What will the new president do about Climate Change?
For good or ill, America has a tradition of global leadership. When it comes to climate change America needs to lead more actively in the world – not from behind, but from the front.
It’s all about leadership
Ultimately, at some time, whoever becomes US president he or she will have to take on the historic task to build the necessary public support for the fight to save our world. As the commander in chief of the most developed and richest and powerful nation on earth, the President of the United States has a historical obligation to lead public opinion against Climate Change– and that starts with explaining to the American people that the US and the world needs to take drastic action to avert further catastrophe, and that America needs to be in the lead in taking that action.
Will Obama be that president?
Will Romney?
Or will we have to wait another four more terrible years of rudderless inaction and silence from the President of the United States in the face of this impending global holocaust?
*Sigh* Obamalama makes it in again. Predictable enough to bet on.
Also predictable is the impending demise of the USA as a superpower (it’s already in progress). Very sad to see.
I would have thought that some Alabama redneck was going to assassinate him, or the GOP would find some excuse to push him out of office, via impeachment, etc.
Obama has proved to be dissapointing, in that he caved into the Tea Party on issues such as healthcare, but Mitt Romney is probably the most right wing GOP candidate ever, with Ryan even more right wing than he is.
Anyway, by the end of the day, we will know if the US people are going to stick with him….
Ive taken a day of A/L just to watch the election coverage đ
I’m not disappointed in Obama – I never had high hopes for him. I won’t be watching the coverage. The amount of coverage given to the US presidential race outside the US is just another part of the Americanisation of the world – a mix of cultural and political colonisation.
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Al Jazeera has been giving it too much coverage this morning too. Of course the outcome will have some impact on the world. But the election campaigns of tweedledum or tweedledee are just a political circus; a diversion from the important political issues, IMO.
Millsy, how do you suppose that some redneck would manage that?
Hopefully you were joking about the day off to watch it, as it actually make no difference at all, if not suggestion would be that you stop watching reading MSM so much, and understand that what you see in the USA, like NZ, is really just theatre, which is covering for horrific crimes, domestically and internationally.
Poor Jenny above is waiting, hoping that the POTUS will stop the climate “holocaust” (I really wish people would stop using that as a comparison), and that is simply not going to happen, the reasons have become obvious, but many still believe in the fantasy of democracy and freedom, despite the world we have in front of us!
Yeah, actually I was joking about taking the day off. I actually took the week off for unrelated reasons. That the election fell on during that week was a co-incidence.
Still going to watch the coverage — nothing better to do…
Point was, you get a warmonger, who likes to pass exec orders which allow people to be killed, detained or disposed of without charges etc, and who lies about it, and who is a puppet
or
You get a warmonger, who lies and covers up what his religious beliefs represents, who lies about tax returns and so on, and is a puppet.
Has anyone approached him asking whether he has any more spots on those committees to fill? We’ve got a filthy, lying, slithery, duplicitous type just right for the job here…
I am disappointed with Obama for not striking out further to left however he did have a obstinate Republican opposition with Mitch McConnell even saying that the number one goal was was denying Obama reelection. Not helping the country, not moving forward, but making sure nothing is done. Which is pretty fucking backward.
I have also taken the day off to play election day drinking games with my friends at The Egonomist.
Massive broadening of warrantless wiretaps and communications interception, increase in the foreign drone assassination programme, passing laws to detain indefinitely/execute US citizens without charge or due process, bailing the banks out to the tune of a trillion dollars or more while letting millions of US homes get foreclosed on, increasing the number of people on food stamps to 46M etc.
Right, off for breakfast. Last election we managed to track down the Democrat’s in NZ group drinking at a pub in town. Hope to find them again. I’ll ask them about the hanging chad
Under the cover provided by the release of the Pike River report and the US elections the Government is advancing the gutting of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The Sustainability Council is claiming that the Government is trying to play down a big deficit in the carbon accounts by removing the cost of credits given to polluters from the Government Accounts. Â There will still be a cost. Â The Government wants to hide this cost.
“Climate Change Minister Tim Groser declined to comment because he has not been fully briefed on the documents.”
So a Minister can decline to answer questions by keeping his eyes firmly closed?Â
Tim Groser is above accountability to ordinary people and parliament. Â He is an extraordinary giant of the world scene, who we should be honoured to have on our payroll. Â He has never and will never be elected to anything: why should he answer piffling questions?Â
‘The word “thick” is a vile term used to belittle children, many of who find their only outlet in sport.
All Black Victor Vito is supportive of children with learning difficulties and he wants to write a book to improve their grasp of language.
Some of these kids will make something of their lives, just as Beckham did coming out of the east end of London, and perhaps some will become All Blacks. Will it still be all right to snigger at them then for being thick? ‘
Perhaps someone will open an apology to Beckham Facebook page so those of us embarrassed by Keyâs gaffe can apologise for him!
Yes Lynw, that is a well written piece that succinctly places John Key in his correct position – that of an ignorant pig (apologies to pigs).
Two other things. First, whenever you deal with someone, especially in money stuff like business or politics etc, and that someone has one eye more open than the other then watch out. Key has this.
Second, how is Key saying “Beckham is smart, he has made more money than me”…. ffs, talk about being in a hole and continuing to dig.
That is such an excellent opinion piece.
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One of the things that concerned me was how Key’s comments reinforce the entrenched cultural belief that only one kind of intelligence* is valuable (or it’s the most valuable). Putting some worth on emotional and social intelligence wouldn’t go too far astray at this point. Not to mention the intelligences that go into making one a world class sportsperson.
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*Of course Key is trying to overturn that and make out that financial trading intelligence is the pinnacle of human worth.
Neoliberal failures at Pike River, leaky homes and finance companies. All are results of the small government, less regulation, more asset sales, free market for everything, private is best approach to the world. This approach has now been evidenced to have failed with the loss of 29 lives, countless life savings, and dank damp housing. Especially recall Brownlee’s approach to mine safety review i.e. dismissing it as unnecessary, with an arrogant snigger.
Now, take Brownlee and his approach and the entire neoliberal approach to everything and dump that on the city of Christchurch…… my god, the mind boggles at what the resultant mess will be. We can already see one of the effects of Brownlee and the neoliberal approach in the wanton destruction of heritage buildings. Smsahed down without due process. Demolished prior to consent and consultation……….
Sound familiar? Pike River / finance companies / leaky homes on a city-wide scale? You betcha.
Yes it is time to own up to neoliberal regulatory failures – of small government, of free (fall) market, government’s hands-off regulation, privatising profits and socialising losses, ……
Don’t forget Rena and CTV.
Someone should maintain a web/facebook page to keep a roll call of disgrace and shame.
Brownlee rode the wave of disaster politics – nothing more. In the same way Chch re-elected Bob Parker when he was about to be completely flushed down the dunny, so too did the people vote for the incumbent in government.
Hi Jim, my despair is about the stupidity of voters. Vto’s comment made it obvious in a way I haven’t seen for a while. Not sure that the Greens can do much about that, but yes I do have some hope of attempts to head in the right direction.
Well your getting it Blind Monetarist look at the number of Con-sultants the government is hiring
Hundreds of millions the govt is spending on high price public troughing consultants!
The Rena, CTV, and now Pike river all show the effects of less government. Basically, it’s less government comes with an increase in death and destruction.
You, and every other RWNJ, may want that but the rest of us don’t.
I’d like less government too, but somehow I think you mean a smaller centralised government doing as they please, clumsily effecting everyone; whereas I mean many smaller independant governments relating directly to their States, Communities or whatever useful arrangement occurs.
If you like to call it that. Not the silver bullet, but at least not as damaging as urban dwellers defining a rural reality or one culture dictating another. Separate, but together. Does it not seem strange that a man from the North could come down South and say, “We’re taking your forestry and giving you an unsafe mine to work” or “You can’t fish here, we want something nice to visit later” or “No you can’t teach your kids as you like, your school must start at 9am with English first language – and by the way, we’re closing your school” or “Send us your young men to die for our interests overseas”.
Transfer the consequences for unsafe and unsustainable practices directly to the people doing those things, instead of bailing them out from a distance, with money and rules. No more passing of the NIMBY buck. Encourage people to talk to one another, across States, to get things done diplomatically, instead of assuming power to do as one small group interests are concerned. A Confederation of States. In reality, people will still seek to make money and, with some notable exceptions, share similar values. However, power will be redistributed so people must be more diplomatic and communities can choose with whom they do business.
Yep, it’s just my impossible dream that will not please anyone entirely and upset people I haven’t set out to upset. So, in the abscence of The Great Revolution, what I intend to do is support anything on offer that goes in that general direction. The main point being that although I generally support left-leaners, my comprehension of what NZders would go for doesn’t match big parental style government or small centralised.
Interesting ideas Uturn. Would you also devolve things like welfare or human rights? How about conservation where there are issues of national significance?
Not being entirely flippant. But abolish the market and the need for welfare to ameliorate the effects of a rapacious ‘dog eat dog’ market diminish….maybe even vanish. Abolish the market in conjunction with developing meaningful democratic institutions and human rights take a massive stride forwards.
And conservation alongside other ‘big’ issues are accommodated, not just by market abolition meanig that decsions aren’t determined by the single measure of potential profit, but by democratic systems that work on the principle whereby measures of input to decisions are roughly in balance with the effects decisions would likely have.
Yeah it is complex, that’s why I call it the impossible dream and use it as a guide to what I would support, or do not.
Auckland once organised themselves into Boroughs, or perhaps, evolved into Boroughs from smaller units. Where I live I can walk across three of the old lines in an hour or so. Pretty small areas, smaller than I propose above. More recently, everything became a Supercity, smaller and more centralised, with less local distribution of power. This is clearly too big for the amount of people involved.
Is the idea a direct reversal of a natural evolutionary process or a realisation that people want to be, at some level, seperate to their neighbours across the harbor or in another Island? How separate can they responsibly be?
I would not like to tell Coasters what was good for them or Southerners how to organise themselves. Even less so in areas that have strong maori influence. Do they not know what’s good for them and their environment? If an area pollutes their water supply, they can deal with it, drink it themselves, clean up the mess or find new ways to get what they want. The kind of people who would front these States and community organisation wouldn’t be too sympathetic with reckless exploitation. That’s the whole point.
It is communism? Possibly, because communities have direct decision making independence and the concept of property would change, but also not, because there is no larger state coming to bail you out of your self interested greedy messes. Is it Socialism? Not really, because there is no end game other than cause and effect, acts and consequence, but also yes it is because it is constant transition toward community and relationship. Is it Anarchy? Possibly, because Auckland has little interest, or say, in the squablings of Canterbury or Kaitaia, but also not, because we’ll do business with you or support your interests if they happen to be mutual undertakings – within the laws of our new Confederation.
Unless there was a way to retain Commonwealth status, Treaty of Waitangi and a Confederation Document, the first two would have to go in favour of the last. Confederation Document would not seek to rob Maori of what is theirs, and would reaffirm their special status, but also it would acknowledge that pakeha cannot disappear and are now inextricably linked. Overall, the idea acknowledges Maori have less power than pakeha now and will have more as a result of a new agreement. It’s going to piss off those who don’t want anything to do with Europeans at all, I don’t know how to get round that. To make this document work, it would have to be developed in good faith by people intent on principles, not specific culture. It would deal with how States may interact, not individuals.
Is it Capitalism? Since we live in a modern global world, money and profit will be around for a while, but there is no encouragement to go Neo-Liberal. Is it Fascism? Well that’s up to each community to decide how far they enforce their own values. Is it chaos? No, because we all have to get along and certain infrastructure may well be in all our best interests. Some areas will have resources other people want to buy, bringing a certain kind of order. The taste for war and disruption will soon lose it’s attraction. Not many people want to voluntarily starve or die.
Is it destructive or constructive? Neither, intentionally. People can look out for each other in any way they please through mutual good faith agreement. It encourages people to consider how they relate to and use the resources they have, instead of stockpiling property and saying no one may work because I want to be top of the heap. Will the weak be trampled by the powerful? That’s the way it’s always been, but imagine trying to sell the idea to a community at a local hall, openly, not by sneaky cowardly cuts to benefits and hiding in ivory towers saying you can’t be held responsible. If your leaders want to kill you, go hang them behind the town hall and elect new ones, for all I care. It’s up to the laws and culture of your State. Nothing can make nice for humans that which the universe has ordered will always be nasty.
Does it defuse the celebrity trend in Politics? To some degree. Politics gets up close and personal, not just candidates on TV all highly polished, but people you’re likely to meet at the supermarket any day. You’ll know why things are the way things are, instead of having a newspaper tell you and if you get a bad feeling about someone you meet in person, listen to it. The effect of hero worship will dealt with at the correct distance, instead of with the help of Theatre.
These are some of the things I’ve heard people complaining about or opposing and the above is my interpretation of the structure I think would begin to form if we all got more say. It’s anathema to the power hungry, which is the biggest complaint we all seem to have.
uturn, your base premise is stated approximately thus …. ” Does it not seem strange that a man from the North could come down South and say, âWeâre taking your forestry and giving you an unsafe mine to workâ ”
How would you go about drawing that, in this instance, geographical line? Using this west coast example – should Aucklanders have less say, and what about people from Canterbury, and what about people from Haast having a say in Greymouth?
That is a very difficult line to draw, however it is noted that this line has been arbitrarily drawn in two completely different ways by the last two governments. Helen Clark’s lot came down from the North and did actually take that forestry of course. But then this current lot separate the people of east Canterbury (Christchurch) from those of west Canterbury (farmers) and are actually taking the water and environment.
So one lot drew that line around NZ’s coastline while the other has drawn a line right through a single province.
’tis a complex matter the one you raise and personally I don’t see that too many such lines could or should be drawn in a populace and set of islands as small as ours.
Good questions. I think going with the landbase makes sense – you look at the watershed and resources and how they flow or are contained (take our cues from nature). The West Coast is fairly obvious – there is a big range of mountains in between it and everything else. If you want to go smaller, take the Waitaki Valley or the Clutha Valley and their watersheds/origins.
Why have set geographic areas? The effects of any particular decision will vary enormously. And as said above, a democratic body can be determined through a rough guage of input being in line with potential consequences or impact.
And its important to remember that NZ came from a sytem of Provincial Government. My feeling is that a lot of authority (and capital) needs to be devolved to a local and community level, but that we are a small country and a unified central government will remain important for issues of national importance, going forwards.
VTO – I think a question to ask is, how important is NZ to those who want their dirty hands all over the Antartic regions resources, and using NZ as a bigger base than is currently. Oh and those resources known to be around/off the bottom of NZ, and you can include all the farm land also, and water….really just all of it, its not ours, NZ will not be allowed to benefit from any of it!
The ChCh situation , is again the result of background corruption, and Gerry simply the idiot “messenger”.
Shame on you vto. Pike River is a tragedy not an event to list in a sound bite. It wasn’t so much a neoliberal failure as a victory for DOC and the Greens: “DOC discharged its statutory function to protect the conservation value of the land”. Besides former Ministers Wilkinson, Mallard, Dyson and Carter all had a hand in the events that culminated in the loss of lives.
It is evident from the Commission report that the Pike River tragedy was the result of 20 years of neglect by successive governments.Â
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The report said training of contractors was insufficient – almost half the people in the mine were contractors. This goes to relaxed employment law.
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The report said regulators failed to do their job. This goes to lax regulation and public service cuts.
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The report said a number of design features made the mine unsafe (e.g. the ventilation fan at the bottom of the shaft). That this was permitted goes to lax regulation.
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But you want to blame DoC, about the only organisation involved that vaguely did their job to spec.
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“a victory for DOC and the Greens:”
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How? Because DOC put conditions on land use that it oversees? And that made it harder to build a safe mine, so the company went ahead and built an unsafe one? And that is DOC’s fault?
Gordon Campbell’s On the Pike River Report http://is.gd/esPCQu “âŠwill take [time] to repair the damage done by our neo-liberal experiment in workplace safety”
The Pike River tragedy is the culmination of small government, lax regulation and the pursuit of profit at all costs.
For those watching the US elections today, *this* is how you win an election (edited to clarify this is a video proving electronic voting fraud) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpGd74DrBM
Damn! So much happening today – hard to keep track of them all. Darien Fenton’s Free Public Libraries Bill is due to its first reading, and Metiria Turei’s Income Tax (Universalisation of In-work Tax Credit) Amendment Bill, needs one more vote today -Peter Dunne? Turei says the Bill:
would transform the In-work Tax Credit into a child payment for all children who need it, the Green Party said today.”
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My Bill would help to ensure that all children in New Zealand get what they need to have a good life and a fair future,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.
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“Peter Dunne’s single vote could send my Bill to the Select Committee where a real discussion on how to end child poverty could be held.
It’s little wonder that the Commission of Inquiry found both a lack of governmental oversight and the company is to blame for the Pike River disaster. How exactly the government deals with this will be an interesting development, because I think most agree that Kate Wilkinson’s largely meaningless resignation as Minister of Labour isn’t enough…
Parker said and did the honourable thing as referred to in the Kevin Hague’s piece (“So following the Westminster tradition that I believe in, I resigned my other portfolios this morning”).
As compared with that, maybe Wilkinson can say something like:
“So following my Prime Mincer’s tradition of obfuscation, distraction, troughing and theatrics that I believe in, I kept my other portfolios this morning” đ
Finance Minister Bill English says there will need to be restraint “for some years to come” to meet the Government’s aims, after Treasury released figures today showing the Budget deficit is running $449m worse than forecast.
Too much to pick apart in this article, so will leave it at that!
just had a quick overview of the “world economy” debacle as the NActs continue to lie about it to Parliament;
-Merkel-European financial crisis at least another Five years to go
-Europe desperately courting Asian economies to open up and import more
-NZ government revenues down first quarter, subdued economy
-still have this US “fiscal cliff” to come, despite the short-term efficacy of QE
-Been following the political, philosophical background to the upcoming leadership change in PRC
particularly the United Empire / Regional Division tension and the ever present legacy of Mao (despite the tragic losses of life during The Cultural Revolution and The Great Leap Forward)
Mao is often compared favourably, even superlatively, with the original uniting Emperor.
Hearing first person recent experiences of Ireland and Greece economies from fellow parishoners ( much work to be done on equity in the AC), the lived realities for many of the working, and former middle classes in these countries are not pleasant; redundant new businesses and homes to match the growing employment redundancies.
Good on Parker for getting English to admit the reality behind the apparent increase in the proportion of people in work. English admitted in Qu time that full time jobs are down, parrt time ones are up. English rates that as a success for Bennett’s welfare changes, scaring people back into (no doubt low-paying) part time work.
English admitted in Qu time that full time jobs are down, parrt time ones are up.
Same pattern as USA. And the way they measure their unemployment stats is a real scam – if you have had one hour of paid OR unpaid work in the last week, you are considered to be employed.
Shadowstats suggests that the true unemployment rate in the USA is over 20%.
Key is now saying that “categorically” that he did not use the words “David Beckham is as thick as bats**t“. It sounds like he said something like that, but not with those words.
He’s denying using any term with the word “bat….”. in it, while at the same time he’s refusing to confirm what he did say. As few people have already stated, it’s a lot more plausible he used the kiwi idiom “thick as pigshit”.
This sort of behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated in a four-year old.
English’s fearce defence of Shearer in the house is telling, at least for those of us
that consider shearer has a more right leaning belief than what labour voters are
comfortable with, most of us that question shearer’s direction are on the right track.
English didn’t really defend Shearer in the genreal debate today. He laid into Shearer, saying he’s about to be rolled. He claims that David Parker, Robertson, Cunliffe were not in the House yesterday, because they were meeting to decide who to replace Shearer: ditto the unions in the Koru lounge.
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Though he’s laying into Cunliffe more.
Shearer asks his questions, nothing happens, then the fireworks start, with Peters, Turei and Norman getting stuck in.
Peters got Key to deny, on the record, that he said “batshit” etc. But then he had no more questions available. It happens every week – the effective opposition are hampered by Parliament’s rules, while the “official’ opposition have far more chances, for less result.
An innovative move would be for Shearer to ask one question, then sit down, and let others do a lot of supplementaries. But we have to pretend he’s in charge, so the charade continues.
re Starlight’s comment
I felt heartened by English’s speech, it gave me the message that Nats are more worried than I had thought. It is one thing for an Opposition party to launch into the Government; another for the Government to launch into the Opposition. They sounded threatened and quite pathetic. Good!
Impressions of Gaza
by NOAM CHOMSKY
chomsky.info, November 4, 2012
Even a single night in jail is enough to give a taste of what it means to be under the total control of some external force. And it hardly takes more than a day in Gaza to begin to appreciate what it must be like to try to survive in the worldâs largest open-air prison, where a million and a half people, in the most densely populated area of the world, are constantly subject to random and often savage terror and arbitrary punishment, with no purpose other than to humiliate and degrade, and with the further goal of ensuring that Palestinian hopes for a decent future will be crushed and that the overwhelming global support for a diplomatic settlement that will grant these rights will be nullified.
The intensity of this commitment on the part of the Israeli political leadership has been dramatically illustrated just in the past few days, as they warn that they will âgo crazyâ if Palestinian rights are given limited recognition at the UN. That is not a new departure. The threat to âgo crazyâ (ânishtageaâ) is deeply rooted, back to the Labor governments of the 1950s, along with the related âSamson Complexâ: we will bring down the Temple walls if crossed. It was an idle threat then; not today.
The purposeful humiliation is also not new, though it constantly takes new forms. Thirty years ago political leaders, including some of the most noted hawks, submitted to Prime Minister Begin a shocking and detailed account of how settlers regularly abuse Palestinians in the most depraved manner and with total impunity. The prominent military-political analyst Yoram Peri wrote with disgust that the armyâs task is not to defend the state, but âto demolish the rights of innocent people just because they are Araboushim (âniggers,â âkikesâ) living in territories that God promised to us.â
Gazans have been selected for particularly cruel punishment. It is almost miraculous that people can sustain such an existence. How they do so was described thirty years ago in an eloquent memoir….
A server error prevented me putting this on the relevant thread, so here it is:
BBC news running a very good live stream with updates
My son was watching that, while talking on the phone to me, and I was keeping an ear on BBC WS radio at the same time!
18.20, and it looks good, though not as good as it did, according to L., he says that Ohio now looks shaky…
I have been afraid for a while that Romney would be ‘selected’.. I hope not but we’ll see.
Very good speech from Metiria Turei on child poverty, concluding the first reading of her tax amendment Bill. Something certainly needs to be don to fix the unfair Working for Families tax credit that excludes children of pow income unemployed parents.
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The Bill failed at its first reading by one vote – Banks and Dunne voted against it – shame on them!
Nick Smith and other Nats say they won’t be supporting Darien Fenton’s bill to entrench free public library services because:
– Libraries are SO 1930s, and National be providing a better service through Ultra Fast Broadband
– and anyway, Nats don’t agree with government telling local government what to do
– and it’s just spending other people’s money
– and now Maggie Barry is going on about Nanny state: and Maggie, how can you say the Bill is ridiculous, when you clearly have no idea how libraries operate these days.
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Well, it didn’t pass – 60-61. Banks and Dunne against. Phil Twyford was laughing with utter disbelief that Nick Smith, after what he did with ECAN, was saying the government shouldn’t tell local governments what to do.
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Fenton said Nicki Kaye will not be able to show her face anywhere near any of the Libraries around Auckland, and just lost a load of votes. Ardern gave a very good speech in answer to Nick Smith.
Yeah! Nationals performance in the debate on the Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill (PDF) was pretty diabolical! National clearly showed that they want a user pays system for our public libraries, presumably because they think only rich people should be allowed access to books, digital information and the Internet.
Nikkie Kaye started harping on about not needing free access to libraries because National had already started something called the Manaiakalani project. What she failed to say was that Manaiakalani requires a wireless-enabled net device and the ability to access internet services from home, which isn’t much help for students who cannot afford a portable computer and a home internet connection.
Then Maggie Barry let rip with a rhetoric laden speech full of invective critisizm for the previous Labour government. Apparently it was really really bad that they wanted people to use power saving lightbulbs and water saving shower heads. Nanny state she decried while National want to regulate people’s lives like never before.
At one stage Barry even said Labour wanted “compulsion in the shower,” which was amusing. She then said she doesn’t support funding free and equal access to information in public libraries because she doesn’t know who pays for public services? I mean how fucking dumb can you get.
Basically National don’t like the amendments because knowledge is power, and the power to effect change is something they most definitely want to remove from the poor. God forbid poor people educating themselves for free at a public library. Oh the humanity!
How sickening if Maggie Barry is yodelling about Nanny State. She worked for Radionz for years and presumably liked her pay and position, but must have been in a turmoil all the time poor thing, meeting the people’s wish for a good intellectual and cultural source. Which is what the libraries are also.
In early colonial days Lady Barker was delivering books to her isolated shepherds and people really knew the benefit and need for supply of the written word.
Now the over-reliance and obssession with technology and cheaper government the NACTs have is an indication of their shallow understanding of society, the elements of a modern country, and a willingness to dumb-down society at a crucial time when we need to be absorbing and critically appraising reliable information .
Didn’t Peter Dunne play his well-modulated voice-of-reason superbly when he explained his pathetic reasons for not voting to extend the Working for families Bill. It didn’t make logical sense but it sounded good to those who hate being part of a society that includes and helps all.
I know, I am hammering my head against a brick wall again, as nobody seems to be interested in welfare, sick, disabled and so forth, it just is not “exciting stuff”, aye?!
But I got more PROOF of what I have hammered home before, namely that MSD (Ministry of Social (Under) Development) have been using health advisors for internal assessments and recommentations, which are done by insufficiently qualified, non expert and questionable staff of their own.
They have since 2007 created and staffed Principal Health Advisor, Principal Disability Advisor, Regional Health Advisor, Regional Disability Advisor and Health and Disability Co-Ordiantor positions.
Dr David Bratt, a GP from Wellington, who has a stubbornly unscientific, unreasonable, unproved and indeed BIASED view, that sick and disabled need “work” for medical care, that this will solve all their problems, and that otherwise “benefit dependency” is the same as “drug dependency”, has released a range of bizarre PDF and PowerPoint presentations that are available on the net and via this website.
It has just come to my attention, that the College of Nursing (of Aotearoa) did two or so years back publish an article by him. It is about the plans they had at MSD to get the staff they needed, and it goes a bit into details.
Short story is: They mostly empoy unregistered NURSES to decide about WINZ client’s disabilities and health conditions, and whether they may impact on their ability to do some forms of work. So that is it. It is decisions by supposed “medical” or “health experts”, that never are sufficiently experieinced to diagnose, assess and judge upon most health conditions, as their qualifications are not at all sufficient to do so.
Maybe draw your own conclusions, or do more research, but if you ever face a medical examination by a WINZ doctor and further recommendation by an RHA or RDA, think again, are you being treated “fairly”. You will NOT be, as they are all “trained” by Dr Bratt to decide what MSD and WINZ want them to decide. Remember ACC, for that sake, what MSD does is quite similar!
You’re dead right, but MSD has been doing this for while now. The biggest problem is the “advisers” contacting medical professionals who have initially assessed the person as entitled to the medical related benefit (whether it’s sickness, invalid’s, child disability allowance or whatever) to convince them to change their “opinion” saying the person is not sick “according to the new rules”. Of course the rules have not been changed but doctors and others aren’t to know that so they give MSD the “opinion” they want and the benefit’s refused or stopped – easy. And the only reason they’re getting away with it is because nobody cares about the poor, the sick and the disabled, who just don’t count anymore. Labour hates the poor as they’ve shown over the previous decade, and even the unions don’t care because they’re only interested in people who’ve got jobs which is kind of surprising because workers need the poorest of the poor to be looked after so as to keep wages and conditions from dropping – but try telling that to a unionist in 2012 – the filthy tory scum have done a real job on them, and the result is that those who cannot participate in the fictitious wage labour economy don’t count anymore. We cannot rely on Labour or the unions to “look after those who can’t quite cut it”. Oh how times have changed.
The reason they get away with it is: Nobody challenges them under the law – i.e. provisions under the Act (agreement to be sought before MSD or CE can “determine” a designated or chosen doctor of their type), or under natural justice, which requires fairness, to be heard, to be allowed to have ALL records of your own doctors and specialists presented, read, heard and given credit to. This is NOT what they do! They tell people to take a “pick” of a list of doctors that they see as “independent” (which they are NOT), or even tell you, see “doctor so and so”, as it happened to a mate of mine.
They are breaking the law all the time. YOU have a right to suggest an “independent” doctor, and only if “agreement” fails (which can be questioned re “why”, if all reasonable steps to negotiate that were taken were ignored), then can they “determine” a doctor of their kind.
But believe you me: I have ALL the evidence that they have been training and influencing the doctors they select and use!
There will be some submissions heard re the new reform bill, and some of this will be raised! MSD are lying, dishonest and covering up, that they went further than ACC, and even “trained” the supposedly “independent” doctors they used to make “recommendations” on health and disability issues affecting sick and invalids, needing welfare support from MSD.
Take a resolute stand, and do an Official Information Act request to get the bloody truth ouf of a commonly lying minister and her staff!!!
I agree that few are challenging MSD on the law, but sometimes the law itself is bad or unfair. I agree that more challenging needs to happen, but we also need to inject compassion back into the law. How we do this I don’t know, but it’s about getting the wider public to re-adopt a caring attitude towards the vulnerable – the same attitude that all governments since the late 1980s (and particularly during the 1990s) have worked very hard and have succeeded at destroying. About using the OIA (and all other appropriate means, of course) to help expose all of this, aren’t there advocacy groups out there doing this already? I can understand why very few social security cases are challenged in the courts which I’d imagine would largely be because beneficiaries cannot afford lawyers, but surely there must be others around working on the wider issues?
I have been involved with ME unwellness problems the treatment of which has been influenced by British medical luminaries who pass judgments and prescriptions on sufferers and their rehabilitation that have no validity because it is a syndrome of ailments and nobody knows what causes it. The answer to that is a group of medicals who deny there is a real condition, and often classify sufferers as mentally unwell, malingerers, etc.
There are good paying positions for ‘specialists’ who take this view and they make life more difficult and miserable for people whose real problems are not taken seriously. This sounds like the pattern that MSD has been following and also ACC. There only has to be one proved malingerer and that becomes the default position for for all with a prejudice to each from the first interaction between medicals and the unwell person.
I feel I am wasting my time again on this website. It is regrettable, but the focus is not where it should be, maybe that is why the “left” in NZ is where it is, it is failing an falling apart, I am sorry. Good night!
An associate sent heaps of emails and info to the address of the STandard, NOTHING has been followed up. So either some “research” is going on behind the scenes, or the email address is obsolete, or nobody seems to bother, perhaps to cover also failings of the last Labour led government. But it is all very, very disappointing!
The way it operates is that there are a number of editors who have access to the email thestandardnz@gmail.com. We each eye up whatever arrives there and each do with it what they will.
Personally, I usually just look for reports of problems and occasionally I will put up a guest post. Mostly people send problems to my email. I forward guest posts to the Standard’s email.
Others will follow up on information provided if they find it interesting and feel like they are not wasting their time. If you are lucky they might forward it to a author who may be interested.
We put up something like three quarters of guest posts – so that is always the best route. Most background information will get read but typically not used, mostly because to confirm it enough to write an opinion on it would require more time and effort than our people have available.
This is a coop, we are volunteers, and most of us have our time sucked up by jobs, friends, family and other conditions. We aren’t the archetypal single blogger hiding in their families back room desperately seeking attention and notoriety as an recent episode of The Good Wife put it. We are either busy or occupied with activities outside the blog. It means that there are no researchers unless one of us is interested and feels like pulling our personal time from somewhere else.
We like to write opinions about current affairs as a small part of our busy daily lives. We have banded together because an existing editor or author thought that someone else was good, no one objected, and they got given a login. We are steadily accreting authors. That spreads the load.
The only formal structure is the trust we set up to handle the server cost and any other issues. Everything else is done by whoever can spare the time and feels the urge to do something.
Lprent AND Prism below: This is all appreciated, but I have more or less given up. If what someone did, whom I also assisted, puts hours of work into something, sends it out to advocates AND the Standard by 5 emails, and nobody bothers to read and study it, plus absolutely convincing, sensitive attached documents of total authenticity, then this is a total waste of time in my view, to get anything across in this country.
Ignorance is the choice of most, complacency the next best choice, do not bother me, get off my back, I have my agenda is exactly, what I get everyday. No wonder the media in this country is so full of crap and incompetence! IT IS THE PUPULACE that are the problem, lazy, complacent, brain-washed, self serving and not interested in REAL stuff. As long as the lifestyle is somehow manegeable, why bother risking anything. That is what is happening, so maybe you all just need to be thrown off the cliff, to wake up, I am sorry, but that is how I feel the state of affairs in NZ are.
NZ will never become an advanced, developed and progressive country like this, it is a daydream of unrealistic romanticists, that is what I see, no substance, no decisiveness, no real goals, just talk, talk, talk and more cheap talk. A WASTE!
xstasy 25.1.1
Did this associate write a guest post? You are given that option to offer one for publication and if you feel there is a tale to be told why don’t you do this using all the information you have and co-ordinating with like-minded people?
Open Mike gives people a chance to discuss positive things or problems and bad behaviour by authority. This makes others aware, but a knight on a white charger is unlikely to appear to start a crusade. The Standard is valuable in keeping people informed about the state of our state and its functions and how it’s treating its citizens. This is a central place where thoughtful people can converse with each other.
Someone could initiate a campaign to improve government services if people could be found who have time to get behind it. Also there are groups who do watchdog work and interact with or confront the government to get things changed. Sue Bradford did this for years and is no doubt continuing. It is hard when people are unwell to find people who have strength and fortitude to champion a cause. It is demanding and doesn’t pay much. But there are some out there who will.
Mary – I just picked up (again) what you wrote above. Yes, and if that is the case, that they ring doctors, to get them to change their assessments, that is A SOLID CASE FOR BREACH OF PRIVACY AND NATURAL JUSTICE!
I have two cases before the Health and Disability Commissioner now, I have had another case before DAPAANZ, a totally useless, biased and incompetent ‘Professional Standards Committee” decision there, while the boss up top is the same boss also of the agency employing staff that was complained about.
Naturally, the committee tried to white wash and off-load. That is now also before the H+D Commissioner. There is a separate case about a “designated doctor” of highest popularity and prominence with MSD in the Auckland region before the H+D Commissioner, also is another case before the Ombudsman, dealing with breaches of certain kinds, as well as a partly related, but yet also independent complaints before the Privacy Commissioner now.
You must think I am MAD. I am NOT mad, I have come across totally disgusting, despiccable and worse cases of breaches of patient’s rights in this country, you would only get this otherwise in 3rd world countries.
Remember the justice department staff from Holland that left their jobs years ago, believing in corruption by fellow corrections staff, have you heard about other health staff, even the prospective new hot shot welfare CEO Grossman, all leaving the shores of this country?
It is because this is run like a CORRUPT, OLD BOY’S NETWORK society and sytem here. NZ IS CORRUPT to the core. The problem is professionals and politicians and business people covering each other’s back-sides!
I am just waiting to sort all those legal cases out, and I may also leave this DAMNED PLACE for good. It is ROTTEN to the core, what goes on here, believe you me.
I am sorry to offend, I am telling the bloody truth. I had people in danger of suicide I tried to help, but neve rely on mental health in this damned country, it is SHITE! NZ is a LOST COUNTRY, and I totally understand every person who chose to leave the shores of this place.
What a waste this country is – so much natural potential wasted by bad leadership!
I know what goes on, Xtasy, and you’re not mad. It’s just that nobody cares about the poorest of the poor anymore – it’s that simple. All we can do is keep going, how ever doing that might unfold.
What is the actual “value” of this “media”? How many clicks a day or an hours does this generate? I know there are some figures, and fair enough. I am not so much interested in the “commercial interest” of it, it is about integrity, validation and so on.
We have so much crap media in NZ, it is disgusting. I would love to prove there is some record that shows you guys do so much better. Once they see your potential, you will be up for sale, I am sure.
Sadly MY experience with AnY NZ media is totally BAD and DISASTROUS, so I TRUST NO ONE ANYMORE!
Hence at least I dare to speak “some” of my mind here.
It would be a pity if this is also becoming a zombie no brain strom trooper zone.
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As weâve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a âmoisture-ladenâ long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra â that the Budget âwill deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing.  Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Itâs becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-MÄori andâŠ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that countryâs mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealandâs highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â Â Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Petersâ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes â If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshubâs closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague â whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak â has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities sheâs meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Governmentâs archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the Americaâs Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labourâs change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand Firstâs State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared âco-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. âIâm calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to âtake back our countryâ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesnât act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. âIt was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âThe Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â Mr Peters says.  Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. âRoad safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. âOur relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. âI have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the governmentâs finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                        âThe Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.  âThese changes are long overdue â the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âToday I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. âWeâre sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âComprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. âI would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs great to be here.  First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and Iâm sorry I canât be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article â Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? â looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pickânâmix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If youâre at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, donât panic: The Spinoffâs got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but letâs be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time â but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who havenât accessed support to come forward and engage with the councilâs recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “Itâs official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “weâre in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliamentâs forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the âdisappearanceâ of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people âsequesteredâ in this weekâs raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? â Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Educationâs claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxonâs fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for âDead in Bedâ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queenâs crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellingtonâs Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservationâs biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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‘
Election Polls open across America. Voting starts
What will the new president do about Climate Change?
For good or ill, America has a tradition of global leadership. When it comes to climate change America needs to lead more actively in the world – not from behind, but from the front.
It’s all about leadership
Ultimately, at some time, whoever becomes US president he or she will have to take on the historic task to build the necessary public support for the fight to save our world. As the commander in chief of the most developed and richest and powerful nation on earth, the President of the United States has a historical obligation to lead public opinion against Climate Change– and that starts with explaining to the American people that the US and the world needs to take drastic action to avert further catastrophe, and that America needs to be in the lead in taking that action.
Will Obama be that president?
Will Romney?
Or will we have to wait another four more terrible years of rudderless inaction and silence from the President of the United States in the face of this impending global holocaust?
*Sigh* Obamalama makes it in again. Predictable enough to bet on.
Also predictable is the impending demise of the USA as a superpower (it’s already in progress). Very sad to see.
Not at all! I am delighted to see them go down. What have they done with their ‘superpower’ after all?
Nothing but kill, invade and destroy. đ
yeah, US foreign policy sux, just as bad as the British before them…the future ain’t looking too bright either
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wish_(Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)
Suprised that Obama has lasted this long.
I would have thought that some Alabama redneck was going to assassinate him, or the GOP would find some excuse to push him out of office, via impeachment, etc.
Obama has proved to be dissapointing, in that he caved into the Tea Party on issues such as healthcare, but Mitt Romney is probably the most right wing GOP candidate ever, with Ryan even more right wing than he is.
Anyway, by the end of the day, we will know if the US people are going to stick with him….
Ive taken a day of A/L just to watch the election coverage đ
I’m not disappointed in Obama – I never had high hopes for him. I won’t be watching the coverage. The amount of coverage given to the US presidential race outside the US is just another part of the Americanisation of the world – a mix of cultural and political colonisation.
Â
Al Jazeera has been giving it too much coverage this morning too. Of course the outcome will have some impact on the world. But the election campaigns of tweedledum or tweedledee are just a political circus; a diversion from the important political issues, IMO.
Yep, I think we should be much more concerned with Asia. We need less America influences in our media, not better coverage of muppet vs muppet.
Millsy, how do you suppose that some redneck would manage that?
Hopefully you were joking about the day off to watch it, as it actually make no difference at all, if not suggestion would be that you stop watching reading MSM so much, and understand that what you see in the USA, like NZ, is really just theatre, which is covering for horrific crimes, domestically and internationally.
Poor Jenny above is waiting, hoping that the POTUS will stop the climate “holocaust” (I really wish people would stop using that as a comparison), and that is simply not going to happen, the reasons have become obvious, but many still believe in the fantasy of democracy and freedom, despite the world we have in front of us!
GITMO, WARS, NDAA, Dones, polygamy, theocracy, prophecies, oaths etc….America fcuk yeah!
Yeah, actually I was joking about taking the day off. I actually took the week off for unrelated reasons. That the election fell on during that week was a co-incidence.
Still going to watch the coverage — nothing better to do…
That’s awful. Poor you. Try tv-links.eu
I enjoy Person of Interest, Burn Notice, Perception, Elementary….or for something British and comedy search the site for A Touch of Cloth : )
“A Touch of Cloth”
yeah, that’s some funny shit right there
http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2012/10/drones-in-our-future/
And WTH have you got against polygamy?
Polygyny…
I don’t see a problem with it. If multiple people choose to be in a relationship that’s their choice.
Now, if it was a forced relationship then I would have issues with it but that doesn’t have anything to do with polygamy.
Reading too much into stuff B.
Point was, you get a warmonger, who likes to pass exec orders which allow people to be killed, detained or disposed of without charges etc, and who lies about it, and who is a puppet
or
You get a warmonger, who lies and covers up what his religious beliefs represents, who lies about tax returns and so on, and is a puppet.
Both represent the same gang!
did you expect obama to end capitalism?…all he can do is make it a little less harsh, he cannot take away its core values
I expected Obama not to fill his economic policy committees with Goldman Sachs alumni.
Has anyone approached him asking whether he has any more spots on those committees to fill? We’ve got a filthy, lying, slithery, duplicitous type just right for the job here…
I just spewed my milo
đ
Haah …
his bat, bull or bill – spoilt for choice
i should get a milo too
I am disappointed with Obama for not striking out further to left however he did have a obstinate Republican opposition with Mitch McConnell even saying that the number one goal was was denying Obama reelection. Not helping the country, not moving forward, but making sure nothing is done. Which is pretty fucking backward.
I have also taken the day off to play election day drinking games with my friends at The Egonomist.
There were a few good things done.
Massive broadening of warrantless wiretaps and communications interception, increase in the foreign drone assassination programme, passing laws to detain indefinitely/execute US citizens without charge or due process, bailing the banks out to the tune of a trillion dollars or more while letting millions of US homes get foreclosed on, increasing the number of people on food stamps to 46M etc.
Rachel Maddow provides a good analysis of Obama’s record over the past four years.
I don’t think we’ll get result today though – it’ll be so close and there’ll be recriminations, accusations and bitching from both sides
In the election or in the drinking games?
Probably both
Look out for the hanging chad
Fucking hanging chads. Any hanging chad means everyone drinks
I’m not even sure what that was a metaphor for, but watch out for them anyway, they can’t be good.
Right, off for breakfast. Last election we managed to track down the Democrat’s in NZ group drinking at a pub in town. Hope to find them again. I’ll ask them about the hanging chad
lol have a couple for me while you’re at it đ
It may not be very close, if you look at FiveThirtyEight. ~90% chance of Obama winning there, mostly hinging on Ohio.
If Romney takes Ohio then it could be tricky, but he’s not likely to given the polling.
Under the cover provided by the release of the Pike River report and the US elections the Government is advancing the gutting of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The Sustainability Council is claiming that the Government is trying to play down a big deficit in the carbon accounts by removing the cost of credits given to polluters from the Government Accounts. Â There will still be a cost. Â The Government wants to hide this cost.
“Climate Change Minister Tim Groser declined to comment because he has not been fully briefed on the documents.”
So a Minister can decline to answer questions by keeping his eyes firmly closed?Â
Well, John Key did encourage a trend for his cabinet colleagues with his higher standards of “can’t recall”, “didn’t read”, “dunno” and such like.
So we are now hearing Tim Groser overtaking John Key’s standards with “not been fully briefed”.
Now I get the picture Grosser has been sharing some of his wacky backy with the PM short term memory loss!
Tim Groser is above accountability to ordinary people and parliament. Â He is an extraordinary giant of the world scene, who we should be honoured to have on our payroll. Â He has never and will never be elected to anything: why should he answer piffling questions?Â
Following John Key’s example of not reading reports that tell him stuff he doesn’t want to know.
There are also more ‘good’ lines coming out of this lot in government.
A chocolate fish for guessing who said this just yesterday (and mangled up the year anyway):
“I got my warrant in December 2008. I cannot recall anything of December 2008”
And this one today:
“I do not have all of that detail to hand”
(but that was not a real response to what the question was asking)
A refreshing opinion on Stuff.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/7914631/John-Key-scores-two-own-goals-for-stupidity
‘The word “thick” is a vile term used to belittle children, many of who find their only outlet in sport.
All Black Victor Vito is supportive of children with learning difficulties and he wants to write a book to improve their grasp of language.
Some of these kids will make something of their lives, just as Beckham did coming out of the east end of London, and perhaps some will become All Blacks. Will it still be all right to snigger at them then for being thick? ‘
Perhaps someone will open an apology to Beckham Facebook page so those of us embarrassed by Keyâs gaffe can apologise for him!
Yup. I will sign up.
There should be an option as well on that Facebook page that announces NZ disowning John Key.
Yes Lynw, that is a well written piece that succinctly places John Key in his correct position – that of an ignorant pig (apologies to pigs).
Two other things. First, whenever you deal with someone, especially in money stuff like business or politics etc, and that someone has one eye more open than the other then watch out. Key has this.
Second, how is Key saying “Beckham is smart, he has made more money than me”…. ffs, talk about being in a hole and continuing to dig.
That is such an excellent opinion piece.
Â
One of the things that concerned me was how Key’s comments reinforce the entrenched cultural belief that only one kind of intelligence* is valuable (or it’s the most valuable). Putting some worth on emotional and social intelligence wouldn’t go too far astray at this point. Not to mention the intelligences that go into making one a world class sportsperson.
Â
*Of course Key is trying to overturn that and make out that financial trading intelligence is the pinnacle of human worth.
Here is a sobering current happening…….
Neoliberal failures at Pike River, leaky homes and finance companies. All are results of the small government, less regulation, more asset sales, free market for everything, private is best approach to the world. This approach has now been evidenced to have failed with the loss of 29 lives, countless life savings, and dank damp housing. Especially recall Brownlee’s approach to mine safety review i.e. dismissing it as unnecessary, with an arrogant snigger.
Now, take Brownlee and his approach and the entire neoliberal approach to everything and dump that on the city of Christchurch…… my god, the mind boggles at what the resultant mess will be. We can already see one of the effects of Brownlee and the neoliberal approach in the wanton destruction of heritage buildings. Smsahed down without due process. Demolished prior to consent and consultation……….
Sound familiar? Pike River / finance companies / leaky homes on a city-wide scale? You betcha.
Yes it is time to own up to neoliberal regulatory failures – of small government, of free (fall) market, government’s hands-off regulation, privatising profits and socialising losses, ……
Don’t forget Rena and CTV.
Someone should maintain a web/facebook page to keep a roll call of disgrace and shame.
And still, Christchurch voted Brownlee back in with a majority of 13,000. So the elite of that city don’t give a fuck.
Brownlee rode the wave of disaster politics – nothing more. In the same way Chch re-elected Bob Parker when he was about to be completely flushed down the dunny, so too did the people vote for the incumbent in government.
That makes me completely despair about democracy in this country.
Keep your hope up.
There is an alternative.
Greens have been working on it and Labour … um aahh err … soon, soon.
Hi Jim, my despair is about the stupidity of voters. Vto’s comment made it obvious in a way I haven’t seen for a while. Not sure that the Greens can do much about that, but yes I do have some hope of attempts to head in the right direction.
I reckon he will get a real nasty shock next time.
You may want big government, I certainly don’t.
Less government the better.
Well your getting it Blind Monetarist look at the number of Con-sultants the government is hiring
Hundreds of millions the govt is spending on high price public troughing consultants!
FIFY
Less government the better for screwing the scrum .. and getting away with it. Yeehaa.
The Rena, CTV, and now Pike river all show the effects of less government. Basically, it’s less government comes with an increase in death and destruction.
You, and every other RWNJ, may want that but the rest of us don’t.
I’d like less government too, but somehow I think you mean a smaller centralised government doing as they please, clumsily effecting everyone; whereas I mean many smaller independant governments relating directly to their States, Communities or whatever useful arrangement occurs.
Is that like zero central or remote governmence and much more in the way of immediate and empowerng governance?
If you like to call it that. Not the silver bullet, but at least not as damaging as urban dwellers defining a rural reality or one culture dictating another. Separate, but together. Does it not seem strange that a man from the North could come down South and say, “We’re taking your forestry and giving you an unsafe mine to work” or “You can’t fish here, we want something nice to visit later” or “No you can’t teach your kids as you like, your school must start at 9am with English first language – and by the way, we’re closing your school” or “Send us your young men to die for our interests overseas”.
Transfer the consequences for unsafe and unsustainable practices directly to the people doing those things, instead of bailing them out from a distance, with money and rules. No more passing of the NIMBY buck. Encourage people to talk to one another, across States, to get things done diplomatically, instead of assuming power to do as one small group interests are concerned. A Confederation of States. In reality, people will still seek to make money and, with some notable exceptions, share similar values. However, power will be redistributed so people must be more diplomatic and communities can choose with whom they do business.
No disageement with the first paragraph. Not convinced by the second, although I agree with the sentiments.
Yep, it’s just my impossible dream that will not please anyone entirely and upset people I haven’t set out to upset. So, in the abscence of The Great Revolution, what I intend to do is support anything on offer that goes in that general direction. The main point being that although I generally support left-leaners, my comprehension of what NZders would go for doesn’t match big parental style government or small centralised.
Interesting ideas Uturn. Would you also devolve things like welfare or human rights? How about conservation where there are issues of national significance?
Not being entirely flippant. But abolish the market and the need for welfare to ameliorate the effects of a rapacious ‘dog eat dog’ market diminish….maybe even vanish. Abolish the market in conjunction with developing meaningful democratic institutions and human rights take a massive stride forwards.
And conservation alongside other ‘big’ issues are accommodated, not just by market abolition meanig that decsions aren’t determined by the single measure of potential profit, but by democratic systems that work on the principle whereby measures of input to decisions are roughly in balance with the effects decisions would likely have.
Weka and vto:
Yeah it is complex, that’s why I call it the impossible dream and use it as a guide to what I would support, or do not.
Auckland once organised themselves into Boroughs, or perhaps, evolved into Boroughs from smaller units. Where I live I can walk across three of the old lines in an hour or so. Pretty small areas, smaller than I propose above. More recently, everything became a Supercity, smaller and more centralised, with less local distribution of power. This is clearly too big for the amount of people involved.
Is the idea a direct reversal of a natural evolutionary process or a realisation that people want to be, at some level, seperate to their neighbours across the harbor or in another Island? How separate can they responsibly be?
I would not like to tell Coasters what was good for them or Southerners how to organise themselves. Even less so in areas that have strong maori influence. Do they not know what’s good for them and their environment? If an area pollutes their water supply, they can deal with it, drink it themselves, clean up the mess or find new ways to get what they want. The kind of people who would front these States and community organisation wouldn’t be too sympathetic with reckless exploitation. That’s the whole point.
It is communism? Possibly, because communities have direct decision making independence and the concept of property would change, but also not, because there is no larger state coming to bail you out of your self interested greedy messes. Is it Socialism? Not really, because there is no end game other than cause and effect, acts and consequence, but also yes it is because it is constant transition toward community and relationship. Is it Anarchy? Possibly, because Auckland has little interest, or say, in the squablings of Canterbury or Kaitaia, but also not, because we’ll do business with you or support your interests if they happen to be mutual undertakings – within the laws of our new Confederation.
Unless there was a way to retain Commonwealth status, Treaty of Waitangi and a Confederation Document, the first two would have to go in favour of the last. Confederation Document would not seek to rob Maori of what is theirs, and would reaffirm their special status, but also it would acknowledge that pakeha cannot disappear and are now inextricably linked. Overall, the idea acknowledges Maori have less power than pakeha now and will have more as a result of a new agreement. It’s going to piss off those who don’t want anything to do with Europeans at all, I don’t know how to get round that. To make this document work, it would have to be developed in good faith by people intent on principles, not specific culture. It would deal with how States may interact, not individuals.
Is it Capitalism? Since we live in a modern global world, money and profit will be around for a while, but there is no encouragement to go Neo-Liberal. Is it Fascism? Well that’s up to each community to decide how far they enforce their own values. Is it chaos? No, because we all have to get along and certain infrastructure may well be in all our best interests. Some areas will have resources other people want to buy, bringing a certain kind of order. The taste for war and disruption will soon lose it’s attraction. Not many people want to voluntarily starve or die.
Is it destructive or constructive? Neither, intentionally. People can look out for each other in any way they please through mutual good faith agreement. It encourages people to consider how they relate to and use the resources they have, instead of stockpiling property and saying no one may work because I want to be top of the heap. Will the weak be trampled by the powerful? That’s the way it’s always been, but imagine trying to sell the idea to a community at a local hall, openly, not by sneaky cowardly cuts to benefits and hiding in ivory towers saying you can’t be held responsible. If your leaders want to kill you, go hang them behind the town hall and elect new ones, for all I care. It’s up to the laws and culture of your State. Nothing can make nice for humans that which the universe has ordered will always be nasty.
Does it defuse the celebrity trend in Politics? To some degree. Politics gets up close and personal, not just candidates on TV all highly polished, but people you’re likely to meet at the supermarket any day. You’ll know why things are the way things are, instead of having a newspaper tell you and if you get a bad feeling about someone you meet in person, listen to it. The effect of hero worship will dealt with at the correct distance, instead of with the help of Theatre.
These are some of the things I’ve heard people complaining about or opposing and the above is my interpretation of the structure I think would begin to form if we all got more say. It’s anathema to the power hungry, which is the biggest complaint we all seem to have.
meh. So was walking on the moon until it became a demand.
Well said, Bill.
uturn, your base premise is stated approximately thus …. ” Does it not seem strange that a man from the North could come down South and say, âWeâre taking your forestry and giving you an unsafe mine to workâ ”
How would you go about drawing that, in this instance, geographical line? Using this west coast example – should Aucklanders have less say, and what about people from Canterbury, and what about people from Haast having a say in Greymouth?
That is a very difficult line to draw, however it is noted that this line has been arbitrarily drawn in two completely different ways by the last two governments. Helen Clark’s lot came down from the North and did actually take that forestry of course. But then this current lot separate the people of east Canterbury (Christchurch) from those of west Canterbury (farmers) and are actually taking the water and environment.
So one lot drew that line around NZ’s coastline while the other has drawn a line right through a single province.
’tis a complex matter the one you raise and personally I don’t see that too many such lines could or should be drawn in a populace and set of islands as small as ours.
Good questions. I think going with the landbase makes sense – you look at the watershed and resources and how they flow or are contained (take our cues from nature). The West Coast is fairly obvious – there is a big range of mountains in between it and everything else. If you want to go smaller, take the Waitaki Valley or the Clutha Valley and their watersheds/origins.
Why have set geographic areas? The effects of any particular decision will vary enormously. And as said above, a democratic body can be determined through a rough guage of input being in line with potential consequences or impact.
And its important to remember that NZ came from a sytem of Provincial Government. My feeling is that a lot of authority (and capital) needs to be devolved to a local and community level, but that we are a small country and a unified central government will remain important for issues of national importance, going forwards.
VTO – I think a question to ask is, how important is NZ to those who want their dirty hands all over the Antartic regions resources, and using NZ as a bigger base than is currently. Oh and those resources known to be around/off the bottom of NZ, and you can include all the farm land also, and water….really just all of it, its not ours, NZ will not be allowed to benefit from any of it!
The ChCh situation , is again the result of background corruption, and Gerry simply the idiot “messenger”.
+1
NZ is slowly being sold off and it’s time to stop it.
Shame on you vto. Pike River is a tragedy not an event to list in a sound bite. It wasn’t so much a neoliberal failure as a victory for DOC and the Greens: “DOC discharged its statutory function to protect the conservation value of the land”. Besides former Ministers Wilkinson, Mallard, Dyson and Carter all had a hand in the events that culminated in the loss of lives.
It is evident from the Commission report that the Pike River tragedy was the result of 20 years of neglect by successive governments.Â
 Â
The report said training of contractors was insufficient – almost half the people in the mine were contractors. This goes to relaxed employment law.
 Â
The report said regulators failed to do their job. This goes to lax regulation and public service cuts.
    Â
The report said a number of design features made the mine unsafe (e.g. the ventilation fan at the bottom of the shaft). That this was permitted goes to lax regulation.
 Â
But you want to blame DoC, about the only organisation involved that vaguely did their job to spec.
    Â
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“a victory for DOC and the Greens:”
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How? Because DOC put conditions on land use that it oversees? And that made it harder to build a safe mine, so the company went ahead and built an unsafe one? And that is DOC’s fault?
Gordon Campbell’s On the Pike River Report http://is.gd/esPCQu “âŠwill take [time] to repair the damage done by our neo-liberal experiment in workplace safety”
The Pike River tragedy is the culmination of small government, lax regulation and the pursuit of profit at all costs.
For those watching the US elections today, *this* is how you win an election (edited to clarify this is a video proving electronic voting fraud)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpGd74DrBM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/06/roundup-voter-irregularities-2/
Stephen Colbert interviews Nate Silver: âAre you trying to put the pundits out of work?â.
Damn! So much happening today – hard to keep track of them all. Darien Fenton’s Free Public Libraries Bill is due to its first reading, and Metiria Turei’s Income Tax (Universalisation of In-work Tax Credit) Amendment Bill, needs one more vote today -Peter Dunne? Turei says the Bill:
Â
Free the public libraries !
Why many Republicans won’t be able to accept an Obama win today:
http://www.readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/can-republicans-accept-defeat.html
The growing attacks on the Green Party is just part of the journey towards Government and is actually a sign of success.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/national-greens-and-gandhi.html
Very good Dave. Would be nice to see this as a guest post on TS.
Â
an encouraging read
Passing the buck over Pike River
It’s little wonder that the Commission of Inquiry found both a lack of governmental oversight and the company is to blame for the Pike River disaster. How exactly the government deals with this will be an interesting development, because I think most agree that Kate Wilkinson’s largely meaningless resignation as Minister of Labour isn’t enough…
Wilkinson’s resignation is convenient, calculated and cynical.
Kevin Hague agrees and says it was only a symbolic resignation.
Â
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Thanks for the link.
Parker said and did the honourable thing as referred to in the Kevin Hague’s piece (“So following the Westminster tradition that I believe in, I resigned my other portfolios this morning”).
As compared with that, maybe Wilkinson can say something like:
“So following my Prime Mincer’s tradition of obfuscation, distraction, troughing and theatrics that I believe in, I kept my other portfolios this morning” đ
Oh look, yet more falling tax take
Too much to pick apart in this article, so will leave it at that!
Well done, Bill English. Strategic deficit going according to plan.
Yup, and as I have illustrated previously in comments, NZ can’t even export our way out of it!
Meanwhile the majority have NFI what is actually going on around them, and therefore, to them!
just had a quick overview of the “world economy” debacle as the NActs continue to lie about it to Parliament;
-Merkel-European financial crisis at least another Five years to go
-Europe desperately courting Asian economies to open up and import more
-NZ government revenues down first quarter, subdued economy
-still have this US “fiscal cliff” to come, despite the short-term efficacy of QE
-Been following the political, philosophical background to the upcoming leadership change in PRC
particularly the United Empire / Regional Division tension and the ever present legacy of Mao (despite the tragic losses of life during The Cultural Revolution and The Great Leap Forward)
Mao is often compared favourably, even superlatively, with the original uniting Emperor.
Hearing first person recent experiences of Ireland and Greece economies from fellow parishoners ( much work to be done on equity in the AC), the lived realities for many of the working, and former middle classes in these countries are not pleasant; redundant new businesses and homes to match the growing employment redundancies.
Good on Parker for getting English to admit the reality behind the apparent increase in the proportion of people in work. English admitted in Qu time that full time jobs are down, parrt time ones are up. English rates that as a success for Bennett’s welfare changes, scaring people back into (no doubt low-paying) part time work.
Same pattern as USA. And the way they measure their unemployment stats is a real scam – if you have had one hour of paid OR unpaid work in the last week, you are considered to be employed.
Shadowstats suggests that the true unemployment rate in the USA is over 20%.
I love Turei’s prounciation in the House today to the Minister of Revenue. She keeps referring to the Key-Dung Government.
In the House Peters asks Key if he used the term ‘batshit’ key’s reply said he did not.
brain fade again, or what?
Key is now saying that “categorically” that he did not use the words “David Beckham is as thick as bats**t“. It sounds like he said something like that, but not with those words.
He’s weaselling.
He’s denying using any term with the word “bat….”. in it, while at the same time he’s refusing to confirm what he did say. As few people have already stated, it’s a lot more plausible he used the kiwi idiom “thick as pigshit”.
This sort of behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated in a four-year old.
My guess is that he has read all the twitter comments (“its ‘pig-shit’, numpty”) and wants to make out it was “pig-shit” he said.
English’s fearce defence of Shearer in the house is telling, at least for those of us
that consider shearer has a more right leaning belief than what labour voters are
comfortable with, most of us that question shearer’s direction are on the right track.
Sheeezus đ
English didn’t really defend Shearer in the genreal debate today. He laid into Shearer, saying he’s about to be rolled. He claims that David Parker, Robertson, Cunliffe were not in the House yesterday, because they were meeting to decide who to replace Shearer: ditto the unions in the Koru lounge.
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Though he’s laying into Cunliffe more.
There’s a set pattern now at Question Time.
Shearer asks his questions, nothing happens, then the fireworks start, with Peters, Turei and Norman getting stuck in.
Peters got Key to deny, on the record, that he said “batshit” etc. But then he had no more questions available. It happens every week – the effective opposition are hampered by Parliament’s rules, while the “official’ opposition have far more chances, for less result.
An innovative move would be for Shearer to ask one question, then sit down, and let others do a lot of supplementaries. But we have to pretend he’s in charge, so the charade continues.
“But we have to pretend heâs in charge, so the charade continues.”
Sad truth.
re Starlight’s comment
I felt heartened by English’s speech, it gave me the message that Nats are more worried than I had thought. It is one thing for an Opposition party to launch into the Government; another for the Government to launch into the Opposition. They sounded threatened and quite pathetic. Good!
Bill English sounds well-prepared to be Opposition-in-Waiting
Impressions of Gaza
by NOAM CHOMSKY
chomsky.info, November 4, 2012
Even a single night in jail is enough to give a taste of what it means to be under the total control of some external force. And it hardly takes more than a day in Gaza to begin to appreciate what it must be like to try to survive in the worldâs largest open-air prison, where a million and a half people, in the most densely populated area of the world, are constantly subject to random and often savage terror and arbitrary punishment, with no purpose other than to humiliate and degrade, and with the further goal of ensuring that Palestinian hopes for a decent future will be crushed and that the overwhelming global support for a diplomatic settlement that will grant these rights will be nullified.
The intensity of this commitment on the part of the Israeli political leadership has been dramatically illustrated just in the past few days, as they warn that they will âgo crazyâ if Palestinian rights are given limited recognition at the UN. That is not a new departure. The threat to âgo crazyâ (ânishtageaâ) is deeply rooted, back to the Labor governments of the 1950s, along with the related âSamson Complexâ: we will bring down the Temple walls if crossed. It was an idle threat then; not today.
The purposeful humiliation is also not new, though it constantly takes new forms. Thirty years ago political leaders, including some of the most noted hawks, submitted to Prime Minister Begin a shocking and detailed account of how settlers regularly abuse Palestinians in the most depraved manner and with total impunity. The prominent military-political analyst Yoram Peri wrote with disgust that the armyâs task is not to defend the state, but âto demolish the rights of innocent people just because they are Araboushim (âniggers,â âkikesâ) living in territories that God promised to us.â
Gazans have been selected for particularly cruel punishment. It is almost miraculous that people can sustain such an existence. How they do so was described thirty years ago in an eloquent memoir….
Read more….
http://chomsky.info/articles/20121104.htm
How long can Dunnokeyo’s nose grow before he trips over it?
How long can Dunnokeyoâs nose grow before he trips over it?
He’s tripped over it repeatedly for more than year.. The problem is that Labour has a “leader” who is utterly incapable of taking advantage of this.
“How long can Dunnokeyo’s nose grow before he trips over it?”
Has ipredict got bets on that one I wonder?
A server error prevented me putting this on the relevant thread, so here it is:
My son was watching that, while talking on the phone to me, and I was keeping an ear on BBC WS radio at the same time!
18.20, and it looks good, though not as good as it did, according to L., he says that Ohio now looks shaky…
I have been afraid for a while that Romney would be ‘selected’.. I hope not but we’ll see.
Very good speech from Metiria Turei on child poverty, concluding the first reading of her tax amendment Bill. Something certainly needs to be don to fix the unfair Working for Families tax credit that excludes children of pow income unemployed parents.
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The Bill failed at its first reading by one vote – Banks and Dunne voted against it – shame on them!
Nick Smith and other Nats say they won’t be supporting Darien Fenton’s bill to entrench free public library services because:
– Libraries are SO 1930s, and National be providing a better service through Ultra Fast Broadband
– and anyway, Nats don’t agree with government telling local government what to do
– and it’s just spending other people’s money
– and now Maggie Barry is going on about Nanny state: and Maggie, how can you say the Bill is ridiculous, when you clearly have no idea how libraries operate these days.
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Anyone who opposes libraries in this country should be [no calls for violence please. r0b]
Well, it didn’t pass – 60-61. Banks and Dunne against. Phil Twyford was laughing with utter disbelief that Nick Smith, after what he did with ECAN, was saying the government shouldn’t tell local governments what to do.
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Fenton said Nicki Kaye will not be able to show her face anywhere near any of the Libraries around Auckland, and just lost a load of votes. Ardern gave a very good speech in answer to Nick Smith.
Maggie Barry is a self serving over privileged little wench. Perfect Tory, the next Social Welfare Minister no doubt.
Yeah! Nationals performance in the debate on the Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill (PDF) was pretty diabolical! National clearly showed that they want a user pays system for our public libraries, presumably because they think only rich people should be allowed access to books, digital information and the Internet.
Nikkie Kaye started harping on about not needing free access to libraries because National had already started something called the Manaiakalani project. What she failed to say was that Manaiakalani requires a wireless-enabled net device and the ability to access internet services from home, which isn’t much help for students who cannot afford a portable computer and a home internet connection.
Then Maggie Barry let rip with a rhetoric laden speech full of invective critisizm for the previous Labour government. Apparently it was really really bad that they wanted people to use power saving lightbulbs and water saving shower heads. Nanny state she decried while National want to regulate people’s lives like never before.
At one stage Barry even said Labour wanted “compulsion in the shower,” which was amusing. She then said she doesn’t support funding free and equal access to information in public libraries because she doesn’t know who pays for public services? I mean how fucking dumb can you get.
Basically National don’t like the amendments because knowledge is power, and the power to effect change is something they most definitely want to remove from the poor. God forbid poor people educating themselves for free at a public library. Oh the humanity!
Tell the fucking Tory MPs to hand back their Parliamentary salaries then as they don’t seem to have any problems when its them doing the spending.
How sickening if Maggie Barry is yodelling about Nanny State. She worked for Radionz for years and presumably liked her pay and position, but must have been in a turmoil all the time poor thing, meeting the people’s wish for a good intellectual and cultural source. Which is what the libraries are also.
In early colonial days Lady Barker was delivering books to her isolated shepherds and people really knew the benefit and need for supply of the written word.
Now the over-reliance and obssession with technology and cheaper government the NACTs have is an indication of their shallow understanding of society, the elements of a modern country, and a willingness to dumb-down society at a crucial time when we need to be absorbing and critically appraising reliable information .
Darien’s almost in tears delivering her speech…
Fuck you Peter Dunne. Voting it down.
Yeah rich pricks in a rich suburb of Wellington voted him in.
Time for a lynch mob to get rid of key and his henchmen/women.
Didn’t Peter Dunne play his well-modulated voice-of-reason superbly when he explained his pathetic reasons for not voting to extend the Working for families Bill. It didn’t make logical sense but it sounded good to those who hate being part of a society that includes and helps all.
I know, I am hammering my head against a brick wall again, as nobody seems to be interested in welfare, sick, disabled and so forth, it just is not “exciting stuff”, aye?!
But I got more PROOF of what I have hammered home before, namely that MSD (Ministry of Social (Under) Development) have been using health advisors for internal assessments and recommentations, which are done by insufficiently qualified, non expert and questionable staff of their own.
They have since 2007 created and staffed Principal Health Advisor, Principal Disability Advisor, Regional Health Advisor, Regional Disability Advisor and Health and Disability Co-Ordiantor positions.
Dr David Bratt, a GP from Wellington, who has a stubbornly unscientific, unreasonable, unproved and indeed BIASED view, that sick and disabled need “work” for medical care, that this will solve all their problems, and that otherwise “benefit dependency” is the same as “drug dependency”, has released a range of bizarre PDF and PowerPoint presentations that are available on the net and via this website.
It has just come to my attention, that the College of Nursing (of Aotearoa) did two or so years back publish an article by him. It is about the plans they had at MSD to get the staff they needed, and it goes a bit into details.
Short story is: They mostly empoy unregistered NURSES to decide about WINZ client’s disabilities and health conditions, and whether they may impact on their ability to do some forms of work. So that is it. It is decisions by supposed “medical” or “health experts”, that never are sufficiently experieinced to diagnose, assess and judge upon most health conditions, as their qualifications are not at all sufficient to do so.
http://dc168.4shared.com/doc/k88tZRE2/preview.html
Maybe draw your own conclusions, or do more research, but if you ever face a medical examination by a WINZ doctor and further recommendation by an RHA or RDA, think again, are you being treated “fairly”. You will NOT be, as they are all “trained” by Dr Bratt to decide what MSD and WINZ want them to decide. Remember ACC, for that sake, what MSD does is quite similar!
You’re dead right, but MSD has been doing this for while now. The biggest problem is the “advisers” contacting medical professionals who have initially assessed the person as entitled to the medical related benefit (whether it’s sickness, invalid’s, child disability allowance or whatever) to convince them to change their “opinion” saying the person is not sick “according to the new rules”. Of course the rules have not been changed but doctors and others aren’t to know that so they give MSD the “opinion” they want and the benefit’s refused or stopped – easy. And the only reason they’re getting away with it is because nobody cares about the poor, the sick and the disabled, who just don’t count anymore. Labour hates the poor as they’ve shown over the previous decade, and even the unions don’t care because they’re only interested in people who’ve got jobs which is kind of surprising because workers need the poorest of the poor to be looked after so as to keep wages and conditions from dropping – but try telling that to a unionist in 2012 – the filthy tory scum have done a real job on them, and the result is that those who cannot participate in the fictitious wage labour economy don’t count anymore. We cannot rely on Labour or the unions to “look after those who can’t quite cut it”. Oh how times have changed.
Mary: Thank you so much!
The reason they get away with it is: Nobody challenges them under the law – i.e. provisions under the Act (agreement to be sought before MSD or CE can “determine” a designated or chosen doctor of their type), or under natural justice, which requires fairness, to be heard, to be allowed to have ALL records of your own doctors and specialists presented, read, heard and given credit to. This is NOT what they do! They tell people to take a “pick” of a list of doctors that they see as “independent” (which they are NOT), or even tell you, see “doctor so and so”, as it happened to a mate of mine.
They are breaking the law all the time. YOU have a right to suggest an “independent” doctor, and only if “agreement” fails (which can be questioned re “why”, if all reasonable steps to negotiate that were taken were ignored), then can they “determine” a doctor of their kind.
But believe you me: I have ALL the evidence that they have been training and influencing the doctors they select and use!
There will be some submissions heard re the new reform bill, and some of this will be raised! MSD are lying, dishonest and covering up, that they went further than ACC, and even “trained” the supposedly “independent” doctors they used to make “recommendations” on health and disability issues affecting sick and invalids, needing welfare support from MSD.
Take a resolute stand, and do an Official Information Act request to get the bloody truth ouf of a commonly lying minister and her staff!!!
I agree that few are challenging MSD on the law, but sometimes the law itself is bad or unfair. I agree that more challenging needs to happen, but we also need to inject compassion back into the law. How we do this I don’t know, but it’s about getting the wider public to re-adopt a caring attitude towards the vulnerable – the same attitude that all governments since the late 1980s (and particularly during the 1990s) have worked very hard and have succeeded at destroying. About using the OIA (and all other appropriate means, of course) to help expose all of this, aren’t there advocacy groups out there doing this already? I can understand why very few social security cases are challenged in the courts which I’d imagine would largely be because beneficiaries cannot afford lawyers, but surely there must be others around working on the wider issues?
I have been involved with ME unwellness problems the treatment of which has been influenced by British medical luminaries who pass judgments and prescriptions on sufferers and their rehabilitation that have no validity because it is a syndrome of ailments and nobody knows what causes it. The answer to that is a group of medicals who deny there is a real condition, and often classify sufferers as mentally unwell, malingerers, etc.
There are good paying positions for ‘specialists’ who take this view and they make life more difficult and miserable for people whose real problems are not taken seriously. This sounds like the pattern that MSD has been following and also ACC. There only has to be one proved malingerer and that becomes the default position for for all with a prejudice to each from the first interaction between medicals and the unwell person.
I feel I am wasting my time again on this website. It is regrettable, but the focus is not where it should be, maybe that is why the “left” in NZ is where it is, it is failing an falling apart, I am sorry. Good night!
I appreciate the information you share xtasy. I’m not sure what you are wanting from people at the Standard.
An associate sent heaps of emails and info to the address of the STandard, NOTHING has been followed up. So either some “research” is going on behind the scenes, or the email address is obsolete, or nobody seems to bother, perhaps to cover also failings of the last Labour led government. But it is all very, very disappointing!
The way it operates is that there are a number of editors who have access to the email thestandardnz@gmail.com. We each eye up whatever arrives there and each do with it what they will.
Personally, I usually just look for reports of problems and occasionally I will put up a guest post. Mostly people send problems to my email. I forward guest posts to the Standard’s email.
Others will follow up on information provided if they find it interesting and feel like they are not wasting their time. If you are lucky they might forward it to a author who may be interested.
We put up something like three quarters of guest posts – so that is always the best route. Most background information will get read but typically not used, mostly because to confirm it enough to write an opinion on it would require more time and effort than our people have available.
This is a coop, we are volunteers, and most of us have our time sucked up by jobs, friends, family and other conditions. We aren’t the archetypal single blogger hiding in their families back room desperately seeking attention and notoriety as an recent episode of The Good Wife put it. We are either busy or occupied with activities outside the blog. It means that there are no researchers unless one of us is interested and feels like pulling our personal time from somewhere else.
We like to write opinions about current affairs as a small part of our busy daily lives. We have banded together because an existing editor or author thought that someone else was good, no one objected, and they got given a login. We are steadily accreting authors. That spreads the load.
The only formal structure is the trust we set up to handle the server cost and any other issues. Everything else is done by whoever can spare the time and feels the urge to do something.
Lprent AND Prism below: This is all appreciated, but I have more or less given up. If what someone did, whom I also assisted, puts hours of work into something, sends it out to advocates AND the Standard by 5 emails, and nobody bothers to read and study it, plus absolutely convincing, sensitive attached documents of total authenticity, then this is a total waste of time in my view, to get anything across in this country.
Ignorance is the choice of most, complacency the next best choice, do not bother me, get off my back, I have my agenda is exactly, what I get everyday. No wonder the media in this country is so full of crap and incompetence! IT IS THE PUPULACE that are the problem, lazy, complacent, brain-washed, self serving and not interested in REAL stuff. As long as the lifestyle is somehow manegeable, why bother risking anything. That is what is happening, so maybe you all just need to be thrown off the cliff, to wake up, I am sorry, but that is how I feel the state of affairs in NZ are.
NZ will never become an advanced, developed and progressive country like this, it is a daydream of unrealistic romanticists, that is what I see, no substance, no decisiveness, no real goals, just talk, talk, talk and more cheap talk. A WASTE!
xstasy 25.1.1
Did this associate write a guest post? You are given that option to offer one for publication and if you feel there is a tale to be told why don’t you do this using all the information you have and co-ordinating with like-minded people?
Open Mike gives people a chance to discuss positive things or problems and bad behaviour by authority. This makes others aware, but a knight on a white charger is unlikely to appear to start a crusade. The Standard is valuable in keeping people informed about the state of our state and its functions and how it’s treating its citizens. This is a central place where thoughtful people can converse with each other.
Someone could initiate a campaign to improve government services if people could be found who have time to get behind it. Also there are groups who do watchdog work and interact with or confront the government to get things changed. Sue Bradford did this for years and is no doubt continuing. It is hard when people are unwell to find people who have strength and fortitude to champion a cause. It is demanding and doesn’t pay much. But there are some out there who will.
Just keep saying it, Xtasy. Don’t ever stop. That’s all you can do. Just keep going.
keeping going is good.
Mary – I just picked up (again) what you wrote above. Yes, and if that is the case, that they ring doctors, to get them to change their assessments, that is A SOLID CASE FOR BREACH OF PRIVACY AND NATURAL JUSTICE!
I have two cases before the Health and Disability Commissioner now, I have had another case before DAPAANZ, a totally useless, biased and incompetent ‘Professional Standards Committee” decision there, while the boss up top is the same boss also of the agency employing staff that was complained about.
Naturally, the committee tried to white wash and off-load. That is now also before the H+D Commissioner. There is a separate case about a “designated doctor” of highest popularity and prominence with MSD in the Auckland region before the H+D Commissioner, also is another case before the Ombudsman, dealing with breaches of certain kinds, as well as a partly related, but yet also independent complaints before the Privacy Commissioner now.
You must think I am MAD. I am NOT mad, I have come across totally disgusting, despiccable and worse cases of breaches of patient’s rights in this country, you would only get this otherwise in 3rd world countries.
Remember the justice department staff from Holland that left their jobs years ago, believing in corruption by fellow corrections staff, have you heard about other health staff, even the prospective new hot shot welfare CEO Grossman, all leaving the shores of this country?
It is because this is run like a CORRUPT, OLD BOY’S NETWORK society and sytem here. NZ IS CORRUPT to the core. The problem is professionals and politicians and business people covering each other’s back-sides!
I am just waiting to sort all those legal cases out, and I may also leave this DAMNED PLACE for good. It is ROTTEN to the core, what goes on here, believe you me.
I am sorry to offend, I am telling the bloody truth. I had people in danger of suicide I tried to help, but neve rely on mental health in this damned country, it is SHITE! NZ is a LOST COUNTRY, and I totally understand every person who chose to leave the shores of this place.
What a waste this country is – so much natural potential wasted by bad leadership!
I know what goes on, Xtasy, and you’re not mad. It’s just that nobody cares about the poorest of the poor anymore – it’s that simple. All we can do is keep going, how ever doing that might unfold.
Thank youMary –
Your comment means so much to me, I cannot express it, but I see my need for refuges too, so I am off to YouTube now, to seek a bit if musical relief.
Take care, all the best, I will contribute, where I can.
What is the actual “value” of this “media”? How many clicks a day or an hours does this generate? I know there are some figures, and fair enough. I am not so much interested in the “commercial interest” of it, it is about integrity, validation and so on.
We have so much crap media in NZ, it is disgusting. I would love to prove there is some record that shows you guys do so much better. Once they see your potential, you will be up for sale, I am sure.
Sadly MY experience with AnY NZ media is totally BAD and DISASTROUS, so I TRUST NO ONE ANYMORE!
Hence at least I dare to speak “some” of my mind here.
It would be a pity if this is also becoming a zombie no brain strom trooper zone.
Rgds
Xtasy