Bernard Hickey is on site from 3pm to 4pm to answer questions about the week's news, including; moves in interest rates & house prices, pleas for more migrants & a new climate emergency declaration
Is it a fundamental weakness of "western" governments that they don't want to do infrastructure unless they are forced into it? Or is that a more recent issue that, at least here, we can blame on Roger Douglas?
Thanks Brett. We used to be good at it, although often in the wake or during a war, when investment in tech, infrastructure and people can be justified by the threat to hearth and home. That's the story of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s in the west. The rise of neo-liberal economics designed to lower taxes and remove regulation happened (luckily for them) with the end of the Cold War and the arrival of lots of cheap stuff as China joined the world economy. Cue the last 30 years. Until now.
Do you think there is any chance we'll break free of this current situation, because I'm not seeing any signs that the government are taking it seriously yet. They say they are paying attention, but they say a lot of things.
I don’t think we pay low taxes for crappy services. I think the wealthy and corporations price gouge and pay low taxes and the money is hoarded and not used for either their personal obligations preferring to leave these matters to an incompetent state or to reinvest in the country so the incompetent state ends up doing all the R&D and investment for these massive businesses with average Joe’s tax as well. Then these innovations are privatised and sold back to us. It’s just unethical gangsterism by crooks really. I don’t think we should have to pay income tax a) if we can’t afford it after paying for our families or b) if the services are illegal against our legal and human rights or inadequate. There is a large body of law and common law of long-standing around these matters so it isn’t hard to work out. The Government and institutions don’t seem to think the laws apply to anyone except the wealthy.
It's fantastic. I had to invent the wheel of a subscription email newsletter platform in 2012 with Hive News (you need a user database, newsletter publishing platform and payments platform that talk to each other). I spent $60k to cobble together mailchimp, a bespoke email writing tool, stripe and a database. It worked, but I realised pretty quickly I didn't have the resources or skill to develop and optimise it. Fast forward to Substack and it has done all this and keeps optimising and improving constantly, and easily, and with very little downtime. For just 10% of revenues. So easy to use and plenty of options to deploy if you want. I'm a superfan. Cheers.
Ahoy Bernard. On migration… Just back from PIF where Aus/NZ have different views. Aus is opening up with a ballot for 3000 Pacific migrants a year and letting RSE workers bring family. Ardern says wider migration isn’t fair to Pacific economies which have skills shortages in tourism. Does that have merit you reckon?
You make a great point. I actually think if Australia and NZ were serious about shutting out China they should create a Schengen style free trade, labour and movement zone where anyone could work and travel anywhere and get that country's welfare as of right. Both Australia and NZ need the labour and the Pacific needs the remittances. Would be a huge win win. I'll put that idea away to develop into a column. Your thoughts.?
That's my thoughts exactly. But I support NZ doing so unilaterally. A Schengen type scheme of NZ, our dependencies (Cook islands etc) plus Tonga Samoa and Fiji. No need to include Vanuatu Solomon's etc as NZ doesn't have same historical links and ties
My thoughts are i can't wait to read the column. Feels like the moment has arrived for the Pacific. I think Ardern is being her usual cautious self. Not a complete answer but remittances can support developing nations akin to aid
So how many NZers would go to the Pacific nations for welfare or medical care? It would be one way with the tax payer footing the bill. Being a Schengen state doesn’t automatically mean you get welfare as an internal migrant. Disclaimer I worked in a Belgium for 1-yr and spend a lot of time in Switzerland. Schengen simply allows visa free travel
I have been thinking of this idea for a few months now, its great for NZ, increases labour supply, and you don't have to provide healthcare, education and benefits, like kiwis in Aus. Do the Pacific islands actually want it? There is a significant risk of depopulation occurring of the working age like has occurred recently in the Cook Islands.
Which if any of the minor parties not currently in parliament do you think have a chance of being disrupters in the next election? For those who think Labour have worn out their welcome, Luxon and the Nats are not really an inspiring option and David Seymour and ACT even less (so as one note zealots).
I think TOP and Te Pāti Māori are the ones to watch to see if they can take advantage of the vacuum you rightly point to. I think it's partly reliant on how frustrated and abandoned voters on the Māori roll are and whether the Greens can disassociate themselves enough from Labour in the minds of their fans.
Having seen the blinkered way Treasury and mainstream Econ wallahs see the world I’m not optimistic you’ll convince them to have a “road to Damascus” conversion to investing in infrastructure but keep up the pressure!
Thanks RobertJ. I do have a few silent watchers inside the machine who quietly support and cheer me on, albeit without achieving much. I do think the tide is turning a bit though. The sorts of debates we're now having wouldn't have even been considered a decade ago.
Hi Bernard - I've really enjoyed your posts this week. In terms of yesterday's post (on the likelihood of investment-light immigration), I would like to hear your views on how the compromise solutions that you propose (Labour giving up on Auckland Light Rail & Get Wellington Moving, National giving up on tax cuts & new highways) might link to your post earlier in the week on the 30/30 shibboleth?
I actually hate Bernards proposed compromises. Elections should be a contest of ideas. Not a stitch up of the two big parties. As for the political cover issue for things like congestion charging, why can't governments sell unpopular policies to the electorate and make the case for them like John Key did with the GST increase and assett sales
@Nicholas - I agree, but the reality is that around 400,000 swing voters effectively decide who gets into government, and these voters are very unlikely to a range of solutions like capital gains tax, land taxes, wealth taxes etc. Compromise measures such as the ones Bernard suggests, along with others such as raising the accepted level of central government debt, cutting local government in on a share of GST etc, might actually serve to unlock some of the current impasses. Politics, after all, is the art of the possible.
Thanks Nicholas. I would love the contest of ideas. Sadly, it's just not do-able with the political environment and the sets of parties, people and policies around at the moment. Trying to see opportunities to do things within the current rules of the game.
Thanks Alistair. Great connection. Yes. Ultimately, I think we'll need to change the investment incentives, which is I think a small, broad-based residential land value tax is a good solution that leaves the Capital Gains Tax third rail untouched. Would also not touch the farmers. Problem is the landbankers, who would hate it and are well connected.
It gets hard to be serious about a climate emergency while a war is on, when Russia is setting wheat fields on fire, when Germany is racing to get coal fired power stations back online before winter due to the war with Ukraine (and German vehicle production is in crisis due for the same reason). It seems likely to me that climate targets are going to be set and missed by everyone for at least the next couple of years. So, what actions should NZ take and what should they push out into the future in this environment?
We should go as hard and fast as possible to shift to as renewable as possible electric transport and efficient housing. Yes, Europe might be distracted for a bit, but this isn't going away and we've started slowly as it is. It will be cheaper once we're there.
Hi, any thoughts on the Christchurch stadium? Quite frustrating that in the same week we find we "can't afford" to get buses to a healthy standard, a council pushes the limits of affordability for this kind of project.
Indeed. I haven't had the bandwidth to focus on it. On the face of it, the spending would generate much better returns on fixing the basics of the roads and ensuring enough housing is built. Seems to me the Addington stadium is compact and does the trick. And is already there. But I'd need to have a much closer look at it all to have a more confident and useful view.
A good example of why local council infrastructure maintenance gets starved of funds - new drains vs a new stadium? Easy to pick the winner as regards sex appeal.
I think what you suggest is far too sensible to be accomplished through just a cross parliamentary bench accommodation, since what ever party is in government would get the majority of both the plaudits and backlash.
Truly don't you consider that this would require a National-Labour coalition to accomplish?
Ha! A grand coalition. Has been done in Germany with their MMP system. It would need some sort of populist threat from the left or right to make it happen. Can't see that coming at this stage.
Hi Bernard, thanks for all your insights and commentary. It's so refreshing to hear someone speak so candidly and honestly about very real issues. You've spoken several times recently about the 30/30 mantra and explained how this is really hindering progress towards very big issues including climate change and underinvestment in infrastructure. In your opinion what would be a key action that would budge parties/politicians on this and what do you think would be the most effective issue for constituents to push on to challenge this idea?
Thanks Carolyn. Anything that creates a win-win for the parties would help. That's why I think Labour-Green will to give up on the big, expensive and slow projects. And National-ACT will have to commit to congestion charges. We'll see.
Hi Bernard thanks so much for doing this. The AMAs are my favourite part of your substack and large part of reason why I subscribe. Recently was the four year anniversary of Kiwibuild. As you know it's only building a small fraction of the 10,000 homes a year its target is. You have said before the key reason for its failure is it didn't address the issue of council infrastructure costs. But didn't labour (and the media) know about this in 2017 before the election? Was Kiwibuild a big lie? Or was Labour ignorant of the council infrastructure costs issue? Or did they have some plan in mind in 2017 to deal with the problem that didn't work? Do you think Kiwibuild can get back on track to building 10,000 homes per year?
Thankyou Nicholas. Sorry it's a bit late today. Those are excellent questions that I often ask myself in dark moments. Why didn't we see it coming? Back then, I assumed Labour would solve the infrastructure problems early on, but I understand it was basically told the money was not there because of the 30/30 problem very early on. It should have known, but I suspect believed Treasury's magical thinking about Infrastructure Funding and Finance (still no deal done years after the legislation passed). That failure motivates me.
On the subject of other bits of infrastructure, do you think we're looking down the barrel of major collapses in health, education, and so forth. Down the road I even see protest signs on the fire station.
We seem to be heading for a situation where schools and hospitals will shut down due to lack of staff.
Is the next medical crises we face, and worse than COVID (while happening at the same time) going to be the sad fact that if you get sick in the future away from a major city, help isn't coming because your local hospital and doctor will have shut down?
There is a particular problem in health. This article is instructive and sobering. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/129258754/nurse-ashamed-and-embarrassed-to-work-in-a-health-system-in-tatters “We get swamped every day because there’s not enough beds in the wards. The hospital is way too small. So people are backing up in ED. The Ministry of Health sets deadlines that people can’t be at ED more than six hours, but we would breach that every day,” she said.
“It really is a domino effect through the whole health system, every department is working to capacity, there’s no meat in the sandwich and we’re all falling over. Right at the start of the coalface, even ambulances are stretched, holding patients in stretchers waiting for hospital beds to become available. “So there’s a flow-on effect. GPs can’t see people, ED can’t see people, even rest homes can’t get enough hospital beds. Everything in our health system is in tatters.”
When you commented about the need to change transport options to meet emission targets, are you aware of any computer modelling for the options in New Zealand. Recently I looked at changing entirely to battery equipment. It was not practicable, let alone economically viable. However it should be possible, the equipment just isn't available yet. If my experience is common I question whether the government is paying lip service to climate change, which would suit the carbon producers, wouldn't it?
Thanks Pat. We're late to the party and plenty of others have been working on this, subsidising this and getting to the top of the manufacturers' queues. It will come. The scale of the change is enormous and the economies of scale are building. The Climate Change has done a lot of modeling. But it does depend on a lot of variables and events here, including the closure (?) of Tiwai Point.
It won’t do much for the climate if we continue to rely on thermal generation for our marginal electricity supply, while continuing to adopt technologies that boost demand for it, and maintaining system that incentivises generators to profit from selling it.
There must be heaps of potential for wind power from the west coast of NZ, let alone the consistent tidal flow between the North & South Islands of NZ. It is there to be tapped. We can convert some hydra station using pump back into gravity batteries and in the cities build flow batteries stations to maintain consistent power.
Overall battery/power storage technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that it must be possible if not now then really soon.
One problem is that the solutions that already exist over thousands of companies huge & small locked up behind trade secrets and patents. Negotiating cross company deals with IP lawyers might be taking up most of the time, let alone the time reinventing the same wheels over & over.
The combined solutions are there. If the engineers were able to freely get together & slap the best of breed solutions together freely we would be able to switch away from carbon quite quickly.
The plea for migrants has economic and immigration aspects specific to it, but it strikes me as an end-stage manifestation of something that has been going on for years: the evasion of responsibility for training of workers. Apart from the various abuses and excuses rife in the industry, seasonal horticulture employers and workers seem to agree on one thing - that inexperienced (ie Kiwis willing to give it a go, perhaps newly unemployed or underemployed) cannot compete with the experienced migrant workers who return for multiple seasons. It’s far from the only industry where employers cannot afford, or will not contemplate accommodating, the mistakes and slower pace of learners. But it’s one where you can’t, I think, pay for a qualification from the education sector to take the place of learning that is best done, really has to be done, on the job. Not sure what happens when international outsourcing of desperation reaches saturation….
Really interesting insight Janet. Thanks. Hard to see durable solutions when workers are free to quit and take their experience with them. The speed and ease of movement from job to job, and city to city, and country to country, makes it hard for companies to see 'what's in it for me' when the investment has legs and walks out the door every night. Would be great to have some sort of subscription as a service thing for experience. But sadly, not do-able.
Politics is often so much about how people feel over the reality of their situation. How large do you think National’s ‘squeeze middle’ actually is based on individuals self assessment? I’m assuming a lot of people naturally assume they’re the average, despite being under and some well over. Especially in tall poppy syndrome nz, even the wealthiest like to think they’re just like everyone else, safe in the middle. It’s normal to own 6 rentals right?
Ha! You're right. A lot of people feel they're 'average hard-working kiwi battlers' and that everyone else owns their own home and a couple of rentals and bach. Can't be true for everyone by definition.
Is it a fundamental weakness of "western" governments that they don't want to do infrastructure unless they are forced into it? Or is that a more recent issue that, at least here, we can blame on Roger Douglas?
Thanks Brett. We used to be good at it, although often in the wake or during a war, when investment in tech, infrastructure and people can be justified by the threat to hearth and home. That's the story of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s in the west. The rise of neo-liberal economics designed to lower taxes and remove regulation happened (luckily for them) with the end of the Cold War and the arrival of lots of cheap stuff as China joined the world economy. Cue the last 30 years. Until now.
Do you think there is any chance we'll break free of this current situation, because I'm not seeing any signs that the government are taking it seriously yet. They say they are paying attention, but they say a lot of things.
I don’t think we pay low taxes for crappy services. I think the wealthy and corporations price gouge and pay low taxes and the money is hoarded and not used for either their personal obligations preferring to leave these matters to an incompetent state or to reinvest in the country so the incompetent state ends up doing all the R&D and investment for these massive businesses with average Joe’s tax as well. Then these innovations are privatised and sold back to us. It’s just unethical gangsterism by crooks really. I don’t think we should have to pay income tax a) if we can’t afford it after paying for our families or b) if the services are illegal against our legal and human rights or inadequate. There is a large body of law and common law of long-standing around these matters so it isn’t hard to work out. The Government and institutions don’t seem to think the laws apply to anyone except the wealthy.
How are you finding substack as a platform? Any particular features you'd like them to add, pain points, etc?
It's fantastic. I had to invent the wheel of a subscription email newsletter platform in 2012 with Hive News (you need a user database, newsletter publishing platform and payments platform that talk to each other). I spent $60k to cobble together mailchimp, a bespoke email writing tool, stripe and a database. It worked, but I realised pretty quickly I didn't have the resources or skill to develop and optimise it. Fast forward to Substack and it has done all this and keeps optimising and improving constantly, and easily, and with very little downtime. For just 10% of revenues. So easy to use and plenty of options to deploy if you want. I'm a superfan. Cheers.
Ahoy Bernard. On migration… Just back from PIF where Aus/NZ have different views. Aus is opening up with a ballot for 3000 Pacific migrants a year and letting RSE workers bring family. Ardern says wider migration isn’t fair to Pacific economies which have skills shortages in tourism. Does that have merit you reckon?
You make a great point. I actually think if Australia and NZ were serious about shutting out China they should create a Schengen style free trade, labour and movement zone where anyone could work and travel anywhere and get that country's welfare as of right. Both Australia and NZ need the labour and the Pacific needs the remittances. Would be a huge win win. I'll put that idea away to develop into a column. Your thoughts.?
That's my thoughts exactly. But I support NZ doing so unilaterally. A Schengen type scheme of NZ, our dependencies (Cook islands etc) plus Tonga Samoa and Fiji. No need to include Vanuatu Solomon's etc as NZ doesn't have same historical links and ties
Fair points.
My thoughts are i can't wait to read the column. Feels like the moment has arrived for the Pacific. I think Ardern is being her usual cautious self. Not a complete answer but remittances can support developing nations akin to aid
So how many NZers would go to the Pacific nations for welfare or medical care? It would be one way with the tax payer footing the bill. Being a Schengen state doesn’t automatically mean you get welfare as an internal migrant. Disclaimer I worked in a Belgium for 1-yr and spend a lot of time in Switzerland. Schengen simply allows visa free travel
I have been thinking of this idea for a few months now, its great for NZ, increases labour supply, and you don't have to provide healthcare, education and benefits, like kiwis in Aus. Do the Pacific islands actually want it? There is a significant risk of depopulation occurring of the working age like has occurred recently in the Cook Islands.
Which if any of the minor parties not currently in parliament do you think have a chance of being disrupters in the next election? For those who think Labour have worn out their welcome, Luxon and the Nats are not really an inspiring option and David Seymour and ACT even less (so as one note zealots).
I think TOP and Te Pāti Māori are the ones to watch to see if they can take advantage of the vacuum you rightly point to. I think it's partly reliant on how frustrated and abandoned voters on the Māori roll are and whether the Greens can disassociate themselves enough from Labour in the minds of their fans.
I think 5% is too high for TOP but see Te Pati Maori as one to watch
Having seen the blinkered way Treasury and mainstream Econ wallahs see the world I’m not optimistic you’ll convince them to have a “road to Damascus” conversion to investing in infrastructure but keep up the pressure!
Thanks RobertJ. I do have a few silent watchers inside the machine who quietly support and cheer me on, albeit without achieving much. I do think the tide is turning a bit though. The sorts of debates we're now having wouldn't have even been considered a decade ago.
Hi Bernard,
Why no talk about taxing church’s business income? Why should tax payers subsidise them? Genuine charity income/spending is ok BTW
Thanks. Yes. Sometimes hard to unravel the strands. Salvation Army? Mormons?
You mean the Cults? So they use the tricks big business use?
Maori Iwi tax rate? 17.5%. Tuhoi have billions in assets and pay a lower tax rate than my partner who works part-time. Sound fair
Yeah right😀
Hi Bernard - I've really enjoyed your posts this week. In terms of yesterday's post (on the likelihood of investment-light immigration), I would like to hear your views on how the compromise solutions that you propose (Labour giving up on Auckland Light Rail & Get Wellington Moving, National giving up on tax cuts & new highways) might link to your post earlier in the week on the 30/30 shibboleth?
I actually hate Bernards proposed compromises. Elections should be a contest of ideas. Not a stitch up of the two big parties. As for the political cover issue for things like congestion charging, why can't governments sell unpopular policies to the electorate and make the case for them like John Key did with the GST increase and assett sales
@Nicholas - I agree, but the reality is that around 400,000 swing voters effectively decide who gets into government, and these voters are very unlikely to a range of solutions like capital gains tax, land taxes, wealth taxes etc. Compromise measures such as the ones Bernard suggests, along with others such as raising the accepted level of central government debt, cutting local government in on a share of GST etc, might actually serve to unlock some of the current impasses. Politics, after all, is the art of the possible.
Thanks Nicholas. I would love the contest of ideas. Sadly, it's just not do-able with the political environment and the sets of parties, people and policies around at the moment. Trying to see opportunities to do things within the current rules of the game.
Thanks Alistair. Great connection. Yes. Ultimately, I think we'll need to change the investment incentives, which is I think a small, broad-based residential land value tax is a good solution that leaves the Capital Gains Tax third rail untouched. Would also not touch the farmers. Problem is the landbankers, who would hate it and are well connected.
It gets hard to be serious about a climate emergency while a war is on, when Russia is setting wheat fields on fire, when Germany is racing to get coal fired power stations back online before winter due to the war with Ukraine (and German vehicle production is in crisis due for the same reason). It seems likely to me that climate targets are going to be set and missed by everyone for at least the next couple of years. So, what actions should NZ take and what should they push out into the future in this environment?
We should go as hard and fast as possible to shift to as renewable as possible electric transport and efficient housing. Yes, Europe might be distracted for a bit, but this isn't going away and we've started slowly as it is. It will be cheaper once we're there.
Hi, any thoughts on the Christchurch stadium? Quite frustrating that in the same week we find we "can't afford" to get buses to a healthy standard, a council pushes the limits of affordability for this kind of project.
Indeed. I haven't had the bandwidth to focus on it. On the face of it, the spending would generate much better returns on fixing the basics of the roads and ensuring enough housing is built. Seems to me the Addington stadium is compact and does the trick. And is already there. But I'd need to have a much closer look at it all to have a more confident and useful view.
A good example of why local council infrastructure maintenance gets starved of funds - new drains vs a new stadium? Easy to pick the winner as regards sex appeal.
Re "We’re closer than you might think"
https://thekaka.substack.com/p/thursdays-chorus-nz-inc-stumbling
I think what you suggest is far too sensible to be accomplished through just a cross parliamentary bench accommodation, since what ever party is in government would get the majority of both the plaudits and backlash.
Truly don't you consider that this would require a National-Labour coalition to accomplish?
Ha! A grand coalition. Has been done in Germany with their MMP system. It would need some sort of populist threat from the left or right to make it happen. Can't see that coming at this stage.
Hi Bernard, thanks for all your insights and commentary. It's so refreshing to hear someone speak so candidly and honestly about very real issues. You've spoken several times recently about the 30/30 mantra and explained how this is really hindering progress towards very big issues including climate change and underinvestment in infrastructure. In your opinion what would be a key action that would budge parties/politicians on this and what do you think would be the most effective issue for constituents to push on to challenge this idea?
Thanks Carolyn. Anything that creates a win-win for the parties would help. That's why I think Labour-Green will to give up on the big, expensive and slow projects. And National-ACT will have to commit to congestion charges. We'll see.
Hi Bernard thanks so much for doing this. The AMAs are my favourite part of your substack and large part of reason why I subscribe. Recently was the four year anniversary of Kiwibuild. As you know it's only building a small fraction of the 10,000 homes a year its target is. You have said before the key reason for its failure is it didn't address the issue of council infrastructure costs. But didn't labour (and the media) know about this in 2017 before the election? Was Kiwibuild a big lie? Or was Labour ignorant of the council infrastructure costs issue? Or did they have some plan in mind in 2017 to deal with the problem that didn't work? Do you think Kiwibuild can get back on track to building 10,000 homes per year?
Thankyou Nicholas. Sorry it's a bit late today. Those are excellent questions that I often ask myself in dark moments. Why didn't we see it coming? Back then, I assumed Labour would solve the infrastructure problems early on, but I understand it was basically told the money was not there because of the 30/30 problem very early on. It should have known, but I suspect believed Treasury's magical thinking about Infrastructure Funding and Finance (still no deal done years after the legislation passed). That failure motivates me.
My neighbour tells me it’s going to cost $200,000 approx to subdivide their section into two titles! Kapiti Coast.
On the subject of other bits of infrastructure, do you think we're looking down the barrel of major collapses in health, education, and so forth. Down the road I even see protest signs on the fire station.
We seem to be heading for a situation where schools and hospitals will shut down due to lack of staff.
Is the next medical crises we face, and worse than COVID (while happening at the same time) going to be the sad fact that if you get sick in the future away from a major city, help isn't coming because your local hospital and doctor will have shut down?
There is a particular problem in health. This article is instructive and sobering. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/129258754/nurse-ashamed-and-embarrassed-to-work-in-a-health-system-in-tatters “We get swamped every day because there’s not enough beds in the wards. The hospital is way too small. So people are backing up in ED. The Ministry of Health sets deadlines that people can’t be at ED more than six hours, but we would breach that every day,” she said.
“It really is a domino effect through the whole health system, every department is working to capacity, there’s no meat in the sandwich and we’re all falling over. Right at the start of the coalface, even ambulances are stretched, holding patients in stretchers waiting for hospital beds to become available. “So there’s a flow-on effect. GPs can’t see people, ED can’t see people, even rest homes can’t get enough hospital beds. Everything in our health system is in tatters.”
When you commented about the need to change transport options to meet emission targets, are you aware of any computer modelling for the options in New Zealand. Recently I looked at changing entirely to battery equipment. It was not practicable, let alone economically viable. However it should be possible, the equipment just isn't available yet. If my experience is common I question whether the government is paying lip service to climate change, which would suit the carbon producers, wouldn't it?
Thanks Pat. We're late to the party and plenty of others have been working on this, subsidising this and getting to the top of the manufacturers' queues. It will come. The scale of the change is enormous and the economies of scale are building. The Climate Change has done a lot of modeling. But it does depend on a lot of variables and events here, including the closure (?) of Tiwai Point.
It won’t do much for the climate if we continue to rely on thermal generation for our marginal electricity supply, while continuing to adopt technologies that boost demand for it, and maintaining system that incentivises generators to profit from selling it.
Absolutely. 2m tonnes of coal burned last year, up 59% since Labour's election.
There must be heaps of potential for wind power from the west coast of NZ, let alone the consistent tidal flow between the North & South Islands of NZ. It is there to be tapped. We can convert some hydra station using pump back into gravity batteries and in the cities build flow batteries stations to maintain consistent power.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery
https://www.renewableuk.com/page/WindEnergy
Overall battery/power storage technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that it must be possible if not now then really soon.
One problem is that the solutions that already exist over thousands of companies huge & small locked up behind trade secrets and patents. Negotiating cross company deals with IP lawyers might be taking up most of the time, let alone the time reinventing the same wheels over & over.
The combined solutions are there. If the engineers were able to freely get together & slap the best of breed solutions together freely we would be able to switch away from carbon quite quickly.
Agree
Patrick Medlicott
The plea for migrants has economic and immigration aspects specific to it, but it strikes me as an end-stage manifestation of something that has been going on for years: the evasion of responsibility for training of workers. Apart from the various abuses and excuses rife in the industry, seasonal horticulture employers and workers seem to agree on one thing - that inexperienced (ie Kiwis willing to give it a go, perhaps newly unemployed or underemployed) cannot compete with the experienced migrant workers who return for multiple seasons. It’s far from the only industry where employers cannot afford, or will not contemplate accommodating, the mistakes and slower pace of learners. But it’s one where you can’t, I think, pay for a qualification from the education sector to take the place of learning that is best done, really has to be done, on the job. Not sure what happens when international outsourcing of desperation reaches saturation….
Really interesting insight Janet. Thanks. Hard to see durable solutions when workers are free to quit and take their experience with them. The speed and ease of movement from job to job, and city to city, and country to country, makes it hard for companies to see 'what's in it for me' when the investment has legs and walks out the door every night. Would be great to have some sort of subscription as a service thing for experience. But sadly, not do-able.
Politics is often so much about how people feel over the reality of their situation. How large do you think National’s ‘squeeze middle’ actually is based on individuals self assessment? I’m assuming a lot of people naturally assume they’re the average, despite being under and some well over. Especially in tall poppy syndrome nz, even the wealthiest like to think they’re just like everyone else, safe in the middle. It’s normal to own 6 rentals right?
Ha! You're right. A lot of people feel they're 'average hard-working kiwi battlers' and that everyone else owns their own home and a couple of rentals and bach. Can't be true for everyone by definition.
"It's normal to own 6 rentals right." I think you're being sarcastic. I hope you are.
It’s sad if saying 6 rental properties isn’t obviously factious enough. One rental is too many.