“Should LNG imports proceed, domestic gas pricing would increasingly be influenced by international energy markets as existing long-term contracts expire. This has the potential to place upward pressure on gas prices over time.” - LNG supplier. @dileepafonseka.bsky.social (paywalled)

In one incident 41 students and 8 staff got sick, then there were the billing irregularities… An Ombudsman decision means a memo about school lunch procurement concerns has now been released. businessdesk.co.nz/article/inve...

“Everything the Chinese have been whispering into the ears of Cambodia, Vietnam & Malaysia, that the US doesn’t care about them & won’t take their interests into account, has been confirmed with a single bad decision.” -Richard McGregor, Lowy Institute www.afr.com/politics/fed...

Former head of the Australian Defence Force says Australia needs a plan B in case AUKUS falls apart… “The first six weeks of this administration has shown that no agreement is secure” www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Mobile phones have surpassed diamonds as India’s biggest export as Apple quietly shifts its supply chain, via AFR www.afr.com/world/asia/a...

A reminder that nationalism has ruined nations: “It's ideology: we can do it ourselves, we will put big tariff walls around the country, we will not enter into Free Trade Agreements…we have some 2500-year history [as] a bunch of bad-ass pig-headed Sinhala Buddhists” www.stuff.co.nz/business/131...

It’s nuclear, it’s political, and it might be difficult to progress the NZ-India relationship without resolving it. My article for BusinessDesk looks at a big nuclear issue India might find hard to look past: businessdesk.co.nz/article/poli...

Britain’s Investments summits didn’t rescue Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, or Keir Starmer in the polls. Will NZ’s version fare any better? More importantly, what do we want from the summit? businessdesk.co.nz/article/opin...

When property value fears derail hazard assessments www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3605...

“Singapore’s defence minister Ng Eng Hen said after hearing Vance’s speech at Munich …that America’s image in Asia ‘has changed from liberator to great disruptor to a landlord seeking rent’.” insidestory.org.au/the-unilater...

Advanced data shows the US goods trade deficit spiked to record highs in January, with imports jumping by $34B as businesses and consumers rushed to buy foreign goods ahead of Trump's tariff hikes

📢 On the Money is our weekly newsletter of general frippery from the worlds of business and government.OTM is not quite sure why the Tall Blacks couldn’t ha...

Relevant to today’s events: “If the US position is now to identify what you can do for the US and then use all its considerable leverage to ensure it is done, where does it leave our historical dependence on the US as the last resort defender of Australia?” www.afr.com/policy/forei...

📢 Fletcher Building and SkyCity both say they are not responsible for the delay in opening the New Zealand International Convention Centre.In a statement to the N... 👉 Latest news bot: Palmy School News

At one point, NZ allegedly had just 50 artillery rounds. Not per gun. Total. businessdesk.co.nz/article/poli...

📢 The head of the India New Zealand Business Council says the Indian Government has started sounding out some of India's largest businesses on their feelings...

📢 Running NZ to failure (First published July 29)As hospitals in the United Kingdom reverted to pen and paper for part of last week, the New Zealand way of runnin... 👉 More news/weather bots

📢 Australasian casinos appear to be doing their best to disprove the old gambling adage that the house always wins. One major Australian casino chain, Star,... 👉 Bot to check Bluesky account creation dates

One of the most enjoyable jobs i have is writing #failfile for @businessdesk.nzcow.com You can read the best of 2025 in this link. Warning! early ones were free, there is a paywall now. #learning #sharing businessdesk.co.nz/article/fail...

So as some of you know, I sued the board of Laura Fergusson and then ended up being Chair! It's been a busy year, we brought a house in Mt Albert for transitional accommodation for people leaving the Spinal Unit and began some gym programmes (🧵 1) www.laurafergusson.co.nz

“The apex predator may rack up some impressive kills, but the jungle will grow deadlier and more savage for everyone – including, eventually, for the United States, too.” -Ian Bremmer open.substack.com/pub/gzeromed...

NZ exodus making it difficult for Australia to contain migration numbers. Permanent residency rule change for NZers described as an “own goal” in the AFR. Might not be long before Australia changes the rules again.. www.afr.com/politics/fed...

Always great to ring in the New Year watching the fireworks over the Skytower.

Best wishes for a fantastic 2025 Aotearoa! Happy New Year!

New Zealand’s real Eiffel Tower 😉

Victoria has been the lowest-spending lowest-taxing Mainland state of Australia for the past 25 years according to AFR analysis. Also received very low share of central govt funds, & didn’t get access to its mining royalties. www.afr.com/politics/the...

Lol Notre dame cathedral had a devastating fire and is mostly restored, reopening about 5 years later today. Christchurch cathedral. still a pile of ruble.

NZ seems to have caught an English disease that isn't football hooliganism... bsky.app/profile/kuma...

I'm sure they'll all be happy to have their rates increased to pay for it.

And so the Wellington City to Sea rebellion begins: “I do not want a new bridge, I want the existing structures … please stop this process, please pause and reconsider everything.” www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3604...

City life 😍

big tree lit up lfg

Tāmaki Makaurau gathering around the tree. It's starting to feel a little festive.

Te Komititanga lighting up last night. Great event.

Xmas at Te Komititanga at dusk 🎄

Christmas in Te Komititanga Square! (Yes, am aware it’s still November)

AFR says US and Australian officials are warning Australian govt that a crackdown on social media (including age requirements for accounts & attempts to force US tech giants to pay for local news content) could see US slap tariffs on exports www.afr.com/politics/fed...

Hamilton was put on a negative watch by Standard & Poors because we didn't increase rates adequately last year - 4.9%, and a motion from myself an Cr Thomson to move it to 5.9% failed. The average rates rise across the country this year was 15%. We can't pretend high rates are unique.

Very funny read in the New Yorker: “One thing is certain—Democrats need to have a bold, progressive vision for the future that does not alienate voters who dislike things that are bold, progressive, or visions for the future.” www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Wellington Man Has Crushing Realisation About Frequency of Good Days

whoa! an actual piece of good news from auckland transit!!

"Just over a week ago, one question was front and centre at a foreign investor forum in Thailand: If your country is so great, why is everybody leaving?" (paywalled)

In the article Ana Sarić, says when she lived in NZ "we’d leave [home] in the dark and then get home in the dark, & it wasn’t a good thing, we were eating takeaways and we were just like ‘I’m over this’.” But in Japan “it’s so cheap ... a one-bedroom apartment is [$661] a month, & I live in Tokyo.”

Why would investors choose NZ when Kiwis are leaving? Column for BusinessDesk this morning explores why housing policies are driving people & investment away. businessdesk.co.nz/article/opin...

Economist mag says cost of meeting carbon emissions goals less than 1% of global GDP, which it thinks is “probably still an overestimate”. “Not peanuts, but not an unaffordable pipe dream, either,” it says. www.economist.com/interactive/...

Some farmers not happy Fonterra selling its consumer brands. Geoff Crawford: “I've heard Miles on the radio being interviewed saying that we're not good at it [the brands] … He should either be sacked or get somebody who is good at it.” businessdesk.co.nz/article/prim...

In BusinessDesk’s On The Money this weekend. OTM visits the Thai temple Christopher Luxon didn’t but John Key did, Ministry for the Environment pulls funding for EDS conference, & more.. businessdesk.co.nz/article/on-t...

Eke Panuku CEO David Rankin: “It's always interesting to me how successfully cities make the most of what can often be quite meagre assets … Melbourne is an example.” businessdesk.co.nz/article/the-...

Japan’s former Ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami seems a little annoyed Oz is tilting back to better relations w/ China: “There’s no question that Anthony Albanese has been weak and meek vis a vis China. This is common knowledge in the international community” www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...