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Trouble Man posted:I actually think the lowest point in New Zealand politics was when Key said that National would guarantee that everyone would get their pension at 65, and everyone under the age of 35 mentally added "except for you, you'll just pay for it", shrugged, and didn't let it change how they voted one jot. To be fair, Labour's plan was hardly revolutionary either. The whole thing needs to be redrawn from the ground-up, not just messed around with depending on which voting block currently has the boomers in it. Any system that still has the Super Gold Card paying for free ferry trips to Waiheke just because someone is over a certain age regardless of income is irreparably broken.
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Jan 22, 2012 03:32
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Vagabundo posted:Can anyone tell me how much actual reconstruction has happened? It looks like very little reconstruction, they're still in the process of slowly deconstructing/demolishing buildings. Does anyone have any actual statistics on this? I had a look at the CERA website, and they have a list of buildings to be demolished, but the last update on how far through they were demolitions only goes up to August 2011.
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Jan 22, 2012 03:51
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You know what? That's pathetic. Just absolutely pathetic. I spent the holidays in northern Japan, where they went through a much larger earthquake with a tsunami thrown in for shits and giggles, with wider-spread destruction. And you know what? They've more or less gotten their poo poo together in the major urban areas with the infrastructure now more or less up and running, while the hardest hit areas like Kesennuma and Ishinomaki have been cleared out and are in the process of rebuilding. I guess it helped that the people there just put their heads down and went to work without apparently acting like a bunch of spoiled shitheads. The Christchurch earthquake was concentrated on a comparatively smaller area with a one-month head-start on Japan. They have absolutely no excuse at this point.
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Jan 22, 2012 04:00
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ClubmanGT posted:To be fair, Labour's plan was hardly revolutionary either. The whole thing needs to be redrawn from the ground-up, not just messed around with depending on which voting block currently has the boomers in it. Any system that still has the Super Gold Card paying for free ferry trips to Waiheke just because someone is over a certain age regardless of income is irreparably broken. Frankly, what's really needed is a party with the balls to say "sorry boomers, we can't actually pay you superannuation as though you elected successive governments that actually had a plan for it, and as though you overwhelmingly voted in favor of compulsory savings in 1998, because, well, you did neither, and now you get to taste that personal responsibility you're always lecturing Gen X and Y about". But a party that said that would probably get a negative share of the vote.
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Jan 22, 2012 04:39
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I love how many posts and how few views this thread has in the scope of D&D heh. We could discuss all sorts of world overthrowing plans in here and no one would know  .Nothing but sheep here... move along.
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Jan 22, 2012 04:45
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What if you are interested in sheep? It's a NZ megathread after-all  Also re: Japan earthquake thing, I do not know the answer to this but are they having a shitload of aftershocks with the added bonus of liquefaction to aid the demolition and reconstruction process?
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Jan 22, 2012 05:16
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Angry Moo Cow posted:What if you are interested in sheep? It's a NZ megathread after-all They pretty much had what Christchurch had, but on a far larger scale. Christchurch has no excuse, really.
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Jan 22, 2012 06:39
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Angry Moo Cow posted:Also re: Japan earthquake thing, I do not know the answer to this but are they having a shitload of aftershocks with the added bonus of liquefaction to aid the demolition and reconstruction process? They're definitely having a shitload of aftershocks, some of the larger ones get in the news. I doubt it's an issue of laziness; it's probably more to do with different insurance/regulatory environments. But I don't know about the topic to be sure. I just know that I'm finding it very difficult to find solid statistics on the rebuild process in Christchurch.
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Jan 22, 2012 07:05
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This thread is much more depressing than the last one. 
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Jan 22, 2012 07:32
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From what I've heard, the insurance money hasn't really started flowing yet into Christchurch and people cannot get any insurance for the construction that needs to be done because there are still aftershocks going on. Banks won't approve loans without insurance, etc. It's like Christchurch has been put on hold until the aftershocks stop and it's going to be a long loving time before that happens.
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Jan 22, 2012 07:50
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I actually think the Government largely did a good job with the response to Christchurch, there was once chance to get it right and I'm glad they did a thorough job. That said, I think the rebuild has probably been slowed by the insurance situation. The seismic activity hasn't slowed down nearly enough for many investors to feel safe rebuilding, particularly with the insurance situation as dicey as it is. Edit: beaten by seconds, I completely agree
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Jan 22, 2012 07:50
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So, what is happening in Japan in terms of aftershocks and insurance? A similar thing happened after the Napier quake in 1931 also the private insurance companies were wriggling out of paying on claims. Only State Insurance did as it was government owned back then. This is why Phil Goff was talking about re-establishing a government backed insurance provider to step in where the market won't provide services and allow the rebuild to move ahead.
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Jan 22, 2012 08:37
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Varkk posted:So, what is happening in Japan in terms of aftershocks and insurance? While I was there, the aftershocks were daily but the people there were pretty much used to the shakes. We had tremors that were magnitude 3~4 on a daily basis, but people were used to it and either went about their daily routine and didn't really give a poo poo. The reconstruction was pretty much going ahead and the only place where it had stalled was in Fukushima, where they were kind of preoccupied with the radioactivity. As for the insurance, Noda announced an extension on the claim period for survivors during December and it seems like the bottleneck caused by a large number of claims has more or less eased. The payouts have been coming along and my Grandfather used his to replace the tiled roof with a corrugated iron roof, as well as make odd repairs around the house.
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Jan 22, 2012 09:20
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Varkk posted:This is why Phil Goff was talking about re-establishing a government backed insurance provider to step in where the market won't provide services and allow the rebuild to move ahead. There's a couple of problems that I can see that not addressing: 1) New Zealanders are slow as gently caress at building infrastructure and with any future-proofing capacity. If people have to do something, they'll build a two lane road where a four lane road used to be. Hell, look at Britomart in Auckland, and how the final version differed from the original plans. We went from a multi-level bus/train platforms to having even fewer bus stops than the old Queen Street station they bulldozed down. And once they do decide to build something, it'll take forever because we just don't appreciate the value of good infrastructure like Japan does. 2) EQC supposedly could do that. The problem is that EQC buys insurance from underwriters around the world, and at the moment that coverage is costing a hell of a lot to replace. The Government stepping in would mean that they would ultimately foot an entire insurance bill (directly through them and then through EQC up to a threshold as they do now). Given how the EQC is struggling to find people to sell it cover, imagine the fiscal impact of taking on the contingency for the elevated risk in Christchurch. Even if the Government is in theory absorbing the risk, our lenders will still value that risk the same way the market does. gently caress debt. Plus if you think the Government is going to be any better at paying money out or paying it any quicker then you need to reconsider the time it's taken to rebuild, like others have said. If they're paying for everything, expect home owners to come even further down the list. No matter what it does next though, the Government needs to specifically examine the delays in payouts/claims being processed and regulate the poo poo out of the insurance industry to make sure people hosed by national disasters with legitimate claims aren't having their lives ruined by stone-walling or feet-dragging.
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Jan 22, 2012 10:38
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Varkk posted:So, what is happening in Japan in terms of aftershocks and insurance? I'm not sure Phil Goff was ever serious about that more than trying to get some facetime in Chch on earthquake issues where the government was simply so dominant. Which raises a point: how does Labour establish a point of difference from the government on quake issues where the Opposition is powerless and thus in this instance, irrelevant? It's not like arguing about WFF changes or whatever where there is a policy debate. In ChCh, the urgency for action has always outweighed the luxury of political to-ing and fro-ing. I know Shearer has been down in ChCh saying "this is bigger than politics" but I just can't see a way in which Labour can make itself relevant on a policy scale, particularly when people don't really want change as much as they need consistency. Edit: obviously this is going to be a massive, dominant issue this year and one Labour needs to get a foothold on miss_chaos fucked around with this message at 10:45 on Jan 22, 2012 |
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Jan 22, 2012 10:42
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miss_chaos posted:Edit: obviously this is going to be a massive, dominant issue this year and one Labour needs to get a foothold on I'm waiting with baited breath for Labour to really focus on what matters, like Ministerial BMWs with heated seats that cost 0.000000001% of the Christchurch rebuild or maybe whether John Key was wearing a blue tie when he said it was red OMG.
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Jan 22, 2012 11:11
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Trouble Man posted:...what matters, like Ministerial BMWs with heated seats that cost 0.000000001% of the Christchurch rebuild or maybe whether John Key was wearing a blue tie when he said it was red OMG.  I hope you're all prepared for some riveting television tomorrow! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10780289 quote:A television reporter confronted middle-aged men in a park after they hooked up with a fictitious 14-year-old girl planted in an internet chatroom.
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Jan 22, 2012 11:17
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Vagabundo posted:While I was there, the aftershocks were daily but the people there were pretty much used to the shakes. We had tremors that were magnitude 3~4 on a daily basis, but people were used to it and either went about their daily routine and didn't really give a poo poo. The reconstruction was pretty much going ahead and the only place where it had stalled was in Fukushima, where they were kind of preoccupied with the radioactivity. I was meaning more along the lines of getting cover for rebuilt structures. One of the big holdups in Christchurch is that the insurance companies won't offer new policies because of the danger of a fresh aftershock causing new damage. This of course is holding up a lot of building work as no one is willing to assume the risk.
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Jan 22, 2012 11:36
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Could it be that Close Up is doing real journalism Could it be?
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Jan 22, 2012 11:37
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miss_chaos posted:Could it be that Close Up is doing real journalism Unlikely. It's not real journalism, in my opinion anyway. Sounds like this American Sensationalist Crap. It's not really news that there are creepy middle aged men being predatory on the internet. Not really a heck of a lot to be done about it either, if you ask me. That said I'm more of a big picture pessimist so I'm biased against anything that isn't talking about the end of civilised humanity
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Jan 22, 2012 12:00
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ClubmanGT posted:
This is so embarrassing. Anyone who's spent more than a few minutes online already knows that there are creeps on the internet, it's the opposite of cutting edge journalism.
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Jan 22, 2012 12:25
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JR ANTI SEX LEAGUE posted:This is so embarrassing. Anyone who's spent more than a few minutes online already knows that there are creeps on the internet, it's the opposite of cutting edge journalism. At least internet creeps is something to be legitimately angry about, rather than manufacturing faux outrage and scandal at every opportunity as Close Up usually does.
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Jan 22, 2012 12:35
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miss_chaos posted:At least internet creeps is something to be legitimately angry about, rather than manufacturing faux outrage and scandal at every opportunity as Close Up usually does. Having it as your big story for your 2012 return is hardly a cause celebre when you've got legit issues like the Ports of Auckland strike or the Megaupload case or South Carolina or I'm just being naive to think that CloseUp would even deign to discuss hardhitting news aren't I.
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Jan 22, 2012 12:39
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Pigeon Shamus posted:Having it as your big story for your 2012 return is hardly a cause celebre when you've got legit issues like the Ports of Auckland strike or the Megaupload case or South Carolina or I'm just being naive to think that CloseUp would even deign to discuss hardhitting news aren't I. Not sure that the New Zealand public at large really gives a poo poo about South Carolina or could even point to it on a map. I'm sure if both parties in the POA dispute would agree to have it out live on CloseUp at 7pm, they would be all over it but the chances of that happening are equal to a snowball's in hell. As much as I would like it to happen, David Shearer won't be fronting up either.
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Jan 22, 2012 13:17
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goons.jpg http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/culture/6283608/Hobbit-casting-call-in-capital quote:The bulky, the skinny, the short, the tall, and those with ''character faces'' - your time has come.
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Jan 22, 2012 14:25
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Varkk posted:I was meaning more along the lines of getting cover for rebuilt structures. One of the big holdups in Christchurch is that the insurance companies won't offer new policies because of the danger of a fresh aftershock causing new damage. This of course is holding up a lot of building work as no one is willing to assume the risk. Well, seeing as how the hardest hit areas like Ishinomaki and Kesennuma are now moving towards rebuilding, there hasn't been much of a hold-up. But then again, Japanese people know how to pick themselves back up after a major earthquake.
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Jan 22, 2012 19:54
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Pigeon Shamus posted:*Closeup is poo poo* I'm sorry but if it isn't Sonny Bill Williams then it isn't worth hearing about 
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Jan 22, 2012 19:59
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Vagabundo posted:Well, seeing as how the hardest hit areas like Ishinomaki and Kesennuma are now moving towards rebuilding, there hasn't been much of a hold-up. But then again, Japanese people know how to pick themselves back up after a major earthquake. This is just bullshit. You think Christchurch people don't know how to "pick themselves up"? The difference between the Japan and Chch earthquakes is that the aftershock sequence in Chch has been very abnormal with large (6+) quakes re-occurring regularly for a long period afterwards. Each time this happens everything here has to be checked again, insurance companies put new policies on hold and building stops. Basically the June and December quakes have put things back 6 months each time. Insurance companies were just starting to sell new policies in December, but of course won't again now. Everyone would love to just get going with the building but without insurance no one can. And the deconstruction process is long and complicated. Taking high rise buildings down with explosives is not possible as the damage done to them makes predicting how they will fall impossible and taking them down manually is a long slow process. I'm not quite sure what you think should be being done differently here. Having friends who have lost their homes and who still have no idea what is going to happen in the long run but getting on with it, working, carrying on and still smiling makes me think you haven't got a loving clue what you are talking about.
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Jan 22, 2012 20:40
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What, you think the deconstruction in Japan was simple or that they haven't had any significant aftershocks?
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Jan 22, 2012 20:54
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miss_chaos posted:At least internet creeps is something to be legitimately angry about, rather than manufacturing faux outrage and scandal at every opportunity as Close Up usually does. Instead they went with the old "OMG think of the children" crap. It isn't as if it is new. With the US show having been doing it for years and I think Bomber did a one off a few years back. There are plenty of interesting and important stories out there without having to resort to such low end tabloid fare. Besides I think I read somewhere that in the US most of the people caught never make it to trial and if they do there is a high chance of the cases getting thrown out as the standard for criminal evidence is different from the standard for making ratings.
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Jan 22, 2012 20:56
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miss_chaos posted:Not sure that the New Zealand public at large really gives a poo poo about South Carolina or could even point to it on a map. Frontline had it as North Carolina this morning 
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Jan 22, 2012 21:05
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6297648/Stalled-dog-laws-review-to-get-bite looks like it's time again to make it harder/more expensive for honest people to have a dog, while the people who raise bad dogs/dogs badly will do whatever they want anyway. Although the dog in the first part of the article was registered and everything anyway, lending credence to the thought that registration isn't everything and sometimes poo poo happens. Gah so frustrating.
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Jan 22, 2012 21:05
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Number of people over 40 who will care about this? None. I'm sure the Boomers/Gen Xers will keep telling us that the 18% interest rates they had once means we don't know how lucky we are. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10780453 quote:New Zealand house prices have been identified as highly unaffordable in an international study, with Auckland's market only slightly better than London but less affordable than those in Los Angeles and New York. I'd also wager that people's disposable income after incurring tax, fuel and other costs make that number a whole lot worse than it used to be.
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Jan 22, 2012 23:56
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^B-b-b-but SPRAAAAAWL  ledge posted:This is just bullshit. You think Christchurch people don't know how to "pick themselves up"? Our last major destructive earthquake prior to the set of earthquakes hitting Canterbury was (and forgive me if I'm wrong here) Hawkes Bay in 1931. Japan has had at least seven major earthquakes since the 1970s, including the Great Hanshin Earthquake around fifteen years ago that devastated Kobe. I don't think it's controversial to say that Japan had far better infrastructure for dealing with the event of such a disaster.
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Jan 23, 2012 00:12
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I don't really know enough about the Japanese earthquakes other than what has been reported in the media, so I don't really feel comfortable commenting on the comparisons between the two countries. The housing thing I am not sure about either. We are looking at buying a house right now, to be honest we are spoilt for choice. There are literally dozens of potential houses in our price range right now, and with 5-6% mortgages, on top of our cash deposit and what we could tap into from our Kiwisavers, we could quite comfortably buy a home for our family within the month. Three things though:
Building a home seems to be quite expensive now. And the whole subdivision process seems to be a rather lucrative racket for a lot of paper-pushers. But this whole unaffordable house business I don't buy into. Probably because of my situation. If I had my current salary and we were living in say Wellington or Auckland then I might be forgiven if I had a little gripe.
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Jan 23, 2012 00:28
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Pigeon Shamus posted:^B-b-b-but SPRAAAAAWL As much as I like the idea of a 'vibrant city', it's becoming pretty transparent the longer the whole 'CBD intensification' stuff goes on. It's not about better transport, because they could just spend more money on transport across the region now if it was about that. It's about achieving population densities to justify pet projects. Angry Moo Cow posted:But this whole unaffordable house business I don't buy into. Yea the fact a report has shown houses are three times less affordable than they were twenty years ago is something we should totally just ignore and not buy into. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how intergenerational theft happens.
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Jan 23, 2012 00:33
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MY GIRLFRIEND and I could buy a house tomorrow, and we live in Wellington. BUT:
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Jan 23, 2012 00:41
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Yeah buying the regions is a whole different kettle of fish to buying in Auckland or Wellington.... I could buy a rental house in Invercargill if I wanted to, but yeah.
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Jan 23, 2012 01:43
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Yet another well thought out blog post on Red Alert with correct grammar and salient poin.... oh http://blog.labour.org.nz/2012/01/22/destroy-dangerous-dogs/
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Jan 23, 2012 05:35
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Vagabundo posted:They pretty much had what Christchurch had, but on a far larger scale. Christchurch has no excuse, really. Um you might want to compare the GDP figures for New Zealand and Japan and it might offer some insight into why one has more reconstruction ability than the other.
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Jan 23, 2012 05:55
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