Bernard Hickey Journalism / The Kākā

25/11/2024

"Look, I don't really live with regrets," says Luxon, looking back at his first year as PM

Luxon gives interviews on first anniversary of becoming PM, saying he has no regrets and now focusing on jobs and health spending cuts, rather than achieving surplus; Health NZ cuts public health jobs

25/11/2024

Hoon around last week's news with Helen Clark, Robert Patman and Susan St John

Bernard & Peter discuss the week’s news with Helen Clark & Robert Patman on geopolitics, AUKUS, the hikoi and the role of media in politics, plus Susan St John on the economy and taxing the NZ Super F

21/11/2024

Govt spending cuts needlessly worsening recession & hollowing out business, say economists including former Chief Economist at Treasury

Govt spending cuts needlessly worsening recession & hollowing out business, say economists in letter to PM, including former Chief Economist at Treasury; Kinleith paper mill shutting

20/11/2024

The official annual Health Survey shows sharp rises in food poverty, GP waiting times and mental health issues.

Survey of 9,719 adults & 3,062 children finds food poverty surged over the last year, mental health problems doubled, waiting times for doctors jumped & nearly half of people in poor areas now obese

16/11/2024

Cathrine Dyer & Bernard Hickey chat about the week's climate news, including how the economic risk from climate damage is calculated, permanent va temporary carbon sequestration, and COP29's kick-off

Cathrine Dyer & Bernard Hickey chat about the week's climate news, including how the economic risk from climate damage is calculated, permanent va temporary carbon sequestration, and COP29's kick-off

16/11/2024

Government’s drive to cut its size from 34% of GDP to under 30% & to cut debt from 43% to 30% dominates everything, including stalled redress for those abused in state care, health cuts & no CGT

Government’s drive to cut its size from 34% of GDP to under 30% & to cut debt from 43% to 30% dominates everything, including stalled redress for those abused in state care, health cuts & no CGT

16/11/2024

Auckland Mayor Brown reportedly wants to rewrite the housing zoning plans handed down by Chris Bishop, saying ‘more balanced’ approach needed to avoid ‘wasteful Council spending’

Auckland Mayor Brown reportedly wants to rewrite the housing zoning plans handed down by Chris Bishop, saying ‘more balanced’ approach needed to avoid ‘wasteful Council spending’

16/11/2024

Our hoon around the week's news
https://thekaka.substack.com/p/the-hoon-around-the-week-to-november-f2e

04/10/2024

Hoon around the week's news with The Kaka

Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale discuss the week’s news with Cathrine Dyer on climate & Robert Patman on geopolitics. Special guest Dr David Galler talks about the health sector's deep-rooted problems

04/10/2024

Our wrap of the latest climate news

Cathrine Dyer & Bernard Hickey chat about the week's big climate news, including the double whammy of more and more extreme weather events combined with insurance retreat

03/10/2024

What does our ageing population mean for NZ's future?
https://thekaka.substack.com/p/deep-dive-what-does-an-ageing-population

28/09/2024

Our hoon around the week's news on The Kaka:

Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale discuss the week’s news with Cathrine Dyer on climate & Robert Patman on geopolitics, plus special guest Matt Halliday on the launch of the 'F List' in Aotearoa

28/09/2024

Treasury’s Chief Economics Adviser gave what I consider the year’s most important speech, saying real and per-capita cuts in public spending and services implied by the Government’s surplus ambitions for 2028 would have to be unprecedented without tax increases, implying a fiscal savagery worse than that unleashed by Ruth Richardson in her ‘Mother of All Budgets’ of 1991.

Treasury warns Government will have to cut real per-capita spending and services in the biggest way ever to achieve a surplus by 2028, unless it increases taxes; Govt wants to shift climate goal posts

04/09/2024

Simeon Brown is cutting planned investment on cycling and walking over the next three years to $460 million from the $1 billion planned. Waka Kotahi-NZTA has disclosed the shift to spending more on motorways will increase climate emissions, although it says it has been told not to worry about emissions in the short term. It also hasn’t analysed the health or wider social costs of the pivot to petrol and diesel.

Brown cuts cycling and walking investments to $460m in 2024-27 transport plan by using money unspent from 2021-24, so no new funds; NZTA analysis shows new plan will increase climate emissions

29/08/2024

Disabled people, their parents and carers are reeling from the arbitrary freeze on new residential care placements

Arbitrary funding freeze by Upston means no new places in residential care for disabled people, effectively denying placements for all but the most acutely unwell, criminal or homeless

24/08/2024

A series of big papers on ocean heating has come out in the past few weeks, so we dig into the latest research on our warming seas and the potential effects

Cathrine Dyer & Bernard Hickey chat about the week's big climate news, including research into our "weirdly hot" oceans, and why we should be funding solar in developing countries.

24/08/2024

Human Rights Commission report exposes awful practices in NZ’s biggest visa scheme, which enables businesses to expand by importing temporary workers, and often abusing and underpaying them

Human Rights Commission report exposes awful practices in NZ’s biggest visa scheme, which enables businesses to expand by importing temporary workers, and often abusing and underpaying them

24/08/2024

Health specialists call for independent inquiry into funding, saying Lester Levy's plans for $1.4 billion of cuts will slice into services after years of under-funding

Health specialists call for independent inquiry into funding, saying Lester Levy's plans for $1.4 billion of cuts will slice into services after years of under-funding; Elderly poverty already hitting