Nellie Hunt’s family is not the only case of homelessness in Christchurch, there are many, many more. Where is the Government’s help for people in need? Where is the emergency housing?
Shame on you, New Zealand government!
And so the tip of the ‘housing’ ice-berg becomes public, i commented a week or so ago after watching the shameful Paula Bennett at a ‘public meeting’ decrying the owner of a rack-renting Auckland ‘holiday park’ which houses 300 beneficiaries,(including children),in less than ideal conditions for amounts of rent that should provide luxury apartments,
Bennett’s problem with the owner, He was creaming it to the tune of 30 grand a week all provided via His beneficiary tenants by the State,
Meanwhile in other parts of Auckland un-Housing Minister Nick Smith is busily ripping apart the States Housing estate and flicking it off as fast as He can to private interests,
i pointed out in that comment that Slippery’s National Government will not be happy until they see whole families sleeping rough in the doorways of our major cities,(while pointing out that in Hamilton there was at the time 120 State Houses triumphantly announced as for sale by Smith when the number of those on the ‘urgent’ waiting list of HousingNZ was 120 odd families),
Understand tho, that the homeless family in Christchurch will not provoke this National Government into urgent action, far from it, everything they do surrounding the State provision of homes for poor families has as it’s final outcome the very situation that has occurred in Christchurch and if a ‘tent town’ begins to emerge in that City watch as National send in the cops to bust it up…
A ‘hat-tip’ to the Maori Wardens of Christchurch for providing ‘security’ to the whanau in ‘tent-town’ Christchurch,
Nellie and Her kids are the living face of the contempt in which i hold the Maori Party for sitting at the table from which Slippery’s National Government refuse to even brush the merest of crumbs in the direction of the poor,
Where i must ask are the ‘gains’ for Maori from such a coalition arrangement, the Hunt family just the tip of the ice-berg of poverty and homelessness helped along by this National Governments trashing of the States Housing stock across the whole country while the Maori Party sits idly by in mute silence…
From what I’ve read, a HNZ subsidiary company is to buy Hobsonville Pt land from the defence force, to allow the PPP development of housing to proceed immediately. However, as Key campaigned that peppering this development with social or state housing was “economic vandalism”, only 20% of the houses built will even be under $485,000 to purchase.
20% was intended to be “affordable/social housing” in the first stage of the Hobsonville development.
This did not end up being the case, as you mention – a good review can be found in the Salvation Army publication Adding It All Up.
Opportunities for local/national government to provide low cost housing with well-positioned land they already own continue to be ardently avoided by the use of PPP’s.
I can remember when the “accommodation benefit/supplement” came in years ago to “top up” beneficiaries incomes. Immediately landlords put up the cost of accommodation. In those days it was only $10-20 a week, so, yes I am going back in time, but even then I queried how sensible it was to be passing over this money to private landlords. Within a few years, it grew to such an extent that people were virtually guaranteed an income by the state, and I’m not talking about beneficiaries, but private landlords.
National were warned time and again after the February earthquakes that Christchurch faced a housing crisis, and what did Gerry do? Nothing, but blow alot of hot air around and deny everything.
yea ‘pinuid’ is pretty good! – evocative of lime green and purple gingham table cloths – run up on the elna, as someone on here once suggested.
He’s the 21st Century safari suit!
Oddly enough (if the ‘latest comments’ box is anything to go by), it seems the Open Mike of 28 Nov (ie almost a fortnight ago ! ) is currently at least as popular as todays. Go figure.
Southland Times came up with a different editorial than the Herald, on the delegation to Nelson Mandela’s funeral. (Although I notice it couldn’t quite resist the small boot into Cunliffe at the end. The strain not to was obviously too much).
Haven’t read the southland one yet, so thanks for the link.
Who does one OIA to find out if the PM ever actually considered taking John Minot, or said he did after seeing a few days of people saying he should go?
Xox
Walking through the tunnel to Wellington railway station, the first time in a while, I was shocked, saddened and angry to see homeless people and Beggars sitting on the tiled floor, head bowed down. Is this the ‘Brighter Future’ we were hoping for JK? I am ashamed by our current government. It’s not working John, and you know it. Time for a holiday John? Merry Christmas.
That’s a pathetic comment on too many levels to list BM and you f**king know it, simply trite bullshit attempting to deflect attention away from this National Governments total abdication of providing the monies and services which would keep those who are least able to help themselves from being forced into such a situation…
I disagree, great opportunity here to contribute to the “village”
Don’t wait for the government to solve the issue, extend your hand and offer those poor homeless a place to stay.
With Wellington being such a thriving hub of leftism, I’m actually quite shocked to learn that there are actually people living on the streets, this is indeed shameful stuff.
I think the left really need to take a good hard look at themselves, disgraceful.
You get more pathetic by the comment BM, i doubt YOU if confronted by a homeless person would offer anything except your contempt so you really should shut the fuck up about things you obviously know little about and care even less for…
Yes, BM would only offer contempt – typical of people who expect those with the least to give up the most for their fellow humans.
…People are saying I don’t need anything but my own ability to earn a profit. I’m not connected to society. I don’t care how the road got built, I don’t care where the firefighter comes from, I don’t care who educates the kids other than my kids. I am me. It’s the triumph of the self. I am me, hear me roar.
That we’ve gotten to this point is astonishing to me because basically in winning its victory, in seeing that Wall come down and seeing the former Stalinist state’s journey towards our way of thinking in terms of markets or being vulnerable, you would have thought that we would have learned what works. Instead we’ve descended into what can only be described as greed. This is just greed. This is an inability to see that we’re all connected…
What I think the government should do, is go through all the state house rentals and find all the ones that are under utilized
eg: one person living in a two-three bedroom house, etc.
The current homeless person can then be offered the free spare bedroom in the state house.
A real win win situation, the current tenant gets a new flat mate to help share the chores while the homeless person gets a roof over their head and a dry bed.
I might shoot an email off to Paula, I’m sure she’d think this is a fantastic idea.
BM, you are one of a whole nation and society, one of us, yet you stand yourself aside. Does it get lonely being a miserable miserly spirit? Maybe you need to read Dickens tale of Scrooge. There is so much more joy out there you appear to be missing. Rich in pocket, poor in spirit.
Still its coming up to Christmas, so I will offer St Francis prayer to you as a present that may help your state of mind.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Perhaps donate something of yourself or your money to the “beggars”…..
B.M.. – The S.P.C.A. have new premises here in Wellington. It’s bright and airy, comes with its own room, a free dog roll, and for you critters needing it, a rabies shot is on the house. I’m sure a room could be found for someone as extraordinary as you, B.M. Who knows, Paula might visit.
The inference from your comment, BM, is that individuals who are part of ‘the right’ are less likely than those who identify as being on ‘the left’ to take in homeless people as an act of charity?
This, despite the fact – as your comment illustrates – that ‘the right”s solution to homelessness is personal charity.
Given adherence to that solution, shouldn’t it be members of ‘the right’ who take in the homeless? Obviously, they aren’t, which would usually be called ‘hypocrisy’.
Those on ‘the left’ – irrespective of their individual commitments to charitable efforts – are very often distinguished in their beliefs by the view that solutions to widespread social problems involve structural changes and collective efforts rather than through individual charitable effort (though these are of course commendable where possible).
BM
You are so cynical and mendacious. Even the Good Samaritan didn’t take the needy one home. He saw that there was attention to his needs and left money to pay for it. Helping someone who is in need is a good deed. It doesn’t require you to take them home and do the fairy godmother bit. Jesus approach was do what you can, it seems.
But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan
Well actually BM, my student neighbours have done just that on occasion, and some of us assist them with transport occasionally.
It’s not just the tunnel either. One only has to walk from one side of the city to the other, and around the inner suburbs to see people (particularly youth) begging, and signs of their living rough.
1st world country? My arse!
Have you ever stopped to talk to any of them BM? – i.e. to find out their circumstances, or do you prefer to just make assumptions?
Clever NSA geeks, paid to play world of warcraft and second life…but this is what happens to a mass surveillance state which has to justify its own existence.
This is the USA equivalent of the East German Stasi who infiltrated pensioner stamp collecting clubs.
The NSA document, written in 2008 and titled Exploiting Terrorist Use of Games & Virtual Environments, stressed the risk of leaving games communities under-monitored, describing them as a “target-rich communications network” where intelligence targets could “hide in plain sight”.
Games, the analyst wrote “are an opportunity!”. According to the briefing notes, so many different US intelligence agents were conducting operations inside games that a “deconfliction” group was required to ensure they weren’t spying on, or interfering with, each other.
If properly exploited, games could produce vast amounts of intelligence, according to the the NSA document. They could be used as a window for hacking attacks, to build pictures of people’s social networks through “buddylists and interaction”, to make approaches by undercover agents, and to obtain target identifiers (such as profile photos), geolocation, and collection of communications.
South Africa in this respect is just one version of the recurrent story of the contemporary left. A leader or party is elected with universal enthusiasm, promising a “new world” – but, then, sooner or later, they stumble upon the key dilemma: does one dare to touch the capitalist mechanisms, or does one decide to “play the game”? If one disturbs these mechanisms, one is very swiftly “punished” by market perturbations, economic chaos and the rest. This is why it is all too simple to criticise Mandela for abandoning the socialist perspective after the end of apartheid: did he really have a choice? Was the move towards socialism a real option?
Tiny black political elite as fig-leaf, otherwise little has changed.
Interesting post from Chris Trotter on Bowalley Road today. He’s pretty much spot-on as far as I’m concerned. Good to see analysis of Mandela that moves beyond the mawkish and saccharine.
did he really have a choice? Was the move towards socialism a real option?
Two pertinent questions and they lead to an interesting question: If a country can’t do what it’s population wants then who the hell is actually in control?
That’s been long answered – worldwide there has been a corporate coup d’etat, led by the banking fraternity. The TPPA is another example of this – the US gov is not negotiating on behalf of their people, but on behalf of their corporates.
Given that the ANC gained political power but ceded financial power to the ‘outgoing’ white elites who had ties and well established relationships with international financial institutions….
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira says he will go to South Africa this week to represent the anti-apartheid movement at the funeral of former president Nelson Mandela.
Yeah well done Hone, but for me you can only represent me as a rank and file member of the protest movement. In any other capacity forget it. And on Hones example any other 1981 veteran who can get there should take equal standing next to Hone on my behalf. Just to make sure Hone remembers, it is not about him, its about “us”, that huge chunk of NZers who stood up together and said enough was enough. I don’t see a lot of them grandstanding or sliding in on the official events with the Nact photo op posers.
you could go if you want – it would be great you could travel around with Hone I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.
” He would not be involved in any of the official proceedings but said this would allow him to do and say what he pleased.
“Honestly I’m just going to pay my respects on behalf of the anti-tour movement of 1981 in particular, and all those others who marched against apartheid over the years and have supported Nelson Mandela in his drive for freedom,” he said. ”
Hone imo isn’t grandstanding or sliding in – he believes and then takes actions in alignment with his beliefs – I personally like that.
Lets hope Hone is “for real”. I recall “Hone Activist Events” such as assaulting engineering students with baseball bats. I recall him making racist statements, saying that pakeha boyfriends would not be welcome for his daughters. I for one have little faith in Hone. So Mars if that is the type gent you wish to represent “us”, count me out, I would rather be one of “them”.
Those examples all have a context that you seemed to have missed – bought the hook, line and sinker there I think bored – just like they wanted you to. Noted that you would rather be one of them – you’ve been going down that line for a while and fair enough, good for you. As for Hone representing me and those anti-tour protestors that stood side by side with him – yep I’m proud that he is doing so and he is exactly the type of gent that I align with.
My mother once told me that funerals are ultimately about the living, not the dead. She was certainly right in Mandela’s case. It’s all me me me from everybody.
Here’s the real truth. Mandela doesn’t give a fuck who is there. And neither do I.
Hmm, the ends justify the means….so violence against the individual is politically correct if you have a really good reason? So what say I dont agree with you about frogs rights, my position is in my mind water tight, so to move it ahead I bash you. All good.
Why does what sort of boyfriend Hone would feel comfortable with for his daughter have anything to do with you? Were you stalking her, Ennui?
As for the racist dickheads of the haka party, pakeha should have been there with baseball bats stopping it long before He Taua stepped in.
Meanwhile in the land of the guest worker, that certain people hold up as everything great and good about (neo-liberal) capitalist, dem-fac-ocracy… (especially since the celtic tiger fell over and is now limping)…
Singapore’s prime minister has urged citizens not to show animosity towards migrant workers following the first rioting in 40 years in the wealthy state, which prides itself on being an island of calm in an often chaotic region.
The disorder involved mostly Indian guest workers and broke out in the Little India district on Sunday night after an Indian worker was hit and killed by a bus driven by a Singaporean. Cars were set alight and 18 people injured as crowds hurled stones at authorities.
It followed recent signs of tensions between citizens and the growing numbers of migrant workers, who have provided the bulk of the workforce constructing the country’s impressive skyline, transport and other infrastructure. About a quarter of Singapore’s 5.4 million residents are transient workers, compared with a tenth in 1990, according to government statistics.
Database is running high on CPU and open handles and has been all morning. I can’t see any particular reason why but I suspect that we’re getting a good read of the whole system from someone. I’ll have a peek and maybe curtail their scans.
I’ve put a more severe policy on for bots, and switched from throttling to blocking. Doesn’t affect google because they do every properly. But it looks like we’re getting scanned by a fast msnbots and fast bingbots. I should see the open database handles drop from ~40 to something more acceptable.
I think I figured it out. There is something wrong on the VPN at the host site. The servers when talking to each other were having problems with routings (as far as I could see they talked via the US?). Shifting it to talk on non vpn IP’s appears to have largely fixed it.
I have no idea if that is my configuration of theirs…. Job for later.
I liked this verbiage from Cameron. Every word reverberating with deep emotion and sincerity.
continually bears humanity ever upwards away from brutality and darkness and towards something better.
‘But is not so. Progress is not just handed down as a gift, it is won through struggle: …the struggle of men and women who believe things can be better, who refuse to accept the world as it is, but dream of what it can be.
‘Nelson Mandela was the embodiment of that struggle. He did not see himself as a helpless victim of history, he wrote it.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2520808/Cameron-hails-Mandela-towering-figure-tweets-picture-reindeer-Little-Ant-Dec-Commons-tributes.html
plus item –
Shopkeeper was quizzed for eight HOURS by police – and had his computer seized and his DNA swabbed – after cracking ‘bad taste’ Nelson Mandela jokes on the internet.
RT
That was a terrific piece on Key and Mandela. the Mighty and Mini-me of politics and leadership.
Yasmine in Tunis wrote a tremendous piece for Huffington.
Politicians that don’t command respect like Judith Collins demean themselves by throw-away remarks going on twitter such as the one about ‘Cunners’ – a weak sounding term coming from a loose thinking mind.
I notice the hairdo contributing his “catty schoolgirl” snide jibe as well. Christ, how the hell do these kindy-level thinkers ever get freakin elected.
John Minto tells it like it is and thank goodness he does.
Mandela brought South Africa out of the apartheid era of racial oppression.
We should celebrate the life of this leader of the anti-apartheid struggle but we should never be blinded to his failings. He never claimed to walk on water and no one should pretend he did.
Mandela was a great man in so many ways and as a paragon of forgiveness it is hard to think of someone who displays that attribute more – but he was a man and he had his mistakes and failings and it honours him to accept that rather than pretend he was a saint.
National gives loan sharks free license for some to pray on the poor, well it would not do the same for the rich right? well, maybe that explains SCF, and the miriad of other finance companies gone bust. You see National don’t believe in protection, so what does it believe in? Well seizing assets gained from crime. Nice, since eventually we will start to revisit wealth accumulated via crimes against the environment, unless National’s detractors are right, that they are a rich prick party.
Yesterday on Open Mike there was some discussion around the spelling of Russel Norman’s name. I go a step beyond that and have a pet name for him, which is taken from Russell Crow’s stage name when he was a “musician”. Rus le Roq was his name(not a fan of Russell Crow incidentally)
I like Russel Norman. I’ve heard him speak publicly and the way he spoke cemented my appreciation of him, where as I had previously been a bit uncertain. He’ll always be Rus le Roq to me.
On the topic of spelling: Thank you phillip ure for spelling “eh” correctly. Not many folks know how to spell this often used word. For instance, last night on 3 News they had subtitled the speech of person featured in an article about a loan shark’s office in South Auckland and gasp! They spelt “eh” as “ay”. (not the first time they have misspelt eh either!) Even worse, the L&P advertising campaign is “It’s a bit different aye”. Aye is Scots for yes and is pronounced eye, as far as I am aware. Could be wrong. Don’t know what the world is coming to eh.
*With apologies for my frequent spelling and grammatical errors.
Apparently. I raised it with some folks I know who work in advertising. They blame it on the young ‘uns……but maybe to put all the blame on them is not sharing the responsibility………..
Rosie you’re always interesting. RT if they shoot messengers with bad news, what do they do for those with good? Think about it. A quaff of good ale sir, to your health or something.
This is a nice bit of news, the most encouraging thing from a judge I’ve read for yonks.
Oldfield successfully appealed against Home Secretary Theresa May’s decision to kick him out of the country on the grounds that his presence was “not conducive to the public good”.
Immigration tribunal Judge Kevin Moore, in overturning the deportation order, said Oldfield was an asset to Britain.
“There is no doubt in my view to your character and commitment and the value you are to UK society generally,” the judge said.
Oldfield, originally from Sydney, has a British wife, Deepa Naik, 36, and a five-month-old baby daughter. He’s lived in the UK for more than a decade.
Interesting results from the census (excel document). For the first time, Catholicism is now the country’s largest religious denomination with 491,421 adherents. Anglicanism stands at 459,771. Both stood at over 500,000 each in the 2006 census and the country continues a secular trend – the largest group of all, those with no religion, stands at 1.6 million. So having a monarch at the head of an established church is going to grow as an issue over time, I think.
Underemployment seems to be a trend too. 42,267 report their main job at 10 hours per week. 84,528 at 20 hours and 89,997 at 30 hours.
There were 153,210 unemployed people seeking work, which rouhly matches the 150,000 people reported unemployed in the September Household Labour Force Survey.
—Jeremy Hansen, The Panel, Tuesday 10 December 2013
More liars….
No. 37 Alan Seay: “You know, we respect the rights of people to protest….”
No. 36 Paul Dykzeul: “No we won’t be changing the Listener; it’s got a terrific editor….”
No. 35 Mark Jennings: “I think Paul’s a bright guy and he will be able to bring a discipline to his performance….”
No. 34 Willie Jackson: “I thought we’d been sensitive with her yesterday….”
No. 33 Supt. Bill Searle: “I think what’s happened here is the police officers have done their very best….”
No. 32 Sonny-Bill Williams: “It’s good to get the win over Papua-New Guinea, a strong Papua-New Guinea side, aahhhh….”
No. 31 John Palino: “Suggestions that I am somehow orchestrating some grand right-wing conspiracy to unseat Len after the election are so wrong…”
No. 30 Alan Dershowitz: “I will give $10,000 to the PLO if you can find a historical fact in my book that you can prove to be false.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
No. 28 John Kerry: “…we are especially sensitive, Chuck and I, to never again asking any member of Congress to take a vote on faulty intelligence.”
No. 27 Lyse Doucet: “I am there for those without a voice.”
No. 26 Sam Wallace: “So here we are—Otahuhu. It’s just a great place to be, really.”
No. 25 Margaret Thatcher: “…no British government involvement of any kind…with Khmer Rouge…”
No. 24 John Key: “…at the end of the day I, like most New Zealanders, value the role of the fourth estate…”
No. 23 Jay Carney: “…expel Mr Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice…”
No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No. 13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
No. 6 Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
No. 4 Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
Have you even read the column?
No, I haven’t, because although Paul Thomas has written a couple of good football books, and some entertaining thrillers, he lacks the knowledge and the seriousness to write about political or philosophical matters. His column is normally about as interesting and authoritative as the garbage churned out by Kerre McIvor (née ohoWmad) or Murray Deaker or Tony “Bootboy” Veitch.
It was indeed very good.
I’ll take your word for it. I’m glad to hear he’s finally written something worth reading.
Calling him a “liar” and lumping him in with Thatcher and Banks and all is stupid.
Oh come on, gobsmacked! Lighten up a little! “Liars of Our Time” is a wide-ranging series, taking in the psychopathic/fanatic (No. 25, 30), the moronic (No. 2, 4, 10, 18, 29), the professionally dishonest (No. 1, 3, 8, 20, 22, 31, 37) and the hapless (No. 26). There are several other categories I haven’t mentioned here, but you get the drift, I hope: some of the liars here are serious, professional liars, while others are harmless. Jeremy Hansen’s foolish laudatory comment about an undistinguished column-filler fall into the latter category.
In solidarity with the millions of black South Africans who are now worse off under the ANC’s neo-liberal ‘economic apartheid’ reforms – why I would NOT attend Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
ANTI-APARTHEID BACKGROUND:
In 1972, I joined the Halt All Racist Tours movement, in my 7th form year as an 18 year old.
In 1981, I was one of twelve anti-apartheid activists elected to the ‘demonstration committee’ of the MOST (Mobilisation to Stop the Tour) – tasked with organising protests in Auckland against the Springbok Tour.
The purpose of the protests, was to ‘stretch the thin blue line’ and through non-violent civil disobedience, make the 1981 Springbok Tour ‘un-policeable’, so it would be called off.
This was in solidarity with millions of black South Africans, who not only did not have the same civil and political human rights as the white minority, but were also being denied basic economic, social and cultural rights.
(The effectiveness of the sports boycott in putting pressure on the apartheid regime, is explained here:
Desmond Tutu: Sports boycott crucial to ending apartheid
However, the purpose of these anti-Springbok Tour protests, in calling for an end to apartheid, was not for the black South African majority to end up being worse off.
But that is exactly what has happened in ‘post-apartheid’ South Africa.
Why?
Because the ANC government, elected in 1994, broke their promises, effectively did a 180 degree ‘U turn’ and introduced the same neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ reforms, without consultation or mandate as did the 1984 – 1987 Labour Government here in New Zealand.
Sorry to be the one to ‘blow the whistle’ and ‘pop the hot air balloon’, but this wave of neo-liberal reforms started on Nelson Mandela’s watch, when he was President of South Africa from 1994 – 1999.
Nelson Mandela supported privatisation, and it started on ‘his watch’.
PRIVATISING SOUTH AFRICA BY DICTUM: A REVIEW
Michael J. Meyer
(Department of Development Studies, University of North West)
1. Introduction
Mindful of the experience in the Third World in general, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)in particular, where in some instances the privatisation of state assets was turned into a farce because of corruption, nepotism patronage and insider dealing, in South Africa (SA) the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) insisted from the outset that the privatisation process is shrouded in secrecy and should be made transparent.
As a consequence COSATU objected to the African National Congress’s (ANC) adoption of a privatisation policy at its December 1994 Conference, which was endorsed without any form of consultation with the labour movement -the ANC’s strongest social partner.’ In order to forestall any unilateral action on the part of the ANC the labour movement insisted on participation and transparency, calling on the ANC to be accountable, not only to its allies but also the masses on any decision taken
on the issue of privatisation.
1 COSATU 6th National Congress: 16-19 September 1997, Book 4, Resolutions, Discussion
Documents (1997), p. 33.
Over and above the intense hostility and pressure, particularly from COSATU, which government faces on restructuring and privatisation, President Mandela intractably remarked, that:
“Privatisation is the fundamental policy of the ANC, and is going to be implemented …Just because we [government and COSATU] have a working relationship, and they [COSATU] helped put us in power, does not mean that we are happy with everything they say.’ 49
49 Sunday Times, 26 May 1996.
COSATU-aligned unions reciprocated this statement calling for full participation and state transparency, failing which further mass action will go ahead if the sale of state assets were implemented unilaterally. 5O
[50 Labour consultants Andrew Levy and Associates claim in their second quarter Strike Report, that the “Stage is set for a showdown between government and trade unions on the issue of restructuring…” They further claim that there is a strong likelihood of a sharp rise in strikes related to restructuring of SOE’s (The Star, 28 June 1996). ]
This endorsed the threatening deadlock between govemment and organised labour.
Referring to privatisation, President Mandela reiterated Mboweni’s threat, declaring that govemment will “go it alone” if labour, business and government could not form a successful partnership.51
[51 Sunday Times, 26 May 1996.]
_____________________________________________________________________________
CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY RASSP RESEARCH REPORTS 2005, VOL.1
Saranel Benjamin, Durban, September 2005
“Introduction
The ANC’s 1994 national election campaign was not only premised on delivering democracy and freedom to the citizens of South Africa but was also strongly rooted in the memory of apartheid’s denial of basic resources to black people.
Riding on the crest of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (the ANC’s proposed economic plan for the post-liberation era based on redistribution of the country’s wealth to the poor), the ANC promised to right the wrongs of the past and to give the people what had long been denied them.
Election posters blazing with the black green and gold party colours screamed out to the poor:
“A better life for all!”, “Free basic services!”. “Jobs for all!”,
with a promise to redistribute the wealth accumulated by the apartheid government, white business and the white population.
The poor, trusting the rhetoric, voted in their millions to put the ANC into power as the first democratic government.
When the ANC capitulated to the charms of a market-driven economy, the party ditched clauses from the Freedom Charter and the RDP and emerged with a macro-economic policy that was a ‘fairly standard neoliberal one”. 1
[1 Adam Habib and Vishnu Padaychee (2000), “Economic Policy and Power Relations in South Africa’s Transition to Democracy” in World Development, (vol.28, no.2)3. ]
The choice of a market-driven policy that would ensure maximum profit accumulation by the already rich was made in full knowledge of South Africa’s stratified economy.
South Africa, writes John Saul, is a country where the “the poorest 60% of household’s share of total expenditure is a mere 14%, while the the richest quintile’s share is 69% and where, across the decade of the nineties, a certain narrowing of the income gap between black and white (as a growing number of blacks have edged themselves into elite circles) has been paralleled by an even greater widening gap between rich and poor”. 2
[2 John Saul, (2002), “Cry for the Beloved Country: the Post-Apartheid Denouement” (RAU Sociology), http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs 8. ]
The Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) policy drew from the main tenets of neoliberalism as installed globally with the main objective of creating an environment which enables maximum private investment.
Hence GEAR proposed cuts in government spending to reduce the deficit, the introduction of tax concessions for big business, a reduction of tariff barriers (in the clothing, textile,leather and car manufacturing industries), the privatization of government assets (which included the provision of basic services), a reduction in state welfare programmes and a more flexible labour market.
Adelzadeh 3
[3 In Hein Marais (2001), South Africa: Limits to Change, (Cape Toen: University of Cape Town Press) 163] and Saul both agree that the ANC had “come full circle, back to the late apartheid government’s Normative Economic Model.
For the central premise of South Africa’s economic policy now could clearly be clearer: ask not what capital can do for South Africa, but what South Africa can do for capital…”4
[4 Saul 12]
The ANC pushed for GEAR, arguing that the policy framework could help achieve economic growth, attract foreign investment , boost employment and increase socio-economic equality. the verdict so far has been resoundingly negative:
“GEAR has been associated with massive deindustrialization and job-shedding through reduced tariffs on imports, capital flight as as controls over investments are relaxed, attempts to downsize the costs and size of the public sector, and real cuts in education, health and social welfare spending”. 5
[5 Saul 13 ]
This neo-liberal economic framework precludes the the development of any form of social security system for the growing band of unemployed, informal sector workers and the poor. GEAR argues for a decline in state expenditure and, in keeping with global trends, this translates into cutting back on state welfare programmes.
The harsh effects of the GEAR policy have been felt most by those who came into the era of democracy poor. These were black, working class people.
Most were black, women, urban and rural. GEAR has left the poor more vulnerable to increasing poverty and has debilitated most workers by decimating the industries they work in. …”
____________________________________________________________________________
Through my involvement with the Auckland Water Pressure Group, I, (and others) made contact with some directly involved in the ‘social movements’, who were fighting back against these ANC-led neoliberal reforms, particularly the fight against water privatisation and the introduction of pre-paid water meters by groups such as the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF).
More information about the fightback by the ‘social movements’ in South Africa, is available here: http://www.ukzn.za/ccs
“SEEK TRUTH FROM FACTS”!
Penny Bright
1981 Springbok Tour protestor
‘Anti-corruption/anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
Also people have become very cynical surrounding the media and the way they pimp out the “poor”.
It seems just about every “oh woe is me story” they put out there is rather short on facts and long on bullshit.
With message boards, blogs, twitter etc, it never takes too long before the real facts come out and surprise, it’s never anything like what the media say it is.
No one believes anything they read in the MSM now, most people are like “yeah, yeah what a load of shit, fuck they must think we’re idiots”.
Well, you could, but there wouldn’t be any point as after anyone’s read the first line of your comments you’ve usually already exceeded their level of interest.
When the funeral is over perhaps everyone can get past their nostalgia and back to firing insults at each other about all the other shit someone else is always to blame for.
It’s history all right, but after all the grand speeches extolling him and what he stood for, they’ll all go back to advancing the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the poor and their speech notes will just blow away with the wind.
For what it’s worth, I reckon Key made the right call to include Cunliffe. No one will ever agree on who else would’ve been better. If there can only be two at the funeral the PM and the Leader of the Opposition is a good representation for this country.
I agree, Key was right to invite Cunliffe to be the 2nd. In fact it was his only option, politically.
But Cunliffe could earn a heap of mana by giving up his seat to Sharples. Symbolism matters, and if another rich white guy steps aside for the Maori protestor and leader from 1981, that’s strong symbolism – and, more cynically, bloody good headlines in the clear contrast between generous Cunliffe and Key vs Minto.
I wouldn’t blame Cunliffe for keeping his seat, it’s an occasion you wouldn’t want to miss. But there’s bonus points if he doesn’t.
Looks like Cunliffe IS going to offer his seat to Sharples.
However, Mr Cunliffe said he is considering giving up his place to Pita Sharples. “I think it’s important that a New Zealand Maori is represented and I think that he did a lot of work in the anti-apartheid movement.”
Far out. Cunners should just make the call and do it then, not talk about “considering it”. Gobsmacked’s “bonus points” is valid – Cunners would gain a lot of respect & support for this.
However, Mr Cunliffe offered to give up his place to Dr Sharples. “I think it’s important that a New Zealand Maori is represented and I think that he did a lot of work in the anti-apartheid movement.”
“David Cunliffe is on his way to meet the Prime Minister to formally give up his place at Mandela memorial to Pita Sharples. Will PM accept?”
Key’s advisers will be spewing. And the rumour is senior Nats (ahem Blinglish, Tau) advised to invite Minto and Key was going with it, till others (ahem Collins) said no way.
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Nellie Hunt’s family is not the only case of homelessness in Christchurch, there are many, many more. Where is the Government’s help for people in need? Where is the emergency housing?
Shame on you, New Zealand government!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9496170/Hunt-family-fights-on-in-Waltham-Park/
Come on,
Have you no faith in the market.?
Any day now .
You’ll see
@Scotty
😆
And so the tip of the ‘housing’ ice-berg becomes public, i commented a week or so ago after watching the shameful Paula Bennett at a ‘public meeting’ decrying the owner of a rack-renting Auckland ‘holiday park’ which houses 300 beneficiaries,(including children),in less than ideal conditions for amounts of rent that should provide luxury apartments,
Bennett’s problem with the owner, He was creaming it to the tune of 30 grand a week all provided via His beneficiary tenants by the State,
Meanwhile in other parts of Auckland un-Housing Minister Nick Smith is busily ripping apart the States Housing estate and flicking it off as fast as He can to private interests,
i pointed out in that comment that Slippery’s National Government will not be happy until they see whole families sleeping rough in the doorways of our major cities,(while pointing out that in Hamilton there was at the time 120 State Houses triumphantly announced as for sale by Smith when the number of those on the ‘urgent’ waiting list of HousingNZ was 120 odd families),
Understand tho, that the homeless family in Christchurch will not provoke this National Government into urgent action, far from it, everything they do surrounding the State provision of homes for poor families has as it’s final outcome the very situation that has occurred in Christchurch and if a ‘tent town’ begins to emerge in that City watch as National send in the cops to bust it up…
A ‘hat-tip’ to the Maori Wardens of Christchurch for providing ‘security’ to the whanau in ‘tent-town’ Christchurch,
Nellie and Her kids are the living face of the contempt in which i hold the Maori Party for sitting at the table from which Slippery’s National Government refuse to even brush the merest of crumbs in the direction of the poor,
Where i must ask are the ‘gains’ for Maori from such a coalition arrangement, the Hunt family just the tip of the ice-berg of poverty and homelessness helped along by this National Governments trashing of the States Housing stock across the whole country while the Maori Party sits idly by in mute silence…
From what I’ve read, a HNZ subsidiary company is to buy Hobsonville Pt land from the defence force, to allow the PPP development of housing to proceed immediately. However, as Key campaigned that peppering this development with social or state housing was “economic vandalism”, only 20% of the houses built will even be under $485,000 to purchase.
20% was intended to be “affordable/social housing” in the first stage of the Hobsonville development.
This did not end up being the case, as you mention – a good review can be found in the Salvation Army publication Adding It All Up.
Opportunities for local/national government to provide low cost housing with well-positioned land they already own continue to be ardently avoided by the use of PPP’s.
fervidly
I can remember when the “accommodation benefit/supplement” came in years ago to “top up” beneficiaries incomes. Immediately landlords put up the cost of accommodation. In those days it was only $10-20 a week, so, yes I am going back in time, but even then I queried how sensible it was to be passing over this money to private landlords. Within a few years, it grew to such an extent that people were virtually guaranteed an income by the state, and I’m not talking about beneficiaries, but private landlords.
National were warned time and again after the February earthquakes that Christchurch faced a housing crisis, and what did Gerry do? Nothing, but blow alot of hot air around and deny everything.
tony ryall on breakfast television..
..ryall seems to have reached a stage of advanced-smarm:
– where he is/seems unable to turn his (usual) semi-permanent smirk off..
..it’s not a good look..
..ryall..the unctuous one..
(synonyms for ‘unctuous’..:..)
“..sycophantic – ingratiating – obsequious – fawning – servile – self-abasing – grovelling – subservient – wheedling – cajoling – crawling – cringing – Uriah Heepish – humble – toadying – hypocritical – insincere – flattering – adulatory – honey-tongued – silver-tongued – gushing – effusive – suave – urbane – glib – smooth – smooth-tongued – smooth-spoken smooth-talking – slick – slippery – saccharine – oily – oleaginous – greasy – cloying – nauseating – sickening –
– smarmy – slimy – bootlicking – forelock-tugging – phoney – sucky – soapy –
– brown-nosing – apple-polishing – arse-licking – bum-sucking- kiss-ass – saponaceous – pinguid..”
(ed:..i particularly like ‘saponaceous’..and ‘pinguid’…eh..?..)
phillip ure..
yea ‘pinuid’ is pretty good! – evocative of lime green and purple gingham table cloths – run up on the elna, as someone on here once suggested.
He’s the 21st Century safari suit!
oops pinGuid
Oddly enough (if the ‘latest comments’ box is anything to go by), it seems the Open Mike of 28 Nov (ie almost a fortnight ago ! ) is currently at least as popular as todays. Go figure.
Southland Times came up with a different editorial than the Herald, on the delegation to Nelson Mandela’s funeral. (Although I notice it couldn’t quite resist the small boot into Cunliffe at the end. The strain not to was obviously too much).
Haven’t read the southland one yet, so thanks for the link.
Who does one OIA to find out if the PM ever actually considered taking John Minot, or said he did after seeing a few days of people saying he should go?
Xox
Walking through the tunnel to Wellington railway station, the first time in a while, I was shocked, saddened and angry to see homeless people and Beggars sitting on the tiled floor, head bowed down. Is this the ‘Brighter Future’ we were hoping for JK? I am ashamed by our current government. It’s not working John, and you know it. Time for a holiday John? Merry Christmas.
Did you invite them back to stay at your house?
Offer them a meal and a bed?
That’s a pathetic comment on too many levels to list BM and you f**king know it, simply trite bullshit attempting to deflect attention away from this National Governments total abdication of providing the monies and services which would keep those who are least able to help themselves from being forced into such a situation…
I disagree, great opportunity here to contribute to the “village”
Don’t wait for the government to solve the issue, extend your hand and offer those poor homeless a place to stay.
With Wellington being such a thriving hub of leftism, I’m actually quite shocked to learn that there are actually people living on the streets, this is indeed shameful stuff.
I think the left really need to take a good hard look at themselves, disgraceful.
You get more pathetic by the comment BM, i doubt YOU if confronted by a homeless person would offer anything except your contempt so you really should shut the fuck up about things you obviously know little about and care even less for…
Yes, BM would only offer contempt – typical of people who expect those with the least to give up the most for their fellow humans.
I hear that was a good show, The Wire
Just had a thought.
What I think the government should do, is go through all the state house rentals and find all the ones that are under utilized
eg: one person living in a two-three bedroom house, etc.
The current homeless person can then be offered the free spare bedroom in the state house.
A real win win situation, the current tenant gets a new flat mate to help share the chores while the homeless person gets a roof over their head and a dry bed.
I might shoot an email off to Paula, I’m sure she’d think this is a fantastic idea.
Maybe if it gets really bad, they’ll be after your spare bedroom, BM. I trust that fence is high…
BM, you are one of a whole nation and society, one of us, yet you stand yourself aside. Does it get lonely being a miserable miserly spirit? Maybe you need to read Dickens tale of Scrooge. There is so much more joy out there you appear to be missing. Rich in pocket, poor in spirit.
Still its coming up to Christmas, so I will offer St Francis prayer to you as a present that may help your state of mind.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Perhaps donate something of yourself or your money to the “beggars”…..
I did one of those spirituality tests a while ago.
I got a zero.
But thanks for your kinds words anyway, fal la la la la la la la la.
Merry Xmas every one.
maybe you are more or less than you Think you are BM
Or thinking about what you would like to be BM here’s a few options to choose from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rATftJiWdkw
maybe “he’d rather be a mule”.
“Hitchin’ a Ride …hitchin’ a ride”
Yeah… it’s a wonder nobody has thought of this before… surely there are no downsides…
B.M.. – The S.P.C.A. have new premises here in Wellington. It’s bright and airy, comes with its own room, a free dog roll, and for you critters needing it, a rabies shot is on the house. I’m sure a room could be found for someone as extraordinary as you, B.M. Who knows, Paula might visit.
The inference from your comment, BM, is that individuals who are part of ‘the right’ are less likely than those who identify as being on ‘the left’ to take in homeless people as an act of charity?
This, despite the fact – as your comment illustrates – that ‘the right”s solution to homelessness is personal charity.
Given adherence to that solution, shouldn’t it be members of ‘the right’ who take in the homeless? Obviously, they aren’t, which would usually be called ‘hypocrisy’.
Those on ‘the left’ – irrespective of their individual commitments to charitable efforts – are very often distinguished in their beliefs by the view that solutions to widespread social problems involve structural changes and collective efforts rather than through individual charitable effort (though these are of course commendable where possible).
nah mate – this is pure deflection from you – and you, and we, know it
BM
You are so cynical and mendacious. Even the Good Samaritan didn’t take the needy one home. He saw that there was attention to his needs and left money to pay for it. Helping someone who is in need is a good deed. It doesn’t require you to take them home and do the fairy godmother bit. Jesus approach was do what you can, it seems.
But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan
Well actually BM, my student neighbours have done just that on occasion, and some of us assist them with transport occasionally.
It’s not just the tunnel either. One only has to walk from one side of the city to the other, and around the inner suburbs to see people (particularly youth) begging, and signs of their living rough.
1st world country? My arse!
Have you ever stopped to talk to any of them BM? – i.e. to find out their circumstances, or do you prefer to just make assumptions?
Yes.
NSA analysts play online gaming for spy work
Clever NSA geeks, paid to play world of warcraft and second life…but this is what happens to a mass surveillance state which has to justify its own existence.
This is the USA equivalent of the East German Stasi who infiltrated pensioner stamp collecting clubs.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-spies-online-games-world-warcraft-second-life?CMP=twt_gu
Maybe Mandela is liked by the Right Wing because the Elite are still in charge of S.A.
And lessons for NZ…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/if-nelson-mandela-really-had-won
Tiny black political elite as fig-leaf, otherwise little has changed.
Interesting post from Chris Trotter on Bowalley Road today. He’s pretty much spot-on as far as I’m concerned. Good to see analysis of Mandela that moves beyond the mawkish and saccharine.
This one?
Two pertinent questions and they lead to an interesting question: If a country can’t do what it’s population wants then who the hell is actually in control?
That’s been long answered – worldwide there has been a corporate coup d’etat, led by the banking fraternity. The TPPA is another example of this – the US gov is not negotiating on behalf of their people, but on behalf of their corporates.
+1
Time to get rid of the corporatism.
Given that the ANC gained political power but ceded financial power to the ‘outgoing’ white elites who had ties and well established relationships with international financial institutions….
DTB
You always put the easy questions first.
Good on you Hone – leadership in action
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9497375/Hone-Harawira-heading-to-Mandela-funeral
Yeah well done Hone, but for me you can only represent me as a rank and file member of the protest movement. In any other capacity forget it. And on Hones example any other 1981 veteran who can get there should take equal standing next to Hone on my behalf. Just to make sure Hone remembers, it is not about him, its about “us”, that huge chunk of NZers who stood up together and said enough was enough. I don’t see a lot of them grandstanding or sliding in on the official events with the Nact photo op posers.
you could go if you want – it would be great you could travel around with Hone I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.
” He would not be involved in any of the official proceedings but said this would allow him to do and say what he pleased.
“Honestly I’m just going to pay my respects on behalf of the anti-tour movement of 1981 in particular, and all those others who marched against apartheid over the years and have supported Nelson Mandela in his drive for freedom,” he said. ”
Hone imo isn’t grandstanding or sliding in – he believes and then takes actions in alignment with his beliefs – I personally like that.
Lets hope Hone is “for real”. I recall “Hone Activist Events” such as assaulting engineering students with baseball bats. I recall him making racist statements, saying that pakeha boyfriends would not be welcome for his daughters. I for one have little faith in Hone. So Mars if that is the type gent you wish to represent “us”, count me out, I would rather be one of “them”.
Those examples all have a context that you seemed to have missed – bought the hook, line and sinker there I think bored – just like they wanted you to. Noted that you would rather be one of them – you’ve been going down that line for a while and fair enough, good for you. As for Hone representing me and those anti-tour protestors that stood side by side with him – yep I’m proud that he is doing so and he is exactly the type of gent that I align with.
My mother once told me that funerals are ultimately about the living, not the dead. She was certainly right in Mandela’s case. It’s all me me me from everybody.
Here’s the real truth. Mandela doesn’t give a fuck who is there. And neither do I.
Good stuff Mars, we align differently. That is somehow very reassuring.
Same here – and we both like protecting long-finned eels 🙂
“I recall “Hone Activist Events” such as assaulting engineering students with baseball bats”
yet you dont recall how this happened or why? – therein lies the answer
Hmm, the ends justify the means….so violence against the individual is politically correct if you have a really good reason? So what say I dont agree with you about frogs rights, my position is in my mind water tight, so to move it ahead I bash you. All good.
Why does what sort of boyfriend Hone would feel comfortable with for his daughter have anything to do with you? Were you stalking her, Ennui?
As for the racist dickheads of the haka party, pakeha should have been there with baseball bats stopping it long before He Taua stepped in.
I’m happy for Hone to represent me.
Meanwhile in the land of the guest worker, that certain people hold up as everything great and good about (neo-liberal) capitalist, dem-fac-ocracy… (especially since the celtic tiger fell over and is now limping)…
a Total Recall ‘Colony’.
The events in Singapore are a Big Deal and will have the global 0.1% on edge. If it can happen in mild mannered, heavily ordered Singapore…
meanwhile Back at the Funny Farm, windows reflect the Shine
Being the 10th, “you pulled the Deuce this time”. 😎
One unhappy guy in a hoodies can ruin a nice picture. No wonder he wants a personal photographer. Shoulda cropped.
s y d- link leads to Herald front page which updates regularly 😎
Correct link
gawd. this is the herald thats been ‘celebrity’ edited/curated whatever by john kirwan.
im having troubles with TS today…on a go slow…dropping out…was this photo.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11169619
if looks could kill…
Database is running high on CPU and open handles and has been all morning. I can’t see any particular reason why but I suspect that we’re getting a good read of the whole system from someone. I’ll have a peek and maybe curtail their scans.
I’ve put a more severe policy on for bots, and switched from throttling to blocking. Doesn’t affect google because they do every properly. But it looks like we’re getting scanned by a fast msnbots and fast bingbots. I should see the open database handles drop from ~40 to something more acceptable.
Actually dropping an extra server in seems to have helped.
Dunno what’s going on then. It’s even slower for me than yesterday. No such probs with the usual newsotainment sites or Bomber’s Daily Rants.
I think I figured it out. There is something wrong on the VPN at the host site. The servers when talking to each other were having problems with routings (as far as I could see they talked via the US?). Shifting it to talk on non vpn IP’s appears to have largely fixed it.
I have no idea if that is my configuration of theirs…. Job for later.
It’s working fine now Lyn. I’m getting no delays in reaching TS, or in clicking on and reading, or in posting, comments at the moment.
Yeah. Well it is a pain bearing in mind it was working before the weekend.
Key’s Apartheid Amnesia Makes The Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/yasmine-ryan/apartheid-new-zealand_b_4411734.html
Top Man! he he
Well spotted Rogue. Does not exactly make us proud our New Zealand Prime Minister. Queasy me.
John Key is the best prime minister of this country the United States has ever had. Or had over, perhaps might be more accurate.
I liked this verbiage from Cameron. Every word reverberating with deep emotion and sincerity.
continually bears humanity ever upwards away from brutality and darkness and towards something better.
‘But is not so. Progress is not just handed down as a gift, it is won through struggle: …the struggle of men and women who believe things can be better, who refuse to accept the world as it is, but dream of what it can be.
‘Nelson Mandela was the embodiment of that struggle. He did not see himself as a helpless victim of history, he wrote it.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2520808/Cameron-hails-Mandela-towering-figure-tweets-picture-reindeer-Little-Ant-Dec-Commons-tributes.html
plus item –
Shopkeeper was quizzed for eight HOURS by police – and had his computer seized and his DNA swabbed – after cracking ‘bad taste’ Nelson Mandela jokes on the internet.
RT
That was a terrific piece on Key and Mandela. the Mighty and Mini-me of politics and leadership.
Yasmine in Tunis wrote a tremendous piece for Huffington.
inside information
At least this oxygen thief remembers where they stood in 1981. There are none so bitter as Tories who find themselves on the wrong side of history.
Politicians that don’t command respect like Judith Collins demean themselves by throw-away remarks going on twitter such as the one about ‘Cunners’ – a weak sounding term coming from a loose thinking mind.
I notice the hairdo contributing his “catty schoolgirl” snide jibe as well. Christ, how the hell do these kindy-level thinkers ever get freakin elected.
and re-elected and re-elected and…
My conclusion is that entering Parliament causes some kind of regression to childhood.
John Minto tells it like it is and thank goodness he does.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11169600
Mandela was a great man in so many ways and as a paragon of forgiveness it is hard to think of someone who displays that attribute more – but he was a man and he had his mistakes and failings and it honours him to accept that rather than pretend he was a saint.
National gives loan sharks free license for some to pray on the poor, well it would not do the same for the rich right? well, maybe that explains SCF, and the miriad of other finance companies gone bust. You see National don’t believe in protection, so what does it believe in? Well seizing assets gained from crime. Nice, since eventually we will start to revisit wealth accumulated via crimes against the environment, unless National’s detractors are right, that they are a rich prick party.
Superficial fluff for the day.
Yesterday on Open Mike there was some discussion around the spelling of Russel Norman’s name. I go a step beyond that and have a pet name for him, which is taken from Russell Crow’s stage name when he was a “musician”. Rus le Roq was his name(not a fan of Russell Crow incidentally)
Here’s Rus le Roq in action on Shazam in 1985
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/shazam-feat-russell-crowe-1985
I like Russel Norman. I’ve heard him speak publicly and the way he spoke cemented my appreciation of him, where as I had previously been a bit uncertain. He’ll always be Rus le Roq to me.
On the topic of spelling: Thank you phillip ure for spelling “eh” correctly. Not many folks know how to spell this often used word. For instance, last night on 3 News they had subtitled the speech of person featured in an article about a loan shark’s office in South Auckland and gasp! They spelt “eh” as “ay”. (not the first time they have misspelt eh either!) Even worse, the L&P advertising campaign is “It’s a bit different aye”. Aye is Scots for yes and is pronounced eye, as far as I am aware. Could be wrong. Don’t know what the world is coming to eh.
*With apologies for my frequent spelling and grammatical errors.
@ rosie..
..illiterate copywriters..eh..?
phillip ure..
Apparently. I raised it with some folks I know who work in advertising. They blame it on the young ‘uns……but maybe to put all the blame on them is not sharing the responsibility………..
Except that “Eh” doesn’t look like it sounds like “Aye”. Aye ?
Ubuntu versus Wetiko or why it makes perfect sense for John Key to go to Mandela’s funeral without John Minto
Reserve Bank Folds
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11170067
on LVR ‘speed-limits’ for new residential construction. (a little Ke a whispered in their ear)
Rosie you’re always interesting. RT if they shoot messengers with bad news, what do they do for those with good? Think about it. A quaff of good ale sir, to your health or something.
This is a nice bit of news, the most encouraging thing from a judge I’ve read for yonks.
Oldfield successfully appealed against Home Secretary Theresa May’s decision to kick him out of the country on the grounds that his presence was “not conducive to the public good”.
Immigration tribunal Judge Kevin Moore, in overturning the deportation order, said Oldfield was an asset to Britain.
“There is no doubt in my view to your character and commitment and the value you are to UK society generally,” the judge said.
Oldfield, originally from Sydney, has a British wife, Deepa Naik, 36, and a five-month-old baby daughter. He’s lived in the UK for more than a decade.
The Australian swam into the path of the Oxford and Cambridge rowing crews as they raced down the Thames in April 2012 to protest against elitism.
He was subsequently jailed for seven weeks.
Here’s a different link to the same story. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10506059/Boat-race-protester-Trenton-Oldfield-wins-bid-to-stay-in-UK.html
as long as it’s not too hot, maybe somewhere Asian 😉
comment #77, ‘think about it’.
Interesting results from the census (excel document). For the first time, Catholicism is now the country’s largest religious denomination with 491,421 adherents. Anglicanism stands at 459,771. Both stood at over 500,000 each in the 2006 census and the country continues a secular trend – the largest group of all, those with no religion, stands at 1.6 million. So having a monarch at the head of an established church is going to grow as an issue over time, I think.
Underemployment seems to be a trend too. 42,267 report their main job at 10 hours per week. 84,528 at 20 hours and 89,997 at 30 hours.
There were 153,210 unemployed people seeking work, which rouhly matches the 150,000 people reported unemployed in the September Household Labour Force Survey.
Thanks Pete (I won’t bite, ‘Honest Injun’)
this just happened..
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/the-mandela-speeches-in-the-nz-parliament-a-mini-review/
phillip ure..
So did this.
Bee have
With friends like this…
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/mass-murder-in-the-middle-east-is-funded-by-our-friends-the-saudis-8990736.html
US Fifth Fleet
Am I in moderation for a reason? Not disputing it at all, just wondering what it was.
[Bunji: not that I can find…]
PB Ha ha your turn. I used to be the favourite for moderation. I was feeling picked on.
LIARS OF OUR TIME
No. 38: Jeremy Hansen
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I read a great column by Paul Thomas in the Herald….”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
—Jeremy Hansen, The Panel, Tuesday 10 December 2013
More liars….
No. 37 Alan Seay: “You know, we respect the rights of people to protest….”
No. 36 Paul Dykzeul: “No we won’t be changing the Listener; it’s got a terrific editor….”
No. 35 Mark Jennings: “I think Paul’s a bright guy and he will be able to bring a discipline to his performance….”
No. 34 Willie Jackson: “I thought we’d been sensitive with her yesterday….”
No. 33 Supt. Bill Searle: “I think what’s happened here is the police officers have done their very best….”
No. 32 Sonny-Bill Williams: “It’s good to get the win over Papua-New Guinea, a strong Papua-New Guinea side, aahhhh….”
No. 31 John Palino: “Suggestions that I am somehow orchestrating some grand right-wing conspiracy to unseat Len after the election are so wrong…”
No. 30 Alan Dershowitz: “I will give $10,000 to the PLO if you can find a historical fact in my book that you can prove to be false.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.”
No. 28 John Kerry: “…we are especially sensitive, Chuck and I, to never again asking any member of Congress to take a vote on faulty intelligence.”
No. 27 Lyse Doucet: “I am there for those without a voice.”
No. 26 Sam Wallace: “So here we are—Otahuhu. It’s just a great place to be, really.”
No. 25 Margaret Thatcher: “…no British government involvement of any kind…with Khmer Rouge…”
No. 24 John Key: “…at the end of the day I, like most New Zealanders, value the role of the fourth estate…”
No. 23 Jay Carney: “…expel Mr Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice…”
No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No. 13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
No. 6 Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
No. 4 Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
Have you even read the column? It was indeed very good.
Calling him a “liar” and lumping him in with Thatcher and Banks and all is stupid.
Have you even read the column?
No, I haven’t, because although Paul Thomas has written a couple of good football books, and some entertaining thrillers, he lacks the knowledge and the seriousness to write about political or philosophical matters. His column is normally about as interesting and authoritative as the garbage churned out by Kerre McIvor (née ohoWmad) or Murray Deaker or Tony “Bootboy” Veitch.
It was indeed very good.
I’ll take your word for it. I’m glad to hear he’s finally written something worth reading.
Calling him a “liar” and lumping him in with Thatcher and Banks and all is stupid.
Oh come on, gobsmacked! Lighten up a little! “Liars of Our Time” is a wide-ranging series, taking in the psychopathic/fanatic (No. 25, 30), the moronic (No. 2, 4, 10, 18, 29), the professionally dishonest (No. 1, 3, 8, 20, 22, 31, 37) and the hapless (No. 26). There are several other categories I haven’t mentioned here, but you get the drift, I hope: some of the liars here are serious, professional liars, while others are harmless. Jeremy Hansen’s foolish laudatory comment about an undistinguished column-filler fall into the latter category.
In solidarity with the millions of black South Africans who are now worse off under the ANC’s neo-liberal ‘economic apartheid’ reforms – why I would NOT attend Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
ANTI-APARTHEID BACKGROUND:
In 1972, I joined the Halt All Racist Tours movement, in my 7th form year as an 18 year old.
In 1981, I was one of twelve anti-apartheid activists elected to the ‘demonstration committee’ of the MOST (Mobilisation to Stop the Tour) – tasked with organising protests in Auckland against the Springbok Tour.
The purpose of the protests, was to ‘stretch the thin blue line’ and through non-violent civil disobedience, make the 1981 Springbok Tour ‘un-policeable’, so it would be called off.
This was in solidarity with millions of black South Africans, who not only did not have the same civil and political human rights as the white minority, but were also being denied basic economic, social and cultural rights.
(The effectiveness of the sports boycott in putting pressure on the apartheid regime, is explained here:
Desmond Tutu: Sports boycott crucial to ending apartheid
http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=3093 )
However, the purpose of these anti-Springbok Tour protests, in calling for an end to apartheid, was not for the black South African majority to end up being worse off.
But that is exactly what has happened in ‘post-apartheid’ South Africa.
Why?
Because the ANC government, elected in 1994, broke their promises, effectively did a 180 degree ‘U turn’ and introduced the same neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ reforms, without consultation or mandate as did the 1984 – 1987 Labour Government here in New Zealand.
Sorry to be the one to ‘blow the whistle’ and ‘pop the hot air balloon’, but this wave of neo-liberal reforms started on Nelson Mandela’s watch, when he was President of South Africa from 1994 – 1999.
Nelson Mandela supported privatisation, and it started on ‘his watch’.
http://dspace.nwu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10394/6332/No_42(1997)_Meyer_MJ.pdf?sequence=1
PRIVATISING SOUTH AFRICA BY DICTUM: A REVIEW
Michael J. Meyer
(Department of Development Studies, University of North West)
1. Introduction
Mindful of the experience in the Third World in general, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)in particular, where in some instances the privatisation of state assets was turned into a farce because of corruption, nepotism patronage and insider dealing, in South Africa (SA) the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) insisted from the outset that the privatisation process is shrouded in secrecy and should be made transparent.
As a consequence COSATU objected to the African National Congress’s (ANC) adoption of a privatisation policy at its December 1994 Conference, which was endorsed without any form of consultation with the labour movement -the ANC’s strongest social partner.’ In order to forestall any unilateral action on the part of the ANC the labour movement insisted on participation and transparency, calling on the ANC to be accountable, not only to its allies but also the masses on any decision taken
on the issue of privatisation.
1 COSATU 6th National Congress: 16-19 September 1997, Book 4, Resolutions, Discussion
Documents (1997), p. 33.
Over and above the intense hostility and pressure, particularly from COSATU, which government faces on restructuring and privatisation, President Mandela intractably remarked, that:
“Privatisation is the fundamental policy of the ANC, and is going to be implemented …Just because we [government and COSATU] have a working relationship, and they [COSATU] helped put us in power, does not mean that we are happy with everything they say.’ 49
49 Sunday Times, 26 May 1996.
COSATU-aligned unions reciprocated this statement calling for full participation and state transparency, failing which further mass action will go ahead if the sale of state assets were implemented unilaterally. 5O
[50 Labour consultants Andrew Levy and Associates claim in their second quarter Strike Report, that the “Stage is set for a showdown between government and trade unions on the issue of restructuring…” They further claim that there is a strong likelihood of a sharp rise in strikes related to restructuring of SOE’s (The Star, 28 June 1996). ]
This endorsed the threatening deadlock between govemment and organised labour.
Referring to privatisation, President Mandela reiterated Mboweni’s threat, declaring that govemment will “go it alone” if labour, business and government could not form a successful partnership.51
[51 Sunday Times, 26 May 1996.]
_____________________________________________________________________________
CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY RASSP RESEARCH REPORTS 2005, VOL.1
Saranel Benjamin, Durban, September 2005
“Introduction
The ANC’s 1994 national election campaign was not only premised on delivering democracy and freedom to the citizens of South Africa but was also strongly rooted in the memory of apartheid’s denial of basic resources to black people.
Riding on the crest of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (the ANC’s proposed economic plan for the post-liberation era based on redistribution of the country’s wealth to the poor), the ANC promised to right the wrongs of the past and to give the people what had long been denied them.
Election posters blazing with the black green and gold party colours screamed out to the poor:
“A better life for all!”, “Free basic services!”. “Jobs for all!”,
with a promise to redistribute the wealth accumulated by the apartheid government, white business and the white population.
The poor, trusting the rhetoric, voted in their millions to put the ANC into power as the first democratic government.
When the ANC capitulated to the charms of a market-driven economy, the party ditched clauses from the Freedom Charter and the RDP and emerged with a macro-economic policy that was a ‘fairly standard neoliberal one”. 1
[1 Adam Habib and Vishnu Padaychee (2000), “Economic Policy and Power Relations in South Africa’s Transition to Democracy” in World Development, (vol.28, no.2)3. ]
The choice of a market-driven policy that would ensure maximum profit accumulation by the already rich was made in full knowledge of South Africa’s stratified economy.
South Africa, writes John Saul, is a country where the “the poorest 60% of household’s share of total expenditure is a mere 14%, while the the richest quintile’s share is 69% and where, across the decade of the nineties, a certain narrowing of the income gap between black and white (as a growing number of blacks have edged themselves into elite circles) has been paralleled by an even greater widening gap between rich and poor”. 2
[2 John Saul, (2002), “Cry for the Beloved Country: the Post-Apartheid Denouement” (RAU Sociology), http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs 8. ]
The Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) policy drew from the main tenets of neoliberalism as installed globally with the main objective of creating an environment which enables maximum private investment.
Hence GEAR proposed cuts in government spending to reduce the deficit, the introduction of tax concessions for big business, a reduction of tariff barriers (in the clothing, textile,leather and car manufacturing industries), the privatization of government assets (which included the provision of basic services), a reduction in state welfare programmes and a more flexible labour market.
Adelzadeh 3
[3 In Hein Marais (2001), South Africa: Limits to Change, (Cape Toen: University of Cape Town Press) 163] and Saul both agree that the ANC had “come full circle, back to the late apartheid government’s Normative Economic Model.
For the central premise of South Africa’s economic policy now could clearly be clearer: ask not what capital can do for South Africa, but what South Africa can do for capital…”4
[4 Saul 12]
The ANC pushed for GEAR, arguing that the policy framework could help achieve economic growth, attract foreign investment , boost employment and increase socio-economic equality. the verdict so far has been resoundingly negative:
“GEAR has been associated with massive deindustrialization and job-shedding through reduced tariffs on imports, capital flight as as controls over investments are relaxed, attempts to downsize the costs and size of the public sector, and real cuts in education, health and social welfare spending”. 5
[5 Saul 13 ]
This neo-liberal economic framework precludes the the development of any form of social security system for the growing band of unemployed, informal sector workers and the poor. GEAR argues for a decline in state expenditure and, in keeping with global trends, this translates into cutting back on state welfare programmes.
The harsh effects of the GEAR policy have been felt most by those who came into the era of democracy poor. These were black, working class people.
Most were black, women, urban and rural. GEAR has left the poor more vulnerable to increasing poverty and has debilitated most workers by decimating the industries they work in. …”
____________________________________________________________________________
Through my involvement with the Auckland Water Pressure Group, I, (and others) made contact with some directly involved in the ‘social movements’, who were fighting back against these ANC-led neoliberal reforms, particularly the fight against water privatisation and the introduction of pre-paid water meters by groups such as the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF).
More information about the fightback by the ‘social movements’ in South Africa, is available here: http://www.ukzn.za/ccs
“SEEK TRUTH FROM FACTS”!
Penny Bright
1981 Springbok Tour protestor
‘Anti-corruption/anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
bryce edwards in the odt ‘i’m bored with child poverty’…well fuck you bryce edwards!
Is this the article you’re referring to?
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/284747/poverty-issues-boring-public-academic
Doesn’t read like he’s bored with it, he’s saying the public is getting bored with it.
He speaks the truth.
Also people have become very cynical surrounding the media and the way they pimp out the “poor”.
It seems just about every “oh woe is me story” they put out there is rather short on facts and long on bullshit.
With message boards, blogs, twitter etc, it never takes too long before the real facts come out and surprise, it’s never anything like what the media say it is.
No one believes anything they read in the MSM now, most people are like “yeah, yeah what a load of shit, fuck they must think we’re idiots”.
Keep up the good work BM
Could not agree more
Well, you could, but there wouldn’t be any point as after anyone’s read the first line of your comments you’ve usually already exceeded their level of interest.
Thank you.
I’m happy you see value in my ramblings.
This.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/08/david-simon-capitalism-marx-two-americas-wire
edit: video
http://davidsimon.com/festival-of-dangerous-ideas-2013/
So it seems only 2 people from NZ can go to Mandela’s funeral …
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11170259
Cunliffe should let Sharples go in his place. Good principle – and good politics too!
+1
Oh dear, the best laid plans of mice and men….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11170259
When the funeral is over perhaps everyone can get past their nostalgia and back to firing insults at each other about all the other shit someone else is always to blame for.
How did that happen? Positive gobsmacked wasn’t there with the same link. Unless he’s been a naughty boy and is in moderation. 😛
Nelson Mandela’s service is going to be stream lived on tvnz, Im guessing it will also be on BCC, CNN on sky.
No matter who attends and who speaks, it’s history and people should watch.
It’s history all right, but after all the grand speeches extolling him and what he stood for, they’ll all go back to advancing the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the poor and their speech notes will just blow away with the wind.
For what it’s worth, I reckon Key made the right call to include Cunliffe. No one will ever agree on who else would’ve been better. If there can only be two at the funeral the PM and the Leader of the Opposition is a good representation for this country.
Yes he did. I guess he couldn’t do anything else.
Hey Brett… what time does it start on TV1?
Anne:
Tvnz is not covering it. 🙁
They will have live coverage of it, on their webpage.
CNN is going to hav e live coverage also.
Thanks Brett… will watch it online.
I agree, Key was right to invite Cunliffe to be the 2nd. In fact it was his only option, politically.
But Cunliffe could earn a heap of mana by giving up his seat to Sharples. Symbolism matters, and if another rich white guy steps aside for the Maori protestor and leader from 1981, that’s strong symbolism – and, more cynically, bloody good headlines in the clear contrast between generous Cunliffe and Key vs Minto.
I wouldn’t blame Cunliffe for keeping his seat, it’s an occasion you wouldn’t want to miss. But there’s bonus points if he doesn’t.
Good point, well made. But on the other hand the reality now is that Sharples is part of Key’s government. It is better the Opposition is represented.
Looks like Cunliffe IS going to offer his seat to Sharples.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/230389/pm-forced-to-cut-back-mandela-delegation
Far out. Cunners should just make the call and do it then, not talk about “considering it”. Gobsmacked’s “bonus points” is valid – Cunners would gain a lot of respect & support for this.
Damn, I’ve just outed myself!
Good broadband here in South Africa …
The Radio NZ story has now changed to:
But no word whether Sharples has accepted…
https://twitter.com/rnzdemelza/status/410319857519833088
RNZ reporter Demelza Leslie:
“David Cunliffe is on his way to meet the Prime Minister to formally give up his place at Mandela memorial to Pita Sharples. Will PM accept?”
Key’s advisers will be spewing. And the rumour is senior Nats (ahem Blinglish, Tau) advised to invite Minto and Key was going with it, till others (ahem Collins) said no way.
According to Hilary Barry on Radio Live just now, there may be places for five after all.
But in any case, Cunliffe is impressing the voters …
https://twitter.com/search?q=sharples%20cunliffe&src=typd&f=realtime
My fave tweet: Cunliffe offers place to Sharples, who offers it to Hone, who offers it to Minto …
New Privacy Commissioner: John Edwards
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11170243
End of an era I reckon. Marie Shroff has done an excellent job in the face of obfuscation and obduracy from bureaucrats and politicians.
“It was certainly a period of time where politics were prominent and I was fascinated by it.” lol
Farkin lol alright.
It was a remark who are from a man I found is bullshitting and I was be disgusted by them.
Texas fracking quakes stirring residents and home owners fear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak6vd7L-PWM
Dr Sharples and mckinnion are there?
WT……
In New Zealand, ACE qualifications are accepted for university entrance.
http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/33-jaw-droppingly-bad-multiple-choice-questions-from-accelerated-christian-education/
A couple of live streams from SA.
SABC TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WBoWoRZ20w#t=353149
eNCA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbIhuEyo0sI#t=532255