henry cooke

(well admitting as much on several of those fronts - zoning, tax incentives, etc)

i agree that those are more important problems. but our politicians are admitting as much there. they are not admitting that cleaning out our kiwisavers at age 34 is bad news for our retirement and in a supply constrained market likely add to house prices

this column does not suggest that it is the sole or primary driver of higher house prices

Fantastic piece from @henrycooke.bsky.social. Not only does using KiwiSaver for a first home artificially inflate the housing market, it denies young people the benefit of compound interest at the time it’s most beneficial to them.
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

KiwiSaver’s original sin OPINION: Two decades on, the decision to let people raid their retirement savings for a house looks worse than ever.

Column this morning is on the original sin of KiwiSaver - the fact we all empty it out to buy homes

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Chris Bishop says HUD advised against the move on orders.

Chris Luxon says he misspoke yesterday saying “any action” was supported if it stopped Iran developing nukes. He says he should have said “action”.

thanks, that was me

Here’s Luxon saying NZ supports “any action” to stop Iran and me following up to ask if that would include carpet bombing (vid via RNZ)

Luxon said in his presser today that NZ sees "any actions" that stop Iran getting a nuke, sponsoring terrorism, or hurting own people as a good thing. I asked him if that included carpet bombing the country and he said it didn't.

Helen Clark tells me New Zealand must clearly reject the 'slippery slope' into war, after the UK found itself involved.

She says Luxon appears to have endorsed the strikes this morning and it seems he would have invaded Iraq had he been PM in 2003.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

no congratulation present you utter tool

NZ calls for resumption of negotiations with Iran following US attack Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters say Iran must stop retaliating in statement following US strikes.

NZ putting itself closer to the European position (neither endorsing nor condemning US attack, calling for resumption of talks) rather than the more pro-US Aus + Canada position

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

yup! Parklet festival

another gorgeous day in the capital 🫡

Infrastructure boss: Tolls and charges needed before new projects New Zealand is building costly roads it may not need, Infrastructure Commission head Geoff Cooper says, urging far greater use of tolls and congestion charges first.

In an interview with me in The Post this morning, the Infrastructure Commission head says equity arguments about the impact of congestion charges must be balanced with the equity issue of building roads we don’t need

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

It sure looks like people are never going to get over Jacinda Ardern The former PM retired three years ago. The very mention of her name still has the power to send grown men spiralling,

i think hayden put it well thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-...

look i posted about it once and i am still getting hate mail for it

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no i am fairly clearly saying that the news reports on things that are new and wellington's water is usually a lot better than auckland's. this would be obvious if you had quote tweeted me instead of cutting out what i was replying too, but that wouldn't work for your framing

Poll: Kiwis back mega projects despite commission’s warning on costs New polling shows the vast majority of Kiwis want the Government to build big - but flood protection is top priority, not roads.

New polling shows Kiwis overwhelmingly back “mega projects” - just as the Infrastructure Commission suggests we need to quit them

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

The Government’s proposing a new rule to penalise close passing - but it’s more lax than the road code

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

mixing metaphors this intensely actually goes quite hard

chad south coast brutally mogs wider country

see the thing is in wellington when we make our beaches unsafe, it makes the news

Wellington's beaches are currently more consistently safe to swim at than Auckand's, per LAWA

In 1890, a group of Wellingtonians set fire to a toll booth on Hutt Road, and then threw it into the harbour.

Column today is on whether we have really moved to a more enlightened position on user pays:

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Ministers clash over Hauraki Gulf protections Shane Jones warns National’s plan would breach the Sealord settlement and cost Māori hundreds of millions, but Tama Potaka insists the policy upholds Treaty obligations.

NEW: Shane Jones says National’s campaign proposals to protect the Hauraki Gulf would breach a full and final treaty settlement, and likely cost the Govt huge amounts in compensation

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

just finished HEAVY WEATHER, my first wodehouse. tired in the middle of the plot but on a sentence level just a delight. i can understand how his stuff becomes comfort food