Open Mike 01/09/25
Open Mike 01/09/25
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6:00 am, September 1st, 2025 - 32 comments
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Today's Posts (updated through the day):
Metiria Turei was right but did we learn the lesson?
Adrian Orr Cover Up – A Quid Pro Quo?
New Post up:
Metiria Turei was right but did we learn the lesson?
New Post up:
Adrian Orr Cover Up – A Quid Pro Quo?
Lot of rumours swirling about Trump's health, [deleted]
Yes. I guess Vance cannot be too much worse.
Really? Ever heard of be careful what you wish for? IMO Ol' JD hillbilly Vance is as cunning as a shithouse rat..after all he swam through it to get near to the top. And again IMO a much more dangerous critter…Some reading on the hillbilly
An FYI..(seems its sometimes necessary) I have commented before Trump is an already dangerous fascist asshole…
Yep – not only will Vance be worse – he will have the ability to stand for 2 more terms. He is not the shameless populist entertainer that Trump is, but he is smarter and completely committed to Project 2025.
True about Vance, but MAGA is cult built around Trump. Vance doesn't have the same power base to threaten to primary dissenters or appoint loyalists.
He's backed by Thiel which should make him a real worry though.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/07/16/jd-vance-and-peter-thiel-what-to-know-about-the-relationship-between-trumps-vp-pick-and-the-billionaire/
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-libertarian-tech-titan-peter-thiel-helped-make-jd-vance-the-republican-kingmakers-influence-is-growing-261856
I've been watching a bot of CNN and some other commentary on trumps American if he's still there in 3 years the world I'd in a very dark place, Newsome would dispatch vance but he won't get the chance to against Trump.
Are you referring to this?
that was funny, but I deleted the last bit because of TS policy around not advocating violence even in jest.
One to watch.
https://didtrumpgolftoday.com/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360806964/national-has-lost-small-business-vote-and-thats-ominous
"…if they’re not good at the economy, then what on earth are they good at?"
The myth that National is 'good at the economy' is still alive and kicking. This question wouldn't need to be asked if it wasn't. While Luxon and co are doing a great job at busting that myth themselves, there needs to be widespread acceptance of the fact that National / Act / right-wing governments are not good at the economy because they're fundamentally about allowing capital to flow in one direction, away from the general population. If this myth can be truly busted, by conveying this basic concept into the minds of most voters, there'd be a heck of a lot to celebrate.
The trickle down lie is still lurching about…and agree totally about NACT/RW govts and economies. It is, and always has been, an upward money flow….
Also Roger and his Nomics really do need a public wooden stake. Not through the heart..as there was, and is, none. But somewhere appropriate…
Good article stating the realities of the government's efforts to privatise our health system, concluding with the comment:
I'm pretty sure that's a rhetorical question…
https://theconversation.com/nzs-shift-to-more-private-healthcare-will-likely-raise-costs-and-reduce-quality-what-the-evidence-tells-us-263416
Who woulda thunk it.
/
bsky.app/profile/did:plc:uo2fna47c4v6zcnklxfhcvjb/post/3lxnpca2wuk2d?
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:r2eeemq6grdavcrjiez7njl5/post/3lxoiel2yzc2n?
How is the way these two are similar not being screamed from the roof tops?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/571658/donald-trump-is-taking-over-the-us-federal-reserve-and-financial-markets-have-missed-the-point
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/571659/reserve-bank-chair-s-resignation-timing-not-unusual-christopher-luxon-says
Why is there not more outrage in the mainstream media? It’s clear evidence of political collusion and dishonesty in order to damage the independence of our Reserve Bank governor. Like voter suppression. Like these insane laws of ACTs.
A pillar of our democracy and economy is being yanked out.
The government wanted to
1.reverse RB policy of a higher capital requirement for banks (doing this would result in higher profit for the mostly foreign owned banks, but lower nation state economic security).
It has also directed the RB to
2.focus on inflation not employment (their preference for a rentier economy – based around CG and revenue from ownership of assets, rather than rising employment and higher wages for workers).
This government is not one for all New Zealanders.
Luxon is not hiding and this is why he should.
He is not good at fronting up.
He still parrots the line that Labour caused the rising costs problem (after a poll shows the public have seen through their lies on this).
Off the script there is nothing there. And the script was risible and the public has come to realise there is an empty suit here. That the incumbent in the Beehive should have remained a civilian.
Real history. Many nations went through rising inflation at the same time (QE funding of the pandemic response, COVID impact on workforce production and thus the global supply chain, war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and western movers to reduce dependence on China etc).
Labour also faced the floods in Auckland and the Bay area as well (food prices) and at the same time there was a limited capacity across the Cook Strait (ageing ferry out of service) for SI supply. And also the transition from old to new suppliers as per the egg production regime.
We also had rising insurance cost (repricing after the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes).
He seems to want to claim credit for the fall in mortgage rates. These are trending down globally because of the global fall in inflation.
Apparently he is claiming that New Zealand being part of an improving global trend (on inflation and borrowing cost) is all down to his government.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360808559/pm-brushes-latest-poll-showing-labour-better-favoured-deal-cost-living
PS
Global trends.
Global warming is getting worse and his government includes Shane Jones and David Seymour. The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon and they are all committed to doing less to help the rest of the world on this.
Your real history should be repeated constantly by all labour candidates from here on.
UK wide outbreak of schadenfreude ensues.
.
Doubts have surfaced over Kemi Badenoch’s claim to have been offered a place at a prestigious US medical school at 16, with admissions staff unable to recall the proposal and the university not providing the course.
The Conservative leader has said in interviews that she was offered a place and a partial scholarship to study medicine – sometimes describing it as pre-medicine – at Stanford University in California, one of the most competitive in the US.
However, medicine is only offered to graduates at Stanford and there is no pre-med degree.
[…]
Jon Reider, the Stanford admissions officer at the time of Badenoch’s application who was responsible for international students and the allocation of bursaries, said he would have been responsible for offering Badenoch a place and had not done so. Badenoch moved to the UK from Nigeria aged 16.
“Although 30 years have passed, I would definitely remember if we had admitted a Nigerian student with any financial aid. The answer is that we did not do so,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/31/doubts-cast-on-kemi-badenochs-claim-of-us-medical-school-offer
The who
The what
The reassurance.
The boiling the frog approach, NZF did not support foreigners buying up residential property during the 2023 talks.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/foreign-investors-with-residency-visa-to-be-able-to-purchase-new-zealand-homes-under-new-settings/6IMIMTXAXFFBPC4JHAMUQNRL6Q/
And so it says here, if one is making a superficial read of it.
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2025/0171/latest/whole.html
But.
Winston offers barely meaningful reassurances
Except there is currently a bill before parliament that removes some categories of sensitive land from that list.
Some people might oppose
that Bill removing a mandatory application of the Benefit to New Zealand test (section 16A) and Investor Test (section 18A) for land that is classified as “sensitive” under Schedule 1—excluding residential and farm land. This includes:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2025/0171/latest/whole.html
For what its worth, my advice is that Labour should place a stamp duty on all foreigner purchase (they allow) of residential property or purchase of land (they allow) for home building.
They should also review the economic impact of foreign investment in rental property being allowed by this government – given the level of future outflow of rent to offshore owners.
And the fact they will be bidding up the value of land in Auckland near the rail centres.
Dental care in NZ is a luxury? One (of many) that Mr Luxury Luxon (and other sorted types) never have to face…
This..makes sense.
For those who maybe feel..powerless? There are ways to have a say. Have some power, thanks to ActionStation Aotearoa, and the core coalition of the good !
Dry, bland and tasteless, from the mouths of our school "children" words of wisdom about our government.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360803136/dry-bland-tasteless-nearly-10-free-school-lunches-returned-and-thrown-away
Vote them out.
The Government just administered an inflation shock
Excellent work by Bernard Hickey.
For a government laser-focused on cost of living, a bit of an own goal… Turns out you can't cut really taxes without either reducing a surplus, increasing a deficit, cutting services or increasing user fees etc somewhere else (or any combination of these).
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/administered-price.asp
Luxon's New Zealand.
The District Court orders the wet bus ticket to be applied gently.
$420,000 fine after failing to install covers on conveyor belts and install stop switches for 10 years.
Despite "WorkSafe had twice before investigated Ballance on unspecified dates over badly guarded conveyor belts and hand injuries, the December 2023 report said."
and…
"The courts and coroner heard that Ballance was warned by independent experts in 2015, and again in 2022, that its huge conveyor belts – up to 300m long – needed to be guarded and emergency stops put in closer to hand." They were warned 80 times in a Beca report
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/571629/eighty-warnings-to-get-workers-out-of-danger-zone-before-worker-s-death
The dog's tail is having an impact already.
"The investigator recorded what the company's bosses told them in the interview, in six lines of a 30-page report.
"Ballance was working towards addressing guarding issues and were aware the conveyor system required guarding improvements to comply with the relevant industry standards and had made improvements across Ballance other sites and departments," was one line."
So it's alright, $420,000 fine for a company with revenue of $965M,
Anecdotal data from the engineering/building industries.
McCallum Bros, major supplier of sand, have stopped delivering, as there is such a low demand for cement production in Auckland at the moment.
The civil engineering sector is severely retrenching. One big firm has no work on the ground or in the pipeline north of the bridge.