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6:00 am, February 18th, 2026 - 31 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 …
The PSC found "serious and repeated failures" in respect of a clear conflict of interest: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360939634/teaching-council-fell-well-short-standards-investigation-finds
Well done, Sir Brian Roche. But the conflict of interest should never have arisen.
If by latest storm you mean this week – it seems as though it largely missed the East Coast – in terms of new major devastation.
But there have been ongoing small or isolated rural slips – due to the waterlogged soil; and many of the major ones from the previous storm, have continued to move.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/586577/new-satellite-imagery-shows-recent-storms-triggered-more-than-11-000-slips-on-east-cape
Note: many of the rash of red dots on the map reflect slips well away from any human activity.
If you mean the one three weeks ago – the East Coast was very badly affected.
However, it appears as though all timber washed down the river is attributed to forestry slash by many commenters – when much of it is as the result of rivers in spate uprooting margin trees, and landslides washing trees into the rivers.
See this link on FB about the flooding in Te Araroa – where locals are saying there is no forestry upstream – it's all native timber which is not logged. Therefore the timber being washed downstream is not slash.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DG6gWjB2S/
I have no direct knowledge, one way or the other, but that's what the locals are saying, here.
A good article on the Cabinet Manual in the MMP environment and rules of convention that are codified in and by it. This segues into the furore around the India FTA that has been trumped up mainly by NZ First (notably, Winston Peters and Shane Jones) and sadly, has got a life of its own now in social media ‘discourse’.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/17/peters-polarising-populism-makes-coalition-disagreement-disagreeable/
I’d like to draw special attention to the photo at the top of the article that contains a comment by Shane Jones:
This is too familiar!
Some inflammatory innuendo, a focus on numbers that are hypothetical (aka made up), and a little bit of irony (fast track). At least, Shane Jones is honest and we don’t have to ask his opinion whether this is good, bad or neutral.
All Shane asks for is that you agree with him and vote for him and NZF. That’s not asking too much, is it?
Shane Jones is the Minister of let Industry get want it wants without any protection to our natural environment and or public health and wellbeing.
And yet also poses as concerned about the sensitivities of the domestic human population to introduced aliens here for their own economic opportunity.
It appears that one self interest group (would be foreign migrants) has yet to offer NZF financial inducements (or residents who want their relatives here).
Rob Campbell gives a master class of critical thinking vs loose thinking.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/16/graduate-flight-isnt-about-higher-salaries/
Being smart doesn’t mean to know it all (or just know much) but to ask good questions and not be afraid of [the] answers.
Not really.
The two deserve to debate each other more often.
For mine both were equally loose in their thinking, each arguing from their own corner.
A bit like Nicola and Christopher (both the Luxon and the Bishop).
The former on interest rates, the latter on many other things.
Of late, the building of tunnels (in Wellington) and there might be no need because of congestion charging.
The debate is silly, given the plan to start one tunnel before congestion charging is introduced.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360952115/chris-bishop-opens-door-cancelling-or-delaying-wellington-tunnels-if-congestion-charging-shows-they
Earlier story.
Where no boats here now Willis said the Victoria tunnel project would start this year before congestion charging began.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/government-hints-it-may-cancel-or-delay-wellington-mt-victoria-tunnel-in-favour-of-congestion-charge/NJHB6H2CKZDEFFWFE6EV7LPXAM/
@ Incognito @1.
So I ask again what is the narrative one tells to people who have concerns about the migration aspect to the (Not Really) Free Trade Agreement?
A 'need' for nurses because Covid, does not excuse not increasing training of locals.
Sub contracting industry's need for cooks, welders and truck drivers is unsustainable.
Their concerns are legitimate. If people are asking why we haven’t expanded nurse training after COVID, or why we keep importing cooks, welders and truck drivers instead of building domestic pipelines, that’s a fair question.
A country shouldn’t rely on migration as a substitute for workforce planning and investment.
But the “problem” with immigration isn’t the immigrants, and it isn’t a choice between looking after the domestic economy or allowing migration. We actually need both.
New Zealand is small and ageing. Migration is a normal and necessary part of how we sustain growth, fill skill gaps, and stay connected to the world. The issue is when we use it to paper over our refusal to invest in state capacity, training, and productivity at home.
On the trade deal itself, we also have to be realistic about leverage. We are negotiating with a vastly larger economy. There are asymmetries. Any agreement will involve concessions. People are entitled to ask whether the balance is right. The government has clearly judged that the export and strategic gains are worth the mobility provisions.
That doesn’t make it a betrayal of the national interest. It does reflect a broader economic strategy. If people are frustrated, it’s probably less about migrants and more about the sense that we’re relying on low-wage labour to compensate for underinvestment in skills and efficiency.
The long-term fix isn’t closing the door. It’s building domestic capability while using migration as a complement, not a crutch.
NZ owned – but for how long? We are a nice little package to play Pass the Parcel with, even Have a Chocolate from my Choice Box; no-one here in this country apparently commits to carrying on doing business here under their own aegis. Looked up Hubbards cereals and AI Overview says:
Hubbards cereal in New Zealand is owned by
Walter & Wild, a food manufacturing company controlled by New Zealand billionaire Graeme Hart and his son, Harry Hart. The Harts acquired Hubbard Foods, along with Hansells and Gregg's Sauces, in 2018 to create a major NZ-owned food portfolio.
It says Stuff at bottom of extract.
Never trust SatNav!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/17/how-amazon-van-marooned-uk-most-dangerous-path-essex
As a more local example: I've lost count of the number of folk who've relied on SatNav to find our place, only to find themselves directed to a driveway in a neighbouring street which, despite what the aerial view might suggest, has no access whatever to my property.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/17/employment-bill-enables-kmart-style-fire-at-will-without-remedy-unions/
The government hate the working class
It makes some workers contractors with stuff all employment rights.
Labour need to state that this is what the three parties support and say it will be gone, if enough people vote Labour.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360951631/controversial-employment-law-could-make-thousands-workers-contractors-passes
The National Party and its homeowner voter block (aka housing market sector) are pleased with the new RBG.
This is threefold.
Homeowners happy. Property investors happy. National Party base happy.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360952023/steady-ocr-call-provides-platform-housing-market-rebuild
By rebuild they mean confidence, potential for profits and increased net wealth.
New developments are based on forecast demand. Net migration levels and existing spare capacity assessments.
Also the level of social housing supply after KO was blocked from building (or buying up) extra stock.
Election year
Winston is objecting to someone using the term Aotearoa for New Zealand to get media attention. Aotearoa is on the New Zealand passport.
The MP concerned was born in New Zealand and has Maori and Cook Island Maori ancestry.
Peters was inferring that Rarotonga is just one island of the Cook Islands.
For the edification of the Maori who wants to delete reference to the Treaty from parliamentary legislation to placate descendants of settlers who acquired Maori land.
The term land of the long white cloud referred to the fact that the two islands were both long (and not as wide). They being broken at the middle by someone who pulled them apart when raising them off the seabed (an age of Pisces joke about two fish).
The two separate names are Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu.
Don’t know about the focus of your comment but I will say that the aggressive, clumsy, politically campaigned approach Peters has to South Pacific foreign policy has ended up with him potentially losing the Cook Islands as a friend and dependent ally of NZ.
It's hard to tell if this happened because of Peters' ego, his incompetence, his inability to switch off from party promotion, or the austerity drive from the coalition.
But what is certain is that NZ/Pacific relations are at a low point because of this shitty government.
It's from here.
(paywalled)
https://www.thepost.co.nz/business/360952414/hipkins-accuses-peters-pure-racism-parliament
By we, The Post means National, ACT and NZF have blocked a policy that applies in better functioning political society.
Their now well known budgetary incompetence would explain, The Why.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360950843/have-we-killed-our-best-chance-having-informed-election
A tale of three parties
ACT wants a 4 year term and Select Committees, but only with an opposition majority as a check on it.
National does not mind a 4 year term, but wants there to be government control of Select Committees.
NZF in general supports there being consideration of referenda, but was not not that interested in rushing forth with this one for the same reason as National.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360940431/government-scraps-plan-referendum-four-year-election-term
Heather Duplicity Allen interviewed Anna Breman this afternoon and Ms Breman said that they consider house prices in their monetary policy.
RBNZ used to have a dual mandate, inflation and unemployment (US Fed does this), until the current government remove unemployment.
But when did they add house prices as a mandate?
Luxon wants rising property values.
It’s quite sad, she signs a letter (with her international peers) defending the independence of the Fed Res, then does this.
Since Dec 2023.
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/about-monetary-policy/the-role-of-house-prices-in-our-mandate
Thanks. Seems ridiculous considerations for sustainability of employment are removed in favour of considerations for sustainability of house prices.
I can't work it out though. There was a dual mandate for inflation/employment as there seems to still be in the US. Then that was removed by the Nats to inflation only.
But your link is now saying a form of dual mandate has been reinstated for inflation/houseprice stability. This is what Breman said today on the radio.
Can someone please explain what is an official mandate as opposed to something just considered and why the difference matters.
Also, don't ban me for asking a question.
I think this is quite self-evident, isn’t it? Something may be considered but can be ignored or weighed down vs something that cannot be ignored and must be taken into consideration.
Why not? If you rile up Mods they’ll run out of patience, sooner or later, so why do you raise this here & now and with me??
Do those on the MPC know what the term in the Charter sustainable house prices means? Have they been informed by Luxon?
I guess, it means whatever the Government, the RBNZ, and The Treasury want & decide it to mean. As per MPC Charter. There seems to be a little more to it though: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/hub/publications/analytical-note/2021/an2021-08 [see Fig. 5.4 in MPS Feb 2026 https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/-/media/project/sites/rbnz/files/publications/monetary-policy-statements/2026/feb-180226/mps_report_feb2026.pdf ].
What is "SHP" has yet to be determined and is a work in progress over time.
Chart 5.4 page 38
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/-/media/project/sites/rbnz/files/publications/monetary-policy-statements/2026/feb-180226/mps_report_feb2026.pdf
Page 33 on report
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/-/media/project/sites/rbnz/files/publications/monetary-policy-statements/2025/aug-20825/mps-report-aug-2025.pdf
@Res @4.1
Thanks for your reply Res.
Absolutely it isn't about the migrants, it really starts with policy and priorities which are set by the government.
Unfortunately no matter which way we vote we are going to end up with a neoliberal solution. The benefits of training our own nurses, welders, and cooks is not summed up on a balance sheet.
My scorn for hipkins and his mealy mouth response about caring for migrants is that it is all platitudes. If he was serious, he would insist that a condition for every migrant labourer was that they were to join a union, fees paid by their employer.
Is Jimmy Carr has observed about the NHS, the reason for so many Bangladeshy doctors is not that there are no sick people in Bangladesh. It creates issues in Bangladesh too.
Our current thinking is simply not sustainable.
There are only benefits, both tangible and intangible, to on-shore training – if the trainees remain in the country.
While the doorway to Oz, with much higher salaries, is wide open – any benefits of onshoring training are limited.
@ Belladonna above.
"There are only benefits, both tangible and intangible, to on-shore training – if the trainees remain in the country"
Incorrect.
One of the myriad of benefits is whanau/family members seeing one of their own 'bettering' themselves, setting a good example.
Anyhoo, do you think this sub-contracting of staff, public service and private sector is a good way forward?