Andrew on the TPP
Gower had asked: Is the Labour Party for or against the TPP? Excerpt:
Andrew: The TPP does something else [than open markets to help our exporters], and it does something pretty rotten, actually. It tries to tell the New Zealand Parliament and therefore the voters and citizens of New Zealand how our parliament should operate. That’s wrong, and that can never be justified and can never be defended, and we will fight against it.
Gower: Sure.
Andrew: But I want to be clear that fighting against that, which is what we will do – I’m absolutely committed to doing – is not anti-free trade. It is not opposing our long-standing heritage as a party in supporting free trade. I want to make that clear. So when you ask the question, it is too simplistic and too simple to simply say, yeah, we’re for this or we’re against it, because it’s too complex.
Gower: Because it’s a deal and it’s a package, and you can’t pick and choose, and it’s here now, the time for fighting is over. It’s here.
Go Andrew Little. The TPP is NOT a free trade agreement, it is a way for large scale corporates to profit from Governments and to keep the worlds polluters polluting for as long as possible and make a grab for the Internet, copywrite, patents etc so that other technologies are stifled, and then sue the government when they regulate in their own countries for their own people’s good. That is NOT DEMOCRACY.
If you have a look in Indonesia, where the economic ‘benefits’ of palm oil plantations are destroying their air, forests and way of life.
Yep great for those 10% benefiting but what about people who can’t afford to leave?
Unfortunately NZ is an ’emerging’ country to plunder and with the security of the TPP agreement, corporates will be here in force to plunder our country and people any which way they can. It is the opposite of security, as imagine the riots to come when our water, farms, housing and food start to be polluted and sold offshore.
We really are being sold off as a banana republic (for nothing as the agreement is ‘free’) and I’m not sure how long Kiwis will sit around watching that happen.
When a few individuals are now threatening to sue Wellington council for daring to want a ‘living wage’ that is NOT THE START OF A BRIGHTER FUTURE, and when corporations sue when the government does not give permission to sell our farms overseas, under TPP it is going to get ALOT worse.
Our country will be full of these NACT NEOLIBERALS CORPORATES SUEING LOCALS!
Its already happening, and the future is NOT BRIGHTER!
In Government, we will provide a clear time-frame for industry to reduce sugar content in all processed food.
There will be front of package labelling that is easy for everyone to understand.
under TPP.
The txt has come out and Labour MUST say they do not support TPP or they are going to look like liars because under TPP if they will not be able to do the above without being in a position to compensate for the loss of profits and NZ can not afford this type of agreement.
Great to see little correct gower and call out the deliberately simplistic question.
Now can the rest please follow on consistently with some fire in the belly to get people taking notice of how nact have yet again sold out nz without the finer details being known.
‘Worse Than We Thought’: TPP A Total Corporate Power Grab Nightmare
‘President Obama has sold the American people a false bill of goods,’ says Friends of the Earth
I guess Gower just got the press sheet from the governments to base his ‘interviews’ (or shall we say propaganda rants!) . Hope TV3 shareholders are getting big pay backs from government because TV3 is crashing and burning with their pro Natz and Dancing with Cops formats! I bet Christie and Weldon are laughing all their way to their bank accounts though… and just send lacky Jennings to take the fall. Apparently he now has a minder from their venture capital backers…. When reality is stranger than fiction…
I took Shamubeel Eacqubs advice some time ago by not purchasing a house. Can those of you on this site who support Grant Robertsons shared prosperity rant and own a house, send me your address as I may need somewhere to live.
Well Shamubeel is the MSM darling. Or listen to Bernard Hickey another MSM darling.
They seem to be advocating the same thing, there will be a housing crash (being said for last 15 years) which never happened.
Shamubeel has links to Goldman Sachs and Bernard tired ex Journo Hack!
Hope you enjoy being homeless Tory, because Immigration HAS NOTHING to do with the Auckland housing crisis according to the above – just like the mythical housing crash that nobody experienced in Auckland.
The sad thing, is that the MSM hacks actually seem to believe it. Just like reforming the RMA and the SHA to make land owners richer in Auckland.
And advocating making those rentals a bit more comfortable so maybe Kiwis won’t notice they can’t afford to buy a house anymore.
Or how the MSM told Labour to bring in capital gains taxes for the 65% of Homeowning Kiwis last election they would win. Kiwis who do not respond to MSM financial advice and that spent all their pitiful wages on a house to live in, so at least now they both have a place to live and savings, their unlivable wages never gave them.
I know a lot of people who did not buy a house because they read the herald and believed all that stuff about the property crash and bought shares, etc. Now they can’t afford to buy, because property has doubled in Auckland and those who bought need low interests rates and no crash and no instability and really do fear a crash. And for those that think a crash is a great idea, have a look at the US today.
I might sound like an arsehole and Hickey and Shemubeel might be lovely guys, but their advice was pretty reckless and the damage is done to some people – they are pretty much unable to buy a house now in Auckland where they work, whereas they could of, 5 – 10 years ago and I think Shemubeel has said that immigration has nothing to do with inflated prices in Auckland???
You are coming on strong CV. Doesn’t sound like your usual rational approach. It seems that save nz considers the results show the financial advice was misleading.
Immigration and overseas buyers have nothing to do with the housing crisis in Auckland………………?
They had nothing to do with the heat coming off the housing market as the Chinese economy slows and we started requiring money launderers to supply passport numbers.
I’d be happy to @ Tory if you’ll publish your email so I can contact you. I’ve got a garage you can have for $400 a week. (free market and all).
Or I know a couple of people looking for flatmates under the Ghuznee Street motorway bridge that might be happy to have you.
I’d be clutching my ‘mum and dad’ power company shares, I can’t afford the electricity which is why I’m hoping to get into this new under bridge development in Northland.
Luckily our government let me buy some shares in Meridian before they sold it off and evicted me from my State house because I only got 3 hours work on my zero hour contract last week. I nearly got a living wage job, but living wages are actually not democratic because then other business might have to pay it and the economy will crumble if business have to pay a living wage. I’m really hoping solar doesn’t take off, because these shares might go down and that’s all I’ve got now.
Luckily the electricity authority is unlikely to let that happen, because solar is might effect big business bottom line thats why climate change should not be mentioned in one of the largest trade agreements of the world.
I still vote National because they are promising me a better job, if we keep the status quo and make business run the world eventually we get ‘trickle down’ and I will be prosperous like John Key is, he used to live in a state house don’t you know?
That’d be stepping up to a little pozzy under the Kelburn Viaduct Bridge eh? Or perhaps the Bolton Street bridge where one or two resident pollies can throw him a crust from ‘toim ta toim’.
I reckon @Tory could do well flatting with the Ghuznee Street dwellers. He/she could tell them to just pull themselves together, aim a little higher, don’t take no for an answer, and perhaps even refer them to a printer mate who can do a ‘cashie’ job on a decent sign for when they’re out begging – show them some “entre-prin-oooo-aaaah-ship”.
Of course he could always go out east (since he’s such a classy guy) and get close to hob nobbing with Finlayson – although there’d be one or two places he’d have to avoid for fear of having something done that’d change his life (ekshully, now I think about it, the change would probably do him good).
Andrew Little handled Gower well when he said, “So when you ask the question, it is too simplistic and too simple……..”
I (and maybe Winston) would have added.”But that’s what I’d expect from you Paddy”
Agreed when will labour start to treat these nactoid media muppets aggressively with some retorts that show how shallow and biased they are.
Little should understand the hostile witness scenario so time he practiced it with the msm and gain some traction against the spin and dirty politics still present.
tc I agree entirely but..Serious question- What is the’ hostile witness scenario’?
I’d like to see Little taking the p**s out of sententious journalists and I think he’d be good at it. Perhaps he’s too much of a gentleman.. sorry gentleperson…
No I think he should get some aggression.
Witnesses who are expected to be forthcoming and honest but aren’t so judges allow them to be treated as hostile so gloves come off and the barrister gets stuck in.
The nice guy routine is what gower etc expect so go back at them and do what paul Keating was a master at, taking the question sharpening it and sticking it back into your examiner with interest.
The TPP is NOT a Free Trade Agreement.
It is as one-sided as the East India Company Act.
It will have benefits for the Fucker and restriction on the Fuckee.
Labour should drive hard on the theme:
“The TPPA is NOT a Free Trade Agreement; it is a Large Corporate Protection Agreement; LCPA.”
Labour is too gutless and too cowed by flashy corporate power to do anything more than say that the TPP ticks 4 out of 5 of Andrew LLittles checkboxes.
Why did Andrew Little just say on Q&A, as one reason to defend dropping the CGT was ‘unfair” for the the small investor with 1 or 2 rental properties that was their retirement scheme to be taxed. (Not a direct quote) If it is part of an investment strategy and a CG is part of the strategy then that CG should be taxed.
No wonder property values are furthered fuelled in Auckland Its ok not to be taxed on this investment but all other retirement schemes are taxed on their gains. eg shares, precious metals etc.
It would be IMO far less conscientious to stress what the existing tax laws capture and how they should be strengthened.
I didn’t hear Little, but know that there was some disquiet at the time, because a crib, that a not very wealthy person had managed to buy, was going to attract a CGT.
What else is a local going to invest in, in this country? Shares and be called a ‘parasite’ by business roundtable, invest in Kiwisaver which a great idea, but the Natz have already started tinkering with it (do you want to have everything you own in the government hands), or hope for savings with your pay rise you have not got for 10 years and being told you are lucky to have a job?
Rightly or wrongly it is a dream of NZ to own property and I’m not sure Maori are that keen on additional property taxes either.
Deciding to tax assets for the cash poor is theoretically a great idea but in practise not something that will win an election.
And if you are going to tax property, at least go with a consumption tax like stamp duty which is practically impossible to evade as it is paid on title transfer.
Gott in Himmel!
Did I just hear Nick Leggett on Q+A say “National has not wound back Labour’s ‘Social Contract'”?
I might have been hearing things as I travel towards dotage but if not, he is obviously SO out of touch it isn’t funny anymore!
WINZ treatment of beneficiaries and youth.
Flogging off the public’s assets.
Doing away with/underfunding/under resourcing democratic institutions (PSB; Ombudsmen’s Office;ECAN;etc.,etc.,etc…..)
…. yea nah
The funny thing is that the Natz are mimicking Labour. Everything they talk about is Labour. Labour did it too, Labour agrees with us, even their winning election slogan last election.
“working for NZ” “working’ and “labour’ being closely related.
What I can’t understand is why Labour are pretending to be the Natz?
Vote Positive.
Is that the magic beans of TPP?
Clasp your last $ before your foreclosure and think positive?
Saying that I am feeling much more hopeful about Labour being against TPP and getting back to it’s basics.
Lets hope they don’t keep channelling weasel words like the Natz and reclaim their legacy POST 1984.
Australia is becoming increasingly fascist and inhumane and downright cruel:
1 Tetraplegic man who’s lived most of his life in Aussie though originally from NZ was jailed for using an illegal substance to ease his pain and then dumped at AKL airport. He’d forgotten to take out Australian citizenship.
2. Kiwi who has lived in WA for 11 years went on a peace visit to Syria and on return though he’s nothing wrong they’re going to deport him!
3. This poor man has lived in Aussie since a baby and he’s 51. He’s been convicted of starting a bush fire and did 15 months, he’s now in Australia’s Guantanamo Bay namely Christmas island west of Bali and just south of the Indonesian coast, they’re treating him like a terrorist!
” Man who has spent 50 years of his life in Australia faces deportation to the UK under strict new immigration laws after he was jailed for 15 months for starting a bush fire
Ian Wightman, 51, has lived in Western Australia since he was one year old
He is now on Christmas Island awaiting deportation to the United Kingdom
This is due to a new law which punishes foreigners ( This man is not, not a foreigner he is an Australian! This is Nazi stuff! ) who have gone to jail
Mr Wightman was sentenced to 15 months after he started a scrub fire ”
I visited Aussie to see a friend last year for a week, am a NZ citizen and checking through for the flight home got a full overall body xray plus had baggage checked for firearms residue!! This is f*cking insane! Have they gone stark staring bonkers over there?
@John M. It’s called manufactured fear. Instead of collaborating neighbours spy on each other and fear each other and governments spy and fear their own people.
I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Nick Leggat is a member of the Labour Party? Why is he up in Auckland (Q+A studios) and not at the Labour Party conference?
He’s part of a thinktank with revolutionary ideas for Labour… and also part of a Pagani, Nash trifecta. You never know he might appear on the Standard like the other two have recently.
“Teen boys would jump out of a car and approach young women and smack them on the bottom,” Walsh said.
“That was recorded and they’d jump back into the car and drive off.”
Well, I suppose after the Roastbusters didn’t go to jail for a very long time they thought that this type of shit was acceptable. They themselves should now be going to jail and getting a criminal record but I’m sure that they won’t.
Two cops in jail following the shooting of a father and son (the son died). The shooting happened on Friday. So that’s pretty quick, right? And a big change from the normal pattern of events in the US following a police shooting – no messing, no strange attempts to justify or excuse; locked up in double quick time.
Oh yeah, did I mention the cops are black and the father and son they shot were white? Now, I’m sure that has absolutely no bearing on anything, no siree.
After accusing (and suing) Stringer and Slater of dirty politics he has now admitted that he is the ‘Mr X’ and the interviewer in his (in)famous pamphlet.
When you include the ranting printed in the pamphlet and the misrepresentation involved in writing the pamphlet how can he dance on a pin head and accuse the other two of lying about him and involving themselves in ‘dirty politics’.
Admitting to being three different personalities listed in the pamphlet is bad enough.
Writing in the pamphlet quotes relating to the Commandment ‘Not to bear false witness’ and a quote from George Washington about finding out the truth – hasn’t Craig proved his own pamphlet?
It is so messed up I am wondering if Craig has fallen down his own personal Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole – no other logical explanation.
This from Wall Street Journal.
Technology is one source of this shift, but so is legislation. The JOBS Act of 2012 contained a seemingly innocuous provision making it easier for startups to raise money from investors previously deemed too poor to dabble in such ventures. At the end of October, the Securities and Exchange Commission finally approved the rules, which will go into full effect early next year.
As a result, any company or person with an idea can solicit and raise up to $1 million without most of the onerous regulatory and reporting requirements of the past. http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-uberization-of-finance-1446835102?mod=trending_now_4
https://www.sec.gov/spotlight/jobs-act.shtml
Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act
On April 5, 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The Act requires the SEC to write rules and issue studies on capital formation, disclosure and registration requirements.
Cost-effective access to capital for companies of all sizes plays a critical role in our national economy, and companies seeking access to capital should not be hindered by unnecessary or overly burdensome regulations. We look forward to hearing the public’s views as we write rules that both facilitate capital formation and promote investor protection.
So Judith Collins has nothing to do since going back to being a backbencher…has to write a self serving column and do some extra mural study… good on 159k per annum… plus fratuities… if you can get it.
“Provisions of Canada’s new Pacific Rim trade deal(TPPA) are prompting concerns over credential recognition in light of a section that says there will be no limits and no testing of foreign skilled workers.” and
“This text confirms our worst fears,” said Gill McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “This deal will allow foreign companies to bring in what could be an unlimited number of temporary foreign workers in certain broad occupational categories … while bypassing all measures to protect Canadian jobs.”
A great interview on RNZ Sunday morning by Wallace Chapman (Influential New Zealanders) with Sue Bradford. Lots of unknown (to me) information..American mother..Both parents university scientists..tragedy with one of her sons…her views on section 59-the anti ‘beating kids’ bill..her principled reasons for eschewing involvement with Kim Dotty.com..Sue completing a PhD.
A valuable and principled person.I wish her well and hope she stays around.
… also a Maoist in her student days…and while principled I think also authoritarian
ie Mao wasn’t into grassroots democracy…like Pol Pot , Mao was a communist and supposedly for the people…but Mao thought he knew what was best for ‘the people’ …and did a lot of damage to ‘the people’ in the name of his Cultural Revolution… to put it mildly! (…some would say top down fascism and cultural annihilation…many lives were lost and others ruined )
( when I was at university most students from a working class background did not think much of Mao!…it was those from a middle class background who fancied themselves radicals who favoured Mao and they thought they knew what was best for everyone else …ha ha)
….nor is Bradford a fan of the blog sphere because she sees it as getting in the way and undermining of ‘real journalism’ by ‘trained’ journalists , presumably for real newspapers ( and other corporately owned real business media outlets) …whereas surely the blog sphere is grassroots democracy in action?!….(and I reckon many of the writers are better than in the msm).
….same goes for her criticisms of Dotcom…Bradford damned Dotcom because he was a millionaire and wanted to bring big business opportunities to New Zealand
( but if these ‘big business opportunities’ are in IT entrepreneurship then surely this is preferable to dairying/environmental degradation or destructive overkill tourism or property speculation or NZ going bankrupt ?…and having to sell off precious land into overseas ownership because the dairy industry is no longer profitable and we are increasingly beholden to China for milk prices?!)
…imo Bradford’s damning of Dotcom is simplistic and superficial …ie it does not recognise the much deeper issues at stake that Dotcom is embroiled in…of future NZ democracy and sovereignty
eg. control and takeover of NZ enterprise by overseas big corporate Hollywood and media/ IT monopolies, curtailing of internet freedom, information and democratic usage , censorship , violation of privacy, human rights to freedom from surveillance, copyright monopolies…
…these are amongst the most important issues of our times and recognised by Dotcom’s friends …eg. Julian Assange, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, Max Keiser , Hone Harawira and others in the Mana/Internet Party
one would have thought that being an activist for human rights against monopoly corporate capitalism and on the vanguard facing the rough end of police force …Bradford would have had more sensitivity about such issues and more sympathy for the fight Dotcom is engaged in ….and the heavy treatment he has received
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In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the “trust machine” that is Bitcoin and the financial journalists who have jumped the shark trying to deny it. In the second half, Max interviews Simon Dixon of BnkToTheFuture.com about Bitcoin Capital, Bitcoin vs blockchain and the future of finance.”
“In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the magic tricks required to escape the economic tricks locking the 99 percent in an ever declining wealth illusion. In the second half, Max interviews Sam Lee of the Bitcoin Group, a bitcoin miner about to go public in Australia. Max talks to him about the trials and tribulations of going public (the first of its kind in Australia) and why bitcoin and not blockchain?”
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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 – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s 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 – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s 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 Zealand’s 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 – 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 – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. 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 Peters’ 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 — 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 Newshub’s 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 – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – 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 ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ 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 she’s 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 Government’s 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 America’s 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 won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s 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 Labour’s 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 First’s 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 ‘co-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 Pāti Māori 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. “I’m 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 ‘take back our country’ 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 Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s 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 publicservice 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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s 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 doesn’t 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. “It 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. “The 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. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” 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. “Road 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. “Our 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 Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam 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. “I 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. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, 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 government’s 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 Government’s Budget objectives. “The 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. “The 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. “These changes are long overdue – 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 Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The 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 Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There 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. “Today 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 People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” 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. “We’re 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 Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I 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. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” 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. “Comprising 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. “I 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. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s 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 Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s 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 I’m sorry I can’t 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 Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 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 ...
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 let’s 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 – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
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 ...
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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 haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
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 Parliament’s 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 “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s 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 It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s 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? – 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 there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – 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 Education’s 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 Luxon’s 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 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s 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 you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s 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 ...
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Andrew on the TPP
Gower had asked: Is the Labour Party for or against the TPP?
Excerpt:
Andrew: The TPP does something else [than open markets to help our exporters], and it does something pretty rotten, actually. It tries to tell the New Zealand Parliament and therefore the voters and citizens of New Zealand how our parliament should operate. That’s wrong, and that can never be justified and can never be defended, and we will fight against it.
Gower: Sure.
Andrew: But I want to be clear that fighting against that, which is what we will do – I’m absolutely committed to doing – is not anti-free trade. It is not opposing our long-standing heritage as a party in supporting free trade. I want to make that clear. So when you ask the question, it is too simplistic and too simple to simply say, yeah, we’re for this or we’re against it, because it’s too complex.
Gower: Because it’s a deal and it’s a package, and you can’t pick and choose, and it’s here now, the time for fighting is over. It’s here.
Andrew: No.
Gower: The deal’s been done.
Andrew: I disagree absolutely, and that’s the whole thing.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/raw-data-andrew-little-interview-labour%E2%80%99s-conference-181293
Go Andrew Little. The TPP is NOT a free trade agreement, it is a way for large scale corporates to profit from Governments and to keep the worlds polluters polluting for as long as possible and make a grab for the Internet, copywrite, patents etc so that other technologies are stifled, and then sue the government when they regulate in their own countries for their own people’s good. That is NOT DEMOCRACY.
If you have a look in Indonesia, where the economic ‘benefits’ of palm oil plantations are destroying their air, forests and way of life.
Yep great for those 10% benefiting but what about people who can’t afford to leave?
Unfortunately NZ is an ’emerging’ country to plunder and with the security of the TPP agreement, corporates will be here in force to plunder our country and people any which way they can. It is the opposite of security, as imagine the riots to come when our water, farms, housing and food start to be polluted and sold offshore.
We really are being sold off as a banana republic (for nothing as the agreement is ‘free’) and I’m not sure how long Kiwis will sit around watching that happen.
When a few individuals are now threatening to sue Wellington council for daring to want a ‘living wage’ that is NOT THE START OF A BRIGHTER FUTURE, and when corporations sue when the government does not give permission to sell our farms overseas, under TPP it is going to get ALOT worse.
Our country will be full of these NACT NEOLIBERALS CORPORATES SUEING LOCALS!
Its already happening, and the future is NOT BRIGHTER!
Furthermore how can Labour promise
In Government, we will provide a clear time-frame for industry to reduce sugar content in all processed food.
There will be front of package labelling that is easy for everyone to understand.
under TPP.
The txt has come out and Labour MUST say they do not support TPP or they are going to look like liars because under TPP if they will not be able to do the above without being in a position to compensate for the loss of profits and NZ can not afford this type of agreement.
Yes. They need to be strong, clear and unequivocal, – with no apology, no wavering.
+1
Thanks for the interview snip. Good to hear Little being so clear and not letting Gower misdirect Labour’s position.
Great to see little correct gower and call out the deliberately simplistic question.
Now can the rest please follow on consistently with some fire in the belly to get people taking notice of how nact have yet again sold out nz without the finer details being known.
‘Worse Than We Thought’: TPP A Total Corporate Power Grab Nightmare
‘President Obama has sold the American people a false bill of goods,’ says Friends of the Earth
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/11/05/worse-we-thought-tpp-total-corporate-power-grab-nightmare
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=230879
Beware of your smartphone.
That sounds remarkably like someone have a rant about their pet hate combined with advertising.
What really irritates me are the simple questions like for or against.
Its a 6000 page doc!!!
I guess Gower just got the press sheet from the governments to base his ‘interviews’ (or shall we say propaganda rants!) . Hope TV3 shareholders are getting big pay backs from government because TV3 is crashing and burning with their pro Natz and Dancing with Cops formats! I bet Christie and Weldon are laughing all their way to their bank accounts though… and just send lacky Jennings to take the fall. Apparently he now has a minder from their venture capital backers…. When reality is stranger than fiction…
BBC journalist says “Trust nothing you read or watch” http://www.thecanary.co/2015/11/06/bbc-journalist-comes-clean-says-trust-nothing-read-watch/ & his blog here http://johndarvallblog.com/2015/11/05/i-am-ashamed-to-call-myself-a-journalist/
I took Shamubeel Eacqubs advice some time ago by not purchasing a house. Can those of you on this site who support Grant Robertsons shared prosperity rant and own a house, send me your address as I may need somewhere to live.
Well Shamubeel is the MSM darling. Or listen to Bernard Hickey another MSM darling.
They seem to be advocating the same thing, there will be a housing crash (being said for last 15 years) which never happened.
Shamubeel has links to Goldman Sachs and Bernard tired ex Journo Hack!
Hope you enjoy being homeless Tory, because Immigration HAS NOTHING to do with the Auckland housing crisis according to the above – just like the mythical housing crash that nobody experienced in Auckland.
The sad thing, is that the MSM hacks actually seem to believe it. Just like reforming the RMA and the SHA to make land owners richer in Auckland.
And advocating making those rentals a bit more comfortable so maybe Kiwis won’t notice they can’t afford to buy a house anymore.
Or how the MSM told Labour to bring in capital gains taxes for the 65% of Homeowning Kiwis last election they would win. Kiwis who do not respond to MSM financial advice and that spent all their pitiful wages on a house to live in, so at least now they both have a place to live and savings, their unlivable wages never gave them.
Bernard Hickey is a good guy mate, dont be such an arsehole.
I know a lot of people who did not buy a house because they read the herald and believed all that stuff about the property crash and bought shares, etc. Now they can’t afford to buy, because property has doubled in Auckland and those who bought need low interests rates and no crash and no instability and really do fear a crash. And for those that think a crash is a great idea, have a look at the US today.
I might sound like an arsehole and Hickey and Shemubeel might be lovely guys, but their advice was pretty reckless and the damage is done to some people – they are pretty much unable to buy a house now in Auckland where they work, whereas they could of, 5 – 10 years ago and I think Shemubeel has said that immigration has nothing to do with inflated prices in Auckland???
You are coming on strong CV. Doesn’t sound like your usual rational approach. It seems that save nz considers the results show the financial advice was misleading.
Immigration and overseas buyers have nothing to do with the housing crisis in Auckland………………?
They had nothing to do with the heat coming off the housing market as the Chinese economy slows and we started requiring money launderers to supply passport numbers.
I’d be happy to @ Tory if you’ll publish your email so I can contact you. I’ve got a garage you can have for $400 a week. (free market and all).
Or I know a couple of people looking for flatmates under the Ghuznee Street motorway bridge that might be happy to have you.
@Once were Tim – I hear National are solving the housing crisis in Northland by building 11 new bridges. First dibs#
I’d be clutching my ‘mum and dad’ power company shares, I can’t afford the electricity which is why I’m hoping to get into this new under bridge development in Northland.
Luckily our government let me buy some shares in Meridian before they sold it off and evicted me from my State house because I only got 3 hours work on my zero hour contract last week. I nearly got a living wage job, but living wages are actually not democratic because then other business might have to pay it and the economy will crumble if business have to pay a living wage. I’m really hoping solar doesn’t take off, because these shares might go down and that’s all I’ve got now.
Luckily the electricity authority is unlikely to let that happen, because solar is might effect big business bottom line thats why climate change should not be mentioned in one of the largest trade agreements of the world.
I still vote National because they are promising me a better job, if we keep the status quo and make business run the world eventually we get ‘trickle down’ and I will be prosperous like John Key is, he used to live in a state house don’t you know?
😈 +1
You obviously haven’t set you’re aspirations high enough , because if you did you’d be living the dream buy now.
That’d be stepping up to a little pozzy under the Kelburn Viaduct Bridge eh? Or perhaps the Bolton Street bridge where one or two resident pollies can throw him a crust from ‘toim ta toim’.
I reckon @Tory could do well flatting with the Ghuznee Street dwellers. He/she could tell them to just pull themselves together, aim a little higher, don’t take no for an answer, and perhaps even refer them to a printer mate who can do a ‘cashie’ job on a decent sign for when they’re out begging – show them some “entre-prin-oooo-aaaah-ship”.
Of course he could always go out east (since he’s such a classy guy) and get close to hob nobbing with Finlayson – although there’d be one or two places he’d have to avoid for fear of having something done that’d change his life (ekshully, now I think about it, the change would probably do him good).
Andrew Little handled Gower well when he said, “So when you ask the question, it is too simplistic and too simple……..”
I (and maybe Winston) would have added.”But that’s what I’d expect from you Paddy”
Agreed when will labour start to treat these nactoid media muppets aggressively with some retorts that show how shallow and biased they are.
Little should understand the hostile witness scenario so time he practiced it with the msm and gain some traction against the spin and dirty politics still present.
tc I agree entirely but..Serious question- What is the’ hostile witness scenario’?
I’d like to see Little taking the p**s out of sententious journalists and I think he’d be good at it. Perhaps he’s too much of a gentleman.. sorry gentleperson…
No I think he should get some aggression.
Witnesses who are expected to be forthcoming and honest but aren’t so judges allow them to be treated as hostile so gloves come off and the barrister gets stuck in.
The nice guy routine is what gower etc expect so go back at them and do what paul Keating was a master at, taking the question sharpening it and sticking it back into your examiner with interest.
The TPP is NOT a Free Trade Agreement.
It is as one-sided as the East India Company Act.
It will have benefits for the Fucker and restriction on the Fuckee.
Labour should drive hard on the theme:
“The TPPA is NOT a Free Trade Agreement; it is a Large Corporate Protection Agreement; LCPA.”
I like that 😈
me too.
Labour is too gutless and too cowed by flashy corporate power to do anything more than say that the TPP ticks 4 out of 5 of Andrew LLittles checkboxes.
Why did Andrew Little just say on Q&A, as one reason to defend dropping the CGT was ‘unfair” for the the small investor with 1 or 2 rental properties that was their retirement scheme to be taxed. (Not a direct quote) If it is part of an investment strategy and a CG is part of the strategy then that CG should be taxed.
No wonder property values are furthered fuelled in Auckland Its ok not to be taxed on this investment but all other retirement schemes are taxed on their gains. eg shares, precious metals etc.
It would be IMO far less conscientious to stress what the existing tax laws capture and how they should be strengthened.
Little is defending tbe rights of the top 10% who not only own their own home but have a small property portfolio as well.
Such is the modern Labour Party.
I didn’t hear Little, but know that there was some disquiet at the time, because a crib, that a not very wealthy person had managed to buy, was going to attract a CGT.
What else is a local going to invest in, in this country? Shares and be called a ‘parasite’ by business roundtable, invest in Kiwisaver which a great idea, but the Natz have already started tinkering with it (do you want to have everything you own in the government hands), or hope for savings with your pay rise you have not got for 10 years and being told you are lucky to have a job?
Rightly or wrongly it is a dream of NZ to own property and I’m not sure Maori are that keen on additional property taxes either.
Deciding to tax assets for the cash poor is theoretically a great idea but in practise not something that will win an election.
And if you are going to tax property, at least go with a consumption tax like stamp duty which is practically impossible to evade as it is paid on title transfer.
Now for some light relief, agribusiness satire, this one’s especially for vto.
“I got this selling corn, it comes out of the f*cking ground”
https://www.facebook.com/bewarmers/videos/494766627300450/
Mitchell and Webb are great!
Here’s the youtube clip for those without FB:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5RrGFBbbSY
thanks! I didn’t know who that was or where the original came from (you should be able to see it on FB without an account too).
very funny ta
Gott in Himmel!
Did I just hear Nick Leggett on Q+A say “National has not wound back Labour’s ‘Social Contract'”?
I might have been hearing things as I travel towards dotage but if not, he is obviously SO out of touch it isn’t funny anymore!
WINZ treatment of beneficiaries and youth.
Flogging off the public’s assets.
Doing away with/underfunding/under resourcing democratic institutions (PSB; Ombudsmen’s Office;ECAN;etc.,etc.,etc…..)
…. yea nah
The funny thing is that the Natz are mimicking Labour. Everything they talk about is Labour. Labour did it too, Labour agrees with us, even their winning election slogan last election.
“working for NZ” “working’ and “labour’ being closely related.
What I can’t understand is why Labour are pretending to be the Natz?
Vote Positive.
Is that the magic beans of TPP?
Clasp your last $ before your foreclosure and think positive?
Saying that I am feeling much more hopeful about Labour being against TPP and getting back to it’s basics.
Lets hope they don’t keep channelling weasel words like the Natz and reclaim their legacy POST 1984.
Labour is for the TPP.
Australia is becoming increasingly fascist and inhumane and downright cruel:
1 Tetraplegic man who’s lived most of his life in Aussie though originally from NZ was jailed for using an illegal substance to ease his pain and then dumped at AKL airport. He’d forgotten to take out Australian citizenship.
2. Kiwi who has lived in WA for 11 years went on a peace visit to Syria and on return though he’s nothing wrong they’re going to deport him!
3. This poor man has lived in Aussie since a baby and he’s 51. He’s been convicted of starting a bush fire and did 15 months, he’s now in Australia’s Guantanamo Bay namely Christmas island west of Bali and just south of the Indonesian coast, they’re treating him like a terrorist!
” Man who has spent 50 years of his life in Australia faces deportation to the UK under strict new immigration laws after he was jailed for 15 months for starting a bush fire
Ian Wightman, 51, has lived in Western Australia since he was one year old
He is now on Christmas Island awaiting deportation to the United Kingdom
This is due to a new law which punishes foreigners ( This man is not, not a foreigner he is an Australian! This is Nazi stuff! ) who have gone to jail
Mr Wightman was sentenced to 15 months after he started a scrub fire ”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3308211/Ian-Wightman-spent-50-years-life-Australia-faces-deportation-UK-strict-new-immigration-laws-jailed-15-months-starting-bush-fire.html
I visited Aussie to see a friend last year for a week, am a NZ citizen and checking through for the flight home got a full overall body xray plus had baggage checked for firearms residue!! This is f*cking insane! Have they gone stark staring bonkers over there?
@John M. It’s called manufactured fear. Instead of collaborating neighbours spy on each other and fear each other and governments spy and fear their own people.
I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Nick Leggat is a member of the Labour Party? Why is he up in Auckland (Q+A studios) and not at the Labour Party conference?
He’s part of a thinktank with revolutionary ideas for Labour… and also part of a Pagani, Nash trifecta. You never know he might appear on the Standard like the other two have recently.
neolib cuckoos
Very good article in the Herald….yes you read right…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11541769
Quite an article!
Indeed, a good read, but why is it in the Entertainment section?
School boys assault women, post online
Well, I suppose after the Roastbusters didn’t go to jail for a very long time they thought that this type of shit was acceptable. They themselves should now be going to jail and getting a criminal record but I’m sure that they won’t.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/73801203/Echoes-of-Roast-Busters-case-as-boys-caught-sharing-pics-of-lewd-acts-online
Same can probably be said for these boys.
In the US.
Two cops in jail following the shooting of a father and son (the son died). The shooting happened on Friday. So that’s pretty quick, right? And a big change from the normal pattern of events in the US following a police shooting – no messing, no strange attempts to justify or excuse; locked up in double quick time.
Oh yeah, did I mention the cops are black and the father and son they shot were white? Now, I’m sure that has absolutely no bearing on anything, no siree.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/07/louisiana-officers-boy-shooting
I’m concerned for Colin Craig.
After accusing (and suing) Stringer and Slater of dirty politics he has now admitted that he is the ‘Mr X’ and the interviewer in his (in)famous pamphlet.
When you include the ranting printed in the pamphlet and the misrepresentation involved in writing the pamphlet how can he dance on a pin head and accuse the other two of lying about him and involving themselves in ‘dirty politics’.
Admitting to being three different personalities listed in the pamphlet is bad enough.
Writing in the pamphlet quotes relating to the Commandment ‘Not to bear false witness’ and a quote from George Washington about finding out the truth – hasn’t Craig proved his own pamphlet?
It is so messed up I am wondering if Craig has fallen down his own personal Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole – no other logical explanation.
Craig – get help.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/73727758/exconservative-leader-colin-craig-outed-as-mr-x
This from Wall Street Journal.
Technology is one source of this shift, but so is legislation. The JOBS Act of 2012 contained a seemingly innocuous provision making it easier for startups to raise money from investors previously deemed too poor to dabble in such ventures. At the end of October, the Securities and Exchange Commission finally approved the rules, which will go into full effect early next year.
As a result, any company or person with an idea can solicit and raise up to $1 million without most of the onerous regulatory and reporting requirements of the past.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-uberization-of-finance-1446835102?mod=trending_now_4
https://www.sec.gov/spotlight/jobs-act.shtml
Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act
On April 5, 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The Act requires the SEC to write rules and issue studies on capital formation, disclosure and registration requirements.
Cost-effective access to capital for companies of all sizes plays a critical role in our national economy, and companies seeking access to capital should not be hindered by unnecessary or overly burdensome regulations. We look forward to hearing the public’s views as we write rules that both facilitate capital formation and promote investor protection.
So Judith Collins has nothing to do since going back to being a backbencher…has to write a self serving column and do some extra mural study… good on 159k per annum… plus fratuities… if you can get it.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tpp-text-raises-concerns-over-control-of-temporary-foreign-workers/article27165905/
“Provisions of Canada’s new Pacific Rim trade deal(TPPA) are prompting concerns over credential recognition in light of a section that says there will be no limits and no testing of foreign skilled workers.” and
“This text confirms our worst fears,” said Gill McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “This deal will allow foreign companies to bring in what could be an unlimited number of temporary foreign workers in certain broad occupational categories … while bypassing all measures to protect Canadian jobs.”
A great interview on RNZ Sunday morning by Wallace Chapman (Influential New Zealanders) with Sue Bradford. Lots of unknown (to me) information..American mother..Both parents university scientists..tragedy with one of her sons…her views on section 59-the anti ‘beating kids’ bill..her principled reasons for eschewing involvement with Kim Dotty.com..Sue completing a PhD.
A valuable and principled person.I wish her well and hope she stays around.
… also a Maoist in her student days…and while principled I think also authoritarian
ie Mao wasn’t into grassroots democracy…like Pol Pot , Mao was a communist and supposedly for the people…but Mao thought he knew what was best for ‘the people’ …and did a lot of damage to ‘the people’ in the name of his Cultural Revolution… to put it mildly! (…some would say top down fascism and cultural annihilation…many lives were lost and others ruined )
( when I was at university most students from a working class background did not think much of Mao!…it was those from a middle class background who fancied themselves radicals who favoured Mao and they thought they knew what was best for everyone else …ha ha)
….nor is Bradford a fan of the blog sphere because she sees it as getting in the way and undermining of ‘real journalism’ by ‘trained’ journalists , presumably for real newspapers ( and other corporately owned real business media outlets) …whereas surely the blog sphere is grassroots democracy in action?!….(and I reckon many of the writers are better than in the msm).
….same goes for her criticisms of Dotcom…Bradford damned Dotcom because he was a millionaire and wanted to bring big business opportunities to New Zealand
( but if these ‘big business opportunities’ are in IT entrepreneurship then surely this is preferable to dairying/environmental degradation or destructive overkill tourism or property speculation or NZ going bankrupt ?…and having to sell off precious land into overseas ownership because the dairy industry is no longer profitable and we are increasingly beholden to China for milk prices?!)
…imo Bradford’s damning of Dotcom is simplistic and superficial …ie it does not recognise the much deeper issues at stake that Dotcom is embroiled in…of future NZ democracy and sovereignty
eg. control and takeover of NZ enterprise by overseas big corporate Hollywood and media/ IT monopolies, curtailing of internet freedom, information and democratic usage , censorship , violation of privacy, human rights to freedom from surveillance, copyright monopolies…
…these are amongst the most important issues of our times and recognised by Dotcom’s friends …eg. Julian Assange, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, Max Keiser , Hone Harawira and others in the Mana/Internet Party
one would have thought that being an activist for human rights against monopoly corporate capitalism and on the vanguard facing the rough end of police force …Bradford would have had more sensitivity about such issues and more sympathy for the fight Dotcom is engaged in ….and the heavy treatment he has received
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/284440/harvard-professor-says-dotcom-allegations-lack-merit
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/350086/us-legal-experts-back-dotcom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1bDMfRfsrw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=076Jplu1Abk
However , agreed, a great interview by Wallace Chapman …and Sue Bradford is to be admired for her activism for the underdog
All about Bitcoin:
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/320804-episode-max-keiser-832/
“Every week Max Keiser looks at all the scandal behind the financial news headlines.
In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the “trust machine” that is Bitcoin and the financial journalists who have jumped the shark trying to deny it. In the second half, Max interviews Simon Dixon of BnkToTheFuture.com about Bitcoin Capital, Bitcoin vs blockchain and the future of finance.”
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/321148-episode-max-keiser-833/
“In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the magic tricks required to escape the economic tricks locking the 99 percent in an ever declining wealth illusion. In the second half, Max interviews Sam Lee of the Bitcoin Group, a bitcoin miner about to go public in Australia. Max talks to him about the trials and tribulations of going public (the first of its kind in Australia) and why bitcoin and not blockchain?”
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