‘Dairy Auction: Prices continue to fall’
Farmers won’t be able to take much more of this, especially as this is now predicted to last next year as well.
How does the government get away with commentators calling this a rock star economy?
Also, I’m looking forward to seeing the supermarket price of milk, butter and dairy products decline for the sixth time when I do my shopping this week.
Sepp Blatter rocked the world of soccer on Tuesday by unexpectedly quitting as FIFA president in the face of a corruption investigation that has plunged the game’s governing body into the worst crisis in its history.
Blatter, 79, announced the decision at a hastily arranged news conference in Zurich, six days after police raided a hotel in Zurich and arrested several FIFA officials and just four days after he was re-elected to a fifth term as president.
It’s so frustrating; the 17 year anti-corruption, pro transparency regime he has so manfully championed was just starting to bear fruit, too. Why do the good guys go too soon?
It came about after the USA was beaten by Qatar for 2022 world cup.
Putin backed Qatar with a LOT of money.
USA has gotten the pip and doing what it can to show the world it wont be fucked with.
FFS Qatar is one of the richest oil nations on Earth, they don’t need Russian money. Get a grip. The US is targetting the Russian World Cup and hoping to derail it.
Or the corrupt US FIFA guy who had a Trump Towers apartment for his cat but never filed a tax return got nabbed for his personal accounting irregularities and pled down to “why are you picking on me? You should see what those guys are doing!!!”, thus breaking open a case that had been languishing in the “looks fucked up, we know it’s fucked up, but we can’t prove it’s fucked up” pile.
The best thing for the US is for Russia to spend billions on a WC that never makes money for the host nation.
Kinda irrelevant now, CV. Russia and Qatar are probably going to lose their hosting rights in the fallout and the process will be re-opened. Could be an opportunity for us and the Aussies to host in 2022. If Russia does lose 2018, Germany will be able to cover without difficulty.
Too right! They’ll be packing themselves, particularly the Brazilians. Lots of uncounted for FIFA money went into the last World Cup. Blatter knows who got what and where it went.
Ha! Yep, that’s it in a nutshell. Bonus points for saving Israel’s blushes, too. FIFA, the finest democracy money can buy! But to be serious, both Qatar and Russia are undemocratic states where homophobia and racism are entrenched in legislation. They should have never even been in the position where their applications were taken seriously, let alone endorsed.
Bottom line is that the US could not get rid of Blatter democratically, so they resorted to dirty tricks to disrupt the FIFA elections. A repeat of the “you’re either with us or against us” divide and conquer imperial strategy. The South American nations understand this very well.
You are fine to back Western hegemony in the football world as in all other things. The West couldn’t win the competitions democratically, so they resorted to dirty tricks.
Just remember western nations have decided to allow thousands of poor refugees from Africa to drown in the Med every year and have little moral authority here.
Re: the best democracy money can buy – how about that US Senate which finally passed the TPPA fast track legislation when given a few hundred thousand more in corporate bribes?
Qatar will keep the World Cup and I guess you will support that, because Qatar are major US allies. Russia however is likely to lose theirs, and no doubt you will support that too.
Eh? That comment made eff all sense. FIFA is not a democracy, it’s a cartel. Russia and Qatar bought their tournaments. Both are truly awful, despotic regimes who should not be allowed to play in the World Cup, let alone host them.
The USA’s involvement is because they have the ability to do something about it. And good job, too.
You can excuse unilateral and militant Western action all you like TRP, but the Russian and Qatar World Cups were not awarded on any different basis than all the other World Cups during Blatter’s 17 year reign.
South Korea/Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Africa.
Ah yes the USA fighting for a world free of corruption and oppression – keep waving the imperial flag TRP!
usual western approach in fact – Sepp Blatter gets voted in by FIFA delegates but to Western hegemony, democratic elections are only valid if the right person wins.
You probably preferred the Jordanian Prince candidate as head of FIFA. Speaking of democracies and all.
1. (of an action or decision) performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of another or the others.
“unilateral nuclear disarmament”
synonyms: independent, autonomous, solitary, solo, go-it-alone, single-handed, self-determined, maverick, isolationist
Like it or not, or even understand the issues and players or not, the fact remains that this is the best day in football for half a century. Your wibbling can’t change that, CV.
Oh, bullshit. Condescending, racist bullshit at that. I know you’ve got your problems, but coming out in favour of ongoing corruption has to be one of the weirdest things you’ve ever put up here. If you don’t know what’s going on, just say nothing.
And now the Western European countries/US are threatening to launch their own parallel World Cup to undermine Russia and Qatar’s events. Talk about sore losers.
If the White European/US aligned nations can’t get their way, they’ll undermine international organisations, disrupt democratic elections and leave those countries not in their tight little circle out in the cold.
And yes, FIFA has plenty of corruption associated with it but the US and Europe had no problem with South Africa, Germany and Brazil being awarded the World Cup eh? It’s not as if corruption only started up in FIFA a couple of years ago, right?
Ah, yes more racism. And a reference to a non existent alternative tournament, which would never had flown and is not needed now anyway. Top work, CV. There has been endemic corruption under Blatter, which is the whole point of what is happening now. I know you’re finding this confusing, but the end of the Blatter regime is a very, very good thing.
Yeah TRP, it is racism and colonialism, a regime change effort by white developed first world anglo/euro countries who couldn’t beat Blatter in elections, to undermine the democratic wishes of a sizeable majority of FIFA delegates, and to unconstitutionally take the World Cup hosting rights off countries out of favour with white western liberal elites.
Blatter isnt stupid. No way will he have ill gotten gains in a bank in the same country where he is a tax resident.
Half of the guys arrested are residents of the Caymans.
Must be a the nice beaches I suppose.
he learned at the feet of the master corrupter, one Juan Antonio Samaranch…
by stepping down after the election, he gets to stay for a wee while and oversee the destruction of anything incriminating and take some last envelopes.
You may have confused your fascistic sports dictators, Tracey. Jean-Marie “João” de Havelange was Blatter’s mentor at FIFA. Samaranch was the Olympic boss. However, the two men were mates, Havelange also being on the Olympic exec. They both had with remarkably similar attitudes to patronage and personal enrichment.
When the poo hits the fan, a leader adopting the position ‘The buck doesn’t stop with me.’ Is on wobbly ground.
For a leader to say ‘The buck stops with me, you need me here to clean this up.” while at the same time stretch the other foot over to the position “I know nothing of the problems.”
It can only be a strategy fuelled by arrogance, ignorance and greed.
Ha! Yeah. Seriously, I think slagging Key’s popularity/performance does little to win the support of the hearts that need to be won over if we’re going to see a Lab/Green govt. People move on from the popular when it becomes passé or they see something better. Not because it copped a right royal slagging. My Dad slagging The Pistols made me like them more. I moved on when I heard what I perceived to be something better.
Little’s vs Key’s popularity has little to do with it. People are looking for love, aspiration, opportunity and hope. It has nothing to do with who is signposting the path,
Yup and the FBI are going on the unpaid taxes angle as they’ve been taking out Sepp’s supporters one at a time over the past few years so the noose tightens a little more.
He’s giving himself a few months to knife as many enemies as he can and ensure the next president is the right sort.
Qatar 2022 weighs heavy on Blatter, if it does go ahead it disrupts the european season as it can’t be played mid year which has been conceded recently.
Methinks the senility set in on Qatar wtf were they thinking and as bill hicks would say ‘ are you a f’n lizard man…’
Here we go again Key redressing National of olds LOSS
Ngati Whatua being denied what was their land because Key wants to put his so called housing program in place at the expense of the Treaty settlement and to redress his grievance over Bastion Point which Sir lost
No knighthood in this one Key FO
Being the generous chap I am I’m going to give James Shaw some advice and the advice is gold, here it is:
Be like Helen Clark and underpromise and over deliver.
When he said he said (or the media said and he didn’t correct them) he’d take it to John Key he raised expectations
Those expectations were dashed, how bad was James Shaw in the house? I listended to the next question from Andrew Little and he didn’t sound bad at all.
He should quit, 4 days into the job and he can’t live up to your “high” expectations. A sackable offence. Mind you Key should also be gone for saying the economy up to 2017 is more important than the liveability of the planet for everyone’s children.
I don’t want him to quit, if he keeps going like this its good for National however his performance was shoddy and it was his own fault for building up expectations
But then maybe that was part of his sales pitch to Green members, that he could “take” John Key
“”After beating the more experienced Kevin Hague in a vote for male co-leader position this afternoon, Mr Shaw said he was capable of taking on Mr Key.
“He did say he was looking forward to it, so he should be careful what he wishes for,” the Green MP said at a press conference.””
Of course he’s capable of taking on Key, he’s the co-leader of a major political party. But PR is trying to say that Shaw will ‘take’ him, the implication clearly being that it’s a fight with one winner and that Shaw will take Key out. It’s quite a different image. PR has spent quite a few days now astro turfing and troling on ts about Shaw, so I’m just pointing to the bits where he is making shit up.
btw, what you quoted is snippets from a MSM journalist, taken out context. I’d take it with a grain of salt because at this stage there are all sorts of people with vested interests in misrepresenting Shaw and the GP (intentionally in PR’s case, or unintentionally in others).
Haha, so says the astroturfing trole who’s been all over the site for days. I’m just calling you on your bullshit characterisations and general trolliness PR.
You asked for a citation for an opinion, thats pretty weak. Imagine what this site would be like if that same standard was applied to everyone.
You make claims using buzzwords but i don’t think you know what it means, I mean really saying I’m astroturfing and trolling?
I vote Nationial, i’m upfront about that but I will give my opinion on other parties, especially where i think they’re going wrong and people can take my opinion or leave it.
More importantly I’m not trolling because I believe what i’m typing, if people want to take it as inflammatory well thats theirs (your) opinion
You’re the type of person that wants to shut down people with different opinions by throwing out the latest “bad” descriptive about someone in the hope they’ll be quiet
[lprent: All of which is why you seldom have me noticing you. Except on those odd occasions when you write something worth reading. Clearly wasn’t the case in the comment that started this thread. 🙂 ]
“You asked for a citation for an opinion, thats pretty weak. Imagine what this site would be like if that same standard was applied to everyone.”
No, what I did was clarify that you are making up shit about Shaw and the GP. You’ve been doing it for days. Sure it’s an opinion, but it’s based on nothing but your antipathy towards the GP, it has no basis in fact. Most people like their opinions to have some kind of meaning on the real world, and my preference is for debate to be real not imaginary.
“You make claims using buzzwords but i don’t think you know what it means, I mean really saying I’m astroturfing and trolling?”
You can look those things up on the internet. Mostly it’s to do with the incessant message you put out and that that message is often full of shit. It’s also often a right wing smear line. If you want to be aligned with that, that’s up to you. In this case it’s about Shaw, but I’ve seen you do this on other topics too.
“I vote Nationial, i’m upfront about that but I will give my opinion on other parties, especially where i think they’re going wrong and people can take my opinion or leave it.”
Nope. If you post political opinions here that people disagree with, expect to be challenged. If you post inaccuracies, expect to be called on that.
“More importantly I’m not trolling because I believe what i’m typing, if people want to take it as inflammatory well thats theirs (your) opinion”
Belief in what one says isn’t incompatible with trolling. Trolling is to do with how you relate and how you affect the conversation.
“You’re the type of person that wants to shut down people with different opinions by throwing out the latest “bad” descriptive about someone in the hope they’ll be quiet”
That’s stupid. I debate with many people here. Debating with you is a pretty futile endeavour because so much of what you say is meaningless or misleading or RWNJ lines. Occassionally you do post something worthwhile, which is why I’m calling you out on your behaviour at the moment, not your presence in general.
“When he said he said (or the media said and he didn’t correct them) he’d take it to John Key he raised expectations”
Let’s see if we can up the debate a bit, citation for that then please.
I was most impressed with his 2 interviews on Q&A and The Nation over the weekend thought it exposed some very insightful stuff. Putting Key-National to the sword on climate change was smart.
he said he was going to challenge key to a joint effort of all parties to collaborate on climate change. ANY expectation other than that did not come from his mouth.
You are entirely correct. Round the world racing yacht hulls have been made of everything except steel since the seventies. Playing on the reasoning of the ignorant blabbering classes:
John Key: The moon is made of cheese!
Blabberer: Cheese! cheese!
Astronaut: No it isn’t, I’ve been there.
Blabberer: Prove it! Go there and prove it!
Astronaut: Well I have to wait for NASA to…
Blabberer: Told you so! CHEESE! CHEESE!
Its funny, because the people who support John also include a large subset of yachties who’ll be sitting in the RNZYS clubrooms this afternoon shaking their heads, but not saying anything either. Just have to let it go.
they are busy taking on Auckland City, a creation of the NACTS (who many o them vote for), for the extension of the ports of auck wharf into their yachting space.
Just take an Atlas, the current flows between northern oz and Asia, the nature of the boats, where they come from oh and some historical/current data on where they actually end up.
What a bunch of lickspittles the MSM are, grow a pair and challenge the banskta’s BS.
Will we get the same curtailing of blanket surveillance in New Zealand?….where is the NZ Labour Party on this?..or are we going to remain a banana republic under jonkey nactional?
‘Senate passes USA Freedom Act, limiting NSA surveillance powers’
somehow i don’t imagine the nsa will give up its powers so easily, not on account some some silly laws. i think that recent events have shown how much these outfits respect the law, it’ll just be harder to catch them at it, or better because of the “freedom act” no one will be looking. but yeah, i dont see any such thing happening here. plus our government have been denying any such practices exist. aren’t they all just confabulations of conspiracy theorists like snowden(traitor) and greenwald(hack)
the key with the NSA is to understand that they read the law using their own secret interpretations and definitions of what is written into the public statute. And they hold secret courts to confirm those secret interpretations and definitions.
Basically its exactly what the old Eastern European Communist states used to do.
WHY hadn’t anyone thought of this before? The only thing that has prevented those with mental illness getting and retaining jobs is the involvement of a bank or other investor. It’s odd that they have all waited for a government scheme before deciding it was worth investing.
Just when Nationals looking shaky Labour come to the rescue by proving how out of touch they are:
Labour Party justice spokesperson Jacinda Ardern said she did not accept figures showed the bill worked, and that more specific research should be done.
Labour wanted the law gone, as it took away judges’ power to look at the circumstances around an offence, with the party wanting to put more focus on helping offenders turn away from crime, she said.
If there was poll done on whether NZers wanted the three strikes law gone what do we think the result would be?
Little probably realises now what Cunliffe, Shearer and Goff went through
I’m in agreement with PR if you’ve done two violent crimes and you do a third you should be locked up for a long long time .
My understanding of why it failed in the us is because the morons applied it to everything including pot smokers.
The biggest problem with measuring three strikes legislation is that it takes anything up to a decade for people to go through the three strikes for the offenses covered. Since most of the offenses carry offenses that require many years in prison, only a few people who were first struck would be out of jail yet.
The reason that judges are striking down the few third strikes going through is because all three offenses carried very little sentence time, and most likely shouldn’t have been in the idiotic law
That said. It has already failed. Just look in that article at some of our more inadequate and stupid politicians and ex-politicians calling for it to be extended. Garrett in particular is classic. He was asked many times about how long would be required to detirmine if this legislation had any effect. The idiot avoided that every time when the legislation was being promoted, probably because he didn’t like the answer. It is at least a decade, and probably closer to 15 years. It took 20 years in California before the dumbarse law filled all of the prisons, including the expensive new ones, to the point where the courts started kicking in massive amnesties to clear prison over crowding caused by the stupid legislation.
Probably these fuckwits calling for more offenses to be under the legislation also have an interesting premature ejaculation issues. Looks like you do too.
I’m really not that interested in lobbying efforts by Serco.
Probably these fuckwits calling for more offenses to be under the legislation also have an interesting premature ejaculation issues. Looks like you do too.
Thanks for your concern about my medical well-being, there is a family history of prostate cancer in my family so every year I go to the doctor and get checked out (everythings in the normal range you’ll be pleased to know)
Being that you’re now…late 50s? I’m assuming that you’re finding your own waterworks aren’t quite flowing as they used to, maybe takes a while to get started, maybe waking up in the middle of the night, maybe needing some herbal help to “get it up”
But don’t worry theres nothing to be ashamed of, especially at your age, so I’d recommend that you get yourself checked out, better safe than sorry as they say
🙂 I do get checked out. At present I go to the doctor every 8 weeks because I prefer avoiding having another trip to the hospital.
But despite the diversion – the checkup for social policies like three strikes needs to be longer than five years. About 15 years per checkup. That allows for a few 5-8 year stretches.
He has sympathy for Klein’s narrative of capitalism versus the climate, though.
This form of capitalism that we have now is incompatible with climate action. – James
That’s not something fixed, though. It’s something we can change. Had I read Jeremy Rifkin’s Zero Marginal Cost Society, James asks? My turn to confess that I hadn’t. It drives a ‘stake through the heart of traditional capitalist models‘ says James. He sees real potential for a radical economic shift to a more just economic system, away from monolithic structures, towards distributed ownership.
With that, we gain the chance of separating economic growth from emissions growth. We have to be careful, James explains, about what we mean by a steady state economy. An economy can only be sustainable if it has steady (or, for a time now, perhaps decreasing) resource use and emissions or waste production. Steady state energy use (a good thing) doesn’t mean quality of life not improving (a bad thing). It’s energy and materials that must be steady state, not throughput.
Jeanette Fitzsimons, James notes, pointed out that a steady state economy is a very different thing from a failed growth economy.
We have to be careful, James explains, about what we mean by a steady state economy. An economy can only be sustainable if it has steady (or, for a time now, perhaps decreasing) resource use and emissions or waste production. Steady state energy use (a good thing) doesn’t mean quality of life not improving (a bad thing). It’s energy and materials that must be steady state, not throughput.
So, energy and materials are that which must be steady state, but not their throughput. Their throughput can keep increasing. What does that even mean?
Shaw also believes that we can continue to improve our quality of life even as we use significantly less materials and energy per capita. That’s fantasy land – unless he is redefining what the average person now defines as “quality of life” i.e. new toys and gadgets, bigger houses, overseas trips etc.
I don’t know what he means but I’d guess it relates to the next statement about it being different than a failed growth economy. Possibly he is also talking about closed cycles for resources instead of the creation/waste cycles we use now.
Of course he is redefining what quality of life is, it’s the friggin Green Party. And he’s already said that it probably means degrowth for while.
But really, I was just pointing out to you that GP does work along the lines of a steady state economy being a goal.
The Labour Review of the 2014 election has been leaked and it pretty much recommends the bleeding obvious. More funding is needed, constructive relationships with potential coalition partners is important, and party unity needs to be maintained.
There continues to be an emphasis on the “missing million” voters. I find this puzzling. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Similarly, you can’t win elections by trying to appeal to people who won’t vote. I think this is more a matter for the Electoral Commission to address.
That would be my feeling too, and that InterMana are in the best position to pick up those voters, as I think some of the feeling in their party is that they cover the political ground that Labour used to cover. I’m not sure what the barriers are for those missing people to actually vote Mana though.
The perception that all politician s are the same is the biggest barrier to some voting. I’d personally vote for a party that pushed for complete transparency around funding that got rid of all perks .
The MBIE Emerald AKA Joyce’s Gemstone costing the Taxpayer $67,339.21 and I bet that doesn’t include GST.
Since it decorates the entrance to the Super Ministry headed by the Super Minister of Everything I expect it to be made out of pure Kryptonite. At least that would go some way to explain the out-of-this-world cost.
Political commentator Richard Harman, writing about James Shaw and the Labour-Green relationship says that Green Party officials “still don’t really know what Labour stands for.”
heh, I would’ve thought that at the very least, Green Party officials would figure out that “Labour” stands for The Greens “in power” 2017. Might be that Richard Harman is wishing that the Greens don’t know the obvious.
That’s brilliant. You’ve really cut to the chase. So according to you, at the very least, Labour stands for winning power, and for National not winning power. That’s the kind of political value system which really motivates voters.
The funny (well funny to me, maybe not so much posters on here) thing is that rather than waste time and money (assuming they spent money that is) on well duh report they really could have just gone on here and followed the boards for a few weeks after the election and they would have got much the same message
It’s not that the message would be the same, but that being told what to do by an online forum isn’t quite as influential/useful to Labour as Labour figuring it out by themselves. From that point of view, no waste of time occurred, even if it was slow/frustrating to watch. Late can be bad, there are real life consequences, but never is much much worse. The fact Labour have connected or are connecting the dots, and recording the connection publicly and officially is encouraging (generally, for TS/Left readers).
Yeah it reads a bit strange that “1L” after all the good points before it, which they appear to be getting right at present (from my outsider pov). According to Labour, if you don’t vote you’re “an affront to democracy”! If they forgot about that bit of authoritarian madness and concentrated on the multiple opportunities of the present that are lining up to be taken easy advantage of, and achieved their preceding goals, “1L” will become irelevent without ever needing to think about it.
In hindsight, they actually didn’t do all that much wrong (other than the constant leadership changes and occasionally garbled/retracted message), and they take themselves too much to task. But the conclusions they’ve reached are good for any party making a fresh push forward, so it doesn’t matter too much. They presently have a stable leadership, the message is stabilising in a positive way not seen for too long, and I think they can make serious in-roads with their focus on relationships with other potential coalition parties.
I worry about what they will take their conclusion that, the nation was worried by Labour’s possible coalition partners, to mean. I suspect it means distance yourself further and try to get to 50% on their own.
They should have sent him out on patrol with Mike Hosking and Paul Henry covering live. And Ger does have a second skill – barging thr’ airport security
So someone has leaked the Party’s Election Review
When are these fools going to learn that a divided Party is never going to win an election
Rule No.1 through the to 10
Ticking a whole lot of boxes is not going to cut it
Dam & blast
If you are involved in a Labour Party branch you must now be ready to resist any proposed changes which will make branches much less relevant and and much less important in Labour Party decision making and candidate selection.
Reasonably serious flooding going on in Dunedin and more rain to come. Some houses being evacuated, power cuts, road closures, slips, the obligatory students playing on the Leith. Welcome to the soft end of AGW.
I’m a big fan of Motown and RnB from that era. I caught a doco on Maori TV the other night about the Funk Brothers. They were the session band that played the music on virtually all of the Motown hits from their heydays. Many are still alive, what beautiful love and reverence they laid on their fallen brothers. They told neat stories like “This scrawny little blind kid called Stevie started making us coffee, spilling half and asking me questions about my lefthand playin….”
Wow, what a fantastic tight versatile band they still are. For me they are a classic example of synergy in action. Synergy is when the sum is greater than the parts. 1 + 1 = 3. The best place to see it is in teams that are at the top of their game. It is very attractive and seductive, we all strive for it, fantastic to be a part of.
Good sports teams have it. A cynic will say a winning Warriors team attracts larger audiences because they’re winning. Partly, but when that team is going off, Synergy on display, it’s fantastic to be around. When a sports team is doing poorly, in search of synergy, a popular move is to sack the coach. Has that ever worked?
I think synergy comes about by first gathering skilful and loving people together. Skilful people at the top of their game always have a quotient of personal creativity that they bring with their skills….their magic. I think Synergy happens when one player’s magic interacts with another player’s magic.
When a Lab/Green shadow caucus gets that stuff going on, NZ will drop at their feet.
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In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- 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. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
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National ‘coy’ about their social agenda.
Wonder why?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11458709
‘Dairy Auction: Prices continue to fall’
Farmers won’t be able to take much more of this, especially as this is now predicted to last next year as well.
How does the government get away with commentators calling this a rock star economy?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11458522
Also, I’m looking forward to seeing the supermarket price of milk, butter and dairy products decline for the sixth time when I do my shopping this week.
/sarc
That was quick:
It’s so frustrating; the 17 year anti-corruption, pro transparency regime he has so manfully championed was just starting to bear fruit, too. Why do the good guys go too soon?
“Why do the good guys go too soon?”
because they have enough socked away in the Caymans to last 5 lifetimes?
how bout this came to a head after a strong push from the US following proposed boycott of isreali teams????
It came about after the USA was beaten by Qatar for 2022 world cup.
Putin backed Qatar with a LOT of money.
USA has gotten the pip and doing what it can to show the world it wont be fucked with.
FFS Qatar is one of the richest oil nations on Earth, they don’t need Russian money. Get a grip. The US is targetting the Russian World Cup and hoping to derail it.
lol
Or the corrupt US FIFA guy who had a Trump Towers apartment for his cat but never filed a tax return got nabbed for his personal accounting irregularities and pled down to “why are you picking on me? You should see what those guys are doing!!!”, thus breaking open a case that had been languishing in the “looks fucked up, we know it’s fucked up, but we can’t prove it’s fucked up” pile.
The best thing for the US is for Russia to spend billions on a WC that never makes money for the host nation.
Boycott of 2018 FIFA Russian World Cup underway
Stupid game playing by a stupid set of senile elites
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/fifa-corruption-world-cup-boycott-is-the-only-way-to-reform-fifa-says-senior-uefa-official-10290415.html
Kinda irrelevant now, CV. Russia and Qatar are probably going to lose their hosting rights in the fallout and the process will be re-opened. Could be an opportunity for us and the Aussies to host in 2022. If Russia does lose 2018, Germany will be able to cover without difficulty.
Yep all part of the US plan to dramatically disrupt democratic FIFA elections and disrupt the 2018 Russian World Cup.
+1
All the South American FIFA delegations are going to see this for what it is.
Too right! They’ll be packing themselves, particularly the Brazilians. Lots of uncounted for FIFA money went into the last World Cup. Blatter knows who got what and where it went.
Yeah and so does the NSA
Ha! Yep, that’s it in a nutshell. Bonus points for saving Israel’s blushes, too. FIFA, the finest democracy money can buy! But to be serious, both Qatar and Russia are undemocratic states where homophobia and racism are entrenched in legislation. They should have never even been in the position where their applications were taken seriously, let alone endorsed.
Bottom line is that the US could not get rid of Blatter democratically, so they resorted to dirty tricks to disrupt the FIFA elections. A repeat of the “you’re either with us or against us” divide and conquer imperial strategy. The South American nations understand this very well.
You are fine to back Western hegemony in the football world as in all other things. The West couldn’t win the competitions democratically, so they resorted to dirty tricks.
Just remember western nations have decided to allow thousands of poor refugees from Africa to drown in the Med every year and have little moral authority here.
Re: the best democracy money can buy – how about that US Senate which finally passed the TPPA fast track legislation when given a few hundred thousand more in corporate bribes?
Qatar will keep the World Cup and I guess you will support that, because Qatar are major US allies. Russia however is likely to lose theirs, and no doubt you will support that too.
Eh? That comment made eff all sense. FIFA is not a democracy, it’s a cartel. Russia and Qatar bought their tournaments. Both are truly awful, despotic regimes who should not be allowed to play in the World Cup, let alone host them.
The USA’s involvement is because they have the ability to do something about it. And good job, too.
Your lack of comprehension is not my issue.
You can excuse unilateral and militant Western action all you like TRP, but the Russian and Qatar World Cups were not awarded on any different basis than all the other World Cups during Blatter’s 17 year reign.
South Korea/Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Africa.
Ah yes the USA fighting for a world free of corruption and oppression – keep waving the imperial flag TRP!
Jeez, you know nothing about football, do ya? No worries, keep flapping your gums anyway. PS, unilateral doesn’t mean what you think it does.
Poor old TRP, defending unilateral militant western hegemony to the hilt. As I said, South American football nations know exactly what this is about.
usual western approach in fact – Sepp Blatter gets voted in by FIFA delegates but to Western hegemony, democratic elections are only valid if the right person wins.
You probably preferred the Jordanian Prince candidate as head of FIFA. Speaking of democracies and all.
u·ni·lat·er·al
adjective: unilateral
1. (of an action or decision) performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of another or the others.
“unilateral nuclear disarmament”
synonyms: independent, autonomous, solitary, solo, go-it-alone, single-handed, self-determined, maverick, isolationist
Like it or not, or even understand the issues and players or not, the fact remains that this is the best day in football for half a century. Your wibbling can’t change that, CV.
Ahhh yes White western countries have asserted their rightful dominance over the sport once more, US, Australia, NZ, western European nations.
Oh, bullshit. Condescending, racist bullshit at that. I know you’ve got your problems, but coming out in favour of ongoing corruption has to be one of the weirdest things you’ve ever put up here. If you don’t know what’s going on, just say nothing.
And now the Western European countries/US are threatening to launch their own parallel World Cup to undermine Russia and Qatar’s events. Talk about sore losers.
If the White European/US aligned nations can’t get their way, they’ll undermine international organisations, disrupt democratic elections and leave those countries not in their tight little circle out in the cold.
And yes, FIFA has plenty of corruption associated with it but the US and Europe had no problem with South Africa, Germany and Brazil being awarded the World Cup eh? It’s not as if corruption only started up in FIFA a couple of years ago, right?
Ah, yes more racism. And a reference to a non existent alternative tournament, which would never had flown and is not needed now anyway. Top work, CV. There has been endemic corruption under Blatter, which is the whole point of what is happening now. I know you’re finding this confusing, but the end of the Blatter regime is a very, very good thing.
Yeah TRP, it is racism and colonialism, a regime change effort by white developed first world anglo/euro countries who couldn’t beat Blatter in elections, to undermine the democratic wishes of a sizeable majority of FIFA delegates, and to unconstitutionally take the World Cup hosting rights off countries out of favour with white western liberal elites.
please God no! I love the beautiful game but the myths around the benefits of hosting these big events really piss me off.
They. COST. The. TAXPAYER/RATEPAYER. MILLIONS.
to satisfy some egos. Money better spent on stuff like, gee, classrooms, children, disabled, waiting lists.
Blatter lives in Switzerland; no need to go to the Caymans when the gnomes of Zurich are looking after your ill gotten gains.
Blatter isnt stupid. No way will he have ill gotten gains in a bank in the same country where he is a tax resident.
Half of the guys arrested are residents of the Caymans.
Must be a the nice beaches I suppose.
he learned at the feet of the master corrupter, one Juan Antonio Samaranch…
by stepping down after the election, he gets to stay for a wee while and oversee the destruction of anything incriminating and take some last envelopes.
You may have confused your fascistic sports dictators, Tracey. Jean-Marie “João” de Havelange was Blatter’s mentor at FIFA. Samaranch was the Olympic boss. However, the two men were mates, Havelange also being on the Olympic exec. They both had with remarkably similar attitudes to patronage and personal enrichment.
When the poo hits the fan, a leader adopting the position ‘The buck doesn’t stop with me.’ Is on wobbly ground.
For a leader to say ‘The buck stops with me, you need me here to clean this up.” while at the same time stretch the other foot over to the position “I know nothing of the problems.”
It can only be a strategy fuelled by arrogance, ignorance and greed.
You talking about Blatter or Key?
Ha! Yeah. Seriously, I think slagging Key’s popularity/performance does little to win the support of the hearts that need to be won over if we’re going to see a Lab/Green govt. People move on from the popular when it becomes passé or they see something better. Not because it copped a right royal slagging. My Dad slagging The Pistols made me like them more. I moved on when I heard what I perceived to be something better.
Little’s vs Key’s popularity has little to do with it. People are looking for love, aspiration, opportunity and hope. It has nothing to do with who is signposting the path,
Yup and the FBI are going on the unpaid taxes angle as they’ve been taking out Sepp’s supporters one at a time over the past few years so the noose tightens a little more.
He’s giving himself a few months to knife as many enemies as he can and ensure the next president is the right sort.
Qatar 2022 weighs heavy on Blatter, if it does go ahead it disrupts the european season as it can’t be played mid year which has been conceded recently.
Methinks the senility set in on Qatar wtf were they thinking and as bill hicks would say ‘ are you a f’n lizard man…’
Here we go again Key redressing National of olds LOSS
Ngati Whatua being denied what was their land because Key wants to put his so called housing program in place at the expense of the Treaty settlement and to redress his grievance over Bastion Point which Sir lost
No knighthood in this one Key FO
Pita Sharples stamping ground no less
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%81maki_Makaurau
Being the generous chap I am I’m going to give James Shaw some advice and the advice is gold, here it is:
Be like Helen Clark and underpromise and over deliver.
When he said he said (or the media said and he didn’t correct them) he’d take it to John Key he raised expectations
Those expectations were dashed, how bad was James Shaw in the house? I listended to the next question from Andrew Little and he didn’t sound bad at all.
He should quit, 4 days into the job and he can’t live up to your “high” expectations. A sackable offence. Mind you Key should also be gone for saying the economy up to 2017 is more important than the liveability of the planet for everyone’s children.
I don’t want him to quit, if he keeps going like this its good for National however his performance was shoddy and it was his own fault for building up expectations
But then maybe that was part of his sales pitch to Green members, that he could “take” John Key
Citation please that James Shaw told the Green party members that he could take John Key.
Thats why I said maybe
In other words you are lying and making shit up.
Me thinks the Rogue is on the money…
“”After beating the more experienced Kevin Hague in a vote for male co-leader position this afternoon, Mr Shaw said he was capable of taking on Mr Key.
“He did say he was looking forward to it, so he should be careful what he wishes for,” the Green MP said at a press conference.””
Of course he’s capable of taking on Key, he’s the co-leader of a major political party. But PR is trying to say that Shaw will ‘take’ him, the implication clearly being that it’s a fight with one winner and that Shaw will take Key out. It’s quite a different image. PR has spent quite a few days now astro turfing and troling on ts about Shaw, so I’m just pointing to the bits where he is making shit up.
btw, what you quoted is snippets from a MSM journalist, taken out context. I’d take it with a grain of salt because at this stage there are all sorts of people with vested interests in misrepresenting Shaw and the GP (intentionally in PR’s case, or unintentionally in others).
You need to get out of your house more, take a walk, get some fresh air because you’re taking all of this far too seriously
Haha, so says the astroturfing trole who’s been all over the site for days. I’m just calling you on your bullshit characterisations and general trolliness PR.
You asked for a citation for an opinion, thats pretty weak. Imagine what this site would be like if that same standard was applied to everyone.
You make claims using buzzwords but i don’t think you know what it means, I mean really saying I’m astroturfing and trolling?
I vote Nationial, i’m upfront about that but I will give my opinion on other parties, especially where i think they’re going wrong and people can take my opinion or leave it.
More importantly I’m not trolling because I believe what i’m typing, if people want to take it as inflammatory well thats theirs (your) opinion
You’re the type of person that wants to shut down people with different opinions by throwing out the latest “bad” descriptive about someone in the hope they’ll be quiet
[lprent: All of which is why you seldom have me noticing you. Except on those odd occasions when you write something worth reading. Clearly wasn’t the case in the comment that started this thread. 🙂 ]
“You asked for a citation for an opinion, thats pretty weak. Imagine what this site would be like if that same standard was applied to everyone.”
No, what I did was clarify that you are making up shit about Shaw and the GP. You’ve been doing it for days. Sure it’s an opinion, but it’s based on nothing but your antipathy towards the GP, it has no basis in fact. Most people like their opinions to have some kind of meaning on the real world, and my preference is for debate to be real not imaginary.
“You make claims using buzzwords but i don’t think you know what it means, I mean really saying I’m astroturfing and trolling?”
You can look those things up on the internet. Mostly it’s to do with the incessant message you put out and that that message is often full of shit. It’s also often a right wing smear line. If you want to be aligned with that, that’s up to you. In this case it’s about Shaw, but I’ve seen you do this on other topics too.
“I vote Nationial, i’m upfront about that but I will give my opinion on other parties, especially where i think they’re going wrong and people can take my opinion or leave it.”
Nope. If you post political opinions here that people disagree with, expect to be challenged. If you post inaccuracies, expect to be called on that.
“More importantly I’m not trolling because I believe what i’m typing, if people want to take it as inflammatory well thats theirs (your) opinion”
Belief in what one says isn’t incompatible with trolling. Trolling is to do with how you relate and how you affect the conversation.
“You’re the type of person that wants to shut down people with different opinions by throwing out the latest “bad” descriptive about someone in the hope they’ll be quiet”
That’s stupid. I debate with many people here. Debating with you is a pretty futile endeavour because so much of what you say is meaningless or misleading or RWNJ lines. Occassionally you do post something worthwhile, which is why I’m calling you out on your behaviour at the moment, not your presence in general.
“When he said he said (or the media said and he didn’t correct them) he’d take it to John Key he raised expectations”
Let’s see if we can up the debate a bit, citation for that then please.
“or the media said and he didn’t correct them”
he corrected RNZ
which interview tracey?
hmmm tuesday morning just before 8am?
There is a quirky likeability about James Shaw he reminds me of Mr Bean, a very popular character.
At 53% of the vote Shaw trounced his rivals completely. Hague was a good loser not sure about Molly Hughes haven’t heard a squawk from him since.
Yes a decisive and unambiguous win for Shaw in the leadership elections.
Labour could learn a thing or two from the Greens in this instance
I was most impressed with his 2 interviews on Q&A and The Nation over the weekend thought it exposed some very insightful stuff. Putting Key-National to the sword on climate change was smart.
@Skinny-54% versus Hague’s 44% are the numbers I heard
he said he was going to challenge key to a joint effort of all parties to collaborate on climate change. ANY expectation other than that did not come from his mouth.
If JS performed like you said he did, then it doesnt bode well for the next election…
Its going to be a struggle ahead for the Greens now.
The PM states that use of steel hulls means that refugees are heading for Aotearoa.
Would a member of the Auckland sailing community be kind enough to take John Key across the Tasman sometime ?
Better still, in a sea-going waka ? A Polynesian fish-hook was found in an archaeological dig south of Sydney ~20yrs ago.
James Cook and Lapérouse used wooden hulls.
Would the Prime Minister be kind enough to explain his reasoning ?
You are entirely correct. Round the world racing yacht hulls have been made of everything except steel since the seventies. Playing on the reasoning of the ignorant blabbering classes:
John Key: The moon is made of cheese!
Blabberer: Cheese! cheese!
Astronaut: No it isn’t, I’ve been there.
Blabberer: Prove it! Go there and prove it!
Astronaut: Well I have to wait for NASA to…
Blabberer: Told you so! CHEESE! CHEESE!
Its funny, because the people who support John also include a large subset of yachties who’ll be sitting in the RNZYS clubrooms this afternoon shaking their heads, but not saying anything either. Just have to let it go.
chuckle…
they are busy taking on Auckland City, a creation of the NACTS (who many o them vote for), for the extension of the ports of auck wharf into their yachting space.
Just take an Atlas, the current flows between northern oz and Asia, the nature of the boats, where they come from oh and some historical/current data on where they actually end up.
What a bunch of lickspittles the MSM are, grow a pair and challenge the banskta’s BS.
When he reveal they were heading here, was he sharing operational information?
I see that Wikileaks is raising money as a reward for leaking the TPP(A). Interesting, but I don’t think 100K is any match against the threat of jail.
http://www.silverdoctors.com/americas-most-wanted-secret-wikileaks-is-raising-100k-reward-for-leaked-drafts-of-the-tpp/#more-54234
Pledge video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNsHAHQh4Es
Agree – but people have been leaking chapters for no $$$ reward anyway; this will just be a publicity stunt/psyops conducted by Wikileaks.
Will we get the same curtailing of blanket surveillance in New Zealand?….where is the NZ Labour Party on this?..or are we going to remain a banana republic under jonkey nactional?
‘Senate passes USA Freedom Act, limiting NSA surveillance powers’
http://rt.com/usa/264417-senate-vote-freedom-act/
Are our surveillance laws anything like the USA?
somehow i don’t imagine the nsa will give up its powers so easily, not on account some some silly laws. i think that recent events have shown how much these outfits respect the law, it’ll just be harder to catch them at it, or better because of the “freedom act” no one will be looking. but yeah, i dont see any such thing happening here. plus our government have been denying any such practices exist. aren’t they all just confabulations of conspiracy theorists like snowden(traitor) and greenwald(hack)
the key with the NSA is to understand that they read the law using their own secret interpretations and definitions of what is written into the public statute. And they hold secret courts to confirm those secret interpretations and definitions.
Basically its exactly what the old Eastern European Communist states used to do.
Sharon Murdoch’s cartoon on Social Bonds for mental health services,
https://twitter.com/domesticanimal/status/605821599908904961
lol…love that cartoon!
WHY hadn’t anyone thought of this before? The only thing that has prevented those with mental illness getting and retaining jobs is the involvement of a bank or other investor. It’s odd that they have all waited for a government scheme before deciding it was worth investing.
Ok now this is seriously important:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/69057199/attention-all-fallout-fanatics-bethesda-has-an-announcement-to-make
Fingers crossed it’s not an MMO.
Oh damn, now you’ve got me worried…bad enough it’ll probably be on the next gen machines 🙁
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/69006542/threestrikes-law-changes-unlikely-after-five-years
Just when Nationals looking shaky Labour come to the rescue by proving how out of touch they are:
Labour Party justice spokesperson Jacinda Ardern said she did not accept figures showed the bill worked, and that more specific research should be done.
Labour wanted the law gone, as it took away judges’ power to look at the circumstances around an offence, with the party wanting to put more focus on helping offenders turn away from crime, she said.
If there was poll done on whether NZers wanted the three strikes law gone what do we think the result would be?
Little probably realises now what Cunliffe, Shearer and Goff went through
In my opinion, a grave miistake by J. Ardern (and Labour). Has she done her homework?
Your paid opinion counts for shit, so no damage done.
No doubt you were speaking in front of a mirror, TRP.
Nope. I was clearly referring to you, troll.
These trolls are very busy on this site.
They ruin the flow of discussion.
I don’t think that being percieved to be soft on crime is a good way to win an election in NZ
is crime a big problem in NZ?
Not really but being percieved as soft on crime is never a good look when building towards an election
I’m in agreement with PR if you’ve done two violent crimes and you do a third you should be locked up for a long long time .
My understanding of why it failed in the us is because the morons applied it to everything including pot smokers.
My personal opinion would be to decriminalise all drug taking for personal use
ah, so its not a problem but to get elected you need to pretend it is, so that people will be scared and vote for your policies which aren’t needed.
Three strikes is working really well, isn’t it?
is crime a big problem in NZ?
More fear based campaigning, punish people and then punish them some more, and that will solve society’s ills..
The biggest problem with measuring three strikes legislation is that it takes anything up to a decade for people to go through the three strikes for the offenses covered. Since most of the offenses carry offenses that require many years in prison, only a few people who were first struck would be out of jail yet.
The reason that judges are striking down the few third strikes going through is because all three offenses carried very little sentence time, and most likely shouldn’t have been in the idiotic law
That said. It has already failed. Just look in that article at some of our more inadequate and stupid politicians and ex-politicians calling for it to be extended. Garrett in particular is classic. He was asked many times about how long would be required to detirmine if this legislation had any effect. The idiot avoided that every time when the legislation was being promoted, probably because he didn’t like the answer. It is at least a decade, and probably closer to 15 years. It took 20 years in California before the dumbarse law filled all of the prisons, including the expensive new ones, to the point where the courts started kicking in massive amnesties to clear prison over crowding caused by the stupid legislation.
Probably these fuckwits calling for more offenses to be under the legislation also have an interesting premature ejaculation issues. Looks like you do too.
I’m really not that interested in lobbying efforts by Serco.
Probably these fuckwits calling for more offenses to be under the legislation also have an interesting premature ejaculation issues. Looks like you do too.
Thanks for your concern about my medical well-being, there is a family history of prostate cancer in my family so every year I go to the doctor and get checked out (everythings in the normal range you’ll be pleased to know)
Being that you’re now…late 50s? I’m assuming that you’re finding your own waterworks aren’t quite flowing as they used to, maybe takes a while to get started, maybe waking up in the middle of the night, maybe needing some herbal help to “get it up”
But don’t worry theres nothing to be ashamed of, especially at your age, so I’d recommend that you get yourself checked out, better safe than sorry as they say
🙂 I do get checked out. At present I go to the doctor every 8 weeks because I prefer avoiding having another trip to the hospital.
But despite the diversion – the checkup for social policies like three strikes needs to be longer than five years. About 15 years per checkup. That allows for a few 5-8 year stretches.
Hey CV, James Shaw on a steady state economy,
http://davidtong.co.nz/2015/04/30/talking-climate-with-james-shaw/
So, energy and materials are that which must be steady state, but not their throughput. Their throughput can keep increasing. What does that even mean?
Shaw also believes that we can continue to improve our quality of life even as we use significantly less materials and energy per capita. That’s fantasy land – unless he is redefining what the average person now defines as “quality of life” i.e. new toys and gadgets, bigger houses, overseas trips etc.
I don’t know what he means but I’d guess it relates to the next statement about it being different than a failed growth economy. Possibly he is also talking about closed cycles for resources instead of the creation/waste cycles we use now.
Of course he is redefining what quality of life is, it’s the friggin Green Party. And he’s already said that it probably means degrowth for while.
But really, I was just pointing out to you that GP does work along the lines of a steady state economy being a goal.
http://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rural-news/rural-opinion/hound/green-gripe
This is from the rural news now I don’t no who the hound is but my guess is he’s tied in with the nats some how.
I think its time the greens work out how to put this old mutt to sleep
The Labour Review of the 2014 election has been leaked and it pretty much recommends the bleeding obvious. More funding is needed, constructive relationships with potential coalition partners is important, and party unity needs to be maintained.
There continues to be an emphasis on the “missing million” voters. I find this puzzling. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Similarly, you can’t win elections by trying to appeal to people who won’t vote. I think this is more a matter for the Electoral Commission to address.
A fair portion of the missing million are, IMO, tribal Labour voters who will never vote Labour again and so, do not vote.
Remember, if just 200,000 of those people could be convinced to vote Left, National would be out of office for five terms.
That would be my feeling too, and that InterMana are in the best position to pick up those voters, as I think some of the feeling in their party is that they cover the political ground that Labour used to cover. I’m not sure what the barriers are for those missing people to actually vote Mana though.
The perception that all politician s are the same is the biggest barrier to some voting. I’d personally vote for a party that pushed for complete transparency around funding that got rid of all perks .
You’re probably right there, maybe if we didn’t vote for parties or people and just voted for policies and nothing else that could be fixed!
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/69050827/MBIE-admits-stone-sign-cost-24-000-more-than-it-originally-claimed
Here’s another reason
The MBIE Emerald AKA Joyce’s Gemstone costing the Taxpayer $67,339.21 and I bet that doesn’t include GST.
Since it decorates the entrance to the Super Ministry headed by the Super Minister of Everything I expect it to be made out of pure Kryptonite. At least that would go some way to explain the out-of-this-world cost.
Political commentator Richard Harman, writing about James Shaw and the Labour-Green relationship says that Green Party officials “still don’t really know what Labour stands for.”
About sums it up for me.
heh, I would’ve thought that at the very least, Green Party officials would figure out that “Labour” stands for The Greens “in power” 2017. Might be that Richard Harman is wishing that the Greens don’t know the obvious.
That’s brilliant. You’ve really cut to the chase. So according to you, at the very least, Labour stands for winning power, and for National not winning power. That’s the kind of political value system which really motivates voters.
The funny (well funny to me, maybe not so much posters on here) thing is that rather than waste time and money (assuming they spent money that is) on well duh report they really could have just gone on here and followed the boards for a few weeks after the election and they would have got much the same message
Actually, your idea is kinda what happened. All members were encouraged to contribute via email and and a small group went through the member’s input.
In that case I guess it’ll be interesting to see if the recommendations are followed through
I mean getting back in with the big business donors will take some major mea culpas on its own
mea culpas?
It’s not that the message would be the same, but that being told what to do by an online forum isn’t quite as influential/useful to Labour as Labour figuring it out by themselves. From that point of view, no waste of time occurred, even if it was slow/frustrating to watch. Late can be bad, there are real life consequences, but never is much much worse. The fact Labour have connected or are connecting the dots, and recording the connection publicly and officially is encouraging (generally, for TS/Left readers).
Yeah it reads a bit strange that “1L” after all the good points before it, which they appear to be getting right at present (from my outsider pov). According to Labour, if you don’t vote you’re “an affront to democracy”! If they forgot about that bit of authoritarian madness and concentrated on the multiple opportunities of the present that are lining up to be taken easy advantage of, and achieved their preceding goals, “1L” will become irelevent without ever needing to think about it.
In hindsight, they actually didn’t do all that much wrong (other than the constant leadership changes and occasionally garbled/retracted message), and they take themselves too much to task. But the conclusions they’ve reached are good for any party making a fresh push forward, so it doesn’t matter too much. They presently have a stable leadership, the message is stabilising in a positive way not seen for too long, and I think they can make serious in-roads with their focus on relationships with other potential coalition parties.
an organisation that is well, organised, will know exactly who had access to the document.
Correct Tracey.
I worry about what they will take their conclusion that, the nation was worried by Labour’s possible coalition partners, to mean. I suspect it means distance yourself further and try to get to 50% on their own.
Big Ger adds military strategist to his list of skills.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11459248
so, that’s one skill then?
They should have sent him out on patrol with Mike Hosking and Paul Henry covering live. And Ger does have a second skill – barging thr’ airport security
So someone has leaked the Party’s Election Review
When are these fools going to learn that a divided Party is never going to win an election
Rule No.1 through the to 10
Ticking a whole lot of boxes is not going to cut it
Dam & blast
If you are involved in a Labour Party branch you must now be ready to resist any proposed changes which will make branches much less relevant and and much less important in Labour Party decision making and candidate selection.
You mean when Andrew Little tells you to stand aside and start campaigning for NZ First instead if Labour, you should tell him to go jump? Good idea.
Robert Reich: What are the 3 biggest mythologies preventing us from seeing what’s really happening to our political economy? Please take a look (and share).
Covers the three biggest lies that have been told to us over the last three decades about the free-market.
Reasonably serious flooding going on in Dunedin and more rain to come. Some houses being evacuated, power cuts, road closures, slips, the obligatory students playing on the Leith. Welcome to the soft end of AGW.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/69063192/flooding-wreaks-havoc-in-dunedin
John Key the Sepp Blatter of NZ politics, Dirty Politics
I’m a big fan of Motown and RnB from that era. I caught a doco on Maori TV the other night about the Funk Brothers. They were the session band that played the music on virtually all of the Motown hits from their heydays. Many are still alive, what beautiful love and reverence they laid on their fallen brothers. They told neat stories like “This scrawny little blind kid called Stevie started making us coffee, spilling half and asking me questions about my lefthand playin….”
Wow, what a fantastic tight versatile band they still are. For me they are a classic example of synergy in action. Synergy is when the sum is greater than the parts. 1 + 1 = 3. The best place to see it is in teams that are at the top of their game. It is very attractive and seductive, we all strive for it, fantastic to be a part of.
Good sports teams have it. A cynic will say a winning Warriors team attracts larger audiences because they’re winning. Partly, but when that team is going off, Synergy on display, it’s fantastic to be around. When a sports team is doing poorly, in search of synergy, a popular move is to sack the coach. Has that ever worked?
I think synergy comes about by first gathering skilful and loving people together. Skilful people at the top of their game always have a quotient of personal creativity that they bring with their skills….their magic. I think Synergy happens when one player’s magic interacts with another player’s magic.
When a Lab/Green shadow caucus gets that stuff going on, NZ will drop at their feet.