Speaking in Dubai, Key was unclear on New Zealand’s position on the bombing.
“I think the official position was we didn’t oppose the airstrikes so I’m not sure we went out and had a physical position…but by definition we didn’t oppose it.”
Asked to clarify if New Zealand supported the campaign he said: “I might have to go and check through the Foreign Affairs ministry.”
It’s tough being a casual PM when you need to know who you’re supporting in all this killing that is going on in the Middle East huh? Probably would have been wise to get a clear briefing before Vance asked the question. Probably didn’t expect a NZ journalist to casually ask it, I expect.
Now if we weren’t in Iraq (as the price of being in ‘The Club’) supporting troops supported by Iran, who are fighting Daesh, Key wouldn’t be in a pickle explaining why we may or may not support Saudi Arabia in Yemen (who also have Daesh ‘assisting’) blowing up rebels supported by Iran.
Lucky he can wing it with the Security Council thing *phew*.
I just long for a PM who knows what’s happening in NZ, in the world, and what NZ”s position is on all things, and can talk “off the cuff” about anything, and with authority. We had one of those PMs once – she was called Helen Clark. And I’m hoping we’ll have another one soon in Andrew Little. A PM who won’t make us cringe, and who won’t sound like a dork all the time !
A PM who recognises that the position is a professional one, not a celebrity one.
A PM who recognises a country is not a corporation
A PM who recognises Geopolitics is not about marketing
There is important thought provoking information in the following 25 minute video regarding education, schools, standards testing, charter schools,
different agendas, revolt etc.
Hope you will find time to view it as you may find the information very useful.
Thanks Clemgeopin.
Anyone with an interest in the way our education system is headed should view this but particularly:
Parents with young families.
Senior school students looking to make teaching a career.
Then the Joe Blo voters who have been coerced by the ministry/ministers/political parties into believing that the New Zealand education system is broken and needs to be fixed …
… and be aware of the real agenda behind the education reforms.
This link gives an inside view of how this is working out and how the Commissioners engineered an “award” .
Appointments on tertiary and teachers councils, legislation passed under urgency, short periods allowed for submissions, hiding the text of the TPPA….and on it goes.
No more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmckWVPRaI
Oh wow! Theres an image of twisted sisters “we’re not gonna take it” in Tautoko Mango Mata’s post.
Well over a thousand of us had a massive sing along to this at the anti TPPA rally in Wellington last month. It was AWESOME!!!
The jocks on radio sport were disagreeing about tailgate this morning. If those dorks are split on the issue, you know it’s hurt Key’s image right in his heartland.
Its a trial run for home.
Any female with a pony/pig tail will be required to remove them or cover up in this fashion to spare the great leader from temptation.
It doesn’t say how many women are on the mission, or who is placing the expectation on them.
The women travelling on John Key’s trade mission to the Gulf will be expected to cover up in the style of Islam when they visit Saudi Arabia later today.
So when you said “Why is John Key making NZ women behave as second-class citizens?” you actually meant “Is John Key making NZ women behave as second-class citizens?”
I presume it’s his call. If not him I think we should know who, don’t you?
It’s not a shopping trip after all. They’re representing the people of NZ on the world stage, so it’s supposedly our values on display.
Don’t you think we should know who is deciding to tell the world that the values of the people of NZ are compatible with wrapping women in sheets to appease murderous religious bigots?
Hopefully it’s someone accountable to the electorate.
So it looks like it’s Key’s call, although it isn’t very specific regarding who he had the discussion with, and we still don’t know how many women are expected to cover their filthy selves in our name.
In the United Arab Emirates, where the Prime Minster is currently visiting, the Abaya is common.
But in neighbouring Saudi Arabia it is compulsory and Mrs Key will comply.
“We had a discussion about that, in the end I think it’s a matter of accepting and appreciating their culture,” says Mr Key.
Mr Key is talking about a culture in which women aren’t even allowed to drive and will only get to vote in local elections for the first time this year.
what a tragedy Bronagh did not make the brave alternative decision not to attend in SA. I might have held some respect for her. Oh, and I wonder if she will take a lovely family album of their daughter’s art work to share in Saudi Arabia. No. I guess not. Likely said daughter would be beheaded in that country for such behaviour.
What bloody awful representatives we have. Shame on us,
My partner was required by her employer ( a public organisation) to cover up when a group of saudis were visiting her workplace in Auckland, New Zealand.
Not all Saudis are murderous religious bigots. And the women going might choose to dress in ways that facilitate their work there (the article you link has an interesting bit about women’s culture).
Still, I’d be interested to know who made the decision, why, and whether the women have a choice.
Sure, have a read of felix’s original link. The women delegate talks about how she gets to work with the women in Saudi in ways that the men can’t, and I’m guessing that respecting local customs is part of that.
I googled saudi +abaya and most of the photos looked like head and body coverings, not face coverings. I can’t really see the problem with that if that’s true. Not too different from expectations around what NZ business women have to wear. Note, I am talking about the delegates, not Saudi women who have no choice and who face severe cultural and legal penalties for not obeying.
In this situation you are probably right, and I have no reason to trust that the woman delegate being quoted is not part of Team Key. But in general if we are to send delegates there, I would rather that there were women as part of the team than just sending a bunch of men in suits who will almost certainly fail to graps the issues around women’s culture.
Headscarves are required for women under Saudi law, but exceptions are made for foreigners, with many seeing Mrs Obama’s decision as a protest against the treatment of females in the strictly Islamic nation.
[…]
The likes of Princes Diana and Condoleezza Rice also decided against covering their heads when visiting Saudi Arabia.
So not compulsory for foreigners, if that’s accurate.
Which still leaves us with the question of whether the (three?) women on the NZ trip were allowed to decide how to dress themselves or not.
I suspect that this time, the Saudis made it compulsory for ALL WOMEN to cover their heads for their own safety, knowing that a notorious hair puller was also part of this delegation.
would be interesting to see who else has refused to cover their head and body historically. Also, is Saudi one of the countries that introduced the abaya in more recent times?
@ felix
Radionz 7.30 ish, comment on human rights from about 1.40 mins and the woman spoke about 2 mins in.
There was a mention of human rights to some of the trade reps who said – one male Well, uh, no comment. A women from Maven said it’s very complex, and who are we to say what the Islamic position is and whether it’s right or wrong?
More on Maven. http://consultmaven.co.nz/nz/about-us#about-us
This perhaps reflects Maven’s approach as an independent business problem-solver with a strong connection to government. I have often wondered where our government dreams up the lacking policies that we get foisted on us. Perhaps these are the beavers chopping down our long term forests and turning them into leaky buildings!
Maven is an independent strategy and operations consultancy that was founded in 1998. Our head office is in Wellington, New Zealand….
Maven has a strong government focus. We have delivered major government reform projects across many sectors including Education, Health, Justice and Transport. Maven has led over 160 projects and assignments for more than 40 public sector clients in the past seven years alone. These range from small-scale one-off assignments, up to advising on projects over $200m in value….
We apply a sense of balance to the way we operate. We think rigorously, harness the right disciplines and provide insight – our intellectual side. This is balanced by our emotional side – our capacity to be passionate, empathetic and intuitive….
(Could be a selling spiel of high-class prostitutes catering for the corporate and civil servant trade. Sounds just what men would look for – passionate, empathetic and intuitive.)
@The Contrarian
But I thought I heard a couple of days ago that Michelle Obama didn’t cover up when she accompanied her hubby to the land of the beheaders (and I seem to remember 14 out of 17 9/11 attackers were Saudi).
‘Lesley Kennedy, chief executive of Maven International, one of just two women on the delegation, was asked about women’s rights concerns.
“I think it’s a very hard topic to actually get into, I don’t think that we can comment really too much because it’s very political, it’s very very complex.
“And you know, who are we to say from an Islamic perspective what’s right and what’s wrong – we’re New Zealanders – we have our own views on the world.
“We can’t go in somewhere else and say, ‘Well, you should do it this way’,” she said.
The other woman in the delegation, Michelle Boag from the New Zealand Middle East Business Council, declined to comment about the trip altogether.’
There are probably more than Bronagh, Kennedy and Boag.
Key’s press secretary (whose name I do not know – blonde, shorthair) is also on the trip, and Andrea Vance is also covering it for Fairfax. So that is at least two more.
You are welcome vv. I notice she keeps her hair short probably as a precaution against any ‘horsing around’ because she seems to be permanently at key’s side.
Perhaps women start morphing into men the more RW they are. I have read that male hormones intensify in men who are in positions of authority, power and decision making. Perhaps that happens in females also – the smaller percentage of male hormone expands. Think Matrons in hospitals, Prime Ministers – Jenny did not have much female empathy, Finance Minister Ruthless etc.
We (NZ) should not be doing any trade deals with these scumbag Arabs who have a shocking human rights record. Of course John Key is doing America’s bidding not ours, he is just roping us into it along the way.
Key’s excuse I presume is out of respect for the culture of a Country your visiting. Here in New Zealand we have a rather sexist cultural rule relating to women’s speaking rights, which should be thrown out the door.
I remember well Helen Clark refused to wear a dress/skirt and didn’t curtsey for the Queen, bloody good job too.
*Correction Scumbag United Arab Emirates, the ruling class oil barrons. There is a good reason other countries don’t have trade deals with the UEA, they are right up there in terms of breeching human rights.
Another point Skinny – we have a need to trade. We can’t be too picky. John will put kneeling pads on to help his busioness friends and he doesn’t care about anyone else, neither suffering humanity there or here.
Our economy has been shaped around exports and hollowed out in the middle. Easter was just few weeks ago – we are like a hollow easter egg, scrumptious for those who are fast eaters and bits of tinfoil on the floor after. Just enough for a play hat. So gladhand John, and go dry while you are there though they may loosen their strict rules for the sake of a slightly sozzled, well-oiled better deal.
I wasn’t around last week for the discussion of ponytailgate.
In the one thousand plus comments on the issue was there a discussion around the potential for Key to resign over his persistent abuse of Amanda Bailey?
Simply put, I believe he needs to go because a society should not tolerate or accept such abusive behaviour of their leader. If we do, then we have truly lost our morality and abandoned our belief in the standards expected of the PM. In fact standing down is the least he can do as his first step towards making amends to his victim.
Is there a danger that this abuse will become “last weeks news”? How do we keep up the pressure to hold the PM to account, and do this in a way that keeps respect for Amanda Bailey at the centre of any action?
I can’t see it happening at the moment Rosie. Smile and Wave will ride this out. And it’s not like he hasn’t done resignable offenses before.
Unless, the complaint to the HRC and the private prosecution go ahead. McCready is doing both, but Marilyn Waring said there were moves to approach the HRC too. I’m not sure if that’s a separate thing. You could email her and ask?
Why not? What is Key going to do? Continue standing in the middle of the field yelling “nyah nyah I’m not playing by the rules anymore nyah nyah ….. ya gonna have to throw me out” ?
Like the biggest bully in the playground always does?
tbh, I’m looking at his behaviour to Bailey in the context of the many other things he does. The man is a serial liar, why hasn’t he resigned over any number of instances? To be clear, his behaviour towards Bailey is very bad, and there is a scale here that is new (both in obvious illegality, and in how much international attention and ridicule he’s getting), but I still think he will survive this until there is a dip in the polls. That might still happen if there is legal action taken against him.
btw, I’m not saying he shouldn’t resign, I’m saying I don’t think he will at this stage. The good news is that there is no going back from this, and it will haunt him for the rest of his term. Hopefully that will impact on National too.
I also think there is a distinct probability that more of these kinds of things will happen and come to light. At some point a chunk of the MSM will need to call for his resignation, and then we might see something happen.
Yep sure I see all of that…. but it just reinforces his place as the biggest bully wanker on the schoolground giving the rules, the teachers, and all the pupils the middle finger….
such a fine example he presents week after week.
john key has become the country’s biggest loser – a complete loser
IMO what passes for comedy on telly is good indication of how things may pan out.
I thought it interesting that the generally JK cheerleading ‘7 Days’ show gently mocked the PM and then had Judith Collins on who was asked a series of patsy questions
(notable exception being the Irishman who asked Judith if honourable had a different meaning in NZ, which had the audience gasping at his impertinence!)
Ed Byrne was great when he said that, and gave her a hard stare as well. Paul Ego really had Judith Collins on her toes – loved the “whaleoil on your skin for your beauty routine” bit. I don’t think the questions were patsy at all – check out the body language and expression of Ego. Collins only laughed along because she was nervous and alone and knew she was outnumbered.
I don’t see much in the way of JK cheerleading either, they are more JK jeering these days. They’ve changed their tune.
Wilson Dixon ridiculed Key during his stand up on Comedy Gala on tv3 on Sunday, and did it really well.
However, we are largely bereft of political satire in this country and one weekend’s worth of lols isn’t going to influence much in the way pressuring Key to stand down.
Re your last sentence. The well-known, dismissive gesture (clenched fist jerked up and down) seems appropriate to hair-pulling. Perhaps it should be applied to Johnny Boy more frequently in future.
Why not? What is Key going to do? Continue standing in the middle of the field yelling “nyah nyah I’m not playing by the rules anymore nyah nyah ….. ya gonna have to throw me out” ?
Yeah, pretty much. It’s about all he can do and so legal means have to be used to remove him. Apparently there are actually legal means to do so in this case as many times there aren’t.
Thing is that if he resigns National have a high probability of no longer being in government. The Northland buy-election proves that another buy-election in Helensville could go the same way and for the same reasons. Sure, they won’t have Winston to stand against National’s sock puppet but I’m sure you’ll find that NZ1st do have some good people as candidates that could stand there.
Losing Helensville would drop the National led government down to the point where they couldn’t govern and so we’d either get a government switch or another general election which would also result in National losing the treasury benches.
He could do that but that would, IMO, make the present legal cases that appear to be forming up over his actions have even more standing in court. Essentially, he would have admitted to harassing the woman and that means that he would almost certainly be forced from the electorate seat.
Of course, if those court cases do make it to court he’s likely to be forced from the seat anyway but by not admitting anything he can make out as if nothings wrong for a little while longer. Same as Phillip Field did.
“And it’s not like he hasn’t done resignable offenses before.”
Thats part of the problem – each time he gets away with inappropriate behaviour for a PM he seems to strengthen his protection from public and media scrutiny. He has yet to be held to account or investigated for his role in Dirty Politics for instance. It’s like we have become immune to his unacceptable behaviour.
That’s why I worry, that like every other KeyFail before, ponytailgate will disappear, like “last weeks news” and just dissolve into the murky pool of KeyFails and we react with a collective shrug and sigh.
This week I’ll be able to catch up with the HRC complaint (thank for the Marilyn Waring link). The McCready private prosecution is another thing. I’m uncomfortable about that as I wonder about the motivation, as well as the victim being sidelined by some one elses agenda. I don’t think he sought Ms Bailey’s view, consent or blessing did he?
But, like you weka, I don’t see him resigning either. But in the meantime, theres nothing to stop anyone calling for it. I don’t think anyone has though have they? I don’t know, I could have missed it.
If there hasn’t then there’s something very wrong with us, that we would accept or tolerate persistent psychological and physical abuse by our leader, of a woman in an unequal power position.
If he is found guilty in a court of sexual harassment, he will be required to stand down. In fact Marilyn Waring suggested last week with Kim Hill on Morning Report that even while he is being investigated he should be stood down.,
Marilyn is white-hot angry and I think we can be sure she is working on this, albeit in the background. Maybe we just need a little patience for now ?
Oooh, she is angry. I agree with what she said. I also think that the sort of people who make up the NAct party no longer have any of the qualities of decent behaviour that some of them used to have, at least on the surface. It has turned into a party of outright bullies and would be thugs. They can’t even pretend to be civilised any more.
I have rarely, if ever, heard Marilyn Waring so angry … fuel to rocket for Key !! And hey, she brought down Muldoon and this little casual greedy nasty creepy fella is really nothing by comparison 🙂
Rosie, I think that there is probably a lot going on in the background that may not surface immediately.
Essentially there are three main strands to the whole situation as it currently stands:
– Key’s actual treatment of Amanda which may end up in charges of assault, or harassment
– Her employers’ lack of providing a safe workplace
– Rachel Glucina’s actions (and those of the Herald) in relation to journalists’code of conduct and the complaints to the Press Council.
There also a couple of side issues – eg. the role of Key’s police (DPS) minders, Key’s other recorded instances of Key fingering children’s hair, Key’s credibility on the international stage, etc.
There were hints late last week that Amanda Bailey was possibly taking advice etc from the Unite Union and lawyers*. Yesterday, certain lawyers were also offering help in respect of Press Council complaints – see my comment here http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27042015/#comment-1006278
While admiring his intentions, I personally have reservations about McCready trying to lead in this regard, as IMO any legal action must be Amanda’s decision and I am not sure this is the case – that is, that she has agreed to McCready’s actions. I have utter admiration for Amanda going public with this; but I also would fully understand if she decided not to pursue the matter through the courts.
* Unfortunately I cannot relocate where I read this to provide a link, but the same article said that she has also had offers of employment.
Thank you Veutoviper for that concise summary of the multiple problems with this situation.
re the employer’s duty to provide a safe workplace. I had been thinking about the Health and Safety Amendment Act 2002. There is a provision within this Act that covers minimising stressors in the workplace. It’s difficult in hospo and service industries when that stressor is a customer, as there is an immediate power imbalance but when it’s the PM that power imbalance is magnified, however, we all have a right to carry out our tasks in a physically and psychologically safe workplace. Key made Amanda Bailey’s workplace unsafe for her.
I haven’t got time to find the exact clause but the general functions of the Act are here
I did get a glance at your post yesterday about potential legal assistance with the press council complaint. I hope this goes ahead too.
Yourself and yeshe believe there is more going on in the background than we can see right now, and I trust the wisdom of the two of you. I think yeshe’s right, some patience might be needed. (on my behalf that is)
rosie … just to say I am running on pure gut instinct and women’s intuition on this … I don’t know anything ‘officially’ … but my intuition is basically official enough for me !!
Well, I always look at wisdom as a blend of knowledge gained over years of learning and astute observation combined with tested and true intuition, part of which is pure gut instinct.
You may well have good reason to feel this situation will have the light of justice shine on it, all in good time 🙂
“If there hasn’t then there’s something very wrong with us, that we would accept or tolerate persistent psychological and physical abuse by our leader, of a woman in an unequal power position.”
One of the things that Bailey may have gifted to the country is the baldfaced truth that we are letting NZ be led by people like this. I understand what you are saying about Key, and his resignation should happen and would also be a great boon for the country. I’m also mindful of it’s not just Key, there are many other people in the government like this, and not just the National Party, they’re in the civil service as well in positions of power.
I’m in two minds about McCready. I have an inherent mistrust of private prosecutions but suspect that’s a hangover from the days when the justice system at least attempted to do the right thing. In this case, Bailey did a powerful political act by telling her story in the way she did. Not political as in ‘ooh, left wing blog’, but political in that she stood up and spoke truth to power and she did it on her own terms, and she did this about gender in a soceity that routinely culturally sanctions abuse based on gender. That is quite a feat. However political acts like that that are well beyond the personal don’t get to stay within indiviudal control. I don’t know enough about McCready to have a sense of him, but I hope he is doing this for the right reasons.
Hi weka, those people you speak of who are in power and abusing power, I wonder, are they simply being empowered and somewhat encouraged by Key’s continual ability to get away with it?
He is a role model and sets the bar, as a leader. All the more reason for him to resign, to set an example and reset that bar.
I understand your point that Amanda Bailey’s telling of her story is a political act. I felt she was speaking for all women who have been abused when she told her story – it’s her story alone but there are so many abused women in NZ alongside her, invisibly, in her words. Hence I understand your view that her story is universal and beyond her own control now that it is public.
I just hope that her story gets treated with respect by those wanting Key held to account (whoever they may be) and that we remain mindful that Amanda Bailey is the reason we want to see justice done, and not just use her story to get rid of Key for the sake of getting rid of Key. That would be demeaning to the victim.
Thick, black oil washed up on properties as far as Mangatapu last night after a spill in the port yesterday – with fears for surrounding wildlife.
The oil was sighted from the cove between Turret Rd and Mangatapu to the Tauranga Marina and the Port of Tauranga.
Who is going to pay for the clean up? I’m pretty sure like with Sky Sore, any buddy buddy economic developments from the Nats to big Business, seem to somehow cost the tax payers, socially and economically for the ideology.
Thanks Nats in particular Simon Bridges for destroying our country!
So much looking forward to todays Question Time. I realize Donkey wont be there, but Upston should be, and she will get the first grilling I hope. Winnie and Andy will be in their element today. Give em heaps, the GNAT pricks.
“David Brooks is an award-winning Australian poet, novelist, essayist and short fiction writer. He’s also an animal activist, committed vegan and says his latest book of poetry is a way of exposing inherent cruelty and prejudice against animals. He’s the recipient of an Australian Council for the Arts fellowship for last year – given to one “outstanding, established” writer. He was Associate Professor of Australian Literature and Director of the graduate writing program at the University of Sydney until 2013 and is Co-editor of the literary journal Southerly. He talks to Kathryn from his farm in the Blue Mountains among rescued animals”.
There was an excellent item on racial harrassment in Toronto from a Canadian man of Sierra Leone background on Whoar (search for The Skin). He sounds a really good guy but as well as his story he has specific facts and figures and says that he has been interrogated by police, in the street, more than 50 times because he is black. Police in Toronto scrutinise blacks all the tine, stop them in the street and in their home neighbourhoods, question them and write down personal details. It is like South African surveillance in apartheid.
And so the crime statistics that put blacks and any particular non-white group high, does that happen because they are being surveilled so closely and everything they do is treated as evidence of a crime in planning or commission? He quotes how they were pulled over on a highway out of town because someone in the car threw a tissue out of the window. He said his father became very scared. I think because it is known that the enforcement officers will lie and get away with undue violent or unreasnable behaviour.
Bob Jones has re-affirmed his status as an entitled bigoted relic. I hope they aren’t paying that fossil for his latest piece, re-victimising the waitress and minimising Key’s behaviour
“re-victimising the waitress” and anyone who was forced to involuntarily revisit circumstances of their own painful histories that were likely reflected in the graphic misogyny of the opening paragraph.
That the Herald would allow such a paragraph to be published speaks volumes.
Saudi Arabia should be one great embarrassment for the NZ government – not just this one, but the Labour one before.
Our “Saudi friends” have already carried out 40 public beheadings this year – Key is appalled when IS do a couple of beheadings, the state does 40 and he’s not troubled at all (and certainly not trloubled enugh to go to war over it!).
Women are legally banned from driving, have to cover up in most public places – I think there’s one city where it’s a bit less repressive – don’t have the vote in national elections, have only just won the vote in local elections – and, of course, national elections don’t mean much because the whole place is run by the “royal” family and their hangers-on, and the Saudis persistently sponsor the most reactionary Islamic fundamentalist armed groups in the Middle East and Africa, and probably parts of Asia as well.
The Saudi state was, of course, one of the outcomes of the glorious Allied victory in World War 1. In fact, there were two main rival factions in the Arabian peninsula, the one T.E. Lawrence was involved with and the Sauds. The one Lawrence was involved with was less reactionary and less fundamentalist Wahhabi. But the Brits decided to back the Sauds and, with British help, they triumphed and established a Wahhabi state. The Saud family and their cohorts could do anything they liked because they were the Western powers’ chief allies in the region, along with Israel. And they became more important after the fall of another key American stooge, the shah of Iran.
“Our “Saudi friends” have already carried out 40 public beheadings this year – Key is appalled when IS do a couple of beheadings, the state does 40 and he’s not troubled at all (and certainly not trloubled enugh to go to war over it!).”
This is a poor argument. IS weren’t beheading their own citizens who had broken laws, they were beheading citizens of other countries, to make a political statement and as an attempt at blackmail.
The US also executes dozens of people each year, but NZ doesn’t seem to do a lot about that either.
Does anyone know why or how Deborah Cone Hill is being paid to disintergrate in a national (online) paper? Before anyone asks, I’m not actually all that concerned about her. Just thought I might be missing part of the back-story, like, is it just a parody, or does journalism school now teach this stuff?
I share your quizzicalnesslessness Charles. Have you noticed that all these folks paid to have an opinion, really just have variations of the same broad set of opinions?
And when some of them finally see a part of the world they have been denying even existed it is like they are Da Vinci discovering something amazing and everyone must marvel at their epiphany?
How the MSM and its establishmentarians define and limit the boundaries of acceptable political economic discourse. NZ gets a special mention.
1. Self-censorship. Those who have previously tried to get the truth out no matter out become more reticent and prone to equivocation when reporting on “hot” issues.
2. Topic-avoidance. They start avoiding certain “hot” issues that they feel are most likely to get them into trouble.
3. Response to harassment. A few incidents of mild official harassment cause certain blogs to start watering down their content, or pulling down content in response to harassment.
4. Blacklisting. The officials start censoring content on a case-by-case basis, blocking or shutting down certain internet sites that they consider seditious.
5. Blocking communications. The officials start dealing with the “hard cases” of uncooperative individuals who remain, shutting down their communications by disabling their cell phones, shutting down internet access, and by imposing travel restrictions so that the “hard cases” are forced to remain in places where they can be watched.
6. Detention. Those found to be truly uncooperative, who try to circumvent the restrictions, are rounded up and shipped off to the above-mentioned camps.
+100 …harassment of investigative journalist Nicky Hager is a case in point….and the attempt to shut down the John Campbell Live television programme by jonkey’s friends
And dissing Glenn Greenwald.
Also Bradley Ambrose of the Teapot Tapes kerfuffle.
And Whaleoil’s attacks on David Fisher after he turned against Slater’s slime.
And the demise of TVNZ7.
And the censoring of a Youtube parody video at election time.
And the arrest of Dotcom and censoring of Megaupload without due process.
And the elevation of dense egotists (Hosking, Henry) to popular media spots.
And the lack of interest in giving straight answers at Question Time.
And the glamour and media power of the MPAA & RIAA
And the lack of transparency around SkyCity, Crosby Textor, Donghua Liu
While I don’t want another trial over this (as its been shown that the Dot Cons were, surprise, surprise lying out of their teeth) because its a waste of money I would like it to be proven just how big a liars the Dot Cons really are and how innocent Banks is
Do you believe that Banks really didn’t know who the cheque was from? Leaving aside whether it meets a criminal standard, hand on heart, do you believe that Banks was not trying to avoid potential legal liability by not reading the form?
When he was being paid a huge fee to be an Executive Director of Hujlich, he also didn’t read stuff…
I will let the Courts decide, and will accept their final determination of the facts but morally do you really think Banks is squeaky in all this?
so he didn’t sign the electoral form without reading it first? he didn’t take fees for being an executive director but didn’t read anything? he wasn’t fined for having 3 children on the back of his jetski?
It’s not compared to other politicians PR, it’s compared to the law and the ethics we expect of each other.
Yep. My first thought was that it was diversion from the governments policies of ~6% unemployment that we’ve had since 1984. People unemployed under such policies aren’t unemployed by choice.
I think you’ll find it is winzspeak for turning down the minimum wage zero hour night shift ‘job’ they have found you at a kiwifruit packhouse 37km from your normal place of residence.
In choosing to turn down this suitable job offer, you won’ t have met your ‘jobseeker obligations’ and thus your jobseeker support payments will be reduced by 50% (if you have dependents) or stopped completely for 13 weeks.
Legally a trial period can only exist by mutual agreement and therefore if there’s no agreement to have one there’s no job offer.
From MBIE website.
“Trial periods
Employers can make an offer of employment that includes a trial period of up to 90 days.
Trial periods are voluntary, and must be agreed in writing and negotiated in good faith as part of the employment agreement.”
I would think if WINZ are saying that people must take a job that has a trial period then they would be in breach of the voluntary nature of it.
It might be worth an advocacy group who has some cases raising these issues.
I would also think that if you had no guarantee of hours eg zero hour contracts then you also would be in the right to say no. There own guidelines also make reference to transport as an issue.
It’s officialese in a particular sector, but may have wider meaning. The more contexts I hear of, the better I’ll be able to understand what they’re saying, or implying, or both.
Luddite Journo on consent culture beyond sexual consent, and how we can all look at our personal interactions and how they affect consent.
A consent culture, I believe, is only something we can work towards imagining at the moment. Because consent culture would make neo-liberal capitalism impossible – why would workers consent to the greedy CEOs having so much? Consent culture would dismantle colonisation and the ongoing harms to indigenous peoples and use negotiation, justice and equity as a basis for sharing space on the earth.
In addition to organising for consent structurally, in all the ways that happens, we can and should be interrogating the personal spaces where negotiation and power sharing live. We can and should be honest with ourselves about when we are over-riding someone else’s consent. We can and should ask for help from people to listen to us, even when we are having trouble saying what is ok.
I don’t think so, because “doesn’t want to work” is as ambiguous as “unemployed by choice” – a fixed perspective is required to interpret either phrase. These people may not use the same emphemisms as the group usually associated with the phrase you offer. In fact, it most likely isn’t a euphemism. Think HR speak, and how their words often translate to almost mathematical concepts. Could be like that.
Dear Team CLive, you are incredible!
THANK YOU!
1. Campbell Live 419,410
2. 3 News 348,430
3. The X Factor 283,890
4. The Blacklist 174,260— Campbell Live (@CampbellLiveNZ) April 27, 2015
Interesting stuff from Baltimore. These started as protest over a police killing. Friends are saying agent provocateurs turned it violent. As many of the protestors were organised by church groups.
It’s sad to say but New Zealand no longer has a public broadcaster.
The National government relieving TVNZ of any of those obligations when it came into power. But there was a time in the not too distant past that the government expected TVNZ to make more than dollars and cents.
National is not interested in NZ society or culture at all – just that the rich get richer.
Any Keynesian knows that cutting the deficit in a slump is bad policy. A slump, after all, is defined by a deficiency in total spending. To try to cure it by spending less is like trying to cure a sick person by bleeding.
So it was natural to ask economist/advocates of bleeding like Harvard’s Alberto Alesina and Kenneth Rogoff how they expected their cure to work. Their answer was that the belief that it would work – the confidence fairy – would ensure its success.
Didn’t John Key and Blinglish have something to say about fairies at the bottom of the garden?
@PR I was out the meeting it is an accurate reflection but very truncated reproduction of a few of the comments made.
If you are referring to the comments made by Kevin, I’m not sure what was wrong with him, he was my preferred candidate but was just very off the mark and most unlike his normal self.
More that there seems to be a general consensus that something needs to change, the status quo shouldn’t be maintained and the party needs to grow yet apart from cannibilising Labours vote the only real option is to look at National but thats off the table
Good, I can stop thinking about Tava now he’s making it clear he wants the GP to work with any National govt. Ain’t gin a happen and he’s blown the beyond left right thing.
Pretty hard to grow and change the status quo without considering National, all they’ve really done is stated they’re keeping the status quo and don’t want to grow and have all but guaranteed Winston to be the king-maker
No wait let me guess they’re going to appeal to the “missing million”
Do watch Campbell Live tonight if you can on TV3 at 7 pm.
Tonight, a special investigation into Gloriavale's finances. 91 full-time workers who don't get paid and assets of $36million.— Campbell Live (@CampbellLiveNZ) April 28, 2015
And this:
A reminder for everyone about to drop a tenner on lunch, you can still text NEPAL to 2923 for make an automatic $3 donation. Thank you!— Campbell Live (@CampbellLiveNZ) April 28, 2015
Good, I feel very strongly about this: the buggers turned a million and a half bucks in profit based it appears upon no wages…..then paid no tax because they are registered as a religious group.
Consequently you and I may have been ripped off for PAYE, and for company tax, who knows re GST.
On top of that they are run by a convicted time serving sexual offender. Time the IRD did its job.
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
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 ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tesch, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, Australian National University In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He ...
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has stopped a byelection for the Madang Open seat being held until an appeal filed by former MP Bryan Kramer is concluded. Kramer had appealed to the Supreme Court over a National Court decision not to review his application of the Leadership Tribunal decision ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Despite a “historic” ceasefire agreement in Papua New Guinea between Enga authorities and tribal leaders after months of bitter warfare, a young woman has been found brutally killed near Kaekin village, Wapenamanda. Despite the peace agreement and signing concluded in Port Moresby last Thursday ...
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud is a sadder and slower entry into his canon of true story-telling, leaning heavily on a verdict about the cost of a single work of art. Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Murphy has had a bit of “ick” about him in the last few years. ...
Are you deeply passionate about sharing Māori stories? We’re on the hunt for an experienced writer/editor to lead coverage in our Ātea section.Ātea is a deeply valued section of The Spinoff site, offering Māori perspectives and insights across politics, current affairs and culture. We are thrilled to be looking ...
By Aisha Azeemah in Suva With the lights on one of his sneakers blinking as he ran through the gallery, a little boy looked up at several works of art. One of them was a sculpture of his grandfather: the man who changed how we see the Pacific — Epeli ...
WHAT: Uber drivers are holding a rally outside the Court of Appeal in Wellington tomorrow, as the company begins its appeal against 2022’s Employment Court verdict (in a case taken jointly by FIRST Union and E tū) that four drivers were permanent ...
RNZ Pacific The Fiji Meteorological Service has a heavy rain warning still in place for the whole of the country after a weekend of flooding, although some floodwaters have receded. Flood and flash flood warnings and alerts are also in place, including a warning for all flash flood-prone areas, small ...
Responding to Grant Robertson’s recent admission on a Q+A with Jack Tame that his only regret from his time in office was that he didn’t take on more debt, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson, Alex Murphy, said: “Grant Robertson has now admitted that he ...
Comment: Re-elected Russian President Vladimir President has declared victory ahead of a fifth term in power, after an election that offered no credible alternative candidates. Following the death of his main opponent Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison last month, thousands of Russians followed Navalny’s plea to cast a symbolic ...
Every week that passes seems to tighten the fiscal noose for Christopher Luxon and co – a noose, moreover, of their own making.“Don’t tell me what you value: show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” This phrase, a favourite of US president Joe Biden’s, resonates ...
Analysis by Geoffrey Miller – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Geoffrey Miller. Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are ...
Auckland may be the largest city in Aotearoa, but it’s the small community-led organisations within it that make the city thrive. The Spinoff spoke to two council-funded organisations who are doing their bit.“Torrent.” That’s the word one 40-year resident of Dundale Avenue used to describe what became of the ...
Commenting on the introduction of the living wage for all employees and contractors at Kāpiti Coast District Council, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “The problem with blanket living-wage policies is that they ...
With the upcoming SailGP event in Ōtautahi/Christchurch looming, there is mounting apprehension regarding the safety of Hector's dolphins, an endangered species unique to New Zealand waters. The event, scheduled to take place in an area frequented by ...
A question that needs asking of our government
Well done Andrea Vance
It’s tough being a casual PM when you need to know who you’re supporting in all this killing that is going on in the Middle East huh? Probably would have been wise to get a clear briefing before Vance asked the question. Probably didn’t expect a NZ journalist to casually ask it, I expect.
Now if we weren’t in Iraq (as the price of being in ‘The Club’) supporting troops supported by Iran, who are fighting Daesh, Key wouldn’t be in a pickle explaining why we may or may not support Saudi Arabia in Yemen (who also have Daesh ‘assisting’) blowing up rebels supported by Iran.
Lucky he can wing it with the Security Council thing *phew*.
It’s Key’s own “Hey Clint”, moment.
what?
how?
crazy
alarming
casual
loser
baby cheeses. what could possibly go wrong ?
I just long for a PM who knows what’s happening in NZ, in the world, and what NZ”s position is on all things, and can talk “off the cuff” about anything, and with authority. We had one of those PMs once – she was called Helen Clark. And I’m hoping we’ll have another one soon in Andrew Little. A PM who won’t make us cringe, and who won’t sound like a dork all the time !
Agree Jenny
A PM who recognises that the position is a professional one, not a celebrity one.
A PM who recognises a country is not a corporation
A PM who recognises Geopolitics is not about marketing
There is important thought provoking information in the following 25 minute video regarding education, schools, standards testing, charter schools,
different agendas, revolt etc.
Hope you will find time to view it as you may find the information very useful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO-HJWK3DFw
Yes Clem. Watched it yesterday. Very valuable and red flag for NZ.
Thanks Clemgeopin.
Anyone with an interest in the way our education system is headed should view this but particularly:
Parents with young families.
Senior school students looking to make teaching a career.
Then the Joe Blo voters who have been coerced by the ministry/ministers/political parties into believing that the New Zealand education system is broken and needs to be fixed …
… and be aware of the real agenda behind the education reforms.
This NAct government hate democracy!
Nick Smith is trying to push through his half appointed ECAN council scheme as mentioned in March. To refresh your memory
see ” Democratic ECan “carries too many risks” says Nick Smith”
http://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/67438119/Democratic-ECan-carries-too-many-risks-says-Nick-Smith.
Meanwhile Kaipara carries on with its Commissioners who were reappointed until 2016
http://www.propbd.co.nz/kaipara-commissioners-reappointed-until-2016/
This link gives an inside view of how this is working out and how the Commissioners engineered an “award” .
Appointments on tertiary and teachers councils, legislation passed under urgency, short periods allowed for submissions, hiding the text of the TPPA….and on it goes.
No more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmckWVPRaI
Democratic ECan “carries too many risks” says Nick Smith
too many risks for the selfish farmers hell bent on grabbing as much of the environment as they can to stuff into their greedy gobs
Oh wow! Theres an image of twisted sisters “we’re not gonna take it” in Tautoko Mango Mata’s post.
Well over a thousand of us had a massive sing along to this at the anti TPPA rally in Wellington last month. It was AWESOME!!!
The jocks on radio sport were disagreeing about tailgate this morning. If those dorks are split on the issue, you know it’s hurt Key’s image right in his heartland.
It would be funny listening to them trying to discuss something in a mature and reasoned manner
What was the point of disagreement?
Darren Watson’s follow up to planet key:
I got your office right here.
https://youtu.be/GQrmbxtr09k
You can support his music at http://www.darrenwatson.bandcamp.com
Awww!!! Thank you grumpystilskin.
I love that man and I love his blues.
Is it true that all of the women travelling with Key to Saudi Arabia are required to cover up?
If so, why? Women on official visits from other countries don’t, so the directive can only have come from our end.
Why is John Key making NZ women behave as second-class citizens?
Its a trial run for home.
Any female with a pony/pig tail will be required to remove them or cover up in this fashion to spare the great leader from temptation.
@ Clashman
LOL
The only thing I can find is that his wife will cover up. Nothing about it being a requirement or anything about anybody else in his contingent.
Saw it here: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/world/bronagh-key-will-wear-headscarf-in-saudi/
It doesn’t say how many women are on the mission, or who is placing the expectation on them.
So when you said “Why is John Key making NZ women behave as second-class citizens?” you actually meant “Is John Key making NZ women behave as second-class citizens?”
I presume it’s his call. If not him I think we should know who, don’t you?
It’s not a shopping trip after all. They’re representing the people of NZ on the world stage, so it’s supposedly our values on display.
Don’t you think we should know who is deciding to tell the world that the values of the people of NZ are compatible with wrapping women in sheets to appease murderous religious bigots?
Hopefully it’s someone accountable to the electorate.
Pretty sure Helen Clark did the same in Iran so it’s not without precedent.
If so that’s appalling.
Also I found this: http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/bronagh-key-to-comply-with-saudi-arabia-dress-code-2015042717
So it looks like it’s Key’s call, although it isn’t very specific regarding who he had the discussion with, and we still don’t know how many women are expected to cover their filthy selves in our name.
I’m not sure if she did as PM but she has since in her role at the UN.
Ref: http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/development-programme-administrator-helen-clark-speaks-to-news-photo/185550200
what a tragedy Bronagh did not make the brave alternative decision not to attend in SA. I might have held some respect for her. Oh, and I wonder if she will take a lovely family album of their daughter’s art work to share in Saudi Arabia. No. I guess not. Likely said daughter would be beheaded in that country for such behaviour.
What bloody awful representatives we have. Shame on us,
My partner was required by her employer ( a public organisation) to cover up when a group of saudis were visiting her workplace in Auckland, New Zealand.
So when John Key says “it’s a matter of accepting and appreciating their culture,” that applies to us as both guest and host?
I find that highly disturbing.
“Clark did it too”.
Well, no, I don’t care if Clark did it, Bronagh does it, or whatever.
Just pointing out there is precedent.
Not all Saudis are murderous religious bigots. And the women going might choose to dress in ways that facilitate their work there (the article you link has an interesting bit about women’s culture).
Still, I’d be interested to know who made the decision, why, and whether the women have a choice.
I didn’t say all Saudis are murderous religious bigots. I said we are appeasing murderous religious bigots.
Yes, I know that felix, but I was highlighting that there may be valid reasons for women to cover up that aren’t just about that appeasement.
love to know if you can find them weka !
Sure, have a read of felix’s original link. The women delegate talks about how she gets to work with the women in Saudi in ways that the men can’t, and I’m guessing that respecting local customs is part of that.
I googled saudi +abaya and most of the photos looked like head and body coverings, not face coverings. I can’t really see the problem with that if that’s true. Not too different from expectations around what NZ business women have to wear. Note, I am talking about the delegates, not Saudi women who have no choice and who face severe cultural and legal penalties for not obeying.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=saudi+abaya&num=100&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=R9s-VYmkLYWxmAWC7YGQCw&ved=0CC0Q7Ak&biw=1639&bih=926
Have a read of what Muslim women say about head, face and body coverings within their own cultures, it’s enlightening.
weka .. still has the tone of appeasement, doesn’t it ? sure does for me. it’s really a ‘do this, or else’.
I’m not sure what you mean. Who is saying do this or else?
Have you read what Muslim women, esp feminists say about head and face coverings?
In the case of women executives, the valid reason is to make a quid at any cost.
In this situation you are probably right, and I have no reason to trust that the woman delegate being quoted is not part of Team Key. But in general if we are to send delegates there, I would rather that there were women as part of the team than just sending a bunch of men in suits who will almost certainly fail to graps the issues around women’s culture.
No choice.
The guardianship law strips individual women of their personal
autonomy by placing them under the custody of their closest male
relative
– Kelly Le Benger
felix’s original comment suggested that some visiting dignitaries don’t (eg Michelle Obama).
Perhaps Michelle Obama’s closest male relative didn’t think she should cover up.
Is there some reason you think Michelle Obama couldn’t make up her own mind on that?
sarc with a little/ directed at the closest male relative nonsense weka, nothing more/nothing less.
tags always help.
Based on this:
So not compulsory for foreigners, if that’s accurate.
Which still leaves us with the question of whether the (three?) women on the NZ trip were allowed to decide how to dress themselves or not.
Bronagh just ain’t in that league of awareness, more is the pity.
“Which still leaves us with the question of whether the (three?) women on the NZ trip were allowed to decide how to dress themselves or not.”
Yep, that’s the one.
I suspect that this time, the Saudis made it compulsory for ALL WOMEN to cover their heads for their own safety, knowing that a notorious hair puller was also part of this delegation.
That suggests you have to have VERY powerful backing to safely exercise free will, doesn’t it?
Well yeah, I guess you have to wonder why the only examples given happen to be three of the most powerful women of their time.
which comment are you replying to?
weka… the one that said michele obama wore what she wanted.
felix
yup. and a nz ceo basically says i will wear it cos otherwise i wont get the bidnis but doesnt have the courage to actually say it
would be interesting to see who else has refused to cover their head and body historically. Also, is Saudi one of the countries that introduced the abaya in more recent times?
” in ways that facilitate their work ” – so how does us trading with them, facilitate change if when we work with them we accede to their culture?
I disagree with our trade relations with them. I’m also not suggesting that we accede to the everything about their culture.
i know. was taking your comment further not attacking it.
@ felix
Radionz 7.30 ish, comment on human rights from about 1.40 mins and the woman spoke about 2 mins in.
There was a mention of human rights to some of the trade reps who said – one male Well, uh, no comment. A women from Maven said it’s very complex, and who are we to say what the Islamic position is and whether it’s right or wrong?
More on Maven.
http://consultmaven.co.nz/nz/about-us#about-us
This perhaps reflects Maven’s approach as an independent business problem-solver with a strong connection to government. I have often wondered where our government dreams up the lacking policies that we get foisted on us. Perhaps these are the beavers chopping down our long term forests and turning them into leaky buildings!
Maven is an independent strategy and operations consultancy that was founded in 1998. Our head office is in Wellington, New Zealand….
Maven has a strong government focus. We have delivered major government reform projects across many sectors including Education, Health, Justice and Transport. Maven has led over 160 projects and assignments for more than 40 public sector clients in the past seven years alone. These range from small-scale one-off assignments, up to advising on projects over $200m in value….
We apply a sense of balance to the way we operate. We think rigorously, harness the right disciplines and provide insight – our intellectual side. This is balanced by our emotional side – our capacity to be passionate, empathetic and intuitive….
(Could be a selling spiel of high-class prostitutes catering for the corporate and civil servant trade. Sounds just what men would look for – passionate, empathetic and intuitive.)
Filthy parasitic troughers using up public funding that could be spent on something useful. Consultants are an absolute curse.
@The Contrarian
But I thought I heard a couple of days ago that Michelle Obama didn’t cover up when she accompanied her hubby to the land of the beheaders (and I seem to remember 14 out of 17 9/11 attackers were Saudi).
She didn’t,no
From Radio NZ…..
‘Lesley Kennedy, chief executive of Maven International, one of just two women on the delegation, was asked about women’s rights concerns.
“I think it’s a very hard topic to actually get into, I don’t think that we can comment really too much because it’s very political, it’s very very complex.
“And you know, who are we to say from an Islamic perspective what’s right and what’s wrong – we’re New Zealanders – we have our own views on the world.
“We can’t go in somewhere else and say, ‘Well, you should do it this way’,” she said.
The other woman in the delegation, Michelle Boag from the New Zealand Middle East Business Council, declined to comment about the trip altogether.’
So 3 women…
Michelle Boag went? *shudder*…She’s an awful woman.
3 women but they only count 2.
See, it works. They’re becoming invisible already.
Wait, what? I think your math is off.
There are two woman on the delegation, Boag and Kennedy.
Ah I see. So how many women traveling in the whole party?
From what we know – 3.
Bronagh, Kennedy and Boag
There are probably more than Bronagh, Kennedy and Boag.
Key’s press secretary (whose name I do not know – blonde, shorthair) is also on the trip, and Andrea Vance is also covering it for Fairfax. So that is at least two more.
Andrea has some good photos on her Twitter account, https://twitter.com/avancenz
“Key’s press secretary……. blonde short hair”.
Her name is Sia Aston. She was a tv3 reporter until about 2009.
Thanks – I should have known that; had checked it out some months ago, so again thanks.
You are welcome vv. I notice she keeps her hair short probably as a precaution against any ‘horsing around’ because she seems to be permanently at key’s side.
Perhaps women start morphing into men the more RW they are. I have read that male hormones intensify in men who are in positions of authority, power and decision making. Perhaps that happens in females also – the smaller percentage of male hormone expands. Think Matrons in hospitals, Prime Ministers – Jenny did not have much female empathy, Finance Minister Ruthless etc.
We (NZ) should not be doing any trade deals with these scumbag Arabs who have a shocking human rights record. Of course John Key is doing America’s bidding not ours, he is just roping us into it along the way.
Key’s excuse I presume is out of respect for the culture of a Country your visiting. Here in New Zealand we have a rather sexist cultural rule relating to women’s speaking rights, which should be thrown out the door.
I remember well Helen Clark refused to wear a dress/skirt and didn’t curtsey for the Queen, bloody good job too.
” scumbag Arabs who have a shocking human rights record”
Is there any country which doesn’t have a shocking human rights record. Is it just that their record is more shocking?
Is our record really so pure and unshocking?
I don’t think calling people scumbag Arabs is very nice or accurate – seems like a bit of bigotry seeping out of the nappy there.
Point taken Marty.
*Correction Scumbag United Arab Emirates, the ruling class oil barrons. There is a good reason other countries don’t have trade deals with the UEA, they are right up there in terms of breeching human rights.
Another point Skinny – we have a need to trade. We can’t be too picky. John will put kneeling pads on to help his busioness friends and he doesn’t care about anyone else, neither suffering humanity there or here.
Our economy has been shaped around exports and hollowed out in the middle. Easter was just few weeks ago – we are like a hollow easter egg, scrumptious for those who are fast eaters and bits of tinfoil on the floor after. Just enough for a play hat. So gladhand John, and go dry while you are there though they may loosen their strict rules for the sake of a slightly sozzled, well-oiled better deal.
I wasn’t around last week for the discussion of ponytailgate.
In the one thousand plus comments on the issue was there a discussion around the potential for Key to resign over his persistent abuse of Amanda Bailey?
Simply put, I believe he needs to go because a society should not tolerate or accept such abusive behaviour of their leader. If we do, then we have truly lost our morality and abandoned our belief in the standards expected of the PM. In fact standing down is the least he can do as his first step towards making amends to his victim.
Is there a danger that this abuse will become “last weeks news”? How do we keep up the pressure to hold the PM to account, and do this in a way that keeps respect for Amanda Bailey at the centre of any action?
Aaron Gilmore stood down for abusing waiting staff
Roger Sutton stood down for abusing staff
John Key has no choice
Agreed vto. Saw your comment last night on Open Mike and responded. Stinky hypocrisy.
I can’t see it happening at the moment Rosie. Smile and Wave will ride this out. And it’s not like he hasn’t done resignable offenses before.
Unless, the complaint to the HRC and the private prosecution go ahead. McCready is doing both, but Marilyn Waring said there were moves to approach the HRC too. I’m not sure if that’s a separate thing. You could email her and ask?
https://www.aut.ac.nz/profiles/social-sciences/professor/marilyn-waring
“I can’t see it happening”
Why not? What is Key going to do? Continue standing in the middle of the field yelling “nyah nyah I’m not playing by the rules anymore nyah nyah ….. ya gonna have to throw me out” ?
Like the biggest bully in the playground always does?
It would be in keeping I guess.
The biggest wanker bully in the school
tbh, I’m looking at his behaviour to Bailey in the context of the many other things he does. The man is a serial liar, why hasn’t he resigned over any number of instances? To be clear, his behaviour towards Bailey is very bad, and there is a scale here that is new (both in obvious illegality, and in how much international attention and ridicule he’s getting), but I still think he will survive this until there is a dip in the polls. That might still happen if there is legal action taken against him.
btw, I’m not saying he shouldn’t resign, I’m saying I don’t think he will at this stage. The good news is that there is no going back from this, and it will haunt him for the rest of his term. Hopefully that will impact on National too.
I also think there is a distinct probability that more of these kinds of things will happen and come to light. At some point a chunk of the MSM will need to call for his resignation, and then we might see something happen.
Yep sure I see all of that…. but it just reinforces his place as the biggest bully wanker on the schoolground giving the rules, the teachers, and all the pupils the middle finger….
such a fine example he presents week after week.
john key has become the country’s biggest loser – a complete loser
IMO what passes for comedy on telly is good indication of how things may pan out.
I thought it interesting that the generally JK cheerleading ‘7 Days’ show gently mocked the PM and then had Judith Collins on who was asked a series of patsy questions
(notable exception being the Irishman who asked Judith if honourable had a different meaning in NZ, which had the audience gasping at his impertinence!)
Ed Byrne was great when he said that, and gave her a hard stare as well. Paul Ego really had Judith Collins on her toes – loved the “whaleoil on your skin for your beauty routine” bit. I don’t think the questions were patsy at all – check out the body language and expression of Ego. Collins only laughed along because she was nervous and alone and knew she was outnumbered.
I don’t see much in the way of JK cheerleading either, they are more JK jeering these days. They’ve changed their tune.
Wilson Dixon ridiculed Key during his stand up on Comedy Gala on tv3 on Sunday, and did it really well.
However, we are largely bereft of political satire in this country and one weekend’s worth of lols isn’t going to influence much in the way pressuring Key to stand down.
Her MO is fascinating to watch… Still not convinced she isn’t reframing herself for a tilt at the Auckland Mayoralty.
gulp !
Re your last sentence. The well-known, dismissive gesture (clenched fist jerked up and down) seems appropriate to hair-pulling. Perhaps it should be applied to Johnny Boy more frequently in future.
he has lowered the bar so low for standards (deliberately in my opinion) that just what would be behaviour deserving of resignation?
Yeah, pretty much. It’s about all he can do and so legal means have to be used to remove him. Apparently there are actually legal means to do so in this case as many times there aren’t.
Thing is that if he resigns National have a high probability of no longer being in government. The Northland buy-election proves that another buy-election in Helensville could go the same way and for the same reasons. Sure, they won’t have Winston to stand against National’s sock puppet but I’m sure you’ll find that NZ1st do have some good people as candidates that could stand there.
Losing Helensville would drop the National led government down to the point where they couldn’t govern and so we’d either get a government switch or another general election which would also result in National losing the treasury benches.
Drax, could he resign as PM but still stay on as MP for Helensville to retain National’s power?
He could do that but that would, IMO, make the present legal cases that appear to be forming up over his actions have even more standing in court. Essentially, he would have admitted to harassing the woman and that means that he would almost certainly be forced from the electorate seat.
Of course, if those court cases do make it to court he’s likely to be forced from the seat anyway but by not admitting anything he can make out as if nothings wrong for a little while longer. Same as Phillip Field did.
Thanks for your perspective Drax. Now we wait.
“And it’s not like he hasn’t done resignable offenses before.”
Thats part of the problem – each time he gets away with inappropriate behaviour for a PM he seems to strengthen his protection from public and media scrutiny. He has yet to be held to account or investigated for his role in Dirty Politics for instance. It’s like we have become immune to his unacceptable behaviour.
That’s why I worry, that like every other KeyFail before, ponytailgate will disappear, like “last weeks news” and just dissolve into the murky pool of KeyFails and we react with a collective shrug and sigh.
This week I’ll be able to catch up with the HRC complaint (thank for the Marilyn Waring link). The McCready private prosecution is another thing. I’m uncomfortable about that as I wonder about the motivation, as well as the victim being sidelined by some one elses agenda. I don’t think he sought Ms Bailey’s view, consent or blessing did he?
But, like you weka, I don’t see him resigning either. But in the meantime, theres nothing to stop anyone calling for it. I don’t think anyone has though have they? I don’t know, I could have missed it.
If there hasn’t then there’s something very wrong with us, that we would accept or tolerate persistent psychological and physical abuse by our leader, of a woman in an unequal power position.
“If there hasn’t then there’s something very wrong with us”
yep
If he is found guilty in a court of sexual harassment, he will be required to stand down. In fact Marilyn Waring suggested last week with Kim Hill on Morning Report that even while he is being investigated he should be stood down.,
Marilyn is white-hot angry and I think we can be sure she is working on this, albeit in the background. Maybe we just need a little patience for now ?
Link for you … well worth the listen:
Marilyn Waring on Morning Report http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201751578/political-scientist-and-former-mp-comment-on-ponytailgate
Oooh, she is angry. I agree with what she said. I also think that the sort of people who make up the NAct party no longer have any of the qualities of decent behaviour that some of them used to have, at least on the surface. It has turned into a party of outright bullies and would be thugs. They can’t even pretend to be civilised any more.
I think conservatives will look back on Key’s govt in the way that lefties look back on 1980s Labour. Hard to see how they will recover.
+1 Well observed.
Thanks very much for that link rawshark-yeshe. Marilyn Waring was scorchingly clear on her position, it was great to listen to.
So John Key’s actions are in breach of section 62 of the human rights act. He has broken the law.
This just can’t be allowed to go away. Hopefully you’re right yeshe, and at least Marilyn Waring will stay with it.
I have a deep faith that many things are going on in the background … we will all keep watching.
Your faith is reassuring yeshe 🙂
I have rarely, if ever, heard Marilyn Waring so angry … fuel to rocket for Key !! And hey, she brought down Muldoon and this little casual greedy nasty creepy fella is really nothing by comparison 🙂
Rosie, I think that there is probably a lot going on in the background that may not surface immediately.
Essentially there are three main strands to the whole situation as it currently stands:
– Key’s actual treatment of Amanda which may end up in charges of assault, or harassment
– Her employers’ lack of providing a safe workplace
– Rachel Glucina’s actions (and those of the Herald) in relation to journalists’code of conduct and the complaints to the Press Council.
There also a couple of side issues – eg. the role of Key’s police (DPS) minders, Key’s other recorded instances of Key fingering children’s hair, Key’s credibility on the international stage, etc.
There were hints late last week that Amanda Bailey was possibly taking advice etc from the Unite Union and lawyers*. Yesterday, certain lawyers were also offering help in respect of Press Council complaints – see my comment here http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27042015/#comment-1006278
McCready has rushed in and apparently was going to be filing papers in the Auckland District Court this morning for Key to be charged with assault: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11439237.
While admiring his intentions, I personally have reservations about McCready trying to lead in this regard, as IMO any legal action must be Amanda’s decision and I am not sure this is the case – that is, that she has agreed to McCready’s actions. I have utter admiration for Amanda going public with this; but I also would fully understand if she decided not to pursue the matter through the courts.
* Unfortunately I cannot relocate where I read this to provide a link, but the same article said that she has also had offers of employment.
Thank you Veutoviper for that concise summary of the multiple problems with this situation.
re the employer’s duty to provide a safe workplace. I had been thinking about the Health and Safety Amendment Act 2002. There is a provision within this Act that covers minimising stressors in the workplace. It’s difficult in hospo and service industries when that stressor is a customer, as there is an immediate power imbalance but when it’s the PM that power imbalance is magnified, however, we all have a right to carry out our tasks in a physically and psychologically safe workplace. Key made Amanda Bailey’s workplace unsafe for her.
I haven’t got time to find the exact clause but the general functions of the Act are here
http://www.dol.govt.nz/hs/law/quickguide/ammendment.shtml
I did get a glance at your post yesterday about potential legal assistance with the press council complaint. I hope this goes ahead too.
Yourself and yeshe believe there is more going on in the background than we can see right now, and I trust the wisdom of the two of you. I think yeshe’s right, some patience might be needed. (on my behalf that is)
rosie … just to say I am running on pure gut instinct and women’s intuition on this … I don’t know anything ‘officially’ … but my intuition is basically official enough for me !!
Well, I always look at wisdom as a blend of knowledge gained over years of learning and astute observation combined with tested and true intuition, part of which is pure gut instinct.
You may well have good reason to feel this situation will have the light of justice shine on it, all in good time 🙂
😀
supposed to be a friendly grin but these new emoticons seem to have other ideas !
“If there hasn’t then there’s something very wrong with us, that we would accept or tolerate persistent psychological and physical abuse by our leader, of a woman in an unequal power position.”
One of the things that Bailey may have gifted to the country is the baldfaced truth that we are letting NZ be led by people like this. I understand what you are saying about Key, and his resignation should happen and would also be a great boon for the country. I’m also mindful of it’s not just Key, there are many other people in the government like this, and not just the National Party, they’re in the civil service as well in positions of power.
I’m in two minds about McCready. I have an inherent mistrust of private prosecutions but suspect that’s a hangover from the days when the justice system at least attempted to do the right thing. In this case, Bailey did a powerful political act by telling her story in the way she did. Not political as in ‘ooh, left wing blog’, but political in that she stood up and spoke truth to power and she did it on her own terms, and she did this about gender in a soceity that routinely culturally sanctions abuse based on gender. That is quite a feat. However political acts like that that are well beyond the personal don’t get to stay within indiviudal control. I don’t know enough about McCready to have a sense of him, but I hope he is doing this for the right reasons.
Hi weka, those people you speak of who are in power and abusing power, I wonder, are they simply being empowered and somewhat encouraged by Key’s continual ability to get away with it?
He is a role model and sets the bar, as a leader. All the more reason for him to resign, to set an example and reset that bar.
I understand your point that Amanda Bailey’s telling of her story is a political act. I felt she was speaking for all women who have been abused when she told her story – it’s her story alone but there are so many abused women in NZ alongside her, invisibly, in her words. Hence I understand your view that her story is universal and beyond her own control now that it is public.
I just hope that her story gets treated with respect by those wanting Key held to account (whoever they may be) and that we remain mindful that Amanda Bailey is the reason we want to see justice done, and not just use her story to get rid of Key for the sake of getting rid of Key. That would be demeaning to the victim.
I think Key probably does lead the way for others in the party to be arseholes, but people like Bennett and Colins don’t need mentors 😉
I think between key and collins we’ve actually have the lesser of two weevils. It will be a dark day for nz if collins gets the top job one day.
nice turn of phrase !! lol
Thank Russell Crowd.
Bloody auto correct Crowe not crowd
Thick, black oil washed up on properties as far as Mangatapu last night after a spill in the port yesterday – with fears for surrounding wildlife.
The oil was sighted from the cove between Turret Rd and Mangatapu to the Tauranga Marina and the Port of Tauranga.
Who is going to pay for the clean up? I’m pretty sure like with Sky Sore, any buddy buddy economic developments from the Nats to big Business, seem to somehow cost the tax payers, socially and economically for the ideology.
Thanks Nats in particular Simon Bridges for destroying our country!
So much looking forward to todays Question Time. I realize Donkey wont be there, but Upston should be, and she will get the first grilling I hope. Winnie and Andy will be in their element today. Give em heaps, the GNAT pricks.
commentary on q-time – the scoop is the nose-picking/snot-rolling mp..
..and maclay got the ‘pants-on-fire-award’..
http://whoar.co.nz/2015/new-zealand-parliament-list-of-questions-for-oral-answer-tuesday-28-april-2015/
phillip ure will love this…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201752159/australian-poet-and-animal-activist-david-brooks
“David Brooks is an award-winning Australian poet, novelist, essayist and short fiction writer. He’s also an animal activist, committed vegan and says his latest book of poetry is a way of exposing inherent cruelty and prejudice against animals. He’s the recipient of an Australian Council for the Arts fellowship for last year – given to one “outstanding, established” writer. He was Associate Professor of Australian Literature and Director of the graduate writing program at the University of Sydney until 2013 and is Co-editor of the literary journal Southerly. He talks to Kathryn from his farm in the Blue Mountains among rescued animals”.
There was an excellent item on racial harrassment in Toronto from a Canadian man of Sierra Leone background on Whoar (search for The Skin). He sounds a really good guy but as well as his story he has specific facts and figures and says that he has been interrogated by police, in the street, more than 50 times because he is black. Police in Toronto scrutinise blacks all the tine, stop them in the street and in their home neighbourhoods, question them and write down personal details. It is like South African surveillance in apartheid.
And so the crime statistics that put blacks and any particular non-white group high, does that happen because they are being surveilled so closely and everything they do is treated as evidence of a crime in planning or commission? He quotes how they were pulled over on a highway out of town because someone in the car threw a tissue out of the window. He said his father became very scared. I think because it is known that the enforcement officers will lie and get away with undue violent or unreasnable behaviour.
Meanwhile, US cops murder yet another young black male, this time Freddie Gray in Baltimore:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/us-the-states-systematic-violence-kills-another-young-black-man/
Phil
Bob Jones has re-affirmed his status as an entitled bigoted relic. I hope they aren’t paying that fossil for his latest piece, re-victimising the waitress and minimising Key’s behaviour
The Herald is paying him to be clickbait. He generates page visits and comments. More agin him than for him but The Herald does not care.
Yeah, just read it, has always been a wanker, and his latest rant confirms it. What a tosser.
Bob Jones used to say that the Left had no sense of humour.
With Bob’s last effort, I’d have to say that the Right has no sense of honour.
“re-victimising the waitress” and anyone who was forced to involuntarily revisit circumstances of their own painful histories that were likely reflected in the graphic misogyny of the opening paragraph.
That the Herald would allow such a paragraph to be published speaks volumes.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/money/67973985/Young-New-Zealanders-get-a-voice-in-Ruth-Roger-and-Me
A young chap with a big future , young people might get of there Arse! and vote for one of there own telling it how it is. If I was running a political party I’d go have a coffee with him.
There was also a very good interview with him on the Sunday programme.
He came across as very thoughtful and articulate.
Saudi Arabia should be one great embarrassment for the NZ government – not just this one, but the Labour one before.
Our “Saudi friends” have already carried out 40 public beheadings this year – Key is appalled when IS do a couple of beheadings, the state does 40 and he’s not troubled at all (and certainly not trloubled enugh to go to war over it!).
Women are legally banned from driving, have to cover up in most public places – I think there’s one city where it’s a bit less repressive – don’t have the vote in national elections, have only just won the vote in local elections – and, of course, national elections don’t mean much because the whole place is run by the “royal” family and their hangers-on, and the Saudis persistently sponsor the most reactionary Islamic fundamentalist armed groups in the Middle East and Africa, and probably parts of Asia as well.
The Saudi state was, of course, one of the outcomes of the glorious Allied victory in World War 1. In fact, there were two main rival factions in the Arabian peninsula, the one T.E. Lawrence was involved with and the Sauds. The one Lawrence was involved with was less reactionary and less fundamentalist Wahhabi. But the Brits decided to back the Sauds and, with British help, they triumphed and established a Wahhabi state. The Saud family and their cohorts could do anything they liked because they were the Western powers’ chief allies in the region, along with Israel. And they became more important after the fall of another key American stooge, the shah of Iran.
There’s a good piece on Redline about the Arabian peninsula. It can be read here: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/arabian-peninsula-capitalisms-contradictions-in-a-nutshell/
Phil
+100
+100 thx Phil.
“Our “Saudi friends” have already carried out 40 public beheadings this year – Key is appalled when IS do a couple of beheadings, the state does 40 and he’s not troubled at all (and certainly not trloubled enugh to go to war over it!).”
This is a poor argument. IS weren’t beheading their own citizens who had broken laws, they were beheading citizens of other countries, to make a political statement and as an attempt at blackmail.
The US also executes dozens of people each year, but NZ doesn’t seem to do a lot about that either.
Does anyone know why or how Deborah Cone Hill is being paid to disintergrate in a national (online) paper? Before anyone asks, I’m not actually all that concerned about her. Just thought I might be missing part of the back-story, like, is it just a parody, or does journalism school now teach this stuff?
I share your quizzicalnesslessness Charles. Have you noticed that all these folks paid to have an opinion, really just have variations of the same broad set of opinions?
I have indeed.
And when some of them finally see a part of the world they have been denying even existed it is like they are Da Vinci discovering something amazing and everyone must marvel at their epiphany?
Absolutely. Although that bit is easily forgiveable.
Dmitry Orlov on the limits of western propaganda
How the MSM and its establishmentarians define and limit the boundaries of acceptable political economic discourse. NZ gets a special mention.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-27/limits-propaganda
+100 …harassment of investigative journalist Nicky Hager is a case in point….and the attempt to shut down the John Campbell Live television programme by jonkey’s friends
And dissing Glenn Greenwald.
Also Bradley Ambrose of the Teapot Tapes kerfuffle.
And Whaleoil’s attacks on David Fisher after he turned against Slater’s slime.
And the demise of TVNZ7.
And the censoring of a Youtube parody video at election time.
And the arrest of Dotcom and censoring of Megaupload without due process.
And the elevation of dense egotists (Hosking, Henry) to popular media spots.
And the lack of interest in giving straight answers at Question Time.
And the glamour and media power of the MPAA & RIAA
And the lack of transparency around SkyCity, Crosby Textor, Donghua Liu
That’s the Dirty Politics machine in action.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11439651
While I don’t want another trial over this (as its been shown that the Dot Cons were, surprise, surprise lying out of their teeth) because its a waste of money I would like it to be proven just how big a liars the Dot Cons really are and how innocent Banks is
Do you believe that Banks really didn’t know who the cheque was from? Leaving aside whether it meets a criminal standard, hand on heart, do you believe that Banks was not trying to avoid potential legal liability by not reading the form?
When he was being paid a huge fee to be an Executive Director of Hujlich, he also didn’t read stuff…
I will let the Courts decide, and will accept their final determination of the facts but morally do you really think Banks is squeaky in all this?
Squeaky clean no but in comparison to politicians in general then yes but really it shouldn’t have come to this in the first place
Why shouldn’t it?
If he’s dirty, and you admit that he is, then let’s clean him out.
But hes not dirty, Dot Con and his wife were caught lying
so he didn’t sign the electoral form without reading it first? he didn’t take fees for being an executive director but didn’t read anything? he wasn’t fined for having 3 children on the back of his jetski?
It’s not compared to other politicians PR, it’s compared to the law and the ethics we expect of each other.
Thats all well and good but its about this case not whatever else hes done
This case is about John Banks signing false declarations so he could pretend he didn’t know who was donating to his election campaign.
Do you even read the links you post?
“how innocent Banks is” ? i just fell off my chair with laughter.
Me too.
if you can accept that Banks cannot remember a helicopter ride to a mansion,you can accept anything he says.
Banks isn’t innocent. He really did sign a document as accurate when it wasn’t. In fact, he’s done it a number of times.
it is International Workers’ Memorial Day ,one party leader remembered.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1504/S00352/workers-safety-paramount.htm
Here’s a question for ten (points),
Q: What exactly does “unemployed by choice” mean in today’s language?
This is not a trick question. Some of you will likely know. It doesn’t mean retired. Please give context with your answer, thanks.
I can think of a number of things it could mean, depending on who used it. Why are you asking?
Yep. My first thought was that it was diversion from the governments policies of ~6% unemployment that we’ve had since 1984. People unemployed under such policies aren’t unemployed by choice.
Deciding to be unemployed despite having a job one could partake in if so desired?
I think you’ll find it is winzspeak for turning down the minimum wage zero hour night shift ‘job’ they have found you at a kiwifruit packhouse 37km from your normal place of residence.
In choosing to turn down this suitable job offer, you won’ t have met your ‘jobseeker obligations’ and thus your jobseeker support payments will be reduced by 50% (if you have dependents) or stopped completely for 13 weeks.
You will no longer be unemployed.
Choice eh.
You can turn down work if it’s not suitable.
Here’s the guidelines off the WINZ website.
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/map/income-support/main-benefits/jobseeker-support/suitable-employment-01.html
Trial periods are an interesting one.
Legally a trial period can only exist by mutual agreement and therefore if there’s no agreement to have one there’s no job offer.
From MBIE website.
“Trial periods
Employers can make an offer of employment that includes a trial period of up to 90 days.
Trial periods are voluntary, and must be agreed in writing and negotiated in good faith as part of the employment agreement.”
I would think if WINZ are saying that people must take a job that has a trial period then they would be in breach of the voluntary nature of it.
It might be worth an advocacy group who has some cases raising these issues.
I would also think that if you had no guarantee of hours eg zero hour contracts then you also would be in the right to say no. There own guidelines also make reference to transport as an issue.
It’s officialese in a particular sector, but may have wider meaning. The more contexts I hear of, the better I’ll be able to understand what they’re saying, or implying, or both.
Luddite Journo on consent culture beyond sexual consent, and how we can all look at our personal interactions and how they affect consent.
http://thehandmirror.blogspot.co.nz/2015/04/michael-buble-teaches-consent.html
Never heard the term, but I assume it means “Doesnt want to work”. Others, I’m sure, may be able to conflate it to something it isnt.
I don’t think so, because “doesn’t want to work” is as ambiguous as “unemployed by choice” – a fixed perspective is required to interpret either phrase. These people may not use the same emphemisms as the group usually associated with the phrase you offer. In fact, it most likely isn’t a euphemism. Think HR speak, and how their words often translate to almost mathematical concepts. Could be like that.
John Campbell tweeted this:
Interesting stuff from Baltimore. These started as protest over a police killing. Friends are saying agent provocateurs turned it violent. As many of the protestors were organised by church groups.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-university-of-baltimore-closes-amid-high-school-purge-threat-20150427-story.html#page=1
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/freddiegray?source=feed_text&story_id=829210653836349
Native Affairs – Future of Broadcasting – Part 2: Charter
National is not interested in NZ society or culture at all – just that the rich get richer.
Maori TV is the brightest beacon of decent journalism on the NZ media landscape IMHO.
The confidence fairy bleeding
Didn’t John Key and Blinglish have something to say about fairies at the bottom of the garden?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/68058200/green-mps-say-coalition-with-national-government-off-the-cards
I hope this was just the reporting because otherwise they sound like a bunch of numpties
You mean because the correct phrasing would be “off the table”?
Well i don’t know about you but my opinion of journalists is that used car salespeople are more trust-worthy
@PR I was out the meeting it is an accurate reflection but very truncated reproduction of a few of the comments made.
If you are referring to the comments made by Kevin, I’m not sure what was wrong with him, he was my preferred candidate but was just very off the mark and most unlike his normal self.
More that there seems to be a general consensus that something needs to change, the status quo shouldn’t be maintained and the party needs to grow yet apart from cannibilising Labours vote the only real option is to look at National but thats off the table
But yeah the space stuff didn’t sound too good
Good, I can stop thinking about Tava now he’s making it clear he wants the GP to work with any National govt. Ain’t gin a happen and he’s blown the beyond left right thing.
Pretty hard to grow and change the status quo without considering National, all they’ve really done is stated they’re keeping the status quo and don’t want to grow and have all but guaranteed Winston to be the king-maker
No wait let me guess they’re going to appeal to the “missing million”
If you weren’t so obviously concern-trolling I’d explain to you that the Green world-view and philosophy is entirely incompatible with National’s.
But you are, so there’s no point.
+1
Yeah. I’d hate to see him in any position of leadership. Wanting to be at the centre of any government? What the hell?
Do watch Campbell Live tonight if you can on TV3 at 7 pm.
And this:
Good, I feel very strongly about this: the buggers turned a million and a half bucks in profit based it appears upon no wages…..then paid no tax because they are registered as a religious group.
Consequently you and I may have been ripped off for PAYE, and for company tax, who knows re GST.
On top of that they are run by a convicted time serving sexual offender. Time the IRD did its job.