The hoon about the week that was to June 3

TLDR: In the podcast above of this week’s ‘hoon’ webinar for paid subscribers, co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale bring talk with special guests Robert Patman and Josie Pagani about China’s backlash against a strengthening of NZ’s security ties with the United States.This is our weekly sampler email for both free and paid subscribers.A reminder to free subscribers reading here that we have a special $30 a year deal for under 30s and that students and teachers should sign up for the free tier using their ‘school’ or ‘ac’ email addresses to get converted to the full subscription for free. And we have a new special $65 a year deal for over 65s who are reliant on NZ Superannuation.Five things of note this weekAotearoa-NZ strengthened ties with the United StatesThis week PM Jacinda Ardern met with US President Joe Biden in the White House. They talked about gun control, the Christchurch Call and trade, but most importantly they signed a detailed joint statement that was heavily critical of China in the Pacific and elsewhere, and which strengthened our security and defence ties with the United States.China lashed back at the joint statementChinese officials attacked what they saw as a strengthening of our military ties with the United States and a ramping up of joint anti-China rhetoric in the strong joint statement. They suggested it might affect our trade ties.Here’s what I wrote on Friday about the back and forth.Cabinet threatened the grocery duopoly with a breakupThe Government threatened to break up the supermarkets duopoly if they don’t play nice with plans for mandatory wholesale access.Here’s what I wrote on Tuesday.The grocery duopoly’s oppressive lease clauses revealedThere were revelations that supermarkets on Thursday that the supermarkets duopoly have been using special clauses in leases to stop competitors in all sorts of retail categories being allowed into shopping centres.Here’s the deep dive I published today on that.Yet again, a sugar tax is rejectedHere’s the chorus I wrote on Thursday, which led with the latest research showing sugar taxes work to reduce consumption, but the Government continues to oppose them.Ka kite anoBernard This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe