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The REINZ House Price Index fell 1% in December breaking a record 20 consecutive months of house price gains. The REINZ House Price Index fell 1% in December breaking a record 20 consecutive months of house price gains. Annual house price growth reached 23.3% at the end of 2021 from a recent record high of just over 30% in August. House price growth is forecast to fall fast in 2022. Sales too dropped in December; no doubt hit by rapidly…

D-Day for vaccinating 5-11 year olds is upon us. If as a parent (or a politician) you do a google search “Is Covid vaccination of 5-11 year olds safe?” you turn up a host of articles not only assuring you that it is safe and effective, but also urging you that it is necessary. First among these are the official NZ government information web pages. If you have doubts and persist by broadening your search criteria, the same kind of reassuring…

Today I reviewed my 2021 diary and correspondence and had an aha moment. Up until September most of my exchanges and the press articles I read involved discussion and interpretation of the relative merits of published scientific papers. After that the official dialogue reported in the media subtly changed and started to assert that ‘science’ was on the side of vaccination without actually citing research papers—the merit of vaccination had…

The closest I have been to you was when we jigged side by side in the VIP area of a U2 concert a couple of years ago. I remember thinking how tiny and pretty you were. · I am a sensitive empath, and watching the pain in your eyes as you comforted the bereaved and traumatised after the mosque massacre, and White Island. I thought i recognised the same in you. · I know your Misinformation Officer will quickly find this post and hopefully share it…

Yesterday morning I woke up to some unwelcome news. My best friend from university days has passed away. He was an active fit man looking forward to enjoying retirement. Early on he had a mild stroke, his heart became inflamed and the valves were damaged, unfortunately his immune system was too depleted to respond to treatment. His story is familiar in these Covid times and shared by millions, yet nevertheless a deeply personal tragedy for his…

The practitioners at NZDSOS have been accused of spreading information that is contrary to the Medical Council (MCNZ) guidelines on Covid-19 vaccination. It would appear that the MCNZ has forgotten about its own guidelines on Informed Consent that advise doctors to "be open and honest" with patients. It seems this guiding principle has not only been forgotten by the MCNZ but those who practice this are being persecuted. · Our hearts do not…

David Lange is one of the most tragic figures of our modern political history. Highly articulate and entertaining, he was ushered into power in a landslide in 1984 during an economic and financial crisis. Feted as the youngest Prime Minister of the 20th century, he dazzled the nation with his wit and intellect. By the time he resigned in 1989, however, he was seen as a weak and malleable leader who had backed policies he would later regret…

I am back in Auckland and have been out in a few different electorates catching up with small business owners and locals. · In typical Kiwi fashion, the people I meet put on a brave face. However, often after a few minutes of talking about their current reality inevitably tears flow. In my twenty years in politics the only time I have experienced a similar feeling of absolute devastation for New Zealanders was when I was a Minister visiting…

In the middle of October, something astonishing happened: the Government and the National Party held a joint news conference to announce that they had agreed on the way to make housing more affordable. · According to many opinion polls, the ludicrous level to which house prices have risen in New Zealand is the issue which is of greatest concern to the New Zealand public. And that’s hardly surprising. Relative to incomes, New Zealand house…

Further reductions to the speed limits on rural roads around Franklin will only serve to frustrate the vast majority of road users. But will Auckland Transport listen? In 2019, Auckland Transport (AT) introduced a new speed limit bylaw and called for public submissions on the proposed changes. When I posted this news on my Facebook page, more than 53,000 people viewed the post. Many made submissions opposing the wholesale changes. · Did AT…