Sometimes the data screams a warning. Westpac's regular survey of employment confidence just hit a new low - worse than 2008 & COVID. library.westpaciq.com.au/content/dam/...

Pretty good. Top tax rate cuts in far too low though at $160k, which is very low versus housing market. US/Au income tax rates are more aggressive but at higher levels.

It's time for the super-rich and big corporations to pay their fair share. Visit greens.org.nz to learn how "A Tax System for All of Us" can build a fairer country for everyone 💚✊

Ads for meat and long distance tourism banned in Amsterdam. Say 75% of our export economy, and fair enough too. What the hell are we doing NZ. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/c...

But, maddenly, overall oil demand continued to rise in 2025. www.iea.org/reports/glob...

THREAD: The IEA global energy review 2026 * CO2 record high, but growth nearly ground to halt * Clean energy shaved 3bn tonnes off CO2 * Fossil-fuel power pushed into reverse * Age of Electricity "confirmed" * "Extraordinary" solar growth * Batteries up 40% * EVs up 20% 1/10

Perhaps senior NZG folks should also visit China to set up deals to buy, and prioritise delivery of, $billions in solar panels and batteries..

The 1979 Iran fuelled energy crisis resulted in Think Big (succeeding in improving energy independence), but then a wage price freeze. Winston was around then - 45 years ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...

NZ earns $17 billion from international tourism each year, and the bulk of people arrive on Air NZ. If Air NZ makes a $50m loss then NZ still makes say $1-300 per person versus $1 lost in a bad year for our national carrier.

It’s like climate change. The Brexit cost was so obviously off-the-scale insane that any forecast was going to be wrong. Steer away especially from ones that seem to be ‘not much to see here’

Maybe get someone who understands the other side as your chief negotiator. Or at least don’t admit it. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

InternetNZ AGM is terrible. Starting 25m late, motions not opening for voting until the agenda item, we can't see the motions, we can't talk, we are mostly on hold and....... .... it's a fantastic way to make us vote against the status quo. (It's my second AGM today. This should not be hard)

Formula 1 is the same. Rugby too. Good companies don't need to sponsor, as we already like them, but I wish they would, and for them to crowd out the bad.

If only there were a simple trick to increase demand. While you’re at it sign long term leases, match to long term mortgages and stop making people move. www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...

This is great. Of course a total ban of cars from all of Queen St. is the right answer, but play silly games... www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3606...

As someone of a certain age, lack of hair, business masters degree from the 90s, and US, Canadian and NZ business experience I feel unduly qualified to provide an interpretation of the messaging in this oft-quoted text. (And yes, I’ve been guilty of using “full court press” before)

In a world of bad business news, one bit of good news, which is the announcement of the sale of Quantifi Photonics, with founders, staff and seven NZ funds benefiting.

Every time I find myself on Stats NZ's website they achieve their primary role of preventing access to the statistics I want.

If this is the estimate now, I’m sure the result will be a lot more servos eliminated than that.

If only there were an elegant solution @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3605...

If you thought 2025 might be a year of recovery for NZ - there's news. www.stuff.co.nz/culture/3605...

If only there were other suppliers, hungry for deals and with capacity to expand rapidly www.made-in-china.com/products-sea...

Some ICE cars will be treasured for years. If yours isn’t one of them then plan to get $0 return. (Also TradeMe posts don’t show previews, which seems… odd) www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car...

I learned from this (gift link) article on how Aussies changed their response to bush fires. “In crises like this, you can play politics, point fingers and resist reality, or you can choose safety” www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/o...

Auckland transport is closing all the (low speed) EV chargers inside AT car parks. Leaving pretty much no option for apartment dwellers with that need.

Biomass using waste material makes sense. Cutting down trees to make pellets that you then burn is increasingly obviously nonsense.

Auckland

Bit windy today at Waikanae Beach

Lot’s of fun to cycle past them with a large load of a competitors products.

Always insightful to read the Act. www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2...

And now it’s capped out.

This (international) list of starter packs for IT techies is impressive. Bluesky really nailed the feature, and the work done is superb. github.com/stevendborre...

Seems so close…

And today’s progress on Auckland’s new Christmas tree.

Auckland’s new Christmas tree being assembled. It’s pretty impressive.

Global average per capita emissions of fossil CO2 over the last 4 years were 4.6t/capita. Aotearoa New Zealand's per capita emissions in 2022 were 6.2t/capita, despite our high percentage of renewable electricity. #nzpol

This chart is from the very first IPCC Assessment in 1990, showing various predictions of emissions based on scenarios where we took different actions. This is where we are after 33 years, just under the 'Business as Usual" scenario - 33 years of denial, prevarication and late-stage capitalism.

Was Nelson Mandela on US Terror Watchlist Until 2008? (Yes) www.snopes.com/fact-check/n...

Good good. www.newshub.co.nz/home/politic...

“You have two parties to a treaty, and one of them can’t unilaterally redefine it” Prof Margaret Mutu Do read this article, it’s so good. #nzpol

“Show a map of the Pacific with islands that were occupied by Japan in WWII clearly marked” Asking Chat GPT to create usable drawings like maps is hilarious.

A pretty crazy year for weather and climate this year! Bob Henson and I pick 10 events that really stood out.

A few hundred million dollars worth of emissions today, billions worth tomorrow, not to mention pressure on exporters, and existential-level harm.

Just nutty how many people this person stuffed over. www.stuff.co.nz/national/cri...

PSA: Watch out for engineered stone dust. www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12...

Very happy constituent. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic... @nzgreensglobal.bsky.social

Death knell peals intensify as Internet NZ migrates its already crippled mailing lists to ....... google.

Plenty to criticise NZGov about wrt climate action. However the triple renewables promise from countries with tiny renewable production is not NZ's fight. We are already at 85% of electricity production, thanks to investments in hydro and geothermal decades ago, still need more but not triple.