Open Mike 29/08/25
Open Mike 29/08/25
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6:00 am, August 29th, 2025 - 43 comments
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
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Today's Posts (updated through the day):
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/571173/118-extra-to-drive-a-rav4-will-ruc-changes-help-or-hurt-the-climate
The real reason the cos are doing is that their wealthy voters get a 6% cut in the cost of running their tanks, while sticking it to those sandal wearing low emissions types!
Tactically smart to not punish the otherwise highly triggered guys with V8s who would go to Talkback radio and X.
The one to watch is the breadth of new regulatory instruments in this otherwise nondescript transport bill that went through its first reading last week. It's going to help with enforcement and tracking a whole bunch, which is what you are going to need for a massive regulatory change as is coming.
Regulatory Systems (Transport) Amendment Bill — First Reading – New Zealand Parliament
Gee there's alot of waffle in that lot, Duncan Webb seems to be the only one on the job.
Although I noted Genter claims 4 people have died due to national lifting speed limits and not a news story on has been seen .
This quote (below) from your link is interesting
Not sure why that's of interest, 5 of those speeches could have been reduced to we agree, so it's either benign policy or Noone does much other than eat lunch down there.
You don't find it interesting that National are supporting a range of changes proposed under the previous Government?
When you look in the mirror, do you only see a Left and Right? Or do you have a partisan split between your Left and Right hemispheres of your brain?
Pray, tell us, what’s so interesting about it and why? Don’t go fishing for feels or vibes of others but be clear and specific in your articulation and get to your point.
Ad told us this was the one to watch. And what do we see?
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"
When one lives in a neoliberal world that's falling apart and is in need of dire change, the last thing we want is more of the same. And it's interesting to see it.
What's also interesting is the bill was supported at first reading by all six parties in the House.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/08/23/drivers-licences-and-wofs-on-phones-get-green-light/
Here’s something to sink your teeth in:
Of course he will point to the convenience of it all.
He doesn't want pushback.
But at the end of the day, a digital license is digital ID.
While technology can be convenient, it can also have more sinister usage. And regulation tends to lag far behind fast advancing tech. Thus, this road to digitalization comes with risks.
And as Ad said, it is one to watch.
Your reply is interesting.
Here’s a reality and fact check for Luxon and you.
https://www.paymentsnz.co.nz/resources/articles/consumer-research-cards-still-on-top-but-digital-options-gaining-ground/
Gosh I guess you're right a rare display of maturity from national perhaps!!
Your comment is interesting.
Do you hold yourself to your own standards below?
Your standard and my standard are miles apart.
Anyway, as a moderator of this site I keep an eye on commenters with known history of concern trolling and sealioning; I told you about this quite recently (https://thestandard.org.nz/should-labour-attend-a-set-up/#comment-2041770).
How is one to know when you are commenting as a moderator? As it wasn't apparent in your post.
You know the answer but for the record, moderation notes appear in bold font in square brackets with the Mod’s name or initials at the bottom of the comment that triggered the moderation accompanied by a reply comment that generally states that the commenter has received a ‘Mod note’. It wasn’t apparent because it wasn’t moderation.
Another commenter also queried @ 2.1.2.1 what was so interesting but you didn’t answer and didn’t explain anything, so you’re wasting people’s time here, with your non- and pseudo-committal comments, which caught my attention, as I’m keeping an eye on things to avoid having to moderate. Unfortunately, you have a long bad habit of straying into the grey area and bleeping on Mod radars.
It’s becoming clear from your reply @ 3:34 pm that you lack nuance, are not politically astute, remove or twist context and wrongly interpret things you hear & read. The reply @ 2.1.2.1 to you stated it perfectly.
I won’t even dwell on one of your favourite narratives regarding Labour and National but your recent commentary is quite telling and it gives us a clue as to why you think that when you use the word “interesting” it conveys a deeper hidden meaning that we all will absorb by osmosis or telepathy, understand immediately, and agree with. I don’t care if you smoke your own dope but I do draw a line when it starts wasting people’s time here and hinders robust debate – you’re getting closer to that line with just about every comment you make, so take heed before things go bold.
https://archive.li/rz9vD
Is this government totally incapable of joined up thinking?
”Manurewa High School principal Pete Jones said his school was already short at least 11 classrooms and also in need of refurbishment. He said the school’s development masterplan had been put on hold.
However, no money had been put aside for new classrooms at the school by the Government, Jones said.”
Ah the CoC a competence free government.
Someone once said Douglas got the order of his reforms wrong.
The C of C, rush forth urban density without any planning – such as waste water and school capacity and more.
They plan to merge the Ministry Transport and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development next year.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/schools-fear-being-swamped-by-students-under-auckland-high-rise-housing-plan/CVEGUB2G3NEZZAASXQZ6RDHLOA/
The amalgamated ministry will lose specialist staff and within 10 years will be dependent on outside consultants to do much of their current work.
What they are doing with health – outsourcing work (while keeping public hospital wards permanently understaffed) and the 10 year contracts to private hospitals.
New Lynn's high-rise Merchant Quarter comes to mind
How long does it take for a lot of high rise intensification to happen?
In my area of Mt Eden there's been a fair amount of building with intensification happening in the last decade. This is particularly so in the area between Mt Eden Village and Mt Eden Station, on the Dominion Rd side of Mt Eden Road. There's already quite a few apartment blocks of several stories, in that area.
There's also been quite a lot of town houses built, some in clusters. The narrative about 'character homes' is very weak for this area. The old style villas/cottages are further away from Mt Eden Village and on the Epsom side of Mt Eden Rd. In my daily walks I see some of those sort of houses that are in need of repair.
It does seem to need to wait til older houses are sold off before any new building happens.
I think the amount of building that is and has already been happening has not seen the necessary building of infrastructure, and upgrading of the health and education system/facilities.
But, of course, the infrastructure and services issue is being made far worse for now and the future by the current govt.
Another question is how many of those high-rises will have major defects?
l.Resource Consent (now easier*)
Design.
2.Building Consent (depends*)
Building it (years).
Years. For any individual project.
How many, no one could predict the number each year, or where.
Not unless they had a rate of build in any area (form of cap).
I live up by the K Rd, Ponsonby, Newton, Great North Roads corner. That is in one of the transport corridors, has been mixed business/residential and has been intensifying since I moved into one of the first apartment blocks along and behind Great North Road in 1998.
Townhouses go in pretty fast where the residential or business sections are big enough. Couple of years from purchase to finished if finance is available.
It slows down a lot if the developer has to get a move than one section for development.
Also slows down a lot based on the number of floors, the 3-4 floor apartment blocks usually take about 4-5 years from section purchase(s).
Above that level it usually takes up to a decade. Mostly to get finance and consents especially if there is a lot of load going on infrastructure. The Great North Road rebuild that is finishing off now (yay!) was considerably slowed down because the infrastructure was going in at the same time to cope with the number of apartments going up along the corridor.
Then there are the developers who buy in the expectation of getting exceptions to restrictions on planning, infrastructure, and have problems getting finance together on risky projects.
For instance the Soho swimming hole was there as a hole in the ground for well over a decade. That was planning (height and ground engineering), impact on infrastructure (Ponsonby Road infrastructure was designed for villas, not small skyscrapers), and really risky finance as a consequence. That took about 15 years
Newsroom has followed up on the false economy of the Coalition’s actions (see my previous comment https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-08-25/#comment-2042162).
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/29/public-spending-on-psychiatric-reports-doubles-in-lieu-of-cultural-reports/
If Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith were to make a truthful statement, he’d say:
But, you know, we saw a problem and we moved it.
Proliferation of road cones: here is my theory.
Some geezer in the Roads Dept went to order cones and put the decimal point in the wrong place. Instead of asking for 50,000 they ordered 5 million and now will not admit their mistake.
So the official line is, having our highways covered in pink cones was what was intended all along.
Could be on to something, I've got 400ish on my street over a 600m or thereabout stretch usually set out in three lines at night and to make a single lane during the day. Feels disconcerting to drive down at times especially at night.
Alternatively road works mean teams are actually working on roads. Like they are supposed to.
Any adventurous couple want to take on the management of Molesworth Station?
The plan for the future of NZ’s biggest farm is revealed | Stuff
Would be a real landscape-conserving life.
There will be seriously big money from multiple players in the hunting industry chasing that lease. Will probably look after the place as well, or better than Pamu / Landcorp, but full open public access unlikely to be part of the deal.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/571418/govt-spends-10m-to-fix-national-war-memorial-bells-fires-only-person-who-can-play
As the Minister responsible for this shambles, Paul Goldsmith, would say:
But, you know, we saw a problem and we fumbled it.
Stuff journalists strike for better pay.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/media-insider/media-insider-stuff-journalists-strike-over-insulting-pay-offer-and-stand-off-in-collective-contract-talks/4LHPZ646NZDH7GM4AR6NDJQCRA/#google_vignette
I remember Sinead Boucher the Stuff owner gifting 10% of the business to the journalists employed there. She should explain to them that they are owners – not workers.
Cash is probably short because she has used up the last of the PIJF funding.
Stuff say that the union journalists are spreading deliberate untruths. We should get the disinformation project people to investigate and fact check. (If Seymour hasn't shut them down.)
The union might have more luck negotiating with Google or Facebook as they've got all the money and all the news.
You’re barking up the wrong tree, that is a job for the media, not for TDP, which closed in 2024.
It’s always good to check your own memory retrieval before you submit your comments here.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/about-us/350115654/about-stuff-learn-about-our-mission-ownership-funding-and-journalism
Sorry was being a bit tongue in cheek. I just found it ironic that Stuff is saying that two of its own journalists are lying about events.
I have had an interest in Stuff since a friend and I sold them the Stuff URL.
I didn’t see in your linked article (@ 8) “that Stuff is saying that two of its own journalists are lying about events”!?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/571358/stuff-staff-walk-off-the-job-and-picket-outside-newsrooms
"The statement from E tū contains a number of deliberate untruths. Since Covid, we have given our staff pay rises every year which are in line with the market, there has been no 'secret payday' and no one has been 'screwed'. It is disappointing to see two journalists mischaracterise the issues in this manner."
This might make it clearer
That’s the same as in the earlier linked article. Where does it say that those two are Stuff’s own journalists?
It doesn't say that they are Stuff's journalists. It's a logical assumption.
The union people in the story are described as spokespeople. The mischaracterisation described by Stuff refers to claims made the strikers.
The strikers are journalists.
Thank you for clarifying that, even though the assumption was logical and plausible, it came from you and not Stuff or NZ Herald.
No, they were described thrice as “delegate”, which is not quite the same as a union spokesperson.
https://etu.nz/delegates/
A mischaracterisation is not necessarily a lie, which is moot because Stuff didn’t accuse them of ‘lying’ but you did. Stuff referred to E tū and accused them of telling “a number of deliberate untruths” aka lies but said it was disappointed “to see two journalists mischaracterise the issues” [my italics]. There’s an important difference here in who said what and who accused whom.
Yes, but any statements were made by individuals in their capacity as union delegates, not as journalists. Again, a subtle but important distinction.
This all may sound like nitpicking but in this situation good faith is critical. I find it ironic that you called for help from The Disinformation Project whilst being so loose with the facts yourself.
Crypto currencies will free us from the tyranny of government financial institutions and the big banks….or something…
/
A new crypto wave could be on the horizon as Trump’s administration deepens its commitment to blockchain integration.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Thursday it has begun publishing official economic data on multiple public blockchains, marking a historic first for a federal agency.
The effort places GDP statistics for Q2 2025 directly on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and six other blockchain networks, with support from major crypto exchanges Coinbase, Gemini, and Kraken.
https://interestingengineering.com/culture/commerce-department-crypto-integration