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Open Mike 11/12/2025

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 11th, 2025 - 12 comments
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12 comments on “Open Mike 11/12/2025 ”

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  1. Dennis Frank 1
    11 December 2025 at 9:15 am

    Wealth is becoming inter-generational. To some extent, that's traditional, so the interest will lie in novelty of method:

    NZ$1.6 trillion is predicted to pass to the next generation over the next 25 years as part of the Great Wealth Transfer.

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/11/nzs-great-wealth-transfer-how-billions-in-inheritance-will-reshape-the-country/

    “Honestly, it’s one extreme to the other, everything in between. And I think because people are people, your natural way of being is kind of where you fit on that spectrum. So, if I was to put a percentage on it, I’d almost say 75 percent are a little bit more hands off, and 25 percent are more hands on.

    Since the real world is non-binary, this person is correct about folks being on a spectrum. In between hands-on and hands-off we get should I or shouldn't I? Economy comes from that freedom of choice. Neoliberalism 1.01.

    An audacious leftist political project would give socialism a re-run, despite the devil still lurking in the detail. Bureaucrats destroyed socialism via poor methodology, so expertise further up the developmental spiral is essential to finesse the devil.

    • Ad 1.1
      11 December 2025 at 2:23 pm

      Our lot all goes to a nominated environmental charity.

    • francesca 1.2
      12 December 2025 at 7:52 am

      I wonder if those strident critics of the boomers(probably their grandchildren) will refuse to accept their inheritances, instead donating them to worthy causes?

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.2.1
        12 December 2025 at 8:52 am

        I wonder if they will donate them to such "worthy causes", and attempt to ameliorate, the boomer damage to their Grandchildren's Planets climate, and Future Environment ? Or the boomer damage to their Grandchildren's chances of owning a home? Etc Etc…..

  2. Dennis Frank 2
    11 December 2025 at 10:02 am

    The govt does something good for a change: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/581508/hemp-industry-rules-loosened-in-sweeping-law-change

    "The industry has been held back by outdated, heavy-handed rules that treat growing low-risk crops like high-risk drugs. That ends now."

    The Nat/Lab duopoly has been too stupid to make this common-sense move until now, so Aotearoans will become dimly aware that the govt aren't total losers after all. A single swallow doesn't quite signify a summer of love, but better than nothing!

    I must give Seymour credit for pulling the plug on trad left/right robotic behaviour in this u-turn. Perhaps his success will make him think more laterally, too.

  3. gsays 3
    11 December 2025 at 10:31 am

    Every now and then a libertarian can get it right.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/581508/hemp-industry-rules-loosened-in-sweeping-law-change

    Hopefully this could lead to biodegradable hemp plastic and replace the fossil fuel based poison that will inevitably end up in a fish's gut as micro plastic.

    https://hempplastic.com/

  4. Drowsy M. Kram 4
    11 December 2025 at 12:00 pm

    Well done Aucklanders – keep up the good work.

    Biosecurity doubles Auckland's surveillance zone for yellow-legged hornets [RNZ, 11 Dec 2025]

    [Biosecurity's North commissioner] Inglis urged Aucklanders and beekeepers to keep a watchful eye out for the pests.

    "We've had more than 5610 public notifications so far. It's been fantastic to see such enthusiasm. We are very keen for this to continue, as it helps us respond quickly to possible detections," he said.

  5. Descendant Of Smith 5
    11 December 2025 at 4:12 pm

    Somewhat confusing explanation.

    "Fifth-generation grower Paul Paynter, from Yummy Fruit in Hawke’s Bay, said the 15% tariff essentially cancelled out his margins on any exports to the US."

    So he's saying that he as the exporter is paying the 15% tariffs. If so then Trump is right – he's bringing in billions.

    Oh wait further down is this:

    Paynter said the US market was also oversupplied, and prices were not good anyway.

    He was shifting to focus on other markets instead, though there are other challenges.

    The other main market for bigger fruit is Taiwan, though it is still relatively small and can be oversupplied by rival exporters.

    So as usual they produce more than they can sell (to some extent they have to to allow for possible storm / frost / hail losses), will no doubt used the unpicked apples to say how lazy New Zealanders are and to argue for more overseas workers and will not sell on the New Zealand market as supply and demand equation would drive prices down.

    Some non-NZ forecasts.

    The state of Santa Catarina in Brazil will produce around 615,000 tonnes of apples in the 2025/26 season — a 28% increase compared to the previous cycle, according to the country's agricultural research agency Epagri/Cepa.

    According to USApple’s analysis, total U.S. apple production for the 2025/26 crop year (CY) is forecast at:

    It isn't that we can't feed everyone in New Zealand it is that market forces and artificial scarcity keeps food unaffordable. Will be interesting if we see cheaper, larger, better apples in NZ this year. After all we have to pay overseas prices and those are down.

  6. joe90 6
    11 December 2025 at 11:09 pm

    Cooked.

    /

    Trump reacted to the Federal Reserve's cutting interest rates today in remarks at a business roundtable at the White House.

    […]

    Instead of 3% or 4% GDP growth, it should be 20% or 25%. "I don't know why it can't be," he said.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-administration-fed-lower-interest-rates-democrats-live-updates-rcna247776