsibilities:

    Repairs
    A boarding house landlord must make sure the house is in a reasonable state of repair. It must comply with all requirements for buildings, including health and safety, under any enactment that applies. This includes supplying basic necessities such as cooking facilities, drinkable water and bathroom facilities (connected to an adequate means of heating water).

    Tenants must notify the landlord as soon as possible if they discover any damage or anything that needs repairing. Tenants must not intentionally or carelessly cause any damage, or allow anyone else to do so. Tenants must not interfere with, or render inoperative, any means of escape from fire.

    Security
    A boarding house landlord must provide and maintain sufficient locks to ensure the house and all rooms are reasonably secure. They must also make sure tenants have access to their room and toilet and bathroom facilities at all times.

    Before changing any lock or similar device, the landlord must tell every tenant who will be affected.

    Tenants must not alter, add to or remove any lock or similar device.

    In the case highlighted in the OP it’s crystal clear the landlord is absolutely in default on these obligations. The problem is that these tenants are people with no other options short of homelessness and are either unaware of, or afraid to exert even these minimal rights.

  8. patricia bremner 9

    Adrian I also use my name in discussions.
    “Negative and troll like” meant no positive suggestions coupled with sweeping statements that “no-one is offering anything better” (especially Labour).
    What do you suggest Adrian? Is an improvement through the election not desirable?
    Sure Little isn’t Christ. He is however genuine, and he cares.
    To turn round the 30+ year neo-liberal bus is going to need good will and a degree of personal sacrifice.
    Little and Labour have stated “houses should be homes, not bargaining chips”
    You said something radical needs to happen.
    Do you think we should nationalise home building? That would be a big move, but it would frighten the voting horses ofcourse.
    As for blaming the current government, well they saw the looming crisis and did what you said. Propped up a rotten system with welfare instead of change for the better.
    I repeat, I personally will vote for a change of government, aware as I am that deRoot and others have made “investment in houses” the problem it has become, and that an incoming government will need support and goodwill to bring about change.
    It was good to see a variety of responses, as I read this blog daily.

    • Philj 9.1

      Patricia B,
      You can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg. To remedy this unfolding housing tragedy some people will have to pay. It should be those who have captured the market but I bet it won’t be.

  9. Poission 10

    The other accommodation problem causer.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/93622633/airbnb-headache-for-longterm-renters-as-marlborough-landlords-pull-properties

    This would be also a problem in other tourist ‘hotspots” such as queenstown wanaka etc

    Here local authorities have not met their responsibilities to manage AIRBNB with the regulatory constraints that apply to all commercial accommodation premises.

  10. Venezia 11

    I back the Jeremy Corbyn option. Requisition all houses which have been empty for 6 months or more to house people, especially in Auckland. This is likely to include houses purchased by foreign buyers (? tax dodges, ? money laundering).

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  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    8 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    8 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    14 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
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