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6:00 am, November 6th, 2025 - 23 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 …
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360870290/these-homes-cost-government-21m-why-have-they-been-empty-year
The easy solution is to turn them into rentals for housing new Zealand
You'd think so. I can't believe this country sometimes. They won't sell to Housing NZ because they want to make a profit on the market that is causing the housing crisis in the first place. You couldn't make this stuff up.
This is an apt metaphor for Luxon's New Zealand. Record homeless and empty houses.
With any luck it will be the landlord's last hurrah.
"The flying pigs of consultation". Virginia Fallon in The Press excoriates Associate Minister Andrew Hoggard over the extension of the pig farrowing crate issue until 2035.
The crates were supposed to be phased out in December after being found unlawful in 2020 by the High Court.
Hoggard bypassed the Court with an Act of Parliament extending the deadline till 2035, when the pork industry itself said they only needed five years to effect the change, (having already had five years to do so btw).
Hoggard it seems only consulted with one group- the pork industry- those currently profiting from the pigs- not the SPCA, animal welfare experts, scientists or even the public. Fallon says they were excluded deliberately.The only ones consulted were those who stood to lose money.
The minister said he was acting on "the best available evidence". The conclusions "were predicable."
She writes, "it should be an especial outrage because it also defies the law. Or at least the law as it stood before it was changed so as to defy it.
Anyway, the good news is that come 2035, pigs may well get to finally turn around and face the other way. The extra good news is that come next year's election, the rest of us may well get to do the same thing."
The Press Thursday 6 November 2025 page 18 Opinion.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360846131/ten-more-years-farrowing-crates-after-minister-intervenes-double-time-until-new-rules
They say that you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals, in this case inhumanely.
https://figures-of-speech.com/2018/09/frank-crumit.htm
"You can tell a man who boozes by the company he chooses
And the pig got up and slowly walked away".
While what follows is no defence of Hoggard's (deliberate pun) actions, it is worthy of consideration.
There have been a few changes that support animal welfare that have occurred in recent years – live animal export stopped, chicken welfare improvements and the pork reforms.
The pork ones, while warranted, do place an unfair burden on pig farmers when they operate in our country that trades in a global market. The only suggestion I have is to place a tariff on imported pork. I must confess to buying a fair few pork racks for the smoker and the ones from overseas are significantly more affordable.
gsays, are the imports of pork constrained in a similar way in terms of welfare in their home country?
One major concern that Fallon points to is the process of law change here. Hoggard firstly did not consult outside of the industry and secondly used a legislative process to circumvent the 5 year period to make changes set by the High Court. Presumably, that was not going to be met, so he stepped in. Fallon called that process one that ''defies the law."
TBF I am far from an expert on foreign animal welfare.
As to yr second point, malfeasance isn't too strong a word. This government has been outstanding in setting new lows, seemingly monthly.
You don’t have to be an expert (neither am I), but if you’d like some brief info on what other countries are doing then here’s a good link: https://www.spca.nz/advocacy/details/farrowingcrates
You do know that the Coalition wants to lift the ban on live animal exports as per Coalition Agreements, don’t you?
Ahh, the link may help explain why US, Spanish and Danish pork is cheap, at least as far as farrowing crates are concerned.
As to live animal exports, that's what I propose goes on the list of what to immediately repeal post election.
https://thestandard.nz/open-mike-05-11-25/#comment-2049572
They pose themselves competent – but more job losses and higher costs are on the way.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360876068/how-ece-crisis-threatening-our-workforce-stability
Latest Roy Morgan:
Lab 30.5 Gre 12.0 TPM 2.5 =45.0
Nat 32.0 ACT 8.0 NZF 9.5 =49.5
Not great. NZF continue to do well. TPM crashed from 5.5 to 2.5 for obvious reasons. This actually doesn't matter as TPM may well end up sweeping the Maori seats regardless, while the 3% drop is probably going to Labour or the Greens.
But this shambles of a government polling almost 50% is a worry, though strong policies before the election and a good election campaign can easily make up the extra 2.5% needed by the Left.
https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/10054-nz-national-voting-intention-october-2025
Well to state the bleeding obvious, Labour sentiment went down because it announced a massive new tax: Capital Gains Tax.
Why would anyone think this would not have a strong negative sentiment reflected in the polls?
Labour's policy was narrow, future-tested only, conservative as possible, and had limited and balanced public debate …. but it's a massive new tax so people who might be tempted to Labour are repelled.
Still, good of NZFirst on up to 10% to give Labour an alternative coalition option, like 2017. Looks like they are going to need it.
The poll was taken September 29 October 26, 2025.
Labour announced its CGT policy after Oct 26.
Wait till the next poll OK.
Massive, what’s so ‘massive’ about Labour’s proposed CGT that’s narrow by your own admission? It certainly isn’t the forecast revenue, which is extremely modest by tax standards, particularly in the first year (2027/28). Let’s not overstate things and give others fodder to take it down and dump on it.
Hung parliament
https://x.com/120Aotearoa/status/1986170834738946057
Those numbers don't give a hung parliament….they give the Right* a 63-60 majority, with a 3 seat overhang.
*IMO NZF should now be categorised as part of the Right and no longer a centrist party. Hipkins should rule out working with them.
IMO NZFist are now absolutely a rightwing party. Anyone dreaming of the Winnie of old..and some alignment with our Left?Just living in a past. Anyway, he has also previously gone with the Nats. (QED : Its always been about Winston)
And yea, Hipkins absolutely should.
my bad, didn't look at the overhang
Kevin Hague is a safe pair of leadership hands in the Green Party COS.
It's sure needed there.
excellent. Good to see him back in parliamentary politics.
Health and safety gone mad some will say /sarc.
My niece and her family just had sparklers in the garden in the UK. Well just the two girls. Jasper aged five declined to participate as the necessary safety measures weren't in place apparently……
(He'd learnt about it at school that day so was very well informed).