Auckland’s housing crisis is just like Christchurch’s except …
Steven Joyce has claimed that Auckland’s housing crisis is like Christchurch’s. Has Auckland recently had two disastrous earthquakes?
spin
you couldn’t make this shit up
Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment
It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?
Housing policy omnishambles
The Nats will pay you $3000 to move to Auckland and $5000 to leave it. This is what happens when you have no vision, no plan, and no NFI what you’re doing.
The humour and wit of Joanne Hayes
Another National Backbencher has shown her prowess with social media.
Key’s powerful speech on the urgent housing crisis
John Key has given a powerful speech on NZ’s housing crisis: “This is an issue that should concern all New Zealanders. It threatens a fundamental part of our culture, it threatens our communities and, ultimately, it threatens our economy.”
John Key used to be ambitious about dealing with poverty in New Zealand
- A read of John Key’s state of the nation speech from 2007 suggests that he was really ambitious to do something for the poor in New Zealand. And something weird is happening to his speeches on his website. They are disappearing.
The Mother Budget
There are budgets and there are budgets. And for all the presence or absence of bright ideas, there’s a budget that threatens to subsume all others…
The Government thinks that poverty is the fault of the poor, and some budget advisers
The Government is planning to change funding for budgeting services and to require providers to become “financial mentors” rather than “budgeting advisers” as if this will improve things.
Bennett admits she was wrong
Paula Bennett has basically apologised to Parliament for claiming that National would create 3,000 new social housing beds when all that it was doing is funding existing beds to make sure they did not disappear.
Apparently the housing crisis surge is a figment of our imagination
Nick Smith thinks that the recently developing housing crisis is a figment of our imagination.
John Oliver: Scientific studies (or why media are so useless at it)
John Oliver takes a good solid swing at the media who suck up shit press releases designed by institutions to get funding and interest groups doing marketing for their products, and the idiotic consumers of schlock ‘facts’. Or John Key who apparently thinks that money magically changes physics.
John Key’s dead cat strategy
National is hoping to avoid a proper debate about issues raised by the Panama Papers by raising a series of idiotic diversions.
Random impertinent question: Did Cameron breach his own name suppression order?
Has Cameron Slater created legal history by being a party to the breach of his own name suppression order?
John Key chickens out of #panamapapers interview
This morning John Key refused to be interviewed on Radio New Zealand after learning that they intended to ask him questions about the Panama Papers. And some elements of the media are for some strange reason trying to say there is nothing to see because he personally has not been implicated.
A week is a long time in politics
Over the past week the Government has gone from “there is no problem with the Overseas Investment Office” to announcing an urgent review and a staffing boost to make sure that approvals of foreign purchases of land are being properly processed.
Compass serves up very little tax
Radio New Zealand has reported that Compass, supplier of our substandard hospital food, appears to be taking steps to minimise the tax it pays locally.
If you need a good laugh this morning
“Nick Smith reckons Akld housing’s more affordable now than before National came to power”
Memo from Crosby Textor: Murray McCully and the Hagaman donation
The Standard has obtained a copy of a Crosby Textor memo concerning risks posed by Murray McCully’s handling of issues surrounding the awarding of the contract for the Niue resort.
The failed estate: Tick Tick Tick
Jim Parker criticises the actions of a Channel Nine film crew whose involvement in an international attempted kidnapping of two children raises ethical and legal issues.
John’s Key’s “lawyer” is not a lawyer
John Key, explaining why he had an account with tax avoidance specialists Antipodes Trust Group, said he used the firm because his long-term friend, Ken Whitney, is a principal at the firm and has been his private lawyer for many years. The flaw in that theory is that Whitney is not currently a lawyer.
Coming Down To Beijing
Our Glorious Leader John Key Il is considering a formal extradition treaty with China. No doubt some genuinely bad people will be sent back, but China’s definition of ‘criminal’ is very, very broad. Why are we sucking up to a country lacking both democracy and a legitimate judicial system? Could it be the money? Could it be the pandas?
We used to be better than this. And not so long ago. Where did we go wrong?
Kiwi workers are pretty damned hopeless – says Bill English
National are now so convinced of their invulnerability that they have taken to actively insulting us. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
How much do you give John?
Maybe this is why John Key does not want to release his tax returns.
Return of the living dead
Don Brash has been resuscitated and is complaining about privilege and preferential treatment. Not of rich old white people like himself but because Maori rights to Taonga may be recognised.
The sock puppets, the media and the UBI
Labour’s discussion of a possible UBI is still generating debate.
Bunnings has no heart
Bunnings management has insisted that a defibrillator bought by the workers at its Dunedin Store be given away to charity.
Republican circus
And now we have accusations of a sex scandal. Stick a fork in the Republicans, they are done.
The media treatment of Labour’s UBI discussion paper
John Key and an array of National sock puppets have misrepresented Labour’s UBI proposal as party policy and as being very expensive when it is not party policy and when a variety of different potential forms have been raised for discussion.
Why are we paying Key’s legal expenses for him?
Key backed down on using taxpayer money for his payout to Ambrose – but he is still using it to cover his legal expenses in the case. Why?
Exclusive: Tea Pot Tapes released
Now that the Key tea pot tapes defamation case has been settled and John Key has accepted that Bradley Ambrose accidentally recorded the content of Key’s discussion with John Banks the original tape can now be released …
National tricky on climate change aid
TVOne has discovered that National’s preposed climate change aid spend announced at COP21 would result in a reduction in the amount spent compared to previous years.
Taxpayers Union is relaxed about Multinationals not paying tax
The Taxpayers Union has chosen not to criticise multinational corporation tax avoidance even though it increases the tax obligations of New Zealanders.
Labour and the Keytruda campaign
In a shock horror expose Andrew Little has been exposed as having had dinner with people who work for drug companies. Clearly according to some it is better for him to never meet these people. Or to stop having dinners.
Imperator Fish: On that restaurant guy’s bid for mayor
Imperator Fish analyses the implications of that restaurant guy’s announcement that he will also seek to become Auckland super city’s next mayor.
Bridges to Nowhere
Lying, incompetent or duped. One of these descriptions applies to Transport Minister Simon Bridges. He’s been sprung allowing Kiwirail to mothball a rail line he has repeatedly said was not under threat. What did he know and when? If he didn’t know, why the hell didn’t he know?