Here’s an interesting story that played out behind all the smoke and noise of last week’s Chump eruptions. If there’s anything to this, it ties a lot of threads together in a damning way. It also raises the possibility that all the WTF from last week might have been a calculated distraction.
But the Mooch was getting fantastic ratings. If it was about the show, surely he’d be kept on a bit longer just to pull the punters. My money’s on the idea the The Mooch was even Trumpier than Trump, and that couldn’t be tolerated.
If you own a swimming Pool and you haven’t used it for a while. You sometimes need to do a chlorine shock treatment to bring it back to a basic level, then reset the chemicals needed to maintain your Pool. I think The Mooch was the Shock Treatment
and 10 days sounds about right. Happy Swimming
Pretty queer commentary from Jacinda Ardern on Radio NZ this morning.
When commenting about the polls directly, she failed to give any direct support for Andrew Little. She simply deferred and started talking about policy and getting the message out.
The Labour Party barely survived a change of leadership one year out from election last time, so it would be pretty disastrous to change the leader seven weeks out.
I sincerely hope Andrew LIttle stays the course, and that all MP’s including the Deputy figure out that they must show and state that they support Andrew Little as leader.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the media used the opportunity provided by an election to look at the significant social and environmental issues facing the citizens of this country and the world, then look at the solutions presented by the various parties?
But no. We get absolute garbage.
Polls….
Personalities….
Scoops…….
The media should be one of the stalwarts of our democracy.
Instead it undermines and weakens it.
And so we end up with mindless media parrots like Gower, Garner and Soper.
Even worse our taxpayer funded media is fronted by puppets like Hosking and Espiner.
If you are talking about TVNZ sure it is owned by the State. But unless Hosking gets any New Zealand on Air funding, which I doubt, there is no public money funding his show. Quite the opposite. His popularity allows TVNZ to charge a premium for ads in his time slot. Which adds to the bottom line which enables a dividend to the Crown.
The real issue is why does the Government own a dog with fleas commercial TV station? It is because thanks to certain political parties there is now a built in hysteria to the State divesting itself of business that it should not be in.
Exactly. The media cannot handle TOP because it is a policy based party. It rejects the innane left / right language. But the media can’t get much past Gareth and cats.
The only choice in this election now is National supported by either TOP or New Zealand First. Get out there and support TOP. And donate money if you can afford it.
It is excellent. I agree with probably 80 percent of TOP policy. Their climate change and water policy is way ahead of any other political party. Their policy to increase the drinking age to 20 is nuts but you can’t have everything.
What do you like about the CCT? Particularly, why do you think it’s better than a capital gains tax? I’m looking for reasons to like the CCT, and RedLogix had a go at persuading me of it’s merits but didn’t convince me.
srylands likes it because he hopes 4.99% of people vote for it, ensuring that 4.99% of potential change the government votes are wasted chasing the TOP. These are 4.99% of voters not voting for NZF or the greens or Labour, so that is a win for srylands
Because a comprehensive capital tax incentivises people to examine their capital holdings on an ongoing basis. Not just when they are selling. Such a tax would stop over investing in houses.
If you want to read about it in detail, Geoff Simmons has written about it. Just Google it or watch his video.
Example my family member who is 91 lives in a $4 million 6 bedroom house in Pakarunga. Ridiculous. But he has no incentive to invest that capital in productive assets.
It is surprising that people who usually consider “property rights” to be sacrosanct, in this case are quick to determine what that personal property should be used for.
In this case, you believe that family member needs to divest his choice of residence, and invest in “productive assets”. What is your definition of productive assets? And why productive, instead of social assets or environmental? He may well be in a place he considers ideal, with community contacts and neighbours that he enjoys. Even if he is not, the principle is the same. Are you so tired of spending your own money, that you feel a need to dictate how others spend theirs?
The reasoning behind taxing the residential property someone is living in is flawed on multiple levels.
It ignores the social and community connections that contribute to wellbeing of those who have lived in the same neighbourhood for years, and gives them two options to pay taxes. To downsize their residence, or to invite others to live with them.
The TOP solution is delayed payment, but that is a cultural hurdle unlikely to be overcome without considerable distress and pain.
TOP also provides scenarios that consider the mortgage of a occupied residential house to be the same as a term investment of capital. This ignores the reality that many have taken mortgages out and by the time the house is paid off, the amount invested has often been four to five times the original price. They then tax you on the imputed rent that you have “saved”.
Brilliant, no?
The other comparable scenario that they provide is the necessity to pay CGT on investment properties. Also ignoring the fact that maintenance expenses are permitted with investments, which reduce the amount of tax paid by investors. Maintenance of your own home adds up over the years and will be taken out of net income for most people.
The other issues they don’t mention, is the appropriate taxing of income or benefits from family trusts etc, and the use of other ownership vehicles to protect assets, and income from being taxed appropriately. Because of this, the ones who will be consistently paying these taxes are the ones who are wage and salary earners, without separate companies, trusts and accountants who know how to provide benefits without declaring personal income for taxation.
Very little attention is given to the tax avoidance by multi-nationals – apart from – we will look at it.
And the deferment of company taxes for up to three years, will be abused by those who already treat company formations like a row of dominoes to be set up and knocked down in order to leave behind compliance and debt messes.
Molly good one. Having to defend the right to own a house (what effontery from little people) – that goes up in value because it’s one of the few worthwhile investments in the country, is trying to tax the air you breathe, the quality and friendliness of your neighbours and so on. The social value, the family time that is spent in the house, the place where you can be warm and think about what life is, can entertain other humans and animals, it is an extension of the people living in it.
But the hard-edged economists who like everything cut and dried, neat and packed, would probably say we should stack in like sardines, like in the cheap sleep hotels with pods you climb into, shut the grill and have a decent kip for low cost. But for a home you want more. And not to be charged for everything in life:
This keeps coming to mind from Le Mis – sorry if you/ve seen it before.
Charge ’em for the lice, extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice (Hand it over!)
Here a little slice, there a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks I knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It’s amazing how it grows!
And a pome about the politicians in Gnashional:
Master of the house? Isn’t worth my spit!
Comforter, philosopher and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he’s quite a lover but there’s not much there
What a cruel trick of nature landed me with such a louse
God knows how I’ve lasted living with this bastard in the house!
AZLYRICS
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k6uqhKEAOM
I would agree with you Draco if we had a legislative and economic framework that provided long-term secure tenancy.
At present, that does not exist, and it is most likely only property owners that will be able to offer friends, family (and strangers) accommodation. Many tenancies have an upper limit to tenant numbers.
Also, there is a guardianship that exists in long-term land ownership, of which our Robert Guyton is a good example. A long-term positive environmental vision is more likely to be realised on private property, and it is unlikely that that would be true for government owned/managed properties.
Ideally a collective ownership model would provide both the flexibility, and the connection to place that would create a culture where both environment and community were positively nurtured.
I would agree with you Draco if we had a legislative and economic framework that provided long-term secure tenancy.
True but it’s only legislation. Same as the idea that land/home ownership is secure. It’s only legislation.
And in NZ the state owns the land anyway and it can be taken off you at any time – as long as due compensation is made. Just make the same apply to state rentals.
A long-term positive environmental vision is more likely to be realised on private property
No it’s not.
All those farmers out there destroying our waterways and destroying our land through unsustainable practices own the fucken land.
and it is unlikely that that would be true for government owned/managed properties.
Government is accountable to the public whereas private isn’t. This means that we can steer the government to better land practices. Which apparently we can’t do with private land ownership.
Ideally a collective ownership model would provide both the flexibility, and the connection to place that would create a culture where both environment and community were positively nurtured.
Well, I’ll keep on submitting for planning provisions and frameworks that encourage and support community ownership. I think the ownership needs to be community sized and locally managed rather than controlled at a national level for optimal outcomes.
Till then, am seriously considering how to install an environmentally friendly septic system in our unused land without giving an indication to council that we will invite tiny house dwellers to share our location. (have about 1500m2 next to our only storage shed. Any workable suggestions welcome)
Little and Labour need to dig deep and stop in fighting which is what the Natzis and MSM want, we require a united Labour Party if we are going to have a constructive Coalition Government, either Labour & NZF or Labour/NZF/Greens ?
You can blame the MSM all you like, but its your dopey and disloyal MPs including Littles deputy (and Mike Wiliams) who are feeding the media the stuff they want to hear.
You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for. The MSM, the National party, etc are not responsible, the party is.
Adern is not the answer. Labour needs to distance itself from the Greens, the PC, the broad church, talk of quotas, etc, etc and return to it’s roots. Labour has to be unafraid to offend some people, it has forgotten about the working class and has suffered as a result.
“You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for.”
You are correct, of course. However, it is far easier to blame the dastardly MSM, Hooten, Phil Quin, Josie Pagani, Mike Hosking, Guyon Espiner, Uncle Tom Cobley.
In fact, blame anyone if it will divert from the fact that Labour doesn’t have any credible policy, Clint Smith is a moron as far as strategy and comms is concerned and the whole party is an absolute mess.
Well, you’d at least have to agree that Labour is doing something wrong in the MMP environment? 4 terms in opposition would tend to suggest they haven’t quite nailed a winning strategy for MMP…
I am used to MMP. I voted for MMP and I like MMP. The working class and the Greens are incompatible. Lbour needs the working class more than it needs the Greens. How many more leaders until the party wakes up.
National have used the same strategy in the last 3-4 Elections and Labour have bought into it, when will they learn, harden up, time for another cup of concrete Andrew Little & Labour, do not bend over for National and MSM, New Zealand needs a strong Labour Leader going forward. 5 Labour Leaders in 9 Years all initiated by National & MSM ?
ones has to wonder about the political nous of the PLP….Little resigning or being rolled will only be a negative for the future of the Labour Party…..and it won’t save anyones seat either, likely the contrary…..braindead the lot of them.
If anyone thinks that running a Green-influenced government will be easy, check out how hard it is to get one single cycleway in one of the highest Green-polling areas in the country:
Another ridiculous ban. Your right of course, but why?
There is nothing particularly unusual in Gosman’s comment (it is just his opinion) that merits such draconian action.
[take the rest of the week off. Read the Policy. Track down Lynn’s recent comments about moderation and the election and the burden on moderator time. If you want to talk about moderation decisions, at the least you need to do that in a respectful way (hint, starting a comment with “another ridiculous ban” isn’t it) and that doesn’t waste moderator time.
Yes, Gosman’s comment was usual for Gosman, and that’s a pattern of behaviour for his brand of trolling. He’s having a go at the site participants (authors and commenters) in a deliberate windup. That’s clearly against the site rules. He’s ascribing implied views to people here but so generally it can’t be rebutted without becoming a derail. Which is what Gosman wants. Unfortunately for him but fortunately for the rest of us, the point of TS is to provide a space for and foster debate for the broader labour movement. We are under no obligations to provide space for trolls.
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
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Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
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The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
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TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
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April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
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Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
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The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
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The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
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Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,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, Tuesday 7 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
How worried should we be about the cloud? This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. I currently have a few thousand unread emails languishing in my inbox, mostly old marketing newsletters and piles of unread science journal press releases. I have a similar number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian governments not only have to deal with the virus but also with the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Murakami Wood, Professor of Critical Surveillance and Securities Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa The skyline of Riyadh, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.(Shutterstock) There is a long history of planned city building by both governments ...
The LIVE Recording of A View from Afar podcast will begin today at 12:45pm May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment of ...
The Boil Up’s Lucinda Bennett considers the oyster – from freshness to pearls to the joy of shucking your own. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. In Carmen Maria Machado’s short story ‘Eight Bites’, a woman begins her last supper before bariatric surgery with “a cavalcade ...
Asia Pacific Report A group of 65 Auckland University academics have written an open letter to vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater criticising the institution’s stance over students protesting in solidarity with Palestine. They have called on her administration to “support” the students who were denied permission to establish an “overnight encampment” by ...
The Student Volunteer Army is on the march, generating approximately 1.6 million hours of volunteering from roughly 35,000 secondary school students in just five years. For Rebekah Brown, the pathway to volunteering started with her singing coach. With a passion for the arts, the suggestion to volunteer at Acting Antics, ...
Keeping up with online communication can be exhausting, so Fran Barclay enlisted the help of Meta’s new ‘intelligent assistant’ to respond to all her messages. Could her mates tell the difference? For centuries, technology has ruled the ways in which we communicate. From the dawn of written language, to the ...
Jamie Arbuckle, a councillor who has become an member of parliament, says he has settled into having two roles so comfortably he's going to keep both pay cheques. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
The workplace can be a minefield of bad comms and passive aggression. Kinksters can help you navigate it. A friend and colleague recently gave me a compliment I loved. They told me I’d always been good at emotional communication and making people feel comfortable. “But I feel like it’s really ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
Here’s an interesting story that played out behind all the smoke and noise of last week’s Chump eruptions. If there’s anything to this, it ties a lot of threads together in a damning way. It also raises the possibility that all the WTF from last week might have been a calculated distraction.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bill-browders-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing_uk_597ee55ce4b02a4ebb7675a6
That didn’t last long. The Mooch has been cut loose.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/31/anthony-scaramucci-out-white-house-communications-director/526300001/
Trump running his admin like a “reality” tv show…..
But the Mooch was getting fantastic ratings. If it was about the show, surely he’d be kept on a bit longer just to pull the punters. My money’s on the idea the The Mooch was even Trumpier than Trump, and that couldn’t be tolerated.
who would know the reason…other than the obvious one that Trump is not the full quid
What a fandango.
If you own a swimming Pool and you haven’t used it for a while. You sometimes need to do a chlorine shock treatment to bring it back to a basic level, then reset the chemicals needed to maintain your Pool. I think The Mooch was the Shock Treatment
and 10 days sounds about right. Happy Swimming
The Mooch is gone.
10 days must surely be a record.
Pretty queer commentary from Jacinda Ardern on Radio NZ this morning.
When commenting about the polls directly, she failed to give any direct support for Andrew Little. She simply deferred and started talking about policy and getting the message out.
The Labour Party barely survived a change of leadership one year out from election last time, so it would be pretty disastrous to change the leader seven weeks out.
I sincerely hope Andrew LIttle stays the course, and that all MP’s including the Deputy figure out that they must show and state that they support Andrew Little as leader.
Good on her.
Talk policies, not polls.
Leadership aspirations – be careful what you wish for cos you might get it.
But isn’t that what Ed said they should do? Don’t dance to the tunes put up by prats like Gower. Own the moment don’t let them control it,
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the media used the opportunity provided by an election to look at the significant social and environmental issues facing the citizens of this country and the world, then look at the solutions presented by the various parties?
But no. We get absolute garbage.
Polls….
Personalities….
Scoops…….
The media should be one of the stalwarts of our democracy.
Instead it undermines and weakens it.
There is no I. F. Stone in our media
Or any intellectual like Noam Chomsky.
The 5 Filters of the Mass Media Machine
Or journalists like Amy Goodman
“Shadows of Liberty”: New Film Explores How Corporate Control of Media Erodes Press Freedoms
And so we end up with mindless media parrots like Gower, Garner and Soper.
Even worse our taxpayer funded media is fronted by puppets like Hosking and Espiner.
Whoa. How is Hosking taxpayer funded?
Independent State Broadcaster ?
If you are talking about TVNZ sure it is owned by the State. But unless Hosking gets any New Zealand on Air funding, which I doubt, there is no public money funding his show. Quite the opposite. His popularity allows TVNZ to charge a premium for ads in his time slot. Which adds to the bottom line which enables a dividend to the Crown.
The real issue is why does the Government own a dog with fleas commercial TV station? It is because thanks to certain political parties there is now a built in hysteria to the State divesting itself of business that it should not be in.
lol
says it provides a dividend, calls it a dog with fleas tv station.
Exactly. The media cannot handle TOP because it is a policy based party. It rejects the innane left / right language. But the media can’t get much past Gareth and cats.
The only choice in this election now is National supported by either TOP or New Zealand First. Get out there and support TOP. And donate money if you can afford it.
What are your thoughts on TOP’s Comprehensive Capital Tax proposal?
It is excellent. I agree with probably 80 percent of TOP policy. Their climate change and water policy is way ahead of any other political party. Their policy to increase the drinking age to 20 is nuts but you can’t have everything.
What do you like about the CCT? Particularly, why do you think it’s better than a capital gains tax? I’m looking for reasons to like the CCT, and RedLogix had a go at persuading me of it’s merits but didn’t convince me.
srylands likes it because he hopes 4.99% of people vote for it, ensuring that 4.99% of potential change the government votes are wasted chasing the TOP. These are 4.99% of voters not voting for NZF or the greens or Labour, so that is a win for srylands
Surely someone of deeply held principles such as srylands can elucidate the merits of a policy he’s just said he approves of.
Because a comprehensive capital tax incentivises people to examine their capital holdings on an ongoing basis. Not just when they are selling. Such a tax would stop over investing in houses.
If you want to read about it in detail, Geoff Simmons has written about it. Just Google it or watch his video.
Example my family member who is 91 lives in a $4 million 6 bedroom house in Pakarunga. Ridiculous. But he has no incentive to invest that capital in productive assets.
It is surprising that people who usually consider “property rights” to be sacrosanct, in this case are quick to determine what that personal property should be used for.
In this case, you believe that family member needs to divest his choice of residence, and invest in “productive assets”. What is your definition of productive assets? And why productive, instead of social assets or environmental? He may well be in a place he considers ideal, with community contacts and neighbours that he enjoys. Even if he is not, the principle is the same. Are you so tired of spending your own money, that you feel a need to dictate how others spend theirs?
I too like the TOP Comprehensive Tax Policy (and their families only) UBI.
And I genuinely believe that they have almost nothing in common with ther Nats, so would support a Labour lead/participating government.
With the turmoil of recent days regarding the Labour leadership, Im ready to bet a tray of sossy rolls on Winston being the next PM.
After all, he will tell everyone that hes the man with all the experience to lead the country………
The reasoning behind taxing the residential property someone is living in is flawed on multiple levels.
It ignores the social and community connections that contribute to wellbeing of those who have lived in the same neighbourhood for years, and gives them two options to pay taxes. To downsize their residence, or to invite others to live with them.
The TOP solution is delayed payment, but that is a cultural hurdle unlikely to be overcome without considerable distress and pain.
TOP also provides scenarios that consider the mortgage of a occupied residential house to be the same as a term investment of capital. This ignores the reality that many have taken mortgages out and by the time the house is paid off, the amount invested has often been four to five times the original price. They then tax you on the imputed rent that you have “saved”.
Brilliant, no?
The other comparable scenario that they provide is the necessity to pay CGT on investment properties. Also ignoring the fact that maintenance expenses are permitted with investments, which reduce the amount of tax paid by investors. Maintenance of your own home adds up over the years and will be taken out of net income for most people.
The other issues they don’t mention, is the appropriate taxing of income or benefits from family trusts etc, and the use of other ownership vehicles to protect assets, and income from being taxed appropriately. Because of this, the ones who will be consistently paying these taxes are the ones who are wage and salary earners, without separate companies, trusts and accountants who know how to provide benefits without declaring personal income for taxation.
Very little attention is given to the tax avoidance by multi-nationals – apart from – we will look at it.
And the deferment of company taxes for up to three years, will be abused by those who already treat company formations like a row of dominoes to be set up and knocked down in order to leave behind compliance and debt messes.
Molly good one. Having to defend the right to own a house (what effontery from little people) – that goes up in value because it’s one of the few worthwhile investments in the country, is trying to tax the air you breathe, the quality and friendliness of your neighbours and so on. The social value, the family time that is spent in the house, the place where you can be warm and think about what life is, can entertain other humans and animals, it is an extension of the people living in it.
But the hard-edged economists who like everything cut and dried, neat and packed, would probably say we should stack in like sardines, like in the cheap sleep hotels with pods you climb into, shut the grill and have a decent kip for low cost. But for a home you want more. And not to be charged for everything in life:
This keeps coming to mind from Le Mis – sorry if you/ve seen it before.
Charge ’em for the lice, extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice (Hand it over!)
Here a little slice, there a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks I knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It’s amazing how it grows!
And a pome about the politicians in Gnashional:
Master of the house? Isn’t worth my spit!
Comforter, philosopher and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he’s quite a lover but there’s not much there
What a cruel trick of nature landed me with such a louse
God knows how I’ve lasted living with this bastard in the house!
AZLYRICS
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k6uqhKEAOM
Ah, but is owning houses a right anybody should have?
I would agree with you Draco if we had a legislative and economic framework that provided long-term secure tenancy.
At present, that does not exist, and it is most likely only property owners that will be able to offer friends, family (and strangers) accommodation. Many tenancies have an upper limit to tenant numbers.
Also, there is a guardianship that exists in long-term land ownership, of which our Robert Guyton is a good example. A long-term positive environmental vision is more likely to be realised on private property, and it is unlikely that that would be true for government owned/managed properties.
Ideally a collective ownership model would provide both the flexibility, and the connection to place that would create a culture where both environment and community were positively nurtured.
But we are not there yet.
True but it’s only legislation. Same as the idea that land/home ownership is secure. It’s only legislation.
And in NZ the state owns the land anyway and it can be taken off you at any time – as long as due compensation is made. Just make the same apply to state rentals.
No it’s not.
All those farmers out there destroying our waterways and destroying our land through unsustainable practices own the fucken land.
Government is accountable to the public whereas private isn’t. This means that we can steer the government to better land practices. Which apparently we can’t do with private land ownership.
A communal system is far more likely to do that than a capitalist system which only destroys.
Well, I’ll keep on submitting for planning provisions and frameworks that encourage and support community ownership. I think the ownership needs to be community sized and locally managed rather than controlled at a national level for optimal outcomes.
Till then, am seriously considering how to install an environmentally friendly septic system in our unused land without giving an indication to council that we will invite tiny house dwellers to share our location. (have about 1500m2 next to our only storage shed. Any workable suggestions welcome)
Ed
You can thank Murdoch for that, NZ no longer has a true democracy, John Key’s only legacy
Little and Labour need to dig deep and stop in fighting which is what the Natzis and MSM want, we require a united Labour Party if we are going to have a constructive Coalition Government, either Labour & NZF or Labour/NZF/Greens ?
Yes as a National (potential NZFirst voter) I hope Andrew Little stays on as Labour leader
Little is toast. What a bloody shambles.
Congratulations MSM and dirty politics, you have just destroyed your fourth Labour leader, time yet to start on the next.
Seem to be hell bent on turning NZ into a one party state
You can blame the MSM all you like, but its your dopey and disloyal MPs including Littles deputy (and Mike Wiliams) who are feeding the media the stuff they want to hear.
I suspect that Little is toast this time.
Not a single MP in the Labour caucus came out with an endorsement of Andrew Little in the last 48 hours.
Looks like yet another Labour leader gone.
You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for. The MSM, the National party, etc are not responsible, the party is.
Adern is not the answer. Labour needs to distance itself from the Greens, the PC, the broad church, talk of quotas, etc, etc and return to it’s roots. Labour has to be unafraid to offend some people, it has forgotten about the working class and has suffered as a result.
“You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for.”
You are correct, of course. However, it is far easier to blame the dastardly MSM, Hooten, Phil Quin, Josie Pagani, Mike Hosking, Guyon Espiner, Uncle Tom Cobley.
In fact, blame anyone if it will divert from the fact that Labour doesn’t have any credible policy, Clint Smith is a moron as far as strategy and comms is concerned and the whole party is an absolute mess.
“Labour needs to distance itself from the Greens” – because that worked so well for them in 2014. It’s MMP, get used to it.
“It’s MMP, get used to it”.
Well, you’d at least have to agree that Labour is doing something wrong in the MMP environment? 4 terms in opposition would tend to suggest they haven’t quite nailed a winning strategy for MMP…
I am used to MMP. I voted for MMP and I like MMP. The working class and the Greens are incompatible. Lbour needs the working class more than it needs the Greens. How many more leaders until the party wakes up.
National have used the same strategy in the last 3-4 Elections and Labour have bought into it, when will they learn, harden up, time for another cup of concrete Andrew Little & Labour, do not bend over for National and MSM, New Zealand needs a strong Labour Leader going forward. 5 Labour Leaders in 9 Years all initiated by National & MSM ?
A shocking insight into the last days of the battle for Mosul and the behaviour or Iraqi soldiers
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mosuls-final-bloodbath-we-killed-everyone-men-women-children-1721780413
Mike Williams stabs Little in the back with a large knife RNZ this morning…fatal wound?
The way forward..Labour the unapologetic socialist party of Workers, the youth, the disenfranchised and the environment.
Turn Labour Left!
Adrian Thornton, That sounds like the Greens to me.
ones has to wonder about the political nous of the PLP….Little resigning or being rolled will only be a negative for the future of the Labour Party…..and it won’t save anyones seat either, likely the contrary…..braindead the lot of them.
New post on Labour’s leadership meeting is up.
Here: https://thestandard.org.nz/labour-leadership-meeting/
If anyone thinks that running a Green-influenced government will be easy, check out how hard it is to get one single cycleway in one of the highest Green-polling areas in the country:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/95300945/hundreds-turn-out-for-public-meeting-on-final-designs-for-rebooted-island-bay-cycleway
This is a war with the Council and neighbourhood about the removal of 57 car parks. Apparently that would “economically ruin the suburb.”
Lifeline funding cut 800k – more suicides and serious self harming now as people crack under their pressures.
I’ll try and put a post up once all the hooha has died down.
Another ridiculous ban. Your right of course, but why?
There is nothing particularly unusual in Gosman’s comment (it is just his opinion) that merits such draconian action.
[take the rest of the week off. Read the Policy. Track down Lynn’s recent comments about moderation and the election and the burden on moderator time. If you want to talk about moderation decisions, at the least you need to do that in a respectful way (hint, starting a comment with “another ridiculous ban” isn’t it) and that doesn’t waste moderator time.
Yes, Gosman’s comment was usual for Gosman, and that’s a pattern of behaviour for his brand of trolling. He’s having a go at the site participants (authors and commenters) in a deliberate windup. That’s clearly against the site rules. He’s ascribing implied views to people here but so generally it can’t be rebutted without becoming a derail. Which is what Gosman wants. Unfortunately for him but fortunately for the rest of us, the point of TS is to provide a space for and foster debate for the broader labour movement. We are under no obligations to provide space for trolls.
For context for others, here’s the ban https://thestandard.org.nz/labour-leadership-meeting/#comment-1360333 – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Wayne – you’re swooping pretty low here, donchathink?
“The Greens are neo liberals on bikes.
Running a surplus is fiscally irresponsible when…”
Some interesting ideas that shake the tree so that all the high fruit becomes available for the peeps down below.
We have to absorb the change in leadership, done. And can start the next chapter of the book soon. In the meantime you can listen to economic theory for the ret of this century which will help treat some of our ailments.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201852897/there-s-no-such-thing-as-fair-austerity
“The Greens are neo liberals on bikes.
Who get told to bugger off.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/95300945/hundreds-turn-out-for-public-meeting-on-final-designs-for-rebooted-island-bay-cycleway
Labour’s billboard issue solved, dig the 2008 ones out of the garage and put some hair extensions on Helen.
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/labour-partys-first-campaign-billboard-is-displayed-at-a-residence-in-picture-id82798161
The new Labour leader must distance herself from the criminal actions of the greens to be able to survive.
[aw ffs. Banned. There have been no “criminal actions of the greens”] – Bill
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[2 months]
I’m not logged in as a moderator from my current location, but this earns d4j a ban in my book. Trolling, diversion, ugly and unoriginal.
(The sad part is that once upon a time you were better than this d4j).
RedLogix I was being nice NZ needs a Labour Party with integrity and honest principles.
Not really. Another party can rise and take over where MJS left off.
Just like the Greens are doing in fact.
🙄
So at least I have the schadenfreude of listening to your wailing to enjoy.
In any case, lower-case greens. Dad was never “better than this”.
Dunno about the leadership change cleaning outdead wood from Labour, but it seems to have helped clean tories away from TS 🙂
They’re just waiting for the focus grouped replies to come back from T/C and DPF.
Nah, I was thinking more of the longer-term attrition due to playing in mod traffic 🙂
Yanis Varoufakis from May Ted Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB4s5b9NL3I
Capitalism will eat democracy — unless we speak up