The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

Simeon Brown launches $10 billion PPP plan for four-lane highway from Auckland to Whangarei by 2038; PHCC warns of whooping cough spike; ComCom targets $200 million-plus of excess card fees

TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:

1. Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of the Roads of National Significance programme. The RFP issued by Waka Kotahi-NZTA and attached below indicated a total cost of around $10 billion, starting next year and finishing by 2038. It included the map below.

2. Poverty: The Public Health Communication Centre released a briefing warning of a spike in whooping cough among NZ infants, with cases over tripling between April and June.

3. Costs of Living: The Commerce Commission announced a consultation on ways to reduce the cost of Visa and Mastercard payment fees to consumers and businesses, which it estimated in this briefing paper was more than $200 million in excess of what they should be.

4. Verbatim: Full news conference video with Health NZ chairman Dr Lester Levy and CEO Fepulea’i Margie Apa talking about this week’s appointment of Levy as a commissioner.

5. Statistics: Stats NZ reported greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.5% in the year ending March 2024, although emissions from agriculture, forestry, and fishing fell 1.9%. Electricity emissions rose in the March quarter because more gas was burned by generators.

6. Climate: The International Council on Clean Transportation reported all new aircraft built from around 2035 onwards would need to emit net zero CO2 throughout their lifespan to meet the International Civil Aviation Organization's goal of net-zero CO2 by 2050.

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The Journal of Record in the day to 7:00 am: