The Herald has been doing some investigative digging, & they came up with this “The text to McCaw had previously been revealed by the Herald but the Prime Minister’s reaching out to both McCaw and Carter shows his incredible range of contacts.” Fawn & yawn. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11615542
Sadly the Herald is Nationals alter ego, the print version of Kiwiblog.
Nats wanted to change the flag, the Herald wanted it on the Harbour Bridge and campaigned for change. Nats want to soften drug laws despite their so-called toughness against any such outrage as recently as 2014, the Herald campaign on it, etc, etc.
They even quote the Taxpayer Union like its some kind of genuine objective organisation, rather than the reality of it being another of Nationals front companies.
Anyway the good it did Key and what does it say about those who went into bat for him. And how many “sports greats” told him to fuck off?
The herald is nothing more than a national party newsletter masked as a news service acting as a conduit for dirty politics and the spin and bs that spews from govt ministers mouths.
Glaxo Marvelously Upends TPP And TTIP With Change In IP Policies For Poor Countries
Glaxo has just announced that it is to take the only and sole economically sensible approach to its intellectual property rights. The joy of this is that it runs entirely counter to the way that international trade agreements are set and settled these days. The policy change entirely blows a great, gaping, hole in the intellectual provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Indeed, it undermines the very TRIPs process (The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) which is the biggest thing wrong with current trade negotiations and treaties. If only more companies had the courage to do this.
Essentially, they’ve realised that poor people and poor countries don’t have any money. So, why try to charge poor people and poor countries money they don’t have for the drugs they won’t buy because they can’t afford them?
The news itself:
Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline has said it wants to make it easier for manufacturers in the world’s poorest countries to copy its medicines.
The British company said it would not file patents in these countries.
Chief executive Sir Andrew Witty said he wanted to take a “graduated” approach to the company’s “intellectual property” based on the wealth of nations around the globe.
And in more detail:
GlaxoSmithKline PLC said it would stop seeking patents for its drugs in low-income countries, a move the drugmaker said could help the world’s poorest people access copycat versions of its medicines at affordable prices.
The U.K.-based company said it would take this approach in low-income and least-developed countries, a group totaling around 85 nations. In so-called lower-middle-income countries, a group of 51 nations that includes Vietnam, Cameroon and Sri Lanka, it said it would file patents but aim to grant licenses to generic manufacturers to supply low-cost versions of its drugs in those markets in return for a small royalty.
It would be great if the forward-thinking action of GlaxoSmithKline to provide a principled and effective proposal to alleviate the huge problems of inequality and health access could spread to more corporations. Win-win solutions are possible if the public good is allowed to be part of the equation.
Ratifying the TPP which entrenches the flawed IP system makes even less sense when the GlaxoSmithKline proposal is considered.
“Obama’s ‘lame duck’ period best chance for US to ratify trade deal – John Key”
“If it’s going to happen the consensus view is it will happen in the ‘lame duck period’, that period where the US president-elect is in place, so from November through the Christmas period,” he said after talks including with Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and US Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew.
“House Conservatives Are Trying To Kill The Lame-Duck Session”
Conservative members say they are trying to stop Congress from doing anything after the November election because Congress does some of its most slapdash lawmaking once the public has voted. The group of lawmakers, anchored by the House Freedom Caucus, doesn’t want to take any chances that the Senate confirms a Supreme Court nominee or that Congress rams through the expansive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal or a big budget agreement that raises spending.
Unbelievable, this is a quote from President Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichmann:
The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. … We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.
It’s possible Ehrlichman wasn’t being honest, given that he reportedly felt bitter and betrayed by Nixon after he spent time in prison over the Watergate scandal
Ok, I probably don’t know the key players in this well enough, Baum, the writer who released this new quote or the ins and outs of Nixon’s government.
It is expected though that the children of Ehrlichmann would deny this horrible quote. If the quote is real and he really was bitter about Nixon, it seems strange to me that he would implicate himself so much by using the word “we”.
Thanks for that maui. Fascinating to hear opinions uncluttered by spindoctors. David Cunliffe was fluent and informed. Dita sharp and concise and Chris indepth as usual. Rachel Stewart for my first time and down to earth is she. Glad I watched it.
Once again maui , thanks for the link. I think Andrew Little is a good man, someone we need in Government, But David Cunliffe would make a great Prime Minister in this current type of Politics.
I’m finding it increasingly hard to understand their attitude, but without trying too cop more flack, their are a number still there that should stand aside or do what the other wreckers did and start their own party. eg: act, disunited etc.
Those people aren’t going to stand aside because outside of Parliament they have no other career or job to go back to.
And without the Labour brand name that they have hijacked for their own purposes, few voters would be in the least bit interested in their pale neoliberal politics.
While I’ve slipped out too do some work alwyn, you have fill a vacuum, have you citations, links or are you prepared to confess to a lie and face the consequences.
I am lead to believe you are retired, that brain of yours lets you down. 👿
David Cunliffe is the best thing Labour has to lead the party and the country towards a progressive future. The lite blue ABC neo libs still infecting the party, are still pulling the strings. They know a much wiser and forceful Cunliffe would have a big cull of the deadwood pulling Labour down, this time if he got the leadership back and the thought scares the bejeezus out of them!
Ugh. I can hear it already…”Nobody forced them to take that loan….”
Won’t be long before it happens here.
Senior citizens who failed to pay off their student loans are having their Social Security seized. One of these is an 80 year old who due to dementia can no longer read. She took out her loan in the 1980s.
The length of time between school finishing and retirement means that older people are really dealing with life with the equivalent of an intermediate school level compared to today’s knowledge. We are supposed to be perfectly informed in an individualistic neo liberal-run society. Every over 50year old should be given free tertiary education to ensure understanding. But that wouldn’t suit gummint, they don’t want understanding from the citizens.
And the chirpy PR spreaders in the 1980s and 1990s saying that in this modern fast changing world we might have four careers in our lifetime, and those who were able to adapt would be all right. Oh yeah? The jobs have diminished, extra training has to be paid for, and gummint help is thin and when you grasp it, it breaks and you fall between the cracks. Don’t believe any of them who talk positively about the future, they are either liars, or self-deceivers, neither of whom are authentic people fit to advise anybody.
That’s because anarco-capitalists are essentially stupid weka.
They have given up critical thinking, and have rejected even their god father, Adam Smith. I think it has dawned on some of them, Adam Smith was very critical of parasitic capitalism, the only type they seem to understand.
Actually in discussions with most of them you get the impression they have never read any of the classical economic theorists, or at the very least, never finished any of the works.
They rely on bullying, diversion and a unnerving belief they are right – to push an agenda of stupid.
As you don’t espouse economic purity, I never assumed you had.
That said, I also thought you had a reasonable grasp of economics, and when you don’t know something you ask. Which is always, always a sign of an open mind.
Oh dear. You really are starting at a very low level aren’t you?
Why don’t you tell me what, if anything, about Economics you do think you understand and I’ll give you a short reading list.
I knew you were struggling but I didn’t realise that you were quite so deficient in your understanding of the field.
Well adam we will just have to try and bring our skills doing the best with what we have and know, and be like these clever musicians chugging along and try to have a laugh and keep our spirits up while we work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ThSi1wbqU
Thanx ianmac. Yes very good isn’t it and they are enjoying themselves too. I think it is essential when times are grim to take a moment for pure enjoyment or humour.
On Germany’s establishment left: They sold themselves to Mephisto, and then at some point even he didn’t care for them.
On current politics more generally: Politics attracts the least well-meaning and least talented people because the political sphere has been devalued.
On the need for basic incomes: But we, the Left, must not be fearful. I gave a talk some time ago in the United States and said: yes, surfers in California must be fed by the rest of us. We may not like that, we may feel they are bums, but they deserve a basic income too.
That’s not the wider world – that’s the financialised world. Where central banks are a tool of the financial elite used to bail out big banks, inflate the asset portfolio value of capitalists, and give free money to billionaire speculators.
As for everyone else suffering from austerity imposed from above – they can eat cake.
Capitalism is always parasitic. That’s the big lesson that we should be learning from 5000 years of recorded history. It should be no surprise that the two main religions that came out of the birth place of Western Civilisation have bans on usury.
Inequality in New Zealand will get worse if the government follows United States policies, film maker Michael Moore says.
In his latest documentary Where to Invade Next, Moore compares social welfare and justice policies in Europe with the United States.
He told Saturday Morning that New Zealand should learn from mistakes in the US.
“Your government over the past decade or two has often tried to emulate the American way with neo-liberal policies that are not in the best interests of the people of New Zealand and you need to take a look at what those policies have done in the US.
“I would not try to emulate us in this way because you will have more income inequality – you already do, but it can be worse and you want to stop that.
“You want to preserve the good things you’ve had over the years, the belief system that you have, the values what you have and not allow conservative politicians to manipulate people into believing it we would be so much better if we did things the way the Americans did it.”
Moore visited Finland, Italy, France, and Portugal to look at those countries’ ways of dealing with social and economic problems experienced in the United States.
He said Americans were oblivious to what life was like elsewhere.
“They don’t know what it would be like if we paid just a little bit more in taxes, how many more services we would have, how much easier it would be to go to university, how there would be day care, how if they got pregnant you actually get to take a few weeks off – how about a few months – Americans don’t know you get these things in these other countries and so it’s been a very big eye opener for people in this country.”
His first film in six years, Where To Invade Next, will screen at the New Zealand Film Festival Autumn Events programme in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, during April and May.
Interesting discussion over on Public Address where Rob Salmond takes Hooton to task over his NBR column on UBR, and Hooton responds point by point.
Hooton points out the little know fact that Lockwood Smith spent 7 years working on a policy vaguely like UBI, but didn’t publish because it was feared that it would be thought to be National Policy, and it wasn’t. Irony?
“Lockwood, “Not many would know that I put 7 years’ work into a project to redevelop New Zealand’s income tax, benefit, and tax credit systems. The work started on trying to find a way round the massive churning involved in employers deducting PAYE, only for the Government to pay it all back to some employees in family tax credits. My research unravelling that interface soon got into the challenging area of effective marginal tax rates. At the time, a single parent with three dependent children seeking to work their way off the domestic purposes benefit and trying to get from $10,000 of earned income a year to $25,000 would have had to work an extra 20 hours a week at, say, $15 an hour. The problem was the effective tax on that extra $15,000 of earned income was about $13,300, meaning that even though the parent was paid $15 an hour, their take-home pay would have been little over $1.50 an hour….”
Salmond nailed it. I saw a bit of Hooton’s spin, but basically they need to get over themselves. They’re naysaying because it’s an opportunity to bash Labour and because a UBI would help poor people and they can’t tolerate the idea. Fuck em, we should just carry on with the discussion and name the lies and the liars as they appear.
Prominent New Zealander charged with indecent assault keeps name suppression
A prominent New Zealander facing indecent assault charges will keep the name suppression protecting his identity until the end of his trial.
The trial is due to begin on Monday. The man has denied the charges against him.
There are heavy suppression orders over the case, meaning the man cannot be identified, nor can his alleged victims or their ages.
The man is facing 12 charges of indecent assault against two people including two representative charges.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.’
As a moderator I’m going to ask everyone to consider very carefully whether their contribution on this topic is useful, or even necessary.
I do not want The Standard to hash over this for the prurient joy of it.
There is reason to consider discussion around wider concerns of name suppression, but for the time being I would advise all regular commenters to have a long hard think before adding more to this.
Prime Minister John Key denies he misled the public, he told The Nation last week that there was nothing in his past statements on the matter to correct. He claims the point is not where the women leave from its whether they are from New Zealand.
Where they left from is the most important point. While nothing can be claimed for certain – because all the facts have not been made available – the balance of probability is they were radicalised in Australia. If that was the case then it is an Aussie problem. We don’t even know if they were ‘radicalised’ but left for a different purpose.
The above comment did not post at first for some reason so I did it again as a reply a bit farther up. Please delete if this is annoying (it is a bit, to me).
Yanis Varoufakis follows suggesting that all of Greece’s debt is to German banks not to the state of Germany. It is the banks that have taken the risk, they need to accept the full effect of business practice and lose some money.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjrjO0d7fvI
Might be of interest to those who want to see a grassroots campaign here in NZ.
The volunteers spent an average of 10hrs a week, with just under 50% spent 1-5 hrs, 25% spent 5-10 and the remainder working between 11 and 100hrs a week. They performed a very broad range of tasks but were united in undertaking a core set of similar activities where in particular they discussed Independence. 99.5% of volunteers had conversations with family/friends and 98.3% had them with strangers, indeed in the virtual world where the corresponding figures are 85.1% and 81.87%. They showed their allegiances and normalized Yes with badges worn and window posters displayed. Very high percentages of volunteers demonstrated their support visually for the campaign. 96.7% said they displayed posters (90.1% doing this frequently or very frequently) and 95% wore Yes branded merchandise with 77.3% doing so frequently or very frequently. A quarter of them built things, designed things and put their creative energy into the campaign. It was these sorts of activities that suggest that the referendum campaigning was different to more traditional election campaigning, though they still canvassed (42.7%) and delivered leaflets (63.2%), frequently or very frequently. 27.8% felt confident enough to have spoken at a public meeting.
So why did they take part and do all this work? We asked this in two ways, in the first, they were asked to rate a series of potential motives and we found that they were motivated to take part for a number of positive, hopeful and negative reasons. The most common categories were A belief in independence for Scotland (mean = 4.79 out of 5 on a scale ranging from 1, Not at all important to 5, Very important) and a belief in Independence being a route to a more equal, socially just society (mean = 4.67) were very important reasons for them taking part. A belief in a greener country (3.94) still important but less so. Disillusionment with Westminster politics (4.59%) also acted as a powerful motivator.
In the second way this question was asked, respondents were free to write what they wanted. When categorized (each respondent could be motivated by more than one reason) 34.5% mentioned the importance of seizing the opportunity or avoiding the regret of not having got involved, 24.5% said they were took part because long term supporters suggesting many new converts got involved. The themes, oft repeated by the Yes campaign and in their marketing materials resonated with the volunteer, where 28% said they were motivated by being against the Westminster system and the UK, 19.6% by democracy, 12.4% by socially justice and 10% because of fairness (10%). The type of campaigning also had an effect with 11.8% being motivated to take part because of No campaigns negativity and media bias with 4.3% specifically mentioned BBC bias acted as their recruiting sergeant. A very similar 11.4% joined because of the inclusivity and exciting nature of the campaign. Whereas there are differences between when people joined a political party, between different ages and between those with and without a British identity, the variations whilst statistically significant in no instances are they dramatic, for example the mean score for women when asked to rate how important To be part of the democratic process was in becoming involved, the average score for women was 4.37% and 4.17% for men. Instances where any one group might score high and the other low, were not found- hence the earlier conclusion about the remarkable homogeneity or similarly of the Yes volunteers.
So in many ways we provide additional evidence to the understanding that many commentators and activists hold. Those who took part The Yes campaign was something that the organisers and the volunteers can (and were) be proud of. New people were brought to politics and democratic campaigning, it was exciting, it was social and it was positive and it will continue.
If you will allow us to finish by highlighting what we think are some of the most important findings: It was enjoyable, liberating and social experience and people tend to want to repeat such things or join in next time, if they missed out first time round. Also the bonds formed during such periods are likely to survive arguments about speed or change or priorities as long as the inclusivity, openness and respect remain. This remains an obligation on the Yes supporting political parties, whose loyalty must be independence, not power, as this is where the volunteers loyalties lie.
The volunteers see themselves as closest to the Greens in their left-right political leanings but were also close to the SNP and the SSP and that significant numbers of ex labour members took part. It strikes us that you don’t need a particularly large political umbrella to cover these groups and cover the majority of political beliefs feeling in Scotland. We see strong evidence in these results that the uniformity of beliefs about what Scotland can be, the shared experiences that brought people together and the passion of the cause built before and during the first referendum will provide an extremely strong foundation for indy ref 2. Was it the biggest campaign in Scotland’s history- we don’t know but the results of this survey strongly suggest that when the starting gun is sounded, the next grassroots campaign will contain a formidable range of experienced, knowledgeable passionate campaigners who know how to run local groups, know how to run local campaigns and know how to persuade friends, families and strangers alike. We were unable to discover if this is the case for No.
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TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
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 trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
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 ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
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I saw Key’s grey chariot land at Rongo Tai yesterday – nice wheels – but where was our flag on its tail ?
When will it be possible to have a full accounting of due process and public moneys spent on the Dish Rag project ?
The Herald has been doing some investigative digging, & they came up with this “The text to McCaw had previously been revealed by the Herald but the Prime Minister’s reaching out to both McCaw and Carter shows his incredible range of contacts.” Fawn & yawn.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11615542
Sadly the Herald is Nationals alter ego, the print version of Kiwiblog.
Nats wanted to change the flag, the Herald wanted it on the Harbour Bridge and campaigned for change. Nats want to soften drug laws despite their so-called toughness against any such outrage as recently as 2014, the Herald campaign on it, etc, etc.
They even quote the Taxpayer Union like its some kind of genuine objective organisation, rather than the reality of it being another of Nationals front companies.
Anyway the good it did Key and what does it say about those who went into bat for him. And how many “sports greats” told him to fuck off?
+1
The herald is nothing more than a national party newsletter masked as a news service acting as a conduit for dirty politics and the spin and bs that spews from govt ministers mouths.
As John Campbell would say “Bloody Marvellous!”
Glaxo Marvelously Upends TPP And TTIP With Change In IP Policies For Poor Countries
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/04/01/glaxo-marvelously-upends-tpp-and-ttip-with-change-in-ip-policies-for-poor-countries/#739c41c91a71
Also on BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35933692
It would be great if the forward-thinking action of GlaxoSmithKline to provide a principled and effective proposal to alleviate the huge problems of inequality and health access could spread to more corporations. Win-win solutions are possible if the public good is allowed to be part of the equation.
Ratifying the TPP which entrenches the flawed IP system makes even less sense when the GlaxoSmithKline proposal is considered.
Well done GSK.
How many of you know that this giant pharmaceutical company was started in Bunnythorpe in the Manawatu back in the 1850s (?) making animal remedies.
“Obama’s ‘lame duck’ period best chance for US to ratify trade deal – John Key”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78447392/obamas-lame-duck-period-best-chance-for-us-to-ratify-trade-deal–john-key
But, but, what if this happens, John?
“House Conservatives Are Trying To Kill The Lame-Duck Session”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/house-conservatives-lame-duck_us_56fad472e4b0143a9b49802f
Yep, used to drive by that old Bunnythorpe site.
amongst other things fibreglass panels for kit-cars were made there, too.
Unbelievable, this is a quote from President Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichmann:
maui – interesting quote, but it is posthumous – and is denied by Ehrlichmann’s family and others
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/22/11278760/war-on-drugs-racism-nixon
Ok, I probably don’t know the key players in this well enough, Baum, the writer who released this new quote or the ins and outs of Nixon’s government.
It is expected though that the children of Ehrlichmann would deny this horrible quote. If the quote is real and he really was bitter about Nixon, it seems strange to me that he would implicate himself so much by using the word “we”.
A very sensible approach to recreational drugs in sports from across the ditch.
Wonderful response from AFL boss when asked about zero tolerance.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/01/afl-boss-gillon-mclachlan-dismisses-insane-zero-tolerance-drug-zealots
David Cunliffe, Dita de Boni, Chris Trotter and Rachel Stewart wrap the political week in 30 mins on Waatea 5th Estate.
https://youtu.be/G0YV-4F1Gdk
Thanks for that maui. Fascinating to hear opinions uncluttered by spindoctors. David Cunliffe was fluent and informed. Dita sharp and concise and Chris indepth as usual. Rachel Stewart for my first time and down to earth is she. Glad I watched it.
Have a lot of respect for Rachel Stewart.
If you missed this ianmac
http://thestandard.org.nz/rachel-stewart-eviscerates-john-key/
http://thestandard.org.nz/the-image-of-farming/
Thanks Adam. Will watch out for more.
Big tick from me too. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this.
Once again maui , thanks for the link. I think Andrew Little is a good man, someone we need in Government, But David Cunliffe would make a great Prime Minister in this current type of Politics.
Shame the majority of the Labour caucus thought they knew better than the membership and decided to screw him over in 2014.
I’m finding it increasingly hard to understand their attitude, but without trying too cop more flack, their are a number still there that should stand aside or do what the other wreckers did and start their own party. eg: act, disunited etc.
Those people aren’t going to stand aside because outside of Parliament they have no other career or job to go back to.
And without the Labour brand name that they have hijacked for their own purposes, few voters would be in the least bit interested in their pale neoliberal politics.
TRUE. That is the achilles heal of an awful lot of humans. consciously or not.
Maybe if we give them a decent UBI they’ll finally go.
Just what do you think Cunliffe could do if he got the push?
He has basically been awarded a DCM in every job he has had.
I’m talking about the useless careerists in the caucus mate. Cunliffe, he’ll just go back to corporate consulting or something.
While I’ve slipped out too do some work alwyn, you have fill a vacuum, have you citations, links or are you prepared to confess to a lie and face the consequences.
I am lead to believe you are retired, that brain of yours lets you down. 👿
Plus 70pc of the electorate
+1
@ left for dead (5.3) Absolutely correct.
David Cunliffe is the best thing Labour has to lead the party and the country towards a progressive future. The lite blue ABC neo libs still infecting the party, are still pulling the strings. They know a much wiser and forceful Cunliffe would have a big cull of the deadwood pulling Labour down, this time if he got the leadership back and the thought scares the bejeezus out of them!
Wake up Labour and look what’s there in Cunliffe!
Totally agree about David Cunliffe! It was a good show on The Daily Blog on Friday!
Hardly balanced, basically a bunch of champaign socialist having a collective…….
Did you mean “champion socialist’s Red, how thoughful. 😉
Edit: as an after thought, is that what you mean by Reddelusion.
RED
Labour are still a lightweight version of National with no direction.
Oh don’t give us faux angst Reddelusion, fair and balanced is a Fox news line…
Hope it’s ok I post here as I thought it might be of interest. Is held tomorrow at Victoria University @1pm and I would assume it’s free.
http://www.rentersunited.org.nz/agenda/
First speaker is Andrew Campbell (Greens) discussing political lobbying.
Ugh. I can hear it already…”Nobody forced them to take that loan….”
Won’t be long before it happens here.
Senior citizens who failed to pay off their student loans are having their Social Security seized. One of these is an 80 year old who due to dementia can no longer read. She took out her loan in the 1980s.
http://www.thestreet.com/story/13326222/1/your-social-security-will-be-seized-if-you-owe-student-loans.html
Pretty ghastly for those in their 70s – 80s.
The length of time between school finishing and retirement means that older people are really dealing with life with the equivalent of an intermediate school level compared to today’s knowledge. We are supposed to be perfectly informed in an individualistic neo liberal-run society. Every over 50year old should be given free tertiary education to ensure understanding. But that wouldn’t suit gummint, they don’t want understanding from the citizens.
And the chirpy PR spreaders in the 1980s and 1990s saying that in this modern fast changing world we might have four careers in our lifetime, and those who were able to adapt would be all right. Oh yeah? The jobs have diminished, extra training has to be paid for, and gummint help is thin and when you grasp it, it breaks and you fall between the cracks. Don’t believe any of them who talk positively about the future, they are either liars, or self-deceivers, neither of whom are authentic people fit to advise anybody.
Some libertarian was trying to argue here the other day that benefits in NZ aren’t entitlements.
That’s because anarco-capitalists are essentially stupid weka.
They have given up critical thinking, and have rejected even their god father, Adam Smith. I think it has dawned on some of them, Adam Smith was very critical of parasitic capitalism, the only type they seem to understand.
Actually in discussions with most of them you get the impression they have never read any of the classical economic theorists, or at the very least, never finished any of the works.
They rely on bullying, diversion and a unnerving belief they are right – to push an agenda of stupid.
They are religious zealots.
I’d be inclined to say cultists – their metaphysics is mighty primitive.
Ok but you realise I’ve not read any classical economics either 🙂
As you don’t espouse economic purity, I never assumed you had.
That said, I also thought you had a reasonable grasp of economics, and when you don’t know something you ask. Which is always, always a sign of an open mind.
Cheers adam. Tbh I don’t know what that guy the other day was. Libertarian seemed the best easy label.
Ok but you realise I’ve not read any classical economics either 🙂
Neither has Adam.
So alwyn what is a market?
Oh dear. You really are starting at a very low level aren’t you?
Why don’t you tell me what, if anything, about Economics you do think you understand and I’ll give you a short reading list.
I knew you were struggling but I didn’t realise that you were quite so deficient in your understanding of the field.
I have. Smith, Ricardo and a few others would be disgusted by how capitalism has turned out. All of them would recognise the feudalism that it is.
The nutbars still don’t understand that Theory of Moral Sentiments was (and is) much more important to a prosperous society than Wealth of Nations.
Interesting that the US geological society now recognise Fracking as a basis of man made earthquakes.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/225753-united-states-geological-survey-confirms-it-fracking-causes-earthquake
A link to the research if you need it, it is a lot. Also a complex web site, be warned.
http://www.usgs.gov/
This end us leaving me with more questions than answers.
Was/is there not Fracking happening up and down this country?
What does that mean for our future, if Fracking earthquakes are going to keep happening?
What does it mean when we already prone to earthquakes?
And what would it mean for insurance claims and the EQC?
Would the companies who do/did this practice be liable?
What about ministers and local governments who still let this to happen?
Is anyone responsible for deaths and injuries when a man made earthquake occurs?
Well adam we will just have to try and bring our skills doing the best with what we have and know, and be like these clever musicians chugging along and try to have a laugh and keep our spirits up while we work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ThSi1wbqU
Loved the music and that clever tractor keeping in time with the guitars.
Thanx ianmac. Yes very good isn’t it and they are enjoying themselves too. I think it is essential when times are grim to take a moment for pure enjoyment or humour.
Gas drilling can also cause earthquakes just like fracking. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/10/shell-exxon-gas-drilling-sets-off-earthquakes-wrecks-homes
A rather lengthy but interesting transcript of an interview with Yanis Varoufakis, by Jeremy Cliffe, for The Economist: http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2016/04/01/interview-with-the-economist-full-transcript/
A few gems from it:
On Germany’s establishment left: They sold themselves to Mephisto, and then at some point even he didn’t care for them.
On current politics more generally: Politics attracts the least well-meaning and least talented people because the political sphere has been devalued.
On the need for basic incomes: But we, the Left, must not be fearful. I gave a talk some time ago in the United States and said: yes, surfers in California must be fed by the rest of us. We may not like that, we may feel they are bums, but they deserve a basic income too.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/01/central-banks-unconventional-monetary-policy
meanwhile out in the wider world…..
That’s not the wider world – that’s the financialised world. Where central banks are a tool of the financial elite used to bail out big banks, inflate the asset portfolio value of capitalists, and give free money to billionaire speculators.
As for everyone else suffering from austerity imposed from above – they can eat cake.
Yep, still trying to make the present failed system work rather than accept the simple fact that it doesn’t and put in place another system.
You mean parasitic capitalism is a abject failure, and no one wants to talk about the fact capitalism has eaten itself.
Where are the factories, fields and workers? Where is the great capitalist investments in anything real?
Capitalism is always parasitic. That’s the big lesson that we should be learning from 5000 years of recorded history. It should be no surprise that the two main religions that came out of the birth place of Western Civilisation have bans on usury.
Capitalism is inherently usurious.
Inequality in New Zealand will get worse if the government follows United States policies, film maker Michael Moore says.
In his latest documentary Where to Invade Next, Moore compares social welfare and justice policies in Europe with the United States.
He told Saturday Morning that New Zealand should learn from mistakes in the US.
“Your government over the past decade or two has often tried to emulate the American way with neo-liberal policies that are not in the best interests of the people of New Zealand and you need to take a look at what those policies have done in the US.
“I would not try to emulate us in this way because you will have more income inequality – you already do, but it can be worse and you want to stop that.
“You want to preserve the good things you’ve had over the years, the belief system that you have, the values what you have and not allow conservative politicians to manipulate people into believing it we would be so much better if we did things the way the Americans did it.”
Moore visited Finland, Italy, France, and Portugal to look at those countries’ ways of dealing with social and economic problems experienced in the United States.
He said Americans were oblivious to what life was like elsewhere.
“They don’t know what it would be like if we paid just a little bit more in taxes, how many more services we would have, how much easier it would be to go to university, how there would be day care, how if they got pregnant you actually get to take a few weeks off – how about a few months – Americans don’t know you get these things in these other countries and so it’s been a very big eye opener for people in this country.”
His first film in six years, Where To Invade Next, will screen at the New Zealand Film Festival Autumn Events programme in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, during April and May.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201795481
Thanks for the warning, will make sure to avoid
You’re good at avoid any meaningful debate reddelusion, so no real need to comment on your part.
Yes, you can’t let facts get in else you might have to change your beliefs.
Saint Helen, keeps fighting the good fight.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/helen-kelly-why-take-illegal-dose-marijuana-every-night
Interesting discussion over on Public Address where Rob Salmond takes Hooton to task over his NBR column on UBR, and Hooton responds point by point.
Hooton points out the little know fact that Lockwood Smith spent 7 years working on a policy vaguely like UBI, but didn’t publish because it was feared that it would be thought to be National Policy, and it wasn’t. Irony?
“Lockwood, “Not many would know that I put 7 years’ work into a project to redevelop New Zealand’s income tax, benefit, and tax credit systems. The work started on trying to find a way round the massive churning involved in employers deducting PAYE, only for the Government to pay it all back to some employees in family tax credits. My research unravelling that interface soon got into the challenging area of effective marginal tax rates. At the time, a single parent with three dependent children seeking to work their way off the domestic purposes benefit and trying to get from $10,000 of earned income a year to $25,000 would have had to work an extra 20 hours a week at, say, $15 an hour. The problem was the effective tax on that extra $15,000 of earned income was about $13,300, meaning that even though the parent was paid $15 an hour, their take-home pay would have been little over $1.50 an hour….”
“….to prepare a paper for it to publish. At the last minute it was pulled, for fear it might be seen as official National Party policy, and it was not. ”
About 3/4 way down:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/50HansD_20130213_00000032/valedictory-statements
And Public Address:
http://publicaddress.net/polity/eleventy-billion-dollars/
Salmond nailed it. I saw a bit of Hooton’s spin, but basically they need to get over themselves. They’re naysaying because it’s an opportunity to bash Labour and because a UBI would help poor people and they can’t tolerate the idea. Fuck em, we should just carry on with the discussion and name the lies and the liars as they appear.
Prominent New Zealander charged with indecent assault keeps name suppression
A prominent New Zealander facing indecent assault charges will keep the name suppression protecting his identity until the end of his trial.
The trial is due to begin on Monday. The man has denied the charges against him.
There are heavy suppression orders over the case, meaning the man cannot be identified, nor can his alleged victims or their ages.
The man is facing 12 charges of indecent assault against two people including two representative charges.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11615353
What’s a Representative charge?
When several instances of the same type of offence are alleged they can be replaced with a representative charge.
thanks.
Does anyone know how long the trial is expected to last?
does anyone know WHERE the trial is being held ?
Any bets the trial of the prominent NZer, and/or its appeals, will be dragged out until after the next election?
As a moderator I’m going to ask everyone to consider very carefully whether their contribution on this topic is useful, or even necessary.
I do not want The Standard to hash over this for the prurient joy of it.
There is reason to consider discussion around wider concerns of name suppression, but for the time being I would advise all regular commenters to have a long hard think before adding more to this.
Someone may have already supplied this link from today’s The Nation, but it’s one of the best local interviews I have seen in recent years:
http://www.newshub.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/turei-key-misled-public-over-jihadi-brides-2016040210#axzz44YMlTnJx
Meteria Turei plainly calls Key a liar.
Here’s a better link without the ad plus a good write up:
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/greens-slam-pm-for-lying-about-jihadi-brides-2016040211#axzz44YMlTnJx
Where they left from is the most important point. While nothing can be claimed for certain – because all the facts have not been made available – the balance of probability is they were radicalised in Australia. If that was the case then it is an Aussie problem. We don’t even know if they were ‘radicalised’ but left for a different purpose.
Good on her. He is.
Any bets that the trial of the prominent NZer, or at least its appeals, will drag on, under suppression, until after the next election?
The above comment did not post at first for some reason so I did it again as a reply a bit farther up. Please delete if this is annoying (it is a bit, to me).
Brian Eno’s suggestion – Start cooking, recipe to follow.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVoMMaa14I
Yanis Varoufakis follows suggesting that all of Greece’s debt is to German banks not to the state of Germany. It is the banks that have taken the risk, they need to accept the full effect of business practice and lose some money.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjrjO0d7fvI
water. who really needs it?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/77868433/Christchurchs-streams-are-dying-city-wide
Bella Caledonia has an article up about the Yes campaign that took place in 2014.
(Full Report here
Might be of interest to those who want to see a grassroots campaign here in NZ.