Bernard Hickey

In today’s NZ Herald

Interesting thread

Feels about right.

National in turmoil: Luxon on the brink as party searches for a reset OPINION: The frontrunner to take the top job seems to be Education Minister Erica Stanford: liked by the public, especially parents, and TV-friendly. The consensus is any new leader must be Auckland-based.

OPINION: The frontrunner to take the top job seems to be Education Minister Erica Stanford: liked by the public, especially parents, and TV-friendly. The consensus is any new leader must be Auckland-based.

Wellington council budget cuts - big climate cuts Deputy mayor Ben McNulty has been behind closed doors taking a scalpel to council spending and today, some time around noon, invites Wellington to see his masterpiece.

We’re in a climate crisis, a 40 percent cut to our climate response budget makes no sense financially or for the future of the city. Next week’s proposals include a total gutting of cycleway funding, & a backdown on commercial rates for Air B&B providers www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3609...

Fertilizer costs tend to go up dramatically during global supply chain disruptions. That’s annoying for you but potentially catastrophic for the poorest people on the planet.

Dawn Chorus: National slumps to 28% Curia poll due today to show National down from 31% to 28%, the lowest level since Bridges and Collins; Luxon leadership talk returns; Jet fuel prices up 12%; Hardship rejections up 66%

Dawn Chorus out: Curia poll due today to show National down from 31% to 28%, the lowest level since Bridges and Collins; Luxon leadership talk returns; Jet fuel prices up 12%; Hardship rejections up 66% #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

We're on. Join us at 5pm for this week's Hoon Join Bernard & Peter Bale for our weekly 'Hoon' around the week’s news in politics, geopolitics, climate & economics with Cathrine Dyer, Robert Patman and Jonathan Lyons. Iran, climate & economy today

Our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subs starts at 5pm today & goes for an hour. A ‘Hoon’ is a group of Kākā. We chat about the week’s news, including me, @Peter Bale @Cathrine Dyer & @Robert Patman, plus Jonathan Lyons. Podcast out tomorrow for all. #nzpol thekaka.substack.com/p/were-on-jo...

So the world’s most infamous draft dodger wants the unarmed Iranian people to rise up against one of the world’s most ruthless bunch, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Ted Brown, Moama
The Age, letters

This cartoon from @derspiegel shows the world as seen by Trump. It's a new take on an old cartoon premise. I live on the Idiots island. Source: buff.ly/hvd2Bys

Regular readers will know that I have been worrying about the apparent recovery being, actually, a settling at a new low. Latest jobs data doing nothing to allay my fears. No pushing through to job growth apparent in the data at all. Image 2 has the critical service jobs.

Government considering scrapping entire clean car standard An EV advocate says if the proposal goes ahead, Kiwis will be sold "the high-emitting leftovers" that manufacturers can no longer sell in Australia.

In Australia cars averaged 114 gCO2/km (target 144g).
Light commercials 199g (target 214g).

In NZ: cars 138g (target 113g),
light commercials 219g (target 223g, old target 155g).

Standards work. Yet NZ Govt is asking the car industry if it wants to scrap them.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Dawn Chorus: Three weeks of diesel left NZ has 23 days of diesel left; Strait of Hormuz still closed; Middle East war widens; Govt poll lead falls; 68% of NZers want billionaires taxed; 10% of kids in care abused & 25% have no social worker

Dawn Chorus out: NZ has 23 days of diesel left; Strait of Hormuz still closed; Middle East war widens; Govt poll lead falls; 68% of NZers want billionaires taxed; 10% of kids in care abused & 25% have no social worker #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

Absolutely

My view is that we are already in a new era - one where offshore investors and tech / finance giants extract rent from our economy and our primary goods and tourism exports have little chance of offsetting the compounding flow of financial assets and income into offshore ownership. [7/n]

Oof

It's like they read a book about the Gilded Age and thought, wow, we should do all of this again -- tariffs and trade wars, massive corporate power, white supremacy and immigration fights, a creepy sex panic and, of course, unlimited acts of brazen corruption and graft.

Trump helps MAGA influencers flee Middle East war zone on private jet Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, dogwalker Sarah Daither, former lobbyist Jay Footlik, and others managed to escape on a private plane thanks to the White House.

White House helps MAGA influencers including famous dog walker flee Middle East war zone on private jet www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

New working paper: Prosperity within Limits? Planetary Habitability, Global Convergence & Structural Transformation 2026-2100 wid.world/news-article...

More to come in the Global Justice Report to be released at the World Inequality Conference Paris June 4-6 2026 inequalitylab.world/en/event/wor...

Global oil & gas prices surge, hammering stocks Gas prices jump 40-70% globally as Iran war escalates & Strait of Hormuz still shut; Oil up 8% to US$83/bbl; NZ$ down 1%; Officials advised against 'move-on' orders; Downer job losses loom

Dawn Chorus out: Gas prices jump 40-70% globally as Iran war escalates & Strait of Hormuz still shut; Oil up 8% to US$83/bbl; NZ$ down 1%; Officials advised against 'move-on' orders; Downer job losses loom #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

Funny. Sort of.

Washington Post timing...er...poor

A Hoon on The Reality of Everything Symposium, interconnected crises & Public Health I hosted a 'Hoon' previewing The Reality of Everything symposium, examining the interconnected crises of climate change, energy, water & food constraints, economic instability & public health

I hosted a 'Hoon' yesterday with Cathrine Dyer PhD & Catherine Knight with epidemiologists and public health & climate specialists Alistair Woodward & Caroline Shaw. We previewed The Reality of Everything symposium happening at Vic Uni on June 26. Great chat. #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

Iran's missile math: $20,000 drones take on $4 million patriots Both Tehran and Washinton may run low on weapons in a matter of days or weeks. Whoever can last longer will gain a serious advantage.

Using $4 million missiles to destroy $20,000 drones shows what military planners have seen since the Ukraine war: cheap weapons can chew up resources meant for much more complex threats.

Another awful scarring of another generation.

Bernard Hickey (L) talking to Connor Sharp (R) about newly revealed documents on the costs & timing of the Northern Expressway, starting with Stage 1, Warkworth to Te Hana and eventually going all the way to Whāngarei. They're laughing ruefully, in disbelief at the numbers involved.

"Per household in Auckland/ Northland, it's over $30k. Like, if you put a $30k solar system on every house... you'd still have a billion dollars left over!"🤯

@connorsharp.bsky.social talks @bernardchickey.bsky.social through the cost of the latest Road of National Significance (Northern Expressway)

Greater Auckland's costing for RONs & Kirsty's article on RNZ on the secrecy over gvt info on solar, provide lots of material for future Hoons!
There seems to be a contradiction between gvt's budget austerity & big spend on LNG & RONs. Gvt accuses Lab of liking tax yet it's inc road tax + LNG tax

LIVE SOON: Live with Bernard Hickey Starting Mar 2 at 6:30 PM EST

FYI I’ll also be doing a ‘Mini-Hoon’ for all with @Edward Miller on the LNG import terminal at 12.30 today. #nzpol open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Government ‘kicked the tyres’ on solar subsidies but went with ‘minor’ tweaks instead It is one of the cheapest ways to cut power bills - yet documents reveal the government shelved a subsidy.

New Zealand has more sunshine than Germany.
But only 1 in 35 homes here has rooftop solar.
Australia? 1 in 3.

Why? I tried to find out - despite some strange secrecy

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Why Qatari LNG will soon set NZ power prices LNG terminal in Taranaki will tie NZ wholesale electricity & gas prices to global gas prices; Gas price rose 47% last night after Iranian drones shut Qatar's LNG plant; NZ power prices would follow

Chorus out: LNG terminal in Taranaki will tie NZ wholesale electricity & gas prices to global gas prices; Gas price rose 47% last night after Iranian drones shut Qatar's LNG plant; NZ power prices would follow #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...