It is mildly reassuring that as Wall St slides down into negative figures for the last year (after a euphoric rise based upon simple wishful thinking) that the local district has been occupied by the young of the American nation. Around 700 were arrested yesterday but the protesters are still there. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/kristof-the-bankers-and-the-revolutionaries.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB
What is really interesting is how long they have been there and how long it has taken the MSM to notify us. Says it all.
Iterestimg article on the impitus and organisation behind
#occupyeverywhere and the fact that those demanding specific demands miss the point of participatory democracy.
I think some of the people criticising the lack of coherent or specific demands from the occupy movement, are just trying to undermine what is clearly a movement that has struck a chord and is gaining momentum. This morning I watched a heated discussion on Inside Story on Al Jazeera. A right wing guy kept saying the occupy movements criticisms of “Wall Street” made no sense and was silly because these institutions and entrepreneurs are the wealth creators and the market needs to be free from government regulation to create wealth, jobs etc for all….yadda yadda yadda. He stuck to his “senseless” mantra even when another guy gave examples showing that the right-wing mantra and slogans didn’t match the reality.
I saw the same type of “debate” on RTS…some Tea Party tinder dry and a New York liberal flagellating the subject matter to no great effect. All pretty laughable really.
There is a man called http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/ who fought some substantial corporate interests to save his beloved Skye. He made the point that successful protest CANNOT engage its opponents using the opponents LANGUAGE and INSTITUTIONS. Best to do it on your own terms, redefine the language and institutions. On that basis why should the OWSers define their “demands” in a language that sets out to control them?
Make the bastards talk in your terms, your way at your behest.
Read http://www.kunstler.com today, he sites an OWSER (occupier) with a sign saying:
$70,000 College Debt
$12,000 Medical Bills
I’m 22
Where’s My Bailout?
Reading last night a journalist talking about being in the cells post Brooklyn bridge, she note that the arrests had the unintended consequences of putting the relatively wet behind the airs actinides with experienced activists, who were essentially given a forum within which to teach activism.
Posted this late last night, so for those who missed it..
Can’t post the pictures of these t-shirts obviously and no web site unfortunately. But those familiar with Sex Pistols fashion can probably get the picture, just swap Queenie for Key n bobs your uncle.
“Hello fellow Hobbits my name is John Key and I am here
to sell off your land and assets to foreign corporations,
privatise your water, jails, schools, hospitals under TPPA
public private partnerships and basically leave you up a
proverbial (effluent infested) river without a paddle.
I am proud to say that during my term as Prime Sinister I’ve:
• Doubled NZ’s international debt to $36+ billion
• Provided excellent tax cuts to the rich, helping increase
the top 150 peoples wealth last year by $7 billion
• Made inflation go up to 5.3% by introducing
a GST rise to 15% last year
• Helped triple the number of people receiving
unemployment benefits
• Passed 17 pieces of undemocratic emergency
legislation without any form of public debate
• Helped oversee a massive rise in child poverty
• Made sure 7000 families won’t be eligible for
Working for Families tax credits next year
• Dished out a 5 year deepsea exploratory oil permit
to Petrobras which has absolutely no conditions for
environmental protection, and that would leave the
NZ tax payer to pay the clean up bill for any oil leak
• Agreed to not mine the National Parks, yet changed the
boundary of the Oteake Conservation Park to exclude
a 195 hectare area over the Hawkdun lignite deposit
As you can see I am a great choice to lead you forward
into oblivion, so I really hope you will support me by
purchasing one of these campaign t-shirts I have had kindly
donated by the kind folks at Anarkey & Lovely Ltd.
If you could be so kind as to spread the good word about
these I’d be most grateful. As an extension of my thanks
I personally promise to gift you an extra dollar per week
in the next round of tax cuts, should we be reelected.
God Save New Zealand T-Shirts
> 100% organic non-bleached cotton tees
> Available in Sml, Med, Lge, XL, XXL
> $30 +postage (or free pick up)
For orders email godsavenz@gmail.com
or contact Roxanne on 021 701 494″
A brief mention on the early RNZ news today that a record 100,000+ hectares of NZ land was approved and sold off overseas in the last year. This included dairy farms to German and other European interests and large areas of Ngai Tahu forests. This is asset selling on a large scale, and also questions the assumption that Maori corporates care about the environment.
I expect we will now see some serious examination of the issues on prime time public television, such as Close Up or Sunday.
Interesting that it’s German and other (northern?) European interests. Watching Al Jazeera, I keep hearing complaints from Germans and other northern European countries complaining that they are being asked to pay for Greece’s bad financial/economic management. But wasn’t it German and other financial corporations that were profiteering from investments in Greece before the financial problems were acknowledged? Why were they investing in or lending to a country that they claim was being badly managed in the first place?
Exactly Carol. Various politicians bemoan the recent penchant for borrowing. But wtf do they expect? The stupid lenders lent the stuff. They should bemoan the lenders and their drug-dealer like parasitic nature – get someone loaded up and hooked knowing full well that they will not be able to dig themselves out of their hole thereby opening the way to take assets and other items in exchange. The lenders are sick parasites.
we’ve not seen Maori corporates care about the people working their commercial fisheries, and working closely together with the Michael Fay types. Why would they hold environmental values higher than other corporates in the money chase?
I would like to know who is on the Overseas Investment commission, what their qualifications are and what are the terms of reference? Does protecting the environment figure at all?
Criminologist expert from victoria university this morning was saying that the drop in crime stats has been seen in other western countries recently too, and suggests that part of it is going to be demographic change with an aging population.
In general he thought there wasn’t much that the government could specifically take credit for, and specifically not the 3 strikes law.
Well the Select Committee has reported back on the Video Search and Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill and it has benefitted from the select committee process. The retrospective effect with one important exception has been removed. Powers of search have been reduced. The Bill if enacted will only be in effect for 6 months.
But there is one dead rat lurking in the Bill. The power to appeal a conviction because of video surveillance evidence being improperly admitted has been removed. Previously an appeal could be lodged on the basis that Hamed represents a change in the law. Generally the chances of an appeal succeeding are poor, it has to be shown that there was a miscarriage of justice. As shown in Hamed the Court has a discretion to admit otherwise improperly acquired evidence.
But the Rule of Law requires that access to the courts is maintained and the effect of a law change not be retrospective unless there are good reasons. As far as I can see no estimate of the number of cases that may have been affected was made and I suspect it would be few. But Parliament should not shut off chances of an appeal on the basis that it may not like the decision. Besides historical cases only would be affected and there would be no implications for current video surveillance.
Labour went along with it. They have improved the bill greatly but I am sure the Nats put this dead rat in so that Labour would be tainted.
Keith Locke is right. He said:
The bill retrospectively denies any person already convicted the right to use the Hamed decision as part of an appeal. That is contrary to a fundamental legal principle, that people engaged in court proceed- ings have resort to the law as it applied at the time of the alleged offence …
Just wondering, but weren’t “criminals are going to go free” comment taints the chance of
a fair trial. Surely juries will now debate video evidence for its legacy to their personal
rights?
On 9toNoon Kathryn Ryan has interviewed a US patriot who is programmed to see politics and economics in the world from the glamor spin of his US viewpoint. He has managed to stuff double the content normally in an interview because he is such a fast, manic speaker. Kathryn managed to rein in and interrupt some of his statements to ascertain the bias and the reality behind his rhetoric.
He sounds robotised, angry, and obssessed with US might and achievement all at the same time – really unbalanced with a skewwhiff approach to both the US and the rest of the world. It’s enlightening and frightening and it is no wonder that after our nuclear protest we couldn’t get heard in the States if the officials there think like this zealot..
10:05 The Rise of Asia – is China’s economic boom sustainable?
China’s economic boom and America’s political and economic paralysis have some predicting that the US is on the slide and that this will be the Chinese century — yet NZ is dependent in different ways on both, so what will it mean for us?
Dr Dan Twining is a former Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator John McCain, and an expert on Asia’s political and economic relationships. Dan is in NZ speaking about US policy and ongoing US engagement in the Asia Pacific – China’s rise and the “return” of Asia, plus Asia’s economic/political future and the implications for New Zealand.
Kathryn managed to rein in and interrupt some of his statements to ascertain the bias and the reality behind his rhetoric.
Your assessment of Ryan’s performance is extraordinarily indulgent. She couldn’t even handle Hekia “ummmm, errrr, ahhh, ummm” Parata a few weeks back, and she certainly lacks the wherewithal to seriously challenge someone like Twining.
Originally eleven ships consisting of nine passenger boats and two cargo ships, carrying 200 activists from all over the world intended to participate in the second Freedom Flotilla…
“The Treasury: Implementing and managing the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
On Sunday 12 October 2008, at the peak of the global financial crisis, the Government decided that it needed to implement a form of retail deposit guarantee scheme to avoid a flight of funds from New Zealand institutions to those in Australia. It needed to do this urgently: the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme (the Scheme) was designed and announced that same day.
The Scheme offered a Crown guarantee over the money that people deposited or invested with financial institutions – specifically banks and “non-bank deposit takers”, which is a group that includes finance companies and savings institutions (such as building societies and credit unions). If a financial institution in the Scheme failed, the Crown would repay all of the money that eligible people had deposited or invested, up to a cap of $1 million each.
This was a major decision in both financial and policy terms. In financial terms, this decision resulted in the Crown guaranteeing up to $133 billion in investor funds. In policy terms, it was a significant departure from the longstanding setting in New Zealand of minimal state intervention in the market. However, the Government considered the Scheme necessary to maintain depositor and public confidence in our financial markets.
I considered it important to tell the story of this Scheme, because it was so significant to our economy and because it was designed and implemented with such speed. After any crisis, there is value in pausing to reflect on how the response was managed and what lessons can be learned……
………………………………..
Overall, the Scheme achieved its goal. No banks in New Zealand failed, and there was no run on banks. Many of the other finance institutions also survived the global financial crisis. The economy was stabilised.
However, there have been costs. Nine finance companies in the Scheme failed, causing the Crown to pay out about $2 billion to depositors. It will be some time before the various receiverships are completed and the total amount recovered from the finance companies is known. Expected recoveries are currently estimated at about $0.9 billion…………..”
WHO exactly were these Treasury officials who were responsible for ‘implementing and managing the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme?
WHAT were their connections (if any) with the ‘finance industry’?
” Nine finance companies in the Scheme failed, causing the Crown to pay out about $2 billion to depositors.”
YAY ‘Nanny State’?
Penny Bright
Independent ‘Public Watchdog’.
Candidate for Epsom
There is a power of difference between a deposit guarantee scheme that protects:
* small deposit holders… the genuine rank and file of us, you, me, the average Joes so we can spend our cash at the supermarket and perhaps put aside a little to help us get ahead.
AND
* those institutions and those individuals who took a calculated risk with their investments, and who in general have substantially more than the rest of us.
What National have chosen to do is to lump us all together to justify the saving of risky deposits for the wealthy AT THE EXPENSE OF THE REST OF US. Socialising the pain, privatising the gain. Our taxes paid to bail out those who got tax cuts. I am disgusted.
Treasury should be disbanded they employ rwnjs and claim to know whats good for the economy all they have done is promote Nact policy and look at their track record SFO should investigate.THEN they should be all sacked we would be better off without this politically motivated Govt dept.
Getting the money back isn’t entirely straight forward or easy, but I’d imagine a fair way to go about doing it would just be to reduce the total kitty by $500,000 for the next 5 years before divvying it up between the schools. That way they’d each feel only a very small amount of pain over a period of 5 years. I guess inflation would have eaten a lot of the value out by then, but surely a better plan than simply writing it off. I mean, we could have gotten a whole ‘nother tupperwaka for that kind of coin.
a bit of a ramble.
Labour has done it at last. I’m a 54 year old, lifetime Labour voter, but this latest bullshit with video surveilance bill is the last straw. Never again will I vote for labour. I like the policies they are putting out, hell I’m one of the few who like Phil Goff. But this anti bill of rights bullshit has broken me. I will, from here untill I die vote Greens.
I see Smile and Wave is accusing the previous Labour Government for our credit downgrade. WTF three years in and it’s still their fault? Seriously, 3 yeaars in and his government has nothing to do with the state of the countries books? If a National Government is votedin this November then the idiots who did it, given that the majority of people who vote in any govt are working class, then they absolutely deserve what they get. Unfortunately, those of us who don’t vote for the thieves get the same crap. Ah well, as a Transexual at least I’m used to wearing other people’s crap.
More to come, some time. right now I have cats to feed.
A sad, sad day when Labour vote for this disgusting loss of civil liberties after all but 1 or 2 submission were opposed, once again they show that they are eletist and don’t understand that they are our servants, NOT our rulers
Hi CV
Gee, no spine eh. ah ok then I guess I’m like the parliamentary Labour party. After all they’ve been a completely useless opposition for the last 3 years constantly giving into the Govt when ever Jokey wanted to pass another law under urgency to take away our civil liberties
CV, I very much doubt that the Greens willgo into coalition with National. Even if they did it would be more honest than the faux grand coalition with national that labour has been conducting over the last 2.5 years. I used to be a labour member in years past, before I was Joanne, my input didn’t make a great deal of difference, doubt that it would now
final straw, indicates lots of other straws. See my response to cv. what isa wrong withe video surveillance bill is this. It’s purpose is to legitrimize the illegal activities of police and, whilst the retrospectivity has gone they have denied those covicted using illegally collected video evidence the right to challenge that in court. Seems to be a conflict there with a) the rule of law and b) the BOR. But what would I know,I am apparently a spineless troll.
By the way, my name is Joanne, it is not a psuedonym, I live in Kilbirnie and drive buses for a living. I’m fat and ugly so feel free to greet me next time you’re travelling on my bus.
Video evidence was always going to be admissible in court if the charges were serious enough under the Evidence Act. The issue was that the cowboys in the police were using it whenever they had a vague idea that they didn’t like someone. Which appears to have been the case with dicks for brains special unit cops at Otahuhu who seem to have initiated the operation 8 and other legal debacles over the last decade.
The real problem was that it’s use was unregulated. The police were setting up continuous video surveillance on the most tenuous theories, invading private property without owner permissions to do it, and generally acting like boys with new toys. All it winds up doing is wasting the time of the courts, police sources, and probably most pertinently keeping scores of police in essentially useless anti terrorism units from being assigned to more productive tasks. They practice on activists. Any activists. Without any more reason than they are trying to change society peaceably.
The activities have to be regulated. This act even after having most of the absolute crap stripped out is definitely not perfect – but at least it has some pretty clear rules in it.
The search and survelliance bill is better – but even after languishing around the order paper for something like five years will not get passed until next year. Personally I would like to have parliament revisit that bill with changes before it is passed. There is a lot more evidence about abuses by the police that could and should be limited with some penalties. Perhaps give the IPCA some teeth to directly lay criminal charges on offenders in the police for abuses of process.
According to Radio Live, the PM’s Hour had nothing to do with the staged licence fee arrangement. They put forward a strong argument against such paranoia:
“That is not true.”
Also:
“It has nothing to do with radio spectrum licensing payments.”
I’m convinced.
I’m also convinced that they hope this will be an annual event regardless of who is PM.
“Friday’s show was the first broadcast of what we hope will become an annual event for Radio Live.”
I wonder if the timing will always ensure that it will be during an election campaign? I also wonder for how many years this annual event will occur – I guess, being a business, they can’t guarantee anything. It was just that, right now, for some inexplicable, random reason some ‘body’ at Radio Live thought it would be a good idea.
Apparently:
“The idea is loosely based on an overseas example I heard about earlier in the year and which has been developed by my team at Radio Live.” (Who is ‘I’ here?)
I wish people would stop treating me as if I’m a mushroom.
People have been criticising Labour’s ‘comms,’ but whoever wrote this really needs some lessons in how to sound convincing.
If I wasn’t already, I’m definitely suspicious now.
Seeing as how the staged licence fee arrangement is with the parent company Mediaworks, and this “RadioLive Press Release” deals with that very arrangement, it must’ve been issued by someone in a position to speak for both organisations.
Someone who can refer to themselves as “I” when speaking on behalf of the company.
Only one person I can think of who fits that description and he happens to be John Key’s buddy.
As an aside, seriously – am I the only one thinking that this is the most corrupt govt since at least muldoon (even he’s doubtful as such)?
I mean simply on decisions that seem to have apparent coincidental connections to family members (eCan), personal funding (double dipton), non-tendered appointments (ahem), new support from honours recipients (guess), or “free” airtime.
I was a bit young for Lange govt, but Bolger – even Shipley – at least appeared to be more misguided than downright corrupt. The worst accusation tories can come up with about clark is that they were as bad at electoral funding accounting as every other party at the time (not minimising the principle, just putting into perspective against apparent quid pro quo). But the current fuckers seem to be running the country like a fiefdom.
The owner of the El Faro Spanish Tapas bar in the Elliott Stables, Mark Ansley, said the whole industry was talking about the tournament having a detrimental effect.
“I’ve spoken to people at the Wynyard Quarter, the Viaduct, people in the CBD; I’ve spoken to a lot of restaurateurs to gauge what’s happening – and everyone’s saying it’s down big-time,” Mr Ansley said.
“I’m sure we would be busier if the World Cup wasn’t on.”
But businesses should have known what was coming, Mr Ansley said.
“Anyone who was sucked into the hype is an idiot. The council wants to make its books look better so it was always going to funnel all the customers into the fan zone it set up.”
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A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
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. ...
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 ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
It is mildly reassuring that as Wall St slides down into negative figures for the last year (after a euphoric rise based upon simple wishful thinking) that the local district has been occupied by the young of the American nation. Around 700 were arrested yesterday but the protesters are still there. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/kristof-the-bankers-and-the-revolutionaries.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB
What is really interesting is how long they have been there and how long it has taken the MSM to notify us. Says it all.
Iterestimg article on the impitus and organisation behind
#occupyeverywhere and the fact that those demanding specific demands miss the point of participatory democracy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/youre-creating-a-vision-of-the-sort-of-society-you-want-to-have-in-miniature/2011/08/25/gIQAXVg7HL_blog.html
I think some of the people criticising the lack of coherent or specific demands from the occupy movement, are just trying to undermine what is clearly a movement that has struck a chord and is gaining momentum. This morning I watched a heated discussion on Inside Story on Al Jazeera. A right wing guy kept saying the occupy movements criticisms of “Wall Street” made no sense and was silly because these institutions and entrepreneurs are the wealth creators and the market needs to be free from government regulation to create wealth, jobs etc for all….yadda yadda yadda. He stuck to his “senseless” mantra even when another guy gave examples showing that the right-wing mantra and slogans didn’t match the reality.
I saw the same type of “debate” on RTS…some Tea Party tinder dry and a New York liberal flagellating the subject matter to no great effect. All pretty laughable really.
There is a man called http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/ who fought some substantial corporate interests to save his beloved Skye. He made the point that successful protest CANNOT engage its opponents using the opponents LANGUAGE and INSTITUTIONS. Best to do it on your own terms, redefine the language and institutions. On that basis why should the OWSers define their “demands” in a language that sets out to control them?
Make the bastards talk in your terms, your way at your behest.
Read http://www.kunstler.com today, he sites an OWSER (occupier) with a sign saying:
$70,000 College Debt
$12,000 Medical Bills
I’m 22
Where’s My Bailout?
http://wilderside.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/occupy-wall-street-finally-releases-their-one-demand/
p
Reading last night a journalist talking about being in the cells post Brooklyn bridge, she note that the arrests had the unintended consequences of putting the relatively wet behind the airs actinides with experienced activists, who were essentially given a forum within which to teach activism.
And it’s not just #occupytheworld. Imagine if all American port were shut down.
http://www.truth-out.org/longshore-workers-make-stand-labor/1317217164
Posted this late last night, so for those who missed it..
Can’t post the pictures of these t-shirts obviously and no web site unfortunately. But those familiar with Sex Pistols fashion can probably get the picture, just swap Queenie for Key n bobs your uncle.
“Hello fellow Hobbits my name is John Key and I am here
to sell off your land and assets to foreign corporations,
privatise your water, jails, schools, hospitals under TPPA
public private partnerships and basically leave you up a
proverbial (effluent infested) river without a paddle.
I am proud to say that during my term as Prime Sinister I’ve:
• Doubled NZ’s international debt to $36+ billion
• Provided excellent tax cuts to the rich, helping increase
the top 150 peoples wealth last year by $7 billion
• Made inflation go up to 5.3% by introducing
a GST rise to 15% last year
• Helped triple the number of people receiving
unemployment benefits
• Passed 17 pieces of undemocratic emergency
legislation without any form of public debate
• Helped oversee a massive rise in child poverty
• Made sure 7000 families won’t be eligible for
Working for Families tax credits next year
• Dished out a 5 year deepsea exploratory oil permit
to Petrobras which has absolutely no conditions for
environmental protection, and that would leave the
NZ tax payer to pay the clean up bill for any oil leak
• Agreed to not mine the National Parks, yet changed the
boundary of the Oteake Conservation Park to exclude
a 195 hectare area over the Hawkdun lignite deposit
As you can see I am a great choice to lead you forward
into oblivion, so I really hope you will support me by
purchasing one of these campaign t-shirts I have had kindly
donated by the kind folks at Anarkey & Lovely Ltd.
If you could be so kind as to spread the good word about
these I’d be most grateful. As an extension of my thanks
I personally promise to gift you an extra dollar per week
in the next round of tax cuts, should we be reelected.
God Save New Zealand T-Shirts
> 100% organic non-bleached cotton tees
> Available in Sml, Med, Lge, XL, XXL
> $30 +postage (or free pick up)
For orders email godsavenz@gmail.com
or contact Roxanne on 021 701 494″
Thanks..Fantastic summary. I am ordering my T-shirt stat!
Ah, the power of blogs to influence the lazy reef fish of the media…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10756375
“…Their opponents are calling it desperate opportunism..,”
By which Derek Cheng actually means “I logged into kiwiblog then wrote this story”.
A brief mention on the early RNZ news today that a record 100,000+ hectares of NZ land was approved and sold off overseas in the last year. This included dairy farms to German and other European interests and large areas of Ngai Tahu forests. This is asset selling on a large scale, and also questions the assumption that Maori corporates care about the environment.
I expect we will now see some serious examination of the issues on prime time public television, such as Close Up or Sunday.
Interesting that it’s German and other (northern?) European interests. Watching Al Jazeera, I keep hearing complaints from Germans and other northern European countries complaining that they are being asked to pay for Greece’s bad financial/economic management. But wasn’t it German and other financial corporations that were profiteering from investments in Greece before the financial problems were acknowledged? Why were they investing in or lending to a country that they claim was being badly managed in the first place?
Exactly Carol. Various politicians bemoan the recent penchant for borrowing. But wtf do they expect? The stupid lenders lent the stuff. They should bemoan the lenders and their drug-dealer like parasitic nature – get someone loaded up and hooked knowing full well that they will not be able to dig themselves out of their hole thereby opening the way to take assets and other items in exchange. The lenders are sick parasites.
we’ve not seen Maori corporates care about the people working their commercial fisheries, and working closely together with the Michael Fay types. Why would they hold environmental values higher than other corporates in the money chase?
Maori corporates have the same psychopathic profile as every other corporate.
I would like to know who is on the Overseas Investment commission, what their qualifications are and what are the terms of reference? Does protecting the environment figure at all?
BLingish will love this
These new crimes stats seem a little too good to be true.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/180655/recorded-crime-falls-103-south
As they say on The Wire – “Juking the Stats”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCNLiHmEUxA
My guess is that senior police in NZ are more like Rawls than Daniels.
Criminologist expert from victoria university this morning was saying that the drop in crime stats has been seen in other western countries recently too, and suggests that part of it is going to be demographic change with an aging population.
In general he thought there wasn’t much that the government could specifically take credit for, and specifically not the 3 strikes law.
And on nine-to-noon, it was reported that there has been an increase in (reported) sexual assaults.
Well the Select Committee has reported back on the Video Search and Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill and it has benefitted from the select committee process. The retrospective effect with one important exception has been removed. Powers of search have been reduced. The Bill if enacted will only be in effect for 6 months.
But there is one dead rat lurking in the Bill. The power to appeal a conviction because of video surveillance evidence being improperly admitted has been removed. Previously an appeal could be lodged on the basis that Hamed represents a change in the law. Generally the chances of an appeal succeeding are poor, it has to be shown that there was a miscarriage of justice. As shown in Hamed the Court has a discretion to admit otherwise improperly acquired evidence.
But the Rule of Law requires that access to the courts is maintained and the effect of a law change not be retrospective unless there are good reasons. As far as I can see no estimate of the number of cases that may have been affected was made and I suspect it would be few. But Parliament should not shut off chances of an appeal on the basis that it may not like the decision. Besides historical cases only would be affected and there would be no implications for current video surveillance.
Labour went along with it. They have improved the bill greatly but I am sure the Nats put this dead rat in so that Labour would be tainted.
Keith Locke is right. He said:
The bill retrospectively denies any person already convicted the right to use the Hamed decision as part of an appeal. That is contrary to a fundamental legal principle, that people engaged in court proceed- ings have resort to the law as it applied at the time of the alleged offence …
Politics is a absolute mud pit sometimes …
Just wondering, but weren’t “criminals are going to go free” comment taints the chance of
a fair trial. Surely juries will now debate video evidence for its legacy to their personal
rights?
Quiz time
the link is faulty, it heads to homepage
Fixed.
Thanks. Didn’t realise that the original link didn’t have the http:/ in it.
On 9toNoon Kathryn Ryan has interviewed a US patriot who is programmed to see politics and economics in the world from the glamor spin of his US viewpoint. He has managed to stuff double the content normally in an interview because he is such a fast, manic speaker. Kathryn managed to rein in and interrupt some of his statements to ascertain the bias and the reality behind his rhetoric.
He sounds robotised, angry, and obssessed with US might and achievement all at the same time – really unbalanced with a skewwhiff approach to both the US and the rest of the world. It’s enlightening and frightening and it is no wonder that after our nuclear protest we couldn’t get heard in the States if the officials there think like this zealot..
10:05 The Rise of Asia – is China’s economic boom sustainable?
China’s economic boom and America’s political and economic paralysis have some predicting that the US is on the slide and that this will be the Chinese century — yet NZ is dependent in different ways on both, so what will it mean for us?
Dr Dan Twining is a former Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator John McCain, and an expert on Asia’s political and economic relationships. Dan is in NZ speaking about US policy and ongoing US engagement in the Asia Pacific – China’s rise and the “return” of Asia, plus Asia’s economic/political future and the implications for New Zealand.
Kathryn managed to rein in and interrupt some of his statements to ascertain the bias and the reality behind his rhetoric.
Your assessment of Ryan’s performance is extraordinarily indulgent. She couldn’t even handle Hekia “ummmm, errrr, ahhh, ummm” Parata a few weeks back, and she certainly lacks the wherewithal to seriously challenge someone like Twining.
Flotilla for Freedom
Originally eleven ships consisting of nine passenger boats and two cargo ships, carrying 200 activists from all over the world intended to participate in the second Freedom Flotilla…
http://kochbrothersexposed.com/education/
How competent and fiscally responsible were the NZ Treasury in October 2008 when implementing and managing the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme?
The Auditor-General’s report:
http://www.oag.govt.nz/2011/treasury
“The Treasury: Implementing and managing the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
On Sunday 12 October 2008, at the peak of the global financial crisis, the Government decided that it needed to implement a form of retail deposit guarantee scheme to avoid a flight of funds from New Zealand institutions to those in Australia. It needed to do this urgently: the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme (the Scheme) was designed and announced that same day.
The Scheme offered a Crown guarantee over the money that people deposited or invested with financial institutions – specifically banks and “non-bank deposit takers”, which is a group that includes finance companies and savings institutions (such as building societies and credit unions). If a financial institution in the Scheme failed, the Crown would repay all of the money that eligible people had deposited or invested, up to a cap of $1 million each.
This was a major decision in both financial and policy terms. In financial terms, this decision resulted in the Crown guaranteeing up to $133 billion in investor funds. In policy terms, it was a significant departure from the longstanding setting in New Zealand of minimal state intervention in the market. However, the Government considered the Scheme necessary to maintain depositor and public confidence in our financial markets.
I considered it important to tell the story of this Scheme, because it was so significant to our economy and because it was designed and implemented with such speed. After any crisis, there is value in pausing to reflect on how the response was managed and what lessons can be learned……
………………………………..
Overall, the Scheme achieved its goal. No banks in New Zealand failed, and there was no run on banks. Many of the other finance institutions also survived the global financial crisis. The economy was stabilised.
However, there have been costs. Nine finance companies in the Scheme failed, causing the Crown to pay out about $2 billion to depositors. It will be some time before the various receiverships are completed and the total amount recovered from the finance companies is known. Expected recoveries are currently estimated at about $0.9 billion…………..”
WHO exactly were these Treasury officials who were responsible for ‘implementing and managing the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme?
WHAT were their connections (if any) with the ‘finance industry’?
” Nine finance companies in the Scheme failed, causing the Crown to pay out about $2 billion to depositors.”
YAY ‘Nanny State’?
Penny Bright
Independent ‘Public Watchdog’.
Candidate for Epsom
There is a power of difference between a deposit guarantee scheme that protects:
* small deposit holders… the genuine rank and file of us, you, me, the average Joes so we can spend our cash at the supermarket and perhaps put aside a little to help us get ahead.
AND
* those institutions and those individuals who took a calculated risk with their investments, and who in general have substantially more than the rest of us.
What National have chosen to do is to lump us all together to justify the saving of risky deposits for the wealthy AT THE EXPENSE OF THE REST OF US. Socialising the pain, privatising the gain. Our taxes paid to bail out those who got tax cuts. I am disgusted.
Actually, it was Labour – National just carried it on and gave it to finance companies that it shouldn’t have.
Treasury should be disbanded they employ rwnjs and claim to know whats good for the economy all they have done is promote Nact policy and look at their track record SFO should investigate.THEN they should be all sacked we would be better off without this politically motivated Govt dept.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: ‘Niggerhead’.
http://problembanklist.com/
I heard about this last week on Morning Report, and now there’s a handy stuff article on it.
Turns out the government overpaid private schools by $2.5M this year. And they’re letting them keep it.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/5722674/Ministry-mishap-turns-into-2-5m-bonus-for-schools
I heard about it too.
Now, if that was a beneficiary being overpaid …
Getting the money back isn’t entirely straight forward or easy, but I’d imagine a fair way to go about doing it would just be to reduce the total kitty by $500,000 for the next 5 years before divvying it up between the schools. That way they’d each feel only a very small amount of pain over a period of 5 years. I guess inflation would have eaten a lot of the value out by then, but surely a better plan than simply writing it off. I mean, we could have gotten a whole ‘nother tupperwaka for that kind of coin.
Various Occupy events planned for New Zealand.
Start your search for a local meeting here
a bit of a ramble.
Labour has done it at last. I’m a 54 year old, lifetime Labour voter, but this latest bullshit with video surveilance bill is the last straw. Never again will I vote for labour. I like the policies they are putting out, hell I’m one of the few who like Phil Goff. But this anti bill of rights bullshit has broken me. I will, from here untill I die vote Greens.
I see Smile and Wave is accusing the previous Labour Government for our credit downgrade. WTF three years in and it’s still their fault? Seriously, 3 yeaars in and his government has nothing to do with the state of the countries books? If a National Government is votedin this November then the idiots who did it, given that the majority of people who vote in any govt are working class, then they absolutely deserve what they get. Unfortunately, those of us who don’t vote for the thieves get the same crap. Ah well, as a Transexual at least I’m used to wearing other people’s crap.
More to come, some time. right now I have cats to feed.
A sad, sad day when Labour vote for this disgusting loss of civil liberties after all but 1 or 2 submission were opposed, once again they show that they are eletist and don’t understand that they are our servants, NOT our rulers
What’s wrong with the surveillance bill? It’s not retroactive and only has a 6-month time frame.
I think Joanne is a concern troll
It does seem rather strange for that to be the straw that broke the camels back.
Don’t think she had much of a spine to start with.
Hey Joanne you gonna be one of those Green voters who approves of a coalition with The Tories?
Hi CV
Gee, no spine eh. ah ok then I guess I’m like the parliamentary Labour party. After all they’ve been a completely useless opposition for the last 3 years constantly giving into the Govt when ever Jokey wanted to pass another law under urgency to take away our civil liberties
Hey Joanne Bus Driver answer the question, you gonna be one of those Green-National supporters now?
I am in there getting change happening in Labour and making sure the party goes left left left.
You are a professional driver, why didn’t you do the same before bailing.
CV, I very much doubt that the Greens willgo into coalition with National. Even if they did it would be more honest than the faux grand coalition with national that labour has been conducting over the last 2.5 years. I used to be a labour member in years past, before I was Joanne, my input didn’t make a great deal of difference, doubt that it would now
final straw, indicates lots of other straws. See my response to cv. what isa wrong withe video surveillance bill is this. It’s purpose is to legitrimize the illegal activities of police and, whilst the retrospectivity has gone they have denied those covicted using illegally collected video evidence the right to challenge that in court. Seems to be a conflict there with a) the rule of law and b) the BOR. But what would I know,I am apparently a spineless troll.
By the way, my name is Joanne, it is not a psuedonym, I live in Kilbirnie and drive buses for a living. I’m fat and ugly so feel free to greet me next time you’re travelling on my bus.
Video evidence was always going to be admissible in court if the charges were serious enough under the Evidence Act. The issue was that the cowboys in the police were using it whenever they had a vague idea that they didn’t like someone. Which appears to have been the case with dicks for brains special unit cops at Otahuhu who seem to have initiated the operation 8 and other legal debacles over the last decade.
The real problem was that it’s use was unregulated. The police were setting up continuous video surveillance on the most tenuous theories, invading private property without owner permissions to do it, and generally acting like boys with new toys. All it winds up doing is wasting the time of the courts, police sources, and probably most pertinently keeping scores of police in essentially useless anti terrorism units from being assigned to more productive tasks. They practice on activists. Any activists. Without any more reason than they are trying to change society peaceably.
The activities have to be regulated. This act even after having most of the absolute crap stripped out is definitely not perfect – but at least it has some pretty clear rules in it.
The search and survelliance bill is better – but even after languishing around the order paper for something like five years will not get passed until next year. Personally I would like to have parliament revisit that bill with changes before it is passed. There is a lot more evidence about abuses by the police that could and should be limited with some penalties. Perhaps give the IPCA some teeth to directly lay criminal charges on offenders in the police for abuses of process.
Fracking coming to Canterbury…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2499474/fracking-could-be-coming-to-the-outskirts-of-chch.asx
According to Radio Live, the PM’s Hour had nothing to do with the staged licence fee arrangement. They put forward a strong argument against such paranoia:
“That is not true.”
Also:
“It has nothing to do with radio spectrum licensing payments.”
I’m convinced.
I’m also convinced that they hope this will be an annual event regardless of who is PM.
“Friday’s show was the first broadcast of what we hope will become an annual event for Radio Live.”
I wonder if the timing will always ensure that it will be during an election campaign? I also wonder for how many years this annual event will occur – I guess, being a business, they can’t guarantee anything. It was just that, right now, for some inexplicable, random reason some ‘body’ at Radio Live thought it would be a good idea.
Apparently:
“The idea is loosely based on an overseas example I heard about earlier in the year and which has been developed by my team at Radio Live.” (Who is ‘I’ here?)
I wish people would stop treating me as if I’m a mushroom.
People have been criticising Labour’s ‘comms,’ but whoever wrote this really needs some lessons in how to sound convincing.
If I wasn’t already, I’m definitely suspicious now.
Hmm.
Seeing as how the staged licence fee arrangement is with the parent company Mediaworks, and this “RadioLive Press Release” deals with that very arrangement, it must’ve been issued by someone in a position to speak for both organisations.
Someone who can refer to themselves as “I” when speaking on behalf of the company.
Only one person I can think of who fits that description and he happens to be John Key’s buddy.
Funny that.
Yeh, I’m laughing. On the inside.
As an aside, seriously – am I the only one thinking that this is the most corrupt govt since at least muldoon (even he’s doubtful as such)?
I mean simply on decisions that seem to have apparent coincidental connections to family members (eCan), personal funding (double dipton), non-tendered appointments (ahem), new support from honours recipients (guess), or “free” airtime.
I was a bit young for Lange govt, but Bolger – even Shipley – at least appeared to be more misguided than downright corrupt. The worst accusation tories can come up with about clark is that they were as bad at electoral funding accounting as every other party at the time (not minimising the principle, just putting into perspective against apparent quid pro quo). But the current fuckers seem to be running the country like a fiefdom.
We can learn a lot from Europe as regards transport and sophisticated lifestyles:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-transport-and-green-ties.html
RWC inflicting massive pain on small businesses
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10756611