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6:00 am, May 2nd, 2026 - 18 comments
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Duck!
Wabbit : )
From a different stable but I've long wondered why it is that while Mickey Mouse has no pet mouse, Donald Duck doesn't keep ducks, Gyro Gearloose hasn't a flock of geese, Goofy has a pet dog (Pluto).
Four legs good. Two legs bad.
But then there are his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie! Surely they are enough.
True, but now I'm thinking, Donald has a brother? Or a sister? Why aren't the ducklings with their parents??? And is Scrooge McDuck Donald's uncle or is he from another branch, the Scottish branch, of the family? Why hasn't he helped his whanau with their financial needs? Where does Daisy fit into all this?
It's a mess of pottage!
Not sure if it’s useful, even for Open Mike. Donald has a sister – who knew
https://scrooge-mcduck.fandom.com/wiki/Don_Rosa%27s_Duck_Family_Tree
I'm suspending myself from Parliament for the next 5 days because I'd badger Stuart Smith if I saw him in the hallway.
I’ve been eagerly anticipating an analysis of the NZ-India FTA by Jane Kelsey. As expected, she’s gone through it with a fine-toothed comb, made relevant comparisons with other FTAs, and found many issues, as one would expect.
In short, the NZ-FTA is a lemon. There’s little political gain (for Luxon and National) for quite a bit of pain, potentially. Somewhat ironically, any implications for immigration (‘Labour Mobility’) are quite minimal and nothing out of the ordinary, so one of the least sensitive issues buried in the FTA proposal.
Kelsey finishes with this:
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2604/S00083/10-key-takeaways-on-the-india-nz-fta.htm
I've no idea who Ryan Henderson is but if he's only half right, Luxoon and co have bought us a pup.
/
@RyanHendersonNZ
1/ You’ve heard about the 5,000 reserved visas. You’ve heard about the uncapped student channel. You haven’t heard about this bombshell. The floodgates are opened. 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 labelled as “Specialists” – no cap, no labour market test, and no future NZ government can wind it back without India’s permission. Annex 8K defines a “Specialist” as anyone with “advanced trade, technical or professional skills.” That covers a McDonald’s franchise manager just as easily as a software engineer. Pretty much any standard job ticks the box. What's more, Immigration NZ doesn't define "Specialists", Indian companies self-define their own roles.
https://xcancel.com/RyanHendersonNZ/status/2049625441544343983
NZ-India FTA: 11 Immigration Channels, Only ONE Capped at 4,700
The FTA bans NZ from capping Indian student admissions. It bans labour market tests on most Indian work visas. It locks in 2-4 year post-study work visas. A future government cannot reverse this without breaching the agreement.
Signed in New Delhi on 27 April 2026. Only one channel is fully capped, 4,700 visa-holders at any one time under Annex 8L. The other nine are uncapped or annual-flow only.
This was written as public reference and if anything stands out to you, feel free to quote-tweet about it to share the article with more people. Sources are mentioned in every section, and at the end.
https://xcancel.com/RyanHendersonNZ/status/2049957248806568142
https://xcancel.com/RyanHendersonNZ
Henderson’s claim is grossly inaccurate and misleading and reads like something you’d expect from Winston Peters, Shane Jones, or similar ilk. It’s not too hard to rebut and one can start with Jane Kelsey’s analysis:
That was really interesting – especially the expected difference in economic activity
Point 2 in The Economics of the Deal
This tends to indicate that the Indian FTA is a KPI exercise by Chris Luxton and Todd McClay rather than anything of actual significance for NZ.
The investment commitments into India are ludicously large. And that is before you even consider that India is probably one of the hardest of countries to actually invest it. I have seen a lot of deals to sell to or invest in India fall over because the rules are obtuse and the laws are essentially unenforceable.
The only way that I can see them as being achieved is with really accounting that fattens bullshit into actual goods. I guess that will be Nicola Willis's role in this agreement, it does seem to be her forte.
The labour mobility that seems to have activated the bigotry of Shane Jones and NZ First looks unwarranted.
Hopefully I'll get time to write about this. Probably when I get back to my desk and away from the Emmersons. I don't think that the Grey Lynn RSC is a great writing environment – too much Warriors and not enough quiet. Back up in Auckland for a medical monitoring appointment.
Malt is quieter…. Still have the game on. But it is drowned out by surrounding conversation. I should have brought the noise cancelling headphones out with me.
Up the Wahs!
Yup, these are my impressions too. However, there are different views, of course, that see more positives than negatives in the NZ-India FTA. In the context of the throttling of global supply chains by the war with Iran, this FTA looks like a step to lesser dependence and more resilience.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/04/29/with-trade-now-shaped-by-strategy-as-much-as-economics-india-fta-is-critical/
NB this article has attracted zero comments, which I find surprising given the topical nature!?
I think the NZ-India is what it is; it tends to be over-sold by National and the usual invested & interested parties and over-criticised by NZ First and the usual NZ ‘red-necks’, especially in an election year such as this one. The ‘truth’ and real value might be somewhere in the middle.
As with all formal agreements, the devil is in the detail and in interpretation. There shouldn’t be more ambiguity and wriggle room in the FTA than necessary, I’d have thought.
PS welcome home!
Still not 'home' in Auckland. Was up for a medical check as we're still 'resident' in Auckland DHB.
We're currently looking at being in the deep south for another year for my partners wee task, and maybe more.
I kind of like it here – apart from the limited work opportunities. The traffic doesn't suck. It is possible to ride a e-bike everywhere in the city about 15-20 minutes without feeling like you're about to be mowed down by a remuera tractor. I may not like it so much if the winter weather makes it hard to work from our rental home or to get out and exercise. TBA
But my partner still wants to live in Auckland, and she has more than a decade before superannuation. I just don't want a significiant mortgage and somewhere that is possible to move around in.
If our Auckland apartment doesn't sell (anyone want to buy a cheap one bedroom apartment near the corner of K Rd and Ponsonby Rd?), we'll rent it out. At which point I will become non-resident in Auckland..
Fran O'Sullivan in the Herald today (paywalled) explains that Willis is unlikely to do anything about the vast profits being made by the four Australian banks and the two supermarket duopolists and the power gentailers despite the vast profits they are making.
"Her instinct is to minimise disruption, even while she describes entrenched market power."
This is despite (banks):
"For years, the big four Australian-owned banks, ANZ, BNZ, Westpac and ASB, have delivered returns on equity that would make many global peers blush, largely by dominating the mortgage market and facing little real threat to their model."
And (supermarkets):
"On supermarkets, Willis is frank. She admits our grocery sector is less competitive than comparable markets, that margins are comfortably fat, and that Kiwis are paying more than they should, even once you factor in distance and scale."
And (power):
"Willis acknowledges the pain – around 12% power price increases over a year….The party has flirted with re-establishing stronger public control, breaking up the gentailers into their generation and retail arms, tighter price oversight, and more direct intervention in generation and retail margins."
Despite all this she/National have done bugger all. Labour needs strong and clear policies on all three.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/economy/nicola-willis-vs-winston-peters-clash-over-cost-of-living-and-big-business-fran-osullivan/premium/5QCLMERI75CR3JYDRMZ63JNVZM/
So call Willis Sweet FannyA! What outfit does the casting for our pollies? They should be able to act more effectively. Does Peter Jackson pick them? I would have thought if he was involved, the standard would be higher.
Why not have a go, if you make the part there is quite a good income and the perks are great. Here are some points about method acting which would be the likely best approach.
This could have led to the Theatre Sports that players put on FTTT. Give it a go – this is a democracy where everyone counts, but only some go beyond 10.