Farmers exempted from ETS & given $400m to cut methane; ComCom finds fuel firms inflate profits via 'rockets & feathers'; Homeless live in quake-hit offices; High OCR inflates bank profits by $9m/day
Release please. Ignorant neoliberal capitalists are running the show. Where are the good farmers?? This bullshit about” feeding the world “ has to stop. It is rank nonsense from “.Groanswell” NZ has to pay its climate bill like every citizen on the planet they are intent on destroying. Greedy little buggers. Drill baby drill!!
Interesting how ‘globally inconsequential’ we are when it comes to greenhouse gas but how we ‘feed the world!’ when it comes to farming revenue. So are we big or small?
I personally can’t wait for another climate disaster event to hit our country and for the farmers to get a bailout despite not contributing to the fund it came from
I hope that this will be an inflexion point for the many farmers who have supported HWEN and strive to do their best for the environment.
Presumably many will be very dismayed at this disregard of sound science and economic planning. And the $$$ implications of our Paris Agreement liabilities.
Putting aside the political challenge, would allowing the Reserve Bank to increase say the middle income tax rate by a few cents when the economy was overheated be economically effective in reducing aggregate demand? The money would need to be put into some kind of ring fenced future fund that would be invested in the economy at times of recession. Thinking it could be another tool that would mean interest rates alone wouldn't have to do so much heavy lifting. Because of lots of people fixing mortgages tax rate changes might also have more immediate impact?
The people with the most money, spend the most money as they have the most money. After housing costs, the top 20% of households have an income of 43.7% of all income. The bottom 80% receive 56.3% of all income (after housing costs). So, hit the households who can most afford it.
As you demonstrate on almost a daily basis our policy mix can't be seen as anything other than insane. Grasping at the short term, duck shoving costs elsewhere and bugger the reality that will generate an existential bill in the end.
Please release Bernard. We all know some ‘good’ farmers, but they have been drowned out by the industrial scale greed merchants, hereafter known as ‘Big Farma’ with similar concerns for humanity and the planet as their corporate cousins in Big Pharma
I regularly watch 'Country Calendar' & am impressed by the intelligent, pro environment farmers who are featured. Unfortunately, these farmers never become spokespersons for Fed. Farmers, etc. Instead, the Big Farma lobby groups are dominated by the industrial scale greed merchants & we are the worse off for that.
This morning the Federated Farmers President stated that farmers were well ahead of what would be required to fully comply with the ETS scheme. If that were the case, why then have the farmers rebelled against such a scheme? If they are truely ahead, they could adopt the scheme as the goals will be achieved anyway.
I would like to see the Commerce Commission get more aggressive in its investigation into all of the ways Kiwis are currently being screwed by petrol companies, supermarkets, banks, power companies etc and to do more than issue warnings. AI should be able to help with real time analysis of pricing and there needs to be meaningful and swift punishments doled out for uncompetitive and unfair behaviour. I don't know enough about the Comcoms remit, is this something they could do with the tools and legislation they currently have? If the Government won't do anything to ease our cost of living crisis, can the Commerce Commission?
Insurance anecdotes. This year our car insurance premiums are up 15%. This year the construction insurance premiums (for our major house renovation) are up 46%. Investigate insurance companies.
Agriculture (animals) is responsible for 48% of NZ emissions. It amounts to 5.65% of NZ GDP so it is VERY emissions heavy. It employs about 120,000 people so about 4% of NZs 3,000,000 employees. They degrade about 90% of NZ groundwater and rivers. How have they become such a powerful lobbying body? Why do we accept these environmental criminals?
I was yanked out of my fuzzy picture of NZ being a nice place when I did a Massey Sociology paper on New Zealand Society back in the day. Over all, power was with the right - especially the farming sector. We need a wider economic base but it keeps catching a plane overseas.
but it pays for nearly all of your imports - the computer you are looking at as you read this, your smartphone, your car - the petrol in the tank, your overseas holidays - all paid for by farming (mostly) or forestry or fishing - you see much of the rest of New Zealand (Bernard excepted) does nothing to earn foreign exchange to pay for the goodies we import - that is the silly thing about viewing the world through the lens of GDP which is a totally spurious measure of productivity - that 5.65% pays for pretty much everything we import - ponder for a moment if we could not afford to import anything (Cuba on a bad day leaps to mind)
I've decided to follow Bill English into the justification industry - want to see if I can get myself some of that sweet agriculture industry $400m! I reckon I can put together 20-or-so pages of cost:benefit analysis explaining how our farm conversions to pine forests *need* increased CO2 emissions from the agriculture processing industry to flourish, and then they can deliver carbon offsets for the methane emissions from the agriculture production industry...
This sorry government is writing its own obituary. They watch helplessly as banks and fuel companies rip us off, look the other way as lobbyists set their own agenda, subsidise their mates (with our taxes) and gawp helplessly as the rest of the world moves rapidly and enthusiastically into renewables while NZ invites the oil companies back for another go.
You can't help but think they are expecting things to fall apart sooner rather than later and are extracting as much as they can from the situation before the electorate tells them to move right along.
I read this response from the Science Media Centre to the announcement that greenhouse gases from agriculture will not be covered in the ETS next year.
One of the responses is from a senior scientist at AgResearch.
Given that:
1. (According to their website) the purpose of AgResearch is to enhance the value, productivity and profitability of Aotearoa New Zealand’s pastoral agri-food and agri-technology sectors through effective science, supporting the primary sector and the Government’s science and innovation priority areas, and
2. (According to Wikipedia) AgResearch is a Crown Research Institute responsible for delivering innovative science and research outcomes specifically for the agricultural sector, and
3. Today’s announcement also included further investment in technologies to lower on-farm emissions, and
I’m really struggling to see how the senior scientist at AgResearch can say they have “no conflicts of interest”. What I’m not struggling with recognising, however, is the tone of their response to the announcement.
We 100% need a mandatory code for lobbyists. And if the idea is to rely on the OIA and LGOIMA for transparency then the Government needs to at least double the resources of, and increase the powers of, the Office of the Ombudsman. It’s far too easy for influence to be hidden and remain hidden. The influence of industry lobbies on the reform of the 3 waters sector has been, and continues to be, significant. Requests for Chatham house rules’ discussions over corporate-sponsored lunches and dinners are normal and (unfortunately) ‘acceptable’ in this country. We need a shake up. The reasons we sit high on the transparency rankings are because no one is looking for corruption and because it is just so easy to hide it.
Hi Bernard
Release please. Ignorant neoliberal capitalists are running the show. Where are the good farmers?? This bullshit about” feeding the world “ has to stop. It is rank nonsense from “.Groanswell” NZ has to pay its climate bill like every citizen on the planet they are intent on destroying. Greedy little buggers. Drill baby drill!!
Patrickk Medlicott
Interesting how ‘globally inconsequential’ we are when it comes to greenhouse gas but how we ‘feed the world!’ when it comes to farming revenue. So are we big or small?
I personally can’t wait for another climate disaster event to hit our country and for the farmers to get a bailout despite not contributing to the fund it came from
I hope that this will be an inflexion point for the many farmers who have supported HWEN and strive to do their best for the environment.
Presumably many will be very dismayed at this disregard of sound science and economic planning. And the $$$ implications of our Paris Agreement liabilities.
Putting aside the political challenge, would allowing the Reserve Bank to increase say the middle income tax rate by a few cents when the economy was overheated be economically effective in reducing aggregate demand? The money would need to be put into some kind of ring fenced future fund that would be invested in the economy at times of recession. Thinking it could be another tool that would mean interest rates alone wouldn't have to do so much heavy lifting. Because of lots of people fixing mortgages tax rate changes might also have more immediate impact?
The people with the most money, spend the most money as they have the most money. After housing costs, the top 20% of households have an income of 43.7% of all income. The bottom 80% receive 56.3% of all income (after housing costs). So, hit the households who can most afford it.
As you demonstrate on almost a daily basis our policy mix can't be seen as anything other than insane. Grasping at the short term, duck shoving costs elsewhere and bugger the reality that will generate an existential bill in the end.
Please release Bernard. We all know some ‘good’ farmers, but they have been drowned out by the industrial scale greed merchants, hereafter known as ‘Big Farma’ with similar concerns for humanity and the planet as their corporate cousins in Big Pharma
I regularly watch 'Country Calendar' & am impressed by the intelligent, pro environment farmers who are featured. Unfortunately, these farmers never become spokespersons for Fed. Farmers, etc. Instead, the Big Farma lobby groups are dominated by the industrial scale greed merchants & we are the worse off for that.
There are 50,000 farms in NZ, I don't know how many farmERS. There will be a few good apples. Less than 1000? That is 2%.
"greed merchants" don't give a stuff about humanity or planet earth.
maximise profit is their predominate idea/thought. many of them wouldn't know what humanity is/means.
This morning the Federated Farmers President stated that farmers were well ahead of what would be required to fully comply with the ETS scheme. If that were the case, why then have the farmers rebelled against such a scheme? If they are truely ahead, they could adopt the scheme as the goals will be achieved anyway.
I agree. We need to see the evidence for their statement.
Anecdotally, many farmers have made big changes to their processes, changed to regenerative farming and changed land-use, but evidence is important.
I agree, lets see the evidence.
I keep coming back to this https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/peter-meihana-the-pervasive-myth-of-maori-privilege/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2fSxSvjJ-f0CHBDPdpqU9aKYACWhjhlML-EGuaZ4EOBLbf7iNMRXjZuac_aem_AU-AHwNPd30Cv9cQxeLYYZDbbN-oAnSNy1rKkUR1Iyqyes-ADWn1Sbputmer327OiIbAqyDgTlsz5x4xZO0_WZZt
Such an excellent article. So sad to see much of the hope mentioned in that writing just 12 months ago now dashed.
I would like to see the Commerce Commission get more aggressive in its investigation into all of the ways Kiwis are currently being screwed by petrol companies, supermarkets, banks, power companies etc and to do more than issue warnings. AI should be able to help with real time analysis of pricing and there needs to be meaningful and swift punishments doled out for uncompetitive and unfair behaviour. I don't know enough about the Comcoms remit, is this something they could do with the tools and legislation they currently have? If the Government won't do anything to ease our cost of living crisis, can the Commerce Commission?
Insurance anecdotes. This year our car insurance premiums are up 15%. This year the construction insurance premiums (for our major house renovation) are up 46%. Investigate insurance companies.
Agriculture (animals) is responsible for 48% of NZ emissions. It amounts to 5.65% of NZ GDP so it is VERY emissions heavy. It employs about 120,000 people so about 4% of NZs 3,000,000 employees. They degrade about 90% of NZ groundwater and rivers. How have they become such a powerful lobbying body? Why do we accept these environmental criminals?
I would be interested to see the figures for agriculture being 5.65% of GDP. Sorry I’m a bit lazy to hunt them out.
I think that 5% number for overall NZ GDP output is correct but the Agri sector produces 70% of our exports which is our dilemma
How have they become such a powerful lobbying body? A quick look at NZ's history will provide the answer.
I was yanked out of my fuzzy picture of NZ being a nice place when I did a Massey Sociology paper on New Zealand Society back in the day. Over all, power was with the right - especially the farming sector. We need a wider economic base but it keeps catching a plane overseas.
but it pays for nearly all of your imports - the computer you are looking at as you read this, your smartphone, your car - the petrol in the tank, your overseas holidays - all paid for by farming (mostly) or forestry or fishing - you see much of the rest of New Zealand (Bernard excepted) does nothing to earn foreign exchange to pay for the goodies we import - that is the silly thing about viewing the world through the lens of GDP which is a totally spurious measure of productivity - that 5.65% pays for pretty much everything we import - ponder for a moment if we could not afford to import anything (Cuba on a bad day leaps to mind)
I've decided to follow Bill English into the justification industry - want to see if I can get myself some of that sweet agriculture industry $400m! I reckon I can put together 20-or-so pages of cost:benefit analysis explaining how our farm conversions to pine forests *need* increased CO2 emissions from the agriculture processing industry to flourish, and then they can deliver carbon offsets for the methane emissions from the agriculture production industry...
Bernard. After reading through this desperate list Im not surprised to had to take some time out. Thank you for your careful and soul crushing work.
This sorry government is writing its own obituary. They watch helplessly as banks and fuel companies rip us off, look the other way as lobbyists set their own agenda, subsidise their mates (with our taxes) and gawp helplessly as the rest of the world moves rapidly and enthusiastically into renewables while NZ invites the oil companies back for another go.
You can't help but think they are expecting things to fall apart sooner rather than later and are extracting as much as they can from the situation before the electorate tells them to move right along.
A windfall tax levied against against fuel companies, banks and supermarkets would put these businesses in their place
I read this response from the Science Media Centre to the announcement that greenhouse gases from agriculture will not be covered in the ETS next year.
https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2024/06/11/farming-to-remain-outside-nzs-emissions-trading-scheme-expert-reaction/
One of the responses is from a senior scientist at AgResearch.
Given that:
1. (According to their website) the purpose of AgResearch is to enhance the value, productivity and profitability of Aotearoa New Zealand’s pastoral agri-food and agri-technology sectors through effective science, supporting the primary sector and the Government’s science and innovation priority areas, and
2. (According to Wikipedia) AgResearch is a Crown Research Institute responsible for delivering innovative science and research outcomes specifically for the agricultural sector, and
3. Today’s announcement also included further investment in technologies to lower on-farm emissions, and
4. The partners of AgResearch can be seen here: https://www.agresearch.co.nz/partnering-with-us/our-partners/
I’m really struggling to see how the senior scientist at AgResearch can say they have “no conflicts of interest”. What I’m not struggling with recognising, however, is the tone of their response to the announcement.
We 100% need a mandatory code for lobbyists. And if the idea is to rely on the OIA and LGOIMA for transparency then the Government needs to at least double the resources of, and increase the powers of, the Office of the Ombudsman. It’s far too easy for influence to be hidden and remain hidden. The influence of industry lobbies on the reform of the 3 waters sector has been, and continues to be, significant. Requests for Chatham house rules’ discussions over corporate-sponsored lunches and dinners are normal and (unfortunately) ‘acceptable’ in this country. We need a shake up. The reasons we sit high on the transparency rankings are because no one is looking for corruption and because it is just so easy to hide it.
Yes, Yes. And Yes!