Whitcoulls

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, February 20th, 2011 - 32 comments
Categories: books, business, unemployment - Tags: ,

Whitcoulls (or its earlier incarnation Whitcombe & Tombs) has been here since forever. I don’t know how many hours I spent browsing books in their shops as a youngster, or how many Christmas and birthday presents I brought there – not to mention the school stationary, art supplies, and all the rest. There’s lots of competition these days, maybe there always was, but from way back I remember Whitcoulls / W&T as the only game in town.

So it’s particularly sad for me, and I’m guessing for others of my generation, to watch the current wreck of “one of New Zealand’s most famous and enduring retail chains”. Administrators have been called in to take over management, there is to be an “urgent assessment” of the company’s financial status, closures (and of course staff losses) are likely. Holders of Whitcoulls vouchers are being advised to redeem them quickly – but with extra conditions that are causing a lot of ill feeling.

What went wrong? I don’t know the details, but I note that a staff union claims that this is “yet another example of an iconic New Zealand company being bought out and loaded up with debt”. Obviously there has been increased competition in general, but in particular the emergence of Amazon and the whole new category of e-books is changing the way that we buy, distribute and consume the written word. Finally, our currently stalled, possibly in recession economy, was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Let’s hope that Whitcoulls can still be saved. If not it will be a sorry end. Not good news for National, it will be hard to convince the punters that all is well in election year if an institution like Whitcoulls can go under. Not good news for workers and families in NZ, if hundreds more of them lose their livelhood.

32 comments on “Whitcoulls ”

  1. Pilgrim 1

    Whitcoulls fall started when the Brierly group bought them.
    We had to make shelf space available for a range of v.poor quality toys at the expense of books.
    That’s when the accountants started runing the fir rather than book people.

    • andy (the other one) 1.1

      Whitcoulls has a few issues, the first and most major was too much debt and falling revenues in a recession and very competitive market. Red group made the classic error of buying an overvalued asset that they thought was ‘Cheap’ and then levering up the debt and taking the cash for other ventures. Saddling the company with high cost debt repayments in which a small drop in revenue (recession) does not give them enough wiggle room to keep heads above water. So they have to cut, cut, cut which makes the experience worse and revenues fall further.

      Second, the purchase of Borders in a falling market. They started to compete with themselves in certain areas and sometimes on the same street. At the Same time trying to compete with all others in market.

      Thirdly, Whitcoulls was neither a book store or stationary store. They sucked at both. I think the online book stores did take a chunk of revenue, but most people I know like the tactile experience of books and nooks, kindles and ipads suck to read in bed as they really hurt your head when you fall asleep and it hits you on the nose.

      But if your not delivering a coherent message to customers they will go elsewhere. Me for instance i go to Borders because they do books only and warehouse stationery because they do stationery well (post restructure). My example is the Whitcoulls at St Lukes Westfield, narrow opening very busy, cramped magazine rack, higgledy piggledy book shelf layout with lots of books but nothing to read. The stationary section looks a collision of a barbie doll collection and art supplies. Then you have to try and pay in a sheep drafting type operation (down the chute, left or right, pay here), while not getting your ankles smashed by Pushchair SUV’s navigating the narrow isles and bargain bins.

      Its painful to say but going to Whitcoulls in St Lukes makes going supermarket shopping almost a pleasant experience.

      • just saying 1.1.1

        I agree the extreme commercialisation, for want of a better term, of the layout of the shops, was an issue (amongst others). Not being able to get out of the store until you have completed a maze designed to expose you to more merchandise, may work for supermarkets (you’re less likely to be trying to buy one just one or two items anyway). But it doesn’t seem to have occured to these marketing boffins that the extra and unnecesary 5-10 minutes is spent by most feeling pissed off and frustrated. And even if you do happen to pick up something else during the search to find what you went in for, or the tills, or how to get out, you’re still likely to be vowing to avoid the place in the future, for wasting your time and pissing you off.

      • NickS 1.1.2

        Yeah, I pretty much only go to the university book store, Borders and Scorpio books when I’m after a book I can’t find on trademe. Whitcoull’s selection is pretty much pulp and nothing else and their non-fiction section is utter crud, even compared to Paper Plus’s.

      • Angus & Roberston and Borders in Australia are both in precisely the same position (owned by Red Group and in receivership. Even down to the deal on vouchers) so I doubt the NZ economy played much of a role, if any.

        And there’s a lot said here and elsewhere about e-books, the changing market etc. But I think the factors andy has identified above are perhaps more relevant, at least at this stage of the evolution of printed matter. I use iPads (though I refuse to buy one till they have a USB port into which I can plug my wireless modem, and thus use it truly anywhere) and have looked at Kindle and other e-book readers. But I simply don’t like them, despite being a geek for every other gadget.

        I’m staying with a professor friend at present who has an iPad, a Mac with a huge screen, a laptop… and a library. And it’s to his beloved books he turns for relaxation and pleasure. I can see the non-fiction market taking a hammering solely due to technology, but fiction, I’m not so sure.

        I think it’s more due to the factors andy has identified… the dilution of book stores into books / stationery / DVDs / CDs, when there are perfectly good specialists in those other things. The consequent dimunition of shelf space and the marketer’s insistence that it be devoted to “best sellers”. And (warning: I’m about to sound snobbish and elitist) the fact that these changes flooded the stores with people whose interest wasn’t quality fiction but getting a colouring in book to keep junior in the pram busy (the same pram you get absent-mindedly rammed into your ankles).

        I frequent a few second hand bookshops. One (Elizabeth’s) is even a mini-chain, with three stores in Perth and some in NSW (and online ordering, so bookmark it folks!). Others are stand-alones. One is miles from the city, in a small village surrounded by craft shops and coffee lounges, so hardly an ideal retailing site.

        But, if the number of customers inside when I visit is any indicator, they’re doing well. Of course they have lower overheads etc. And lower prices.

        But fundamentally I think they’ll survive because they’re offering what a small but loyal section of the market wants – a good selection of (mainly) quality literature, in a form that’s durable, portable, tactile and, above all, familiar.

        At least until some markets a flexible screen device that fits in your pocket… and even then…

  2. ianmac 2

    Witcombe & Tombs Christchurch had a second hand book table and my Dad would often bring me home a book from that table. Magic. Now a bit sad but……………………

  3. higherstandard 3

    Hmmmmmm buy a book from Whitcoulls at $65 or from the book depository at $30 delivered to my door.

    Dying business model.

  4. Lanthanide 4

    They simply can’t compete with online bookstores, that even delivering from around the world are often 1/2 the price. I guess the high NZ $ has a lot to do with that, though.

    I needed some technical books for work – $200 from Amazon including shipping, or $450 from fishpond.

    captcha: lesson

    • lprent 4.1

      Yeah I had noticed that as well. Never anything in the book stores I wanted. Online was much better. It was a lot cheaper and almost as fast to get books from the US or UK.

      Now I have stopped all of that. If I cannot get a book as a ePub (screw the DRM crap – my tech library has to be accessible from all of my machines and without trying those horrible movement potocols) then I keep looking for the next best until I find it on ePub format. ePub is a standard long life format that runs on all systems and delivers the book within seconds of purchase. Drop into calibre on the server and then pull to whatever device I am using.

  5. Lanthanide 5

    lprent – it looks like the auto numbering is screwed up here. My post above and Pilgrims are both #3, and my one has appeared above his. Maybe his was moved over from open mic or something? I’m expecting this post to be #4.

    Edit: Yep, this one become #4 and Pilgrim’s dropped down and became #4 also.
    Edit2: Yep, rob posted in open mic saying he moved Pilgrim’s post.

    • lprent 5.1

      I will have a peek at it..

      Updated: Ok – fixed at the database by removing its parent comment.

      Ummm….. Rather than fixing the move system to correct this type of issue, maybe I can fix the presentation in the theme.

  6. Ed 6

    Consensus seems to be that the position in New Zealand was not as dire as in Australia. The problem is largely one of debt – arising from repeated sales and management by ‘financial experts’ looking for short term gain. Yes there is a problem with low sales levels, but they are thought to arise mainly from our recession (yes Bill English confirmed on radio recently that we are in the middle of a recession – and for once I believe him) than to sales of ebooks, although that is a factor for all booksellers.

    Hopefully some of the stores will be sold to New Zealand operators, but in Wellington for example I suspect that there is not a large enough market for both Whitcoulls and Borders to survive.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      Peeps are spending more time reading online material rather than books.

      • There’s still a lot of debate round that CV.

        [Link is to a NY Times set of articles debating e-books and related topics by an English professor, an author, a professor of child development, a computer scientist and a professor of informatics. Well worth a read].

        While they’re talking more of quality than quantity, my first inclination upon reading your comment was to agree. I love books, yet I spend far more time in front of a computer. But then I wondered how much of that time replaced the time I give (or gave) to books. The answer: none.

        I read online what I would once have read in printed form, certainly. But that material would have been research reports, policy papers, letters, faxes, even (in the mists of time somwhere) telexes. Not books.

        So while I agree with the first half of your sentence, I wonder whether the “rather than books” part is true?

        • Colonial Viper 6.1.1.1

          I agree with your point that there is doubt. People may indeed be stealing time from a lot of different activities to spend it online. I suppose that everything from time in the gym to time watching TV might be curtailed.

  7. Kevin Welsh 7

    We have recently had the Dymocks book store close in Napier and now it looks like Whitcoulls will be gone too. Dymocks was great because it was almost entirely books and not all the other crap you find in book stores today. It had a great New Zealand section.

    I see that once again the parent company was backed by an equity group. These equity groups (in actuality, someone else’s retirement savings), have been front and center at a number of retail and manufacturing debacles in the last few years.

    Another one which is just hanging on by the skin of its teeth is Gresham Private Equity (Australian) who stumped up the cash to buy Pacific Print Group, which was a group of New Zealand printing companies put together in the min 2000’s, and turned into GEON. The plan was to amalgamate, rationalise an flick off in an IPO. Unfortunately the GFC happened and then Gresham had to start running a printing group which it has clearly not ben equipped to do. The red ink has been flowing like a river and I suspect March 31st will be a day of reckoning. There are thousands of jobs at stake in New Zealand and Australia and a mountain of debt.

    GEON group, along with Bluestar and PMP (all backed by private equity), through their own greed have raped and pillaged their way through the New Zealand and Australian printing industry in the last few years and completely destroyed what was a vibrant, innovative and profitable business for hundreds of companies.

    If you went to a bank today and said you were starting a printing company, you would probably still hear them laughing when you got home.

    I know this has diverged from the original Whitcoulls post, but it just shows that they are not an isolated example. It would be interesting to know just how many national chains are backed by private equity.

    captcha: reasons – yes indeed.

    • Colonial Viper 7.1

      I’m aware that you can get stuff printed in China (and Hong Kong) at ridiculously cheap prices. Including freight. Just send them the proof from your graphic artist and your other specifications. And there’s every chance you’ll receive the job faster than from your local printers.

      • Kevin Welsh 7.1.1

        If it was small enough to FedEx, maybe. But then you would only go to China for economies of scale and when you are talking pallet sized print runs, NZ will still be a quicker turnaround time. The Chinese have really got their shit sorted these days with quality though.

        I used a Chinese printer around 5 years ago for a niche project when I was production manager at an advertising agency and it was a bloody nightmare. It had to be printed three times before it was right. These days, the quality is the same as you would get in New Zealand.

  8. Anthony C 8

    I think it has more to do that the recession than online sellers.

    People have less money and books are one of the first things to go.

  9. Sookie 9

    Whitcoulls range is crap, and their books cost double the price of Mighty Ape and Fishpond, the local net-based outlets, which are getting better and better these days. And I don’t believe the overheads justify charging 40 bucks for a new book, instead of 20 something. Unless they can offer a broad range, slightly cheaper prices and a pleasant browsing experience, like say University Bookshop in Dunedin, booksellers are doomed. Which is sad, because we don’t need more empty space on the High St.

    • QoT 9.1

      Don’t forget Goodbooks! Consistently cheaper, no delivery fee, and you get a warm middle-class-charity buzz along with your purchase.

  10. infused 10

    Because there stuff is so expensive. Why shop there when Warehouse stationary is like 1/2 the price? Books from Amazon.com. NZ hardly has any of the books I want and/or take ages to actually get them…

    They just didn’t change with the times. Simple as that.

  11. kultur 11

    So – was it the natural outcome of the market and its intelligent benevolent energies and drivers that caused this – or was it that the new type of acquisition and Management model (under the new neo liberal thinking) is just too darned limited to really adapt to the requirements of living, breathing human beings? After all Theresa Gattung singlehandedly with a little help from Rod Deane, set Telecom up to fail (now – is that this highly intelligent set of incredible market forces at play again – or just bad management – again – who dont understand what really drives human beings etc?). Maybe – just maybe – the left wing / socialist / holistic approach might have some business and bottom line benefits? Or are we doomed to get blakes horror vision of “dark satanic mills” – guess not much chance of that in NZ – we got rid of our potential to manufacture real physical valuable things – its all ex-china now boys and girls. The “dark satanic mills” here in this country – will be metaphorical – but still destructive to people, families and our kiwi culture and future.

    Whitcoulls went from being a no-barriers interesting destination – to being a cattle pen with poor merchandising and promotion and staff training and development – and very poor identification of what it actually did (in the end). And it wont be the last – the new type of John Key style ride into dodge – do the deal pardners – get it “cheap” create “efficiencies” – take out what isnt nailed down – is sort of perhaps/maybe going to be seen in such other biggies like the Warehouse for instance. Remember Qantas NZ – some of NZs greatest neo-liberal freemarketeers and captains of industry were involved in running that …. result … titsup bigtime.

    Its all just my opinion – i hope im not right – but we are on a repeating revolving wheel and we need to learn how to get off it – at least thats what i think anyway. What seems to happen is that this nonsense starts to accelerate in tough times – and the Key Mafia will only say _ “but its the global recession” – pull the other tit johnny boy – where are your old employers now … thought of putting your CV out again prior to November big guy.

  12. Tanz 12

    I worked for Whitcoulls back in the days when Graeme Hart owned the chain, and in the original Queen Street, Auckland, store. They were great to work for then, talk about the good old days. Lots of events were put on for the staff and the management really cared about us. Fun times, good times and a very cool shop. The books were expensive then too, but people seemed to have more money for jam, and the atmosphere in general was lighter. Funny that. Good memories to have, anyway.

  13. Jum 13

    Call me bitter if you like, but having seen the huge number of people supporting John Key who intends to sell the rest of our assets (has already legislated to do so, so there’s no delay come 2012) then those people losing their jobs may rue the day they still support Key.

    Given Brierley who was involved with Whitcouls, and is known as a corporate raider, meaning someone who stacks debt on to businesses and actively seeks to downgrade or liquidate them, is a ‘Sir’ and the people of NZ love a knighthood, no matter what damage they may have done to achieve said knighthood, I really don’t care.

    • Tanz 13.1

      It’s nice to have the Knighthoods back, but I agree, quite often they are given out far too easily and for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps the title of ‘prime minister’is somewhat overrated, with a free ride of easy credit attached to the role. Cynical perhaps, but it gives otherwise ordinary people such prestige, but is it always warranted?

      • Pilgrim 13.1.1

        To be fair knighthoods have been awarded for the “wrong” reasons ever since they stopped giving them for belting Frenchmen(or in the case of my family,Englishmen) over the head with large lengths of sharp iron.
        I do however feel nauseous every time I hear “Sir Ron” or “Sir Roger”.
        A more appropriate reward for these men would have been penal servitude.

  14. iniquity 14

    This is a failed private equity buyout.

    A few years back before the crash, everyone was looking for better returns on loans, which led people that make loans to make riskier and riskier loans. We all know this..or should.

    The part private equity pays is that there were studies/papers/whatever produced in the last couple of decades that pointed out that how your company was financed made no difference to how profitable it was.

    That is, if your company had an enormous mortgage lumped on it, or it was funded by a generous benefactor, or it simply lived off its yearly earnings, it made no difference to the likelihood said company would thrive.

    Private equity was the result of both factors, and also the (ech!) tipping point.

    Basically Private equity firms would buy companies -BankUnited, Whitcoulls, Yellow, US Department stores and various other “low hanging fruit”. These were companies that generally paid for themselves with their own earnings- “traditional” type businesses that had good cashflow.

    The idea was that the private equity frim could buy them, like a “fixer upper” house, with an enormously expensive loan.

    Loans were getting cheaper year by year, so they could refinance those loans to lower and lower interest rates, while making efficiencies in the businesses they bought.

    Debt, until the crash, was cheap, and getting cheape, while outlets for near interest-free loans were getting fewer and fewer.

    After about 5 years, they would be able to float or sell the business to pay off the loan and pocket the cash that was left over.

    For a simile try:

    It was like going around retirees with a comfortable income, and low expenses, and buying their houses at credit-card rates. The hope being that Myrtle and Bert’s house, could be made a bit more attractive to a buyer in five year’s time. You’d smarten things up the way the fuddy-duddys couldn’t and the mortgage you took out would be gone by lunchtime.

    So what went wrong?

    First, as a lot of these businesses were “traditional” they were diversifying, or gradually losing income in markets they dominated. The exisiting owners knew this, and were content to keep fighting for their piece of the pie as long as they could, but cashflow was likely to go down rather than up.

    Second, most “traditional” businesses had already made the majority of their efficiencies. They had already been corporate raided, and managed to have close to the best efficiency they could manage.

    Thirdly, as businesses (for, example Whitcoulls) were in rapidly changing markets, they often needed a lot of investment to keep their business moving with the Web, ebooks, globalisation, multiethnic customers etc. The private equity firms could not and could not afford to move these businesses to where they would need to be. Especially if it meant giving up the five-year plan.

    Finally, and most importantly, the debt got really, really expensive. No one wanted to refinance their loans. Interest rates went up as finance got trikier and trickier. The people buying “traditional” products got poorer and poorer. “Traditional” businesses had staff that were hard to replace cheaply.

    The refinancing on more favourable terms didn’t happen. Nor did the selloff or float.

    Eventually, the private equity, the banks that loaned the money to them,and the businesses they “owned” had to take a massive haircut.

    And that, folks, is what happened to Whitcoulls. For shame.

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    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    3 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    3 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 days ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    3 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    4 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    4 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    4 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago
  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    5 days ago
  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    6 days ago
  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    1 week ago
  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
    JERRY COYNE writes –  If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
    Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession.  This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • The Scafetta Saga
    It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
    Real ClimateBy Gavin
    1 week ago
  • Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
    TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
      For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
     Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago
  • A Womance, and a Nomance.
    After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
    $12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...
    Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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