Open Mike 17/09/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 17th, 2016 - 240 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

240 comments on “Open Mike 17/09/2016 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Pete George 1
    17 September 2016 at 8:10 am

    Quite some time ago I promised someone here that I would write a post about renaming New Zealand to Aoetearoa. It’s taken me a while but I have gotten around to doing it – prompted by the soon to be released book and already in place website A CONSTITUTION FOR AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND.

    I don’t like the creeping stealth approach where ‘Aotearoa New Zealand’ is being imposed. We should just have an open discussion and decide what we want our country to be called, one or the other.

    The first European name was actually Staten Landt (Abel Tasman) but was changed to Nova Zeelandia by Dutch cartographers a few years later, and then anglicised to New Zealand by James Cook over a century after that.

    Aotearoa apparently originally just applied to the North Island but was gradually applied to the whole country and is now the accepted alternative.

    There’s many possible meanings, depending in part on whether you split it into Aotea’roa or Ao’tea’roa. ‘Land of the long white cloud’ is common but ‘long bright world’ and ‘land of abiding day’ are alternatives. I have also extracted ‘land of the transparent kiwi’ but that probably isn’t a goer.

    But regardless, I think that Aotearoa is more appropriate than New Zealand and I’d be happy to see it change. It would obviously be a bit contentious though.

    Post: And what about ‘Aotearoa’?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1
      17 September 2016 at 8:32 am

      🙄

      “Imposed”

      Oh noes! Fascistism!

      Can Petty George provide legitimacy to something that belongs to tangata whenua, or is he just an author of sad racist clickbait?

      Discuss.

    • Lanthanide 1.2
      17 September 2016 at 9:09 am

      Just to save everyone a click, the linked article is a slightly longer / more detailed version of the comment that Pete George has made here.

      There isn’t any other argument or reason for why we should change the name stated in the post. If you read the comment above, that’s pretty much all the post is:
      1. A note that some people are apparently suggesting “Aotearoa New Zealand” and Pete doesn’t like that, for no explained reason
      2. A very short timeline history of the original European origin, as Pete has already produced here. Then a very detailed breakdown of the meaning of the Maori word, again already summarised here
      3. A final limp conclusion where Pete states that he would like it if the name were changed to Aotearoa; he notes it is contentious, but doesn’t offer any argument or greater insight than “I think this would be good”.

      • Pete George 1.2.1
        17 September 2016 at 9:56 am

        It wasn’t intended as a full blown argument. I aim to initiate and facilitate discussion in issues of interest.

        I see that you didn’t even attempt to discuss the issue or express your own opinion (except indirectly, taking a swipe at the messenger) let alone arrive at ‘a limp conclusion’ of your own. What I posted is far from the conclusion, I don’t think that’s up to me.

        • Lanthanide 1.2.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 10:38 am

          Because Pete, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe you’d finally done something interesting / relevant, so I followed your link.

          I was quite disappointed to discover that you comment here already had 85% of the content that was to be found at the link. So I posted a summary so others wouldn’t waste their time.

          Also you don’t seem to understand the definition of conclusion. I was commenting on the conclusion to your post being dishwasher weak, not saying you need to have the final conclusive statement on any topic ever (which makes no sense anyway). You concluded your post with a very weak “I would like this” statement, but there’s no depth as to why you would like it, or why you think it’s time to do it now.

          Frankly this reads like an 8-year old’s school assignment on whales, where they conclude by saying “I like whales”.

          • Pete George 1.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 10:46 am

            You’ve said virtually nothing apart from a bit of a long winded limp diss. I thought you were better than that. Maybe you missed the point – it was about the name of our country.

            • Lanthanide 1.2.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 10:47 am

              That makes two of us, then.

              • rhinocrates …
                17 September 2016 at 11:26 am

                It didn’t take long for PG to pull out the self pity – poor me, nobody treats me fairly and I have the most honourable intentions, me me me me me.

                He’s like a cardigan-wearing Rik the People’s Poet.

              • weka …
                17 September 2016 at 12:22 pm

                Classic. Thanks for the footwork Lanth.

              • Blade …
                17 September 2016 at 1:34 pm

                No, Lantanide. Only one person has nothing to say- you. Ok , ive
                followed your summation of Pete’s post. That’s fine and dandy.
                But I’m waiting for your input towards this discussion.

                Now is your chance to shine. Lets hear your opinions.

                Or are you vacuous like the comments below you, until we get
                to Stuart Munro, who actually contributes.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:03 pm

                  🙄

                • Lanthanide …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:19 pm

                  I never intended to say anything about the topic, and don’t have much to say.

                  But neither does Pete, and I pointed that out in my comment at 1.2

                  Pete couldn’t resist replying to me, acting like a victim as usual.

                  • Pete George …
                    17 September 2016 at 5:15 pm

                    I don’t think I’m any sort of victim. If there is any it’s the ‘commentariat’ who are a victim of an own-goal, revealing how you still operate. I’m not sure why you’re proud of it.

                    • In Vino …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:57 pm

                      Well I remember you from the past, and I fully back the ‘commentariat’. Better if you stick to your own website, where you may get people who share your interests. I don’t.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      18 September 2016 at 8:51 am

                      Oh noes! We still operate in such a way that we name boring vacuous racist clickbait for what it is.

          • Kevin 1.2.1.1.2
            17 September 2016 at 12:20 pm

            Thats quality! 🙂

    • Stuart Munro 1.3
      17 September 2016 at 11:44 am

      It’s not straightforward Pete – Aotearoa is not the only name for what we now call NZ, which in Cook’s time was largely Te Ika O Maui & Tovypounamu. Bloke I knew did a paper on it – the skinny of which is that Aotearoa reflects a particular mystical view that is not necessarily universal. Sorry I don’t have a link to it.

      • Trey 1.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 5:39 pm

        Tovypounamu? Are you sure about that. I didn’t think the Maori alphabet had a (v) or a (y)

        • Stuart Munro 1.3.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 5:57 pm

          We’re talking when Cook came through – there was no Maori alphabet as such at that time. Standardisation happened later, and some linguistic drift in a century or two would not be surprising.

          The odd thing is that Aotearoa didn’t come up then. Now, in some places names are sacred & you don’t share them casually with outsiders – Kangaroo being a great example – it’s not the local word for the animal, it means something like “yep, look at them”.

          The names Cook got were not that tabu. But I didn’t write the paper – can’t do it justice – just blindly taking Aotearoa might not make sense. We need background and context.

          • Trey 1.3.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 8:35 pm

            Still not convinced. Cook wrote the name Te Wai Pounamu to refer to the South Island on Maps in 1776 but can’t find any reference to it being called Tovypounamu anywhere

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1.1.1
              18 September 2016 at 9:08 am

              I found one: a pdf document listed by Google: “Journal: Forgotten Books”.

              Google’s precis reads: “TovyPounamu, the most southern of the two islands of New Zealand….”

              I didn’t bother downloading it.

      • Trey 1.3.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:46 pm

        Were you thinking of Te Waipounamu? Which is the South Island as Te Ika O Maui is the North Island

    • CnrJoe 1.4
      17 September 2016 at 11:55 am

      Quite some time ago I promised someone here that I would write a post about renaming New Zealand to Aoetearoa.
      Aoetearoa?
      What ? you type too fast?

    • Stephanie Rodgers 1.5
      17 September 2016 at 1:17 pm

      “creeping stealth”

      🙄

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.6
      17 September 2016 at 1:39 pm

      Thanks for the discussion everyone. I expect we’ll see more of this irrelevant crap between now and when the wanker attracts his next ban.

      • weka 1.6.1
        17 September 2016 at 1:57 pm

        I love that there was only one response that took PG seriously. Well done the commentariat. Bodes well.

  2. save nz 2
    17 September 2016 at 8:58 am

    Seems like there is worldwide anger/protest at electoral candidate choices at present….

    Voters elect reluctant metalhead to council

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/world/voters-elect-reluctant-metalhead-to-council-2016091610

  3. Chuck 3
    17 September 2016 at 9:32 am

    Claire Trevett piece today is really quite good (I know… not many here will agree!).

    “Labour leader Andrew Little was quick to cry the poll was “bogus” and countered with Labour’s own poll which had a much more generous outlook for Labour.

    Whoever’s poll is right, the One News poll does highlight two stark problems for Labour.

    The very same poll showed an increase in concern about housing and imigration – the issues Labour claimed it was gaining votes from. The poll showed Labour was not capitalising from that.

    The second problem was NZ First and the Greens were both safely above 10 per cent. That would mean Labour’s coalition partners combined were almost the same size as the Labour Party itself.

    To swap analogies (why not?) from used cars to the familiar tail wagging the dog one, under MMP voters tend to like their dogs to have as tiny a tail as possible to ensure stable government.

    National has three support partners but they are so small they are more like fleas in the general area of a tail.

    As things stand, the Labour dog will need both NZ First and the Greens as tails. If Labour polls less than the mid 30s, that is akin to two German Shepherd tails thrashing in opposite directions on the rear end of a pug.

    Physics dictates that would not end well for the pug. And as Scotty would say, ‘ye cannae change the law of physics.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11711287

    • Bearded Git 3.1
      17 September 2016 at 9:48 am

      @Chuck 29+14+12=55 looks pretty stable to me, compared with the Right’s 4-headed monster (Seymour*/Dunne*/MP/Nats). I think hell will have to freeze over for Winnie to go with Key. Another indicator was on Backbenches this week where Tracey Martin was laying into boy-wonder Todd Barclay and the Nats in general. I think NZF will pick up votes on the immigration issue during the election campaign.

      *I refuse to name these as parties-they are one-man bands. The MP may also become one soon.

      Standardistas need to talk in Labour/Green bloc terms always. This counters the mid-20’s rubbish the right is trying to hijack the agenda with.

      • Lanthanide 3.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 10:49 am

        I think Act should be referred to as a party. They actually got enough party vote to justify Seymour’s electorate seat.

        Dunne didn’t – he’s the cause of the overhang in the house.

      • BM 3.1.2
        17 September 2016 at 10:51 am

        Another indicator was on Backbenches this week where Tracey Martin was laying into boy-wonder Todd Barclay and the Nats in general. I think NZF will pick up votes on the immigration issue during the election campaign.

        Of course they’re laying into National, it’s where they see they can grow their vote, do you really think they’re going to get votes off the greens or labour?

        Try and pick up a few more % points by convincing the more conservative element of National to to vote NZ first, that way NZ First has more leverage when they go into coalition with National.

      • Gabby 3.1.3
        17 September 2016 at 11:21 am

        Crikey, Wee Toddy Baccy was allowed out in public? I hope he had a hankie up his sleeve.

      • Leftie 3.1.4
        17 September 2016 at 5:34 pm

        Spot on, +1000 Bearded Git.

    • DoublePlusGood 3.2
      17 September 2016 at 9:59 am

      Nah, Claire Trevett has repeatedly proven that MMP and coalitions are too complex a concept for her.

    • b waghorn 3.3
      17 September 2016 at 10:07 am

      I personally would be happy with labour / greens / nzf.

      • Sabine 3.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:59 pm

        yep, been saying it for years. Labour does not need a clear majority if they form a workable coalition with the other Opposition Parties. In fact should we get such a Government, and should the people elected care to represent and work for the people that got them elected it would be a ‘representative’ government.

        but hey, the other one is winningest ro something.

      • Leftie 3.3.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:35 pm

        Yep, me too B Waghorn.

    • Editractor 3.4
      17 September 2016 at 12:57 pm

      “Whoever’s poll is right, the One News poll does highlight two stark problems for Labour”

      That makes no sense at all. If the One News poll is not right, then it “highlights” no such thing. But let’s all forget that and wander happily into a conclusion based on an ignorant assumption.

      • Chuck 3.4.1
        17 September 2016 at 4:41 pm

        Editractor it was the same poll that showed an increase in concern about housing and immigration, that also recorded support for the various political parties.

        So on one hand, Andrew Little calls part of the poll “bogus” which he does not like, but accepts the other part re – housing and immigration.

        The “stark problems for labour” that the author has referenced are that the people polled mostly said housing and immigration are a problem, but Labour went backwards (down 3%) and received 26% support from the same sample group.

        It could be a “rouge poll” just as Andrew Little admits the Labour commissioned poll understates National party support (in other words he called his own poll rouge). 🙂

        • Gabby 3.4.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 5:26 pm

          Rogue, you chump, rogue.

          • Chuck 3.4.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 5:30 pm

            Don’t spoil my fun Gabby!! I was waiting for In Vino to make an appearance and tell me off.

            • In Vino 3.4.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 7:55 pm

              Already done that. Glad someone else sees you as a chump. But I guess you are likely to go for a minority opinion in your semi-literate state.
              Happy now?

              • Chuck …
                18 September 2016 at 9:26 am

                Hey In Vino! thanks for stopping by again mate.

                If I wasn’t a glass is half-full type of guy, I would say you come across as a self-righteous linguistic snob who want’s to make it clear how much smarter you are than the rest of us…

                Buy hey I am a positive sort of guy, so its all good and I look forward to your next critique.

        • Editractor 3.4.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 11:54 pm

          “Editractor it was the same poll that showed an increase in concern about housing and immigration, that also recorded support for the various political parties.

          So on one hand, Andrew Little calls part of the poll “bogus” which he does not like, but accepts the other part re – housing and immigration.”

          It might have been the same poll but they are two separate issues. It is quite possible for the poll to be inaccurate on one issue but not on the other so Little’s position on it is entirely reasonable.

          “The “stark problems for labour” that the author has referenced…”

          One or both of which are irrelevant if the poll is wrong on them.

          My point is that the author starts by acknowledging uncertainty about the accuracy of the poll but then proceeds to make conclusions as if it were accurate.

          To ice the big dollop it is, she then rolls out an analogy, though I liked the bit where she compared Act and the MP to parasites.

      • Leftie 3.4.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:37 pm

        Good point Editractor.

    • Andre 4.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:06 am

      Praise the Lord there’s no photos. The sauna scene was already too much for me.

    • Scott 4.2
      18 September 2016 at 1:03 am

      It’s good there is just one of him
      No double upon our legs at night
      But we’d be better off if there were none of him
      No chem trails or righteous right

  5. marty mars 5
    17 September 2016 at 10:28 am

    Horrible watching Norman spilling the lines on the nation. What a disappointment. Indigenous rights and middle class values around conservation often conflict and in this case imo this will cause lots of division and disgust.

    Meanwhile bugger all being done around climate change – only bullshit greenwash. Nice one not.

    • The Chairman 5.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:31 am

      Do you think Maori voters will turn on the Greens, thus by association (MOU) Labour?

      • marty mars 5.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 11:46 am

        There will be a backlash and all major parties won’t care. Tino rangatiratanga activists and those who worked on the original settlement care. This is where Māori will bind a bit and that will/should make the major parties fearful. The Treaty PARTNER will not be ignored, not any more.

    • mauī 5.2
      17 September 2016 at 12:30 pm

      Norman seems to want that sanctuary really badly. Enough to ignore Māori perspectives. That sure makes it awkward for Turei or Davidson. I haven’t been following it that closely but the Greens seem very quiet on this whole issue, maybe they’ll just let it slide by.

      • Colonial Viper 5.2.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:43 pm

        Were the Kermadecs explicitly mentioned in a fisheries Treaty settlement? Someone may have answered already but I missed it sorry.

        • BM 5.2.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 12:47 pm

          Money over conservation.

          It’s a disappointing attitude from the so called “guardians of the land”.

          • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 12:52 pm

            I think that Iwi needed to be involved in consultation at a much earlier stage.

            And I think that the outcome needed to be exactly the same – establishment of a massive marine reserve.

            I would like to know if any fishing corporates had plans on the drawing board for exploiting the fisheries there.

            • BM 5.2.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 1:00 pm

              How does one come to an agreement?, fishing rights and a marine reserve, they can’t really co-exist.

              • marty mars …
                17 September 2016 at 1:08 pm

                Funny bm that is not what negotiators think. Are you writing from knowledge or ignorance?

                • BM …
                  17 September 2016 at 1:18 pm

                  So you think Maori should be allowed to fish in a marine reserve?

                  But only Maori, no one else.

                  • marty mars …
                    17 September 2016 at 1:21 pm

                    Ignorance then, as i suspected

                    • BM …
                      17 September 2016 at 1:24 pm

                      Or do you think there should be no marine reserve because it impacts on Maori fishing rights?

                      Or is this more about Iwi expecting the tax payer to fork out another lump sum for loss of earnings?

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

                      BM you need to read the Treaty. Gives Maori all fishing rights in perpetuity. You don’t get to mess with that or the successor legislation without talking to Maori. In a democracy, a government should have talked to Pakeha too. Talking isn’t the Gnats strong point.

                      “The Ogre does what ogres can,
                      Deeds quite impossible for Man,
                      But one prize is beyond his reach:
                      The Ogre cannot master speech.

                      About a subjugated plain,
                      Among it’s desperate and slain,
                      The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
                      While drivel gushes from his lips.”

                    • BM …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:21 pm

                      Government is sovereign they can do whatever they want.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:27 pm

                      ha ha – haven’t got down to your marae yet eh – what a ignorant twit you are bm

                    • BM …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:35 pm

                      Don’t really feel like taking a drive to Thames, there cuz.

                      Anyway the marine reserve is going ahead, the Maori getting all bent out of shape will just have to put on their big boy pants and deal with it.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:40 pm

                      subservient you – bow your head boy

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:40 pm

                      Gives Maori all fishing rights in perpetuity.

                      Te Tiriti Ō Waitangi does not apply to the Kermadecs because they weren’t part of NZ at the time and Māori didn’t fish them as part of their territorial waters either any way. So traditional fishing rights, as guaranteed under Te Tiriti, simply do not apply.

                      For people to claim that they do is for them to try and rewrite history.

                      You don’t get to mess with that or the successor legislation without talking to Maori.

                      And yet that is what Māori do seem to be trying to do.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:47 pm

                      National have deliberately engineered a gift issue 12 months out from the election which will then allow the Maori Party to go out and campaign and claim “independence” by “standing up to” National over something (fishing around the Kermadecs) with no practical value or meaning or thought time for 99% of Kiwis.

                      Clever election maneuvering is what this is.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:57 pm

                      cv you are a knob – not everything is coloured orange fool – fuck north is right about you being a embarrassment every time you blurt your bullshit.

                      dtb – you have very little credibility and what you say is next to meaningless because you don’t get even the simple fundamental truths – sorry to burst your ego balloon. For instance you wrote – “Te Tiriti Ō Waitangi does not apply to the Kermadecs” yet IT WAS part of the settlement that is why there is an issue now – this is the most basic simplistic fact about the whole deal. Sure I get you don’t WANT it to be like that – but it is.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:04 pm

                      Marty Mars, Labour was highlighting National’s lack of consultation with iwi in 2015 over the Kermadecs.

                      It seems obvious that this process was stitched up way back then as a way for the Maori Party to demonstrate independence from National just 12 months ahead of the general election.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:05 pm

                      it seems obvious to the man backing trump – excuse me if I think you don’t have a fucken clue

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:34 pm

                      Labour knew in 2015 that National was not consulting with iwi over the Kermadecs, and said so on broadcast TV.

                      Therefore the Maori Party were more than aware of the same, if not more details.

                      However both National and the Maori Party let things proceed as they were.

                      All the way along until now, just 12 months before the next general election and National pushes ahead with the legislation.

                      The Maori Party suddenly raises very public and very serious concerns, and immediately, National abruptly realise the shortcomings in their consultation process and are forced to pull their proposed bill out of the legislative process.

                      A big win for the Maori Party who can truthfully claim not just that they have the “backbone” to stand up to John Key, but that they have “real sway” and demonstrable influence over the National Government.

                      Along the way, the Maori Party get to amply illustrate that Labour and the Greens don’t really care that much about Treaty rights and Treaty settlements.

                      Brilliant stuff to campaign on, going into an election year.

                      An co-engineered between the Maori Party and National from the start, for the electoral benefit of both.

                      (National who gains from the red neck white vote by having not including iwi in this important Treaty relevant process).

                    • marty mars …
                      18 September 2016 at 7:14 am

                      This is where you always trip up

                      “Labour knew in 2015 that National was not consulting with iwi over the Kermadecs, and said so on broadcast TV.

                      Therefore the Maori Party were more than aware of the same, if not more details.”

                      your therefore is not true – you don’t know and cannot know (unless someone says it) that it is true – it is SPECULATION from which you draw conclusion after conclusion to fit your internal story and convince yourself that you are right and have some insight – all based on a therefore which IS NOT true.

                      so nice fairy tale

                      please get this – you are projecting, you don’t know – but hey chuck the link up (about the therefore not the bit before) and I will go wow you are right.

                      conspiracy types always make the story fit their preconceived ideas

          • marty mars 5.2.1.1.2
            17 September 2016 at 1:06 pm

            Bm why not go down to your marae and tell us what they think.

          • North 5.2.1.1.3
            17 September 2016 at 6:41 pm

            BM you are so excellent at reaching deep into your own dark recesses and projecting onto everyone else the suppurating moral detritus you find there.

            Money over conservation…….that’s our BM. Said with a straight face too.

        • mauī 5.2.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 1:03 pm

          Not sure, but you would think if you’re given some rights over a national fishery under a treaty then you get a say in how its managed.

      • marty mars 5.2.2
        17 September 2016 at 12:45 pm

        He certainly didn’t want to call it a treaty issue – still stuck on the ‘commercial’ which I found incredible.

      • The Chairman 5.2.3
        17 September 2016 at 1:45 pm

        “Greens seem very quiet on this whole issue”

        Well if they are aligned with Normans view on the matter, perhaps that’s why they are so quiet (awkward for Turei or Davidson).

      • Psycho Milt 5.2.4
        17 September 2016 at 4:24 pm

        Norman seems to want that sanctuary really badly. Enough to ignore Māori perspectives.

        I really don’t get this. I’m as White as it gets, but even I can see a glaringly obvious Treaty grievance arising out of it. Given the events of the last 176 years, it ought to be clear enough why you shouldn’t negotiate a national fisheries agreement with Maori and then unilaterally remove fishing rights from thousands of square kilometers without even bothering to mention it to your Treaty partner. The fact that marine sanctuaries are a Good Thing doesn’t change that in the slightest.

        • marty mars 5.2.4.1
          17 September 2016 at 6:13 pm

          Why do you think some can’t get their heads around it?

          • Psycho Milt 5.2.4.1.1
            18 September 2016 at 7:44 am

            I think there are multiple factors:

            We all want more and bigger marine sanctuaries, so opponents of any particular marine sanctuary must be Bad People;

            Maori have commercial fishing interests, which could be seen as a conflict of interest;

            But the big one is that it’s easy for Pakeha to support Treaty rights as long as it doesn’t affect something that’s important to us. I don’t exclude myself from this: if the government wants to give the Urewera back to Tuhoi, sure, absolutely, no skin off my nose – but if the government wanted to give my suburb back to Rangitane and included my property in the deal, I expect I’d find it hard to be supportive of the idea and might start looking for spurious reasons why it would be completely wrong for Maori claims involving my property to be recognised. People who feel strongly about the Kermadec marine sanctuary are possibly experiencing that same feeling.

      • marty mars 5.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 1:47 pm

        Ta Paul, good to watch it again – rus the mus is very sus – true colours coming out now – yuck.

        • Paul 5.3.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 1:56 pm

          Am really wondering which party to vote for now.
          Suggestions for the party most likely to dismantle neo-liberalism in NZ?

          • weka 5.3.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 2:01 pm

            The Greens. Not because the can or will do that immediately, but because the more votes they get the closet they can operate to their core values (seriously, read their core documents).

            Neoliberalism will be disbanded by the people. The parties will follow. Best chance is from the Greens.

            Btw, I haven’t watched the interview yet but Norman isn’t a formal part of the Green Party, and we need to be careful to not conflate his position with theirs.

            • Macro 5.3.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 2:57 pm

              Totally agree with you weka.
              The Green’s have been arguing the need for more marine sanctuaries for years now. Marine sanctuaries are the only way humans can hope to holt the rapidly depletion of a vital natural resource. Never the less the Green’s along with Labour in their minority view on the Bill as it was reported to Parliament stated:

              The lack of consultation with iwi by the Crown prior to the Government’s announcement on the international stage of the proposed creation of a Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary has been unsatisfactory. It fell well short of expectations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This has been reflected in submissions opposing the bill.
              The Green Party recognises that non-governmental organisations such as the Pew Foundation, WWF New Zealand, Forest and Bird, and others have engaged in extensive public discussion, including two science symposia, art exhibitions, and discussions with mana whenua about a proposed Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary over the last seven years. This is not a substitute for the Crown consulting with mana whenua and other iwi.

              • weka …
                17 September 2016 at 3:35 pm

                Thanks, that’s very interesting and as per usual the Greens present a deeper and more thoughtful perspective than they are given credit for.

                It does raise the issue of the select committee process and how much it is largel ignored in public debate.

                For me the thing missing here is that we have a desperate need for sanctuaries because how general way if operating is so destructive, and we are stuck in the whole neoliberal/conservation polarity. Ultimately it doesn’t move us past the primary way of operating and quite possibly entrenches it.

                • Macro …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:36 pm

                  As per usual with this govt there wasn’t much time for public debate on this issue nor time for people to make public submissions:

                  The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill was referred to the committee on 15 March 2016. The closing date for submissions was 28 April 2016.
                  We received and considered 82 unique submissions from interested groups and individuals, and a form submission representing 1,084 submitters. We heard oral evidence from 18 submitters.
                  We received advice from the Ministry for the Environment, the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as the Parliamentary Counsel Office.

                  Note – no iwi appear to have submitted.

                  ref: the previous link.

              • marty mars …
                17 September 2016 at 3:40 pm

                as I have noted above the conflict that can occur between the rights of indigenous peoples and middle class conservation values is well known – at least within indigenous communities 🙁

                labour – “We believe it is wrong that the bill undermines the rights arising from the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992, which were meant to be “full and final”, and in particular those fishing rights relating to Fisheries Management Area 10.”

                greens – “Concerns raised by Te Ohu Kaimoana and some iwi authorities that the bill breaches Treaty rights and interferes with quota rights conferred by the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act are complex. Such concerns are most appropriately resolved by the courts or by negotiation between iwi and the Crown, rather than select committee.”

                got to say labour’s lines are better than the greens on this one – both supported the bill, both have put negotiated settlement rights of indigenous peoples behind the right to have a protected conservation area. This is pretty well what always happens and that is why many indigenous communities are suspicious of conservationists – who pretty well want people out so they can enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.

                This btw is EXACTLY the same with climate change. You change but not us. Indigenous communities are fighting for the protection of Papatūānuku and have been well before the middle class conservationists decided to stop destroying and start saving – but that is forgotten in their Avatar like redemption of the brownish by the whiteish and their rewriting the narratives with them as the hero – every.single.time.

                • Macro …
                  17 September 2016 at 5:41 pm

                  Marty – what you appear to say here is that there can never be another Marine sanctuary within the NZ EEZ because it would contravene the full and final settlement of the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act! This would be an extreme position to take.
                  The prime purpose of Marine Sanctuaries is not to reduce the number of fish that can be caught – their purpose is to allow fish places to breed and ultimately for fish numbers to rejuvenate to sustainable levels. At present we (and here I include us all) are stripping our oceans clean, and this present behaviour is simple unsustainable. The provision of Marine sanctuaries does not remove the right of Maori to fish nor to limit the quota set under the Settlement. These issues are complex and I totally agree that “Such concerns are most appropriately resolved by the courts or by negotiation between iwi and the Crown, rather than select committee.”
                  There is a point in the progression of ethical behaviour when the good of the whole trumps individual rights or any other right.

                  • marty mars …
                    17 September 2016 at 6:08 pm

                    Yes Marine sanctuaries are great – hell, make the whole ocean a sanctuary imo.

                    Yes the current stripping of our oceans is unsustainable – one of the reasons I no longer eat fish actually and haven’t for years. And yes we need spots where the fish populations can replenish.

                    I believe that a position where all parties were happy could have, and maybe still could, be reached. That certainly seems to be the position of Te Ohu Kaimoana. I’d be happy with that too.

                    But I’d ask the question why? Why make sanctuaries? To ensure the replenishment of species and ecosystems? Why do that? To ensure all living entities including humans, have the ability and right to survive and flourish? Okay but if you have to destroy or ignore or trample on the rights of indigenous peoples to be able to create areas where people and ecosystems can flourish then I’d argue it is hypocrisy especially as no non-indigenous peoples are being treated the same. This is colonisation and belittling and othering. This is why this country isn’t Aotearoa but instead New Zealand and this is why Māori are not given their LEGAL and MORALLY due rights as PARTNERS.

                    The real irony is that indigenous peoples are the BEST at protecting the ecosystems and creatures within them, including humans. They are much much better than the exploitative and destructive western societies who, frankly, have created this mess we have to sort out. But what sacrifices are they making? What are they doing about climate change? Answer – NOTHING. They want everyone else to make the sacrifices and save them – well they can get fucked.

                    This world is this world. The good of the whole would require the western exploitative countries to fall off the map – then we can save shit.

                    I know it is a rant and I know I’m generalising and making all sorts of statements where I’m included on both/all sides. I am doing this to show the hypocrisy of the whole debate.

                    • Poission …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

                      The kermedecs are already nz largest fisheries reserve, with a benthic ban on trawling in fma10.

                      http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1990/0305/4.0/DLM142810.html

                      Te Ohu Kaimoana would be highly unlikely to get FAO certification for any catch from this area already under reserve or tentative status.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:38 pm

                      I’m pretty sure they don’t even want to fish there – the whole thing is about binding agreements being made with indigenous partners and then breaking those agreements BECAUSE they were made with indigenous partners and that category of partner is well down the prioritisation list and can be discarded (or so they thought in their 1870’s mindset) easily without fuss, just like all the other times the crown has done it.

                    • b waghorn …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:53 pm

                      ”The real irony is that indigenous peoples are the BEST at protecting the ecosystems and creatures within them, ”
                      Oh come on now marty i’ve known more than one maori chap who was a shocking poacher.

                    • TheExtremist66 …
                      17 September 2016 at 7:55 pm

                      Tell that to the Moa….

                    • locus …
                      17 September 2016 at 7:58 pm

                      a perfectly understandable rant marty –

                      has anyone thought that this is all about JK?

                      – a pretence that he cares about the environment
                      – a self-serving act so he has something ‘noble’ in his ‘legacy’
                      – useful that it makes him look good to environmentally concerned film stars and world leaders who he wants to rub shoulders with…
                      – a blatant set-up and dog-whistle to his fanboys…. another excuse for them to denigrate Maori

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:22 pm

                      Okay for your benefits I will say a little more

                      Collective not individual. The system in place now has disenfranchised and disempowered so many indigenous peoples – remember colonisation??? The ability to live sustainably was inherent in survival and Māori and other indigenous peoples survived.

                      It is utter arrogance to think someone from some no name town in Britannia knows more about sustainability and living in the Amazon than the indigenous people living there.

                      As for the Moa – yep they are gone and believe it or not there are many factors that contributed to their extinction, including being hunted for food and loss of habitat due to fire (some deliberately and some naturally occurring). The middens do tell a story but not the only story. Plus I said the BEST and it is true that others that aren’t indigenous are horror shows for animals and ecosystems. That doesn’t mean Māori or other indigenous peoples were saintly but they were so much better than western peoples.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:27 pm

                      Yes locus I agree with all of your points and that is why I get so disappointed with some comments on this and why I bought that up in regards to the panel with norman.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:49 pm

                      The real irony is that indigenous peoples are the BEST at protecting the ecosystems and creatures within them, including humans.

                      No, they’re not. They’re just as bad as Pakeha. The just didn’t have the technology and population to do the same total damage but they still did massive amounts of damage.

                      Māori stripped ~50% of the forest area of NZ before Pakeha got here.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:03 pm

                      “By the time European settlement began, around 1840, some 6.7 million hectares of forest had been destroyed and was replaced by short grassland, shrubland and fern land. Between 1840 and 2000, another 8 million hectares were cleared, mostly lowland or easily accessible conifer–broadleaf forest.”

                      from your own link dicko

                      6.7 million hectares is less than 8 million hectares isn’t it????

                      so when you say ,”They’re just as bad as Pakeha” you are just being a bigot.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:58 pm

                      6.7 million hectares is less than 8 million hectares isn’t it????

                      Wow, really, I would never have known that.

                      Of course, if they were truly as environmentally friendly as you say it would have been ZERO.

                      If Māori had continued in that fashion then the land would have ended up being just as denuded as we have now. It may have taken longer but the damage would still have been done.

                    • marty mars …
                      18 September 2016 at 7:17 am

                      your bigotry has blinded you to what I actually wrote

                • Fran …
                  17 September 2016 at 10:04 pm

                  + 1000 Marty Mars.

            • Chuck 5.3.1.1.1.2
              17 September 2016 at 3:15 pm

              Sorry weka can’t see any chance of that happening anytime soon. The Greens are a 10% – 13% party. The Greens only chance to be part of a Government is by hanging onto the coattails of Labour.

              The Greens don’t have much ability to negotiate with Labour (no leverage) and thus no radical policy shifts will be approved by their master, Labour. It is amplified even more if a Lab/Gr party need to rely on NZF to govern.

              Your best chance to dismantle (so called) neo-liberalism in NZ would be to gut the Labour party of any remaining centre left people. Then in conjunction with the Greens “go for it” and see how many voters you can convince…

              • weka …
                17 September 2016 at 3:28 pm

                Getting rid of the hardcore neoliberalism from Labour would be a huge help but you missed my point. Neoliberalism will die in NZ at the behest of the people with political parties following the people.

                • Chuck …
                  17 September 2016 at 3:55 pm

                  “Neoliberalism will die in NZ at the behest of the people with political parties following the people.”

                  Which correct me if I am wrong, would require a ground swell of people before political parties (other than a fringe party) would react.

                  By ground swell, it would need to be massive, in the hundreds of thousands at the very least.

                  Can’t see that happening any time soon.

                  • Paul …
                    17 September 2016 at 4:07 pm

                    Trump
                    Brexit
                    SNP taking Scotland

                    all signs the dam is about to burst very soon….

                  • weka …
                    18 September 2016 at 12:23 pm

                    “By ground swell, it would need to be massive, in the hundreds of thousands at the very least.”

                    yes and no. Change always happens on the edge first. We have a Green Party in large part because of people who thought differently back in the day. They were small numbers who ended up with big influence. A lot of change happens like that.

                    “Can’t see that happening any time soon.”

                    That’s what people used to say about slavery or apartheid in South Africa. Women getting the vote. Lots of examples.

        • Karen 5.3.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 2:16 pm

          Yep – watching that I was pleased that he isn’t the Green co-leader anymore.

          Poor Mihi – having to deal Russel and a rightwing PR person on the panel. Neither seemed to understand treaty rights. Mihi did well, though.

          • marty mars 5.3.1.2.1
            17 September 2016 at 2:57 pm

            Yep she seemed surprised and shocked by the ignorance.

            • weka 5.3.1.2.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 3:43 pm

              The thing that stood out for me was that the 2 Pakeha appeared to be arguing that the Crown should ignore the treaty if it thinks Māori interests run counter to its own. Not that that’s not without precedent but I agree, very disappointing from Norman. He did say he thought the lack of consultation was wrong but it was one sentence amongst many others which seemed to ignore the Treaty 🙁

              I liked what Forbes said about the differences between Māori and Pakeha views on conservation, would love to have seen a whole debate on that alone. It would have taken us somewhere more useful perhaps.

              • Garibaldi …
                17 September 2016 at 5:07 pm

                I was impressed by both Mihi and Russell. Both view points have merit, it’s such a pity that the stupid Nats have lost the chance for Maori to make a great contribution to Conservation. You can argue Treaty rights as much as you like but conservation is paramount in our rapidly deteriorating environment so good on Russell for his strong stand.
                My greatest fear about the whole issue is whatever we come up with we will be too bloody under sourced to patrol/manage the area. We can’t even do our local sanctuaries adequately.

                • marty mars …
                  17 September 2016 at 6:24 pm

                  “You can argue Treaty rights as much as you like but conservation is paramount in our rapidly deteriorating environment so good on Russell for his strong stand.”

                  Yep as long as someone else is affected or has their rights discarded she’s all good.

                  Any examples where non indigenous peoples are making sacrifices like that?

                  Just joking – I know we are trying to stop using plastic bags and ummm yeah that’s right we sort of recycle into the rubbish tip and ummm…

                  • In Vino …
                    17 September 2016 at 8:23 pm

                    It has been suggested elsewhere that this is a set-up. With agreement in advance, National leave out Maori, providing Tuku and his Maori Party with the opportunity to posture greatly and stand up for Maori with much righteousness, and in so doing justify Maori Party policy of cuddling up to the Nats. And the Maori elite continue to grow rich at the expense of most of the rest of their race, which puts us all in the same horrible basket. People of all races can now enjoy the same penury equally, while all the right people get voted in again.

                    Or am I even more paranoid now than I was back when I was not quite sure whether I was paranoid enough?

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:34 pm

                      Yep, giving the Maori Party an issue going into election year to prove to the electorate that the Maori Party is indeed “independent” and can indeed “stand up to” National.

                    • b waghorn …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:35 pm

                      Considering that just last week the greasy whale was driving wedges between tainui and labour i would say you have every right to be sceptical about the maori parties activities.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:37 pm

                      Jeepers – may be a bit convoluted and true!!!

                      I am listening to Annette Sykes on this one and other Māori activists not the Māori Party and to be clear I don’t agree with everything Annette says on many things – but this one seems clear to me.

                      Perhaps it is all a plan to get the Māori Party in with gusto – I hope not as I’m a left wing Mana Movement supporter. You’ve made me feel paranoid now 🙂

                      edit @cv – nah you are definitely too paranoid
                      @ waggy – skeptical is a very good word there.

                    • In Vino …
                      18 September 2016 at 1:07 am

                      It seems to me that your heart is in the right place Marty. Go for it.

  6. The Chairman 6
    17 September 2016 at 10:55 am

    Has anyone here been following this controversial series?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/84158436/new-zealand-is-no-paradise-it-is-brutal

    • b waghorn 6.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:36 am

      It’s very hard to have patience for people who leave a country then shit all over it from a distance. She could have stayed and tried to fix what she doesn’t like. And blaming a country because some muppets made her watch a slaughter show a lack of depth of thought.

    • BM 6.2
      17 September 2016 at 11:54 am

      Those are just troll articles.

      Wouldn’t be surprised if this woman didn’t even exist and the whole series was written by some reporter to stir up the readers.

      • The Chairman 6.2.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:04 pm

        Do you care to address the content or did you just want to imply suspicion against the author as a way to distract?

        • BM 6.2.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 12:18 pm

          If true, I think it’s the height of arrogance and lack of class to extrapolate out her experiences onto a country of 4 million people.

          Obviously a raving lefty, good riddance.

          • The Chairman 6.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 12:29 pm

            If true?

            Can you list what you believe isn’t?

            Moreover, if true don’t you think it’s time we acknowledge it and see if we can improve things going forward?

            She may be gone, but if true the problems remain.

            “Obviously a raving lefty”

            What makes you say that? Was it an attempted smear as a way to again discredit the author, hence the content?

          • reason 6.2.1.1.2
            17 September 2016 at 4:10 pm

            From the article ….

            “When the Roast Busters made headlines, they did so because they talked about their alleged exploits online, which meant that people outside our culture became aware of it.

            Although the first complaints were made in 2011 by girls as young as 13, the police investigation sputtered along until 2013 when the story got picked up by international media. Headlines such as Jezebel’s New Zealand Teen Rape Club is the Worst Thing You’ll Read About Today embarrassed us.

            We really, really hate being embarrassed in front of foreigners.”

            It sums up BM really and where he stands on NZ rape culture …..”

            He really, really hates being embarrassed in front of foreigners.

        • Stuart Munro 6.2.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 3:59 pm

          Have more respect! BM is a troll expert!

      • Gabby 6.2.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:49 pm

        I’m pretty sure you don’t exist and only serve as a counter to low blood pressure and constipation.

    • weka 6.3
      17 September 2016 at 12:31 pm

      NZ has a lot of problems. That article doesn’t offer much useful in way of understanding it or finding solutions. I’m all for s good moan fest to get things off ones chest but I question the value of doing that ins national newspaper.

      I also question her ability to reflect or do basic research. The anecdote about pain relief is common in many countries. It’s not a NZ thing It’s a medical services dynamic. Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.

      • The Chairman 6.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:56 pm

        Bare in mind, weka, the series hasn’t completed yet.

        You may see it as a moan. I see it as something that needs to be said and acknowledged.

        Putting it in the paper clearly helps to give the issues wider attention.

        We can’t address an issue if we fail to recognise it or deny it exists.

        “The anecdote about pain relief is common in many countries. It’s not a NZ thing It’s a medical services dynamic”

        Can you expand on that thanks?

        “Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.”

        Implying you see no truth in it at all?

        • weka 6.3.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 1:50 pm

          No, implying that her antipathy is all she’s got.

          People getting treated badly at A and E when they seek pain meds happens lots of places. Anyone suspected of being a drug user, or lying about pain to access drugs can get treated badly. Her using that story is a good example of why her article is overblown and comes across as rhetoric.

          Of course the problems need to be discussed (that’s a given in this forum) but as I said I don’t think she is adding much useful to the conversation.

          • The Chairman 6.3.1.1.1
            20 September 2016 at 1:23 pm

            Implying that her antipathy is all she’s got is clearly incorrect. She supplied a number of notable references throughout the series thus far.

            Her use of that story is obviously because it stood out for her. The refusal of pain relief shouldn’t be determined and withheld on the mere grounds a patient asked for it.

            Moreover, that example was merely one small snippet compared to what the series contains. But you’re correct, the example is anecdotal. Nonetheless, there is a prevailing harden up culture in NZ.

      • Brigid 6.3.2
        17 September 2016 at 1:06 pm

        I agree. Her anecdote about animal slaughter actually shows how humane the animal was slaughtered, and her memory of the event, I’d say, is slightly faulty; the animal would have been skinned before it was guttered.
        “(The animal) followed him trustingly, balking just a little at the sight of a man striding towards it holding a rifle.”
        An animal doesn’t know what a rifle is or does ffs.

        “At the age of eight, I was dragged into an initiation familiar to all readers of New Zealand’s manly literature: witnessing a slaughter.”
        ‘initiation’, ‘dragged’ Really? Garbage!

        ” Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.”
        Perfectly put Weka.

        • The Chairman 6.3.2.1
          17 September 2016 at 1:14 pm

          Have you read the other parts?

          With all the bigger issues being highlighted, I find it interesting people want to focus on the slaughter.

          • b waghorn 6.3.2.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 2:03 pm

            Because it shows she’s using her personal experience to paint a whole country as bad.

            • Gangnam Style 6.3.2.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 2:45 pm

              NO, I was a sensitive kid & was appalled to follow my father into a field at the age of about 4-5 & watch him catch a sheep & run a knife through it neck then let it keep running finally stumbling in a heap of blood & limbs & noise. Also being thrown into a pool when I could not swim & laughed at as I got out crying & told to ‘harden up’. If you are a sensitive wee soul then NZ is indeed a brutal country. Actually look at how many comments tell her to ‘harden up’, pretty much proving her point. It’s only her view & experience, I am sure she has had as much joy & laughter as the rest of us. NZrs hate criticism, & the disassembling of sacred cows like rugby, hunting & man alone bullshit. Well tough shit. One more thing, look at NZs appalling suicide rates of not just children but young men, there’s something rotten in the state of ‘godzone’ that we refuse to acknowledge.

              • marty mars …
                17 September 2016 at 3:00 pm

                + 1 Yep hard to forget the first sheep you see killed, especially when you are young and sensitive.

              • Brigid …
                17 September 2016 at 4:28 pm

                That’s an indictment on your father both because he ill treated the sheep and insulted you.
                I think your father was an outrageous brute and your reaction to that and being thrown into a pool when you couldn’t swim, doesn’t make you a sensitive wee soul, just an emotionally abused child.
                It makes me feel sick to think of a child being insulted and abused like that.

                Your account of the sheep slaughter is not my experience of how farm kill was carried out. We never watched our father killing the household meat because there was no reason to; it wasn’t a spectacle.

                Your experience and mine doesn’t make NZ culture.
                But this “, look at NZs appalling suicide rates of not just children but young men.” is shameful.
                It’s true “there’s something rotten in the state of ‘godzone’ that we refuse to acknowledge”

                • Gangnam Style …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:51 pm

                  I did not say my experience made NZ culture did I?

                  My dad was brought up on a Waikato farm in the 50s, he was a young stupid ignorant immature man in his 20s , now he is mellow & more knowing &I think he’s great! Also, my experience is not that uncommon, both the brutal animal slaughter & being forced to learn how to swim in those horrible cold concrete pools all schools used to have.

                  Also read the comments on the articles, plenty people think kids watching animals die is great character building material & makes kids respect meat, apparently!

              • Gabby …
                17 September 2016 at 5:58 pm

                You were unlucky to have an arsehole for a father.

            • The Chairman 6.3.2.1.1.2
              20 September 2016 at 1:32 pm

              @b waghorn

              Not only is she speaking from her own experiences (which some would also widely share) she illustrates how they manifest through attitudes and actions in society.

              One recent example being the Roast Busters ordeal. More recently the Chiefs.

              She discusses our binge drinking culture, procreation, homophobia and rugby culture.

              She highlights (amongst other things) that in the United Nations Report on the Status of Women published in 2011, New Zealand was ranked worst of all OECD countries in rates of sexual violence.  

              The series is titled ‘New Zealand is no paradise, it is brutal’ – highlighting some of the more sinister parts of our culture, thus it isn’t going to be a complimentary piece.

      • Psycho Milt 6.3.3
        17 September 2016 at 4:09 pm

        I also question her ability to reflect or do basic research. The anecdote about pain relief is common in many countries. It’s not a NZ thing It’s a medical services dynamic. Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.

        Yes. I read the first one, spent most of it thinking “FFS, do you imagine that’s peculiar to NZ?” or “Have you actually visited any other countries?”, and decided not to bother with any further installments.

        • Garibaldi 6.3.3.1
          17 September 2016 at 5:33 pm

          I have read both articles and, for me, on both occasions warning bells have rung. There is something contrived, ott, or ‘worst case scenario’ about it all. I suspect it is fiction. Worse still I fear I agree with BM ( minus the raving leftie bit) on this.

    • Ad 6.4
      17 September 2016 at 3:15 pm

      The one on the place of women and sexual attitudes in New Zealand was a bit over the top, but it was really well told.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.5
      17 September 2016 at 11:00 pm

      Seems accurate.

  7. joe90 7
    17 September 2016 at 12:43 pm

    Misogynist thug incites violence against a woman.

    Take their guns away. She doesn’t want guns. Let’s see what happens to her… It would be very dangerous.

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-if-clinton-hates-guns-take-bodyguards-away-and-lets-see-what-happens-to-her/

    edit: She wants to destroy your Second Amendment… Guns, guns, guns, right? I think what we should do, is, she goes around with armed bodyguards like you have never seen before. I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons, they should disarm, right? Right? I think they should disarm. Immediately. Whaddaya think, yes? Yes. Yeah. Take their guns away! She doesn’t want guns. Take their, let’s see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK?

  8. Sabine 8
    17 September 2016 at 1:31 pm

    oh yes please, pretty pretty please 🙂

    http://qz.com/782523/elizabeth-warren-wants-the-fbi-to-treat-big-bank-ceos-the-way-they-treat-hillary-clinton/

    quote:
    “Elizabeth Warren hasn’t left the financial crisis behind—she wants the FBI to hand over the records of its investigations into criminal behavior at Wall Street banks before the crash.
    And she says she has grounds to do so after federal law enforcement officials gave extraordinary public access to their investigation of Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server.”Quote End.

  9. James 9
    17 September 2016 at 2:03 pm

    Highlighting the difference between labour activist and “reality” in the UK

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/12/jeremy-corbyns-labour-suffers-worst-opinion-poll-ratings-the-par/

    Not much different here really.

    #ToriesForCorbyn

    • ropata 9.1
      17 September 2016 at 3:35 pm

      Nothing to do with wanton acts of political sabotage by the PLP then? Just blame the guy who harnessed a mass movement and increased Labour membership to record levels.. really James you are being a bit simpleminded

      • James 9.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 4:21 pm

        Not at all – what I was pointing out is that there are people like you, who are fine in a small little echo chamber with people like yourself who think you are all smart – and then there is the rest of the population who vote for the other guys leaving you surprised yet again when you are in opposition.

        • ropata 9.1.1.1
          18 September 2016 at 2:43 am

          For your next trick, the Brexit result and the Trump movement are great examples of right wing success…?

          There is a lot of anger out there against *all* establishment parties, patting yourself on the back seems a bit premature

        • framu 9.1.1.2
          19 September 2016 at 8:32 am

          pretty sure the fact youve ingored the continuing public internal war in UK labour has been pointed out to you multiple times.

          the fact your pinning it all on a single factor, yet again, somewhat proves ropata’s claim – either that or your doing it on purpose

  10. joe90 10
    17 September 2016 at 2:09 pm

    Rachel Maddow on how the Trump campaign’s use of racist symbols signals their tacit agreement with the very worst of America.

    http://player.theplatform.com/p/7wvmTC/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_apepe_160916

  11. Karen 11
    17 September 2016 at 3:34 pm

    Generation Zero have done a guide for local elections again – makes for some interesting comparisons.

    http://aucklandelections.nz/

  12. Muttonbird 12
    17 September 2016 at 4:35 pm

    The comments section after this article highlight the divisions in NZ society which have appeared in the last decade.

    It’s the age of the amateur landlord and the long term tenant. Watch for things to get worse in this area.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/84337585/foxton-landlord-seeks-appeal-in-soiled-carpet-case

    • b waghorn 12.1
      17 September 2016 at 7:04 pm

      If you tell your tenants no pets inside then they let pets piss all over the carpet then i think they should pay.
      The fire case is completely different from that , and the court was right to not make the tenants pay.

      • Muttonbird 12.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 8:59 pm

        It’s the comments I was highlighting, not the case itself. Any excuse at all to deride tenants as a group is gleefully taken up by the the amateur landlord class.

        • b waghorn 12.1.1.1
          18 September 2016 at 7:51 am

          oh god don’t read stuff comments ,it will only make you feel like you are living in an asylum ,

    • weka 12.2
      18 September 2016 at 12:29 pm

      I’d be interested to know what the Tribunal decision said. On the face of it it doesn’t make sense.

      Re the comments, there is a mix there of the two cases (which are quite different), so it’s a big hard to tell what the general response is. Criticising the lastest Tribunal decision seems valid to me and not-anti-renter.

      Oh, and tenant’s insurance, wtf.

  13. marty mars 13
    17 September 2016 at 5:05 pm

    This article was very thought provoking for me.

    “I wanted to believe that sharing my experience with them would make them understand. And even more important, that understanding would breed action; but that’s where the disconnect arose. My sons understand, as best as teenage boys can. But they aren’t willing to sacrifice their own comfort for my sake, or for anyone else. When it comes to speaking out against rape culture and questioning their own ideas and behaviour, they become angry and defensive. Not all men, they remind me, and my guts wrench as my own sons mimic the vitriol of a thousand online trolls.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/life/84369519/im-a-rape-survivor-and-my-teen-boys-are-blind-to-rape-culture

    As a parent I wonder how I will act/react when my boys don’t believe what I believe and in fact believe the opposite.

  14. Gabby 14
    17 September 2016 at 6:07 pm

    You wouldn’t let your kids call a girl a slut or a whore. You probably wouldn’t lecture them about sexual politics over dinner until they wish laryngitis on you either.

    • Stephanie Rodgers 14.1
      17 September 2016 at 6:20 pm

      You think it’s okay to reduce a woman talking about her own experience, and trying to get her sons to understand how to have respectful relationships, to “lecturing them about sexual politics”?

      That’s kind of the problem, you realise.

  15. North 15
    17 September 2016 at 11:33 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11711888

    In the body count it’s still 1000-1 against the sub-human “sand nigger” Palestinians. Talk about racism !

    Nelson Mandela knew those neo-nazi zionists for what they are. Seventy years ago even Ben Gurion understood the Palestinians’ plight. “We’re taking their land – of course they hate us”.

    “Justice The Seed Peace The Flower”.

    • Colonial Viper 15.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:42 pm

      Anyone interested in this issue needs to read up on the historical “Yinon Plan” for a Greater Israel.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to June 3 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to June 3 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm today.Parliament’s Environment Select Committee resumes hearing submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm today.Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    48 mins ago

  • May-24 AT Board Meeting
    Tomorrow the AT board meet again and I’ve taken a look through the items on their public agenda to see what’s interesting. It’s also the first meeting for two recently appointed directors, former director at Ritchies Transport, Andrew Ritchie and former mayor of Hamilton, Julie Hardaker. The public session starts ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 hour ago

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Monday, May 27
    The Government is looking again at changing fringe benefit tax rules to make it harder to claim a personally-used double-cab ute as a company vehicle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Having repealed the previous Government’s ‘ute tax’ last year, the new Government is looking at removing a defacto tax ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 hours ago

  • Some Dark Moments from Netflix's Dark Tourist
    Hi,I pitched a documentary to a big streamer last week and they said “no thanks” which is a bummer, because we’d worked on the concept for ages and I think it would have been a compelling watch. But I would say that because I was the one pitching it, right?As ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 hours ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #21
    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 19, 2024 thru Sat, May 25, 2024. Story of the week This week's typiclal compendium of stories we'd rather were plot devices in science ficition novels but instead ...
    Skeptical Science
    13 hours ago

  • National’s bulldozer dictatorship bill
    This National government has been aggressively anti-environment, and is currently ramming through its corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" legislation to give three ministers dictatorial powers over what gets built and where. But that's not the only thing they're doing. On Thursday they introduced a Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    16 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Negative social impact of taxpayer-funded partisan charities
    Whenever politicians dole out taxpayer funding to groups or individuals, they must do so in a wholly transparent way with due process to ensure conflicts of interest don’t occur and that the country receives value for money. Unfortunately, it’s not clear that this has occurred in the announcement this week ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    17 hours ago

  • My Lovely Man.
    Last night began earlier than usual. In bed by 6:30pm, asleep an hour later. Sometimes I do sleep odd hours, writing late and/or getting up very early - complemented with the occasional siesta, but I’m usually up a bit later than that on a Saturday night. Last night I was ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    24 hours ago

  • Pressing the Big Red Button
    Early in the COVID-19 days, the Boris Johnson government pressed a Big Red Button marked: act immediately, never mind about the paperwork.Their problem was: not having enough PPE gear for all the hospital and emergency staff. Their solution was to expedite things and get them the gear ASAP.This, along with ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Of Pensioners and Student Loans: An Indictment on New Zealand
    Up until 1989, you could attend a New Zealand University, and never need to pay a cent for your education. That then changed, of course. The sadists of the Fourth Labour Government introduced substantial fees for study, never having had to pay a cent for their own education. The even ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • Putting children first
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Minister for Children Karen Chhour is putting children first: Hon KAREN CHHOUR: I move, That the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the bill. It’s a privilege ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Te Pati Maori go personal
    David Farrar writes –  Newshub reports:    Applause and cheers erupted in the House on Wednesday afternoon as Children’s Minister Karen Chhour condemned Te Pāti Māori’s insults about her upbringing. Chhour, who grew up in state care, is repealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act – sparking uproar from ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Threads of Corruption
    I could corrupt youIt would be uglyThey could sedate youBut what good would drugs be?Good Morning all,Today there’s a guest newsletter from Gerard Otto (G). By which I mean I read his post this morning and he has kindly allowed me to share it with you.If you don’t already I ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • The days fly by
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Aotearoa, you’re being dismantled… so take the blinkers off and start talking honestly about it.
    Is the solution to any of the serious, long term issues we all have to face as a nation, because many governments of all stripes we can probably all admit if we’re deeply truthful with ourselves haven’t done near enough work at the very times they should have, to basically ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago

  • Has Labour Abandoned the Welfare State They Created in 1938?
    The 2018 Social Security Act suggests that Labour may have retreated to the minimalist (neo-liberal) welfare state which has developed out of the Richardson-Shipley ‘redesign’. One wonders what Michael Joseph Savage, Peter Fraser and Walter Nash would have thought of the Social Security Act passed by the Ardern Labour Government ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: MPs’ financial interests under scrutiny
    MPs are supposed to serve the public interest, not their own self-interest. And according to the New Zealand Parliament’s website, democracy and integrity are tarnished whenever politicians seek to enrich themselves or the people they are connected with. For this reason, the Parliament has a “Register of Pecuniary Interests” in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Mastering FLICC – A Cranky Uncle themed quiz
    By now, most of you will have heard about the FLICC taxonomy of science denial techniques and how you can train your skills in detecting them with the Cranky Uncle game. If you like to quickly check how good you are at this already, answer the 12 quiz questions in the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Shane Jones has the zeal, sure enough, but is too busy with his mining duties (we suspect) to be ava...
    Buzz from the Beehive The hacks of the Parliamentary Press Gallery have been able to chip into a rich vein of material on the government’s official website over the past 24 hours. Among the nuggets is the speech by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and a press statement to announce ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Cut the parliamentary term
    When Labour was in power, they wasted time, political capital, and scarce policy resources on trying to extend the parliamentary term to four years, in an effort to make themselves less accountable to us. It was unlikely to fly, the idea having previously lost two referendums by huge margins - ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • More terrible media ethics
    David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: When Whanau Ora chief executive John Tamihere was asked what his expectations for the Budget next Thursday were, he said: “All hope is lost.” Last year Whānau Ora was allocated $163.1 million in the Budget to last for the next four years ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bringing our democracy into disrepute
    On Monday the government introduced its racist bill to eliminate Māori represntation in local government to the House. They rammed it through its first reading yesterday, and sent it to select committee. And the select committee has just opened submissions, giving us until Wednesday to comment on it. Such a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • The censors who’ll save us from ourselves… yeah right!
    Nick Hanne writes – There’s a common malady suffered by bureaucracies the world over. They wish to save us from ourselves. Sadly, NZ officials are no less prone to exhibiting symptoms of this occupational condition. Observe, for instance, the reaction from certain public figures to the news ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • The case for commissioners to govern the capital city
    Peter Dunne writes – As the city of Tauranga prepares to elect a new Mayor and Council after three and a half years being run by government-appointed Commissioners, the case for replacing the Wellington City Council with Commissioners strengthens. The Wellington City Council has been dysfunctional for years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Thoughts about contemporary troubles.
    This will be s short post. It stems from observations I made elsewhere about what might be characterised as some macro and micro aspects of contemporary collective violence events. Here goes. The conflicts between Israel and Palestine and France and … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On Blurring The Lines Around Political Corruption
    It may be a relic of a previous era of egalitarianism, but many of us like to think that, in general, most New Zealanders are as honest as the day is long. We’re good like that, and smart as. If we’re not punching above our weight on the world stage, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • MPs own 2.2 houses on average
    Bryce Edwards writes – Why aren’t politicians taking more action on the housing affordability crisis? The answer might lie in the latest “Register of Pecuniary Interests.” This register contains details of the various financial interests of parliamentarians. It shows that politicians own real estate in significant numbers. The ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • King Mike & Mike King.
    I built a time machine to see you againTo hear your phone callYour voice down the hallThe way we were back thenWe were dancing in the rainOur feet on the pavementYou said I was your second headI knew exactly what you meantIn the country of the blind, or so they ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: MPs own 2.2 houses on average
    Why aren’t politicians taking more action on the housing affordability crisis? The answer might lie in the latest “Register of Pecuniary Interests.” This register contains details of the various financial interests of parliamentarians. It shows that politicians own real estate in significant numbers. The register published on Tuesday contains a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • How much climate reality can the global financial system take without collapsing?
    Microsoft’s transparency about its failure to meet its own net-zero goals is creditable, but the response to that failure is worrying. It is offering up a set of false solutions, heavily buttressed by baseless optimism. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 24-May-2024
    Another Friday, another Rāmere Roundup! Here are a few things that caught our eye this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, our new writer Connor Sharp roared into print with a future-focused take on the proposed Auckland Future Fund, and what it could invest in. On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago

  • Earning The Huia Feather.
    Still Waiting: Māori land remains in the hands of Non-Māori. The broken promises of the Treaty remain broken. The mana of the tangata whenua languishes under racist neglect. The right to wear the huia feather remains as elusive as ever. Perhaps these three transformations are beyond the power of a ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Friday, May 24
    Posters opposing the proposed Fast-Track Approvals legislation were pasted around Wellington last week. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: One of the architects of the RMA and a former National Cabinet Minister, Simon Upton, has criticised the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals bill as potentially disastrous for the environment, arguing just 1% ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to May 24
    There was less sharing of the joy this week than at the Chinese New Year celebrations in February. China’s ambassador to NZ (2nd from right above) has told Luxon that relations between China and New Zealand are now at a ‘critical juncture’ Photo: Getty / Xinhua News AgencyTL;DR: The podcast ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Beijing troubleshooter’s surprise visit
    The importance of New Zealand’s relationship with China was surely demonstrated yesterday with the surprise arrival in the capital of top Chinese foreign policy official Liu Jianchao. The trip was apparently organized a week ago but kept secret. Liu is the Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) International Liaison ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • UK election a foregone conclusion?  That’s why it’s interesting
    With a crushing 20-plus point lead in the opinion polls, all the signs are that Labour leader Keir Starmer will be the PM after the general election on 4 July, called by Conservative incumbent Rishi Sunak yesterday. The stars are aligned for Starmer.  Rival progressives are in abeyance: the Liberal-Democrat ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    3 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #21 2021
    Open access notables How much storage do we need in a fully electrified future? A critical review of the assumptions on which this question depends, Marsden et al., Energy Research & Social Science: Our analysis advances the argument that current approaches reproduce interpretations of normality that are, ironically, rooted in ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Days in the life
    We returned last week from England to London. Two different worlds. A quarter of an hour before dropping off our car, we came to a complete stop on the M25. Just moments before, there had been six lanes of hurtling cars and lorries. Now, everything was at a standstill as ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Forget about its name and focus on its objective – this RMA reform bill aims to cut red tape (and ...
    Buzz from the Beehive A triumvirate of ministers – holding the Agriculture, Environment and RMA Reform portfolios – has announced the introduction of legislation “to slash the tangle of red and green tape throttling development in key sectors”, such as farming, mining and other primary industries. The exact name of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • More National corruption
    In their coalition agreement with NZ First, the National Party agreed to provide $24 million in funding to the charity "I Am Hope / Gumboot Friday". Why were they so eager to do so? Because their chair was a National donor, their CEO was the son of a National MP ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Submit!
    The Social Services and Community Committee has called for submissions on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. Submissions are due by Wednesday, 3 July 2024, and can be made at the link above. And if you're wondering what to say: section 7AA was enacted because Oranga Tamariki ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Reading the MPS numbers thinking about the fiscal situation
    Michael Reddell writes –  The Reserve Bank doesn’t do independent fiscal forecasts so there is no news in the fiscal numbers in today’s Monetary Policy Statement themselves. The last official Treasury forecasts don’t take account of whatever the government is planning in next week’s Budget, and as the Bank notes ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Charter Schools are a worthwhile addition to our school system – but ACT is mis-selling why they a...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – We know the old saying, “Never trust a politician”, and the Charter School debate is a good example of it. Charter Schools receive public funding, yet “are exempt from most statutory requirements of traditional public schools, including mandates around .. human capital management .. curriculum ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Paranoia On The Left.
    How Do We Silence Them? The ruling obsession of the contemporary Left is that political action undertaken by individuals or groups further to the right than the liberal wings of mainstream conservative parties should not only be condemned, but suppressed.WEB OF CHAOS, a “deep dive into the world of disinformation”, ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Budget challenges
    Muriel Newman writes –  As the new Government puts the finishing touches to this month’s Budget, they will undoubtedly have had their hands full dealing with the economic mess that Labour created. Not only was Labour a grossly incompetent manager of the economy, but they also set out ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Rishi calls an Election.
    Today the British PM, Rishi Sunak, called a general election for the 4th of July. He spoke of the challenging times and of strong leadership and achievements. It was as if he was talking about someone else, a real leader, rather than he himself or the woeful list of Tory ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Photo of the Day: GNR
    This post marks the return of an old format: Photo of the Day. Recently I was in an apartment in one of those new buildings on Great North Road Grey Lynn at rush hour, perfect day, the view was stunning, so naturally I whipped out my phone: GNR 5pm Turns ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    4 days ago

  • Choosing landlords and the homeless over first home buyers
    The Government may struggle with the political optics of scrapping assistance for first home buyers while also cutting the tax burden on landlords, increasing concerns over the growing generational divide. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government confirmed it will dump first home buyer grants in the Budget next ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Orr’s warning; three years of austerity
    Yesterday, the Reserve Bank confirmed there will be no free card for the economy to get out of jail during the current term of the Government. Regardless of what the Budget next week says, we are in for three years of austerity. Over those three years, we will have to ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • An admirable U-turn
    It doesn’t inspire confidence when politicians change their minds.  But you must give credit when a bad idea is dropped. Last year, we reported on the determination of British PM Rishi Sunak to lead the world in regulating the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Perhaps he changed his mind after meeting ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    4 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Can we really suck up Carbon Dioxide?
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Is carbon dioxide removal - aka "negative emissions" - going to save us from climate change? Or is it just a ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Public funding for private operators in mental health and housing – and a Bill to erase a bit of t...
    Headed for the legislative wastepaper basket…    Buzz from the Beehive It looks like this government is just as ready as its predecessor to dip into the public funds it is managing to dispense millions of dollars to finance – and favour – the parties it fancies. Or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Why has Einstein Medalist Roy Kerr never been Knighted?
    Rob MacCulloch writes – National and Labour and ACT have at various times waxed on about their “vision” of NZ as a high value-added world tech center What subject is tech based upon? Mathematics. A Chicago mathematician just told me that whereas last decade ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Contestable advice
    Eric Crampton writes –  Danyl McLauchlan over at The Listener on the recent shift toward more contestability in public policy advice in education: Education Minister Erica Stanford, one of National’s highest-ranked MPs, is trying to circumvent the establishment, taking advice from a smaller pool of experts – ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • How did it get so bad?
    Ele Ludemann writes – That Kāinga Ora is a mess is no surprise, but the size of the mess is. There have been many reports of unruly tenants given licence to terrorise neighbours, properties bought and left vacant, and the state agency paying above market rates in competition ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • How serious is an MP’s failure to declare $178k in donations?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s being explained as an “inadvertent error”. However, National MP David MacLeod’s excuse for failing to disclose $178,000 in donations for his election campaign last year is not necessarily enough to prevent some serious consequences. A Police investigation is now likely, and the result ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the privatising of state housing provision, by stealth
    The scathing “independent” review of Kāinga Ora barely hit the table before the coalition government had acted on it. The entire Kāinga Ora board will be replaced, and a new chair (Simon Moutter) has been announced. Hmm. No aspersions on Bill English, but the public would have had more confidence ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Our House.
    I'll light the fireYou place the flowers in the vaseThat you bought todayA warm dry home, you’d think that would be bread and butter to politicians. Home ownership and making sure people aren’t left living on the street, that’s as Kiwi as Feijoa and Apple Crumble. Isn’t it?The coalition are ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Getting to No
    Politics is about compromise, right?  And framing it so the voters see your compromise as the better one.  John Key was a skilful exponent of this approach (as was Keith Holyoake in an earlier age), and Chris Luxon isn’t too bad either. But in politics, the process whereby an old ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    5 days ago

  • At a glance – How does the Medieval Warm Period compare to current global temperatures?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: How serious is an MP’s failure to declare $178k in donations?
    It’s being explained as an “inadvertent error”. However, National MP David MacLeod’s excuse for failing to disclose $178,000 in donations for his election campaign last year is not necessarily enough to prevent some serious consequences. A Police investigation is now likely, and the result of his non-disclosure could even see ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • Get your story straight, buddy
    The relentless drone coming out of the Prime Minister and his deputy for a million days now has been that the last government was just hosing  money all over the show and now at last the grownups are in charge and shutting that drunken sailor stuff down. There is a word ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • A govt plane is headed for New Caledonia – here’s hoping the Kiwis stranded there get better ser...
    Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to riot-torn New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. Today’s flight will carry around 50 passengers with the most ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Who is David MacLeod?
    Precious declaration saysYours is yours and mine you leave alone nowPrecious declaration saysI believe all hope is dead no longerTick tick tick Boom!Unexploded ordnance. A veritable minefield. A National caucus with a large number of unknowns, candidates who perhaps received little in the way of vetting as the party jumped ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The Four Knights
    Rex Ahdar writes –  The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, likes to trace his political lineage back to the pioneers of parliamentary Maoridom.   I will refer to these as the ‘big four’ or better still, the Four Knights. Just as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Could Willie Jackson be the populist leader that Labour need?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Willie Jackson will participate in the prestigious Oxford Union debate on Thursday, following in David Lange’s footsteps. Coincidentally, Jackson has also followed Lange’s footsteps by living in his old home in South Auckland. And like Lange, Jackson might be the sort of loud-mouth scrapper ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Unacceptable
    That is the only way to describe an MP "forgetting" to declare $178,000 in donations. The amount of money involved - more than five times the candidate spending cap, and two and a half times the median income - is boggling. How do you just "forget" that amount of money? ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza!
    It finally happened: the International Criminal Court prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza: The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court has said he is seeking arrest warrants for senior Hamas and Israeli officials for war crimes and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Media Link: AVFA on the implications of US elections.
    In this week’s “A View from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and spoke about the upcoming US elections and what the possibility of another Trump presidency means for the US role in world affairs. We also spoke about the problems Joe … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • Web of Chaos, Secret Dolphins & Monster Truck Madness
    Hi,Two years ago I briefly featured in Justin Pemberton’s Web of Chaos documentary, which touched on things like QAnon during the pandemic.I mostly prattled on about how intertwined conspiracy narratives are with Evangelical Christian thinking, something Webworm’s explored in the past.(The doc is available on TVNZ+, if you’re not in ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • How Government’s road obsession is ruining Auckland’s transport plans
    “TL;DR: The reality is that Central Government’s transport policy and direction makes zero sense for Auckland, and if the draft GPS doesn’t change from its original form, then Auckland will be on a collision course with Wellington.” Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is now out for consultation, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    6 days ago

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Tuesday, May 21
    The Government is leaving the entire construction sector and the community housing sector in limbo. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government released the long-awaited Bill English-led review of Kāinga Ora yesterday, but delayed key decisions on its build plan and how to help community housing providers (CHPs) build ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Climate change is affecting mental health literally everywhere
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Farmers who can’t sleep, worrying they’ll lose everything amid increasing drought. Youth struggling with depression over a future that feels hopeless. Indigenous people grief-stricken over devastated ecosystems. For all these people and more, climate change is taking a clear toll ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • The Ambassador and Luxon – eye to eye
    New Zealand’s relationship with China is becoming harder to define, and with that comes a worry that a deteriorating political relationship could spill over into the economic relationship. It is about more than whether New Zealand will join Pillar Two of Aukus, though the Chinese Ambassador, more or less, suggested ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Fast track to environmental degradation
    Been hoping we would see something like this from Sir Geoffrey Palmer. This is excellent.The present Bill goes further than the National Development Act 1979  in stripping away procedures designed to ensure that environmental issues are properly considered. The 1979 approach was not acceptable then and this present approach is ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Major investment in teacher supply through Budget 24
    Over the next four years, Budget 24 will support the training and recruitment of 1,500 teachers into the workforce, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced today. “To raise achievement and develop a world leading education system we’re investing nearly $53 million over four years to attract, train and retain our valued ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Joint statement on the New Zealand – Cook Islands Joint Ministerial Forum – 2024
    1.  New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters; Minister of Health and Minister for Pacific Peoples Hon Dr Shane Reti; and Minister for Climate Change Hon Simon Watts hosted Cook Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Hon Tingika Elikana and Minister of Health Hon Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown on 24 May ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Middle East, Africa deployments extended
    The Government has approved two-year extensions for four New Zealand Defence Force deployments to the Middle East and Africa, Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. “These deployments are long-standing New Zealand commitments, which reflect our ongoing interest in promoting peace and stability, and making active ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change Commission Chair to retire
    The Climate Change Commission Chair, Dr Rod Carr, has confirmed his plans to retire at the end of his term later this year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Prior to the election, Dr Carr advised me he would be retiring when his term concluded. Dr Rod Carr has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inaugural Board of Integrity Sport & Recreation Commission announced
    Nine highly respected experts have been appointed to the inaugural board of the new Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission is a new independent Crown entity which was established under the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act last year, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • A balanced Foreign Affairs budget
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed today that Vote Foreign Affairs in Budget 2024 will balance two crucial priorities of the Coalition Government.    While Budget 2024 reflects the constrained fiscal environment, the Government also recognises the critical role MFAT plays in keeping New Zealanders safe and prosperous.    “Consistent with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New social housing places to support families into homes
    New social housing funding in Budget 2024 will ensure the Government can continue supporting more families into warm, dry homes from July 2025, Housing Ministers Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka say. “Earlier this week I was proud to announce that Budget 2024 allocates $140 million to fund 1,500 new social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand’s minerals future
    Introduction Today, we are sharing a red-letter occasion. A Blackball event on hallowed ground. Today  we underscore the importance of our mineral estate. A reminder that our natural resource sector has much to offer.  Such a contribution will not come to pass without investment.  However, more than money is needed. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government sets out vision for minerals future
    Increasing national and regional prosperity, providing the minerals needed for new technology and the clean energy transition, and doubling the value of minerals exports are the bold aims of the Government’s vision for the minerals sector. Resources Minister Shane Jones today launched a draft strategy for the minerals sector in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government progresses Māori wards legislation
    The coalition Government’s legislation to restore the rights of communities to determine whether to introduce Māori wards has passed its first reading in Parliament, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says. “Divisive changes introduced by the previous government denied local communities the ability to determine whether to establish Māori wards.” The ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • First RMA amendment Bill introduced to Parliament
    The coalition Government has today introduced legislation to slash the tangle of red and green tape throttling some of New Zealand’s key sectors, including farming, mining and other primary industries. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the Government is committed to  unlocking development and investment while ensuring the environment is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government welcomes EPA decision
    The decision by Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to approve the continued use of hydrogen cyanamide, known as Hi-Cane, has been welcomed by Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay.  “The EPA decision introduces appropriate environmental safeguards which will allow kiwifruit and other growers to use Hi-Cane responsibly,” Ms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Speech to Employers and Manufacturers Association: Relief for today, hope for tomorrow
    Kia ora, Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou kātoa Tāmaki Herenga Waka, Tāmaki Herenga tangata Ngā mihi ki ngā mana whenua o tēnei rohe Ngāti Whātua ō Ōrākei me nga iwi kātoa kua tae mai. Mauriora. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the EMA for hosting this event. Let me acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government invests in 1,500 more social homes
    The coalition Government is investing in social housing for New Zealanders who are most in need of a warm dry home, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. Budget 2024 will allocate $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places to be provided by Community Housing Providers (CHPs), not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • $24 million boost for Gumboot Friday
    Thousands more young New Zealanders will have better access to mental health services as the Government delivers on its commitment to fund the Gumboot Friday initiative, says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey.  “Budget 2024 will provide $24 million over four years to contract the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill passes first reading
    The Coalition Government’s Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, which will improve tenancy laws and help increase the supply of rental properties, has passed its first reading in Parliament says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The Bill proposes much-needed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 that will remove barriers to increasing private ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Montecassino Commemorative Address, Cassino War Cemetery
    Standing here in Cassino War Cemetery, among the graves looking up at the beautiful Abbey of Montecassino, it is hard to imagine the utter devastation left behind by the battles which ended here in May 1944. Hundreds of thousands of shells and bombs of every description left nothing but piled ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • First Reading – Repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
    I present a legislative statement on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill Mr. Speaker, I move that the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the Bill. Thank you, Mr. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • First reading of 7AA’s repeal: progress for children
    The Bill to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has had its first reading in Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the care and safety of children in care, says Minister for Children Karen Chhour.  “When I became the Minister for Children, I made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • China Business Summit 2024
    Kia ora koutou, good morning, and zao shang hao. Thank you Fran for the opportunity to speak at the 2024 China Business Summit – it’s great to be here today. I’d also like to acknowledge: Simon Bridges - CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. His Excellency Ambassador - Wang ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Assisted depatures from New Caledonia
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home.    “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Assisted departures from New Caledonia
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home.  “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing them ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government to rollout roadside drug testing
    The Coalition Government will introduce legislation this year that will enable roadside drug testing as part of our commitment to improve road safety and restore law and order, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. In ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Minister responds to review of Kāinga Ora
    The Government has announced a series of immediate actions in response to the independent review of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “Kāinga Ora is a large and important Crown entity, with assets of $45 billion and over $2.5 billion of expenditure each year. It ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour is pleased that Pseudoephedrine can now be purchased by the general public to protect them from winter illness, after the coalition government worked swiftly to change the law and oversaw a fast approval process by Medsafe. “Pharmacies are now putting the medicines back on their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • New Zealand-China Business Summit
    Tēnā koutou katoa. Da jia hao.  Good morning everyone.   Prime Minister Luxon, your excellency, a great friend of New Zealand and my friend Ambassador Wang, Mayor of what he tells me is the best city in New Zealand, Wayne Brown, the highly respected Fran O’Sullivan, Champion of the Auckland business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New measures to protect powerlines from trees
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events.  “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani win top Māori dairy farming award
    Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • DJ Fred Again – Assurance report received
    "On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.  “I raised my concerns after being ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unions should put learning ahead of ideology
    Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools.     “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Craig Stobo appointed as chair of FMA
    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Budget 2024 invests in lifeguards and coastguard
    Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand and Tuvalu reaffirm close relationship
    New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says.  “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019.  “It is my pleasure ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand calls for calm, constructive dialogue in New Caledonia
    New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.  “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand welcomes Samoa Head of State
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Island Direct eligible for SuperGold Card funding
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further sanctions against Russia
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • One year on from Loafers Lodge
    A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Pre-Budget speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-26T21:09:01+00:00