Oddest sign…… why does NEW ZEALAND have milk supply issues?!?!But it looks like it’s backed up by evidence:I’ll be damned… That’s not good for both June GDP, and New Zealand, especially given inflation and a contracting monetary policy stance.🫤
Single Issue Voter
ResponsesFirst response in from ACTÂ Does ACT have a view on the Commission’s opinion around a 50-50 split, and would it seek to implement the Commission’s advice in the elected new parliament?ACT has not formed a position on the 50:50 split as advocated by the Law Commission in 2019. We…
A Foolish Government and Our Money are Soon Parted
I’m reading the late Brian Gaynor’s articles on the activities of the New Zealand government and corporate New Zealand in the early 1990s, especially around the privatisation, and ultimate sale of the BNZ to the National Australia Bank. Poor management and irresponsible lendingUp until the bank was partially privatised in…
When a Couple Means Three
From the Bad Supreme Court Decisions file comes this latest missive: Fiona Margaret Mead v Lilach Paul and Brett Paul.A relationship property case starring one guy (Brett) and two women (Fiona and Lilach) all sharing the same bed for 15 years, temporarily swapping in and out other partners, before finally…
Market Structure: Rewarding Political Control and Funding Non-Market Redistribution
Addendum – 23 February 2023: Nobody say “super-normal profits”: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/484767/how-air-new-zealand-went-from-crash-landing-to-stratospheric And still nothing was said about monopoly pricing by the mainstream media. Let’s assume nothing in this world comes for free.If you want something – food / shelter / your hip fixed / your water drinkable – these things are…
Leadership
I’m currently reading this book:I strongly recommend it.I’m up to Lee Kuan Yew. I wish New Zealand had this type of leadership.Let me quote the good Professor: In Lee’s perception, excellence meant much more than individual performance: the quest for it needed to permeate the entire society. Whether in government service,…
Low pass rates in trial of NCEA literacy and numeracy tests alarm principals
From here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/474261/low-pass-rates-in-trial-of-ncea-literacy-and-numeracy-tests-alarm-principalsIn response to concerns that New Zealand school students are leaving school all NCEA qualified, but without having even basic literacy and numeracy skills, the Ministry of Education is rolling out a test.A recent trial of the test found: “some of the schools with poor results had good…
The Dead Hand of Government in Health
ADDENDUM: PROGRESS ON WAITING LISTS – August 2022As predicted back in May, the expert committee’s action proved ineffective. Former DHBs were told by the Expert Committee they need to book everyone in for surgery (stellar advice!) (https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/473303/hospitals-directed-to-book-surgical-slot-for-thousands-of-patients-by-month-s-end)And… Not much else happened: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/473204/south-auckland-s-elective-surgery-backlog-up-251-percent-in-yearORIGINAL POSTING FROM MAY:I can’t really say I’m a…
The Real Land of the Free
Singapore really is, for me, the Land of the Free. It’s big news is they’re just about to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.All good. But the Singaporeans are concerned about the impact of the change on its society and its culture. It’s not worried about…
Falling health sector productivity
Productivity – how much output is created from a given volume of inputs – is one of economic’s most important metrics. Productivity captures everything about economic development and economic ordinance. Technological change, process change, labour skills improvement and capital improvement are all get captured in a productivity metric.Countries rise and…
Meaty, beefy, big and bloaty
One of the reasons why market solutions are superior to centrally planned solutions is that there tends to be a better match between supply and demand when provision is left to the market. Scarcity or abundance, reflected through price change, is a far better and faster signal of shifts in…
Inflation is ALWAYS Caused by Too Much Money Creation
Pinning New Zealand’s latest inflation figures on overseas factors misses a distinction between a temporary “price shock”, and an increase in “permanent” inflation. New Zealand is experiencing permanent inflation, and it was caused by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.New Zealand’s inflation rate, back in March, was an annual rate…
Lockdown Opportunity Cost and the Statistical Value of a Life Saved
I’m currently watching an acquaintance doing the Tour of Aotearoa on bicycle (https://vicsefton.wordpress.com/). It’s a four week unsupported cycle from Cape Reinga down to Bluff.I tried it last year, but got into mechanical difficulties north of Auckland at exactly the time the government decided to put Auckland into lock down…
Sign o’ th’ times
All of New Zealand is in “the red zone”.Everyone in Wellington is staying away. Here’s Lambton Quay, Wellington’s “Golden Mile”, at 12:15pm today …Businesses are struggling because economic demand is being strangled by the government locking New Zealand down
RNZCGP Medical Director on COVID Fear
FROM THE HERALD – 16 FEBRUARY 2022Dealing with Covid needs a mindset changeLet’s keep calm, keep healthy and, more importantly, get vaccinated and boosted. In the end we will get there and back to our ‘new normal’.The New Zealand HeraldDr Bryan Betty is medical director at The Royal New Zealand…
Testing, public sector style
So, I’m sitting at the Lower Hutt COVID testing center, waiting to get a test.I’ve been here for over two hours now.The government coordinating this is a complete mess, and waste of time.The reason for the long time delay turned out not to be related to volume: some numpty changed…
A divided country
Today, in Wellington, thousands of normal people peacefully protested the government’s COVID-19 policies.The protest, reported by RNZ as having approximately 3000 protestors, was much larger, and filled Lambton Quay for 45 minutes, as the crowd marched to parliament.Unlike previous COVID protests, this march missed the usual kooks and weirdos that…
…Yes they do…
From https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/457811/regions-hit-hard-as-rents-increase-nationallyArdern ‘determined to see a change in housing’ “No one wants to see our housing market crash,” Prime Minister Ardern said at the post-Cabinet meeting press briefing this afternoon.
Vaccine passports and Locke’s Treaties on Government
Here’s a little something from the Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagblatdet, translated into English by the fine app PressReader.I’ve included it in my blog because I haven’t seen or heard debate in mainstream New Zealand media that questions our incoming vaccine passports.New Zealand commentary couches a resistance to passports as “fringe”…
5 strategies to avert identity politics – Guide for New Zealand
From The Strait Times paper, out of Singapore The Straits Times 24 Nov 2021 Linette Lai Political Correspondent linettel@sph.com.sg As Singapore turns the tide in its fight against Covid-19, it must not allow the differences that have emerged during the pandemic to become permanent divides that affect its politics, said…