![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f680f75-b7f1-4a55-a6e8-189b1558c893_2047x1365.jpeg)
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Tuesday, July 16 are:
PM Christopher Luxon has given his most hawkish comments yet on China, saying he would not shy away from calling it out again on spying, that he saw China as a strategic competitor, and that New Zealand’s military could be a ‘force multiplier’ in that contest with China;
Councils are gearing up their opposition to Chris Bishop’s ‘Going for Growth’ plan, saying there’s not enough Government financial help on infrastructure and public transport to go both up and out;
In solutions news, there’s a growing case for Aotearoa to take advantage of China’s subsidies for electric batteries, solar panels and electric vehicles, despite what Europe and the United States think of as unfair competition;
The economy slumped into contractionary territory in June, a new survey of the services sector shows in our Chart of the Day;
Building climate resilience is actually about building connections with each other to rely on each other, rather than going it alone, an author writes in our Quote of the Day; and,
Our Climate Chart of the Day shows the close connection between inequality and climate emissions.
(Full paying subscribers can see and hear more detail, analysis and commentary in my podcast above and below the paywall fold. They also get sent the full daily Pick ‘n’ Mix and today’s Journal of Record email. If we get more than 100 likes, we open these articles up for full public access and sharing online. Join our community of paying subscribers to also be able to comment and get access to our ‘Hoon’ webinars.)
Top Six Things to note on July 16:
1. Luxon very hawkish on China in FT interview
PM call outs China’s spying & sees NZ as AUKUS ‘force multiplier’
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Kākā by Bernard Hickey to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.