Well of course, they don’t have tame little guinea pigs mascarading as Press over there!!! They tell it like it is, and boy, how humiliating and beyond embarrassing to be known as a weird little fetish-creep, right John?? Wonder if the Queen will invite him back to Balmoral again – she must be wondering what he got up to the last time he was there??
How tragic. You obviously have not been following the rabid anti-Milliban stuff the Sun et al have been running these last few weeks. Filthy Murdoch media and other Tory press
Interestingly recently on the British Show “Pointless” John Key was an answer, but not a pointless one. They asked 100 people to identify as many world leaders as they knew in 100 seconds. From memory over 10% of them named John Key of New Zealand.
But how many Brits currently think John Key is a clown (irrespective of whether or not they know the country of which he is PM)?
And of the 10% who you suspect do know he is New Zealand’s Prime Minister the vast majority will presumably only know that from the fact that he is being mocked?
If there happens to be any future case in which John Key – as NZ PM – makes some serious appeal to the British people (e.g., to buy our products, help us with a natural disaster, support our economic and foreign policy interests, etc.) we can guess that their first dawning reaction will not be sympathy and support but, instead … ‘Oh, so that’s the country that voted in that clown??’
You seem to be implying that this current ‘anonymity’ concerning Key’s nationality is ‘reassuring’ when it is actually a ticking ‘join the dots’ time bomb (involving, as you imply, far more than 10% of Brits) that, when it goes off, is likely to dampen and subtract from the British people’s support for us in the future.
And, more importantly, that reaction amongst the British public will embolden those in Britain who might oppose our interests (for political or economic reasons).
Key has, no doubt unthinkingly, delivered rhetorical ammunition for anyone in Britain – or elsewhere – to use to undermine our interests.
Rightly or wrongly, that in future will be the public reaction overseas and those will be the uses made of that reaction. (e.g., think about how Fox News might now frame our Prime Minister should he, on a visit there, publicly argue to reduce US agricultural subsidies).
As right wingers here so often point out when they use Key’s electoral popularity as his ultimate defence against criticism: Irrespective of the reality, perception is everything.
Unfortunately, the same argument also works negatively – when, on the world stage, Key is associated not with a blokey ‘popularity’ but with idiocy and weirdness.
Big day for Auckland Council and Auckland’s future. Two related themes.
Firstly, the proposed rates hike – particularly for transport purposes – is steeper than expected. Government will likely not recognize the political blowback Mayor Brown will get from the public.
Secondly, the housing crisis is not reflected in Council’s Auckland Development Company proposal. It’s going to be a fairly neutered beast. Back in the day, Auckland Council was the second-biggest housing owner in the country. The days of intervention at scale appear gone.
Join these two together: can Key, Bennett, and Bridges as pro-Auckland Cabinet Ministers, overcome the anti-Auckland sentiments of Brownlee, Smith, and English? That is, can central government form a stronger and more direct governance instrument for prioritizing transport investment that leads to more affordable housing being built?
Particularly because this government is demanding more homes be built, by necessity they have to be on the outskirts, but won’t put its hand in its collective pocket to fund the infrastructure (particularly transport) required to make it practical for dwellers…
They also effectively cut the developers cost… so who take sup the shortfall if this is generally used to fund infrastructure for the new properties and research?
My home has gone up in paper value over 300,000 since October last year…
Something needs to be pointed out about rate hikes all over the country. The basic cause of rate hikes by councils is that the central government is not sufficiently funding these regional councils. This is the underlying reason councils are looking to put rates up or are looking to raise revenue in other ways, or in some cases moth balling development projects. Where we as a country want these projects to go ahead, but rate payers increases would be too steep, the government should simply fund these projects.
But the tricky thing is that councils funding also adjusts to the economy, when economic activity falls then their rates and other payments (income) fall as well. It can be tricky to understand that due to the recession if the council is going to maintain previous levels of investment in regional development, then either rates need to go up a lot or central government needs to step in and provide the funds and a larger portion of the councils budget. At present the central government is significantly under-funding councils all over the country.
It’s comments like this that prove that you, and other RWNJs, are a fucken idiot.
We need the services that taxes provide and we can’t get them for less than they physically cost no matter what National Act tell us.
Of course, a large part of your idiocy is due to the fact that we’ve been taught to see our finances backwards. We see taxes as providing an income for government when we should be seeing government spending as the foundation which holds up the economy – especially the private sector.
Why should central government tell local government where people can build houses without providing infrastructure to support their (central government) decisions.
Because they refuse to let local government charge the level of rates that would provide an appropriate level of services, in particular the overarching infrastructure needed to support communities and economic activity.
“Why should central government fund local government?”
Because local government can’t afford to raise the necessary funds (It would depress the local economy of Auckland to much if Auckland rates, and other council service charges, were that high) needed to support their local government economy. Duh!
One of the reasons central government should fund local government is that central government make up the laws that local government have to enact, implement, monitor and enforce…….e.g. Building Act, RMA, Health and Safety Act, Weathertight homes resolution services Act, Local Government Act etc etc.
It’s fine for Councils to pay for bylaws and services that communities want (democratic choice), but why is the burden of cost placed exclusively on rate payers (particularly for expensive infrastructure) when that change comes from central government?
NZ needs regional development, and significant funding to support regional development.
Auckland Council had little choice but pay for the changes that were required by the Local Government Auckland Council and Local Government Auckland Transition Acts that were foisted on them by Mr Hyde…….and look at what that is going to cost Aucklanders……possibly their harbour, given the dysfunctionality of the governance that were set up between the Council and their subsidiary entities (Ports of Auckland, Auckland Transport).
And where does the government get this extra money Nic? I suppose you think it grows on trees for the plucking 🙂
This is typical NZ, perhaps thoughout the world,where few if any consider the holistic cost as they work out the costs and benefits to their group and their group only … urrrgh!
I suppose you think it grows on trees for the plucking
Of course it doesn’t. Private banks create 97% of it ex nihilo.
This is typical NZ, perhaps thoughout the world,where few if any consider the holistic cost as they work out the costs and benefits to their group and their group only
Actually, the problem is that we’ve 30+ years of the RWNJs saying that we don’t need to pay for anything and the majority of people seem to have believed that lie. Now our infrastructure is collapsing, our government services are sub par and taxes are having to go up to pay for fixing all the damage that 30 years of neo-liberalism have done and the RWNJs are complaining about it.
“And where does the government get this extra money Nic? I suppose you think it grows on trees for the plucking”
From the NZ central governments point of view, it does. All they need to do is write into the budget the amount they are providing to local government and the money is then issued into the economy as it is spent.
From the point of view of an economist its never a question of funding, but a question of how much this might put pressure on inflation. However there is no threat of an impact on inflation from this until the economy is operating at full capacity (which you will probably observe it isn’t presently). Until such a time the government can simply spend more, creating more real wealth (both goods and services) for NZers to enjoy and income for businesses and their employees at the same time, effectively for free.
The opportunity cost of not doing this can never be recovered, its clearly a pretty bone headed move by the government to simply leave the additional real wealth available to the NZ economy (at no cost) on the table!
As an investor the author knows full well that the value of an asset is directly proportionate to its yield and that Auckland houses are in a bubble phase.
Rental properties in areas of NZ with low or no housing inflation, such as the provinces, are returning investors 6-7% from rents. Based on existing interest rates that’s currently about the right return if you’re an investor, you must get at least that much else you won’t invest. You’d be better off putting your cash in the bank if you got any less.
Auckland properties are lucky to return 4-5% from rents which is well below the return any investor would require. You can’t borrow at 6% and make a buck when rents are only returning 4%. It’s not possible…. unless there’s capital gain or rent increases. That’s a bubble, the income from the asset is not supporting the price.
Economists & politicians keep bleating about house prices when the real issue isn’t houses. It’s rents. Without rental income an investment property has no value whatsoever. The higher the rent… the higher the value of the property. If rents don’t go up house prices will always fall back to when the bubble started.
What King has neglected to tell people there is that the longer term investors buy with the intention of increasing rents. An investment bubble can only be deflated if the income from the investment rises to match the bubble price. A higher house price can only be sustained if the underlying rent increases to support it.
My point in this spiel is that low income Aucklanders can look forward to more grinding poverty with their landlords constantly holding out their hands for more & more filthy lucre. The ‘proper’ rent on a $500k property is over $600 per week and investors who own those $500k properties plan on getting their $600.
at that rate pretty much anyone in Auckland is going to be a low income Aucklander, but i guess that is then mission accomplished and we are one step closer to third country status.
and there is. Lord knows I don’t want to be seen as standing up for landlords, but the picture you offer is not quite so watertight. The idea of “proper rent” for a 500K property being $600pw just doesn’t match reality. Rents, depending on area, are closer to half the rate you say they are. Rents here are high, as a percentage of average gross income, no doubt. Neither does the image of landlords being highly intelligent scammers and sharks reconcile with close inspection. Those types exist, but if they were the only type around, there’d be a lot of people, hundreds of thousands, living on the street. The flattering idea of being an “investor” just because someone owns a rental property, isn’t true. Luckily, landlords have as many colours of nutty as anyone else, so a tolerable deal can still be found.
Cheer up old bean, having to move house because the landlord has an aspirational brain-fart is infuriating, highly stressfull and expensive, and potentially financially crippling, but shit happens, so don’t focus on the shit because it only makes things worse.
Miliband still on target to become British PM according to most pundits. General consensus (give or take a little variation) seems to be:
– Tories will probably win the popular vote by 1-3 percentage points
– Tories probably around 10 seats ahead of Labour (but a lot of uncertainty due to very close contest in some of the key marginals according to the Ashcroft Polls)
– None of which, according to the majority view, will be enough to prevent an Anti-Tory majority (see May2015 website and my comment here…http://thestandard.org.nz/miliband-kos-johnson/#comment-1006991)
The only concern:
– Traditional inaccuracy of UK pre-Election polls. Most notoriously, of course, in 1992 when polls grossly overstated Labour support and under-estimated the Tory vote. Same in a few other Elections – I’ve recently watched a fascinating 6 hours of the 1970 UK Election coverage (complete with some quite extraordinary comb-overs – particularly from the middle-aged political scientists – we’re talking on a Donald Trump scale of grandeur) and most of the polls then wrongly indicated a return of Harold Wilson’s Government.
Anyone who has been following the New Statesman’s excellent May2015 site will know that, over recent weeks, there has been a serious divide between the on-line and phone polls – the former consistently suggesting a neck-and-neck race, the latter a fairly clear Tory lead. Nerve-wracking – although I see the most recent phone-based polls have mostly re-aligned with the on-line ones, all except the Com Res/Daily Mail now calling a close race.
Letter to my local Gisborne Herald – they may not publish – being rather chummy with the Tolley. Or at least will hack out the stomach staples to protect her modesty and her image of self responsibility and self-control.
This paper’s editor considers my letters to be ‘attacks’. So be it.
Here’s an ‘attack’.
The Minister of Social Development is now banning beneficiaries – whose care she is responsible for – from getting loans for emergency dental treatment. Loans.
This is vicious.
Any dentist or technician or maxillofacial surgeon will tell you those with serious gum disease are 40% more likely to have a chronic condition on top.
Diabetes, heart disease/stroke risk – infections in the gums release inflammatory substances which in turn increase brain inflammation that can cause neuronal (brain cell) death.
Bacteria from periodontal disease can travel through the bloodstream to the lungs where it can aggravate respiratory systems.
Men with gum disease – 49% more likely to develop kidney cancer, 54% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, and 30% more likely to develop blood cancers.
Women with gum disease took an average of seven months to conceive, compared to five months among their peers without gum disease.
My surgeon told me I could of died before I spent $4 000 to get the help I needed. I require 3x a year maintenance work. I’m one of the lucky ones. I don’t need to go to a loan shark.
So Tolley has enough clues about the dangers of obesity to spend up to $30 000 to have her stomach stapled (that took some guts) so I assume she is aware of the dangers of poor dental health. Enough to have top-notch dental care for her winning smile – but the section of society that can only dream of her wealth and privilege – and the rude good health it affords her – will now be in pain. They will be in chronic pain and distress and under Anne Tolleys care and on her watch.
This latest attack – by this government – on the most vulnerable of our community is just vicious.
1) Apply for the dollar amount you need regardless of cost (yes, I know…stress, $, and possible humiliation from the dentist who hates beneficiaries). The legislation doesn’t limit it to $300, that is done through policy and they can and do go higher.
2) Review the decision, and continue the appeal to the SSAA
An increase in reviews may be more costly than providing the loan in the first place. Good luck.
from her wiki
Personal[edit]
It emerged in 2010 that Tolley had undergone gastric bypass (stomach stapling) surgery in order to lose weight.[14] Tolley joins other current and former New Zealand politicians including Rahui Katene, David Lange, Chester Borrows, Donna Awatere-Huata and Tariana Turia to have had gastric bypass surgery at some point in the past.
Hers one I sent in which the editor took-out the stomach staples reference – completely ruining the gag I set up – (to protect Anne Tolleys modesty?)
Dear Sir,
Fresh from the regular ordeal of dry-retching at the horror of witnessing – day after day – people parading massive marlins that they’ve tortured and dragged around with their launches and then murdered, gutted and strung up on the wharf to be photographed for the pages of the Gisborne Herald; I am now implored by John Key, local M.P Anne Tolley and the Gisborne Herald editorial to ‘Get some Guts and get on the right side”, “roll up our sleeves and get stuck in” because “Something has to be done..”.
So Anne Tolley and the Gisborne Herald Editor got some guts. To drag N.Z onto John Keys sick selfie adventure into Iraq takes guts of steel. über-guts. Tolleys got the stomach staples so she’s got $30 000 armoured guts. The Herald Editor has barrels of ink guts. The printed word handing up to the mighty – the sword.
So, potentially, Gisborne-born guts will be spilt for John Keys photo-ops in the ‘middle east’ to come but more importantly – what desert-chic number has Anne Tolley picked for her inspection tour in Iraq? Her designers will have such fun with the flak-jackets and bullet proof helmets!
“Get Some Guts”? If the Islamic Caliphate want to really stick it to N.Z for the National and Act Party’s desire to have our “club” membership validated then any Kiwis they capture for their propaganda murders may well be – gutted.
Joe .. a retraction was published for this change in loans announcement .. it was a mikstake. Will try to find the correction link from a day or so ago … brb … but great letter !!
From Jan Logie on Tuesday: curious and curiouser ….
“So it turns out yesterday’s story about WINZ cuts to dental care loans was wrong, and through no fault of Radio New Zealand who ran it.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has today corrected the Official Information Act release the story was based on. The corrected numbers now show fairly steady dispersal of loans and grants for emergency dental care since 2010.
While this is good news, the situation is still very confusing. I continue to hear stories of people being told they can only get money for extractions, not things like root canals or crowns. I have also heard people being told not to bother applying.
It’s strange that this doesn’t seem to show up in the statistics. It’s hard to have confidence in the statistics when the Ministry can apparently get them so wrong themselves.
Beyond this, I must say I think it is just bizarre that alarms bells did not go off in MSD when they found there had apparently been a 99% decline in advance payments for dental care.
It is even more bizarre that MSD initially sought to explain that drop, in an email copied to me, by saying there had been a policy change in 2012 that precluded the payment of advances for emergency dental care.
There wasn’t a policy change, so that bit was made up. A policy change of that magnitude would actually have been unlawful, as it would have unreasonably restrained MSD case managers from exercising their statutory discretion to grant advance payments of benefit, but no one involved with this at MSD seemed to realise that.
Furthermore, MSD has now effectively told the entire country via yesterday’s Radio New Zealand story that beneficiaries can’t get loans for dental care, and have not corrected that publicly.
The National Government’s welfare reforms have been overwhelming for staff and beneficiaries alike, and the cuts to back room MSD staff significant, but quality of information informs decision making. Mistakes like this matter.”
Don’t forget that TRNZ are getting a comment option going. Look for comment under the particular items that have been chosen. They are tryng a range.
Eventually I get to where they have RNZtalk and that takes you past the stats to the cent
Stephen Franks voices concern over the two-tier justice system. I find myself in the strange position of agreeing with someone from the Sensible Sentencing Trust.
He also appears to gently hint at recent ‘prominent NZer’ cases.
I thought you got the memo – the SST is there for scared white people to vent their spleen about brown people doing crime. Because it’s so scary being white.
Lucretia Seales who is terminally ill with a brain tumour, is fighting in the courts to have the right to decide when she dies. The courts have allowed two ‘interested’ parties to join the case. One is the Human Right Commision and the other a group by the name of Care Alliance.
I was curious who they were and a little googling shows that the alliance which seems to be a grouping of organisations all opposed to euthanasia, including some groups that appear to have a vested interest in keeping people alive.
The group appears to traces back to another organisation called The Nathaniel Centre which turns about to be an offshoot of The Roman Catholic Church and is listed as their Bioethics Centre.
The Care Alliance was co-founded by one Maggie Barry MP. No prizes for guessing her religion. Its web site has no real details of who they are but refer contact details to one Matthew Jansen, one would could only wonder if this is the same Matthew Jansen on the Board of Saint Catherines College Wellington Ltd? http://www.csbl.co.nz/about/shareholders-and-directors
Is this a case once again of right wing church groups forming defacto front groups to push their narrow view of society. http://www.carealliance.org.nz/
“The six cops who killed Freddie Gray in Baltimore have been charged.
“Freddie Gray isn’t the first person that cops put in the back of a van, expressly to injure him. No seat belt, hands cuffed behind his back, feet shackled, he was left to bounce off the van’s walls. Others have been gravely injured, even paralyzed. And Freddie Gray is not the first man to die in Baltimore like this.
“Protests lead to first cops in Baltimore ever being charged for such killing
“And yet, this is the first time any Baltimore cop has been charged for the crime.
“Isn’t it obvious? If young people hadn’t gone out into the streets on Monday night, the cops would not have been charged. . .
As was true in a spate of recent death-in-custody cases, the Baltimore police department’s seeming reluctance (or inability) to mount a prompt, thorough investigation of its own officers has generated escalating protests, fueled by existing distrust of the police and suggestions of a cover-up.
But in this case it wasn’t just the thin blue line of solidarity shielding the cops involved from having to testify against themselves or each other.
The problem, said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, is that city officials were unable to “fully engage” with the officers “because of our Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.”
On paper, this country still has one of the most reactionary abortion laws in the world. There are enough liberal doctors that the reality is rather different, so the actual law isn’t especially effective or closely enforced. However it’s still there and the criminalisation of abortion still takes a psychological toll on women who choose to terminate pregnancies.
Once upon a time there was an active campaign for women’s right to choose; isn’t there still a need for one?
Australian reality show taking the piss out of poor people, surprisingly being shown on the SBS channel (I thought they had a bit more class than that). How long till we get the NZ version, giving the middle-classes a good chuckle and reinforcing what they always thought about the poor.
hola unblocker is the answer, Phil. It’s an add on/extension that sets up a VPN. Also good for UK telly (ie watching the election results tomorrow etc.).
unblock-us.com this one is good to unblock Netflix, you can even change the region worldwide to view were you wish, Netflix US seems the best too me though, massive content.
The SDHB public meeting was a bit of fiasco, the Chairman Butterfield was clearly opposed to the idea of public input. There were no microphones, or PA (at a monthly public meeting), which made much of the talk inaudible to those at the back. So after half an hour when it had devolved into the crowd talking over the board to try get their points across he called a recess so the room would clear out. There was another half hour of “public” meeting after that; mainly the board going through the agenda as fast as possible while avoiding eye contact with those members of the public who had stuck around. Then we were turfed out while the board went to the cafe in preparation for the public-excluded session in which they’d record the decisions they had already made.
Two elected Board Member were good though:
Some reacted angrily when a bid by board member Mary Gamble to shift the decision into the public part of the meeting was rejected by other board members… Her motion found only one supporter, fellow elected board member Dr John Chambers.
”What have we got to hide?” Mrs Gamble asked.
Some members of the public fired irate comments at the board before filing out of the meeting.
This one exchange from the second half was worth jotting down (may not be an exact transcription, but as close as I could get):
Board Member Mary Gamble: “…are we ever going to open the books and see that we are within budget?”
CEO Carole Heatley: “We have a lot of tough decisions, and not all will be popular; as we have seen this morning”
…
Chairman Butterfield: “the 5% cuts are only the start.”
All this heartache to save a measly $5million over 7 years and serve pre-cooked frozen- to-be-microwaved food to very sick people ?? ( it’s about $13,500 pw which is likely less than redundancies and Winz benefits will cost them.) And of course, any profit will be leaving the country courtesy of Compass — and where in any universe can you write profit and hospital food in the same sentence and not be ridiculed ? Yep. Auckland and Dunedin.
Where or where are we headed ?? Toxic food by a compromised toxic British
company.
Tony Ryall jumped ship .. or was he pushed for this debacle and the millions that disappeared under his medical revolution? To this day, never accounted for.
That makes $3.5m over 7.5 years, your figure wasn’t nearly measly enough. Especially considering that HBL spent over $4m devloping the business plan! The money seems to be the justification, not the reason, for the likely adoption of this shortsighted scheme:
Mary Gamble, of Central Otago, says she is voting against the controversial 15-year deal today, but does not expect much support around the table.
Board member Dr John Chambers said he was voting against it, and was also pessimistic about the likely outcome…
‘‘My main reason is I’m not convinced that we will see the savings promised. I don’t believe Compass is incentivised, the whole way it’s set up . . . to deliver savings to us,” Mrs Gamble said.
‘‘My feeling is the majority of [board members] will vote for [outsourcing].”
When it comes time for council elections next year, I will make a point to proclaim the names of those elected board members who vote for this outsourcing as loud as I possibly can.
However, from looking about today, it seemed that the; 8 elected Board Members, were outnumbered by the; 6 Executive Directors, plus; CEO, Chairman, & Deputy (plus Board Secretary, but she probably doesn’t have voting rights). I don’t think the Chairman is an elected position (in fact I think Butterfield’s already retired, but is filling in until someone else is appointed – only no one wants the job), I’m not sure about the deputy. So that seems to make 8 elected representatives to 9 appointed, which makes public accountability a farce.
it is a farce, isn’t it ? and I thought on the figures I quoted !! How are they falling for this? Is to just to save face on having spent $4 million on a business plan ?
( Isn’t that more than the equivalent of the first 7.5 years savings ???)
have you seen this report from Oz on the multiple serious failings of Compass … needs to be thrown around the DHB offices asap …
The Southern District Health Board has announced it is going ahead with a plan to outsource its hospital kitchens.
The move will see up to 20% of food workers lose their job.
The board was not swayed by the strong public presence at today’s meeting, at which Grey Power, unions, workers and members of the public implored the board to rethink the proposal…
A petition with more than 7000 signatures opposing the outsourcing of hospital kitchens was presented at a crowded Southern District Health Board meeting this morning.
As soon as most of the public left during the 5min recess, Chairman Butterfield immediately stowed the boxes containing the petition under the table unread where no board member could be reminded of their presence. I remember hearing someone call out; “what is it too far to walk to the waste-paper bin?”.
Next step is legal action:
National secretary John Ryall said the union would lodge the a similar case against Southern to the one it is fighting with the Auckland DHB over outsourcing…
”We think that there’s major legal issues around pushing people over to a contractor under Part 6A [of the Employment Relations Act], which is meant to protect vulnerable workers, when you know that as soon as they move over they’re going to have their hours and jobs cut.
”If Southern go ahead with the proposal to contract out all the work and privatise the services a similar sort of legal action will be taking place in Southern,” Mr Ryall said.
BTW/ Thanks to rs-yh for the link, though it’s taking me a while to go through all the relevant footnotes. Page 17 of this ruling has some disturbing instances of Compass/ Medirest being incompetent about freezer storage and out of date food:
What bites my balls is that the union reckon they can put together a plan that will generate much more revenue than the privatisation will save, but the board in its wisdom decided to consider compass without looking for any alternatives.
Joe Butterfield is a chartered accountant who has spent his working life as a partner/director of the accounting firm Footes Ltd Chartered Accountants (and its predecessors) to which he is now a consultant. Joe, who is from Timaru, is in his second term as Chair of the Southern Board and has a strong interest in health and welfare matters. He is also Chair of Southern DHB’s Hospital Advisory Committee and the Appointments and Remuneration Advisory Committee. He was Chairman of South Canterbury District Health Board (SCDHB) from 2000-2009, until he stood down after his term had expired. He was a member of Health South Canterbury (the predecessor to SCDHB) and served as its Chairman from 1996 until 2000. He has also served on the Ministry of Health National Capital Committee and District Health Boards New Zealand.
As well as roles in health and finance, Joe has extensive experience in the transport and agricultural sector and has held directorships in companies including Intercity Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries, Ritchie’s Transport Holdings, the Port of Timaru and the South Canterbury Regional Development Board. Joe is also a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Directors and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport. A lifetime yachtsman, Joe was a member of Yachting NZ’s governance board from 1986-95 and its president 92/95. He was its representative on the sport’s international body 1994-2008 and was an international umpire 1989/05 and is still an international judge.”
Mrs Mary Gamble, SRM, SCM, B.Sc, M.Sc
Elected Member (Otago Constituency)
Mrs Gamble is a retired midwife who worked for many years helping hundreds of Otago women to deliver their babies. She also has a strong background in health management and governance.
In 2005 Mary wound up her high profile midwifery practice and was recruited as a Research Manager at the University of Otago’s faculty of Health Sciences. After two years she was appointed to the foundation team charged with the establishment of a new medical school at the University of Limerick, Ireland. By July 2011 the Medical School had graduated its first Medical Doctors and Mrs Gamble fulfilled the roles of Research Development Manager and then as the Clinical Liaison Manager ensuring that students were appropriately placed for their clinical training both in hospitals and in GP practices.
Prior to returning to Ireland, Mrs Gamble was twice elected to the Otago DHB in 2001 and 2007 and so has six years health governance experience prior to her recent election to the Southern District Health Board. She is also serving on the Southern DHB’s Hospital Advisory Committee.
John Chambers, FRCS (Ed), FACEM
Elected Member (Otago Constituency)
Dr John Chambers is a Dunedin-based Senior Emergency Medical Officer who has worked in Dunedin Hospital for over 20 years. John is an active member of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and a member of New Zealand Faculty Board of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, and a member of the Southern DHB’s Hospital Advisory Committee.
John is also is the Director of a small business Chambers Consultancy (2007) Ltd, and health services consultancy, and is employed 0.05 FTE as an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer of the Dunedin Medical School, University of Otago. He continues to work full time as an emergency specialist seeing and treating a wide variety of patients and has a particular interest in the use of ultrasound in emergency diagnosis and care.
I don’t know the answer but I do know that they do not need to enter a 15 year contract. Why not a two or three year contract to see if Compass deliver on what it has promised?
Seems they’re using a system called Steamplicity where meals are prepared and packaged using cooked, partially cooked, and raw components, chilled, with a shelf life of around four days, and reheated cooking the raw and finishing the partially cooked components.
One of the most radical developments in hospital catering in recent years is the
introduction of this new technology which relies on a sealed pack incorporating a valve.
The food, both raw and partially cooked, is plated in a centralised production unit,
chilled (<5°C) and distributed to satellite kitchens where it remains chilled with an
expiry date currently of four days.
Inside jobs (Economist link so need to register to read)
Research suggests that government cronyism may cripple Spain’s economy
Blame has traditionally been pinned on a housing bubble that fostered distorted growth in the construction industry. But a recent paper by a team headed by Manuel García-Santana of the Université Libre de Bruxelles finds that the productivity fall was spread more evenly across all sectors. It had little to do with skills, innovation or debt. “We found that bad [less productive] companies grew faster than the good ones,” says one of the co-authors, Enrique Moral-Benito. Productivity falls were greater when the government was heavily involved, through contracts, licences or regulations. Luis Garicano, the economics adviser of the liberal Ciudadanos party, says this points to an economy dependent on contacts, corruption and cronyism.
These aren’t the government doing things themselves but the government contracting out the work that the government should be doing directly. Such a system produces a massive opportunity for graft and corruption that the government doing things directly won’t as they’re actually publicly accountable.
In many of these countries the differentiation between the top levels of government and the top levels of corporations is simply arbitrary. Welcome to the age of corporate rule.
This article on NRT has a new Registrar of New Zealand Business Numbers being created and the creation excluding it from the OIA as is expected under this guideline:
All public bodies should be subject to the Ombudsmen Act 1975, the Public Audit Act 2001, the Public Records Act 2005, the Official Information Act 1982 (or the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987)
But that is a guideline and not a legal requirement. Obviously it needs to be changed to an actual law so that government departments are automatically included under the OIA. Exclusions would have to be specifically written into the legal framework with reasons for the exclusion.
Such needs to happen so that we’re not left wondering if an exclusion is incompetence or malicious intent by the people writing up the legislation.
Trevette back to her ‘soothing-balm’ styles re Key in The Herald this morning. Warning against peurile motive and spite. Projection-by-proxy of the past and present peurile motives underlying this flag stunt methinks:
” ………. trying to influence people’s votes out of puerile political spite is a different matter. It may be true that Key is keen on a legacy, but it should be irrelevant. The referendums are on the flag, not on the political parties or personalities.
Regulation Trevette – “Time to leave John Key alone now I think……”
History channel on Sky has been screening Ken Loach’s ‘Spirit of ’45’ this week. Highly recommended and with many parallels with the political changes in that period in our own country.
Abbott acts on foreign RE buyers..Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced tough new laws for foreign property investors in an effort to ‘level the playing field’ for Australian buyers.
The changes will see foreign buyers charged a $5000 fee to enter the Australian market, as well as increased fines and possible jail terms for investors who breach foreign ownership laws – and the agents who help them do so.
The stricter laws follow an investigation by the Foreign Investment Review Board into housing affordability in Australia, which partly blamed foreign buyers for inflated domestic prices.
‘The new regime will maximise opportunities for Australians, give Australian home owners confidence and a level playing field,’ Mr Abbott told reporters at a press conference in Sydney on Saturday.
ONE News has learned that the Government has spent $6 million air freighting 900 pregnant ewes and farming equipment to Hamood Al Ali Khalaf’s farm in Saudi Arabia.
According to Mr Al Ali Khalaf’s business partner, Sydney-based George Assaf, everything from the fencing to “the shed and the wool shed and the yards and the drafting machines, the weighing, the scales, you mention it, it’s all from New Zealand”.
Mr Assaf says the deal was done to “compensate” the pair over a six-year-old ban of live sheep exports in which they say they lost hundreds of millions of dollars.
He says New Zealand was told “unless you fix that part of it, we won’t sign” the free trade deal between New Zealand and the Gulf States.
I’m sure that with a law in place to ensure that this type of bribery is legal it’ll just get worse.
New Zealand will receive no profit from the Saudi farm, which Mr Assaf claims is worth $80 million.
But, it provides New Zealand businesses with the opportunity to showcase their wares, according to Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
Asked what return the country should expect from the farm, Mr Guy replied: “Ultimately it may help us land the free trade agreement.”
Actually, it’s going to help put NZ sheep farms out of the export business.
Campbell Live tonight…….ChCh volunteer whose Good Samaritanism has come back on his very soul. With no ACC back-up because the damage ain’t physical. Wasn’t there the noted example of the built young Maori or Polynesian guy who leapt in lustily heaving heavy lumps of concrete off trapped people ? Who was honoured with an award ?
All the proof you need that the editorial of Campbell Live is indispensable !
Mediaworks should be proud that it’s happening under their banner !
For fuck’s sake…….what has happened to New Zealand ?
Campbell Live next clip……the rental-rape of Filipino ChCh reconstruction workers ???
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
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Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
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Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
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Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
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“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
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Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
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The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
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Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
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 at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown – but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?What’s all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
Climate activists are setting their sights on an unpopular target, and hoping to bring lots of the public with them. It’s hard to miss the Majestic Princess: the enormous cruise ship, docked at Auckland’s Prince’s Wharf, looms over the nearby buildings. The ship, which can fit nearly 6,000 people, ...
The following korero between Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku, author of the newly published memoir Hine Toa, one of the year’s most important books, and Dale Husband from e-tangata, was first published in October. It traverses her involvement with the activist group Ngā Tamatoa at Auckland University in the early 1970s, her ...
In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions ...
Black Ferns trailblazer Kendra Cocksedge was on the verge of tears when her young protégé, Hannah King, unassumingly broke the news. Three-time Rugby World Cup winner Cocksedge and Lincoln agriculture student King meet every few weeks over a hot chocolate, in an enduring mentorship that’s spanned years. “Before we even ...
Opinion: We’ve kicked the tyres on the perception NZ’s economy is in a parlous state compared to Australia. We take a quick tour of relative trends in GDP, housing markets, labour markets, trade, the fiscal situation, and the outlooks for inflation and interest rates. We find the cyclical positions of ...
Opinion: Making sure developers, local and central government, and landowners are all on the same page makes sense The post A new kind of city deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Just arrived in London, working for a couple of months
Here, John Key is a figure of fun and ridicule. it is very embarrassing.
in the media there – we have moved from ponytail-pulling prime minister – to dentistry during sex..
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/06/new-zealand-man-found-guilty-of-pulling-out-lovers-teeth-during-sex
Well of course, they don’t have tame little guinea pigs mascarading as Press over there!!! They tell it like it is, and boy, how humiliating and beyond embarrassing to be known as a weird little fetish-creep, right John?? Wonder if the Queen will invite him back to Balmoral again – she must be wondering what he got up to the last time he was there??
How tragic. You obviously have not been following the rabid anti-Milliban stuff the Sun et al have been running these last few weeks. Filthy Murdoch media and other Tory press
People in London know who John Key is ?
Tugger Key? Are you unaware that he has been fodder for “odd” news and comedy pieces around the world?
I expect if you asked 100 people in the UK which country John Key was the PM of less than 10% would have any idea.
Interestingly recently on the British Show “Pointless” John Key was an answer, but not a pointless one. They asked 100 people to identify as many world leaders as they knew in 100 seconds. From memory over 10% of them named John Key of New Zealand.
I missed that one…..another brit show that as quite interesting (no pun intended)
I enjoy it. I note how different it is to US quiz shows. The questions are hard and the prize money is low..
Agreed I couldn’t bring myself to watch a US quiz show.
That would be quite an interesting post,. Questions to which the answer is John Key.
Mine is, “Who is New Zealand’s most publicly ridiculed PM internationally?”
I don’t think that even Peter Fraser got such a press from Lord Haw Haw.
Clark would probably beat key as “globally most famous NZ PM”, but that might be reversed if we added “for actions performed whilst NZ PM”.
Who wanted to be Prime Minister since he was a child but had no political awareness or consciousness?
But how many Brits currently think John Key is a clown (irrespective of whether or not they know the country of which he is PM)?
And of the 10% who you suspect do know he is New Zealand’s Prime Minister the vast majority will presumably only know that from the fact that he is being mocked?
If there happens to be any future case in which John Key – as NZ PM – makes some serious appeal to the British people (e.g., to buy our products, help us with a natural disaster, support our economic and foreign policy interests, etc.) we can guess that their first dawning reaction will not be sympathy and support but, instead … ‘Oh, so that’s the country that voted in that clown??’
You seem to be implying that this current ‘anonymity’ concerning Key’s nationality is ‘reassuring’ when it is actually a ticking ‘join the dots’ time bomb (involving, as you imply, far more than 10% of Brits) that, when it goes off, is likely to dampen and subtract from the British people’s support for us in the future.
And, more importantly, that reaction amongst the British public will embolden those in Britain who might oppose our interests (for political or economic reasons).
Key has, no doubt unthinkingly, delivered rhetorical ammunition for anyone in Britain – or elsewhere – to use to undermine our interests.
Rightly or wrongly, that in future will be the public reaction overseas and those will be the uses made of that reaction. (e.g., think about how Fox News might now frame our Prime Minister should he, on a visit there, publicly argue to reduce US agricultural subsidies).
As right wingers here so often point out when they use Key’s electoral popularity as his ultimate defence against criticism: Irrespective of the reality, perception is everything.
Unfortunately, the same argument also works negatively – when, on the world stage, Key is associated not with a blokey ‘popularity’ but with idiocy and weirdness.
Whatever, the only thing in the British Media at the moment is the election.
It is hard to ridicule someone who no one notices.
Big day for Auckland Council and Auckland’s future. Two related themes.
Firstly, the proposed rates hike – particularly for transport purposes – is steeper than expected. Government will likely not recognize the political blowback Mayor Brown will get from the public.
Secondly, the housing crisis is not reflected in Council’s Auckland Development Company proposal. It’s going to be a fairly neutered beast. Back in the day, Auckland Council was the second-biggest housing owner in the country. The days of intervention at scale appear gone.
Join these two together: can Key, Bennett, and Bridges as pro-Auckland Cabinet Ministers, overcome the anti-Auckland sentiments of Brownlee, Smith, and English? That is, can central government form a stronger and more direct governance instrument for prioritizing transport investment that leads to more affordable housing being built?
Couple of weeks will tell.
Interesting times indeed…
Particularly because this government is demanding more homes be built, by necessity they have to be on the outskirts, but won’t put its hand in its collective pocket to fund the infrastructure (particularly transport) required to make it practical for dwellers…
They also effectively cut the developers cost… so who take sup the shortfall if this is generally used to fund infrastructure for the new properties and research?
My home has gone up in paper value over 300,000 since October last year…
Something needs to be pointed out about rate hikes all over the country. The basic cause of rate hikes by councils is that the central government is not sufficiently funding these regional councils. This is the underlying reason councils are looking to put rates up or are looking to raise revenue in other ways, or in some cases moth balling development projects. Where we as a country want these projects to go ahead, but rate payers increases would be too steep, the government should simply fund these projects.
But the tricky thing is that councils funding also adjusts to the economy, when economic activity falls then their rates and other payments (income) fall as well. It can be tricky to understand that due to the recession if the council is going to maintain previous levels of investment in regional development, then either rates need to go up a lot or central government needs to step in and provide the funds and a larger portion of the councils budget. At present the central government is significantly under-funding councils all over the country.
Why should central government fund local government?
For that matter why shouldn’t local government fund central government ?
Or alternatively why don’t they all fuck off and stop picking our pockets ad infinitum.
seasteader much?
It’s comments like this that prove that you, and other RWNJs, are a fucken idiot.
We need the services that taxes provide and we can’t get them for less than they physically cost no matter what National Act tell us.
Of course, a large part of your idiocy is due to the fact that we’ve been taught to see our finances backwards. We see taxes as providing an income for government when we should be seeing government spending as the foundation which holds up the economy – especially the private sector.
Why should central government tell local government where people can build houses without providing infrastructure to support their (central government) decisions.
Because they refuse to let local government charge the level of rates that would provide an appropriate level of services, in particular the overarching infrastructure needed to support communities and economic activity.
“Why should central government fund local government?”
Because local government can’t afford to raise the necessary funds (It would depress the local economy of Auckland to much if Auckland rates, and other council service charges, were that high) needed to support their local government economy. Duh!
One of the reasons central government should fund local government is that central government make up the laws that local government have to enact, implement, monitor and enforce…….e.g. Building Act, RMA, Health and Safety Act, Weathertight homes resolution services Act, Local Government Act etc etc.
It’s fine for Councils to pay for bylaws and services that communities want (democratic choice), but why is the burden of cost placed exclusively on rate payers (particularly for expensive infrastructure) when that change comes from central government?
NZ needs regional development, and significant funding to support regional development.
Auckland Council had little choice but pay for the changes that were required by the Local Government Auckland Council and Local Government Auckland Transition Acts that were foisted on them by Mr Hyde…….and look at what that is going to cost Aucklanders……possibly their harbour, given the dysfunctionality of the governance that were set up between the Council and their subsidiary entities (Ports of Auckland, Auckland Transport).
And where does the government get this extra money Nic? I suppose you think it grows on trees for the plucking 🙂
This is typical NZ, perhaps thoughout the world,where few if any consider the holistic cost as they work out the costs and benefits to their group and their group only … urrrgh!
Maybe from the real estate agents and developers they are assisting in Auckland?
Of course it doesn’t. Private banks create 97% of it ex nihilo.
Actually, the problem is that we’ve 30+ years of the RWNJs saying that we don’t need to pay for anything and the majority of people seem to have believed that lie. Now our infrastructure is collapsing, our government services are sub par and taxes are having to go up to pay for fixing all the damage that 30 years of neo-liberalism have done and the RWNJs are complaining about it.
“And where does the government get this extra money Nic? I suppose you think it grows on trees for the plucking”
From the NZ central governments point of view, it does. All they need to do is write into the budget the amount they are providing to local government and the money is then issued into the economy as it is spent.
From the point of view of an economist its never a question of funding, but a question of how much this might put pressure on inflation. However there is no threat of an impact on inflation from this until the economy is operating at full capacity (which you will probably observe it isn’t presently). Until such a time the government can simply spend more, creating more real wealth (both goods and services) for NZers to enjoy and income for businesses and their employees at the same time, effectively for free.
The opportunity cost of not doing this can never be recovered, its clearly a pretty bone headed move by the government to simply leave the additional real wealth available to the NZ economy (at no cost) on the table!
[And where does the government get this extra money Nic? I suppose you think it grows on trees for the plucking :)]
They should pluck it out of thin air, same as the banks do.
A closer look at big donations to the National Party where Winston Peters sums things up perfectly ” for every thousand dollar donated one hundred thousand is returned.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/rich-listers-dig-deep-for-national-2015050707#axzz3ZO8tYPMN
National doesn’t have donors. It has business partners.
Yes and countering the bosses are the workers who donated 900 k to Labour.
This article in the NZH shows how we’re being manipulated by the self-interested when it comes to housing.
“Andrew King: Why I think there’s no housing bubble in Auckland”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11444119
As an investor the author knows full well that the value of an asset is directly proportionate to its yield and that Auckland houses are in a bubble phase.
Rental properties in areas of NZ with low or no housing inflation, such as the provinces, are returning investors 6-7% from rents. Based on existing interest rates that’s currently about the right return if you’re an investor, you must get at least that much else you won’t invest. You’d be better off putting your cash in the bank if you got any less.
Auckland properties are lucky to return 4-5% from rents which is well below the return any investor would require. You can’t borrow at 6% and make a buck when rents are only returning 4%. It’s not possible…. unless there’s capital gain or rent increases. That’s a bubble, the income from the asset is not supporting the price.
Economists & politicians keep bleating about house prices when the real issue isn’t houses. It’s rents. Without rental income an investment property has no value whatsoever. The higher the rent… the higher the value of the property. If rents don’t go up house prices will always fall back to when the bubble started.
What King has neglected to tell people there is that the longer term investors buy with the intention of increasing rents. An investment bubble can only be deflated if the income from the investment rises to match the bubble price. A higher house price can only be sustained if the underlying rent increases to support it.
My point in this spiel is that low income Aucklanders can look forward to more grinding poverty with their landlords constantly holding out their hands for more & more filthy lucre. The ‘proper’ rent on a $500k property is over $600 per week and investors who own those $500k properties plan on getting their $600.
at that rate pretty much anyone in Auckland is going to be a low income Aucklander, but i guess that is then mission accomplished and we are one step closer to third country status.
bridges we need to build shacks underneath…
“…unless there’s capital gain…”
and there is. Lord knows I don’t want to be seen as standing up for landlords, but the picture you offer is not quite so watertight. The idea of “proper rent” for a 500K property being $600pw just doesn’t match reality. Rents, depending on area, are closer to half the rate you say they are. Rents here are high, as a percentage of average gross income, no doubt. Neither does the image of landlords being highly intelligent scammers and sharks reconcile with close inspection. Those types exist, but if they were the only type around, there’d be a lot of people, hundreds of thousands, living on the street. The flattering idea of being an “investor” just because someone owns a rental property, isn’t true. Luckily, landlords have as many colours of nutty as anyone else, so a tolerable deal can still be found.
Cheer up old bean, having to move house because the landlord has an aspirational brain-fart is infuriating, highly stressfull and expensive, and potentially financially crippling, but shit happens, so don’t focus on the shit because it only makes things worse.
Your epistle, Charles, says a lot about you and little about the subject in question.
It wouldn’t take a stretch of the imagination to conclude you’re an investor and a little bit sensitive about it too huh.
Miliband still on target to become British PM according to most pundits. General consensus (give or take a little variation) seems to be:
– Tories will probably win the popular vote by 1-3 percentage points
– Tories probably around 10 seats ahead of Labour (but a lot of uncertainty due to very close contest in some of the key marginals according to the Ashcroft Polls)
– None of which, according to the majority view, will be enough to prevent an Anti-Tory majority (see May2015 website and my comment here…http://thestandard.org.nz/miliband-kos-johnson/#comment-1006991)
The only concern:
– Traditional inaccuracy of UK pre-Election polls. Most notoriously, of course, in 1992 when polls grossly overstated Labour support and under-estimated the Tory vote. Same in a few other Elections – I’ve recently watched a fascinating 6 hours of the 1970 UK Election coverage (complete with some quite extraordinary comb-overs – particularly from the middle-aged political scientists – we’re talking on a Donald Trump scale of grandeur) and most of the polls then wrongly indicated a return of Harold Wilson’s Government.
Anyone who has been following the New Statesman’s excellent May2015 site will know that, over recent weeks, there has been a serious divide between the on-line and phone polls – the former consistently suggesting a neck-and-neck race, the latter a fairly clear Tory lead. Nerve-wracking – although I see the most recent phone-based polls have mostly re-aligned with the on-line ones, all except the Com Res/Daily Mail now calling a close race.
Thanks for this fish. I wonder what happened in 1970 that led to the first poll?
Letter to my local Gisborne Herald – they may not publish – being rather chummy with the Tolley. Or at least will hack out the stomach staples to protect her modesty and her image of self responsibility and self-control.
This paper’s editor considers my letters to be ‘attacks’. So be it.
Here’s an ‘attack’.
The Minister of Social Development is now banning beneficiaries – whose care she is responsible for – from getting loans for emergency dental treatment. Loans.
This is vicious.
Any dentist or technician or maxillofacial surgeon will tell you those with serious gum disease are 40% more likely to have a chronic condition on top.
Diabetes, heart disease/stroke risk – infections in the gums release inflammatory substances which in turn increase brain inflammation that can cause neuronal (brain cell) death.
Bacteria from periodontal disease can travel through the bloodstream to the lungs where it can aggravate respiratory systems.
Men with gum disease – 49% more likely to develop kidney cancer, 54% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, and 30% more likely to develop blood cancers.
Women with gum disease took an average of seven months to conceive, compared to five months among their peers without gum disease.
My surgeon told me I could of died before I spent $4 000 to get the help I needed. I require 3x a year maintenance work. I’m one of the lucky ones. I don’t need to go to a loan shark.
So Tolley has enough clues about the dangers of obesity to spend up to $30 000 to have her stomach stapled (that took some guts) so I assume she is aware of the dangers of poor dental health. Enough to have top-notch dental care for her winning smile – but the section of society that can only dream of her wealth and privilege – and the rude good health it affords her – will now be in pain. They will be in chronic pain and distress and under Anne Tolleys care and on her watch.
This latest attack – by this government – on the most vulnerable of our community is just vicious.
Good letter Joe, thanks.
Here’s how to fix it:
1) Apply for the dollar amount you need regardless of cost (yes, I know…stress, $, and possible humiliation from the dentist who hates beneficiaries). The legislation doesn’t limit it to $300, that is done through policy and they can and do go higher.
2) Review the decision, and continue the appeal to the SSAA
An increase in reviews may be more costly than providing the loan in the first place. Good luck.
Good on ya, let us know if it publishes…
PS
I didn;t know Tolley had a staple op?
shes in this story
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3260435/Stomach-stapled-MPs-put-weight-behind-Turia
from her wiki
Personal[edit]
It emerged in 2010 that Tolley had undergone gastric bypass (stomach stapling) surgery in order to lose weight.[14] Tolley joins other current and former New Zealand politicians including Rahui Katene, David Lange, Chester Borrows, Donna Awatere-Huata and Tariana Turia to have had gastric bypass surgery at some point in the past.
Hers one I sent in which the editor took-out the stomach staples reference – completely ruining the gag I set up – (to protect Anne Tolleys modesty?)
Dear Sir,
Fresh from the regular ordeal of dry-retching at the horror of witnessing – day after day – people parading massive marlins that they’ve tortured and dragged around with their launches and then murdered, gutted and strung up on the wharf to be photographed for the pages of the Gisborne Herald; I am now implored by John Key, local M.P Anne Tolley and the Gisborne Herald editorial to ‘Get some Guts and get on the right side”, “roll up our sleeves and get stuck in” because “Something has to be done..”.
So Anne Tolley and the Gisborne Herald Editor got some guts. To drag N.Z onto John Keys sick selfie adventure into Iraq takes guts of steel. über-guts. Tolleys got the stomach staples so she’s got $30 000 armoured guts. The Herald Editor has barrels of ink guts. The printed word handing up to the mighty – the sword.
So, potentially, Gisborne-born guts will be spilt for John Keys photo-ops in the ‘middle east’ to come but more importantly – what desert-chic number has Anne Tolley picked for her inspection tour in Iraq? Her designers will have such fun with the flak-jackets and bullet proof helmets!
“Get Some Guts”? If the Islamic Caliphate want to really stick it to N.Z for the National and Act Party’s desire to have our “club” membership validated then any Kiwis they capture for their propaganda murders may well be – gutted.
Joe .. a retraction was published for this change in loans announcement .. it was a mikstake. Will try to find the correction link from a day or so ago … brb … but great letter !!
From Jan Logie on Tuesday: curious and curiouser ….
“So it turns out yesterday’s story about WINZ cuts to dental care loans was wrong, and through no fault of Radio New Zealand who ran it.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has today corrected the Official Information Act release the story was based on. The corrected numbers now show fairly steady dispersal of loans and grants for emergency dental care since 2010.
While this is good news, the situation is still very confusing. I continue to hear stories of people being told they can only get money for extractions, not things like root canals or crowns. I have also heard people being told not to bother applying.
It’s strange that this doesn’t seem to show up in the statistics. It’s hard to have confidence in the statistics when the Ministry can apparently get them so wrong themselves.
Beyond this, I must say I think it is just bizarre that alarms bells did not go off in MSD when they found there had apparently been a 99% decline in advance payments for dental care.
It is even more bizarre that MSD initially sought to explain that drop, in an email copied to me, by saying there had been a policy change in 2012 that precluded the payment of advances for emergency dental care.
There wasn’t a policy change, so that bit was made up. A policy change of that magnitude would actually have been unlawful, as it would have unreasonably restrained MSD case managers from exercising their statutory discretion to grant advance payments of benefit, but no one involved with this at MSD seemed to realise that.
Furthermore, MSD has now effectively told the entire country via yesterday’s Radio New Zealand story that beneficiaries can’t get loans for dental care, and have not corrected that publicly.
The National Government’s welfare reforms have been overwhelming for staff and beneficiaries alike, and the cuts to back room MSD staff significant, but quality of information informs decision making. Mistakes like this matter.”
https://blog.greens.org.nz/2015/05/06/oia-chaos-in-the-ministry-of-social-development
Hey thanks. Whenever was I going to hear this. On R.N.Z?
maybe it serves a better AND LIKELY more profitable purpose not to correct it ?? bstds.
but it’s been there on our right hand links since tuesday which is where I first read it …
maybe ring RNZ and ask why no correction .. maybe they don’t know either?
we are ruled by Kaos agents 😥
Don’t forget that TRNZ are getting a comment option going. Look for comment under the particular items that have been chosen. They are tryng a range.
Eventually I get to where they have RNZtalk and that takes you past the stats to the cent
are you thc-deficient..?
i know i am..
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/am-thc-deficient
Stephen Franks voices concern over the two-tier justice system. I find myself in the strange position of agreeing with someone from the Sensible Sentencing Trust.
He also appears to gently hint at recent ‘prominent NZer’ cases.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/273027/ex-mp-claims-two-tier-justice-system
3 tier, IMHO, politicians with name suppression, rugby players, the rest of us.
The name suppression comments have been removed from the article.
He prefers a 1 tier system where every decision he agrees with is the one that matters.
Yes, I really loathe the SST and their inconsistent advocacy.
What inconsistency arkie?
I thought you got the memo – the SST is there for scared white people to vent their spleen about brown people doing crime. Because it’s so scary being white.
+111
😈
Lucretia Seales who is terminally ill with a brain tumour, is fighting in the courts to have the right to decide when she dies. The courts have allowed two ‘interested’ parties to join the case. One is the Human Right Commision and the other a group by the name of Care Alliance.
I was curious who they were and a little googling shows that the alliance which seems to be a grouping of organisations all opposed to euthanasia, including some groups that appear to have a vested interest in keeping people alive.
The group appears to traces back to another organisation called The Nathaniel Centre which turns about to be an offshoot of The Roman Catholic Church and is listed as their Bioethics Centre.
The Care Alliance was co-founded by one Maggie Barry MP. No prizes for guessing her religion. Its web site has no real details of who they are but refer contact details to one Matthew Jansen, one would could only wonder if this is the same Matthew Jansen on the Board of Saint Catherines College Wellington Ltd?
http://www.csbl.co.nz/about/shareholders-and-directors
“The Alliance was established in 2012 in opposition to the poorly written, confusing and flawed End of Life Choice Bill proposed by a Labour List MP which has since been withdrawn following political pressure.”
http://www.nathaniel.org.nz/component/content/article/19-homepage-slider-articles/330-broad-alliance-launches-to-oppose-legalising-euthanasia
Is this a case once again of right wing church groups forming defacto front groups to push their narrow view of society.
http://www.carealliance.org.nz/
I ams ure they will be very upfront about their real driving principles in Court 😉
a heads-up on ancestry.com
whoar..!
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/ancestrycom-caught-sharing-customer-dna-data-police
“The six cops who killed Freddie Gray in Baltimore have been charged.
“Freddie Gray isn’t the first person that cops put in the back of a van, expressly to injure him. No seat belt, hands cuffed behind his back, feet shackled, he was left to bounce off the van’s walls. Others have been gravely injured, even paralyzed. And Freddie Gray is not the first man to die in Baltimore like this.
“Protests lead to first cops in Baltimore ever being charged for such killing
“And yet, this is the first time any Baltimore cop has been charged for the crime.
“Isn’t it obvious? If young people hadn’t gone out into the streets on Monday night, the cops would not have been charged. . .
report from Baltimore: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/the-anger-in-baltimore/
It has happened before that though police charged, which takes the pressure off, but the outcome was not guilty. This case will be pretty important.
Special treatment for special people.
/
As was true in a spate of recent death-in-custody cases, the Baltimore police department’s seeming reluctance (or inability) to mount a prompt, thorough investigation of its own officers has generated escalating protests, fueled by existing distrust of the police and suggestions of a cover-up.
But in this case it wasn’t just the thin blue line of solidarity shielding the cops involved from having to testify against themselves or each other.
The problem, said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, is that city officials were unable to “fully engage” with the officers “because of our Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.”
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/04/27/blue-shield
On paper, this country still has one of the most reactionary abortion laws in the world. There are enough liberal doctors that the reality is rather different, so the actual law isn’t especially effective or closely enforced. However it’s still there and the criminalisation of abortion still takes a psychological toll on women who choose to terminate pregnancies.
Once upon a time there was an active campaign for women’s right to choose; isn’t there still a need for one?
Abortion: remaking the case for the right to choose: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/ann-furedi-on-pro-choice/
Getting abortion out the Crimes Act: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/getting-abortion-out-of-the-crimes-act/
Australian reality show taking the piss out of poor people, surprisingly being shown on the SBS channel (I thought they had a bit more class than that). How long till we get the NZ version, giving the middle-classes a good chuckle and reinforcing what they always thought about the poor.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/68341317/struggle-street-reality-tv-show-has-sydney-up-in-arms
does anyone know how to get around the regional restrictions on aust. tv..?
i wanna watch ‘struggle street’..
..but computer/sbs says ‘no’…
hola unblocker is the answer, Phil. It’s an add on/extension that sets up a VPN. Also good for UK telly (ie watching the election results tomorrow etc.).
chrs..
kewl 😀
unblock-us.com this one is good to unblock Netflix, you can even change the region worldwide to view were you wish, Netflix US seems the best too me though, massive content.
State broadcasting at its best…
Nate Silver inspired result prediction, updated for 6 May.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/uk-general-election-predictions/
Also see more related info here:
http://thestandard.org.nz/uk-election-2/#comment-1011060
The SDHB public meeting was a bit of fiasco, the Chairman Butterfield was clearly opposed to the idea of public input. There were no microphones, or PA (at a monthly public meeting), which made much of the talk inaudible to those at the back. So after half an hour when it had devolved into the crowd talking over the board to try get their points across he called a recess so the room would clear out. There was another half hour of “public” meeting after that; mainly the board going through the agenda as fast as possible while avoiding eye contact with those members of the public who had stuck around. Then we were turfed out while the board went to the cafe in preparation for the public-excluded session in which they’d record the decisions they had already made.
Two elected Board Member were good though:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/341408/heat-food-outsourcing-meeting
Yesterday, I thought that the Union’s offer of matching the Compass Group’s terms (whilst humiliating) would be enough to save the kitchens:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052015/#comment-1010671
Now I’m very pessimistic.
This one exchange from the second half was worth jotting down (may not be an exact transcription, but as close as I could get):
Board Member Mary Gamble: “…are we ever going to open the books and see that we are within budget?”
CEO Carole Heatley: “We have a lot of tough decisions, and not all will be popular; as we have seen this morning”
…
Chairman Butterfield: “the 5% cuts are only the start.”
All this heartache to save a measly $5million over 7 years and serve pre-cooked frozen- to-be-microwaved food to very sick people ?? ( it’s about $13,500 pw which is likely less than redundancies and Winz benefits will cost them.) And of course, any profit will be leaving the country courtesy of Compass — and where in any universe can you write profit and hospital food in the same sentence and not be ridiculed ? Yep. Auckland and Dunedin.
Where or where are we headed ?? Toxic food by a compromised toxic British
company.
Tony Ryall jumped ship .. or was he pushed for this debacle and the millions that disappeared under his medical revolution? To this day, never accounted for.
rawshark-y
That makes $3.5m over 7.5 years, your figure wasn’t nearly measly enough. Especially considering that HBL spent over $4m devloping the business plan! The money seems to be the justification, not the reason, for the likely adoption of this shortsighted scheme:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/341376/dhb-member-speaks-out-over-outsourcing-plan
When it comes time for council elections next year, I will make a point to proclaim the names of those elected board members who vote for this outsourcing as loud as I possibly can.
However, from looking about today, it seemed that the; 8 elected Board Members, were outnumbered by the; 6 Executive Directors, plus; CEO, Chairman, & Deputy (plus Board Secretary, but she probably doesn’t have voting rights). I don’t think the Chairman is an elected position (in fact I think Butterfield’s already retired, but is filling in until someone else is appointed – only no one wants the job), I’m not sure about the deputy. So that seems to make 8 elected representatives to 9 appointed, which makes public accountability a farce.
it is a farce, isn’t it ? and I thought on the figures I quoted !! How are they falling for this? Is to just to save face on having spent $4 million on a business plan ?
( Isn’t that more than the equivalent of the first 7.5 years savings ???)
have you seen this report from Oz on the multiple serious failings of Compass … needs to be thrown around the DHB offices asap …
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/awuqld/pages/326/attachments/original/1415324859/Compass_group_and_medirest_track_record.pdf?1415324859
please let us have updates if you can bear to do it …
Update:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/341408/heat-food-outsourcing-meeting
As soon as most of the public left during the 5min recess, Chairman Butterfield immediately stowed the boxes containing the petition under the table unread where no board member could be reminded of their presence. I remember hearing someone call out; “what is it too far to walk to the waste-paper bin?”.
Next step is legal action:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/340039/union-warns-sdhb-legal-action
BTW/ Thanks to rs-yh for the link, though it’s taking me a while to go through all the relevant footnotes. Page 17 of this ruling has some disturbing instances of Compass/ Medirest being incompetent about freezer storage and out of date food:
http://www.nzdrc.co.nz/site/commercialdisputes/files/Court%20Decisions/Compass%20Group%20UK%20and%20Ireland%20Ltd%20v%20Mid%20Essex%20Hospital%20Services%20NHS%20Trust%20%5B2012%5D%20EWHC%20781%20_QB_.pdf
What bites my balls is that the union reckon they can put together a plan that will generate much more revenue than the privatisation will save, but the board in its wisdom decided to consider compass without looking for any alternatives.
Thanks for reporting back on this.
http://www.southerndhb.govt.nz/pages/boardmembers/
”
Joe Butterfield, MNZM, FCA, FinstD, CMILT
Chairman
Joe Butterfield is a chartered accountant who has spent his working life as a partner/director of the accounting firm Footes Ltd Chartered Accountants (and its predecessors) to which he is now a consultant. Joe, who is from Timaru, is in his second term as Chair of the Southern Board and has a strong interest in health and welfare matters. He is also Chair of Southern DHB’s Hospital Advisory Committee and the Appointments and Remuneration Advisory Committee. He was Chairman of South Canterbury District Health Board (SCDHB) from 2000-2009, until he stood down after his term had expired. He was a member of Health South Canterbury (the predecessor to SCDHB) and served as its Chairman from 1996 until 2000. He has also served on the Ministry of Health National Capital Committee and District Health Boards New Zealand.
As well as roles in health and finance, Joe has extensive experience in the transport and agricultural sector and has held directorships in companies including Intercity Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries, Ritchie’s Transport Holdings, the Port of Timaru and the South Canterbury Regional Development Board. Joe is also a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Directors and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport. A lifetime yachtsman, Joe was a member of Yachting NZ’s governance board from 1986-95 and its president 92/95. He was its representative on the sport’s international body 1994-2008 and was an international umpire 1989/05 and is still an international judge.”
Mrs Mary Gamble, SRM, SCM, B.Sc, M.Sc
Elected Member (Otago Constituency)
Mrs Gamble is a retired midwife who worked for many years helping hundreds of Otago women to deliver their babies. She also has a strong background in health management and governance.
In 2005 Mary wound up her high profile midwifery practice and was recruited as a Research Manager at the University of Otago’s faculty of Health Sciences. After two years she was appointed to the foundation team charged with the establishment of a new medical school at the University of Limerick, Ireland. By July 2011 the Medical School had graduated its first Medical Doctors and Mrs Gamble fulfilled the roles of Research Development Manager and then as the Clinical Liaison Manager ensuring that students were appropriately placed for their clinical training both in hospitals and in GP practices.
Prior to returning to Ireland, Mrs Gamble was twice elected to the Otago DHB in 2001 and 2007 and so has six years health governance experience prior to her recent election to the Southern District Health Board. She is also serving on the Southern DHB’s Hospital Advisory Committee.
John Chambers, FRCS (Ed), FACEM
Elected Member (Otago Constituency)
Dr John Chambers is a Dunedin-based Senior Emergency Medical Officer who has worked in Dunedin Hospital for over 20 years. John is an active member of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and a member of New Zealand Faculty Board of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, and a member of the Southern DHB’s Hospital Advisory Committee.
John is also is the Director of a small business Chambers Consultancy (2007) Ltd, and health services consultancy, and is employed 0.05 FTE as an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer of the Dunedin Medical School, University of Otago. He continues to work full time as an emergency specialist seeing and treating a wide variety of patients and has a particular interest in the use of ultrasound in emergency diagnosis and care.
i understand mid central health are opting in on this frozen cuisine scheme as well.
It arrives frozen? Has to be thawed and cooked/warmed by recipient, is that right?
microwaved from frozen …
Bet you it’s the same food which is going into prisons/about to go into prisons.
also by Compass ?
I don’t know the answer but I do know that they do not need to enter a 15 year contract. Why not a two or three year contract to see if Compass deliver on what it has promised?
“15-year deal today…”
This is so Labour can’t do fuck all about fuck all when they are next in Govt.
so, for those unable to tear off the covers, are bed-ridden or otherwise disabled in such a way as to not be able to prepare the meal from frozen?
ive just heard the chair of the board say they are pleased because they have secured a nutrituoius meal!
Seems they’re using a system called Steamplicity where meals are prepared and packaged using cooked, partially cooked, and raw components, chilled, with a shelf life of around four days, and reheated cooking the raw and finishing the partially cooked components.
http://compass-group.co.nz/our-brands/medirest/
One of the most radical developments in hospital catering in recent years is the
introduction of this new technology which relies on a sealed pack incorporating a valve.
The food, both raw and partially cooked, is plated in a centralised production unit,
chilled (<5°C) and distributed to satellite kitchens where it remains chilled with an
expiry date currently of four days.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aGPyXIf36XcJ:core.ac.uk/download/pdf/75009.pdf+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
So the volunteers will do the tear-off, partial cook/reheat for those unable to?
It’s kind of funny reading their website about their catering expertise and then
by the way we also do security…
Among other things – bribery, listeria and horse meat.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/oct/16/money.internationalnews
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/possible-listeria-exposure-in-ontario-jails-1.702077
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21476736
thx Joe .. I knew there was more ..
Giant hotel chain sends small town sent C&D letter for continuing to use the name “Copthorne” for at least 5000 years:
http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2015/05/06/trademark-terrorism-hotel-chain-sends-cease-and-desist-letter-to-1000-year-old-village-for-using-its-own-name/
just imagine what will happen under the TPPA then !
Pity the village of Copthorne cannot sue the hotel company for stealing the village name which they have owned for a thousand years. Justice!
Nasty twist on “Rule for a thousand years……….”
I tell you…….it’s a sign.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/205289/two-senate-dems-challenge-obama-release-tpp-text
Senate Democrats write open letter demanding that Obama release the TPP text.
Inside jobs (Economist link so need to register to read)
Can anyone say Talent2? How about other contracts that have government funding and close relationships with MPs?
These aren’t the government doing things themselves but the government contracting out the work that the government should be doing directly. Such a system produces a massive opportunity for graft and corruption that the government doing things directly won’t as they’re actually publicly accountable.
In many of these countries the differentiation between the top levels of government and the top levels of corporations is simply arbitrary. Welcome to the age of corporate rule.
robertson just did the best i have seen him do up against english..
..english just came out of it looking like a total clown..
..and nanaia mahuta did well up against flavell..
..getting him squirming over whanau ora..
I want to personally thank Len Brown for allowing me to increase my rents irrespective of what the market rates currently are.
In other words, you were going to raise rents anyway but you can now shift the blame onto someone else.
EXACTLY.
This article on NRT has a new Registrar of New Zealand Business Numbers being created and the creation excluding it from the OIA as is expected under this guideline:
But that is a guideline and not a legal requirement. Obviously it needs to be changed to an actual law so that government departments are automatically included under the OIA. Exclusions would have to be specifically written into the legal framework with reasons for the exclusion.
Such needs to happen so that we’re not left wondering if an exclusion is incompetence or malicious intent by the people writing up the legislation.
Despite 3 major banks announcing increased profits, they will pass on their tax evasion costs to… their customers…
A GREAT Ad for co-op banks
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/68346946/multinationals-tried-to-defeat-tax-rules
Trevette back to her ‘soothing-balm’ styles re Key in The Herald this morning. Warning against peurile motive and spite. Projection-by-proxy of the past and present peurile motives underlying this flag stunt methinks:
” ………. trying to influence people’s votes out of puerile political spite is a different matter. It may be true that Key is keen on a legacy, but it should be irrelevant. The referendums are on the flag, not on the political parties or personalities.
Regulation Trevette – “Time to leave John Key alone now I think……”
As for “legacy” there is alhairdy a legacy.
History channel on Sky has been screening Ken Loach’s ‘Spirit of ’45’ this week. Highly recommended and with many parallels with the political changes in that period in our own country.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_%2745
Abbott acts on foreign RE buyers..Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced tough new laws for foreign property investors in an effort to ‘level the playing field’ for Australian buyers.
The changes will see foreign buyers charged a $5000 fee to enter the Australian market, as well as increased fines and possible jail terms for investors who breach foreign ownership laws – and the agents who help them do so.
The stricter laws follow an investigation by the Foreign Investment Review Board into housing affordability in Australia, which partly blamed foreign buyers for inflated domestic prices.
‘The new regime will maximise opportunities for Australians, give Australian home owners confidence and a level playing field,’ Mr Abbott told reporters at a press conference in Sydney on Saturday.
‘It’s about giving locals a fair go.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3064941/Australia-crack-foreign-investors-buying-property-revealed-Chinese-owner-buyer-forced-sell-one-Australias-expensive-mansions.html#ixzz3ZQVnid9w
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Investor/State dispute settled Key style:
I’m sure that with a law in place to ensure that this type of bribery is legal it’ll just get worse.
Actually, it’s going to help put NZ sheep farms out of the export business.
Look at Cameron……..he’s a Key with lashings of Hoorah Henry.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/06/lord-odonnell-leader-of-largest-party-does-not-automatically-become-pmhttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/06/lord-odonnell-leader-of-largest-party-does-not-automatically-become-pm
Then Boris is a weird amalgam of JoKeyHen, Farrar, Hide, and Gerry Brownlee after the Swiss Clinic.
Campbell Live tonight…….ChCh volunteer whose Good Samaritanism has come back on his very soul. With no ACC back-up because the damage ain’t physical. Wasn’t there the noted example of the built young Maori or Polynesian guy who leapt in lustily heaving heavy lumps of concrete off trapped people ? Who was honoured with an award ?
All the proof you need that the editorial of Campbell Live is indispensable !
Mediaworks should be proud that it’s happening under their banner !
For fuck’s sake…….what has happened to New Zealand ?
Campbell Live next clip……the rental-rape of Filipino ChCh reconstruction workers ???