thedailyblog--2020-12-23--2021 Will Be About Brown Poverty And White Guilt.

IN THE COMING YEAR New Zealand politics will be driven by two inter-related forces : brown poverty and white guilt .
Jacinda Ardern ’ s government will not be given a choice on the issue of brown poverty .
Dealing with white guilt , however , will be very much a matter of opting to behave wisely or foolishly .
It remains to be seen whether Labour possesses the wisdom to not act like a fool .
The capital city rumour mills have recently been grinding out an intriguing story involving a head-on stoush between Grant Robertson and Willie Jackson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group of Treasury bureaucrats that spending across all portfolios would be strictly constrained for the foreseeable future .
Grant ’ s big mistake was to say this in front of the Maori Development Minister .
As a general rule , ministers do not contradict each other in front of their departmental advisers .
As Don Corleone admonished his eldest son , Sonny , in The Godfather , it is most unwise to display the slightest disunity in front of anybody other than “ family ” members .
Apparently ( and understandably ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contradicting Grant ’ s fiscal reassurances , at least as far as spending on Maori issues is concerned .
The ensuing barney was , reportedly , so intense that the whole dispute was handed up to Jacinda for resolution .
The fact that Willie is still in his post strongly suggests that if the rumour about this epic ministerial battle is true , then Grant did not win it .
What is indisputable about the current predicament of Maori New Zealanders is that if it is allowed to worsen , then some sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Poverty and homelessness are not improving with anything like the rapidity required to head-off major disturbances in the most deprived “ brown ” suburbs .
One has only to read the Maori Party MP for Waiariki , Rawiri Waititi ’ s , maiden speech to appreciate how angry Maori are becoming : “ I refuse to allow my tamariki or my mokopuna to one day sit in the same seat asking the same question .
We will no longer accept this approach , as it allows the State to continue to feast on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our people .
We will no longer accept that the State continues to fund itself every year to allow Oranga Tamariki to steal more of our babies , a justice system to lock up more of our people , a welfare system that keeps my people dependent and poor , an education system that keeps my people dumb , a health system that keeps my people sick , and a housing system that keeps my people homeless .
This has to stop.
” Willie Jackson , with his longstanding and very close ties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he and Labour ’ s Maori caucus do not produce meaningful progress on the failings alluded to by Waititi , then the Maori Party will be quick to exploit their failure .
That ’ s why Jackson is unwilling to keep silent about the prospect of an austerity budget .
If they are to make a real dent in poverty and homelessness , then he and his Maori colleagues are going to need money – lots and lots of money .
Almost against its will , Ardern ’ s government is going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public spending .
What ’ s more , it will not be politically acceptable for this mobilisation of state resources to be directed solely at Maori communities .
Working-class Pakeha , Pasifika and other immigrant families will have to be offered the same fiscal support .
Jacinda and her colleagues are going to have to become socialists in spite of themselves !
It is at this point that so-called “ woke ” elements of the Professional & Managerial Class ( PMC ) will have to choose whether or not to make , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes members of the PMC inside Labour ’ s caucus , as well as those outside it .
If Labour MPs , under pressure from guilt-ridden white radicals , opt to offer legislative validation to the most divisive elements of the so-called “ Culture Wars ” , then the broad social unity needed to buttress a colour-blind programme of social uplift will be undermined .
The war against poverty and homelessness will be fatally compromised by the war of the woke against the un-woke .
Sadly , there is a real possibility that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So great is its guilty sense of having been born with far too many advantages , and so certain is it that Pakeha workers , denied its guiding hand , will never be able to understand the true extent of their “ privilege ” , the PMC is perfectly capable of deciding that homelessness and poverty are second-order issues .
Matters to be addressed only after the Pakeha working-class has proved itself worthy of enjoying the socially integrative benefits of warm , dry , affordable houses and well-paying jobs .
The woke are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – the concept of fighting all the ills of society simultaneously , rather than “ privileging ” one form of injustice over another .
It ’ s a concept that conflicts fundamentally with the idea of politics being all about the ordering of priorities .
What is often called “ the art of the possible ” .
With Labour ’ s Maori caucus prioritising action on poverty , housing , education , justice and health , about the best thing the PMC ’ s woke intersectionalists could do to assist the Ardern government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and genders , is maintain a solidaristic silence .

IN THE COMING YEAR New Zealand politics will be driven by two inter-related forces: brown poverty and white guilt. Jacinda Ardern’s government will not be given a choice on the issue of brown poverty. Dealing with white guilt, however, will be very much a matter of opting to behave wisely or foolishly. It remains to be seen whether Labour possesses the wisdom to not act like a fool.
The capital city rumour mills have recently been grinding out an intriguing story involving a head-on stoush between Grant Robertson and Willie Jackson. It seems that Robertson carelessly reassured a group of Treasury bureaucrats that spending across all portfolios would be strictly constrained for the foreseeable future. Grant’s big mistake was to say this in front of the Maori Development Minister.
As a general rule, ministers do not contradict each other in front of their departmental advisers. As Don Corleone admonished his eldest son, Sonny, in The Godfather, it is most unwise to display the slightest disunity in front of anybody other than “family” members. Apparently (and understandably) Willie called BS on that – openly contradicting Grant’s fiscal reassurances, at least as far as spending on Maori issues is concerned.
The ensuing barney was, reportedly, so intense that the whole dispute was handed up to Jacinda for resolution. The fact that Willie is still in his post strongly suggests that if the rumour about this epic ministerial battle is true, then Grant did not win it.
What is indisputable about the current predicament of Maori New Zealanders is that if it is allowed to worsen, then some sort of explosion is likely to result. Poverty and homelessness are not improving with anything like the rapidity required to head-off major disturbances in the most deprived “brown” suburbs. One has only to read the Maori Party MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi’s, maiden speech to appreciate how angry Maori are becoming:
“I refuse to allow my tamariki or my mokopuna to one day sit in the same seat asking the same question. We will no longer accept this approach, as it allows the State to continue to feast on the dysfunction that it has created amongst our people. We will no longer accept that the State continues to fund itself every year to allow Oranga Tamariki to steal more of our babies, a justice system to lock up more of our people, a welfare system that keeps my people dependent and poor, an education system that keeps my people dumb, a health system that keeps my people sick, and a housing system that keeps my people homeless. This has to stop.”
Willie Jackson, with his longstanding and very close ties to urban Maori, knows that if he and Labour’s Maori caucus do not produce meaningful progress on the failings alluded to by Waititi, then the Maori Party will be quick to exploit their failure. That’s why Jackson is unwilling to keep silent about the prospect of an austerity budget. If they are to make a real dent in poverty and homelessness, then he and his Maori colleagues are going to need money – lots and lots of money.
Almost against its will, Ardern’s government is going to have to engage in massive amounts of public spending. What’s more, it will not be politically acceptable for this mobilisation of state resources to be directed solely at Maori communities. Working-class Pakeha, Pasifika and other immigrant families will have to be offered the same fiscal support. Jacinda and her colleagues are going to have to become socialists in spite of themselves!
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
It is at this point that so-called “woke” elements of the Professional & Managerial Class (PMC) will have to choose whether or not to make, or break, the Ardern government. This includes members of the PMC inside Labour’s caucus, as well as those outside it. If Labour MPs, under pressure from guilt-ridden white radicals, opt to offer legislative validation to the most divisive elements of the so-called “Culture Wars”, then the broad social unity needed to buttress a colour-blind programme of social uplift will be undermined. The war against poverty and homelessness will be fatally compromised by the war of the woke against the un-woke.
Sadly, there is a real possibility that the PMC will do exactly this. So great is its guilty sense of having been born with far too many advantages, and so certain is it that Pakeha workers, denied its guiding hand, will never be able to understand the true extent of their “privilege”, the PMC is perfectly capable of deciding that homelessness and poverty are second-order issues. Matters to be addressed only after the Pakeha working-class has proved itself worthy of enjoying the socially integrative benefits of warm, dry, affordable houses and well-paying jobs.
The woke are very big supporters of “intersectionality” – the concept of fighting all the ills of society simultaneously, rather than “privileging” one form of injustice over another. It’s a concept that conflicts fundamentally with the idea of politics being all about the ordering of priorities. What is often called “the art of the possible”. With Labour’s Maori caucus prioritising action on poverty, housing, education, justice and health, about the best thing the PMC’s woke intersectionalists could do to assist the Ardern government, and working-class people of all ethnicities and genders, is maintain a solidaristic silence.


thedailyblog--2020-12-23--We are a little people

We are a little people

Most commentators are talking about 2020 as the year we are glad to put behind us .
They say it has been a tough year for business with uncertainty about the economy alongside lockdowns , quarantine isolation and no overseas travel .
Most of this negativity about 2020 is from the big capitalists and the middle class .
Businesses have been complaining about the damage to profits from lockdowns and the lack of cheap migrant workers to exploit while the middle class have complained about restrictions on overseas travel .
But 2020 has had its big positives so let ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Black Lives Matter global protests have been a celebration of our common humanity as much as an attack on racism and racist policies within the police and state agencies .
This is as relevant in New Zealand as the US with the example just this week of racial profiling of Māori youth in the Wairarapa .
Fighting racism is so important because racism is corrosive of worker unity and has always been a key tool to be whipped up ( sorry about the mixed metaphor ) at critical times to keep workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Real change comes when people stand up and take action together and defy the laws put in place by politicians on behalf of the big corporates .
The Bastion Point occupation had a similar genesis when the Muldoon government went behind the backs of the protestors and “ negotiated ” a settlement with a kaumatua ( who was later given a knighthood ) leaving the people out in the cold .
Congratulations to SOUL Save Our Unique Landscapes ) for mobilising on behalf of all New Zealanders .
But there are plenty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get carried away .
Here are a few of them : • The Prime Minister and MPs have been given a three-year salary cap – a symbolic gesture made to help the rest of us feel they care and that we are all suffering together .
Yeah right !
A freeze on a six figure salary of $ 182,600 for an MP – more than the income of a dozen superannuitants together – is no sacrifice .
• The absolute refusal of Labour to consider a capital gains tax or a wealth tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do any more than token gestures to get children out of poverty or allow families on low incomes to live with dignity and self-respect .
• The absolute refusal of Labour to do anything significant to stop the rise of house prices .
• The big business rorts on the public purse from the Covid 19 wage subsidy .
Some of the biggest corporate bludgers have finally agreed to pay it back – including Ryman Healthcare within the last week .
This money wasn ’ t going to workers in wages – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for wealthy shareholders .
• The failure of the Serious Fraud Office to lay charges against Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel for filing a false election expenses return .
How can we possibly hold our elected representatives to account for conflicts of interest when we don ’ t know who is funding them ?
• Tenure review is continuing – yes that ’ s right – the privatising ( legalised theft ) of our precious commons is still happening despite promises it would be stopped .
We owe a serious debt to researcher Ann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large pastoral leases in the South Island high country are being split into private productive land ( sold to the wealthy leaseholders – who were the only ones allowed to purchase it ! )
while the unproductive land is put into the conservation estate .
It was started in the 1990 by National ’ s Conservation Minister Denis Marshall and continued by successive governments since and we , the people , are heavy losers .
This process covers vast areas of the South Island and one statistic sums it up .
15 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has since been on-sold at a value of 493 times ( sic ) what the government was paid for it by leaseholders .
In other words every $ 1 of land value paid to the government was on-sold for $ 493 on the open market by the owners .
Needless to say the negotiations have been privatised and the negotiators paid on getting settlements without any incentive to achieve a high price from leaseholders nor penalty for a low price .
Getting the deal done was the aim and we have been utterly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional problems created surfaced last week when it was revealed pastoral lease negotiations failed to secure a 200m access strip through the Roxborough Gorge as part of a national cycle trail .
Having fleeced the community through the pastoral lease negotiations the two owners are refusing to allow the completion of the cycleway without hefty pay-outs from the government .
Cyclists in the meantime must pay $ 100 each for a 14 km river trip instead .
Theft from the commons , now theft from the public purse .
We can only shake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these negatives are just a small sample from 2020 .
We are a little people !

Most commentators are talking about 2020 as the year we are glad to put behind us. They say it has been a tough year for business with uncertainty about the economy alongside lockdowns, quarantine isolation and no overseas travel.
Most of this negativity about 2020 is from the big capitalists and the middle class. Businesses have been complaining about the damage to profits from lockdowns and the lack of cheap migrant workers to exploit while the middle class have complained about restrictions on overseas travel.
But 2020 has had its big positives so let’s celebrate two of them:
The Black Lives Matter global protests have been a celebration of our common humanity as much as an attack on racism and racist policies within the police and state agencies. This is as relevant in New Zealand as the US with the example just this week of racial profiling of Māori youth in the Wairarapa. Fighting racism is so important because racism is corrosive of worker unity and has always been a key tool to be whipped up (sorry about the mixed metaphor) at critical times to keep workers divided from each other.
Ihumatao. Real change comes when people stand up and take action together and defy the laws put in place by politicians on behalf of the big corporates. The Bastion Point occupation had a similar genesis when the Muldoon government went behind the backs of the protestors and “negotiated” a settlement with a kaumatua (who was later given a knighthood) leaving the people out in the cold. Congratulations to SOUL Save Our Unique Landscapes) for mobilising on behalf of all New Zealanders.
But there are plenty of negatives from 2020 so lets not get carried away. Here are a few of them:
The Prime Minister and MPs have been given a three-year salary cap – a symbolic gesture made to help the rest of us feel they care and that we are all suffering together. Yeah right! A freeze on a six figure salary of $182,600 for an MP – more than the income of a dozen superannuitants together – is no sacrifice.
The absolute refusal of Labour to consider a capital gains tax or a wealth tax.
The absolute refusal of Labour to do any more than token gestures to get children out of poverty or allow families on low incomes to live with dignity and self-respect.
The absolute refusal of Labour to do anything significant to stop the rise of house prices.
Labour’s absolute fixation on middle-class focus groups to veto policy change.
The big business rorts on the public purse from the Covid 19 wage subsidy. Some of the biggest corporate bludgers have finally agreed to pay it back – including Ryman Healthcare within the last week. This money wasn’t going to workers in wages – it was going straight into corporate profits for wealthy shareholders.
The failure of the Serious Fraud Office to lay charges against Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel for filing a false election expenses return. How can we possibly hold our elected representatives to account for conflicts of interest when we don’t know who is funding them?
Tenure review is continuing – yes that’s right – the privatising (legalised theft) of our precious commons is still happening despite promises it would be stopped. We owe a serious debt to researcher Ann Brower who exposed this filthy scam whereby large pastoral leases in the South Island high country are being split into private productive land (sold to the wealthy leaseholders – who were the only ones allowed to purchase it!) while the unproductive land is put into the conservation estate. It was started in the 1990 by National’s Conservation Minister Denis Marshall and continued by successive governments since and we, the people, are heavy losers. This process covers vast areas of the South Island and one statistic sums it up. 15% of the land privatised under the scheme has since been on-sold at a value of 493 times (sic) what the government was paid for it by leaseholders. In other words every $1 of land value paid to the government was on-sold for $493 on the open market by the owners. Needless to say the negotiations have been privatised and the negotiators paid on getting settlements without any incentive to achieve a high price from leaseholders nor penalty for a low price. Getting the deal done was the aim and we have been utterly screwed. A small sign of the additional problems created surfaced last week when it was revealed pastoral lease negotiations failed to secure a 200m access strip through the Roxborough Gorge as part of a national cycle trail. Having fleeced the community through the pastoral lease negotiations the two owners are refusing to allow the completion of the cycleway without hefty pay-outs from the government. Cyclists in the meantime must pay $100 each for a 14 km river trip instead. Theft from the commons, now theft from the public purse. We can only shake our heads in disbelief.
Unfortunately, these negatives are just a small sample from 2020.
We are a little people!


thedailyblog--2020-02-02--How we can get the $100 billion we need to spend on infrastructure at no extra cost

The Economic commentator Bernard Hickey made an important point about the proposed infrastructure investment .
It is way too small to make much impact on the years of neglect .
Writing for Newsroom he said that ... “ This $ 6.8 billion package is nowhere near enough to solve an infrastructure crisis created by 30 years of under-investment and record-high ( and unplanned-for ) population growth over the last five years .
“ The Government should use the power of a barely-geared balance sheet ( 19 per cent of GDP ) and record-low interest rates ( 1.38 per cent yesterday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Government would use its balance sheet to re-engineer Auckland , Tauranga , Hamilton , Wellington , Queenstown and Christchurch for affordable , warm , dry and productive housing and rapid transit systems that enable carbon zero by 2050 .
“ A proper number would be at least $ 100 billion of infrastructure , house , road , rail and public transport subsidies over the next decade .
“ That would still leave New Zealand ’ s net debt well below the 40-60 per cent levels of our AA rated peers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would easily pay for it through our broad-base-low-rate tax system ” It is even possible to find $ 100 billion sitting around in various government accounts right now that is not being used productively or even usefully .
There is actually close to $ 100 billion in the ACC fund and Super Find combined which could be used .
ACC existed most of its life without a fund for future liabilities as it was established as a pay-as-you-go system to avoid ACC acting like a for-profit insurance company .
ACC can do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backed by the power of a government to tax .
All current liabilities are paid from current income .
Having a huge fund to cover future liabilities for the next 100 years is only needed if ACC is being prepared for sale which the 1990-2008 National government was planning to do .
Labour stopped the sale but didn ’ t go back to pay-as-you-go .
We were forced to pay levies way above what was needed to build up this fund .
It ’ s our money lets have it back for something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means that this year ACC had an “ accounting deficit ” of $ 8.7 billion because lower interest rates increase its liabilities .
For more on ACC see my previous blog .
The Super Fund is also based on a political decision , not an economic one .
It is simply economically illiterate to believe using pre-funding for and particular future government expenditure is necessary .
If that were true all government ’ s in the world would do it .
What is needed is for an economy to be more productive over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on people and infrastructure to make us more productive .
Cullen created the “ Cullen Fund ” to hold onto part of the government surpluses by holding it in a fund so he did not have the pressure to spend the massive surpluses he was creating .
It was never true that National Super was unaffordable .
A recent study by the Retirement Commissioner has confirmed that fact for at the next 30 years .
Most countries like NZ have superannuation costs similar to what New Zealand will have in the future already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsible for the infrastructure deficit we have now .
The surpluses could have been used for infrastructure then ( or cutting taxes on workers ) and if he had wanted to reduce debt that could have been done by bringing in some taxes on wealth which are non-existent in NZ .
I have also previously written about how the government “ commits a form of accounting fraud when it refuses to include the $ 41 billion in the NZ Super Fund as part of the government ’ s assets.
” This has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyway .
The money is there to do what needs to be done .
What is lacking is simply the political will .

The Economic commentator Bernard Hickey made an important point about the proposed infrastructure investment. It is way too small to make much impact on the years of neglect.
Writing for Newsroom he said that...
“This $6.8 billion package is nowhere near enough to solve an infrastructure crisis created by 30 years of under-investment and record-high (and unplanned-for) population growth over the last five years.
“The Government should use the power of a barely-geared balance sheet (19 per cent of GDP) and record-low interest rates (1.38 per cent yesterday for 10 year Government bonds).
“The Government would use its balance sheet to re-engineer Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch for affordable, warm, dry and productive housing and rapid transit systems that enable carbon zero by 2050.
“A proper number would be at least $100 billion of infrastructure, house, road, rail and public transport subsidies over the next decade.
“That would still leave New Zealand’s net debt well below the 40-60 per cent levels of our AA rated peers and lift our overall productivity in a way that would easily pay for it through our broad-base-low-rate tax system”
It is even possible to find $100 billion sitting around in various government accounts right now that is not being used productively or even usefully.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
There is actually close to $100 billion in the ACC fund and Super Find combined which could be used.
ACC existed most of its life without a fund for future liabilities as it was established as a pay-as-you-go system to avoid ACC acting like a for-profit insurance company. ACC can do that because it is a state-owned entity backed by the power of a government to tax. All current liabilities are paid from current income. Having a huge fund to cover future liabilities for the next 100 years is only needed if ACC is being prepared for sale which the 1990-2008 National government was planning to do. Labour stopped the sale but didn’t go back to pay-as-you-go.
We were forced to pay levies way above what was needed to build up this fund. It’s our money lets have it back for something useful. The insurance model being used means that this year ACC had an “accounting deficit” of $8.7 billion because lower interest rates increase its liabilities.
For more on ACC see my previous blog.
The Super Fund is also based on a political decision, not an economic one. It is simply economically illiterate to believe using pre-funding for and particular future government expenditure is necessary. If that were true all government’s in the world would do it. What is needed is for an economy to be more productive over time. That happens with appropriate expenditure on people and infrastructure to make us more productive.
Cullen created the “Cullen Fund” to hold onto part of the government surpluses by holding it in a fund so he did not have the pressure to spend the massive surpluses he was creating. It was never true that National Super was unaffordable. A recent study by the Retirement Commissioner has confirmed that fact for at the next 30 years. Most countries like NZ have superannuation costs similar to what New Zealand will have in the future already. The 1999-2008 Labour-led government was partly responsible for the infrastructure deficit we have now. The surpluses could have been used for infrastructure then (or cutting taxes on workers) and if he had wanted to reduce debt that could have been done by bringing in some taxes on wealth which are non-existent in NZ.
I have also previously written about how the government “commits a form of accounting fraud when it refuses to include the $41 billion in the NZ Super Fund as part of the government’s assets.” This has been criticised by the Auditor General but continues anyway.
The money is there to do what needs to be done. What is lacking is simply the political will.


thedailyblog--2020-02-02--The housing crisis intensifies……government response hopelessly inadequate….”empty homes tax” is part

The housing crisis intensifies……government response hopelessly inadequate….”empty homes tax” is part of the answer

The housing crisis drags on for tenants and families on low incomes while the government looks the other way .
Figures released for November show a record 14,496 eligible tenants and families are on the waiting list for state houses with the vast majority “ Priority A ” applicants – those with the highest need .
The number has been rising steadily since Labour was elected – up almost threefold from 5844 just two years ago .
In November itself Housing New Zealand housed 567 tenants and families but a further 1649 were added to the waiting list .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because private sector rents are going through the roof and are increasingly unaffordable for people on low and fixed incomes .
To pretend the “ housing market ” is working these massive rents are being heavily subsidised by the government through an Accommodation Supplement subsidy for landlords costing taxpayers around $ 1.7 billion per year .
Labour says the reason the numbers on the state house waiting list are rising is because more people are applying for state housing as they are more likely to get the support they need under this government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it goes .
National ’ s campaign of denigration against state house tenants helped discourage applications for state houses .
( It ’ s also worth remembering that the Paula Bennett-led meth contamination fiasco cost taxpayers and tenants $ 120 million in wasted spending ) However , the government ’ s response to the desperate need is hopelessly inadequate .
State housing minister Chris Fa ’ afoi says Labour has built 3,300 new state houses and will have another 2,500 finished by the end of this year .
NOTE : The current policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precisely the same as they were for the previous National government .
These numbers do not begin the address the crisis .
Remember we are going backwards… A Capital Gains Tax would have helped reduced the speculator/investor demand for houses and would have reduced both house prices and rents but this has been abandoned by Labour without a fight .
Prime Minister Ardern is refusing to give any promises to struggling families or children living in poverty but she has given a cast iron guarantee to property investors and speculators that she will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax .
Labour-friendly local government mayors are looking to try and take pressure off the government on housing .
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel has finally agreed – after six years in the role – the council will rebuild the council rental stock destroyed in the earthquakes 10 years ago .
This will mean at least another 400 units over the next three years .
Even Auckland Mayor Phil Goff feels the need to express concern about housing .
He wants to incentivise property speculators to take on tenants to help fill the 40,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – a percentage of empty homes well above comparable cities overseas which do have a capital gains tax .
Many of these houses are being farmed for their capital gains without the landlord worrying about the hassle of having tenants dirty the carpets .
Some are rented only over Summer as Airbnb accommodation .
This trend is accelerating ( empty homes in Auckland are up from 33,000 a few years back ) because of Ardern ’ s tax backdown .
But Goff ’ s comments are just “ thinking out loud ” – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ otherwise .
He just wants people to think he cares .
It won ’ t go anywhere .
Aside from the desperate need to build tens of thousands of new state rental houses , the government should be looking at an Empty Homes Tax for Auckland similar to that applying in Vancouver Canada .
In Vancouver residential property owners submit an annual property tax declaration with the Empty Homes Tax set at 1 % of the property value if the home has been unoccupied for more than four months of the previous year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or houses which are sold during the year .
The aim is not to collect tax – the aim is to require these houses be available for rent .
An Empty Homes Tax would mean large numbers of our tens of thousands of “ ghost ” homes would be available to rent at a time when homes are desperately needed .
More details of the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax are here .

The housing crisis drags on for tenants and families on low incomes while the government looks the other way.
And it’s getting a lot worse.
Figures released for November show a record 14,496 eligible tenants and families are on the waiting list for state houses with the vast majority “Priority A” applicants – those with the highest need.
The number has been rising steadily since Labour was elected – up almost threefold from 5844 just two years ago.
In November itself Housing New Zealand housed 567 tenants and families but a further 1649 were added to the waiting list.
We are going backwards…
These numbers keep rising because private sector rents are going through the roof and are increasingly unaffordable for people on low and fixed incomes. To pretend the “housing market” is working these massive rents are being heavily subsidised by the government through an Accommodation Supplement subsidy for landlords costing taxpayers around $1.7 billion per year.
Labour says the reason the numbers on the state house waiting list are rising is because more people are applying for state housing as they are more likely to get the support they need under this government. This is true as far as it goes. National’s campaign of denigration against state house tenants helped discourage applications for state houses. (It’s also worth remembering that the Paula Bennett-led meth contamination fiasco cost taxpayers and tenants $120 million in wasted spending)
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
However, the government’s response to the desperate need is hopelessly inadequate.
State housing minister Chris Fa’afoi says Labour has built 3,300 new state houses and will have another 2,500 finished by the end of this year. NOTE: The current policy settings for building new state houses are precisely the same as they were for the previous National government.
These numbers do not begin the address the crisis. Remember we are going backwards…
A Capital Gains Tax would have helped reduced the speculator/investor demand for houses and would have reduced both house prices and rents but this has been abandoned by Labour without a fight.
Prime Minister Ardern is refusing to give any promises to struggling families or children living in poverty but she has given a cast iron guarantee to property investors and speculators that she will never put in place a capital gain tax.
Labour-friendly local government mayors are looking to try and take pressure off the government on housing. Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel has finally agreed – after six years in the role – the council will rebuild the council rental stock destroyed in the earthquakes 10 years ago. This will mean at least another 400 units over the next three years.
Even Auckland Mayor Phil Goff feels the need to express concern about housing. He wants to incentivise property speculators to take on tenants to help fill the 40,000 (sic) empty homes in Auckland – a percentage of empty homes well above comparable cities overseas which do have a capital gains tax.
Many of these houses are being farmed for their capital gains without the landlord worrying about the hassle of having tenants dirty the carpets. Some are rented only over Summer as Airbnb accommodation. This trend is accelerating (empty homes in Auckland are up from 33,000 a few years back) because of Ardern’s tax backdown.
But Goff’s comments are just “thinking out loud” – there is no proposal, firm or otherwise. He just wants people to think he cares. It won’t go anywhere.
Aside from the desperate need to build tens of thousands of new state rental houses, the government should be looking at an Empty Homes Tax for Auckland similar to that applying in Vancouver Canada.
In Vancouver residential property owners submit an annual property tax declaration with the Empty Homes Tax set at 1% of the property value if the home has been unoccupied for more than four months of the previous year. Exemptions apply for houses being built or houses which are sold during the year.
The aim is not to collect tax – the aim is to require these houses be available for rent.
An Empty Homes Tax would mean large numbers of our tens of thousands of “ghost” homes would be available to rent at a time when homes are desperately needed.
More details of the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax are here.


thedailyblog--2020-02-02--What if you were a pig?

What if you were a pig?

When the smoke from the Australian bushfires turned the sky yellow at the beginning of the year , it felt like shit got real .
Armageddon was upon us .
Koalas , iconic as cuddly charismatic megafauna as they get , innocents , caught burning on fences , screamed as fires raged .
Bodies of Australia ’ s quirky animals , found nowhere else on the planet , lined highways dead .
Rescue efforts were inadequate in the face of inferno – fueled by poor forest , land and political management , drought , arson , ecology and the effects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to comprehend , or to emotionally accommodate , the immensity of the fires and their damage , ( a billion animals killed ) , though the impacts of ad hoc and systematic anthropocentric actions were on display .
( We did this ) .
The scale of harm and damage and death was hard to comprehend , but so utterly unsurprising .
Social and online media feeds were full of photos of the sky – which was visible outside without the posts , and reflected a collective struggle to reckon with the evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s been accelerating since the industrial revolution and especially since the Second World War .
Then the American targeting of Iranian General Soleimani and the Iranian downing of the Ukrainian plane shook our fragile sense of international security again .
What a disturbing start to the year and the decade .
Last year the Doomsday clock was at two minutes to midnight , and now it ’ s at 100 seconds to go .
But that ’ s all yesterday ’ s news now , though the fires still rage , because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s media moment .
Epidemics sell news and advertising , as well as hand sanitiser and facemasks , though meat exports and tourism may suffer .
Most of us are back at work now , and school returns over the next few weeks .
We sink back into our lives with the start of the economic year .
Holidays are almost done , and the abnormal destruction over summer , sinks into the background , becomes a complacent , new normal .
There are more pressing issues to consider – work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Government ’ s road building announcements , the date of the coming election .
Almost half a billion dollars has been donated for bushfire recovery .
But anti-Chinese sentiment has been an ugly reaction to the coronavirus .
Our best and worst selves have been on display .
In Australia , fires still burn .
Land and forests continue to be cleared for roads , farms , timber and coal mines .
Kangaroos are still ‘ culled ’ , and koalas are killed as business as usual .
( Today I see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ koalas left dead and dying after a bluegum plantation was felled in Victoria ) Political certainties continue to unravel .
The Brexit process takes another step towards the new unilateral political order .
It ’ s been hard not to feel despondent at the damage we ’ re doing to our beautiful world .
And meanwhile I think of the pigs .
Because while at least the short media and public attention span has been on the impacts of impulsive , provocative and reactionary political leaders and the consequences of industrialisation on ecology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals and nature mostly go unacknowledged .
If you were a pig , not a human , chances are you ’ d never see the sky .
You might never feel the earth .
You ’ d never be free .
Your last moments would be in a slaughter house , filled with fear .
While we all empathised deeply with burnt koalas and injured kangaroos , few give a thought to the lives of animals used for meat , who live far removed from natural habitats , enslaved for the human palate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflict upon wild nature , but at least koalas live free .
70 billion animals are treated as economic units in farming systems around the world every year , and about 50 million of them are in intensive farms .
They ’ re crammed so tightly to minimise costs that they are denied natural habits , habitats , social relations and lives .
A pig is as smart as a dog , but society would be outraged if you treated a dog the way we treat millions of pigs .
Intensive farming creates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polluted rivers and aquifers , in public health legacies ( cancers , obesity and other diseases ) , in animal welfare sacrifices , and human and animal epidemics , causing the waste of animal lives as in responses to Mycoplasma Bovis , ( hundreds of thousands of additional cows ‘ culled ’ , on top of the approximately four million killed per annum in New Zealand as part of usual business ) , and the African Swine Fever – where across the world , millions of pigs are buried alive .
Western outrage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market , selling wild animals from bats to koalas to wolves , is right in part .
Xenophobic and racist responses are distasteful , and consistency would require a critique of our own methods for deriving meat and eating pleasure .
Korean and Chinese dog eating festivals provoke the same western outrage .
But double standards abound .
It ’ s wrong to eat dogs , but ok to eat pigs .
It ’ s wrong to eat or kill koalas , but ok to eat age old wild living fish – in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Biophilia hypothesis suggests we ’ re hardwired to care for soft , ( young ) , big eyed animals , that our love for nature is an evolutionarily important element of human survival .
And who would deny that koalas are cute ?
It ’ s been argued that the ‘ cuter ’ the animal , the more chance it has of being a conservation priority .
There ’ s a risk of overstating that though – because – koalas ( extinct by 2050 ? )
, Maui and Hector ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some Hector ’ s sub-populations down to the 40s ) , even though there are none cuter .
Lions , tigers , elephants , all the supposedly hot megafauna , dwindling despite our innate preferences for the furry , big eyed and cute… Concerns about climate change and the treatment of wild animals are rhetorical hypocrisy and will fail our compassionate and humane potential if we don ’ t change the way we do things , the way we live , what we eat , how we treat the natural and living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interconnected , sensitive and dynamic planet , it ’ s clearer than ever , that if we don ’ t change what we ’ re doing , ( the road to nowhere ) , we ’ ll head up where we ’ re going .
That includes how we treat animals in the wild , as well as in farms .
So next time you think about koalas , think about pigs .
And next time you think about bacon , think about pigs .
And when you head off to work or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think , what if you were a non-human animal ; what if you were a pig ?
A change to humanity can start with what ’ s on your plate .

When the smoke from the Australian bushfires turned the sky yellow at the beginning of the year, it felt like shit got real. Armageddon was upon us.
Koalas, iconic as cuddly charismatic megafauna as they get, innocents, caught burning on fences, screamed as fires raged. Bodies of Australia’s quirky animals, found nowhere else on the planet, lined highways dead. Rescue efforts were inadequate in the face of inferno – fueled by poor forest, land and political management, drought, arson, ecology and the effects of climate change. It was hard to comprehend, or to emotionally accommodate, the immensity of the fires and their damage, (a billion animals killed), though the impacts of ad hoc and systematic anthropocentric actions were on display. (We did this). The scale of harm and damage and death was hard to comprehend, but so utterly unsurprising. Social and online media feeds were full of photos of the sky – which was visible outside without the posts, and reflected a collective struggle to reckon with the evidence and scale of interplanetary change that’s been accelerating since the industrial revolution and especially since the Second World War.
Then the American targeting of Iranian General Soleimani and the Iranian downing of the Ukrainian plane shook our fragile sense of international security again. What a disturbing start to the year and the decade. Last year the Doomsday clock was at two minutes to midnight, and now it’s at 100 seconds to go.
But that’s all yesterday’s news now, though the fires still rage, because the novel coronavirus is the highlight of today’s media moment. Epidemics sell news and advertising, as well as hand sanitiser and facemasks, though meat exports and tourism may suffer.
Most of us are back at work now, and school returns over the next few weeks. We sink back into our lives with the start of the economic year. Holidays are almost done, and the abnormal destruction over summer, sinks into the background, becomes a complacent, new normal. There are more pressing issues to consider – work, school, deadlines, traffic jams, the Government’s road building announcements, the date of the coming election.
Almost half a billion dollars has been donated for bushfire recovery. But anti-Chinese sentiment has been an ugly reaction to the coronavirus. Our best and worst selves have been on display.
In Australia, fires still burn. Land and forests continue to be cleared for roads, farms, timber and coal mines. Kangaroos are still ‘culled’, and koalas are killed as business as usual. (Today I see photos on Facebook of up to sixty koalas left dead and dying after a bluegum plantation was felled in Victoria) Political certainties continue to unravel. The Brexit process takes another step towards the new unilateral political order.
It’s been hard not to feel despondent at the damage we’re doing to our beautiful world. And meanwhile I think of the pigs. Because while at least the short media and public attention span has been on the impacts of impulsive, provocative and reactionary political leaders and the consequences of industrialisation on ecology and wildlife, entrenched abuses to farmed animals and nature mostly go unacknowledged.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
If you were a pig, not a human, chances are you’d never see the sky. You might never feel the earth. You’d never be free. Your last moments would be in a slaughter house, filled with fear. While we all empathised deeply with burnt koalas and injured kangaroos, few give a thought to the lives of animals used for meat, who live far removed from natural habitats, enslaved for the human palate. It’s unconscionable what we inflict upon wild nature, but at least koalas live free.
70 billion animals are treated as economic units in farming systems around the world every year, and about 50 million of them are in intensive farms. They’re crammed so tightly to minimise costs that they are denied natural habits, habitats, social relations and lives. A pig is as smart as a dog, but society would be outraged if you treated a dog the way we treat millions of pigs. Intensive farming creates its own negative feedback loops – in polluted rivers and aquifers, in public health legacies (cancers, obesity and other diseases), in animal welfare sacrifices, and human and animal epidemics, causing the waste of animal lives as in responses to Mycoplasma Bovis, (hundreds of thousands of additional cows ‘culled’, on top of the approximately four million killed per annum in New Zealand as part of usual business), and the African Swine Fever – where across the world, millions of pigs are buried alive.
Western outrage to the conditions of the Wuhan meat market, selling wild animals from bats to koalas to wolves, is right in part. Xenophobic and racist responses are distasteful, and consistency would require a critique of our own methods for deriving meat and eating pleasure. Korean and Chinese dog eating festivals provoke the same western outrage. But double standards abound. It’s wrong to eat dogs, but ok to eat pigs. It’s wrong to eat or kill koalas, but ok to eat age old wild living fish – in fact, that’s sport.
The Biophilia hypothesis suggests we’re hardwired to care for soft, (young), big eyed animals, that our love for nature is an evolutionarily important element of human survival. And who would deny that koalas are cute? It’s been argued that the ‘cuter’ the animal, the more chance it has of being a conservation priority. There’s a risk of overstating that though – because – koalas (extinct by 2050?), Maui and Hector’s dolphins (around 57 Maui left, and some Hector’s sub-populations down to the 40s), even though there are none cuter. Lions, tigers, elephants, all the supposedly hot megafauna, dwindling despite our innate preferences for the furry, big eyed and cute…
Concerns about climate change and the treatment of wild animals are rhetorical hypocrisy and will fail our compassionate and humane potential if we don’t change the way we do things, the way we live, what we eat, how we treat the natural and living world.
But on a finite, interconnected, sensitive and dynamic planet, it’s clearer than ever, that if we don’t change what we’re doing, (the road to nowhere), we’ll head up where we’re going. That includes how we treat animals in the wild, as well as in farms.
So next time you think about koalas, think about pigs. And next time you think about bacon, think about pigs. And when you head off to work or complain about being stuck in traffic, think, what if you were a non-human animal; what if you were a pig? A change to humanity can start with what’s on your plate.


thedailyblog--2020-02-04--Bringing justice to Palestine is in our hands

The NZ Herald published an Opinion piece by John Minto , National Chairman , Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa yesterday .
Here is the full unabridged version : It would be easy to throw up our hands in horror at the announcement of the so-called “ deal of the century ” but that would be pointless .
We ’ ve all known for a long time that this “ deal ” would be a boon to Israel and a kick in the guts for Palestinians .
The Trump administration has given the Israeli government the green light to : continue building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of the occupied West Bank ; continue its ongoing military occupation of Palestine and the siege of Gaza ; refuse Palestinian refugees the right to return to their land and homes and to continue its religious and ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem .
For the Palestinian side there is nothing aside from a vague reference to a hollowed out Palestinian state that would resemble apartheid South Africa ’ s bantustans .
As the Israeli human rights group B ’ Tselem says – “ the deal is like Swiss Cheese – the Israelis get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holes.
” The US “ deal ” rewards the oppressor and abuses the oppressed .
Politically Trump is making a strong play for the evangelical Christian vote in the coming US elections .
These are Christians who confuse the Israel of the Old Testament in the Bible with the modern political state of Israel .
On the Israeli side the “ deal ” is a gift to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who faces a third election in early March after failing to get enough support in the previous two elections to form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will get him over the line this time .
Meanwhile none of the issues of profound injustice and oppression by Israel of Palestinians will go away , irrespective of the political manoeuvrings of Trump or Netanyahu .
So what is the way forward for Palestine ?
The answer is surprisingly simple and was contained in a report last October from the United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur for Palestine , Mr Michael Lynk .
The Lynk report says the international community has a responsibility and legal obligation to compel Israel to end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinian territory and remove barriers preventing Palestinian self-determination .
Lynk points out that this occupation is the longest in the modern world and says it is “ endlessly sustainable without decisive international intervention because of the grossly asymmetrical balance of power on the ground ” .
He says “ Accountability is the key to opening the titanium cage that is the permanent occupation .
The international community has issued countless resolutions and declarations critical of the never-ending Israeli occupation .
The time has long past to match these criticisms with effective consequences.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Lynk recommends that the international community should devise a list of effective countermeasures against Israel which would be “ appropriate and proportional ” to the circumstances .
He suggests some modern examples of applying pressure , such as diplomatic public statements , trade sanctions , flight bans , travel restrictions and reduction or suspension of aid .
Most importantly he says that “ should Israel remain unmoved , ( the international community ) should apply and escalate the range of its targeted countermeasures until compliance had been achieved.
” After the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only viable way forward .
The world faced a similar situation in the 1970s and 1980s with regard to the racist South African regime .
While the great mass of humanity supported the struggle for self- determination of black South Africans , white South Africa was strongly supported by the UK and the US with leaders Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan respectively giving unwavering support to its brutal oppression of blacks .
Despite this iron-clad support from key Western governments a critical factor in forcing democratic change was the people and governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of boycotts against the regime – sporting , trade , investment and diplomatic boycotts were all part of the mix – which helped bring irresistible pressure for change .
Israel ’ s brutal military occupation and its racist apartheid policies towards Palestinians can not and will not survive international boycott action .
South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu is clear on the importance of the approach proposed by Michael Lynk : “ In South Africa , we could not have achieved our democracy without the help of people around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of non-violent means , such as boycotts and divestment , encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the apartheid regime.
” And Archbishop Tutu has a message for governments like New Zealand .
“ Those who turn a blind eye to injustice actually perpetuate injustice .
If you are neutral in situations of injustice , you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
” Michael Lynk ’ s report points the way .
Our New Zealand government should be at the forefront in supporting this United Nations proposed @ @

The NZ Herald published an Opinion piece by John Minto, National Chairman, Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa yesterday.
Here is the full unabridged version:
It would be easy to throw up our hands in horror at the announcement of the so-called “deal of the century” but that would be pointless. We’ve all known for a long time that this “deal” would be a boon to Israel and a kick in the guts for Palestinians.
The Trump administration has given the Israeli government the green light to: continue building Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land; annex most of the occupied West Bank; continue its ongoing military occupation of Palestine and the siege of Gaza; refuse Palestinian refugees the right to return to their land and homes and to continue its religious and ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem.
For the Palestinian side there is nothing aside from a vague reference to a hollowed out Palestinian state that would resemble apartheid South Africa’s bantustans. As the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says – “the deal is like Swiss Cheese – the Israelis get the cheese while the Palestinians get the holes.”
The US “deal” rewards the oppressor and abuses the oppressed. Politically Trump is making a strong play for the evangelical Christian vote in the coming US elections. These are Christians who confuse the Israel of the Old Testament in the Bible with the modern political state of Israel.
On the Israeli side the “deal” is a gift to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who faces a third election in early March after failing to get enough support in the previous two elections to form a government. Netanyahu hope the deal will get him over the line this time.
Meanwhile none of the issues of profound injustice and oppression by Israel of Palestinians will go away, irrespective of the political manoeuvrings of Trump or Netanyahu.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
So what is the way forward for Palestine?
The answer is surprisingly simple and was contained in a report last October from the United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Mr Michael Lynk.
The Lynk report says the international community has a responsibility and legal obligation to compel Israel to end its 52 year-long “occu-annexation” of Palestinian territory and remove barriers preventing Palestinian self-determination. Lynk points out that this occupation is the longest in the modern world and says it is “endlessly sustainable without decisive international intervention because of the grossly asymmetrical balance of power on the ground”.
He says “Accountability is the key to opening the titanium cage that is the permanent occupation. The international community has issued countless resolutions and declarations critical of the never-ending Israeli occupation. The time has long past to match these criticisms with effective consequences.” Well said.
To remedy this, Michael Lynk recommends that the international community should devise a list of effective countermeasures against Israel which would be “appropriate and proportional” to the circumstances.
He suggests some modern examples of applying pressure, such as diplomatic public statements, trade sanctions, flight bans, travel restrictions and reduction or suspension of aid.
Most importantly he says that “should Israel remain unmoved, (the international community) should apply and escalate the range of its targeted countermeasures until compliance had been achieved.”
After the “deal of the century” this is the only viable way forward.
The world faced a similar situation in the 1970s and 1980s with regard to the racist South African regime. While the great mass of humanity supported the struggle for self- determination of black South Africans, white South Africa was strongly supported by the UK and the US with leaders Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan respectively giving unwavering support to its brutal oppression of blacks.
Despite this iron-clad support from key Western governments a critical factor in forcing democratic change was the people and governments around the world implementing a wide range of boycotts against the regime – sporting, trade, investment and diplomatic boycotts were all part of the mix – which helped bring irresistible pressure for change.
Israel’s brutal military occupation and its racist apartheid policies towards Palestinians cannot and will not survive international boycott action.
South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu is clear on the importance of the approach proposed by Michael Lynk:
“In South Africa, we could not have achieved our democracy without the help of people around the world, who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the apartheid regime.”
And Archbishop Tutu has a message for governments like New Zealand.
“Those who turn a blind eye to injustice actually perpetuate injustice. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Michael Lynk’s report points the way. Our New Zealand government should be at the forefront in supporting this United Nations proposed approach.
Let’s do this!


thedailyblog--2020-03-30--Life in Lock Down: Day 5

Life in Lock Down: Day 5

March 30 : Day five of living in lock-down… Woke up still in darkness .
Alarm hadn ’ t gone off .
Turn to radio clock ; it ’ s a few minutes after 6am… I lie there in the dark , waiting to drift off to sleep… but it ain ’ t happening .
Clock ticks over to 6.55 and RNZ snaps on to the voices of Gyles Beckford , Corin Dann , and Susie Ferguson… Latest updates on covid19 ; thankfully no one else has died overnight .
I waken more and more as the stories unfold… … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the West Coast to help after 21 health workers from Greymouth ’ s hospital had to go into isolation .
They had been treating the 70-year-old woman who yesterday became the country ’ s first Covid-19 fatality .
… New Zealand has 514 cases of Covid-19 , with one death and 56 recovered .
University of Auckland Professor Shaun Hendy speaks to Corin Dann .
… The Easter Trading Laws could be amended to let supermarkets stay open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday , days where they are normally forced to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Susie Ferguson it depends on whether supermarkets need the time shut to restock shelves , but the government will be talking to them directly about the issue .
… The Director-General of Health is expecting more cases of community transmission to come to light this week .
That ’ s despite a dip in the number of new cases reported yesterday .
… A Wairarapa farmer says heavy rain that fell over the weekend will be a “ gamechanger ” for the drought-stricken region .
It ’ s going to be a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been radically changed to reduce the number of clients in our “ bubbles ” .
Mine is still bigger than I would like , but we do the best we can with the tools we have .
At least three people are removed from my “ bubble ” , which makes things marginally safe for them and me .
Quick breakfast with first two coffees of the day ; feed the cat ; prep home-made lunch ( cafes are a luxury from how long ago ? )
; check emails ; pack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day and out the door I go .
I ’ m an hour earlier than I normally am but it ’ ll give me extra time to take notice of things on my way into Wellington and travelling through the city .
This isn ’ t just a routine drive to work , but also scrutinise how things are progressing in our lock-down world .
First thing I notice , the Park N Ride carpark is virtually empty .
An ashphalt field built for several hundred cars now holds just… two ; Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I notice a police car parked on the side of the road .
First one for the day ?
On the motorway , traffic is again almost non-existent .
Perhaps “ heavier ” by one or two cars .
But then , this is supposedly “ peak hour ” and instead of three of four vehicles in my field of vision , there are six or eight .
I don ’ t think traffic was this sparse since 1920 .
Interesting… I ’ m noticing commercial vehicles on the road which I doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truck , painted fiery red , with “ Coca Cola ” emblazoned over it .
Soft drinks ?
When did that become a staple , essential food ?
A few minutes later , a Firewood truck .
The vehicle is a light truck and covered .
I have no idea if they are delivering firewood or not .
If so , and if the driver is coming into contact with clients… [ Note , in a weird coincidence , at 10.47pm as I write this , a friend txts me to describe her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered next week .
So it seems they are operating in the lock-down . ]
Then a C & M Transport heavy-duty truck built for gravel , rock , soil , and similar materials drives down from Horokiwi Rd , onto the motorway .
Is that an essential service when the building industry is practically at a stand-still ?
At least two trucks lugging shipping containers .
I hope those containers are filled with foodstuffs for supermarkets… A chemdry van .
When did carpet cleaning become “ essential ” , FFS ?
!
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ T open and operating as per normal ?
!
At the old MoT stop on the Hutt Road a police car pulls over a driver heading in the opposite direction to me… Wellington is as deserted today as it was last week .
Hard to tell if there are more or less cars .
At the Basin Reserve roundabout a bicyclist riding her bike on the footpath passes within a metre of a pedestrian .
Even in saner times , it looked an unsafe passing manouver .
But driving up the Mt Victoria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had become .
At nearly 9am , the tunnel was… empty .
I pulled over ( yes , illegally… but since I was The Last Man On Earth… ) to snap this image ; Eerie… like something out of an episode of The Twilight Zone , an empty tunnel that seemed to disappear into infinity .
It was waiting for me to enter… Once through the tunnel , a quick drive into the eastern suburbs .
More joggers .
At 9am , the car park at Miramar New World was full .
Queues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own two-metre bubbles , respected by others .
At Kilbirnie Pak N Save the carpark seems about half ( ? )
full .
I park my vehicle in the underground carpark , which is almost empty .
Upstairs , shoppers again queue outside the main doors , with yellow strips conveniently marking two-metre spaces .
Everyone is waiting patiently .
At the line I woman remarks how well New Zealanders are doing , considering how we have a “ thing ” for strong independence and not liking being told what to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point yesterday in something I wrote for a blog .
Another of those curious acts of synchronicity that marks our lives .
Inside , there is signage everywhere , imploring people to act responsibly ; As I make my way through the aisles it takes only a few minutes to realise something : it ’ s harder to keep two metre spaces from other people than I thought .
Most people – two thirds ?
three quarters ?
– reciprocate the need to maintain safe distances .
Some don ’ t .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ metres is ; have forgotten to respect the new boundary ; or , simply don ’ t care .
It ’ s irritating .
In effect , one person standing at , say , the cereal section , commands two metres in radius around her/him .
You have to wait till they move on .
Like I said , most respected the new norm .
A few didn ’ t .
One guy in particular not only ignored the two metre “ bubble ” but passed close enough to me to raise strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew .
His eyes met mine .
He saw the expression on my face .
This carried on for another two aisles .
F**k it , I thought , if he does it again , I ’ m going to cough in his direction and in a “ Dad ’ s Army ” kind-of-voice croak at him , “ Oh , sorry , mate .
It ’ s this coronavirus thing I picked up in China… Can ’ t seem to shake it… ” But he scurried off to check-out .
Inconsiderate prick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in a very warm spot… Has the “ Futures Market ” for bog paper collapsed ?
Not so the baking section .
Human locusts had been through the section and left not even a chocolate chip or speck of wholemeal flour , At the checkout , more yellow tape marked off two metre intervals .
It seemed to be respected by everyone that I saw standing in line ; Equally important , to safeguard the workers , plexiglass shields had been erected in front of them ; One checkout operator was heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shields could stay up permanently .
And just when I thought things couldn ’ t possibly get any weirder , well they just did .
Two men ( ? )
in full head-to-feet hazmat suits , breathing-masks , and protective goggles appeared at the supermarket entrance .
One didn ’ t want to be photographed – the other did not mind .
Once the groceries have been dropped off , each and every packaged item had to be individually wiped down with a cloth soaked with antiseptic .
Fruit and veg – washed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling who had handled any of the items and what micro-organisms they had left behind on steel cans , plastic wrappers/bags , cardboard cartons , and fresh produce .
The future is well and truly upon us .
The drive home at 8pm tonight was quiet .
Once I hit the motorway , traffic all but vanished .
There were moments when I was literally the only person on the road in either direction .
I phone my partner .
It ’ s now eight days since we ’ ve laid eyes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next three ( four ?
five ? )
weeks , we ’ ll have to get re-acquainted with each other all over again .
Her “ bubble ” is smaller than mine , but she ’ s so much safer .
Meanwhile , throughout the day , we heard stories of fools flouting the protocols not to socialise with people outside their “ bubble ” ; of money-hungry businesses whining that they were “ essential ” ; of tourists deciding that self-isolation did not apply to them .
Or politicians like David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let them all open .
Every single business .
Then , when we have 10,000 deaths , maybe those same politicians will start to think , “ Hmmm , maybe this wasn ’ t such a good idea after all… ?
” Some people only take a crisis seriously when the body count goes double or triple digits .
When it comes to the safety and well-being of everyone in the community and when it comes to a few selfish dicks who put their own desires ahead of everyone else , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throttle law ’ n ’ order on their asses .
In fact , I have the perfect sentence for those convicted of flouting the stay-home edict : home detention .
( Just make detention double or treble the month long lock-down . )
It makes perfect sense when you think about it .
Ironic isn ’ t it ?
How the Right are always bleating on about personal responsibility ; law and order ; and maintaining society .
Except , of course , when business is threatened .
Number of deaths if Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : hundreds .
Possibly thousands .
Sensible people do sensible things .
Don ’ t be Mr Seymour or Ms Collins .
Be sensible .
RNZ : Coronavirus – Extra medical staff sent to the West Coast RNZ : Coronavirus – Looking at the numbers RNZ : Coronavirus – PM says supermarkets may open over Easter NZ Herald : Covid 19 coronavirus – Jenny Craig staff told they are an essential service RNZ : Coronavirus – Total number of Covid-19 cases in NZ rises to 589 The Daily Blog : Malcolm Evans – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – where everyone gets a virus This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ s comments may be left here ( The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking ) .

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March 30: Day five of living in lock-down…
Woke up still in darkness. Alarm hadn’t gone off. Turn to radio clock; it’s a few minutes after 6am… I lie there in the dark, waiting to drift off to sleep… but it ain’t happening. Clock ticks over to 6.55 and RNZ snaps on to the voices of Gyles Beckford, Corin Dann, and Susie Ferguson… Latest updates on covid19; thankfully no one else has died overnight. I waken more and more as the stories unfold…
… Medical staff from Canterbury are heading to the West Coast to help after 21 health workers from Greymouth’s hospital had to go into isolation. They had been treating the 70-year-old woman who yesterday became the country’s first Covid-19 fatality.
… New Zealand has 514 cases of Covid-19, with one death and 56 recovered. University of Auckland Professor Shaun Hendy speaks to Corin Dann.
… The Easter Trading Laws could be amended to let supermarkets stay open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, days where they are normally forced to stay closed. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Susie Ferguson it depends on whether supermarkets need the time shut to restock shelves, but the government will be talking to them directly about the issue.
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… The Director-General of Health is expecting more cases of community transmission to come to light this week. That’s despite a dip in the number of new cases reported yesterday.
… A Wairarapa farmer says heavy rain that fell over the weekend will be a “gamechanger” for the drought-stricken region.
It’s going to be a new day in several ways. Staff/client rosters have been radically changed to reduce the number of clients in our “bubbles”. Mine is still bigger than I would like, but we do the best we can with the tools we have. At least three people are removed from my “bubble”, which makes things marginally safe for them and me.
Quick breakfast with first two coffees of the day; feed the cat; prep home-made lunch (cafes are a luxury from how long ago?); check emails; pack up the gear I need for the day and out the door I go. I’m an hour earlier than I normally am but it’ll give me extra time to take notice of things on my way into Wellington and travelling through the city. This isn’t just a routine drive to work, but also scrutinise how things are progressing in our lock-down world.
First thing I notice, the Park N Ride carpark is virtually empty. An ashphalt field built for several hundred cars now holds just… two;
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Before turning from my suburban road onto SH2 I notice a police car parked on the side of the road. First one for the day?
On the motorway, traffic is again almost non-existent. Perhaps “heavier” by one or two cars. But then, this is supposedly “peak hour” and instead of three of four vehicles in my field of vision, there are six or eight. I don’t think traffic was this sparse since 1920.
Interesting… I’m noticing commercial vehicles on the road which I doubt are “essential”. A heavy truck, painted fiery red, with “Coca Cola” emblazoned over it. Soft drinks? When did that become a staple, essential food?
A few minutes later, a Firewood truck. The vehicle is a light truck and covered. I have no idea if they are delivering firewood or not. If so, and if the driver is coming into contact with clients… [Note, in a weird coincidence, at 10.47pm as I write this, a friend txts me to describe her day in lock-down and mentions having firewood delivered next week. So it seems they are operating in the lock-down.]
Then a C & M Transport heavy-duty truck built for gravel, rock, soil, and similar materials drives down from Horokiwi Rd, onto the motorway. Is that an essential service when the building industry is practically at a stand-still?
At least two trucks lugging shipping containers. I hope those containers are filled with foodstuffs for supermarkets…
Then, a couple of “Rockgas” trucks…
A Chubbs van…
A chemdry van. When did carpet cleaning become “essential”, FFS?!
Is there ANY business that ISN’T open and operating as per normal?!
At the old MoT stop on the Hutt Road a police car pulls over a driver heading in the opposite direction to me…
Wellington is as deserted today as it was last week. Hard to tell if there are more or less cars. At the Basin Reserve roundabout a bicyclist riding her bike on the footpath passes within a metre of a pedestrian. Even in saner times, it looked an unsafe passing manouver.
But driving up the Mt Victoria tunnel showed The Quiet Earth the city had become. At nearly 9am, the tunnel was… empty. I pulled over (yes, illegally… but since I was The Last Man On Earth…) to snap this image;
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Eerie… like something out of an episode of The Twilight Zone, an empty tunnel that seemed to disappear into infinity. It was waiting for me to enter…
Once through the tunnel, a quick drive into the eastern suburbs. More joggers. At 9am, the car park at Miramar New World was full. Queues of well-spaced shoppers waited patiently, in their own two-metre bubbles, respected by others.
At Kilbirnie Pak N Save the carpark seems about half (?) full. I park my vehicle in the underground carpark, which is almost empty. Upstairs, shoppers again queue outside the main doors, with yellow strips conveniently marking two-metre spaces. Everyone is waiting patiently.
At the line I woman remarks how well New Zealanders are doing, considering how we have a “thing” for strong independence and not liking being told what to do. I reply I made a similar point yesterday in something I wrote for a blog. Another of those curious acts of synchronicity that marks our lives.
Inside, there is signage everywhere, imploring people to act responsibly;
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As I make my way through the aisles it takes only a few minutes to realise something: it’s harder to keep two metre spaces from other people than I thought. Most people – two thirds? three quarters? – reciprocate the need to maintain safe distances.
Some don’t. They either don’t understand what two metres is; have forgotten to respect the new boundary; or, simply don’t care.
It’s irritating. In effect, one person standing at, say, the cereal section, commands two metres in radius around her/him. You have to wait till they move on.
Like I said, most respected the new norm. A few didn’t. One guy in particular not only ignored the two metre “bubble” but passed close enough to me to raise strong discomfort in me. And the prick knew. His eyes met mine. He saw the expression on my face.
This carried on for another two aisles. F**k it, I thought, if he does it again, I’m going to cough in his direction and in a “Dad’s Army” kind-of-voice croak at him,
“Oh, sorry, mate. It’s this coronavirus thing I picked up in China… Can’t seem to shake it…”
But he scurried off to check-out. Inconsiderate prick. I hope his position in Hell is in a very warm spot…
Curiously, the toilet paper section was remarkably well-stocked;
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Has the “Futures Market” for bog paper collapsed?
Not so the baking section. Human locusts had been through the section and left not even a chocolate chip or speck of wholemeal flour,
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At the checkout, more yellow tape marked off two metre intervals. It seemed to be respected by everyone that I saw standing in line;
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Equally important, to safeguard the workers, plexiglass shields had been erected in front of them;
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One checkout operator was heard saying to a customer she wished the shields could stay up permanently.
And just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get any weirder, well they just did.
Two men (?) in full head-to-feet hazmat suits, breathing-masks, and protective goggles appeared at the supermarket entrance. One didn’t want to be photographed – the other did not mind.
Sign of the times;
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Once the groceries have been dropped off, each and every packaged item had to be individually wiped down with a cloth soaked with antiseptic. Fruit and veg – washed. Because there was no way of telling who had handled any of the items and what micro-organisms they had left behind on steel cans, plastic wrappers/bags, cardboard cartons, and fresh produce.
The future is well and truly upon us.
The drive home at 8pm tonight was quiet. Once I hit the motorway, traffic all but vanished. There were moments when I was literally the only person on the road in either direction.
I phone my partner. It’s now eight days since we’ve laid eyes on each other. We joke that after the next three (four? five?) weeks, we’ll have to get re-acquainted with each other all over again.
Her “bubble” is smaller than mine, but she’s so much safer.
Meanwhile, throughout the day, we heard stories of fools flouting the protocols not to socialise with people outside their “bubble”; of money-hungry businesses whining that they were “essential”; of tourists deciding that self-isolation did not apply to them.
Or politicians like David Seymour and Judith Collins;
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Ok then, let them all open. Every single business. Then, when we have 10,000 deaths, maybe those same politicians will start to think, “Hmmm, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…?”
Some people only take a crisis seriously when the body count goes double or triple digits.
When it comes to the safety and well-being of everyone in the community and when it comes to a few selfish dicks who put their own desires ahead of everyone else, I have zero hesitation in advocating going full throttle law’n’order on their asses. In fact, I have the perfect sentence for those convicted of flouting the stay-home edict: home detention. (Just make detention double or treble the month long lock-down.) It makes perfect sense when you think about it.
Ironic isn’t it? How the Right are always bleating on about personal responsibility; law and order; and maintaining society.
Except, of course, when business is threatened.
Current covid19 cases: 589
Number of deaths: 1
Number of deaths if Mr Seymour & Ms Collins have their way: hundreds. Possibly thousands.
Sensible people do sensible things. Don’t be Mr Seymour or Ms Collins. Be sensible.
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References
RNZ: Coronavirus – Extra medical staff sent to the West Coast
RNZ: Coronavirus – Looking at the numbers
RNZ: Coronavirus – PM says supermarkets may open over Easter
RNZ: Coronavirus – Dr Ashley Bloomfield expecting more cases
RNZ: Wairarapa farmer labels weekend’s rain a ‘gamechanger’
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – Jenny Craig staff told they are an essential service
Twitter: David Seymour – allow butchers, bakers to open – 30.3.2020
Twitter: Judith Collins – competition for business during a pandemic – 30.3.20
RNZ: Coronavirus – Total number of Covid-19 cases in NZ rises to 589
Must Read
Elemental: Hold the Line
Other Blogs
The Daily Blog: Malcolm Evans – A Letter to the Kids
Previous related blogposts
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 1
Life in Lock Down: Day 2
Life in Lock Down: Day 3
Life in Lock Down: Day 4
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Acknowledgement: Evans
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This blogpost will be re-published on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
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