The Prime Minister told the Listener he sent his children to private schools for educational reasons, including smaller classes and better resources.
It was not a direct quote, but a picture of Mr Key with the comment alongside was posted on Facebook yesterday and by last night had appeared on numerous blogs and been shared by more than 6000 people.
Power to the people!
PS: Pity about the comic piece beside this article, with a photo of a comedian with a ludicrous speech bubble spewing out of his mouth.
In March 2007, APN NZ announced it was considering a plan to outsource the bulk of the Herald’s copy editing to an Australian-owned company, Pagemasters. APN confirmed the outsourcing decision to affected staff on 19 April 2007.
Although last week there was news about the possible outsourcing of copy editing for Fairfax Aussie papers, to NZ.
Well said Carol. Was furious when I saw this headline. Nearly choked over a cup of tea when I saw the 4.30pm TVNZ news yesterday and saw police lifting people by their necks using armholds and fingers around throats, crushing a person’s head by their neck into the concreted ground and then saw a policeman pull his arm back and really punch a student hard at least a couple of times. I was absolutely stunned and horrified .The students were passive and to their absolute credit did not retaliate.This video was sanitised by the time it reached the six o’ clock news, I could find it nowhere on the TVNZ site. Thus I went to TV3 and found much of what I previously witnessed, however there was only a slight glimpse of the policeman punching some one.I saved them in case they ‘disappeared’ too.
Why were some of the police so dangerous? Have they not had training into how to handle peaceful protests?
It seems, from the Herald story you have just linked to that someone is spinning. Even Bill English’ part in the provocation was watered down. This type of untruthful and ‘spin’ reporting infuriates me.
It could have been my son, who is a student in Auckland, that could have been manhandled like this by the police. My fury would have known no bounds, and misrepresentation of the facts would have poured further fuel on my anger.
Standard authors – do you want to support a campaign to get a debate on the future of our Super?
This is not about specific options for Super at this stage, it’s to build a campaign for dealing with and debating super. Super is one of the most important issues facing us over the next half century. We need to discuss it and deal with it.
David Shearer is pushing for a cross party discussion. And according to Duncan Garner:
– The Greens have said yes,
– ACT would join,
– the Maori Party want in,
– Hone Harawira won’t say no
– and Winston Peters could be tempted.
– Peter Dunne says everyone must join up for this to have credibility.
SO how about cross-blog support for this? Combine the power of the blogs. Post a blog, or comment here in support.
BADASS – Bloggers Advancing Debate About Super Solutions
The deal that accompanied the end of chattel slavery was that us ‘new found’ slaves for rent (forced into the position through violent dispossession and enclosure) would be allowed to work our way to freedom. Ie, we would rent our labour for a number of years and in return it was acknowledged we wouldn’t be forced to rent ourselves out in later years.
Okay, it wasn’t exactly a deal. It was an imposition. And that’s why many people died or had their lives ruined, first in resistence, and then, when that was quashed, attempting to improve various aspects of our end of ‘the deal’.
And now we are being told….well no, this is what we’re not being told…that our wages have been driven so low by those seeking to profit from our labour, that government cannot raise enough money from us in the way of taxes to provide for retirement. What we are being told is that we need to rent ourselves out for a larger proportion of our life span because….because, well shit… just because really. But not because profits, unlike people, have to remain inviolate.
The ‘no’ refers to the fact that any such debate should be off the table. Why should it be off the table? Read my comment. Any government daring to make even the slightest hint of extending the years of rented out labour would, in a society that knew its history, be ‘gone by lunch time’.
And anyway, what is the ‘it’ that something needs done about Pete? I guess in your world it simply couldn’t be the enormous and continuely rising rate of profit that has essentially diverted resources away from workers and by extension governments and so society at large.
You want a sustainable way forward Pete? Well how about you firts of all recognise what it is that is unsustainable? Here’s a hint, it’s capitalism and its demand for growth. So whatever sustainable way it is that we might develop going forwards; this isn’t it Pete.
And even within the parameters of Capitalism…since I doubt you’ll ever get beyond a quizzical DUH? when trying to get your head around why some people might not be enamored by the whole shebang…. selectively picking out little bits of so-called ‘economic unsustainability’ and not looking at how that transpired…refusing to look at the bigger picture,the context… is a sheer fucking dishonest nonsense that any politician, for having brought it into the arena of public debate, should fucking swing for.
I’ve acknowledged the capitalism ponzi problem for quite a while Bill.
I’m far less certain that a complete change in economic system is necessary to attain sustainability. One of the biggest impediments is the entrenched attitude of most of the population who are addicted to consumerism.
Not an error, Nationbal’s current position is to do nothing and change nothing, while Key is still PM. English says the same – see National’s toes dug in Super.
So we have four options:
1. Go the National way and kick the can down the road, until 2014, or 2017, or…
2. Build support and pressure to “encourage” National to change their minds and at least start the discussion necessary to address it.
3. Ignore National’s intransigence and do as much work as possible discussing and investigating and decidedin amongst everyone else so that when the next Non-National led government gets in any changes can be started as soon as possible.
4. Wait and hope for Bill’s revolution (and hope there are no adverse effects or unforeseen consequences and hope that there’s a miracle transformation to go with it).
pg hair should grow some and sort it out with national he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue.No plan National and by default the hair the MP for Ohairyu
he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue
I don’t know how you think he could do that. He can’t force National or any other party to do anything.
UF does have an agreement with National to have a discussion paper on super this term, and National have said they will honour that commitment (Bill Enlish reeaffirmed that on Thursday). So that’s a toe in the door opportunity. I’m doing what I can to help make the most of that toe in the door, and trying to involve any other party that is willing to be involved as much as possible.
This BADASS initiative could help in this respect, the wider and larger the public support for doing soemthing the more more that can be done, sooner. Maybe not as soon as some of us would prefer, but it’s far better than doing nothing.
Pete stop trying to gain the cudos for this. Labour and the Greens are the only parties brave enough to raise this as an issue and discuss it. UF just confused the issue by proposing something that actually achieved nothing.
If you want to do something of use persuade the follicled one to withdraw support for the Government. This is the one and only thing UF could do if it is interested in achieving a solution.
That’s one of the sillier things you’ve said. It would make a mockery of a coalition agreement and our MMP if UF withdrew support from the Government.
And it would remove the one guaranteed chance of official Super discussions.That opportunity can be used to the max, or ignored, which would probably result in no progress on Super this term.
I don’t expect you to understand non-partisan practical politics, but I know some in Labour do.
Pete, seeing National has said they are not at all interested in substantive talks, then what can be done?
UFs coalition agreement is a farce that will achieve nothing on this. It’s designed to achieve nothing on this. Signing up to it was an agreement by Dunne that nothing will be actually done.
So he either honours it, and toes national’s ‘do nothing’ line, or he tries to get a majority in parliament to do something without national. But the coalition agreement thing cannot be a part of getting anything done, because it is with National, who are adament that they are not going to do anything.
But now there is a guaranteed opportunity to begin a discussion which can be used to prepare for when we have a government willing to act on it.
There is always an opportunity to talk about it Pete, and it’s always gauranteed. But the coalition agreement ‘talk’ is guaranteed to fail. It’s predetermined to fail. It’s between National and UF, and National have said they are not for changing.
Suggest a better way to do it.
how about the various parties work out what they want to do in terms of policy, advocate for those policies, and then we put it up to a vote from the entire electorate in the form of an election, After that election the parties elected to parliament will negotiate untill some combination can form a government and implement policy.
that sounds a lot better to me than a bunch of undemocratic back room dealiing
Well two predictions Petey. Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures. And the coiffured one will continue to receive his grossly excessive salary and get driven around by limos paid with our coin.
When does he “get driven around by limos”? I think that’s an uninformed criticism based on no facts. As far as I know he drives himself around Wellington in an ordinary sort of car.
And stop diverting. If you are keen to do something about retirement then persuade UF to jump up and down and insist on National at least talking about the subject. Labour and the Greens will happily take part in the discussion.
Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures.
If everyone buys into that then you will be right. If enough people are prepared to stand up and push, then it will at least perpare the way.
Maybe you should talk to David Shearer, it seems to be a major priority of his, he is talking to other parties about it quietly and proposing co-operative action publicly.
Once again it seems I’m more supportive of what your leader is doing than you are. Why don’t you get in behind him on that, help drive it. I think it needs an inside/outside parliament multi party approach. I’m happy to work with you on it.
Yes, I think we can only do what is manageable, given the Key intransigence. Hopefully such cross-party consultation as might be possible will at least be persuasive with the public.Points 2 and 3 look positive possibilities. I agree with your comment on National’s current position.
We only need to look at places like the USA, whese we see retirees having to live on the street or work in low wage jobs because their retirement savings were wiped out in various crashes, or their employer was able to get out of making good on their pension obligations, ie United Airlines, various city and local governments, etc, to be thankful of the existence of NZ Super, which is only becoming expensive because of 20 years of tax cuts, especially in terms of wealth taxes.
I have noticed that those who scream the loudest about this are those who:
1) Work in the financial sector and would make a lot money from managing pension accounts, or advising people where to invest for their retirements.
2) Those who have a secure retirement to look forward to
3) Those looking for cheap labour
4) People who just resent people on low incomes/state assistance.
Don’t forget those in sedentary jobs, who can easily work until 80.
Are happy to make those work on whose more demanding jobs destroy their physical or mental health.
Unfortunately enough to make work difficult, but not enough to get an invalids benefit.
You hit the nail on the head. The only group whose funding is affording the lifestyle of the abysmal greedy with some sort of “guaranty” is the taxpayer. The longer they can milk this group the better for them. Naturally.
Four years ago Comedian and Guardian journalist Charlie Skelton went to Greece to rapport and possibly ridicule the “conspiracy” theorists who tried to attend the Global population to the fact that on average 200 of the richest and most powerful people met in secret to “talk freely”about global affairs. That was four years ago.
But when Charlie was followed and bullied and scared shitless by some of the Bilderberg goons he decided to have a closer look.
Today Charlie after following BIlderberg and visiting each consecutive Bilderberg meeting (Outside with all the other Bilderberg watchers) Charlie talks a very different tune.
So here is Charlie in the Guardian for those of you still firmly entrenched in the artificial Left/Right political paradigm.
Sorry, couldn’t finish it. It was funny, but my eyes started glazing over at the lists of people who I was supposed to know the significance of but didn’t. Does it actually get to explain anything?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think that is one of the factors. I also agree with the OECD when, in 2010, we were rated as having the second-to-best water quality, by Yale and Columbia.
Dr Russel Norman: Is the Prime Minister aware that the Yale report that he just quoted from has now been updated and our ranking has moved from second to 43rd, and does his Government take credit for the movement in our ranking in the Yale report from second to 43rd?
On Red Alert May 30, David Cunliffe spoke about a similar thing happening to him under a post entitled “Spin, damned spin, and Steven Joyce http://blog.labour.org.nz/
“In response to parliamentary oral question 7 today, economic development Minister Steven Joyce tried to deflect today’s announced cut to New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) 2012 growth forecast to a “stagnant” 1.5%, by saying this was all due to the supposed increase in the domestic savings rate.
Perhaps he was hoping that, as the NZIER publication is subscription-only, it was not going to be available to the Opposition, or to the public, and we would be unaware of his spin.
The problem for him, though, is I had the report in my hand and then I sought to table it.
National withheld leave for me to do so, to prevent you from judging for yourself.”
So David C posted the overview of the report to undermine Joyce’s spin and counteract this national MO of preventing tabling of information that national wants to ignore or deny. In other words, “what Mr Joyce thinks he can get away with in Question Time if no one is checking.”
It’s the intent of Standing Orders 368 and 374 to allow members of the House to be informed on matters not readily available to it by the tabling of documents. It’s meant to be a way for an assertion to be backed up with evidence.
You need to seek leave to table documents that are outside the scope of parliament or normal avenues of information gathering. There are meant to be good grounds to object to somebody seeking leave, however National MP’s have taken to abusing the process because there is so much information available that they would prefer was not officially registered.
While the Hansard is not required to log who is objecting to the tabling of documents and the Speaker continues to allow objections without good reason, such abuses of the system will continue.
I’ve just upgraded firefox, and now find ‘The Standard’ format slighly different, and irritatingly, lots of boxes popping up offering different kinds of ‘help’. Anyone else experiencing this?
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
Re the help popups, have you looked in the Preference settings?
Thanks Weka.
Yes it is mainly in the reply box. I can’t get in because it wants to spell check or offers me other tools before I’ve even got my cursor into the box, let alone written anything, and often blocks me getting into the box with the “help”.
I’ll try the preference settings.
btw I should have said that I don’t bother much with spelling and grammar rather than that I don’t often need it 😀
Weka, this has been a bug in Firefox for ages. It’s mildly annoying, particularly on posts with lots of comments, but I’ve learned to live with it! The other oddity is the comments RSS feed seems to be very short (ie. only a few comments) compared to other browsers.
Check you have the latest version of Firefox (v12)
Disable add-ons (for example, NoScript) that could interfere with the comment box
Or try Google Chrome…
Thanks Jackal and everyone else who offered advice.
I’ve done everything suggested (except change to chrome) and the problem appears to be gone (touch wood).
Result!
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
I tried to post this and got ‘internal server error’… whatever that means!
When trying to post this comment I got an ‘internal server error’, and the advice that I ought to contact you, and detail what I might have done to cause the problem – to which the answer is “blowed if I know’!
” month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!”
Last I heard POAL were waiting for the POAL industrial relations ACT to be enacted so they did not have to negotiate. Good faith or otherwise.
POAL’s lawyer died and the court cases were adjourned, so at present they are talking, but MUNZ has no illusions that POAL will not have another go at casualisation when the law is changed.
–Hey who are the Arab League anyway (not using the name Arab League anymore I notice…Oh thats right, Bahrain, Qatar and other assorted murderers, liers and dictators…But they are monarchist states, so part of the imperial love fest!
–Good old NZH still playing its part in the global narrative relay system for the imperialists!
Still no mention of the death squads, or the sects all now killing eachother…Nah its as simple as the Syrian Govt Forces against the “rebel” civillians! Nice and simply packaged for very stupid people!
At a Labour regional conference. Biggest turnout in years! Great speech from David Shearer, very confident and looking more and more like the next PM. DC up now, talking about our future clean tech economy. Grant Robertson next.
Its been an interesting approach from the leadership, asking questions of the participants, rather than lecturing from on high. The discussion paper on the ongoing organisational review has been received really well and has stimulated a lot of talk among the delegates. Presumably that will flow on into the remits session tomorrow, where there is going to be some robust debate on how we re-engage the voters, particularly the lower paid enrolled non voters.
Sounds like a repeat performance of last week-end’s Auck./Northland conference TRP. I liked the way Shearer brought in his senior colleagues to answer questions specific to their portfolios. It wasn’t that he couldn’t answer them himself, but he presumably wants them to share the platform with him. I found it very refreshing and suggests Labour is going to do the opposite to National and promote themselves as a well-oiled team rather than a one man band.
Was that the reason certain sections of the media – mainstream and elsewhere – were recently trying to create a perception of Labour caucus division with talk of warring factions and caucus rows?
No sign of division at all, there are 8 MP’s, all singing from the same song sheet. The day has just finished with an excellent presentation from Young Labour. We are so lucky having these young activists coming through, they are just so positive, so ready to be part of the political future of NZ!
Interested to hear thoughts on what you believe, yet another change in government is really going to achieve for NZ, seriously its an honest question..Dont come back with we wont sell assets etc!
Until you hear them talking about RBNZ audits, or printing project funds, as is our sovereign right to do, then you can forget about it…
Young activists coming through, so lucky…Voice come on bro, these peoople have got nothing, nothing to offer NZ long term survivial, and as long as people such as yourself continue to believe that, then all I can do is say, thanks very much for being part of the problem, would you have a think about some self evaluation!
Blah blah blah, waste of time because the serious issues are out of our parliaments hands!
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Precious declaration saysYours is yours and mine you leave alone nowPrecious declaration saysI believe all hope is dead no longerTick tick tick Boom!Unexploded ordnance. A veritable minefield. A National caucus with a large number of unknowns, candidates who perhaps received little in the way of vetting as the party jumped ...
Rex Ahdar writes – The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, likes to trace his political lineage back to the pioneers of parliamentary Maoridom. I will refer to these as the ‘big four’ or better still, the Four Knights. Just as ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Willie Jackson will participate in the prestigious Oxford Union debate on Thursday, following in David Lange’s footsteps. Coincidentally, Jackson has also followed Lange’s footsteps by living in his old home in South Auckland. And like Lange, Jackson might be the sort of loud-mouth scrapper ...
That is the only way to describe an MP "forgetting" to declare $178,000 in donations. The amount of money involved - more than five times the candidate spending cap, and two and a half times the median income - is boggling. How do you just "forget" that amount of money? ...
In this week’s “A View from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and spoke about the upcoming US elections and what the possibility of another Trump presidency means for the US role in world affairs. We also spoke about the problems Joe … Continue reading → ...
Hi,Two years ago I briefly featured in Justin Pemberton’s Web of Chaos documentary, which touched on things like QAnon during the pandemic.I mostly prattled on about how intertwined conspiracy narratives are with Evangelical Christian thinking, something Webworm’s explored in the past.(The doc is available on TVNZ+, if you’re not in ...
The Government is leaving the entire construction sector and the community housing sector in limbo. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government released the long-awaited Bill English-led review of Kāinga Ora yesterday, but delayed key decisions on its build plan and how to help community housing providers (CHPs) build ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Farmers who can’t sleep, worrying they’ll lose everything amid increasing drought. Youth struggling with depression over a future that feels hopeless. Indigenous people grief-stricken over devastated ecosystems. For all these people and more, climate change is taking a clear toll ...
New Zealand’s relationship with China is becoming harder to define, and with that comes a worry that a deteriorating political relationship could spill over into the economic relationship. It is about more than whether New Zealand will join Pillar Two of Aukus, though the Chinese Ambassador, more or less, suggested ...
Been hoping we would see something like this from Sir Geoffrey Palmer. This is excellent.The present Bill goes further than the National Development Act 1979 in stripping away procedures designed to ensure that environmental issues are properly considered. The 1979 approach was not acceptable then and this present approach is ...
He’s Got The Moxie: Only Willie Jackson possesses the credentials to meld together a new Labour message that is, at one and the same moment, staunchly working-class, union-friendly, and which speaks to the hundreds-of-thousands of urban Māori untethered to the neo-tribal capitalist elites of the Iwi Leaders Forum.IT’S ONE OF THE ...
Tree-huggers may well accuse the Government of giving them the fingers, after Energy Minister Simeon Brown announced new measures to protect powerlines from trees, rather than measures to protect trees from powerlines. It can be no coincidence, surely, that this has been announced at the same as Fisheries Minister Shane Jones ...
Willie Jackson will participate in the prestigious Oxford Union debate on Thursday, following in David Lange’s footsteps. Coincidentally, Jackson has also followed Lange’s footsteps by living in his old home in South Auckland. And like Lange, Jackson might be the sort of loud-mouth scrapper who could take over the Labour ...
Barrister Gary Judd KC’s complaint to the Regulatory Review Committee has sparked a fierce debate about the place of tikanga Māori – or Māori customs, values and spiritual beliefs – in the law.Judd opposes the New Zealand Council of Legal Education’s plans to make teaching tikanga compulsory in the legal curriculum.AUT ...
Alwyn Poole writes – In New Zealand we have approximately 460 high schools. The gaps between the schools that produce the best results for students and those at the other end of the spectrum are enormous.In terms of the data for their leavers, the top 30 schools have ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand First Cabinet Minister Shane Jones has become the best advertisement against the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill. In selling the radical new resource consenting processes, in which ministers can green light any mine, dam, or other major development, Jones seems to be ...
Brian Eastonwrites – The Fast-Track Approvals Bill enables cabinet ministers to circumvent key environmental planning and protection processes for infrastructure projects. Its difficulties have been well canvassed. This column suggests a different way of thinking about the proposal. I am ...
The split opening up in Israel’s “War Cabinet” is not just between PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his long-term rival Benny Gantz. It is actually a three-way split, set in motion by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. It was Gallant’s open criticism of Netanyahu that finally flushed Gantz out into the open. ...
On Thursday 17 May, the Mayoral Proposal for Auckland’s Long Term Plan 2024-2034 was passed by Auckland Council, 20 to 1. It is set to be formally adopted by the Governing Body at its June 27th meeting. The entire process took 8 hours, with the vast majority of that time ...
Pakanga o muaTukua, ka ngaroPuritia taku ringaNgaro ana te ara ki pae rauThere's a battle aheadMany battles are lostBut you'll never see the end of the roadWhile you're travelling with meLate yesterday morning I headed to Wynyard Quarter to see Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick give their pre-budget State of ...
Maybe the Prime Minister and his Finance Minister expected the worst, so they mounted a stout defence of the Budget tax cuts to their party faithful at a party conference over the weekend. In turn, they were greeted with applause, which, though it may have been less than wildly enthusiastic, ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 12, 2024 thru Sat, May 18, 2024. Story of the week “The legislation I signed today [will] keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect New Zealanders' right of free speech. The “Protection of Freedom of Expression Bill” will ensure that no organisation or individual, when acting within the law, is unreasonably denied use of a public venue for an organised event or ...
The Green Party unequivocally condemns the governing parties’ attempts to limit the public’s say on the controversial Māori wards legislation, after the select committee considering the legislation set a deadline for submissions of just five days. ...
Disabled children and families nationwide have recently found out they’re no longer able to use disability support funding for programmes during school hours in another quiet update from the Government. ...
Following a horrific case of stalking that ended in tragedy, Labour’s police spokesperson Ginny Andersen has drafted a bill that would add stalking to the Crimes Act. ...
The Rt Hon Winston Peters, joined by Mike King, has announced $24 million over four years for the ‘I Am Hope Foundation’, and will provide young people aged between 5 to 25 years with free mental health counselling services. This funding will help I Am Hope’s ‘Gumboot Friday’ initiative give ...
Te Pāti Māori have launched a petition to stop the repeal of Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act. This announcement comes prior to the first reading of the Section 7AA repeal bill in Parliament today. “Section 7AA forces the Government to adhere to Te Tiriti o Waitangi with respect ...
The Government has yet again failed to do the one thing that needs to happen to ensure houses can be built – commit to ongoing funding, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Treasury officials have outlined many ways in which the Fast Track Approvals Bill is deeply flawed, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking says. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick used this year's State of the Planet to call on the Government to prioritise people and planet as the delivery of the Budget approaches. A full transcript of their speeches can be found below. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick have used their State of the Planet speeches to challenge the Government to prioritise people and planet over profit as the delivery of the Budget approaches. ...
The Government’s introduction of legislation that would enable landlords to end tenancies with no reason marks a dark day for the 1.4 million people who rent their home in Aotearoa. ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
1. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters; Minister of Health and Minister for Pacific Peoples Hon Dr Shane Reti; and Minister for Climate Change Hon Simon Watts hosted Cook Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Hon Tingika Elikana and Minister of Health Hon Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown on 24 May ...
The Government has approved two-year extensions for four New Zealand Defence Force deployments to the Middle East and Africa, Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. “These deployments are long-standing New Zealand commitments, which reflect our ongoing interest in promoting peace and stability, and making active ...
The Climate Change Commission Chair, Dr Rod Carr, has confirmed his plans to retire at the end of his term later this year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Prior to the election, Dr Carr advised me he would be retiring when his term concluded. Dr Rod Carr has led ...
Nine highly respected experts have been appointed to the inaugural board of the new Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission is a new independent Crown entity which was established under the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act last year, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed today that Vote Foreign Affairs in Budget 2024 will balance two crucial priorities of the Coalition Government. While Budget 2024 reflects the constrained fiscal environment, the Government also recognises the critical role MFAT plays in keeping New Zealanders safe and prosperous. “Consistent with ...
New social housing funding in Budget 2024 will ensure the Government can continue supporting more families into warm, dry homes from July 2025, Housing Ministers Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka say. “Earlier this week I was proud to announce that Budget 2024 allocates $140 million to fund 1,500 new social ...
Introduction Today, we are sharing a red-letter occasion. A Blackball event on hallowed ground. Today we underscore the importance of our mineral estate. A reminder that our natural resource sector has much to offer. Such a contribution will not come to pass without investment. However, more than money is needed. ...
Increasing national and regional prosperity, providing the minerals needed for new technology and the clean energy transition, and doubling the value of minerals exports are the bold aims of the Government’s vision for the minerals sector. Resources Minister Shane Jones today launched a draft strategy for the minerals sector in ...
The coalition Government’s legislation to restore the rights of communities to determine whether to introduce Māori wards has passed its first reading in Parliament, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says. “Divisive changes introduced by the previous government denied local communities the ability to determine whether to establish Māori wards.” The ...
The coalition Government has today introduced legislation to slash the tangle of red and green tape throttling some of New Zealand’s key sectors, including farming, mining and other primary industries. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the Government is committed to unlocking development and investment while ensuring the environment is ...
The decision by Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to approve the continued use of hydrogen cyanamide, known as Hi-Cane, has been welcomed by Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay. “The EPA decision introduces appropriate environmental safeguards which will allow kiwifruit and other growers to use Hi-Cane responsibly,” Ms ...
Kia ora, Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou kātoa Tāmaki Herenga Waka, Tāmaki Herenga tangata Ngā mihi ki ngā mana whenua o tēnei rohe Ngāti Whātua ō Ōrākei me nga iwi kātoa kua tae mai. Mauriora. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the EMA for hosting this event. Let me acknowledge ...
The coalition Government is investing in social housing for New Zealanders who are most in need of a warm dry home, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. Budget 2024 will allocate $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places to be provided by Community Housing Providers (CHPs), not ...
Thousands more young New Zealanders will have better access to mental health services as the Government delivers on its commitment to fund the Gumboot Friday initiative, says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. “Budget 2024 will provide $24 million over four years to contract the ...
The Coalition Government’s Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, which will improve tenancy laws and help increase the supply of rental properties, has passed its first reading in Parliament says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The Bill proposes much-needed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 that will remove barriers to increasing private ...
Standing here in Cassino War Cemetery, among the graves looking up at the beautiful Abbey of Montecassino, it is hard to imagine the utter devastation left behind by the battles which ended here in May 1944. Hundreds of thousands of shells and bombs of every description left nothing but piled ...
I present a legislative statement on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill Mr. Speaker, I move that the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the Bill. Thank you, Mr. ...
The Bill to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has had its first reading in Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the care and safety of children in care, says Minister for Children Karen Chhour. “When I became the Minister for Children, I made ...
Kia ora koutou, good morning, and zao shang hao. Thank you Fran for the opportunity to speak at the 2024 China Business Summit – it’s great to be here today. I’d also like to acknowledge: Simon Bridges - CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. His Excellency Ambassador - Wang ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing them ...
The Coalition Government will introduce legislation this year that will enable roadside drug testing as part of our commitment to improve road safety and restore law and order, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. In ...
The Government has announced a series of immediate actions in response to the independent review of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “Kāinga Ora is a large and important Crown entity, with assets of $45 billion and over $2.5 billion of expenditure each year. It ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour is pleased that Pseudoephedrine can now be purchased by the general public to protect them from winter illness, after the coalition government worked swiftly to change the law and oversaw a fast approval process by Medsafe. “Pharmacies are now putting the medicines back on their ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Da jia hao. Good morning everyone. Prime Minister Luxon, your excellency, a great friend of New Zealand and my friend Ambassador Wang, Mayor of what he tells me is the best city in New Zealand, Wayne Brown, the highly respected Fran O’Sullivan, Champion of the Auckland business ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says. “This ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman meets an old rival and wonders what could’ve been. Mōrena and welcome to The Weekend, where dreams and regrets have time and space to flower. What’s the thing in your life that you wish you had given more energy to? It could be a relationship, an exam, ...
This year, Tori Peeters will compete at the Paris Olympics in the javelin. Ten years ago, Madeleine Chapman thought she might be in the same position. She talks to Peeters about what it takes to go all the way and mulls her own life decisions in the process.No New ...
The star of High Country talks Tinkerbell, her love for Hawkeye Pierce and why a 98-year-old environmentalist is the most stylish man on television. Sara Wiseman has been a fixture on New Zealand television screens for nearly three decades. First appearing in Hercules and Xena Warrior Princess during the mid ...
Alex Casey takes a trip to Lincoln to visit the only couple from the first season of Married at First Sight NZ that’s still together. To cross the threshold into Brett and Angel’s marital abode is to be greeted with a welcome that sums up the MAFSNZ season one golden ...
In a new weekly interview series, we ask a different local artist to curate their dream weekend soundtrack. First up: Troy Kingi. Troy Kingi is a man on a well-documented mission to make 10 albums, in 10 genres, over 10 years. But finding himself creatively blocked while making his eighth ...
Reflections on a childhood split across Hong Kong and Auckland. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I arrive in Hong Kong with my mother in the middle of summer. t’s not a good time to travel here, she tells me. It’s June. We’re ...
Pacific Media Watch Pro-Palestinian protesters dressed in blue “press” vests tonight staged a vigil calling on New Zealand journalists to show solidarity with the media of Gaza who have suffered the highest death toll in any war. They staged the vigil at the Viaduct venue of NZ’s annual Voyager Media ...
Opinion: Outside my house, the autumn breeze blows crisp leaves off trees and leaks through the gap in my ranchslider while I slump on my couch listening to our CEO announcing our restructure. With many ums and ahs, he reads his script, talking of “prioritisation,” “working differently,” and “reconceiving the ...
Just days after Taiwan’s new president called on China to stop making threats, Beijing has launched “punishment” military drills around the island. Everyone was watching to see what China’s reaction to the swearing in of President William Lai Ching-te would be. On Thursday night we found out. China had already ...
For the past six weeks Annie has been sleeping with a teacher named Patrick Drury. Twice he has tried to call it an affair. Twice she has considered correcting him. But she likes how he looks when he says it. She likes that he’s older than her. That he’s recently ...
MONDAY Fast-Track Jones stood in the shade beneath an awning of a train station and waited for the 3:10 to Blackball. He narrowed his eyes and studied the view. A water tower. A windmill. A cattle fence. All else was empty land. Locomotive smoke rose over the horizon. The 3:10 ...
A groundbreaking investigative podcast into the death of Gore three-year-old Lachie Jones has won Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner two notable awards at the Voyager Media Awards. Their in-depth reporting and nine-part first season of The Boy in the Water, which led to the case being reopened twice and preceded ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Scores of people have died in a huge landslide which has struck a remote village in the Papua New Guinean highlands. The landslide reportedly hit Yambali village in Enga Province, about 600 km north-west of Port Moresby. The landslip has buried homes and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lara Herrero, Research Leader in Virology and Infectious Disease, Griffith University Red-Diamond/Shutterstock We’ve now been living with COVID for well over four years. Although there’s still much to learn about SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) at least one thing seems ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clive Schofield, Professor, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has found countries are obliged to protect the oceans from climate change impacts under the law of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca McGirr, Postdoctoral research fellow, Australian National University Bernhard Staehli/Shutterstock Imagine you’re standing near the edge of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, gazing out over the ocean, when the ice near you starts to melt very rapidly. A surge of meltwater flows ...
The Finance Minister prepares to present one of the most difficult budgets, National MP David MacLeod gets himself into trouble and the First Home Buyers Grant is scrapped. ...
The Iranian Solidarity Group NZ met with Minister For Foreign Affairs Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, urging the NZ government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (the IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. The group continues to advocate for justice ...
On 24th May, 6pm, Palestinian journalists covering Gaza will be honoured in a silent and visually impactful vigil outside Shed 10, 89 Quay Street, Auckland, where the Voyager Media Awards are being held. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney This should be a golden age for Australian soccer. After all, the big picture is good: the Matildas are waltzing, the Socceroos are well supported and Australia was just awarded hosting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Wellings, Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Monash University Assuming a Labour win in the UK general election – always a risky assumption given Labour’s proclivity for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory – the “Global Britain” bombast emanating ...
The community group People Against Prisons Aotearoa is holding a protest against mass incarceration tomorrow against the Government’s proposed expansion of Waikeria prison. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Shutterstock OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, and News Corp, the international media conglomerate, have signed a deal that will let OpenAI use and learn from News Corp’s content. In ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaimon Kelly, Senior Research Fellow in Telehealth delivered health services, The University of Queensland Shutterstock/Nils Versemann For many Australians the emergency department (ED) is the physical and emblematic front door to accessing urgent health-care services. But health-care services are evolving rapidly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Trelease, Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Following the hugely successful recent season of Married At First Sight (MAFS) Australia, fans of the format – and the reality romance genre in general – will be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic Redfern, Associate Professor, School of Art, RMIT University We Are All Unique by Universal Everything commissioned by Hyundai Motorstudio Senayan Park in Beings at ACMI.Image by Michelle Tran At this week’s launch of Beings by Universal Everything, ACMI board member ...
As Married at First Sight New Zealand returns to our screens this Sunday, Tara Ward speaks to the show’s new relationship experts about what lies ahead. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. John Aiken is teasing Jo Robertson about her cup of ...
A new poem by Wellington writer Erin Donohue. The body’s score Here is what happens if you starve yourself for years. Your body will forget herself. She will have to learn new how a heart beats and she will not get it right. She will need MRIs and a quiet ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Picador, $25)A charming, smash-hit book about ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle “Only the struggle counts . . . death is nothing.” Éloi Machoro — “the Che Guevara of the Pacific” — said this shortly before he was gunned down by a French sniper on 12 January 1985. Machoro, one of the leaders of the newly-formed FLNKS (Kanak ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Wake, Associate Professor, Journalism, RMIT University Photo by Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels The news media play a vital role in shaping the public conversation and covering complex issues such as war, the economy, climate change and technology. Yet our new research ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aviroop Gupta, PhD Candidate, Curtin University Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has resorted to religious polarisation as it tries to rally its Hindu nationalist base in India’s ongoing general election, which ends on June 1. Just days after voting started ...
Lana Walters’ new show is playing in Auckland for the NZ International Comedy Festival. Madeleine Holden (a parent) and Liv Sisson (not) went along to review. I hadn’t heard of comedian Lana Walters until a colleague posted the following message in one of The Spinoff’s Slack channels: “Has anyone been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paola A. Magni, Associate Professor of Forensic Science, Murdoch University Microgen / Shutterstock When you think of a criminal investigation, you might picture detectives meticulously collecting and analysing evidence found at the scene: weapons, biological fluids, footprints and fingerprints. However, this ...
Recent price falls in the New Zealand market for carbon credits leaves the Government facing the prospect of a significant loss of revenue from carbon auctions this year. The March financial statements from Treasury highlight lower-than-expected revenue ...
ANALYSIS:By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French President Emmanuel Macron has ended a meeting-packed whirlwind day in New Caledonia with back-to-back sessions including opposing leaders in the French Pacific territory. Macron left New Caledonia this morning, leaving some members of his entourage to deal with details ...
"The government's 'Draft Mineral Strategy' released this week by Minister for Resources Shane Jones is a disaster in the making for the environment, the climate and people as more and more rural communities will have to battle these companies ...
Behind the pretty flower beds at Auckland Botanic Gardens, conservation mahi is under way for the region’s 357 threatened plants. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. At Auckland Botanic Gardens, conservation specialist Ella Rawcliffe has been trying to plant a seed that’s smaller ...
One financial hopeful looks to MPs for inspiration on how to be savvy with money.As a person whose search history includes “easy ways to make money” and “what should I do with $1,000 savings”, my interest was piqued when parliament released the pecuniary interests register this week. Since 2005, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Mintzes, Professor, School of Pharmacy and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney Monster Ztudio/Shutterstock Drug companies are paying Australian doctors millions of dollars a year to fly to overseas conferences and meetings, give talks to other doctors, and to serve ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trivess Moore, Associate Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University The Victorian government is planning Australia’s largest urban renewal project. The plan is to knock down and rebuild 44 large public housing towers in Melbourne. The government says these ...
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The reported statement in 2005 about the reasons for the Shonkey one sending his children to private schools has gone viral:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10810207
Power to the people!
PS: Pity about the comic piece beside this article, with a photo of a comedian with a ludicrous speech bubble spewing out of his mouth.
Out-sourcing copy editors off-shore leads to some real stuff-ups in the headlines – like this one for the NZ Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10810205
Surely the headline should read:
Marauding police surround students
and not vice versa as seen this morning on the NZH online?
Carol .. do they really out-source copy editng offshore ? Where to ??
Indeed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Zealand_Herald#Outsourcing
Although last week there was news about the possible outsourcing of copy editing for Fairfax Aussie papers, to NZ.
thx carol …
Well said Carol. Was furious when I saw this headline. Nearly choked over a cup of tea when I saw the 4.30pm TVNZ news yesterday and saw police lifting people by their necks using armholds and fingers around throats, crushing a person’s head by their neck into the concreted ground and then saw a policeman pull his arm back and really punch a student hard at least a couple of times. I was absolutely stunned and horrified .The students were passive and to their absolute credit did not retaliate.This video was sanitised by the time it reached the six o’ clock news, I could find it nowhere on the TVNZ site. Thus I went to TV3 and found much of what I previously witnessed, however there was only a slight glimpse of the policeman punching some one.I saved them in case they ‘disappeared’ too.
Student protests Auckland Queen Street, Friday, June1st 2012 TV3:
Violent strangling punching from police 10.36pm
http://www.3news.co.nz/More-protests-to-come—students/tabid/309/articleID/256436/Default.aspx
“Three police to one woman” 3.07pm
http://www.3news.co.nz/Arrests-at-student-anti-Budget-protest/tabid/423/articleID/256395/Default.aspx
6.01 news Jane Liscome,, some violence from police shown
http://www.3news.co.nz/Dozens-of-arrests-as-students-protest/tabid/309/articleID/256414/Default.aspx
Why were some of the police so dangerous? Have they not had training into how to handle peaceful protests?
It seems, from the Herald story you have just linked to that someone is spinning. Even Bill English’ part in the provocation was watered down. This type of untruthful and ‘spin’ reporting infuriates me.
It could have been my son, who is a student in Auckland, that could have been manhandled like this by the police. My fury would have known no bounds, and misrepresentation of the facts would have poured further fuel on my anger.
Peaceful protest has become no longer a democratic right in this country. Violent police learned their stuff elsewhere – you can guess where.
The headline is a disgrace alright…
I’m just windering how long it takes til people start to understand, what “outsourcing” is really all about.
Much more to it than face value!
This country is heading into very dark places, which people seem to think won’t happen here.
If it happens abroad, it WILL come to NZ!
I posted this in the other thread. Marauding is the wrong word. It means pillaging, looting, pirating etc. Someone should complain.
Well bugger me!
Rail commuters to gain from $900m boost
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7033183/Rail-commuters-to-gain-from-900m-boost
Standard authors – do you want to support a campaign to get a debate on the future of our Super?
This is not about specific options for Super at this stage, it’s to build a campaign for dealing with and debating super. Super is one of the most important issues facing us over the next half century. We need to discuss it and deal with it.
David Shearer is pushing for a cross party discussion. And according to Duncan Garner:
– The Greens have said yes,
– ACT would join,
– the Maori Party want in,
– Hone Harawira won’t say no
– and Winston Peters could be tempted.
– Peter Dunne says everyone must join up for this to have credibility.
SO how about cross-blog support for this? Combine the power of the blogs. Post a blog, or comment here in support.
BADASS – Bloggers Advancing Debate About Super Solutions
No.
The deal that accompanied the end of chattel slavery was that us ‘new found’ slaves for rent (forced into the position through violent dispossession and enclosure) would be allowed to work our way to freedom. Ie, we would rent our labour for a number of years and in return it was acknowledged we wouldn’t be forced to rent ourselves out in later years.
Okay, it wasn’t exactly a deal. It was an imposition. And that’s why many people died or had their lives ruined, first in resistence, and then, when that was quashed, attempting to improve various aspects of our end of ‘the deal’.
And now we are being told….well no, this is what we’re not being told…that our wages have been driven so low by those seeking to profit from our labour, that government cannot raise enough money from us in the way of taxes to provide for retirement. What we are being told is that we need to rent ourselves out for a larger proportion of our life span because….because, well shit… just because really. But not because profits, unlike people, have to remain inviolate.
No what? No to doing anything about it?
Or do you have another viable solution to talking about all the options are working out a sustainable way forward?
The ‘no’ refers to the fact that any such debate should be off the table. Why should it be off the table? Read my comment. Any government daring to make even the slightest hint of extending the years of rented out labour would, in a society that knew its history, be ‘gone by lunch time’.
And anyway, what is the ‘it’ that something needs done about Pete? I guess in your world it simply couldn’t be the enormous and continuely rising rate of profit that has essentially diverted resources away from workers and by extension governments and so society at large.
You want a sustainable way forward Pete? Well how about you firts of all recognise what it is that is unsustainable? Here’s a hint, it’s capitalism and its demand for growth. So whatever sustainable way it is that we might develop going forwards; this isn’t it Pete.
And even within the parameters of Capitalism…since I doubt you’ll ever get beyond a quizzical DUH? when trying to get your head around why some people might not be enamored by the whole shebang…. selectively picking out little bits of so-called ‘economic unsustainability’ and not looking at how that transpired…refusing to look at the bigger picture,the context… is a sheer fucking dishonest nonsense that any politician, for having brought it into the arena of public debate, should fucking swing for.
I’ve acknowledged the capitalism ponzi problem for quite a while Bill.
I’m far less certain that a complete change in economic system is necessary to attain sustainability. One of the biggest impediments is the entrenched attitude of most of the population who are addicted to consumerism.
I fail to see National mentioned in your cross-party list, is this an error? I think my sight is alright. Are all the others truly likely to get far?
Not an error, Nationbal’s current position is to do nothing and change nothing, while Key is still PM. English says the same – see National’s toes dug in Super.
So we have four options:
1. Go the National way and kick the can down the road, until 2014, or 2017, or…
2. Build support and pressure to “encourage” National to change their minds and at least start the discussion necessary to address it.
3. Ignore National’s intransigence and do as much work as possible discussing and investigating and decidedin amongst everyone else so that when the next Non-National led government gets in any changes can be started as soon as possible.
4. Wait and hope for Bill’s revolution (and hope there are no adverse effects or unforeseen consequences and hope that there’s a miracle transformation to go with it).
pg hair should grow some and sort it out with national he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue.No plan National and by default the hair the MP for Ohairyu
he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue
I don’t know how you think he could do that. He can’t force National or any other party to do anything.
UF does have an agreement with National to have a discussion paper on super this term, and National have said they will honour that commitment (Bill Enlish reeaffirmed that on Thursday). So that’s a toe in the door opportunity. I’m doing what I can to help make the most of that toe in the door, and trying to involve any other party that is willing to be involved as much as possible.
This BADASS initiative could help in this respect, the wider and larger the public support for doing soemthing the more more that can be done, sooner. Maybe not as soon as some of us would prefer, but it’s far better than doing nothing.
Pete stop trying to gain the cudos for this. Labour and the Greens are the only parties brave enough to raise this as an issue and discuss it. UF just confused the issue by proposing something that actually achieved nothing.
If you want to do something of use persuade the follicled one to withdraw support for the Government. This is the one and only thing UF could do if it is interested in achieving a solution.
That’s one of the sillier things you’ve said. It would make a mockery of a coalition agreement and our MMP if UF withdrew support from the Government.
And it would remove the one guaranteed chance of official Super discussions.That opportunity can be used to the max, or ignored, which would probably result in no progress on Super this term.
I don’t expect you to understand non-partisan practical politics, but I know some in Labour do.
Pete, seeing National has said they are not at all interested in substantive talks, then what can be done?
UFs coalition agreement is a farce that will achieve nothing on this. It’s designed to achieve nothing on this. Signing up to it was an agreement by Dunne that nothing will be actually done.
So he either honours it, and toes national’s ‘do nothing’ line, or he tries to get a majority in parliament to do something without national. But the coalition agreement thing cannot be a part of getting anything done, because it is with National, who are adament that they are not going to do anything.
seeing National has said they are not at all interested in substantive talks, then what can be done?
Simple. All other parties can work together to ensure there are substantive talks.
Even if Labour was leading government now nothing would actually be changing this term, they were only proposing signalling change starting in 2020.
But now there is a guaranteed opportunity to begin a discussion which can be used to prepare for when we have a government willing to act on it.
Suggest a better way to do it.
But now there is a guaranteed opportunity to begin a discussion which can be used to prepare for when we have a government willing to act on it.
There is always an opportunity to talk about it Pete, and it’s always gauranteed. But the coalition agreement ‘talk’ is guaranteed to fail. It’s predetermined to fail. It’s between National and UF, and National have said they are not for changing.
Suggest a better way to do it.
how about the various parties work out what they want to do in terms of policy, advocate for those policies, and then we put it up to a vote from the entire electorate in the form of an election, After that election the parties elected to parliament will negotiate untill some combination can form a government and implement policy.
that sounds a lot better to me than a bunch of undemocratic back room dealiing
Well two predictions Petey. Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures. And the coiffured one will continue to receive his grossly excessive salary and get driven around by limos paid with our coin.
When does he “get driven around by limos”? I think that’s an uninformed criticism based on no facts. As far as I know he drives himself around Wellington in an ordinary sort of car.
Baubles of office, Pete, baubles of office.
And stop diverting. If you are keen to do something about retirement then persuade UF to jump up and down and insist on National at least talking about the subject. Labour and the Greens will happily take part in the discussion.
You’re the one who baubled on with diversions, remember?
persuade UF to jump up and down and insist on National at least talking about the subject
Keep up. UF have already got a (C&S) commitment from National to talk about it. No other party has managed that yet.
Well talk about it all you want Petey but I repeat prediction one:
Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures.
“Well talk about it all you want Petey”
AaaaRRRGGGGGGG.
Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures.
If everyone buys into that then you will be right. If enough people are prepared to stand up and push, then it will at least perpare the way.
Maybe you should talk to David Shearer, it seems to be a major priority of his, he is talking to other parties about it quietly and proposing co-operative action publicly.
Once again it seems I’m more supportive of what your leader is doing than you are. Why don’t you get in behind him on that, help drive it. I think it needs an inside/outside parliament multi party approach. I’m happy to work with you on it.
Just print the money to cover the super needs. Whats the problem again?
Sorry Weka, my bad …
Yes, I think we can only do what is manageable, given the Key intransigence. Hopefully such cross-party consultation as might be possible will at least be persuasive with the public.Points 2 and 3 look positive possibilities. I agree with your comment on National’s current position.
We only need to look at places like the USA, whese we see retirees having to live on the street or work in low wage jobs because their retirement savings were wiped out in various crashes, or their employer was able to get out of making good on their pension obligations, ie United Airlines, various city and local governments, etc, to be thankful of the existence of NZ Super, which is only becoming expensive because of 20 years of tax cuts, especially in terms of wealth taxes.
I have noticed that those who scream the loudest about this are those who:
1) Work in the financial sector and would make a lot money from managing pension accounts, or advising people where to invest for their retirements.
2) Those who have a secure retirement to look forward to
3) Those looking for cheap labour
4) People who just resent people on low incomes/state assistance.
Don’t forget those in sedentary jobs, who can easily work until 80.
Are happy to make those work on whose more demanding jobs destroy their physical or mental health.
Unfortunately enough to make work difficult, but not enough to get an invalids benefit.
You hit the nail on the head. The only group whose funding is affording the lifestyle of the abysmal greedy with some sort of “guaranty” is the taxpayer. The longer they can milk this group the better for them. Naturally.
Four years ago Comedian and Guardian journalist Charlie Skelton went to Greece to rapport and possibly ridicule the “conspiracy” theorists who tried to attend the Global population to the fact that on average 200 of the richest and most powerful people met in secret to “talk freely”about global affairs. That was four years ago.
But when Charlie was followed and bullied and scared shitless by some of the Bilderberg goons he decided to have a closer look.
Today Charlie after following BIlderberg and visiting each consecutive Bilderberg meeting (Outside with all the other Bilderberg watchers) Charlie talks a very different tune.
So here is Charlie in the Guardian for those of you still firmly entrenched in the artificial Left/Right political paradigm.
If the meetings are in secret, how could anyone follow them? I will go read the article though.
Sorry, couldn’t finish it. It was funny, but my eyes started glazing over at the lists of people who I was supposed to know the significance of but didn’t. Does it actually get to explain anything?
Here is a vid called Endgame which explains the agenda of the Bilderberg group and in it is Jim Tucker who has been on the Bilderberg since ’75.
I had to laugh at Hansard the other day. (http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/d/c/9/50HansD_20120530_00000012-Questions-for-Oral-Answer-Questions-to-Ministers.htm)
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think that is one of the factors. I also agree with the OECD when, in 2010, we were rated as having the second-to-best water quality, by Yale and Columbia.
Dr Russel Norman: Is the Prime Minister aware that the Yale report that he just quoted from has now been updated and our ranking has moved from second to 43rd, and does his Government take credit for the movement in our ranking in the Yale report from second to 43rd?
Lol. What a bunch of clowns we have running the place.
So true weka.
They are not clowns, they are actors filling their role in a script!
Believing they are simply inept is to be missing a much more serious problem!
What was very interesting is Norman was NOT allowed to table the latest Yale report.
If we ignore it it does not exist!,
On Red Alert May 30, David Cunliffe spoke about a similar thing happening to him under a post entitled “Spin, damned spin, and Steven Joyce
http://blog.labour.org.nz/
“In response to parliamentary oral question 7 today, economic development Minister Steven Joyce tried to deflect today’s announced cut to New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) 2012 growth forecast to a “stagnant” 1.5%, by saying this was all due to the supposed increase in the domestic savings rate.
Perhaps he was hoping that, as the NZIER publication is subscription-only, it was not going to be available to the Opposition, or to the public, and we would be unaware of his spin.
The problem for him, though, is I had the report in my hand and then I sought to table it.
National withheld leave for me to do so, to prevent you from judging for yourself.”
So David C posted the overview of the report to undermine Joyce’s spin and counteract this national MO of preventing tabling of information that national wants to ignore or deny. In other words, “what Mr Joyce thinks he can get away with in Question Time if no one is checking.”
Yeah, I’ve noticed recently that NACT are objecting to tabling any material that shows just how bad they are.
What are the rules and the purpose for objecting to things being tabled?
It’s the intent of Standing Orders 368 and 374 to allow members of the House to be informed on matters not readily available to it by the tabling of documents. It’s meant to be a way for an assertion to be backed up with evidence.
You need to seek leave to table documents that are outside the scope of parliament or normal avenues of information gathering. There are meant to be good grounds to object to somebody seeking leave, however National MP’s have taken to abusing the process because there is so much information available that they would prefer was not officially registered.
While the Hansard is not required to log who is objecting to the tabling of documents and the Speaker continues to allow objections without good reason, such abuses of the system will continue.
Delightful! Thanks for spotting this. Good too for Russell Norman. How we need him now and, I hope, well into the future.
I’ve just upgraded firefox, and now find ‘The Standard’ format slighly different, and irritatingly, lots of boxes popping up offering different kinds of ‘help’. Anyone else experiencing this?
Using Firefox 12, which is apparently all up to date. And no problems.
Nope.
Maybe a dictionary, or a spell check, or a quick, find will come in handy. Eventually.
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
Re the help popups, have you looked in the Preference settings?
Thanks Weka.
Yes it is mainly in the reply box. I can’t get in because it wants to spell check or offers me other tools before I’ve even got my cursor into the box, let alone written anything, and often blocks me getting into the box with the “help”.
I’ll try the preference settings.
btw I should have said that I don’t bother much with spelling and grammar rather than that I don’t often need it 😀
To be honest, it sounds more like some sort of malware.
Wouldn’t Norton stop that kind of thing? (Here’s hoping).
It’ll catch most of it but a new virus could get through.
Weka, this has been a bug in Firefox for ages. It’s mildly annoying, particularly on posts with lots of comments, but I’ve learned to live with it! The other oddity is the comments RSS feed seems to be very short (ie. only a few comments) compared to other browsers.
Check you have the latest version of Firefox (v12)
Disable add-ons (for example, NoScript) that could interfere with the comment box
Or try Google Chrome…
Doesn’t do that for me.
I believe that Lynn shortened the RSS feeds to save on bandwidth.
Not comments. Just the posts which got clipped to the excerpt from the front page.Worked a treat – our expensive overseas traffic dropped quite a lot.
You might want to remove super cookies as well weka, as they can cause all sorts of problems. Here’s a helpful post outlining the process.
Have you guys heard of the Flame virus? Now that’s some scary stuff.
Thanks Jackal and everyone else who offered advice.
I’ve done everything suggested (except change to chrome) and the problem appears to be gone (touch wood).
Result!
Obama ordered “Code Stux
They blamed Israel for this weaponisation of cyberspace for a while, but it looks like the US might have been behind it all along.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/obama-ordered-code-stux
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
I thought I was the only one this incredibly irritating bug happened too.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
I tried to post this and got ‘internal server error’… whatever that means!
When trying to post this comment I got an ‘internal server error’, and the advice that I ought to contact you, and detail what I might have done to cause the problem – to which the answer is “blowed if I know’!
” month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!”
No problem with Firefox on my Mac, except for the way Apple manufacture them.
Has anyone heard any more news about the PoA dispute?
PoA and MUNZ went back to negotiations but after that, everything went quiet..
Is there going to be a new CEA? What about the contracting out plans?
Last I heard POAL were waiting for the POAL industrial relations ACT to be enacted so they did not have to negotiate. Good faith or otherwise.
POAL’s lawyer died and the court cases were adjourned, so at present they are talking, but MUNZ has no illusions that POAL will not have another go at casualisation when the law is changed.
A majority of countries in the 47-nation rights council supported a US and Arab-led resolution condemning the “outrageous use of force against the civilian population” in Houla.
–Hey who are the Arab League anyway (not using the name Arab League anymore I notice…Oh thats right, Bahrain, Qatar and other assorted murderers, liers and dictators…But they are monarchist states, so part of the imperial love fest!
–Good old NZH still playing its part in the global narrative relay system for the imperialists!
Still no mention of the death squads, or the sects all now killing eachother…Nah its as simple as the Syrian Govt Forces against the “rebel” civillians! Nice and simply packaged for very stupid people!
Joseph Stiglitz follows up last years Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% with The 1 Percent’s Problem.
Thanks for that link. Stiglitz is spot on.
Great article, I especially liked the bit about rent seeking being destructive.
At a Labour regional conference. Biggest turnout in years! Great speech from David Shearer, very confident and looking more and more like the next PM. DC up now, talking about our future clean tech economy. Grant Robertson next.
Its been an interesting approach from the leadership, asking questions of the participants, rather than lecturing from on high. The discussion paper on the ongoing organisational review has been received really well and has stimulated a lot of talk among the delegates. Presumably that will flow on into the remits session tomorrow, where there is going to be some robust debate on how we re-engage the voters, particularly the lower paid enrolled non voters.
Sounds like a repeat performance of last week-end’s Auck./Northland conference TRP. I liked the way Shearer brought in his senior colleagues to answer questions specific to their portfolios. It wasn’t that he couldn’t answer them himself, but he presumably wants them to share the platform with him. I found it very refreshing and suggests Labour is going to do the opposite to National and promote themselves as a well-oiled team rather than a one man band.
Was that the reason certain sections of the media – mainstream and elsewhere – were recently trying to create a perception of Labour caucus division with talk of warring factions and caucus rows?
No sign of division at all, there are 8 MP’s, all singing from the same song sheet. The day has just finished with an excellent presentation from Young Labour. We are so lucky having these young activists coming through, they are just so positive, so ready to be part of the political future of NZ!
Interested to hear thoughts on what you believe, yet another change in government is really going to achieve for NZ, seriously its an honest question..Dont come back with we wont sell assets etc!
Until you hear them talking about RBNZ audits, or printing project funds, as is our sovereign right to do, then you can forget about it…
Young activists coming through, so lucky…Voice come on bro, these peoople have got nothing, nothing to offer NZ long term survivial, and as long as people such as yourself continue to believe that, then all I can do is say, thanks very much for being part of the problem, would you have a think about some self evaluation!
Blah blah blah, waste of time because the serious issues are out of our parliaments hands!