And then there was one

First there was the NZ Blogosphere ranking which is now being done quarterly.

Then there was the Halfdone Rankings but Something Should Go Here has gone.

Now there’s just one monthly ranking: Open Parachute’s NZ Blogs Sitemeter ranking.

The Logical Song

Happy birthday Mark Hart, 57 today.

One Note Samba

Happy birthday Tom Springfield, 76 today.

Past halfway

You intelligent and discerning readers will have realised that when June turned to July we has six of this year’s 12 months behind us.

But it was only when preparing this morning’s history post that I noticed we’ve just passed the halfway mark in 2010 – today is the 18rd day of the year, there are just 182 days left.

Tempus fugits ever faster.

Stand-by fares for all from Dunedin

Air New Zealand has been trialling student stand-by fares from Dunedin.

It’s been so successful the airline is doing a trial of stand-by fares for any passengers.

There’s some fine print: the $59 tickets are only available for people with carry on luggage, they must buy a return ticket and turn up at the airport an hour before the flight.

But if you weren’t concerned about when you got where you were going and didn’t mind hanging round the airport waiting for a flight if the first one was full, it’s a very good offer.

Half-price student stand-by fares used to be available on any flight, with or without luggage, when I was a student and it seems like a no-brainer to me.

If there’s a seat spare, the airline is better off selling a cheap ticket than leaving it empty.

Germans want our farmland too

The NBR reports that a German investment company is waiting on OIC approval to buy farmland in Southland.

The story is in the subscriber content so I’m not going to copy the details but I’ll be interested in how reaction to this story compares with that to the possibility of Chinese investment in New Zealand farms.

If we allow our companies to buy land and businesses in other countries it’s hypocritical not to reciprocate. It’s even more so if we welcome some but not others.

We’re not a wealthy country and overseas investment can be mutually beneficial.

Overseas owners are subject to the same laws as the rest of us and they can’t take the land away.

They will be able to take some of their profits home, but they’ll be spending a lot here making those profits and pay tax on them and we’ll get the benefit of that.

Comparing apples with apples

Australians are going to be eating Chinese apples while New Zealand apples are still not allowed into the country.

A draft report from the World Trade Organisation agreed with New Zealand’s claim that Australia’s ban on our apple imports was a non-tariff barrier but the final report hasn’t been produced yet.

Australian growers are concerned about the biosecurity risk from Chinese apples, which was the argument they’ve used to keep our fruit out.

There’s no mention of consumers. But if I was comparing apples with apples I’d rather eat pip fruit from New Zealand which has strict standards on food production which are strictly policed, than China which doesn’t.