A government doing its job would never have allowed these practices to occur.
Our housing system is being played to launder dirty foreign money and to satisfy reckless speculation.
1. Property laundering
someone elses text
Police research concludes a loophole is seeing lawyers, accountants and real estate agents being increasingly used to launder $1.6 billion in dirty money annually – including into New Zealand’s booming property markets.Lawyers, accountants and real estate agents being increasingly used to launder $1.6 billion in dirty money annually – including into New Zealand’s booming property markets.
“Recent police investigations have exposed the fact that professional services and the real estate sector are closely linked to organised crime and drug offending,” officials said.
That research, sampling freezing orders obtained to seize the proceeds of crime, found 26 per cent of cases involved unpicking the work of accountants and lawyers, and more than half (56 per cent of cases) involved property deals where “offenders were ultimately successful in integrating criminal proceeds by purchasing real estate”.
Reports released under the Official Information Act – and only provided to the Weekend Herald following a complaint to the Ombudsman – show Justice Minister Amy Adams was briefed last June about police concerns but substantive policy work to close the loophole was only begun a year later.
2. Auckland speculators flipping homes on same day of purchase.
With the average Auckland house price now tipping $1 million, frenzied property speculation is helping drive up prices and locking thousands of Auckland families out of home ownership.
But one investor who buys and sells Auckland properties – sometimes on the same day – has defended the practice, labelling it “easy money” in a rising market.
“If you can swing a property deal once a week and make 20 or 30 grand, why would you not do that?” said seasoned Tauranga-based investor Ian Stevenson.
“Big money is chasing good profit here but it’s the market’s rise that’s driving it because they’re not fixing the Auckland problem.”
“If you can swing a property deal once a week and make 20 or 30 grand, why would you not do that?” said seasoned Tauranga-based investor Ian Stevenson.
Because it’s detrimental to society which is why such speculators used to be hung. After all, they’re not actually doing anything for that money (as he said) which essentially makes it theft.
Personally, I’d got 110% tax on anything that’s turned over that fast, makes a profit that big and does nothing to develop the economy.
And it ignores resources and development which means to say that it’s not even remotely economic no matter what the economists and politicians say. Which, of course, means that it actually does need to be banned/regulated out of existence.
We get it we don’t need a to be reminded of your views day in day out, capitalism bad, Neo liberalism bad, fiat money bad it’s all going to end in tears, Revolution good, Stalinist reckoning good, we got it, ok
Leftie i got what i didnt want thanks to those selfish arses who voted for these morons ! three times in a row and will vote for them again in a years time.
Thats dictatorship with a smile and an easy going manner.
Then mosa I assume you are going to volunteer your time next year for which ever party you want to support, so to maximize that parties vote? its called democracy.
Win the hearts and minds of the voters, and you will have your wish…its that simple.
Forget trying to blame so called dirty politics…they all do it left or right.
Why do you think the attack line of Labour for so long has been to try and dig up dirt on John Key?
Hager timed his book for the last election, thinking it would cause a massive landslide against National. The public looked and then voted, giving Hager the middle finger.
Obviously not that simple at all Chuck. There is nothing “so called” about the dirty politics National rely on to stay in power. Maybe you should stop using the false meme of “they all do it too” since no party has used dirty Americanized politics like its puppet John key.
There is plenty of dirt on the compulsive liar & traitor John key, whose only interests are to abuse his prime ministerial position, build tax havens for the off shore elites, to launder dirty money by making our own people homeless, and to harass and abuse a young waitress at her place of employment. Key has been fortunate to have such a gutless, compliant and complicit msm on board.
History will not look kindly on John key, who will go down as the worst self serving PM this country has had the misfortune to have.
National et al has never proved Nicky Hager wrong, and I think the public are taking more notice now, it’s getting harder for the arrogant Nats to hide it’s obvious disdain for this country and its people.
Leftie properly the only thing we can agree on is that is disagree!
“There is plenty of dirt on the compulsive liar & traitor John key, whose only interests are to abuse his prime ministerial position, build tax havens for the off shore elites, to launder dirty money by making our own people homeless, and to harass and abuse a young waitress at her place of employment. Key has been fortunate to have such a gutless, compliant and complicit msm on board.”
How then can you explain the wall to wall coverage given by the MSM on “ponytail gate” or when they brought in the “big gun” Hager to lead a team of MSM journos on the Panama papers?…every voter in NZ was exposed to these stories…and still National is polling around the vote they received in the 2014 election.
Its easy to blame others…the left need to look in the mirror and realise they need to lift there game big time.
”and still National is polling around the vote they received in the 2014 election.”
that doesn’t actually prove that the nats aren’t scum , it just proves that people either don’t care , don’t believe it or think it’s ok to climb into the gutter to win,.
I just don’t get it, politics is all about selling concepts and ideas, yet the left makes no effort to actually sell or convince the voter that what they’re offering is good.
It’s all “This is what is good for you silly voter person, do what we say”, then look all confused when the voter tells them to fuck off.
None of which was in the headlines for long before National’s attack bloggers and msm kicked into gear with excuses and victim blaming. Since you obviously believe in opinion polling, I guess John key’s most preferred/popularity plummeting from the unrealistic heady heights of 63% down to 36.7% in such a very short space of time pretty much shows he’s on the way out.
@BM All John Key has sold NZ was lies and deceit. You have actually described John key and his supporters like yourself. Remember, John key said he was right and the Law Society, Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights Commissioner were all wrong.
so when exactly were labour running a secret hit squad out of the leaders office?
getting sick of this repetitive deliberate ignorance that tries to pretend that openly digging for dirt like every party has done forever is the same as running a secret campaign, that sailed pretty close to illegality, out of the leaders office
“so when exactly were labour running a secret hit squad out of the leaders office?”
Since long ago…if they want to do a “hit” on say a Nat MP they can tap a journo on the shoulder and feed them the story.
“getting sick of this repetitive deliberate ignorance that tries to pretend that openly digging for dirt like every party has done forever is the same as running a secret campaign”
Not much will be done in the “open”. It defeats the purpose to a large extent.
“that sailed pretty close to illegality, out of the leaders office”
Nothing illegal was done end of story. However that’s not the case for whoever stole Slaters emails…
The voting public gave their verdict on the day of the election…end of story.
A government doing its job would never have allowed this to occur.
Kiwi mother of five shares struggle with homelessness after addressing MPs.
A Wellington mother of five spoke to MPs this week about her family’s years-long struggle to find a home. SAM SACHDEVA spoke to Sarah about going back and forward between cars, friends’ houses and “squished into one bed”.
The family’s unstable living conditions have taken a toll in many different ways.
Sarah’s family have all had pneumonia – one son nearly died and had to be hospitalised – along with constant colds and other illnesses.
They’ve suffered emotionally too: all but her youngest son have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and anxiety disorders.
Yest, that too. But lots of cash from all over the place. Say “boo” to it in the form of actual policing of our markets (har, har with FJK in charge) and it’ll all scamper off to to other banana republics!
@Paul
In the first article I love Bill English’s “Oh well, it’s quite possible.”
Translation: we know dirty overseas money is being laundered through the NZ property market but we certainly won’t do anything about it (until we are caught out by a fine reporter like Matt Nippert) because my boss is a currency dealer/speculator.
BTW is anyone else out there getting fed up with Amy Adams’ weasel words?
National has allowed dirty money funneled through Jk’s shiny new tax avoidance and secrecy vehicles to prop up their speculators dream which citizens know as New Zealands housing crisis ………….
This laundry service for rich criminals is delevering record profits to National donars and property owning mp’s ……. while making New Zealand children and families homeless …. “contentious exemption of professional services firms – mostly lawyers, accountants and real estate agents – from being covered by anti-money laundering laws passed in 2009.” ….
“Police Association president Greg O’Connor yesterday said the exemption was unsatisfactory and the revelations in briefings to the Ministers should be no surprise………”O’Connor agreed opposition from the sector was the most likely cause: “Naturally enough, they’ll fight this tooth and nail.” http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706741
Sky city with its strong national party ties is also getting its cut with hundreds of millions of dirty money being washed clean through its gambling services …. “A wealthy businessman caught up in a money-laundering investigation gambled nearly $300 million in the VIP lounge of SkyCity casino. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11592619
Andrew Geddis has done a fine job (OIA needed again) working out how the ridiculous Airport Authorities (Publicising Lost Property Sales) Amendment Bill. came to be in the members ballot.
It turns out Simon Bridges was behind it, and it is clear the bill was included in the ballot to help keep the opposition from getting a bill in the ballot that might actually do something.
Geddis notes the reaction of a Ministry of Transport Official:
“What the hell is going on here? This is a completely stupid thing to do! If we’re going to the trouble of having an entire review of the legislation with an Amendment Act to follow, why on earth wouldn’t we include this incredibly trivial, easily made change in it? Honest to God – sometimes I despair of the morons who run this place and the petty political games that they are always playing. If this ever comes out in public, they are going to look like a bunch of right royal nitwits who deserve all the ridicule that will follow.”
So Bridges is a moron who plays petty political games. But we knew that.
This while young New Zealanders struggle to get their drivers licenses ….the fees are exorbitant for a young person or a working class family….and the testing is very very rigorous
…three levels of competency for a NZ drivers license
( which many young New Zealanders can’t complete for lack of money or for failing the tests which are nit-picking in the extreme)
1) theoretical knowledge of driver safety and road rules
2) learner licence..practical skills 6 months only driving with a licensed adult
3.) restricted license…can only drive by oneself or with a passenger with a license
4.) final full license ( very hard for a young New Zealander to get and many don’t)
….and to be without a licence is often to be without work and education opportunities in many cases
….condemning young New Zealanders to desperation, alcohol and drugs …the scrap heap Jonkey kindly talks about
(Bus driving in New Zealand should only be by New Zealanders…We should not be exporting our tourism jobs to Chinese or other foreigners who are unqualified…especially when New Zealanders are unemployed)
If you bring in Third Worlders, they bring the Third World with them. That’s inevitable, because we’re all products of our cultures. Call these scams “deliberate government policy,” because that’s what it amounts to.
Just come into Auckland for a few days after another work trip into SE Asia. Absolutely true.
While Ak still retains a layer of pre-colonial European heritage, it’s rapidly being overlaid by the exactly the architectures and behaviours I recognise from before I got on the plane in Asia.
Especially those driving the top of the range Audis and Porsche Cayennes.
We are being colonised by an uber rich elite from China.
There are also big US and European tycoons buying up NZ at an alarming speed.
We are being colonised.
It is more likely you’ll hear the words neo-liberalism ( and its condemnation) from NZ First than the Greens or Labour.
Why?
60% Of Migrants Not On Skill-Shortages List – Why John Key REALLY Wants More Immigration
The twin obvious justifications for why National continues to allow in thousands of migrant labourers who aren’t on the long-term skill shortages list thus ought to be plainly obvious.
It’s because our Government are working hand-in-glove with their economically exploitative employment-offering mates to attempt to artificially depress both pay and conditions in the broader New Zealand labour market – for everyone, not just migrant workers.
Ever since the roll-out of the Rogernomics economic “reforms” in the 1980s, take-home pay in real terms has been declining for workers in New Zealand. We have also witnessed ongoing attempts by successive Governments to corral and constrain Union power. But while they have evidently accomplished oh so much economic devastation for the ordinary person through direct legislative instruments, since the halting of the ‘mainstream’ Neoliberal ‘revolution’ in the mid-late 1990s following the running out of steam of Ruthanasia etc, more insidious means to further the same broad objectives have had to be pursued.
Paul anyone who watched Nigel latta, the hard stuff from last tuesday
on immigration, will know that you are telling porkies, but you probably know that too.
I saw a lot of it and Nigel asking someone high up from Immigration New Zealand to see if we have got immigration policy settings right isn’t exactly investigative journalism.
And it will be just as bad as the last colonisation that occurred here. Need to stop it before it gets that far.
You’d think we, of all people, would be able to figure that out. But I guess that, as the beneficiaries of that last colonisation, many White NZers struggle with the concept that it was a bad thing. At least most Maori get it, for obvious reasons.
and the police don’t think it is an isolated incident
“Police prosecutor Sergeant Grant Neal said: “These residents of China have come over without driver’s licences.
“They are operating as tour operators, driving without New Zealand driver’s licences and producing other residents’ driver’s licences. There are several prosecutions in relation to the one company.”
Given global warming and traffic congestion isn’t it about time we as a nation reintroduced carless days? It would encourage more use of public transport and there would be fewer cars on the road.
Come on, comrades! We simply can’t rely on the general public to voluntarily give up their cars!
Diesel and petrol powered road transport volumes do need to be slashed. There are different ways of doing this.
I had the pleasure of commuting across Auckland by car in peak traffic recently. That hundreds of thousands of vehicles do this every day, over and over again, is mindboggling.
That hundreds of thousands of vehicles do this every day, over and over again, is mindboggling.?
Yep. Just walked through Henderson at a greater pace than the traffic going through it.
Really can’t understand why these people can’t see just how idiotic that they’re being. Public transport for going to work and getting stuff delivered instead of going shopping is a much better option.
Carless days (as it was done in the 70s) not the way to reduce fossil fuel use. People with more than 1 car were able to get round it. Also led to stupid things happening, like a friend in a V8 driving to collect my mum because she wasn’t allowed to use her little car 1100cc. There was no public transport alternative she could use.
Better public transport has to be in place to encourage people to use it.
That and a carbon tax and dividend scheme.
And maybe rationing fossil fuels.
And where ever there is a rail alternative already, get those huge trucks off the road and get their cargo onto electric trains.
Carless days are an extremely effective means of bashing the poor without really affecting the better off in any way at all.
If your family owns one car you are going to have to walk or take public transport on your carless day. If you own several cars it becomes only a very minor inconvenience. There is always another car you can use.
It also means that older cars are kept on the road. They are usually less safe and pollute more than modern vehicles. It would be nice if they could be scrapped but people will keep them around as a spare vehicle. Because they are there they will probably continue to be used by other people so that fuel consumption will rise.
I know several people who bought a second car when they introduced carless days in 1979. They could afford it and it was a real pain for some of them not to have a car available every day.
Trump campaign spokeswoman says that they thought Larry King interview was going to be on King's podcast — not RT.— Kevin Cirilli (@kevcirilli) September 9, 2016
Auckland speculators flipping homes on same day of purchase
“New data released exclusively to the Weekend Herald by free property valuation website homes.co.nz identifies about 30 properties that were re-sold on the same day of purchase in the last 17 months – often by ruthless investors chasing quick bucks.”
“However the Weekend Herald has identified other same-day transactions and the actual number is likely to be higher.”
[Quotation shortened and block quote added. Something being in the public domain doesn’t mean there is no copyright. The link clearly has the copyright established at the bottom of the page. Even for websites that given permission e.g. Creative Commons licences, on The Standard it is generally expected that people will quote a section rather than the whole thing, provide a link, and usually say why they are posting it. It is also better to use tags or other marks to show that the words are not yours – weka]
Being in the public domain doesn’t mean there is no copyright. Otherwise anyone who published a book would have no copyright rights. Please see my moderation note above.
The article, in a subtly recursive and mise-en-abîme fashion, suggests, I think, that not only the media but we all are complicit in this drivel being made in the first place and forced upon us, as if we are innocent bystanders or victims.
The same could be said about the NZ National Party and how’s this for a title: NZ National Party: We all share in the shame? It sounds pretty accurate, doesn’t it?
The question has to be asked as to why this is even happening and there are many possible answers that address the complexities of human behaviour. However, one answer might be that there seems to be no viable alternative, at least in the eyes of the people who make these decisions. Put differently, if there was a different ‘market’ out there it would lead to a different ‘product’ or vice versa the ‘market’ would respond and be attracted to a different ‘product’. [please note that “different” does not imply “better”]
So, why do so many (apparently) watch Real Housewives? Partly because there is nothing better to watch. I think this is also one of the reasons why politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn get as much ‘attention’ as they do; they do offer and represent something new and different to the people. Ironically, both men are not the youngest and the values and ideas they stand for and advocate are by no means ‘new’ either!
If we want a change of Government in New Zealand – and there’s no doubt that we need a change – then there has to be an alternative worth getting interested in and voting for. It is here where we individually and collectively have to speak up and take control of our own lives and destiny and become the people and nation we want to be and the society we want to live in and share with others. As van Beynen puts it:
None of us should pretend we are not complicit in preparing the ground for the invasion.
The logical consequence of this is:
We all have a role to play in preparing the ground for a change. [my words]
The problem with having a few rich people choose what’s available for the populace rather than having the populace decide what should be available.
The problem is far worse! In general, some sections of the populace are trying to compete with and even shut out other sections. In fact, I have a comment ready for submission that also touches on this but given the late time and the AB game I will try to post on OM tomorrow.
There are far better reasons why both Real Housewives of Auckland and the National Party are so attractive. And they aren’t for comfortable reading, because the left have no idea how to counter them so far.
– People like aspiring to be rich. Because it’s liberating. And more interesting than the quotidian life of the proletariat. There’s a certain thrill in thoughtless waste and vain squabbles.
– People like aspiring to be powerful, especially when it is made easy through being rich. Getting to power through the left is ugly and fraught with unnecessary and distasteful micro-coalitions.
– The self-reinforcement and replication of class is actually fun as well as fraught for the rich. The right schools, right partners from the right families, riding and fencing lessons, right holidays – it takes quite a bit of work to orchestrate and plan. Good drama.
– People like aspiring. Society is geared to wanting, and wanting so easily slides into aspiring for more and better.
– Desire itself is seductive. For glamour, for beauty, for the thrill of getting into the image economy where you might get close to a power-couple. The new and powerful cars, the clothes, the suits, the champaign. It’s just one Party fundraiser after another.
The two are popular because of the nature of modern desire itself. If the left want to try and get elected just through the negative campaigns of more crises, and more hopelessness, they are going to struggle to get there.
I didn’t go into the reasons why Real Housewives or the National Party are “so attractive”. Rather, I argued the opposite that they are unattractive and pondered one reason why they are (still) around like a bad smell that one doesn’t try to or cannot shake off.
You made very sensible points but I’d like to provide a counter-view nonetheless – I believe you and I are actually closely aligned but let’s just see.
People like aspiring to be rich. Because it’s liberating.
No, materialism and consumerism are not liberating; on the contrary, they are trappings.
People like aspiring to be powerful, especially when it is made easy through being rich.
Power comes from (internal & personal) strength; buying ‘power’ and (political) influence are neo-liberal and capitalist (proverbial?) wet dreams.
The self-reinforcement and replication of class is actually fun as well as fraught for the rich.
Myopic and incestuous vicious circle; runs counter to Natural Selection.
People like aspiring. Society is geared to wanting, and wanting so easily slides into aspiring for more and better.
I think you have this back-to-front. We all need to aspire to something, and that something needs to be ‘higher’ and always (!) just out of reach or else we become self-indulgent, lazy, and complacent. To “want” something is like handcuffing your ego to it; it seems that many are into this kind of S&M.
Desire itself is seductive.
Yes, external desire is seductive and leads to wanting and the associated pain and suffering. On the other hand, intrinsic desire or purposeful motivation leads to ‘enlightenment’ or Maslow’s self-actualisation and self-transcendence – take your pick.
If the left want to try and get elected just through the negative campaigns of more crises, and more hopelessness, they are going to struggle to get there.
I couldn’t agree more here! To campaign on a negative, on the absence of something, is not a viable strategy!
A brutal Russian verdict on Syrian army: unable to reform, gets others to win its battles, unworthy of further help https://t.co/IfTGhoCJ58— Mark Urban (@MarkUrban01) September 9, 2016
The Colonel may very well be right; having said that the Colonel has not stated what will happen to the security of Russia’s ‘soft southern underbelly’ when Islamist flags get run up over Damascus.
“Reports released under the Official Information Act – and only provided to the Weekend Herald following a complaint to the Ombudsman . . .”
EVERY government tries to conceal its misdeeds by blocking public access under the Official Information Act.
One of the essential demands of overseas anti-neoliberal movements is transparency: the government MUST NOT be allowed hide official information from its rightful owners . . . the people.
This putrid stream of parliamentary corruption will never end until we take away parliament’s power to conceal our information from us. Electing a different party will NOT solve the problem.
Transparency: the people’s right which parliament cannot block.
“We thought it might never happen. But in the last few days, leaders in France and Germany have said that TTIP — the European equivalent of TPP — is over.
The French trade minister said “France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations.” In Germany — the biggest backer of TTIP — the Vice-Chancellor said “TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it.”
For three years now, SumOfUs members have been a part of a huge, worldwide push to keep dangerous trade deals like TTIP at bay.
It was a truly global effort — and it worked. We can be pretty confident TTIP won’t come back.
Together, the SumOfUs community all around the world bought ads in Brussels, signed petitions, lobbied the European Commission, and spoke up to our leaders. Members in the USA sent messages halfway around the world for members in Germany to carry at one of the biggest protests against TTIP ever.
It’s great to have a breakthrough on a campaign this important, and we should take a moment to celebrate.
Now, we’re riding off this amazing breakthrough and stepping up the fight to defeat TPP, as well the things that make global trade deals so dangerous.
Just last week, the media exposed the terrible consequences of secret courts that corporations use to sue governments for laws that protect people and the environment, but hurt profits. This is allowed under a clause in many trade deals called Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).
Check out our plans so far — we’re already working to:
Push big corporations to tell the truth about where they stand on trade negotiations, instead of hiding behind their lobbyists;
Support communities fighting the worst impacts of trade deals that have already been signed;
Back organisations in countries all over the world that challenge the trade agenda;
Make sure SumOfUs members know the facts about other dangerous trade deals, like TISA, CETA, and TPP, and find ways to stop those deals from happening where we can.”
TTIP has failed – but no one is admitting it, says German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel
The discourse must be guided now to make a critical distinction between agreement-facilitated international corporatisation, and international democratic strengthening of a rule-based order rather than a military-force based order.
We’ve got to stop mashing together all kinds of globalization as bad.
And I still think, as long as Corporations like Apple are made to feel at home in places like Ireland…who REFUSE to accept Tax money owed for goodness sakes….then ‘we’ the people are on the losing side as our services, housing and employment status slides into disarray.
“Donald Trump is one of the most unorthodox presidential nominees in American electoral history. He is unpolished and very brash. But some of his foreign policy ideas are intriguing, even common sense. This terrifies and enrages the establishment.
CrossTalking with Nomi Prins, Stephen Yates and Alex Newman.”
“The Hillary Doctrine: If elected, what kind of foreign policy agenda can we expect? Does Clinton hold an extreme view of American exceptionalism? And is she now a neoconservative?
CrossTalking with Harlan Hill, Michael Maloof, and Matt Mackowiak.”
I went to the big Art and Object art auction this week. That’s the one where the McCahon work went for $1.35m + GST + Buyers Premium i.e. about $1.6m or so.
If you ever want to get in a room with a very specific brand of white people and inhale a really rarefied vibe, check it out. They are in professional classes e.g. judges or accountancy partners, they think hard about national identity and have a few degrees between them, they have really well decorated houses with big walls, and they aren’t necessarily National supporters. There’s a core as far as I could tell that still go with Labour (or at least donate), but plenty that float around considering elsewhere beyond National.
There’s a few lowly lecturers and ratty-looking Masters students getting a freebie art history expose, and of course the vendors and their family and friends, and the auction-house staff. Quite some evening when the bidding goes into full frenzy.
The record price of this piece, reminded me of a story I read in the NY Times…
The $179 Million Picasso That Explains Global Inequality
…The astronomical rise in prices for the most-sought-after works of art over the last generation is in large part the story of rising global inequality. At its core, this is the simplest of economic math. The supply of Picasso paintings or Giacometti sculptures (one of which sold for $141 million in the same auction this week) is fixed. But the number of people with the will and the resources to buy top-end art is rising, thanks to the distribution of extreme wealth….
lol…that guy looks like a real pill !…a fat ginger with glasses…if he thinks he is attractive and has sex appeal to most women (feminist or not ) he is deluded …most women would prefer to stay home with their cats rather than date him! (he is about as attractive as a Slater or Farrer )
“Men’s Rights Activists have taken flight with a new philosophy called “RED PILL” which aims to point out how derogatory, hypocritical and vindictive third-wave feminists can be.”
I can’t decide whether that was hilariously funny or just gross. I love this bit:
Men’s Rights Activists have taken flight with a new philosophy called “RED PILL” which aims to point out how derogatory, hypocritical and vindictive third-wave feminists can be.
That’s what it aims to do, huh? I guess that aim must have been too subtly expressed for me when I went there and read “HumanSockPuppet’s Guide to Teasing Bitches,” and learned I should “Talk to women as though they were children, because emotionally they are.”
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
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A government doing its job would never have allowed these practices to occur.
Our housing system is being played to launder dirty foreign money and to satisfy reckless speculation.
1. Property laundering
Police research concludes a loophole is seeing lawyers, accountants and real estate agents being increasingly used to launder $1.6 billion in dirty money annually – including into New Zealand’s booming property markets.Lawyers, accountants and real estate agents being increasingly used to launder $1.6 billion in dirty money annually – including into New Zealand’s booming property markets.
“Recent police investigations have exposed the fact that professional services and the real estate sector are closely linked to organised crime and drug offending,” officials said.
That research, sampling freezing orders obtained to seize the proceeds of crime, found 26 per cent of cases involved unpicking the work of accountants and lawyers, and more than half (56 per cent of cases) involved property deals where “offenders were ultimately successful in integrating criminal proceeds by purchasing real estate”.
Reports released under the Official Information Act – and only provided to the Weekend Herald following a complaint to the Ombudsman – show Justice Minister Amy Adams was briefed last June about police concerns but substantive policy work to close the loophole was only begun a year later.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706741
2. Auckland speculators flipping homes on same day of purchase.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=11706163
Because it’s detrimental to society which is why such speculators used to be hung. After all, they’re not actually doing anything for that money (as he said) which essentially makes it theft.
Personally, I’d got 110% tax on anything that’s turned over that fast, makes a profit that big and does nothing to develop the economy.
Stevenson symptomatic of what is wrong with capitalism and its virulent strain neoliberalism.
The system is based on money, not people.
And it ignores resources and development which means to say that it’s not even remotely economic no matter what the economists and politicians say. Which, of course, means that it actually does need to be banned/regulated out of existence.
And the perpetrators and facilitators need to be tried.
We get it we don’t need a to be reminded of your views day in day out, capitalism bad, Neo liberalism bad, fiat money bad it’s all going to end in tears, Revolution good, Stalinist reckoning good, we got it, ok
I think the specific example was about damaging fraud and hyper-speculation in the Auckland property market.
Which I am sure you agree needs to be stamped out.
Unfortunately no political party is taking this issue seriously.
I sense you do need to be reminded.
If you elect a currency dealer (speculator) as PM what do you expect?
Exactly right Bearded Git. New Zealand most certainly got what it voted for, didn’t it?
Leftie i got what i didnt want thanks to those selfish arses who voted for these morons ! three times in a row and will vote for them again in a years time.
Thats dictatorship with a smile and an easy going manner.
Then mosa I assume you are going to volunteer your time next year for which ever party you want to support, so to maximize that parties vote? its called democracy.
Win the hearts and minds of the voters, and you will have your wish…its that simple.
yep Chuck i will give it my time and energy.
Is it that simple Chuck, when National use dirty politics and an equally dirty msm to cling to power?
Yes its that simple Leftie.
Forget trying to blame so called dirty politics…they all do it left or right.
Why do you think the attack line of Labour for so long has been to try and dig up dirt on John Key?
Hager timed his book for the last election, thinking it would cause a massive landslide against National. The public looked and then voted, giving Hager the middle finger.
Obviously not that simple at all Chuck. There is nothing “so called” about the dirty politics National rely on to stay in power. Maybe you should stop using the false meme of “they all do it too” since no party has used dirty Americanized politics like its puppet John key.
There is plenty of dirt on the compulsive liar & traitor John key, whose only interests are to abuse his prime ministerial position, build tax havens for the off shore elites, to launder dirty money by making our own people homeless, and to harass and abuse a young waitress at her place of employment. Key has been fortunate to have such a gutless, compliant and complicit msm on board.
History will not look kindly on John key, who will go down as the worst self serving PM this country has had the misfortune to have.
National et al has never proved Nicky Hager wrong, and I think the public are taking more notice now, it’s getting harder for the arrogant Nats to hide it’s obvious disdain for this country and its people.
Leftie properly the only thing we can agree on is that is disagree!
“There is plenty of dirt on the compulsive liar & traitor John key, whose only interests are to abuse his prime ministerial position, build tax havens for the off shore elites, to launder dirty money by making our own people homeless, and to harass and abuse a young waitress at her place of employment. Key has been fortunate to have such a gutless, compliant and complicit msm on board.”
How then can you explain the wall to wall coverage given by the MSM on “ponytail gate” or when they brought in the “big gun” Hager to lead a team of MSM journos on the Panama papers?…every voter in NZ was exposed to these stories…and still National is polling around the vote they received in the 2014 election.
Its easy to blame others…the left need to look in the mirror and realise they need to lift there game big time.
They can’t because they believe they’re right and every one else is wrong.
Not just that everyone is simply “wrong” but that they are ignorant, uneducated, greedy, self-centred, cruel, racist, woman hating, red necks, etc.
It’s a real effort to win friends and influence people.
”and still National is polling around the vote they received in the 2014 election.”
that doesn’t actually prove that the nats aren’t scum , it just proves that people either don’t care , don’t believe it or think it’s ok to climb into the gutter to win,.
@ CV
And that attitude sticks out like dog nuts.
I just don’t get it, politics is all about selling concepts and ideas, yet the left makes no effort to actually sell or convince the voter that what they’re offering is good.
It’s all “This is what is good for you silly voter person, do what we say”, then look all confused when the voter tells them to fuck off.
None of which was in the headlines for long before National’s attack bloggers and msm kicked into gear with excuses and victim blaming. Since you obviously believe in opinion polling, I guess John key’s most preferred/popularity plummeting from the unrealistic heady heights of 63% down to 36.7% in such a very short space of time pretty much shows he’s on the way out.
@BM All John Key has sold NZ was lies and deceit. You have actually described John key and his supporters like yourself. Remember, John key said he was right and the Law Society, Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights Commissioner were all wrong.
“I just don’t get it, politics is all about selling concepts and ideas,”
then why did national feel the need to resort to running a secret hit squad?
i mean if their ideas are sooo amazing why did they need to engage in deceit of that level?
the fact is national arent really that honest about their ideas
so when exactly were labour running a secret hit squad out of the leaders office?
getting sick of this repetitive deliberate ignorance that tries to pretend that openly digging for dirt like every party has done forever is the same as running a secret campaign, that sailed pretty close to illegality, out of the leaders office
its bullshit chuck
+1’s on both of your comments Framu.
“the fact is national arent really that honest about their ideas”
That’s right, National are so dishonest and secretive, that they don’t tell the public what they really intend to do at all.
“so when exactly were labour running a secret hit squad out of the leaders office?”
Since long ago…if they want to do a “hit” on say a Nat MP they can tap a journo on the shoulder and feed them the story.
“getting sick of this repetitive deliberate ignorance that tries to pretend that openly digging for dirt like every party has done forever is the same as running a secret campaign”
Not much will be done in the “open”. It defeats the purpose to a large extent.
“that sailed pretty close to illegality, out of the leaders office”
Nothing illegal was done end of story. However that’s not the case for whoever stole Slaters emails…
The voting public gave their verdict on the day of the election…end of story.
A government doing its job would never have allowed this to occur.
Kiwi mother of five shares struggle with homelessness after addressing MPs.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/83941349/kiwi-mother-of-five-shares-struggle-with-homelessness-after-addressing-mps
More proof the Auckland market is a dumping ground for illicit cash.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706741
The tiniest bit of enforcement will chase this source of buyers away in a second.
And then this tidbit about flipping properties in a day:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=11706163
When the bubble goes pop it’s going to be spectacular.
Illicit foreign Chinese money.
Let’s be plain about this.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/stolen-chinese-money-likely-spent-on-auckland-property-little-6198588
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11603201
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11586403
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/06/24/just-what-nz-needs-billions-more-in-chinese-property-speculation/
Yest, that too. But lots of cash from all over the place. Say “boo” to it in the form of actual policing of our markets (har, har with FJK in charge) and it’ll all scamper off to to other banana republics!
@Paul
In the first article I love Bill English’s “Oh well, it’s quite possible.”
Translation: we know dirty overseas money is being laundered through the NZ property market but we certainly won’t do anything about it (until we are caught out by a fine reporter like Matt Nippert) because my boss is a currency dealer/speculator.
BTW is anyone else out there getting fed up with Amy Adams’ weasel words?
National has allowed dirty money funneled through Jk’s shiny new tax avoidance and secrecy vehicles to prop up their speculators dream which citizens know as New Zealands housing crisis ………….
This laundry service for rich criminals is delevering record profits to National donars and property owning mp’s ……. while making New Zealand children and families homeless …. “contentious exemption of professional services firms – mostly lawyers, accountants and real estate agents – from being covered by anti-money laundering laws passed in 2009.” ….
“Police Association president Greg O’Connor yesterday said the exemption was unsatisfactory and the revelations in briefings to the Ministers should be no surprise………”O’Connor agreed opposition from the sector was the most likely cause: “Naturally enough, they’ll fight this tooth and nail.” http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706741
Sky city with its strong national party ties is also getting its cut with hundreds of millions of dirty money being washed clean through its gambling services …. “A wealthy businessman caught up in a money-laundering investigation gambled nearly $300 million in the VIP lounge of SkyCity casino. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11592619
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/money/83450345/Court-orders-forfeiture-of-42-85-million-in-alleged-money-laundering-case
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11405494 “the fundraiser was actually a private dinner at Mr Liu’s $4.75 million home in Remuera, where a smiling Mr Key and Jami-Lee Ross, the MP for Botany, were photographed alongside Mr Liu and his young family.”
+100
Andrew Geddis has done a fine job (OIA needed again) working out how the ridiculous Airport Authorities (Publicising Lost Property Sales) Amendment Bill. came to be in the members ballot.
It turns out Simon Bridges was behind it, and it is clear the bill was included in the ballot to help keep the opposition from getting a bill in the ballot that might actually do something.
Geddis notes the reaction of a Ministry of Transport Official:
“What the hell is going on here? This is a completely stupid thing to do! If we’re going to the trouble of having an entire review of the legislation with an Amendment Act to follow, why on earth wouldn’t we include this incredibly trivial, easily made change in it? Honest to God – sometimes I despair of the morons who run this place and the petty political games that they are always playing. If this ever comes out in public, they are going to look like a bunch of right royal nitwits who deserve all the ridicule that will follow.”
So Bridges is a moron who plays petty political games. But we knew that.
It’s all here:
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/worser-and-worser
Ha classic!
More corruption associated with this John Key Nactional Government
‘Chinese tour drivers had no licences, police allege’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/84044806/chinese-tour-drivers-had-no-licences-police-allege
‘A 50 tonne bomb on the road fully loaded’ – alleged licence scam extends to truck drivers’
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/50-tonne-bomb-road-fully-loaded-alleged-licence-scam-extends-truck-drivers
This while young New Zealanders struggle to get their drivers licenses ….the fees are exorbitant for a young person or a working class family….and the testing is very very rigorous
…three levels of competency for a NZ drivers license
( which many young New Zealanders can’t complete for lack of money or for failing the tests which are nit-picking in the extreme)
1) theoretical knowledge of driver safety and road rules
2) learner licence..practical skills 6 months only driving with a licensed adult
3.) restricted license…can only drive by oneself or with a passenger with a license
4.) final full license ( very hard for a young New Zealander to get and many don’t)
….and to be without a licence is often to be without work and education opportunities in many cases
….condemning young New Zealanders to desperation, alcohol and drugs …the scrap heap Jonkey kindly talks about
(Bus driving in New Zealand should only be by New Zealanders…We should not be exporting our tourism jobs to Chinese or other foreigners who are unqualified…especially when New Zealanders are unemployed)
+100
If you bring in Third Worlders, they bring the Third World with them. That’s inevitable, because we’re all products of our cultures. Call these scams “deliberate government policy,” because that’s what it amounts to.
@PM
Just come into Auckland for a few days after another work trip into SE Asia. Absolutely true.
While Ak still retains a layer of pre-colonial European heritage, it’s rapidly being overlaid by the exactly the architectures and behaviours I recognise from before I got on the plane in Asia.
Especially the driving.
Especially those driving the top of the range Audis and Porsche Cayennes.
We are being colonised by an uber rich elite from China.
There are also big US and European tycoons buying up NZ at an alarming speed.
We are being colonised.
+1
And it will be just as bad as the last colonisation that occurred here. Need to stop it before it gets that far.
One upside.
Pakeha may gain some empathy and start to understand Maori grievances.
Actually, I think this colonisation may be worse.
Maybe they should anyway Paul. There is no better or worse just devastation if colonisation is occurring which imo it’s not.
It is more likely you’ll hear the words neo-liberalism ( and its condemnation) from NZ First than the Greens or Labour.
Why?
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/09/09/60-of-migrants-not-on-skill-shortages-list-why-john-key-really-wants-more-immigration/
Paul anyone who watched Nigel latta, the hard stuff from last tuesday
on immigration, will know that you are telling porkies, but you probably know that too.
I didn’t watch it.
Well you should watch it, it was a surprise to me, we are being fed a lot of B/S about immigration and you are helping spread the B/S.
I saw a lot of it and Nigel asking someone high up from Immigration New Zealand to see if we have got immigration policy settings right isn’t exactly investigative journalism.
The only BS about immigration that we’re seeing is from the RWNJs.
he was actually making some pretty major errors. It wasnt all it was cracked up to be
(though that doesnt mean i disagree with SOME of what he had to say)
And it will be just as bad as the last colonisation that occurred here. Need to stop it before it gets that far.
You’d think we, of all people, would be able to figure that out. But I guess that, as the beneficiaries of that last colonisation, many White NZers struggle with the concept that it was a bad thing. At least most Maori get it, for obvious reasons.
where is the Maori Party in all this?
Good question Chooky.
+ 1 pm
No, it won’t be an isolated incident. There will be several such places around the country.
and the police don’t think it is an isolated incident
“Police prosecutor Sergeant Grant Neal said: “These residents of China have come over without driver’s licences.
“They are operating as tour operators, driving without New Zealand driver’s licences and producing other residents’ driver’s licences. There are several prosecutions in relation to the one company.”
Given global warming and traffic congestion isn’t it about time we as a nation reintroduced carless days? It would encourage more use of public transport and there would be fewer cars on the road.
Come on, comrades! We simply can’t rely on the general public to voluntarily give up their cars!
Diesel and petrol powered road transport volumes do need to be slashed. There are different ways of doing this.
I had the pleasure of commuting across Auckland by car in peak traffic recently. That hundreds of thousands of vehicles do this every day, over and over again, is mindboggling.
Hi CV.
I, too, have spent a bit of time in aucks traffic recently.
1 person per car seems to be the norm.
I agree with the carless day idea with a subtle difference; us choosing to have a carless day, or other such sacrifice.
Far more powerful and effective than any legislation.
Yep. Just walked through Henderson at a greater pace than the traffic going through it.
Really can’t understand why these people can’t see just how idiotic that they’re being. Public transport for going to work and getting stuff delivered instead of going shopping is a much better option.
Agreed.
We should make all public transport free, make bus lanes on all motorways and place a pollution and climate tax on fuel.
For certain folk on this site who may roll their eyes at that idea….It’s a thing already in these cities…https://farefreepublictransport.com/city/
“We should make all public transport free”
Ahh the sure sign of a hardcore left minded person!!
It’s not “free” someone has to pay for it!! I will give you a glue…anyone on PAYE or that pays tax foots the bill.
Nothing is FREE
Sure it is, you jump onboard and you get to use it without paying. That’s what “free” means.
Before Vino or OAB has a go at me…
I misspelled clue (used glue).
Chuck – you could have said,”Before Vino or OAB get stuck in to me…”
that will of gone so far of chucks head he won’t even be able to see the con trail
“will of” ??? Please – will’ve. No such thing as ‘will of’ !!
(Short for “will have”.)
Just cannot help myself…
I will have to work on it, and it will have ruined my point making such a grammatical error.
Not so sure about that – Chuck is the one with the terrible history… You generally shine forth like a beacon in the darkness for all to behold.
Wrong.
Or, to be more precise, it’s a question of available resources against the peoples priorities.
Public transport uses up less of those scarce resources, including personal time, than private transport does.
And yet the RWNJs still think that it’s possible to make a profit.
If we had an economic system connected to reality there’d be no profit and no private transport.
You should note that lots of successful cities have free public transport.
So we pay for free buses and trains by changing our whole financial system.
Carless days (as it was done in the 70s) not the way to reduce fossil fuel use. People with more than 1 car were able to get round it. Also led to stupid things happening, like a friend in a V8 driving to collect my mum because she wasn’t allowed to use her little car 1100cc. There was no public transport alternative she could use.
Better public transport has to be in place to encourage people to use it.
That and a carbon tax and dividend scheme.
And maybe rationing fossil fuels.
And where ever there is a rail alternative already, get those huge trucks off the road and get their cargo onto electric trains.
Carless days are an extremely effective means of bashing the poor without really affecting the better off in any way at all.
If your family owns one car you are going to have to walk or take public transport on your carless day. If you own several cars it becomes only a very minor inconvenience. There is always another car you can use.
It also means that older cars are kept on the road. They are usually less safe and pollute more than modern vehicles. It would be nice if they could be scrapped but people will keep them around as a spare vehicle. Because they are there they will probably continue to be used by other people so that fuel consumption will rise.
I know several people who bought a second car when they introduced carless days in 1979. They could afford it and it was a real pain for some of them not to have a car available every day.
wasnt carless days the catalyst for the two car family?
We wuz tricked!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706831
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=11706163
[Quotation shortened and block quote added. Something being in the public domain doesn’t mean there is no copyright. The link clearly has the copyright established at the bottom of the page. Even for websites that given permission e.g. Creative Commons licences, on The Standard it is generally expected that people will quote a section rather than the whole thing, provide a link, and usually say why they are posting it. It is also better to use tags or other marks to show that the words are not yours – weka]
…and the rot is spreading to Christchurch
‘Ray White Real Estate’ has Chinese cold calling very elderly Christchurch residents asking if they want to sell their homes
New Zealanders should boycott Ray White Real Estate
Elderly New Zealanders need protection from them
We are being colonised.
+1’s Chooky and Paul.
please do not paste entire articles. it breaches copyright, for one thing.
It’s in the public domain and links have been provided.
Being in the public domain doesn’t mean there is no copyright. Otherwise anyone who published a book would have no copyright rights. Please see my moderation note above.
OK. Have already done what you have requested in another comment.
Cheers Leftie.
The NZ National Party and The Real Housewives of Auckland have something in common IMO.
No, it is not the money or the egocentric characters showing sociopathic and narcisitistic traits.
Martin van Beynen wrote a rather insightful piece on the TV show Real Housewives: We all share in the shame.
The article, in a subtly recursive and mise-en-abîme fashion, suggests, I think, that not only the media but we all are complicit in this drivel being made in the first place and forced upon us, as if we are innocent bystanders or victims.
The same could be said about the NZ National Party and how’s this for a title: NZ National Party: We all share in the shame? It sounds pretty accurate, doesn’t it?
The question has to be asked as to why this is even happening and there are many possible answers that address the complexities of human behaviour. However, one answer might be that there seems to be no viable alternative, at least in the eyes of the people who make these decisions. Put differently, if there was a different ‘market’ out there it would lead to a different ‘product’ or vice versa the ‘market’ would respond and be attracted to a different ‘product’. [please note that “different” does not imply “better”]
So, why do so many (apparently) watch Real Housewives? Partly because there is nothing better to watch. I think this is also one of the reasons why politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn get as much ‘attention’ as they do; they do offer and represent something new and different to the people. Ironically, both men are not the youngest and the values and ideas they stand for and advocate are by no means ‘new’ either!
If we want a change of Government in New Zealand – and there’s no doubt that we need a change – then there has to be an alternative worth getting interested in and voting for. It is here where we individually and collectively have to speak up and take control of our own lives and destiny and become the people and nation we want to be and the society we want to live in and share with others. As van Beynen puts it:
The logical consequence of this is:
It is quite simple really …
^^ Guest post
The problem with having a few rich people choose what’s available for the populace rather than having the populace decide what should be available.
Thanks and be my ‘guest’!
The problem is far worse! In general, some sections of the populace are trying to compete with and even shut out other sections. In fact, I have a comment ready for submission that also touches on this but given the late time and the AB game I will try to post on OM tomorrow.
There are far better reasons why both Real Housewives of Auckland and the National Party are so attractive. And they aren’t for comfortable reading, because the left have no idea how to counter them so far.
– People like aspiring to be rich. Because it’s liberating. And more interesting than the quotidian life of the proletariat. There’s a certain thrill in thoughtless waste and vain squabbles.
– People like aspiring to be powerful, especially when it is made easy through being rich. Getting to power through the left is ugly and fraught with unnecessary and distasteful micro-coalitions.
– The self-reinforcement and replication of class is actually fun as well as fraught for the rich. The right schools, right partners from the right families, riding and fencing lessons, right holidays – it takes quite a bit of work to orchestrate and plan. Good drama.
– People like aspiring. Society is geared to wanting, and wanting so easily slides into aspiring for more and better.
– Desire itself is seductive. For glamour, for beauty, for the thrill of getting into the image economy where you might get close to a power-couple. The new and powerful cars, the clothes, the suits, the champaign. It’s just one Party fundraiser after another.
The two are popular because of the nature of modern desire itself. If the left want to try and get elected just through the negative campaigns of more crises, and more hopelessness, they are going to struggle to get there.
Hi Ad,
I didn’t go into the reasons why Real Housewives or the National Party are “so attractive”. Rather, I argued the opposite that they are unattractive and pondered one reason why they are (still) around like a bad smell that one doesn’t try to or cannot shake off.
You made very sensible points but I’d like to provide a counter-view nonetheless – I believe you and I are actually closely aligned but let’s just see.
No, materialism and consumerism are not liberating; on the contrary, they are trappings.
Power comes from (internal & personal) strength; buying ‘power’ and (political) influence are neo-liberal and capitalist (proverbial?) wet dreams.
Myopic and incestuous vicious circle; runs counter to Natural Selection.
I think you have this back-to-front. We all need to aspire to something, and that something needs to be ‘higher’ and always (!) just out of reach or else we become self-indulgent, lazy, and complacent. To “want” something is like handcuffing your ego to it; it seems that many are into this kind of S&M.
Yes, external desire is seductive and leads to wanting and the associated pain and suffering. On the other hand, intrinsic desire or purposeful motivation leads to ‘enlightenment’ or Maslow’s self-actualisation and self-transcendence – take your pick.
I couldn’t agree more here! To campaign on a negative, on the absence of something, is not a viable strategy!
Interesting read.
https://citeam.org/here-s-why-assad-s-army-can-t-win-the-war-in-syria/
The Colonel may very well be right; having said that the Colonel has not stated what will happen to the security of Russia’s ‘soft southern underbelly’ when Islamist flags get run up over Damascus.
I rather think that the Russians fear their neighbours, and their neighbour’s neighbours, to the south.
Hence the desire to keep the action in Syria going for as long as possible. And to export it even further, to Libya, possibly Nigeria.
@ Paul
“Reports released under the Official Information Act – and only provided to the Weekend Herald following a complaint to the Ombudsman . . .”
EVERY government tries to conceal its misdeeds by blocking public access under the Official Information Act.
One of the essential demands of overseas anti-neoliberal movements is transparency: the government MUST NOT be allowed hide official information from its rightful owners . . . the people.
This putrid stream of parliamentary corruption will never end until we take away parliament’s power to conceal our information from us. Electing a different party will NOT solve the problem.
Transparency: the people’s right which parliament cannot block.
+1
TTIP: have we won?
“We thought it might never happen. But in the last few days, leaders in France and Germany have said that TTIP — the European equivalent of TPP — is over.
The French trade minister said “France is demanding the pure, simple and definitive halt of these negotiations.” In Germany — the biggest backer of TTIP — the Vice-Chancellor said “TTIP has failed, but nobody wants to admit it.”
For three years now, SumOfUs members have been a part of a huge, worldwide push to keep dangerous trade deals like TTIP at bay.
It was a truly global effort — and it worked. We can be pretty confident TTIP won’t come back.
Together, the SumOfUs community all around the world bought ads in Brussels, signed petitions, lobbied the European Commission, and spoke up to our leaders. Members in the USA sent messages halfway around the world for members in Germany to carry at one of the biggest protests against TTIP ever.
It’s great to have a breakthrough on a campaign this important, and we should take a moment to celebrate.
Now, we’re riding off this amazing breakthrough and stepping up the fight to defeat TPP, as well the things that make global trade deals so dangerous.
Just last week, the media exposed the terrible consequences of secret courts that corporations use to sue governments for laws that protect people and the environment, but hurt profits. This is allowed under a clause in many trade deals called Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).
Check out our plans so far — we’re already working to:
Push big corporations to tell the truth about where they stand on trade negotiations, instead of hiding behind their lobbyists;
Support communities fighting the worst impacts of trade deals that have already been signed;
Back organisations in countries all over the world that challenge the trade agenda;
Make sure SumOfUs members know the facts about other dangerous trade deals, like TISA, CETA, and TPP, and find ways to stop those deals from happening where we can.”
TTIP has failed – but no one is admitting it, says German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ttip-trade-deal-agreement-failed-brexit-latest-news-eu-us-germany-vice-chancellor-a7213876.html
France to call for an end to EU-US free trade talks
<a href="http://www.dw.com/en/france-to-call-for-an-end-to-eu-us-free-trade-talks/a-19512025
US to blame for trade talks failure: French minister
<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/29/us-to-blame-for-trade-talks-failure-french-minister.html
Yes I did a post on this a week back.
The discourse must be guided now to make a critical distinction between agreement-facilitated international corporatisation, and international democratic strengthening of a rule-based order rather than a military-force based order.
We’ve got to stop mashing together all kinds of globalization as bad.
Sorry Ad, I missed that. For some reason I can’t do a search.
Good work Leftie.
Thanks Mosa.
This was an interesting if somewhat depressing read in The Guardian, in regards to CETA
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/30/ttip-trade-deal-agreements-ceta-eu-canada
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/06/transatlantic-trade-partnership-ttip-canada-eu
And I still think, as long as Corporations like Apple are made to feel at home in places like Ireland…who REFUSE to accept Tax money owed for goodness sakes….then ‘we’ the people are on the losing side as our services, housing and employment status slides into disarray.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/84125721/judge-could-lose-job-for-berating-rape-victim-why-couldnt-you-just-keep-your-knees-together
Wow…just wow
heh
http://stupidpartymathvmyth.com/1/post/2016/08/yes-back-kansas-dorothy-can-kansas-lead-way-home.html
And coincidentally Trump has a massive lead in Kansas
I don’t envy the choice of voters in the good old USA…
“Hillary is either criminal, or criminally incompetent. Or maybe both.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/09/06/emails-fbi-hillary-crooked-blackberry-lost-phones-laptop-server-classified-glenn-reynolds/89881664/
re choice:
‘The Trump doctrine’
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/358759-trump-most-unorthodox-nominee/
“Donald Trump is one of the most unorthodox presidential nominees in American electoral history. He is unpolished and very brash. But some of his foreign policy ideas are intriguing, even common sense. This terrifies and enrages the establishment.
CrossTalking with Nomi Prins, Stephen Yates and Alex Newman.”
…and
‘The Hillary doctrine’
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/358498-clinton-foreign-policy-exeptionalism/
“The Hillary Doctrine: If elected, what kind of foreign policy agenda can we expect? Does Clinton hold an extreme view of American exceptionalism? And is she now a neoconservative?
CrossTalking with Harlan Hill, Michael Maloof, and Matt Mackowiak.”
I went to the big Art and Object art auction this week. That’s the one where the McCahon work went for $1.35m + GST + Buyers Premium i.e. about $1.6m or so.
If you ever want to get in a room with a very specific brand of white people and inhale a really rarefied vibe, check it out. They are in professional classes e.g. judges or accountancy partners, they think hard about national identity and have a few degrees between them, they have really well decorated houses with big walls, and they aren’t necessarily National supporters. There’s a core as far as I could tell that still go with Labour (or at least donate), but plenty that float around considering elsewhere beyond National.
There’s a few lowly lecturers and ratty-looking Masters students getting a freebie art history expose, and of course the vendors and their family and friends, and the auction-house staff. Quite some evening when the bidding goes into full frenzy.
…and Colin McCahon led the humble life of a New Zealand artist…never very rich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_McCahon
Not well rewarded until he was well on the way to being a real alcoholic.
They are Global Women. National identity is a career-enhancing freebee.
Great word picture Ad.
The record price of this piece, reminded me of a story I read in the NY Times…
The $179 Million Picasso That Explains Global Inequality
…The astronomical rise in prices for the most-sought-after works of art over the last generation is in large part the story of rising global inequality. At its core, this is the simplest of economic math. The supply of Picasso paintings or Giacometti sculptures (one of which sold for $141 million in the same auction this week) is fixed. But the number of people with the will and the resources to buy top-end art is rising, thanks to the distribution of extreme wealth….
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/upshot/the-179-million-picasso-that-explains-global-inequality.html?_r=0
Knob end writes about why he’ll never date a feminist. Wonkette pulls his wings off.
http://wonkette.com/606394/women-abandoning-feminism-in-droves-in-hopes-of-winning-heart-of-this-guy
Seems like both parties are going to be perfectly happy staying the fuck away from each other. Win-win.
lol…that guy looks like a real pill !…a fat ginger with glasses…if he thinks he is attractive and has sex appeal to most women (feminist or not ) he is deluded …most women would prefer to stay home with their cats rather than date him! (he is about as attractive as a Slater or Farrer )
“Men’s Rights Activists have taken flight with a new philosophy called “RED PILL” which aims to point out how derogatory, hypocritical and vindictive third-wave feminists can be.”
oblivious and excellent snark, I reckon
I can’t decide whether that was hilariously funny or just gross. I love this bit:
Men’s Rights Activists have taken flight with a new philosophy called “RED PILL” which aims to point out how derogatory, hypocritical and vindictive third-wave feminists can be.
That’s what it aims to do, huh? I guess that aim must have been too subtly expressed for me when I went there and read “HumanSockPuppet’s Guide to Teasing Bitches,” and learned I should “Talk to women as though they were children, because emotionally they are.”
I wonder which pseudonym on there is Hon’s…
What’s the connection between Paul Foster-Bell and the Len Brown scandal?