TL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā for paying subscribers in the last week included:
The Opposition suggested this week the Labour Government’s books had fallen into a $20 billion ‘fiscal black hole’. I wrote and podcasted about how this claim was wrong and irresponsible in Friday’s email.
National proposed building $18 billion worth of new motorways if elected on October 14, using funds repurposed from public transport investment and road safety campaigns, along with private investment (possibly from China) and tolls on new roads. ACT said it wanted to toll existing roads too. Thursday’s email, Monday’s email and Tuesday’s email.
The Labour Government expanded its Progressive Home Ownership scheme for first home buyers from only new homes to existing homes, and lifted the income cap, thus adding to buying demand for the existing stock in a way that boosts prices and pleases median-voting home owners wanting more capital gains and help getting their kids into homes. Monday’s email.
PM Chris Hipkins unveiled the Government’s new Defence and Security strategies, which highlight the main risks as climate change and strategic competition and suggested more defence spending without promises or details. Friday’s Hoon above.
The planet warmed in July to an average of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial era temperatures for the first month ever, and many years before modellers said it was possible as El Nino and warming seas drove temperatures in parts of Latin America to over 35 degrees celcius, even though it is technically winter. Friday’s Hoon above.
What we talked about on ‘The Hoon’ on Friday night
In this week’s podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers at 5pm on Friday night:
5.00 pm - 5.15 pm - Bernard and Peter Bale opened the show with a summary of the news domestically and internationally, including the latest on the string of climate records and research in a chat with The Kākā’s new correspondent Cathrine Dyer.
5.15 pm - 5.35 pm - University of Otago ProfessorRobert Patman
about the Government’s new security strategy announced on Friday and comments from former Labour PM Helen Clark questioning the role of officials.
5.35 - 6pm - Bernard and Peter wrap the show with a discussion of the week in politics with columnist for The Post, Josie Pagani.
The Hoon’s podcast version above was produced by Simon Josey.
This is a sampler for all free subscribers. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, I’m able to spread the work from my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction around in other public venues. I’d love you to join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments.
Chart of the week
What should be on the front pages of all today’s papers
Map of the week
And leading TV news bulletins: 38.9 degrees C in Chile in winter
Other places I’ve appeared this week
My podcast for The Spinoff this week: Steaming to 100% renewable
This week in my weekly podcast, When The Facts Change, I drilled a long way down into the future of geothermal electricity production in an interview with Isabelle Chambefort from GNS Science. She’s excited about the potential for deep drilling to uncover ‘supercritical’ heat that supercharges geothermal power output, helping solve the dry year problem bedevilling our hydro-dominated power system.
Ka kite ano
Bernard
The Hoon around the week to Aug 5