ASB economists plead for bipartisan approach to infrastructure and say Govt should borrow to help pay for $1 trillion of investment; Treasury says Budget deficit $3.5 billion lower than forecast
As you said May The Gods help us all. Can we open this to the public. They need to know what sort of backwards thinking this Govt is. I so want to see trams again! I was reading an old letter from my late mother where she remembers taking the tram from Haitaitai to school which cost 2 pennies in the 1930s. Then she talks about the trolley buses which stopped at the top of Kainaui road which she writes was a lovely scenic journey. They didn't have a car. So basically PT was so much better in the 30s! What have we done?
So can we goad this government into taking us back further than they already are - back to when there were hardly any cars and great public transport. Surely they would jump at the chance?
See Garry Moore. The answer is yes. To have a few ministers secretly deciding on funding”projects” who are avowed climate change deniers and environmental wreckers is the way to move NZ forward? Yeah Right!
" the project shut down by the Government in its first 100 days had a Benefit to Cost Ratio $2.40 to $1 of investment. That’s more than twice as productive as the 0.5 to 1.1 estimated BCR for the Mill Road project at Drury approved by the new Government, and the 1.3 estimated for the tolled Penlink motorway of Auckland"
This is just a continuation of the previous National government favouring infrastructure projects such as roads of national significance with negative benefit-cost ratios.
My experience from bringing up these sort of cost benefit arguments to NACT supporters is that they argue that the analysis has been skewed by labour/left. Their arguments against the analysis are based on gut feeling, personal experience and their mates who share the same political opinion as them
Thank you for another excellent Dawn Chorus Bernard, exposing the truly dreadful direction our country continues to head in. How much more can we take. Yes, it could get worse Garry Moore. Waking up to hear of the Maori Ward referendum and the change in influenza criteria removing the 55 to 65yr free availability to Maori and PI is heartbreaking.
Thoughts are with you and your wife Bernard as you attend Rod Oram's memorial. A wonderful man whose advocacy for Aotearoa will be so greatly missed. 💔
Please don't leave. While things are dire now think how much worse they will be for those who remain if a high percentage of the sane, rational, caring people leave the country. Stay, help us fight for those who can't leave and for the dream of a better, fairer, kinder NZ.
I reckon if Rod Oram and family thought this was a good place to come live in, then a good place it must be. Pity about some less than lovely inhabitants.
💯- the sigh followed by a deep pause in which cicadas/crickets fill the air - sum up this govt more than any words ever can - I don’t know if it’s intentional but it’s brilliant
Kia ora Bernard - Rod is such a sad loss, and this podcast evoked equal measures of exasperation, sadness, impulse to flee, and rage. These days, I think I need to plan when I listen very carefully. Keep up the great work.
A great digest of the news, Bernard, as always. Do please open up to the public. Hopefully more men will read it and change their opinion on this massively regressive govt. - women have got them sussed already, probably because are closer to seeing what's happening in the real world.
I'm actually happy that the Minister was blindsided by its ministry. This govt wants to slash and burn but put the blame onto the same public service it wants to slash and burn. So the Ministry is slapping the harsh truth in the Minister's face and force him to make a decision. Good. I hope all ministries will do the same.
I'd like to think Rod will be with us all in spirit at the School Strike 4 Climate this afternoon. He was a passionate truth seeker on climate change and I'm sure he was as impressed as I am by the strength and fight in young people. Shame about the rest of us really. Rest in peace, Rod.
Could this government get any worse?
Hi Garry
Yes, they could. Don't forget there is another election in two years time and they'll want another tax cut to buy some voters.
They could force you to eat the feijoas 😉
Yuck!
feijoas are delicious
Fejoas are so “Labour” - you will buy your fejoas from the supermarket now and you will enjoy doing your bit for the economy!!
As you said May The Gods help us all. Can we open this to the public. They need to know what sort of backwards thinking this Govt is. I so want to see trams again! I was reading an old letter from my late mother where she remembers taking the tram from Haitaitai to school which cost 2 pennies in the 1930s. Then she talks about the trolley buses which stopped at the top of Kainaui road which she writes was a lovely scenic journey. They didn't have a car. So basically PT was so much better in the 30s! What have we done?
So can we goad this government into taking us back further than they already are - back to when there were hardly any cars and great public transport. Surely they would jump at the chance?
Yes, open this one up to the public
See Garry Moore. The answer is yes. To have a few ministers secretly deciding on funding”projects” who are avowed climate change deniers and environmental wreckers is the way to move NZ forward? Yeah Right!
Patrick Medlicott
So much for the party of bussines 🙄
" the project shut down by the Government in its first 100 days had a Benefit to Cost Ratio $2.40 to $1 of investment. That’s more than twice as productive as the 0.5 to 1.1 estimated BCR for the Mill Road project at Drury approved by the new Government, and the 1.3 estimated for the tolled Penlink motorway of Auckland"
Unfortunately, the cynic in me thinks the benefit to cost ratio is lower for all these projects as we all know costs will end up much higher.
Just like roads then
National have never been about making good investments though. They just do what their donors want them to do. They love a good pork barrel.
Unreal during a cost of living crisis though. They should be making every $ count.
Like the $1.2B for regional development. Has anyone done a critical analysis of the benefit of the last time round?
This is just a continuation of the previous National government favouring infrastructure projects such as roads of national significance with negative benefit-cost ratios.
My experience from bringing up these sort of cost benefit arguments to NACT supporters is that they argue that the analysis has been skewed by labour/left. Their arguments against the analysis are based on gut feeling, personal experience and their mates who share the same political opinion as them
Thank you for another excellent Dawn Chorus Bernard, exposing the truly dreadful direction our country continues to head in. How much more can we take. Yes, it could get worse Garry Moore. Waking up to hear of the Maori Ward referendum and the change in influenza criteria removing the 55 to 65yr free availability to Maori and PI is heartbreaking.
Thoughts are with you and your wife Bernard as you attend Rod Oram's memorial. A wonderful man whose advocacy for Aotearoa will be so greatly missed. 💔
I’m in AoNZ annually between mid-November and mid-March, somehow managing to miss both tamarillos and feijoas…..
I may have to unsubscribe as this analysis is expediting my desire to leave the country. If didn’t have kids in school we’d be off.
Please don't leave. While things are dire now think how much worse they will be for those who remain if a high percentage of the sane, rational, caring people leave the country. Stay, help us fight for those who can't leave and for the dream of a better, fairer, kinder NZ.
Please stay and fight. We need the good, caring and logical people to stay and fight the good fight.
I reckon if Rod Oram and family thought this was a good place to come live in, then a good place it must be. Pity about some less than lovely inhabitants.
Lynn's pics and Sharon Murdoch's cartoons are always spot on! A picture paints.....
Bernard's sigh at 5:09 is exactly how I often feel when listening to analysis of this Government's decisions.
💯- the sigh followed by a deep pause in which cicadas/crickets fill the air - sum up this govt more than any words ever can - I don’t know if it’s intentional but it’s brilliant
Kia ora Bernard - Rod is such a sad loss, and this podcast evoked equal measures of exasperation, sadness, impulse to flee, and rage. These days, I think I need to plan when I listen very carefully. Keep up the great work.
A great digest of the news, Bernard, as always. Do please open up to the public. Hopefully more men will read it and change their opinion on this massively regressive govt. - women have got them sussed already, probably because are closer to seeing what's happening in the real world.
I think I am correct that 1/3 of the NZ population eligible to vote did not !!
If only 100%of all eligible women voted ..we might have stood a chance . 🤷
That sounds about right, Eleanor. I wish they would give the vote to 18 year olds too.
New Zealand 2023 election:
3,850,100 people eligible to enrol
2,851,211 valid votes cast
therefore 74 percent of people eligible to enrol cast a valid vote
(which means 26 percent (ie about one quarter) didn't)
Thanks Robert . 1/4 is better than 1/3 .. still.... 😔
My despair is put aside today as we remember the wise Rod Oram. Keep telling the true facts.
What sort of communists are there over at ASB? 😝
I'm actually happy that the Minister was blindsided by its ministry. This govt wants to slash and burn but put the blame onto the same public service it wants to slash and burn. So the Ministry is slapping the harsh truth in the Minister's face and force him to make a decision. Good. I hope all ministries will do the same.
I'd like to think Rod will be with us all in spirit at the School Strike 4 Climate this afternoon. He was a passionate truth seeker on climate change and I'm sure he was as impressed as I am by the strength and fight in young people. Shame about the rest of us really. Rest in peace, Rod.