Where the bloody hell are you?

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, January 9th, 2013 - 70 comments
Categories: jobs, tourism - Tags:

Like here, Queensland’s tourism industry is hurting. Like ours, Queensland’s Tourism Minister thought it would be a good idea to holiday in a foreign tropical resort instead of supporting her local industry. But, there, the main newspaper responded with a devastating “where the bloody hell are you” attack that could sink her career. Here, not so much.

Mention Key’s failing to back Kiwi tourism as he spends his 115th day overseas on holiday since he became PM, and you’re a pleb who’s jealous of rich people with foreign holiday homes.

Because that’s what the 7,000 tourism industry workers who have lost their jobs are and an industry that’s shed a billion dollars a year in income under Key is – jealous.

70 comments on “Where the bloody hell are you? ”

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  1. Dr Terry 1
    9 January 2013 at 10:08 am

    I imagine he will find it a real chore having to return to the country for which he is responsible. On the other hand, some of us are in no hurry to see him back!! In a sense, Key in taking his holiday has actually granted us a holiday from himself!

    • Rupert 1.1
      9 January 2013 at 12:12 pm

      “Acting Prime Minister Steven Joyce”, “Acting Prime Minister Tony Ryall”, “Acting Prime Minister Gerry Brownlee”…

      • David H 1.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 8:08 pm

        Acting PM Micky Mouse. Acting PM Donald Duck. Both of who could do a better job than the morons in power now.

    • Fortran 1.2
      10 January 2013 at 2:21 pm

      The weather in Maui has been disasterous, where Key has his holiday home.
      Look at the Golf washout in Maui – down to one day two days ago.

  2. tc 2
    9 January 2013 at 10:42 am

    You can’t compare Oz to NZ, they hold politicians to account and demand answers.Also at the slightest whiff of ill doings or weakness they go straight for the jugular no matter who is in the frame.

    Contrast to our MSM who have the soggiest of bus tickets administered by kids and gov’t fan clubbers.

  3. Northshoreguynz 3
    9 January 2013 at 10:59 am

    Doesn’t their media own our media? And if so, why are our papers especially so weak?

    • tc 3.1
      9 January 2013 at 11:47 am

      Our papers are weak because of:
      1. the massive differential in power our govt wields V what a state gov’t can in OZ against a national media.
      2. Oz has 2 public Broadcasters, each with radio and TV who set the benchmark in fearless reporting under statutory protection that Pollys know to leave well alone or suffer political homicide.
      3. Crikey.com.au has also weighed in as an independant and worthy addition to the landscape.

      When there’s quality freely available you have to lift your game or go low brow.

      The NACT have been very skillful in killing off Stratos, Triangle soon, TVNZ7 and neutering freeview and handing Sky a taxpayer paid for content channel in Heartland and leaving them a clear run to make themselves more money.

      Sky also saw off SBS from broadcasting there freely available service on Freeview with the right box, all too easy really with mates in the right pockets.

      • Rogue Trooper 3.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 7:34 pm

        I am certain that the informative critical content of Sky documentary channels deteriorated over the three or so years I watched it, docos like how they make clothes in sweat shops, produce cotton and manufacture food and such-like, just picking up frequencies like.

  4. Jeremy Greenbrook-Held 4
    9 January 2013 at 12:25 pm

    As the runner-up to Key in Helensville, I’m pleased to report that my family and I spent a few days relaxing in Waimauku, which is in the Helensville electorate. Just in case any media wanted to know. Which I suspect they don’t.

  5. tracey 5
    9 January 2013 at 12:51 pm

    The airforce prolly had to fly key to the cyclone damage cos he wondered which pacific island it was in

  6. Populuxe1 6
    9 January 2013 at 12:59 pm

    I don’t care where he has his holidays so long as he does his job… Oh wait, he’s not doing his job, so why so fucking much boring whinging about his holidays when there are genuine issues surrounding health and education to be addressed?

    • TheContrarian 6.1
      9 January 2013 at 1:47 pm

      These guys don’t give a fuck. Hell, John Key could spend his holiday on the West Coast and have a promotional shot of him taking a helicopter ride over a glacier and The Standard would moan about the helicopter.

      Shit, I referred to The Standard as a single entity and inferred a computer program could moan. Lyn will be furious.

      • fenderviper 6.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 2:22 pm

        You are such a boring drip.
        You seem to hate this place and the talented Lynn but you can’t keep your banned mouth shut for the duration of your ban.
        No wonder your “blog” is of little interest to anyone, but it’s not worth getting so bitter and twisted for being an irrelevant drip.
        Why don’t you crack open another bottle of helicopter and drown your sorrows again.

        • TheContrarian 6.1.1.1
          9 January 2013 at 2:48 pm

          Na, I gave up on blogging ages ago. Didn’t have the desire nor inclination – particularly when my job consists of writing anyway. I couldn’t be bothered doing it in my spare time too.

          Anyway – I don’t hate this place. it is such an amusing echo chamber. And I don’t hate Lynn either – but he comes across as such an arrogant blowhard it’s hard not to taunt him.

          [lprent: Reducing you to a whimpering wreck when you get too damn full of yourself really doesn’t take too much effort. Doing in a way that looks exactly like you do to others is quite simple. I’m surprised you haven’t caught on to the technique yet? ]

          • mike e vipe e 6.1.1.1.1
            9 January 2013 at 2:54 pm

            your in Denial contrarian but i suppose you have to live up to your name!

          • higherstandard 6.1.1.1.2
            9 January 2013 at 7:40 pm

            Gosh such godlike powers Lynn I’m sure everyone is in awe of you total all round amazingness I’m surprised with your seeming omnipotence that you didn’t perform surgery on yourself during your recent cardiac issues.

          • David H 6.1.1.1.3
            9 January 2013 at 8:56 pm

            Oh so you write scary books for 3 year old huh?

            • TheContrarian 6.1.1.1.3.1
              10 January 2013 at 11:13 am

              No, but are you implying that writing books for children is somehow a bad thing or not a noble undertaking? What exactly is the point you are making with this comment?

          • TheContrarian 6.1.1.1.4
            10 January 2013 at 10:52 am

            “Reducing you to a whimpering wreck ”

            Gosh, when was this? Was it that time you tried to convince me you could diagnose Cam Slater’s depression (or lack thereof) over the internet based purely on his blog postings?

            • felixviper 6.1.1.1.4.1
              10 January 2013 at 11:47 am

              I think I can help.

              When you do your ‘Goodness is that the time? Really must be going, btw this is all silly and beneath me anyway despite having spent all day here’ routine, which mysteriously always seems to coincide with you having tied yourself in contradictions you can neither escape or admit to, some people may be imagining that you’re quietly whimpering inside.

              Not me though. I don’t think you possess the required self-awareness.

  7. Populuxe1 7
    9 January 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Because seriously, the rest of the world doesn’t give a flying fuck where John Key takes his holidays – I seriously doubt him being in Hawai’i will prevent them wanting to come here.

  8. Populuxe1 8
    9 January 2013 at 1:34 pm

    Oh no! The New Zealand PM is in Hawai’i – no point in going to Fiordland now! Said no tourist ever.

  9. Steve Wrathall 9
    9 January 2013 at 2:18 pm

    Why the hell shouldn’t he have a holiday in Hawaii, where he can walk along a beach with no-one knowing him from a bar of soap?

    • One Tāne Huna 9.1
      9 January 2013 at 2:24 pm

      I sort of agree with you, Steve, but it’s a perception thing. Like Steve Jobs working on a PC running Windows. Or Ayn Rand collecting a total of $11,002 in monthly Social Security payments.

      • TheContrarian 9.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 2:45 pm

        Or Helen Clarke hiking Kilimanjaro?

        • QoT 9.1.1.1
          9 January 2013 at 6:46 pm

          Helen Clark was Minister of Tourism?

          • higherstandard 9.1.1.1.1
            9 January 2013 at 7:36 pm

            So in a similar vein a Minister of Health should only use public providers ?

            • felixviper 9.1.1.1.1.1
              9 January 2013 at 8:13 pm

              That’s a very clever rebuttal to all those people who’ve been saying Key should only use publicly owned services on his holidays.

            • QoT 9.1.1.1.1.2
              9 January 2013 at 8:31 pm

              That’s not the point I was making, higherstandard, and I credit you with at least sufficient brains to conclude you’re trying to derail the conversation.

              • higherstandard …
                10 January 2013 at 7:50 am

                What’s the point you are trying to make ?

                Personally I don’t give a damn where the Minister of Tourism takes their holiday as long as they are doing a good job of their tourism portfolio surely that’s where criticism should be leveled ?

                The carping about holidaying in Hawaii can be put down to sour grapes and the like while poor tourism figures is far more difficult to deflect.

                • felixviper …
                  10 January 2013 at 6:56 pm

                  “What’s the point you are trying to make ?”

                  The fact that Helen Clark, PM and Minister of Arts climbing a mountain is not analogous to John Key, PM and Minister of Tourism never holidaying in NZ.

                  A relevant analogy would be that Helen Clark never showed an interest in the arts, despite being Minister.

                  It wouldn’t be true of course, but it would be a relevant analogy.

      • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 9.1.2
        9 January 2013 at 7:07 pm

        Steve Jobs working on a PC running Windows? Shyeah, right 🙂

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.2.1
          9 January 2013 at 7:15 pm

          Doesn’t seem likely does it? I once heard that some consultants came in to do a presentation to him and the Apple board. One of the consultants hooked up a Windows laptop to the projector.

          That was the end of the consulting contract.

          • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 9.1.2.1.1
            11 January 2013 at 12:52 pm

            I do recall reading that when Jobs returned to Apple his main puter was an IBM ThinkPad running NeXTSTEP.

      • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 9.1.3
        10 January 2013 at 11:51 am

        One Tane Huna
        Go on Ayn Rand never did – did she?

    • Colonial Viper 9.2
      9 January 2013 at 2:25 pm

      where he can walk along a beach with no-one knowing him from a bar of soap?

      You mean incognito on the beach with his four armed DPS agents beside him?

      • David H 9.2.1
        9 January 2013 at 9:00 pm

        All in suits Ties and Sunglasses, with ear pieces trying for all the world to look like the Secret Service Just to make Shonky look important. What a waste of Taxpayers money!

      • tracey 9.2.2
        10 January 2013 at 9:31 am

        If EVER a man has worked hard to be the antithesis of ingognito it is our celeberity/sports man salivating PM.

    • fenderviper 9.3
      9 January 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Why the hell doesn’t he have a holiday in NZ, where he can walk along the beach and give slippery as soap answers to any concerned questions raised, posing for photos in his quest to be included in everyones albums.

      fify

    • mike e vipe e 9.4
      9 January 2013 at 2:57 pm

      SW what were you saying about Australia not that long Ago !
      Muldoon Kirk etc were liked because they mucked in with everybody Key is an elitist who detests the poor plebs

    • joe90 9.5
      9 January 2013 at 7:34 pm

      where he can walk along a beach with no-one knowing him from a bar of soap?

      He’s there hoping that the right people know who he is.

      • Rogue Trooper 9.5.1
        9 January 2013 at 8:04 pm

        wotta dump. I spent a lot of time around “people with money” over the years (yes I am broadly informed socio-economically speaking) and as a generalization I could not understand their interests and motivations at all; I’ve stayed in flash Hotels, went out for breakfast and “brunch”, drank expensive ethanol (Coleraine when it was in fashion,fine ports, heaps of single malts,Glenlivet, McClellands-Speyside, hmmm, smoked cigars, paid for some “fun”, went jet-boating, flying, hunted all times of game, shot guns, wore labels, rode and drove big-blocks, lived in town, lived in rural paradises, flew my daughter hither and thither, skied, snow-boarded, purchased state-of-the-art audio, saw most of this beautiful country, socialised with all sorts of professionals,( don’t get me started on “professional capture” in the health system) and even as I write I shake my head with an absence of understanding. Today I gave thought to “how” wealthy people think / believe that their money is gonna protect them from anything at all other than potentially prolonging their lives a little longer…these threads about living on ‘x’ small amount of income, well, if expectations are revised, it can be done, yet it is the commitments we make to having children (and who do we do that for?) and property that trap us as the seasons change. I have a small booklet of postcards (cannot find it at mo’ tho’) that displays the possessions of families from around the world laid out before their dwellings; very revealing and another set of images that informed my politics. Think Globally, act Locally.

        ps.a good friend hesitates to complete a review report of her annual practice with people at the bottom of the health-socio-economic ladder, because she has seen the withdrawal of health funding prioritization for them (particularly if they are brown) , so she’s looking to move on and focus on our future-young people.

  10. Lightly 10
    9 January 2013 at 3:08 pm

    When was Clark the minister of tourism?

    As it happens, she regularly holidayed in NZ – eg http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10527128

  11. newsense@gmail.com 11
    9 January 2013 at 7:07 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10838203

    “Hawaiian Airlines said strong demand from New Zealand travellers had convinced it to launch new Auckland-Honolulu flights with its flagship Airbus A330-200 aircraft, instead of the smaller Boeing 767-300ERs it was planning to use.”

    Look some say he hasn’t achieved anything!

    Here you go: extra flights for New Zealand tourists to Hawaii!

    But then again the Aussies were never stupid enough to sell their country wholesale or gut their unions.

    Surely the opposition should have been all over this?

    • Populuxe1 11.1
      9 January 2013 at 8:26 pm

      Of course that also means more flights from a US state to New Zealand, but how thoughtless of me to mention it while you’re wallowing in smugness.

      • tracey 11.1.1
        10 January 2013 at 9:33 am

        I guess one issue is we have a flagging economy. One thing that boosts an economy is local money circulating locally. All of us, inlcuding the PM, who holiday overseas remove money from that circulation pot.

  12. millsy 12
    9 January 2013 at 11:53 pm

    Back in the good old days, Rob Muldoon and family had a bach up by Hatfields beach. This was before it became the yuppie retreat it was now. In the ’70’s, kiwi mums and dads stayed there, no not the mum and dads who have a share portfolio and a swag of rental properties in South Auckland, and moan about not being able to afford a property in the Epsom Girls’ Grammar school zone, but *REAL* mums and dads, who drew family benefits and earned award wages, who sent their kid to the local state school, and didnt see themselves as better than the rest. They would come and have a yarn and a beer with the PM, and their kids would play with Rob’s kids. You didnt see RDM fly off to Hawaii. Love him or hate him, he was probably the last PM who idenfitied with the average kiwi, I guess growing up in the Great Depression with your father in an asylum with syphilis of the brain does that to you.

    • Populuxe1 12.1
      10 January 2013 at 12:03 am

      Slightly different times though – what with the ’73 oil crisis, a protectionist economy, and flying anywhere being horrendously expensive.

    • xtasy 12.2
      10 January 2013 at 12:17 am

      WOW millsy, are you a Rob fan now?

      I hated Muldoon for some pretty ignorant things he pushed through. But when he aged, and when he was hosting Radio Pacific talk shows on the week-end (after his opponents like Prebble doing the same), he became somewhat more “humane” a person, even showing sympathy to poor and disadvantaged. I heard that and learned, that people, no matter what their back ground may be, can change, learn and mature.

      He was such a man, still lacking in some, but he was becoming rather mellow and in a moderate way even compassionate, why I was very impressed with. So let us see what will come out of English, Key and especially that rascal Rodney Hide one day?!

      • millsy 12.2.1
        10 January 2013 at 7:44 am

        I think actions spoke louder than words.

        Muldoon bashed the unions but never took any (serious) measures to limit their power, nor did he seek to destroy the welfare state like Shipley and Richardson did.In 1991, he abstained from Rith’s benefit cuts, while Think Big was a genuine effort to wean us off a dependence on the international oil markets, the problem being that oil prices collapsed in the mid-to-late 80’s.

        He was a nasty prick sometimes, but as I said before, that was tempered by the fact that he knew the effects of unrestrained capitalism.

        • Rogue Trooper 12.2.1.1
          10 January 2013 at 2:13 pm

          ae (I own his autobiographies, he was the man for the times (after all, it was Noo Zillind in the 70’s; consider Car -less Days now? ), or subsidized electric / hybrids, or a freakin functioning suburban retail centre. Most visionary thing I see in HB-the I-Way Cycle Way (the dam is fraught with whose gonna pay, whose gonna benefit controversy, same ol’ same ol’…

        • Fortran 12.2.1.2
          10 January 2013 at 2:26 pm

          Muldoon said on more than one occasion that he was a socialist, and that he believed he was trying to protect the the ordinary New Zealand man after the 2nd oil shock, and Britain joining the EC.

  13. xtasy 13
    10 January 2013 at 12:09 am

    Key even tried to entice Sakhur from the BBC to come here.

    Did he? Would he bother? How well does it work, inviting visitors, when the exchange rate is at the highest it has been for so many years, making it prohibitive for many to even think of coming to NZ?!

    Propaganda and advertising work, that is if there is the money and incomes there, for those attracted to come. With global economic slow down, and Chinese visitors bringing their own lunch boxes and only hiring under cutting local Chinese “tour operators”, shopping in Chinese owned and staffed souvenir shops, selling Mainland Chinese made “NZ” souvenirs, how can that enhance economic growth in idiot NZ???

    • xtasy 13.1
      10 January 2013 at 12:11 am

      NZ economics = Neanderthal economics (at best), going by recent history at least!!!

    • Populuxe1 13.2
      10 January 2013 at 10:41 am

      Yes, dubious foreigners are ruining this country’s economy – but mainly just the ones who turn up and complain about everything while leaching off its welfare system.

      • Colonial Viper 13.2.1
        10 January 2013 at 11:01 am

        Actually it’s traitorous NZ nationals like Fay and Richwhite, Douglas and Richardson who have been ruining this country’s economy and selling us out.

  14. Kleefer 14
    10 January 2013 at 11:35 am

    There are plenty of things to criticise John Key about, but attacking his choice of holiday destination reinforces the view of the left as being driven by envy and hatred of wealth.

    • One Tāne Huna 14.1
      10 January 2013 at 11:40 am

      That’s ok, the fact that the economy does better when the left runs the country undermines that stupid prejudice so completely that only a moron could sustain it.

      • Populuxe1 14.1.1
        10 January 2013 at 1:50 pm

        Calling swing voters “morons” isn’t very helpful either. I’d quite like to see the back of National if you don’t mind.

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    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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