Another diversion – “suspected” abusers

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, August 13th, 2013 - 74 comments
Categories: child welfare, crime, national, paula bennett - Tags: ,

The Key-Dunne spying Bill has met with overwhelming opposition.

More people believe Kim Dotcom than John Key.

The Fonterra scandal has trashed our “100% pure” brand internationally.

Unemployment is rising again.

Merridian float in trouble despite $30 Million handout.

The new Nat housing policy sank without trace.

Time for another law-and-order-tough-on-crime distraction! Look! Over there!!

Hard line on child abuse suspects

Suspected child abusers could be banned from being around children for up to 10 years without being convicted of a crime under a proposed law to be announced today.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said the restrictions could mean up to 80 people a year are slapped with orders preventing them from working, living and socialising with children, with penalties of three years imposed on those who break the ban.

If police or Child, Youth and Family believe “on the balance of probabilities” someone poses a threat to a child, High Court or District Court judges could impose the ban, similar to restraining orders in cases of domestic violence.

Mrs Bennett expected opposition from human rights and civil liberties groups but believed she had the support of New Zealanders for the moves.

Yes, I’m guessing that there will be “opposition from human rights and civil liberties groups”, as there needs to be. But recognise this for what it is too. A cynical attempt to distract the headlines.

74 comments on “Another diversion – “suspected” abusers ”

  1. King Kong 1

    Whoever came up with this one is a genius.

    Finally a policy from the right that we can frame like the bleeding heart lefties do. i.e. “If you don’t agree with gay marriage you are a red necked bigot who probably is a closet gay yourself:”.

    Now we can use “if you don’t agree with this you are pro paedo and probably like to touch children yourself”.

    Well r0b?

  2. Ennui 2

    The most telling bit is “suspected”. Certain civil, legal and democratic principles are at stake here…like the right to a fair trial, innocence before guilt, etc.

    Paula and National seem to think principles don’t matter, they show an intellectual vacuity that is frightening in this regard. Who decides who is suspect? This is creeping f*scism. And Joe Average out there shows their brown shirt credentials with the stock line “if you have nothing to fear you wont mind us looking”.

    • Rogue Trooper 2.1

      The interviews on Campbell Live, with the public, and the Nats at their conference, over the GCSB Bill were very informative.

      “and if you don’t love your country…” then you are banned from swimming in it’s water ways, catching it’s snapper or playing it’s pokies for up to 10 years.- Nathan Guy, with a bit of spinal fusion from Amy Adams.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2

      Paula and National seem to think principles don’t matter,

      Sociopaths don’t have principles.

  3. Colonial Viper 3

    Seems to me that Paula Bennett poses a real and present “threat” to ordinary NZ children.

    Does that mean she is going to issue herself a ban?

  4. Sable 4

    Yet more Orwellian tactics from a party that sounds more and more like they would be best suited to Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany. Maybe they should re-brand as the “National Socialist Capitalists Party”. Hitler found a nice suit with jackboots to fit Goering so Keys should be able to sort something out for Bennett without too much trouble.

    Seriously though convicting people on what they might be or do versus what they have done simply runs counter to the notion of democracy. Its also a very effective too for silencing opposition. Don’t like someone or their political opinions, simply accuse them or child abuse and the problems solved!

    • tc 4.1

      They’d be right at home in todays russia as Putin would be very approving.

      • Sable 4.1.1

        Putin refused to go along with the US re: Edward Snowden. Somehow I think Putin who is far from perfect would baulk at these creeps.

        • Populuxe1 4.1.1.1

          Given what Putin didn’t baulk at as head of the KGB, I think you may be suffering from some kind of Stockholm Syndrome and advanced delusion.

          • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1.1

            a) Stockholm syndrome as a phenomenon between captives and captors, is irrelevant here.
            b) According to wikipedia, Putin retired from the Soviet intelligence forces as a Lt Colonel i.e a mid ranked commander. He was not head of the KGB. Post USSR, Putin was made head of the FSB, one of the successor organisations to the KGB.

            • Populuxe1 4.1.1.1.1.1

              My mistake, he’s obviously a saint compared to Key and Benefit. Complete Tui buildboard here.

              To clarify, I was alluding to the ideological captive identifying with a monster, and the rest is largely irrelevant to Putin being far more dangerous than anything we have ever experienced in this country

              • Colonial Viper

                Well, you can’t govern Russia like you govern the Waikato.

                • Populuxe1

                  Because Russians are devils?

                  • RedLogix

                    Because Russia does not have much in the way of a democratic tradition. Cast your mind back over the last thousand years or so, and Putin is by far the best of a very bad lot.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Indeed. And while more Russians nowadays would like more democracy, most like a “strong man” at the top even more.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Here’s a French news article of a pissed off Russian TV station director who snuck on to the airwaves an anti-Putin “diatribe”. Read to the end of the article what they did to him.

                      Clue: they sacked him.

                      In Stalin’s day, they would have gone another way for the man, his family, and his parents. So yes, a massive improvement.

                      http://www.france24.com/en/20130807-russian-tv-accidentally-airs-anti-putin-diatribe

                    • McFlock

                      Because nobody who disagrees with Putin dies?
                      Litvenenko and Politkovskaya spring to mind.

                      Gorby was pretty good.
                      Khrushchev was probably better or at least equivalent to Putin.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Oh sure, but post Stalin its a big improve 😛

    • Murray Olsen 4.2

      The police have been unofficially labelling crims they don’t like as either pedophiles or informants for as long as I can remember. One of their favourites used to be call someone from the holding cells at court and send them back a few minutes later with a stage whisper alluding to some child molestation offence. The other is to be overly friendly, offering the prisoner cigarettes, calling them by their first name, and thanking them for information in a high decibel stage whisper. This latest attack on rights is just formalising what they do already. In fact, it’s the same principle as the GCSB legislation.

  5. karol 5

    The child abuse proposals are not just a diversion from the GCSB issue, but also part of a wider plan to justify domestic surveillance.

    I posted a while back on how the surveillance systems of the “5 Yeyes” network” were being justified with respect to crimes of child abuse, and people smuggling, enabling an in to surveillance within people’s homes.

    The long reach of “5 Eyes”: Not in our name!

    I said:

    Not in the name of “women and children” and democracy!

    In May 2013, 3News reported on Chris Finlayson’s role, linking international crime with domestic crimes of a sexual nature:

    They [attorney generals] will share information on approaches to addressing historic allegations of sexual assault, and how courts deal with fair trial rights and supporting complainants and witnesses giving testimony, particularly in relation to sexual violence in indigenous and immigrant communities.

    The same Attorney General that is responsible for issues of crime and justice within NZ, should not have so much responsibility for arrangements within the 5 Eyes network, and for the GCSB’s role within it.

    • Sable 5.1

      If you are right its time for us all to pack our bags and move to a democratic country.

    • Populuxe1 5.2

      That’s not what it was about at all – that was an international conference on best practice. It’s hardly the Bilderberg. That sort of thing would take place under a Labour-Green government as well. The 5 Eyes network has nothing to do with it. Next you’ll be saying we shouldn’t participate in Interpol stings on international childporn rings.

      • Colonial Viper 5.2.1

        What we have to be careful of is a very deliberate conflation between police investigative activities and intelligence gathering activities aimed at foreigners and national security.

        They are completely separate and very different activities with very different objectives.

        Conflating them is another step on the road to a totalitarian state.

        • Populuxe1 5.2.1.1

          Seems to me it was karol doing the conflating. Neither 5 Eyes nor Echelon was mentioned there once, and I think it highly unlikely that the judicial wing and plods would be let anywhere near that level of intelligence.

  6. aerobubble 6

    Its inevitable that governments are going to collect all the metadata and more. China is. The US is. The problem with the spy bill is not that the data is going to be collected, its the oversight.
    Essential information is power, and economic information is going to be even more pressing, if we don’t know what China or the US knows about our own economy….
    …the problem is Key wants to keep access to that information to the PM oversight. This places too much power in the executive and hamstrings the opposition from holding the executive to account.
    As power means money, the money then selects the leadership of the major parties and you get one oligarchy, all singing whatever neo-liberal song of the day. At the expense of long term NZ.

  7. aerobubble 7

    So they pay bonuses to keep beneficiaries in strife, under economic duress, yet let tax dodgers go. Interesting. So summing up, a department of government has an easier time tracking the same people, hounding them, increasing their duress that they may even seek to steal from WINZ, and keeps beneficiary numbers down as tax dodgers aren’t forced into strife. And so government believes its better to lose tax income, carry a cost, to maintain a perennial underclass who can routinely be brought up to inspire the politics of derision and denigration of the most marginalized.

  8. Jenny 8

    Of course the sexual abuse of children is horrible.

    But in some contexts the creation of a moral panic for political gain is worse.

    Many years ago I once caught an old black and white documentary made soon after the war by a holocaust survivor. He recounted how the holocaust had descended on his community in Germany. It all started with a case involving a Jewish man accused of molesting a young blonde German girl.

    The Nazi propaganda machine and the Nazi courts staged a huge show trial demonising this man and by implication Jews.

    The documentary involved going back to this deeply wounded man’s neighborhood after the war and interviewing those involved in this court case. Of course the accused and the whole Jewish community that he had grown up with were no longer alive to be interviewed, in the ensuing hysteria and moral panic following the court case, all had been deported to concentration camps and murdered, men women and children. The young German girl now an adult refused to talk to him. He didn’t have much more luck with his previous German neighbors and friends. The true guilt or innocence of the accused was never uncovered. But the interviewer did manage to interview the serving judge and asked him to explain himself on camera.

    The judge just said that it was what everyone else was doing, and what was expected of me, it was normal.

    We often hear the phrase “the banality of evil”.

    With this legislation we risk normalising this sort of evil scapegoating here.

    Maybe not on an industrial scale.

  9. Winston Smith 9

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9032722/Hard-line-over-child-abuse#Scene_1

    – Good on the Greens for doing what National wanted them to do but unfortunately Annette King didn’t play ball and sounded reasonable

    I have to say I agree with some of the proposals, automatic reporting of suspected abuse and parents convicted of killing or abusing their children will have to prove they no longer represent a threat in order to be able to care for new children, for example

    However I’m uncomfortable with with the banning aspect of suspected offenders

    • Rogue Trooper 9.1

      Yes to the last point, yet data is now held that can be examined going back years on suspected offenders; imagine all those people who have googled and sat on sites containing child porn! Tsk tsk, naughty naughty,when the (inevitable) time comes when such data is checked pre
      – employment. Happy that my own interests were comparatively orthodox. 😉

  10. tracey 10

    I am pleased to see that those who have previously abused children gave to prove themselves if they have subsequent children BUT just what will be accepted as proof I dont know.

    80 people a year might be impacted by this. Sadly its another ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

    hundreds of kids are abused yearly this will address the abuser after some abuse incident real or alleged.

    after all the submissions this government refuses to build fences at the top the cliff.

    rio tinto gets 30m though.

    • Jenny 10.1

      Casualisation of the growing number of working poor. De-unionised, powerless, Shifting from job to job, unsettled home life, children having to change schools all the time, no time for childhood friends, isolated, disrupted education, their parents desperately following the work from place to place. Huge overtime worked to pay the bills. Out of control rents, unaffordable bonds to pay every time you shift. Children left with in laws or friends. Tired, hungry, cold, neglected, angry, resentful, alienated, dangerous.

      The children of Rogernomics, now parents.

      • Jenny 10.1.1

        Not to mention deregulated gambling and alcohol regulations. All an evil social brew. While an engorged elite look on, never having experience it so good.

        This is nothing like the country I grew up in. Where extreme crimes were rare. (One murder a year compared to over 50 a year now).

        • Colonial Viper 10.1.1.1

          Homicide rate nz 2010, 2011, 2012 was 46, 39 and 42 respectively.

          Saying its “over 50” is an exaggeration and scaremongering.

          • Jenny 10.1.1.1.1

            Sorry about that CV. Should have checked latest stats. Thanks for the correction. I was not intentionally trying to inflate the figures, they are bad enough. A few years back it was around 50 and that is what I should have said. They have dropped back, a little.

            But I think you would agree with my main point that the exponential growth in these sorts of extreme crimes is linked to the sort of unjust and brutal society that neoliberalism results in. And, with more of the social poison of government beneficiary bashing. On top of rising unemployment. Mixed in with more pokies and relaxed gambling and alcohol laws. All the statistics marking a sickening society will be back up there. Nothing is surer.

  11. Pascal's bookie 11

    Wonder how many people who signed a petition saying they want to be able to hit their kids are feeling a bit anxious.

    • Rogue Trooper 11.1

      that is clever Pb; I make a similar point above. It’ll be red-heads next!

    • miravox 11.2

      Wonder how many people in acrimonious relationship breakdowns will be feeling a bit anxious about the what the former other half might be thinking of right about now.

      • Rogue Trooper 11.2.1

        excellent! (I had been considering a former primary care-giver myself…but then, mercy is a better quality than vengeance).

  12. tracey 12

    Agree jennny and winston.

    this sounds like a govt tapping hot buttons to justify other infringement s on freedoms

  13. tracey 13

    Touche bookie

  14. remo 14

    There was a week or two there no-one could get boo out of Jonkey. He was strictly off-line. Joyce the same. I can dimly remember the speaker of the house caught out of his chair in the middle of some parliamentary debacle of phone records and impropriety, and just before the big sleep of FONTERRA, was Peter DUNNE -red faced indignation – off to see the lawyer, data-dump a steaming pile in his arms and Winston hot on his heels. NSA was all over the news. SNOWDEN – remember him? there was even mention on mainstream of ECHELON my goodness. And who was Booze Allen Hamilton? and why do private companies have access to critical information out of NSA – I dunno…maybe john Campbell could have asked who Russell TICE is and why what he sais MATTERS. It was HOT. Things were moving and the press was pressing.
    yawn.
    A week later, we are right in the middle of a Karl ROVE quote. “We’re empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”

    Now, Jonkey’s all over the place. yabber yabber. Child Welfare. Off to China to apologize. Meridian. Houses. We get to ‘study’ what he “do”. Everytime you turn on in the morning, there’s our Johhny. Up to his neck in platitudes. Anything but the dot.com.
    Thats why its called Radio NZ ‘National’ ?

  15. Daveosaurus 15

    I’ve got no problem with cracking down on kiddyfiddlers. The best thing Labour could do is just rubber-stamp it and get back to cracking down on the topics where National is clearly in the wrong.

    The best test as to whether these policies are good, however, would be if Family Fist came out and opposed them. If they do, then these may well go down in history as the one worthwhile thing that Paula Bennett has ever done in her life.

  16. Populuxe1 16

    It’s political suicide to criticise this move too much. CYPS is over-burdened as it is, so I am not sure how they intend to police this. Also I’m not sure how anyone can “prove” they are safe to look after children. I would probably support automatic reporting. The best thing Labour and the Greens could do is ignore it as much as possible and keep attacking National corruption and failures.

    • Colonial Viper 16.1

      There is also the option of playing this into a larger narrative of “unworkable, ineffective, ill-considered”.

      That would require strategic thinking on the part of Labour’s communication teams, and yesterday one of them was on The Standard bemoaning the criticism being laid at the feet of the “Welcome Home Poster” that they had just released.

      • Populuxe1 16.1.1

        Nope, wouldn’t play. The average Joe isn’t going to understand all that – all they are going to see is the opposition frustrating anti-kiddie fiddler legislation and therefore paedo enabling. If Labour-Greens want to play that game, they would be best attacking charter schools as potential paedo playgrounds with little state oversight and no need for a teaching qualification where teacher training has processes to filter out all but the most determined and cunning perverts.

        • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.1

          I think it would play very well, however not to Joe Public as you point out, but to many opinion makers out there in the media and the community who actually work with children.

          • Populuxe1 16.1.1.1.1

            Next you’ll be telling me that most parents have the faintest clue what a teacher’s job actually involves. Where did I put that Tui billboard.

            • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.1.1.1

              Democracy is not for you P1, you’re too cynical and you despise the citizenry too much.

              • Populuxe1

                No, CV, I can only go from what people who teach for a living tell me and from my own experiences. I can’t just pull faux “facts” out of my arse like you do. When was the last time you heard someone envy teachers on the assumption that the work day ends a 3:30 and they get school holidays off, for example? Parental entitlement and helicoptering are symptoms of the wider hostility to the teaching profession.
                While the studies below aren’t specifically about New Zealand, they are broadly indicative.

                http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/27532195?uid=3738776&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21102548494417

                http://www.adi.org/journal/fw99/RamirezFall1999.pdf

                How nice it must be not to work for a living…

                • Colonial Viper

                  Well good luck to you mate, the electorate are like idiots to you, but that’s not how I see them.

                  • Populuxe1

                    Really? Because every second thing you say seems to berate the public for their shortsightedness on something or other you big fat hypocrite.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      ok now you’re making shit up again.

                      Unlike some Lefties I recognise that the electorate is more often right than the majority of our politicians. Just the way it is.

  17. Greywarbler 17

    Child abuse – the net seems being cast so wide that it could include the grate Poorer Benefit herself. She certainly has caused many a child to go without whatever they really needed and suffer pain, humiliation through not providing enough support of any sort needed by parents.

    • Colonial Viper 17.1

      One other thing…the NATs instinctively know that Maori and Pasifika are going to be caught up in these court orders disproportionately.

  18. xtasy 18

    “Innocent until proved guilty” – hah not in “Niu Zilliland 2013” under Storm-Trooper Bennett and Field Marshall Don Key.

    The law is gradually being changed here, to turn that old valued legal principle up on its head. So mere suspicion may in future lead to orders, that will certainly be abused by some, to not just stigmatize, but also force people, simply under suspicion, to not be allowed near children anywhere.

    I am strongly against child abuse of any form, and I am for measures to fight this, and to hold persons that are proved guilty accountable. But to go that far, to bring in law changes, to include even just “suspected” persons, that is a total breach of basic principles of the rule of law, of natural justice and any legal body of a human rights and freedom respecting developed society.

    Watch out for future custody disputes after break ups and divorces, the dirty laundry may include allegations and suspicions of “child abuse” – committed by the hated former partner. Watch out teachers, especially male ones, if you are not popular, some suspicion by some students may cost you more than your job in future!

    Bennett and Key, and their colleagues, you are about to bring in collective punishment with this too. As it is known, that child abuse often leads to the abused later in life becoming abusers also, the natural conclusion will be, that abused children will be potential abusers, and must therefore be “suspected” of “future abuse”, and when adults of “abuse”.

    So I suspect we will have screening of whole families and generations of them next, as a further development of such measures. Label them, stigmatize them, shun then and ban them from parks, public places, reserve special seats in buses, only for those “not allowed to sit next to children” or youngsters (remember the age of consent and that side also).

    Yeah, why not go all the way, as was done in Central Europe in between 1933 and 1945, make them wear a special symbol or sign, clearly visible.

    This though is likely not distraction from the appalling GCSB spy bill before Parliament, this is just further development of the whole agenda already happening in welfare, where social obligations are now applied to benefit parents only, not all parents, where drug testing is done and when tests are failed, a punishment is handed out, before the affected may have been able to exercise a right to question and challenge the decision.

    Also now the new work capability expectations under the reformed Social Security Act and applied to sick and disabled, mean nothing less, but that those considered fit to do some work, will also be forced to prove their “innocence” and that they are as sick and incapacitated as they claim, by delivering more proof than their own doctors. That is because the “Work Capacity Medical Certificate” is now just part of what is looked at, when assessing beneficiaries with health conditions, with disability and incapacity.

    A “New World Order” of some different kind is being created in New Zealand, the social and economic experimental lab of Planet Earth.

    • RedLogix 18.1

      I think that just about covers it xtasy.

      By itself no-one is going to object to the most loathed group in society being marginalised and demonised even more. What is more important is that this process of alienation is normalised.

      We will be trained to the idea that it’s alright to punish people on the mere suspicion of wrong behaviour. And that wrong behaviour is whatever our owners define it to be.

      • Murray Olsen 18.1.1

        Good to see someone understands what’s going on here. I see it fitting in very well with the GCSB bullshit – “For reasons of national security, we cannot say which Middle Eastern sites he was downloading material from, but we all know we don’t need people who support Sharia Law, with conjugal rights over 11 year old girls, as part of our free and democratic community.”

        Thank god people are waking up to it and have less contempt for themselves than Populuxe has for them.

  19. tricledrown 19

    Good to hear Garry Mc Cormack on Jim Moras show saying that the tricledown policies weren’t working
    What we neef is a govt mucking in to help the poor!

  20. Not Another Sheep 20

    Another Diversion??? NO !
    Get real – this proposal does. It has huge merit. Let’s forget party allegiance, conspiracy type theories. What is happening to our children is absolutely shocking and needs a hard line approach.
    HOW MANY CHANCES, HOW MANY STRIKES DOES A PERSON GET FOR FUCKING A KID’S LIFE ? Some men and women “on the balance of probabilities” should never get another go at being near children. Such a big HooHaa over experimenting with synthetic drugs on animals, how CRUEL???? but ironical that some think helpless children should be okay and left to be raised in a ‘just in case someone changes’ experiment where we stand by giving an ‘abusive’ adult the benefit of the doubt.

    I work in this field and I can say with absolute certainty that NONE of the abused and neglected children ever put their hands up and said “YES PLEASE, GIVE ME MORE?”

    •New Zealand has the fifth worst child abuse record out of 31 OECD Countries.
    •On average one child is killed every 5 weeks.
    ◦Most of these children are under five and the largest group is less than a year old.

    •Ninety percent of all child deaths are perpetrated by someone the child knew.
    •Nearly 9,000 children per year are born “at risk” (1 in every 30).

    •152,800 notifications were made to Child, Youth and Family (CYF) in the year ended June 2012. Of these:
    ◦62,678 were in response to Police Family Violence callouts when children were present.
    ◦61,074 were classed as ‘Further Action Required’ by CYF.
    ◦21,525 were substantiated as child abuse.
    •Child Abuse costs NZ around $2 billion each year.

    One oversight in Bennet ‘targetting’ men who are around solo-mums (Yahoo news). Family Commission reports in 2010, 2009 show in overall activities of abuse and neglect of children being that women (51%) now outnumbered men in notifications.

    [lprent: Please don’t SHOUT quite so much. It gets irritating when everyone starts to over-indulge as a competition with each other. I have adjusted your inappropriate shouting to a more *appropriate* level.

    I’d suggest that you read the site policy before I wind up further noticing your behaviour here. 😈 ]

    • Not Another Sheep 20.1

      Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

      • Colonial Viper 20.1.1

        •Child Abuse costs NZ around $2 billion each year.

        Then why isn’t Bennett reinvesting $1B back into at risk families, creating decent jobs and housing opportunities for them, relieving child poverty and sorting out the causes of family stress and disruption?

        • Macro 20.1.1.1

          But it boosts our GDP by $2 Billion.. as does Earthquakes and Drought relief and sending people to jail! Lets have more of this and boost our GDP even more!

          • Colonial Viper 20.1.1.1.1

            I’m coming to a wee bit of a negative view regarding our current politico-socio-economic arrangements.

            • Macro 20.1.1.1.1.1

              Me too! Have just finished reading “Enough is Enough” and now on “”What’s the Economy for Anyway?” by John De Graaf and David Bakter. Both excellent. If you get the chance grab them..

      • xtasy 20.1.2

        “Not Another Sheep”, but friend of a Don Key:

        Yes, and the next comment from you will claim:

        Those abusers and “perverts” were all “born bad”, and must therefore be put under permanent lock up, and deserve all the shaming, naming, the blaming, yes ultimately the destruction of themselves, perhaps even in types of “camps”, to get “rid” of them for good, right?!

        There once was a New Zealand, I was once (in the oh so distant times) told about, where you could leave your doors unlocked all day, and where there was hardly any crime worth talking about. Now, where has that gone? Why has so much changed for the worse, what may be be causes, yes CAUSES, there may indeed be something behind it all, that has lead to deterioration in so many areas? What has happened since, what economic, social and other changes may have occurred some time back, that may at least have perhaps contributed to social and moral deterioration down the line?

        While I accept some people may have some little – or unknown – predispositions to whatever behaviour that is inappropriate, I doubt very much, that people are simply born bad, born violently, perverted or else.

        Sadly the social and any other enlightened awareness has been blown out of most people’s brains by constant, aggressive bombardment with brainwashing, prejudicial, redneck and hardline one-liner news and talk, and by “blitzkrieg like” advertising hammered into ears and eyes daily, 24/7. Consume, buy, sell, profit, compete, grab, even resent, hate, persecute, lie, shame, disgrace, cheat and self-serve, that are the daily messages, little else. Me, me, me, and stuff the rest.

        Such developments and conduct have left traces of what we see every day now.

        Analysis, understanding, balanced thinking and thus reason have almost vanished from too many, hence we even had this crap government of madmen and women voted in twice over recent terms, to come up with such extreme and bizarre law proposals, to seek to blame and SUSPECT, before looking at facts and evidence to take certain actions.

        Sad, sad times these are: Simple solutions often lead to worse outcomes, than what we have already. But in you Paula has a hot fan, I notice.

  21. the pigman 21

    “If police or Child, Youth and Family believe “on the balance of probabilities” someone poses a threat to a child, High Court or District Court judges could impose the ban, similar to restraining orders in cases of domestic violence.

    Can someone remind the court that those orders are called protection orders, that the civil standard of proof is already adopted in their granting, and that there already exist appropriate orders of this very nature under the CYFS Act?

    For FUCKS SAKE, Paula!

    • Macro 21.1

      Yes.. I heard that this morning too.. and thought – what the heck!!! She has no idea of natural justice, and is by nature a bully ( I’d bet she was one at school too!).. but as has been pointed out above – she will most likely get away with this because of the prevailing punitive attitude of the NZ culture. We like to “get tough on crime” so it seems…

  22. tricledrown 22

    the rights answer to everything
    More punishment!

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    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    3 hours ago
  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 hours ago
  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A StepbyStep Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and thirdparty applications. So, lets dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. Thats why they introduced the Recently Deleted folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Heres how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the Recents tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on Edit. Select Show Recently Deleted. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose Recover to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Heres how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore ThirdParty Apps (with Caution): ...
    8 hours ago
  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    15 hours ago
  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    15 hours ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    16 hours ago
  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    16 hours ago
  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    16 hours ago
  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    16 hours ago
  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    16 hours ago
  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    16 hours ago
  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago
  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    18 hours ago
  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    18 hours ago
  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    18 hours ago
  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    18 hours ago
  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    18 hours ago
  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    19 hours ago
  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    22 hours ago
  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago
  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago
  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    24 hours ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    1 day ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    1 day ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, 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?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    6 days ago
  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 hour ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
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    21 hours ago
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  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    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 ...
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    5 days ago
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  • Navigating an unstable global environment
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  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
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  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
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    1 week ago
  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
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  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
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  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
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