Anti-nationalism has gone too far, selling out NZ just for the beating the chest moment. Oh, look how powerful we are, we can sell assets, hand profit streams to foreigners, stuff up and still make a living (please ignore the stats on growing poverty, skilled exodus, aging, jail pop., etc).
It must be so wonderful be a right winger knowing that they are stronger because NZ is weaker.
Just thinking logically here, if you buy this asset you expect a return so as to recoup your investment. Over time you end up owning it outright and taking a return. So if the asset was used for colllateral to a loan for Chch, and the profits used to pay off the loan by the people of Christchurch, they could have the money plus retain ownership. Why sell?
“When a child is afraid in her own home, have you ever wanted to help?
Now you can, by filling out the form and becoming a Guardian Angel.
Being a Guardian Angel means giving $30 or more each month to help families like Sophie’s through the services of Presbyterian Support Family Works. It is just a dollar a day.
For over 120 years Presbyterian Support has been caring for New Zealanders in need. We keep a low profile, so most people do not realise we are the largest provider of social services outside government.
Family Works is our way of helping families with children under 17, through services like counselling, social work, parenting support and family violence programmes.
We help children and families under enormous pressure. You can help them too by filling in the form right now and becoming a Guardian Angel today.
What’s more, all your Guardian Angel gifts will go to help children and families in your part of the country, through the Family Works staff in your region.
This appeal is urgent, because many families are forced to wait for the help they desperately need today.”
I’ve heard of leaving things to the private sector because they’re supposedly more efficient but this is beyond the pale Paula ‘hate the benes’ Bennett. Presbyterian Support has to come to the rescue of children in this country which should be CYFS’s job under your leadership – wow, sponsor to protect a child for just $1 per day – as per CV: hand me a Tui.
If CYFS and WINZ are in such bad shape before the Budget I can’t wait to view the results of NACT’s surgical ward rounds on the 19th.
Nice one Paula, make beneficiaries crawl by reducing access to much needed food grants and now leave children to the mercy of violence in the home because a non-state organisation feels it cannot ignore the yawning chasm in provision of services to counselling, social work, parenting support and family violence programmes.
Hang your head in shame you gutless, attention-seeking worm.
All the cutesy, apron-clad visits to food kitchens to do the crocodile teary Kodak moments cannot disguise that you’re completely useless at your job, couldn’t give a toss about anyone because people’s personal details can be splashed across the papers if the mood takes you and are a complete sell-out so that you get a nice pat on the head from your dear leader Key – fuck, what do you get if you roll over and let him scratch your stomach?
You hear of how a scientist, mathematician, musician, comes from a family of, even extended family of like minded individuals. That the family acts as a sponge for information that then discharges into the next generation. And what of that information, why are the facts, reasoning about those facts, the experiences of others who have learnt those facts so useful to society? Yet so hard to maintain, so hard to recreate from nothing. Why are Maori so left out of the way a Pakeha world works? Are the traditions in some successful Pakeha families hard to grow in Maori families and extended families? How is information maintained? By society rewarding their use, by society valuing the virtue of deep knowledge. Is there a linkage then between Maori poverty and skilled citizen flight to other world economies? That something in the kiwi shouting culture hates a smart arse? Is just jealous of learning, fearful even, of other families having wealth besides monetary considerations? That surface poverty, not keeping up with the neighbours outward display of conformity isn’t just loathing rich pricks, but also smart ones too? Do kiwis just love to knock? Is that why our economy sucks, and sucking more every month? Five cars torched, a scene more of LA, why? Were the cars targeted because they are too noisy? My street could do with a visit. Or is it 100% pure random nastiness. Maybe a gang moving in, dragging the neighbourhood down to buy up homes on the cheap. Gangs who put the homes in their girlfriends name and then hand them a noisy car to insure the street becomes a nightmare for any old people living there. Do we have laws against age discrimination? Why are our cars now so much a part of our kiwi culture? Sorry, woken again by the death cries of a car culture passing peak oil. Why are we kiwis so mindless? Is that what we are rewarded for because we don’t reward real intellect? Not that I would know anything about that, word bro.
“New ACT leader Don Brash has rejected claims by Hone Harawira that he is a racist, and has in turn attacked Mr Harawira for seeking preference for Maori based on race.
“I find that grossly offensive. I think being called racist is almost the worst kind of insult,” Dr Brash said. “To me a racist is someone who wants to discriminate against particular people. Well, my concern is that the Maori Party actually wants to create a privileged group of New Zealanders. ”
– um, Don, you just attacked Harawira’s former party and your current governing partner.
No Bored. He is not. He’s a sharp crafty dangerous man. We should not be conned into thinking he ‘s just an old buffoon . This revival of the far Right may and could mean disaster for the working people of Aotearoa . And the underpriviledged will disappear into the forgotten and don’t care poor.
In which he says that FPP isn’t the go because it doesn’t feel quite right in his view that a party could get 21 % of the vote and only get 2 seats. He doesn’t like mmp though, for reasons unexplained.
He likes the Supplementary system because it lets small parties have some token representation, and more importantly, lists allow the great and good like himself to enter parliament without having to bother with demeaning things like candidate selection panels. For reals. That’s what he reckons.
This is a man who seems to accept that we should look like a democracy, but that democracy itself is a bit of a hindrance.
Looking at that description of supplementary member, I think I prefer MMP.
But I also wouldn’t be wholly opposed to SM if it retained the current 70/50 split we have with MMP. 90/30 just puts way too much power in the FPP system for electorates. Unless that two was also changed to STV voting, to greatly increase the chances of minor parties winning electorate seats.
The electorate seats should be STV voting no matter what system you use. I still prefer MMP, SM looks like an attempt by the right to gerrymander the voting in their favour.
Maybe they need to make retirement compulsory at 70. And anyone in power is tested every year from 65 for senility or dementia.
Even the Americans with all their paranoia and insanity don’t let anyone hold the ultimate reins for more than 2 terms. And then their power is very limited.
And if you want to see what grumpy old men can do look at the OLD Russia!!
I have wondered too just how much longer the Maori can kow-tow to Brash and his mates Co/Viper . The adulation expressed by Turia towards Brash makes me cringe.She has completely forgot that Key was involved with Brash regarding Kiwi/Iwi . If the Maori party does not withdraw their support now that Brash is back it only shows their double standards, and that the baubles of office are much more important that justice for Maori.
We now have 3 supposedly rising politicians, that have publicly stated something about peak oil
John Banks – reading ‘The Oil Crash and You’ on his talk back show in 2002 (ish) http://oilcrash.com/articles/running.htm
Don Brash “But the real issue last week was about bio-diesel and the world running out of fossil fuels. That was the point of the photo op, and I went there to make that point, it is the world walking the plank frankly, not Don Brash…” http://oilcrash.com/articles/natnl_01.htm
And Hone calling for a cross party group to discuss peak oil and climate change. http://thestandard.org.nz/the-knife-edge/
Oh and all the above are thanks my fucking efforts … again I told you and them so )
And just to spice up our borring lives
Unit 3 Explosion May Have Been Prompt Criticality in Fuel Pool http://vimeo.com/22865967
With any luck Key will be flying through all this stuff, I just hope he stops off in Hawaii on his way home … breath deep John [I won’t delete it, but that last comment is perilously close to Kiwiblog territory. Please don’t go there. — r0b]
How many teachers does a $500,000 by-election cost months out from an election? A casual 13 or so, better let Hone know…
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike as only being tangentially related to the topic.
You’re also banned for 2 weeks for starting a diversion troll off the topic in a post. ]
Don’t excuse it as an act of democracy, its political posturing. He could easily ascertain the mandate of his electorate with polling and constituent meetings that neednt cost nearly as much.
Don’t excuse it as an act of democracy, its political posturing.
Who are you to say, Jared? He’s operating within the rules of Parliament and following clear precedent. The only ones trying to beat it up as an issue are those who are doing their own political posturing eh.
NZ needs more of a number of skilled professions.
No question there.
But in perspective, a career in teaching starts with the 3 year Bachelors, and the year in a classroom before you can be qualified. So in reality, we are only seeing the outcome of policies surrounding improving the rates of teachers getting qualified from 3-5 years ago.
If you want to get really picky, then wasteful and pandering to your supporters isn’t purely a concept of the right, interest free student loans have cost the nation dearly, and if Labour had actually followed through with their universal student allowance we would have really been in trouble.
And if you want to get really really really picky, at the moment there is a sincere glut of recent teaching graduates who are finding it difficult to land jobs. There is a lack of experienced teachers, not beginning teachers.
The lack of teachers has been the 9 year boggie man, at least for the last 18 years, I distinctly remember Labour bitching about the lack of teachers after 9 years of National, then …. 9 years later National was bitching about the lack of teachers after Labour had been in.
But the people are so fucking stupid, they eat this shit … then the idiots go out and vote? go figure ???
It is Tweedledum and Tweedledummer, every politician since maybe MJS (?) have been selfish self serving lairs. They haven’t got a decent bone in their collective bodies.
Lets see just one of the slack sos stand up and tell the truth about Kiwi Saver.
Come on Ben you’re lurking around this blog
And Jarad is right, lets see if 4 years after the last election there is a rush of new teachers, thanks to National’s teacher drive to fell last elections ‘bitches’
I mean, they have made the profession so appealing.
And now the TV is dribbling the Benlarden BS again.
Is their no end to humans stupidity or gullibility? ….. no, and that is what politicians live for.
May 2, 2011: Bad News for listeners to “The Panel”
Many people have been concerned about the increasing dominance of Jim Mora’s programme by ideologues from the hard right (Michelle Boag, John Barnett, John Bishop, David Farrar, Stephen Franks) or even worse, by the complacent, the dithery and the ill-informed (Peter Elliott, Gary McCormick, Neil Miller, Tim Watkin).
Today’s guests on The Panel are Dr. Michael Bassett and Law Society head Jonathan Krebs. Bassett, who is notorious for his indiscriminate hurling of invective, a couple of years ago on The Panel called Nicky Hager a holocaust-denier (Mora sat silently and did not even demur). Krebs became a laughing-stock when he went ballistic about the not guilty verdict for the Waihopai Three, nearly blowing a gasket on live radio.
So, all things considered, today’s Panel should be interesting and informed. Not.
Well, yes, but Hone has been somewhat upstaged by events in Pakistan. It’s carnival time in the Panel studio, with only Jonathan Krebs spoiling the mood a little by noting that this was an assassination, with no legal justification. Bassett’s response was a contemptuous guffaw.
Bassett then went on to ask why, if the U.S. is “intervening for humanitarian reasons” in Libya, it is not “doing something about Mugabe”. Mora, for his part, suggested they should “go into” Syria.
No one suggested the obvious: why don’t they “go into” the most brutal and flagrant human rights in the area: Israel?
It’s carnival time in the Panel studio, with only Jonathan Krebs spoiling the mood a little by noting that this was an assassination, with no legal justification. Bassett’s response was a contemptuous guffaw.
Bassett then went on to ask why, if the U.S. is “intervening for humanitarian reasons” in Libya, it is not “doing something about Mugabe”. Mora, for his part, suggested they should “go into” Syria.
No one suggested the obvious: why don’t they “go into” the most brutal and flagrant human rights in the area: Israel?
Quoto al 100% Morrissey! You are completely correct. On Campbell Live, the festival of rejoicing continues.. Is there no analysis to be had? Noooooooo… Let’s take it all at face value. Grr..
The programs panel and presenters then gushed platitudes about decrepit old Don Brash and generally put the boot into Phil in yet another attempt to discredit the Labour Party. The biased opinions and lack of firing neurons have ensured their ratings have fallen to an all time low of only 53,000 viewers. Clearly not enough to justify the continued funding of such a shit program.
Sean Plunket is another National Party champion who is showing his true colours on TV3. On Saturday, he grilled Phil Goff not about current policies, but about internal Labour Party machinations in 1996.
And I note that Plunket has failed to respond to the British activist George Galloway, who publicly called out Plunket on some ignorant things he said last year….
It’s still a big worry Morrissey . Even Labour Party followers are begining to believe it.
However this morning I attended meeting where the speaker was Rev Linsay Cumberpatch a well known human rights advocate . The Rev Cumberpatch was full of praise for Phil Goff .In fact he was at a loss to understand the negative comments regarding Phil Goff.
I must say I agree with this statement . I have observed Phil for sometime and have always been very impressed at his handling of policy .
Renting? Is your landlord gang connected? Provide gushing references, financial information, and let a landlord representative visit the property to check its in good order? So why aren’t you provided with the same curtsey? Who is your landlord, do they have gang connections, are rental properties more likely to be burgled? Which landlords have a track record for poorly secured premises? Why don’t landlords have to cover contents insurance and so give tenants some confidence that landlords are on the up and up? Where did you think gangs put their laundered drug profits?
I wouldn’t worry about it too much – ZeeBop has a bee in his bonnet at the moment about gangs for some reason…
I imagine that land-gang-lords would have the same desire as a normal landlord ie for tenants that were reliable in paying, not likely to cause damage and not likely to move out because they have been burgled.
Re-letting is expensive and finding good tenants hard – why rob your own place when you can rob the place next door and you don’t have to go though the hassle? Plus you will have to fix doors/ windows etc unless you want it looking like an obvious inside job…
A discreet diplomatic lunch, a free trip to Washington and assurance of “assistance” from the US Embassy in Wellington have been used to blunt the Green Party’s “radical positions on many issues”, a leaked American diplomatic cable reveals.
The Americans seduced Green co-leaders Metiria Turei and Russel Norman, the latter with a free trip to Washington, and managed, over a lunch, to get a commitment from list MP Kennedy Graham “to turn (to the embassy) for any assistance he may need in the future.”
The cables show the views & interpretations of the US diplomats who wrote the cables.
The 2006 murders of infant twins Chris and Cru Kahui drew a cable for McCormick, saying it “highlighted the growing problem of welfare dependency, drug and alcohol addiction and child neglect within the Maori community”.
He said the Kahui family had hid “behind a traditional Maori grieving custom” to stonewall police investigations.
McCormick noted Maori Party leader Pita Sharples expressed “open indignation at the actions of the Kahui family and his efforts to address social problems within Maori have broadened his political appeal.”
They seem pretty wide of the mark on some NZ issues, and who knows, The Greens, Graham etc, may just have taken the free lunch & visit, smiled politely and made fiendly noises, without really shifting their political views, or subsequently turning to the US Embassy for help..
Yeah I noticed Stuff’s “Green party” headline. While interesting, to my minf the real oil (about Pharmac & copyright treaties) was buried way down the article. MSM spin – blatant as ever.
In 2004, US Ambassador Charles Swindells said the embassy was “attempting to make inroads against a government mindset that is hostile to the drug industry” and tried to “educate New Zealanders on the benefits of gaining access to a wider range of effective pharmaceuticals.”
The embassy noted an unexpected side effect from Pharmac, which it said denied cutting-edge drugs to New Zealanders: “Ironically, New Zealand presents a small but optimal environment for clinical trials of pharmaceuticals because of its population’s lack of exposure to newer medicines”.
Because Pharmac so doesn’t review teh literature on the efficiency of new drugs in order to see if the price tag is actually worth it compared to older, already known to work + extent of side effect drugs. And neither does the drug industry engage in unethical marketing, nor fail to disclose fully the side effects of new drugs.
Because Pharmac so doesn’t review teh literature on the efficiency of new drugs in order to see if the price tag is actually worth it compared to older, already known to work + extent of side effect drugs
As much as I appreciate Pharmac’s ability to source drugs at good prices, I’m not so keen on their evaluation methods for the new drugs. The appear to do a cost-benefit analysis in terms of cost to the health system vs benefits to the health system, rather than including benefits to the patient’s quality of life e.g. in terms of the ability to hold down a job or perform other societal functions normally.
“Useful idiot” Kathryn Ryan is easy meat for Matthew Hooton
A few minutes ago I heard Matthew “Machiavelli” Hooton try it on with Nine to Noon host Kathryn Ryan—and he got away with it. He said that lawyer Annette Sykes, a Mana Party candidate, “celebrated the 9/11 attacks.” That’s a lie, and Hooton was obviously trying to see just how far he could push Ryan. Her befuddled silence must have heartened him enormously.
Clearly Hooton’s key strategy is the tried and true National Party one of just telling lies, and seeing how long they can get away with it.
Trying to implant the notion that the new Mana party is “extremist”, Hooton is evidently going to stop at nothing. As long as he can get away with bamboozling useful idiots like Kathryn Ryan, it is quite effective.
Depressed and disappointed, I sent Ms. Ryan the following e-mail…
Why did you not challenge Matthew Hooton’s wild allegation?
Dear Kathryn,
You sat silently as Matthew Hooton, a notorious liar, smeared Annette Sykes by saying that she “celebrated the 9/11 attacks.”
Did you not think of asking him to back up his outlandish allegation?
“Are you comfortable with someone like Annette Sykes being so involved, I mean remember what she said around the time of 9/11 where she laughed and effectively applauded and clapped when those planes went into the towers on 9/11? I mean are you comfortable being a party in parliament having someone like that there?”
“When I first saw the planes fly into the towers I jumped for joy, I was so happy that at long last capitalism was under attack. Until, it suddenly dawned on me, what about all those poor pizza delivery boys, those poor firemen, those poor policemen, those poor lift-operators, all those poor cleaners, all those other poor workers who are forced to work for and were trying to save those greedy and horrible capitalists!? My heart and head was so confused – happy that some capitalists had been killed and very, very sad for all those who had died while working for them.”
It sounds bogus to me, no matter what you think of her politics I don’t think she’s thick enough to say something like that on the public record.
Your “information” comes from the looniest reaches of the far right blogosphere. The words you quote were “transcribed by a member of that audience”—i.e. they were made up.
A report of the comments was tabled in Parliament by New Zealand First MP Ron Mark in 2002, and they have been referred to since in parliamentary debate and in the media. I can’t find any evidence of her ever having denied making the statements – which you think you would if you had been accused in parliament of jumping for joy over the murder of several thousand people.
No update yet from various right wing lunatics who claimed he was dead years ago.
When the Hollow men came out, Hooten was fairly clear that he didn’t approve of the deliberate race baiting approach chosen by National; even though he went along with it and kept quiet.
It is a very rare thing in life to get a second chance to do the right thing.
OBL is just a scapegoat, we all know 911 was an inside job. It’s been proven by sciencey. And if he’d been wearing a tin foil burqa like me, the CIA would never have found him.
You may think you’re being funny, VoR, but it’s true.. the official 9/11 story stinks on ice. Further, OBL has probably been dead since at least 2002, like it or not!
And deep in the darkest recesses of the Beehive National Party Staffers are busily making lists of bad news to be released publicly under the extraordinary cover that will be provided by news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed.
Any thoughts for the approximately 1500 US troops and the countless civilian dead in Afghanistan to avenge the 3000 or so westerners killed on 11/9/2001.
So you believe in a state of “Hell” then joe.
Suggests you are a god fearing individual.
May come as a surprise to you but there are three groups of followers of this god.
Your type of language doesn’t bode well for the hopes of peace and reconciliation amongst the three.
Oh the wonderful, measured words of that very learned man that is Michael Bassett.
Former Labour MP for Te Atatu, and cabinet minister and now expert on things NZ.
Sadly now occupying time on Mora’s Afternoon on RNZ. He tries so hard to sound reasonable but then drops his guard and we get the bigot and the nasty little ACT apologist coming through.
Apparently Campbell Live has a ‘special’ report from Paul Henry at Times Square in New York. I have thought TV3 news was going down the tubes in spectacular fashion for awhile, particularly with that nasty toad Duncan Garner spinning for the Nat-Act twats, but Paul fricking Henry? This is the last goddamn straw. I am never watching TV3 news again.
Hmmm, wikileaks cables show just how much the US government, with scant regard for NZ sovereignty, was pushing the NZ government to adopt the internet/digital copyright laws, 3 strikes etc:
The cables are from 2005 & through to the NAct term in government.
And in 2005, there was a detailed break down of the costs of implementing the law, with the US offering a financial bribe for it to the NZ government Drew Wilson, in the above linked article pon the cables, says:
A diplomatic cable that was sent clear back in 2005 shows that the US was offering up money to put in new copyright laws. The cable was very detailed about the budget cost at the time…
Wilson ends the article by saying:
Overall, I think it is infuriating the way the US has conducted themselves on copyright on the international stage. In New Zealand, they are even pushing the country to implement laws even the US wouldn’t dare pass themselves because of it’s over-restrictiveness.
…
I’ll be blunt on this matter. If the US waltzes in to your country and demands the country implement a three strikes law, do yourselves a favour, grow a spine and tell the US to “[insert adjective here] off”.
On Capitol Hill they call them lobbyists, unelected pressure groups.
Not a lot different, it would seem, is about to be manifested in the Beehive.
Did the Prime Minister tell the gathered press today that he was expecting
a visit from Dr Brash to discuss how the ACT party is to be considered in
government? WTF? How far away is this from the Knights of the Round Table
having a regular formal audience?
In the Herald: “Kurariki was convicted of manslaughter in 2002 for his role as a lookout in the killing of pizza delivery man Michael Choy. Kurariki, who was 12 at the time, was released from jail in 2008.”
Well. Convicted of manslaughter as the lookout? But the Herald and other MSM have repeatedly named him as “NZ’s youngest killer.” And how well do we know the others who actually did the killing?
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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 ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
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. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
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 ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
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Anti-nationalism has gone too far, selling out NZ just for the beating the chest moment. Oh, look how powerful we are, we can sell assets, hand profit streams to foreigners, stuff up and still make a living (please ignore the stats on growing poverty, skilled exodus, aging, jail pop., etc).
It must be so wonderful be a right winger knowing that they are stronger because NZ is weaker.
The bastards are at it again, any opportunity….asset sales.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4948667/Chch-door-open-for-asset-sales
Just thinking logically here, if you buy this asset you expect a return so as to recoup your investment. Over time you end up owning it outright and taking a return. So if the asset was used for colllateral to a loan for Chch, and the profits used to pay off the loan by the people of Christchurch, they could have the money plus retain ownership. Why sell?
“When a child is afraid in her own home, have you ever wanted to help?
Now you can, by filling out the form and becoming a Guardian Angel.
Being a Guardian Angel means giving $30 or more each month to help families like Sophie’s through the services of Presbyterian Support Family Works. It is just a dollar a day.
For over 120 years Presbyterian Support has been caring for New Zealanders in need. We keep a low profile, so most people do not realise we are the largest provider of social services outside government.
Family Works is our way of helping families with children under 17, through services like counselling, social work, parenting support and family violence programmes.
We help children and families under enormous pressure. You can help them too by filling in the form right now and becoming a Guardian Angel today.
What’s more, all your Guardian Angel gifts will go to help children and families in your part of the country, through the Family Works staff in your region.
This appeal is urgent, because many families are forced to wait for the help they desperately need today.”
I’ve heard of leaving things to the private sector because they’re supposedly more efficient but this is beyond the pale Paula ‘hate the benes’ Bennett. Presbyterian Support has to come to the rescue of children in this country which should be CYFS’s job under your leadership – wow, sponsor to protect a child for just $1 per day – as per CV: hand me a Tui.
If CYFS and WINZ are in such bad shape before the Budget I can’t wait to view the results of NACT’s surgical ward rounds on the 19th.
Nice one Paula, make beneficiaries crawl by reducing access to much needed food grants and now leave children to the mercy of violence in the home because a non-state organisation feels it cannot ignore the yawning chasm in provision of services to counselling, social work, parenting support and family violence programmes.
Hang your head in shame you gutless, attention-seeking worm.
All the cutesy, apron-clad visits to food kitchens to do the crocodile teary Kodak moments cannot disguise that you’re completely useless at your job, couldn’t give a toss about anyone because people’s personal details can be splashed across the papers if the mood takes you and are a complete sell-out so that you get a nice pat on the head from your dear leader Key – fuck, what do you get if you roll over and let him scratch your stomach?
http://www.angel.org.nz/
fuck, what do you get if you roll over and let him scratch your stomach?
Ask Jeanette Fitzsimons, she was Helen’s tickle me Elmo doll
Mission Australia
Arkansas Faith and Families Foundation
Big Society
And now with our very own Angel I can see where this is going…….
You hear of how a scientist, mathematician, musician, comes from a family of, even extended family of like minded individuals. That the family acts as a sponge for information that then discharges into the next generation. And what of that information, why are the facts, reasoning about those facts, the experiences of others who have learnt those facts so useful to society? Yet so hard to maintain, so hard to recreate from nothing. Why are Maori so left out of the way a Pakeha world works? Are the traditions in some successful Pakeha families hard to grow in Maori families and extended families? How is information maintained? By society rewarding their use, by society valuing the virtue of deep knowledge. Is there a linkage then between Maori poverty and skilled citizen flight to other world economies? That something in the kiwi shouting culture hates a smart arse? Is just jealous of learning, fearful even, of other families having wealth besides monetary considerations? That surface poverty, not keeping up with the neighbours outward display of conformity isn’t just loathing rich pricks, but also smart ones too? Do kiwis just love to knock? Is that why our economy sucks, and sucking more every month? Five cars torched, a scene more of LA, why? Were the cars targeted because they are too noisy? My street could do with a visit. Or is it 100% pure random nastiness. Maybe a gang moving in, dragging the neighbourhood down to buy up homes on the cheap. Gangs who put the homes in their girlfriends name and then hand them a noisy car to insure the street becomes a nightmare for any old people living there. Do we have laws against age discrimination? Why are our cars now so much a part of our kiwi culture? Sorry, woken again by the death cries of a car culture passing peak oil. Why are we kiwis so mindless? Is that what we are rewarded for because we don’t reward real intellect? Not that I would know anything about that, word bro.
Don Brash: confused old man
“New ACT leader Don Brash has rejected claims by Hone Harawira that he is a racist, and has in turn attacked Mr Harawira for seeking preference for Maori based on race.
“I find that grossly offensive. I think being called racist is almost the worst kind of insult,” Dr Brash said. “To me a racist is someone who wants to discriminate against particular people. Well, my concern is that the Maori Party actually wants to create a privileged group of New Zealanders. ”
– um, Don, you just attacked Harawira’s former party and your current governing partner.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4948683/Brash-labels-racist-claim-offensive
Not confused, just a fuckwit.
A rich, devious,fuckwit
No Bored. He is not. He’s a sharp crafty dangerous man. We should not be conned into thinking he ‘s just an old buffoon . This revival of the far Right may and could mean disaster for the working people of Aotearoa . And the underpriviledged will disappear into the forgotten and don’t care poor.
How is Don to know? They all look the same to him.
It’s true about the fuckwit thing.
Here it is again:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10722785
In which he says that FPP isn’t the go because it doesn’t feel quite right in his view that a party could get 21 % of the vote and only get 2 seats. He doesn’t like mmp though, for reasons unexplained.
He likes the Supplementary system because it lets small parties have some token representation, and more importantly, lists allow the great and good like himself to enter parliament without having to bother with demeaning things like candidate selection panels. For reals. That’s what he reckons.
This is a man who seems to accept that we should look like a democracy, but that democracy itself is a bit of a hindrance.
Fuckwit.
Looking at that description of supplementary member, I think I prefer MMP.
But I also wouldn’t be wholly opposed to SM if it retained the current 70/50 split we have with MMP. 90/30 just puts way too much power in the FPP system for electorates. Unless that two was also changed to STV voting, to greatly increase the chances of minor parties winning electorate seats.
The electorate seats should be STV voting no matter what system you use. I still prefer MMP, SM looks like an attempt by the right to gerrymander the voting in their favour.
Maybe they need to make retirement compulsory at 70. And anyone in power is tested every year from 65 for senility or dementia.
Even the Americans with all their paranoia and insanity don’t let anyone hold the ultimate reins for more than 2 terms. And then their power is very limited.
And if you want to see what grumpy old men can do look at the OLD Russia!!
Grumpy Fuckwit.
Bet the Maori Party is looking forwards to the next 3 years cosying up in bed with Brash.
What fucking sell outs.
I have wondered too just how much longer the Maori can kow-tow to Brash and his mates Co/Viper . The adulation expressed by Turia towards Brash makes me cringe.She has completely forgot that Key was involved with Brash regarding Kiwi/Iwi . If the Maori party does not withdraw their support now that Brash is back it only shows their double standards, and that the baubles of office are much more important that justice for Maori.
Whenever Brash opens his mouth it reminds me of that saying that when you find yourself in a hole you should stop digging.
Just keep him talking.
Don Brash… the Donad Trump of NZpolitics. ha ha ha ha a ha ha ha ha ha ha so funny both of them
We now have 3 supposedly rising politicians, that have publicly stated something about peak oil
John Banks – reading ‘The Oil Crash and You’ on his talk back show in 2002 (ish)
http://oilcrash.com/articles/running.htm
Don Brash “But the real issue last week was about bio-diesel and the world running out of fossil fuels. That was the point of the photo op, and I went there to make that point, it is the world walking the plank frankly, not Don Brash…”
http://oilcrash.com/articles/natnl_01.htm
And Hone calling for a cross party group to discuss peak oil and climate change.
http://thestandard.org.nz/the-knife-edge/
Oh and all the above are thanks my fucking efforts … again I told you and them so )
And just to spice up our borring lives
Unit 3 Explosion May Have Been Prompt Criticality in Fuel Pool
http://vimeo.com/22865967
With any luck Key will be flying through all this stuff, I just hope he stops off in Hawaii on his way home … breath deep John
[I won’t delete it, but that last comment is perilously close to Kiwiblog territory. Please don’t go there. — r0b]
How many teachers does a $500,000 by-election cost months out from an election? A casual 13 or so, better let Hone know…
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike as only being tangentially related to the topic.
You’re also banned for 2 weeks for starting a diversion troll off the topic in a post. ]
That’s a one off charge, and worth more to democracy than, say, a bunch of BMW limos. Tax cuts for these 47 is 4.5 million every year…
Don’t excuse it as an act of democracy, its political posturing. He could easily ascertain the mandate of his electorate with polling and constituent meetings that neednt cost nearly as much.
Don’t excuse it as an act of democracy, its political posturing.
Who are you to say, Jared? He’s operating within the rules of Parliament and following clear precedent. The only ones trying to beat it up as an issue are those who are doing their own political posturing eh.
Considering how quick the left is to criticise subjectively “wasteful” political expenditure the irony is certainly not lost here.
So Jared do you agree that NZ needs more teachers?
Do you also agree that recent tax cuts for the wealthy has prevented expenditure on such worthwhile areas to occur?
NZ needs more of a number of skilled professions.
No question there.
But in perspective, a career in teaching starts with the 3 year Bachelors, and the year in a classroom before you can be qualified. So in reality, we are only seeing the outcome of policies surrounding improving the rates of teachers getting qualified from 3-5 years ago.
If you want to get really picky, then wasteful and pandering to your supporters isn’t purely a concept of the right, interest free student loans have cost the nation dearly, and if Labour had actually followed through with their universal student allowance we would have really been in trouble.
And if you want to get really really really picky, at the moment there is a sincere glut of recent teaching graduates who are finding it difficult to land jobs. There is a lack of experienced teachers, not beginning teachers.
The lack of teachers has been the 9 year boggie man, at least for the last 18 years, I distinctly remember Labour bitching about the lack of teachers after 9 years of National, then …. 9 years later National was bitching about the lack of teachers after Labour had been in.
But the people are so fucking stupid, they eat this shit … then the idiots go out and vote? go figure ???
It is Tweedledum and Tweedledummer, every politician since maybe MJS (?) have been selfish self serving lairs. They haven’t got a decent bone in their collective bodies.
Lets see just one of the slack sos stand up and tell the truth about Kiwi Saver.
Come on Ben you’re lurking around this blog
And Jarad is right, lets see if 4 years after the last election there is a rush of new teachers, thanks to National’s teacher drive to fell last elections ‘bitches’
I mean, they have made the profession so appealing.
And now the TV is dribbling the Benlarden BS again.
Is their no end to humans stupidity or gullibility? ….. no, and that is what politicians live for.
May 2, 2011: Bad News for listeners to “The Panel”
Many people have been concerned about the increasing dominance of Jim Mora’s programme by ideologues from the hard right (Michelle Boag, John Barnett, John Bishop, David Farrar, Stephen Franks) or even worse, by the complacent, the dithery and the ill-informed (Peter Elliott, Gary McCormick, Neil Miller, Tim Watkin).
Today’s guests on The Panel are Dr. Michael Bassett and Law Society head Jonathan Krebs. Bassett, who is notorious for his indiscriminate hurling of invective, a couple of years ago on The Panel called Nicky Hager a holocaust-denier (Mora sat silently and did not even demur). Krebs became a laughing-stock when he went ballistic about the not guilty verdict for the Waihopai Three, nearly blowing a gasket on live radio.
So, all things considered, today’s Panel should be interesting and informed. Not.
I haven’t been listening, but let me guess, ‘Hone is uppity’.
Amirite?
Well, yes, but Hone has been somewhat upstaged by events in Pakistan. It’s carnival time in the Panel studio, with only Jonathan Krebs spoiling the mood a little by noting that this was an assassination, with no legal justification. Bassett’s response was a contemptuous guffaw.
Bassett then went on to ask why, if the U.S. is “intervening for humanitarian reasons” in Libya, it is not “doing something about Mugabe”. Mora, for his part, suggested they should “go into” Syria.
No one suggested the obvious: why don’t they “go into” the most brutal and flagrant human rights in the area: Israel?
Quoto al 100% Morrissey! You are completely correct. On Campbell Live, the festival of rejoicing continues.. Is there no analysis to be had? Noooooooo… Let’s take it all at face value. Grr..
Asshole of the Week Award – Duncan Garner
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/asshole-of-week-award.html
The programs panel and presenters then gushed platitudes about decrepit old Don Brash and generally put the boot into Phil in yet another attempt to discredit the Labour Party. The biased opinions and lack of firing neurons have ensured their ratings have fallen to an all time low of only 53,000 viewers. Clearly not enough to justify the continued funding of such a shit program.
Sean Plunket is another National Party champion who is showing his true colours on TV3. On Saturday, he grilled Phil Goff not about current policies, but about internal Labour Party machinations in 1996.
And I note that Plunket has failed to respond to the British activist George Galloway, who publicly called out Plunket on some ignorant things he said last year….
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/george-galloway-invites-interview-by-sean-plunket-of-tv3s-the-nation-2/
It’s still a big worry Morrissey . Even Labour Party followers are begining to believe it.
However this morning I attended meeting where the speaker was Rev Linsay Cumberpatch a well known human rights advocate . The Rev Cumberpatch was full of praise for Phil Goff .In fact he was at a loss to understand the negative comments regarding Phil Goff.
I must say I agree with this statement . I have observed Phil for sometime and have always been very impressed at his handling of policy .
So Welcome to TV3, NZ’s Fox News/propaganda. Yay!
Note that in the photo of John Key meets Brent Impey, it is Impey who has the power handshake over Key’s. “You are in my control John.”
And don’t forget the $45 million this present government gave them Todd.
Renting? Is your landlord gang connected? Provide gushing references, financial information, and let a landlord representative visit the property to check its in good order? So why aren’t you provided with the same curtsey? Who is your landlord, do they have gang connections, are rental properties more likely to be burgled? Which landlords have a track record for poorly secured premises? Why don’t landlords have to cover contents insurance and so give tenants some confidence that landlords are on the up and up? Where did you think gangs put their laundered drug profits?
I never even considered that a landlord would specifically allow their tenants to be burgled.
I guess going through a rental agency would help to protect against this.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much – ZeeBop has a bee in his bonnet at the moment about gangs for some reason…
I imagine that land-gang-lords would have the same desire as a normal landlord ie for tenants that were reliable in paying, not likely to cause damage and not likely to move out because they have been burgled.
Re-letting is expensive and finding good tenants hard – why rob your own place when you can rob the place next door and you don’t have to go though the hassle? Plus you will have to fix doors/ windows etc unless you want it looking like an obvious inside job…
Likely? – no.
This says more about US attempts to interfer in NZZ democratic proceses than it does about the Greens, maori, Aucklanders & so-called “welfare dependency”.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4949637/Green-Party-lunch-revealed-in-Wikileaks-cable
The cables show the views & interpretations of the US diplomats who wrote the cables.
They seem pretty wide of the mark on some NZ issues, and who knows, The Greens, Graham etc, may just have taken the free lunch & visit, smiled politely and made fiendly noises, without really shifting their political views, or subsequently turning to the US Embassy for help..
Yeah I noticed Stuff’s “Green party” headline. While interesting, to my minf the real oil (about Pharmac & copyright treaties) was buried way down the article. MSM spin – blatant as ever.
Because Pharmac so doesn’t review teh literature on the efficiency of new drugs in order to see if the price tag is actually worth it compared to older, already known to work + extent of side effect drugs. And neither does the drug industry engage in unethical marketing, nor fail to disclose fully the side effects of new drugs.
As much as I appreciate Pharmac’s ability to source drugs at good prices, I’m not so keen on their evaluation methods for the new drugs. The appear to do a cost-benefit analysis in terms of cost to the health system vs benefits to the health system, rather than including benefits to the patient’s quality of life e.g. in terms of the ability to hold down a job or perform other societal functions normally.
“Useful idiot” Kathryn Ryan is easy meat for Matthew Hooton
A few minutes ago I heard Matthew “Machiavelli” Hooton try it on with Nine to Noon host Kathryn Ryan—and he got away with it. He said that lawyer Annette Sykes, a Mana Party candidate, “celebrated the 9/11 attacks.” That’s a lie, and Hooton was obviously trying to see just how far he could push Ryan. Her befuddled silence must have heartened him enormously.
Clearly Hooton’s key strategy is the tried and true National Party one of just telling lies, and seeing how long they can get away with it.
Trying to implant the notion that the new Mana party is “extremist”, Hooton is evidently going to stop at nothing. As long as he can get away with bamboozling useful idiots like Kathryn Ryan, it is quite effective.
Depressed and disappointed, I sent Ms. Ryan the following e-mail…
Why did you not challenge Matthew Hooton’s wild allegation?
Dear Kathryn,
You sat silently as Matthew Hooton, a notorious liar, smeared Annette Sykes by saying that she “celebrated the 9/11 attacks.”
Did you not think of asking him to back up his outlandish allegation?
Yours in wonderment,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
Morrisey
Yu better take up this issue with Duncan Garner as well,
http://business.scoop.co.nz/2011/04/30/hone-harawira-on-the-nation/
“Are you comfortable with someone like Annette Sykes being so involved, I mean remember what she said around the time of 9/11 where she laughed and effectively applauded and clapped when those planes went into the towers on 9/11? I mean are you comfortable being a party in parliament having someone like that there?”
I don’t believe Annette Sykes either said or did any of those things. Garner was probably rehashing what he’d heard Hooton say.
What you believe is neither here nor there. surely, if she did either (or both) Hooten and Garner would have a record.
So where is it then?
The quote I’ve seen republished on blogs is…
“When I first saw the planes fly into the towers I jumped for joy, I was so happy that at long last capitalism was under attack. Until, it suddenly dawned on me, what about all those poor pizza delivery boys, those poor firemen, those poor policemen, those poor lift-operators, all those poor cleaners, all those other poor workers who are forced to work for and were trying to save those greedy and horrible capitalists!? My heart and head was so confused – happy that some capitalists had been killed and very, very sad for all those who had died while working for them.”
It sounds bogus to me, no matter what you think of her politics I don’t think she’s thick enough to say something like that on the public record.
Your “information” comes from the looniest reaches of the far right blogosphere. The words you quote were “transcribed by a member of that audience”—i.e. they were made up.
http://pc.blogspot.com/2005/12/keith-locke-exposed-again.html
I found it here
http://blog.greens.org.nz/index.php/2005/05/31/united-in-terrorism/#comment-709
and here.
http://www.vdig.net/hansard/archive.jsp?y=2002&m=10&d=08&o=229&p=230
I’m sure we’ll get some clarification from Annette regarding what she actually said.
A report of the comments was tabled in Parliament by New Zealand First MP Ron Mark in 2002, and they have been referred to since in parliamentary debate and in the media. I can’t find any evidence of her ever having denied making the statements – which you think you would if you had been accused in parliament of jumping for joy over the murder of several thousand people.
I’ve heard all sorts of nasty things about you Matthew and I’ve never heard you deny them. Thus they must be true right?
Which reminds me. The rumour is you’re doing PR for Brash which surprised me because I didn’t think you were a race-baiter. Is that true?
No update yet from various right wing lunatics who claimed he was dead years ago.
When the Hollow men came out, Hooten was fairly clear that he didn’t approve of the deliberate race baiting approach chosen by National; even though he went along with it and kept quiet.
It is a very rare thing in life to get a second chance to do the right thing.
What? It’s “neither here nor there” whether or not I believe the word of a notorious liar?
I would have thought that establishing one recognizes the unreliability of the likes of Hooton and Garner was essential.
Would be hilarious if it is true. A party over before it starts.
The funniest thing will be to have Hooten hauled up on charges for this.
Wow. What charges would they be?
Seen this folks?
Penny Bright
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
NO SELLOFF OF CHRISTCHURCH’S PUBLICLY-OWNED ASSETS!
[deleted]
[lprent: You’re cutting and pasting far too much – use quote and link. Next time I see it you’re going to get a months holiday. ]
Talking heads say OBL is dead, perhaps.
Be sure to pass on my condolensces to Annette Sykes
condolensces… condolences ya dopey fuck, … condolences….just be sure to pass them on
Kind of like Elvis?
On the 1st of May 1945 it was announced that H**ler was dead, theatre much.
OBL is just a scapegoat, we all know 911 was an inside job. It’s been proven by sciencey. And if he’d been wearing a tin foil burqa like me, the CIA would never have found him.
Careful you are inviting Eve to start frothing all over the interwebs.
Too late, HS, too late:
http://thestandard.org.nz/osama-bin-laden-dead/#comment-325957
Can I be the first to start the rumour that Osama surrendered, but was executed anyway to stop the truth coming out? Thanx.
You may think you’re being funny, VoR, but it’s true.. the official 9/11 story stinks on ice. Further, OBL has probably been dead since at least 2002, like it or not!
And deep in the darkest recesses of the Beehive National Party Staffers are busily making lists of bad news to be released publicly under the extraordinary cover that will be provided by news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed.
Great day for the world, thoughts with his victims at this point.
Any thoughts for the approximately 1500 US troops and the countless civilian dead in Afghanistan to avenge the 3000 or so westerners killed on 11/9/2001.
yeh… ain’t it grand to see one of the world’s worst mass muderers brought down at last.
And a great day that Pakistan sides with the USA to bring bin Laden down. No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.
I hope he rots in Hell.
George Bush left office a long time ago.
No, Hone has it on good advice that Don Brash is the ultimate bogeyman.
So you believe in a state of “Hell” then joe.
Suggests you are a god fearing individual.
May come as a surprise to you but there are three groups of followers of this god.
Your type of language doesn’t bode well for the hopes of peace and reconciliation amongst the three.
whatever…
I’m still delighted that this mass murdering scumbag now exists only in the past tense.
OBL is nothing but a bedtime story used to scare children into behaving like good little serfs.
Disgraceful the sight of people in the US celebrating a death…bloodthirsty ghouls.
Bet they wont be celebrating so much when more blood is spilled in the name of his scary-ness.
Stupid witch hunt, Stupid war, Evil Government.
Oh the wonderful, measured words of that very learned man that is Michael Bassett.
Former Labour MP for Te Atatu, and cabinet minister and now expert on things NZ.
Sadly now occupying time on Mora’s Afternoon on RNZ. He tries so hard to sound reasonable but then drops his guard and we get the bigot and the nasty little ACT apologist coming through.
Apparently Campbell Live has a ‘special’ report from Paul Henry at Times Square in New York. I have thought TV3 news was going down the tubes in spectacular fashion for awhile, particularly with that nasty toad Duncan Garner spinning for the Nat-Act twats, but Paul fricking Henry? This is the last goddamn straw. I am never watching TV3 news again.
diddums
Hmmm, wikileaks cables show just how much the US government, with scant regard for NZ sovereignty, was pushing the NZ government to adopt the internet/digital copyright laws, 3 strikes etc:
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/93326/new-zealands-three-strikes-law-was-pushed-bought-and-paid-for-by-the-us-wikileaks/
The cables are from 2005 & through to the NAct term in government.
And in 2005, there was a detailed break down of the costs of implementing the law, with the US offering a financial bribe for it to the NZ government Drew Wilson, in the above linked article pon the cables, says:
Wilson ends the article by saying:
On Capitol Hill they call them lobbyists, unelected pressure groups.
Not a lot different, it would seem, is about to be manifested in the Beehive.
Did the Prime Minister tell the gathered press today that he was expecting
a visit from Dr Brash to discuss how the ACT party is to be considered in
government? WTF? How far away is this from the Knights of the Round Table
having a regular formal audience?
In the Herald: “Kurariki was convicted of manslaughter in 2002 for his role as a lookout in the killing of pizza delivery man Michael Choy. Kurariki, who was 12 at the time, was released from jail in 2008.”
Well. Convicted of manslaughter as the lookout? But the Herald and other MSM have repeatedly named him as “NZ’s youngest killer.” And how well do we know the others who actually did the killing?
Having insomnia and playing with an anagram generator – this is too precious not to share:
Paula Bennett’s anagram name is PETULANT BEAN!
And one more, I just can’t help myself:
Rodney Hide’s anagram name is OY! HINDERED