With the US economy imploding some humour which is doing the rounds….
US RECESSION
The recession has hit everybody really hard…
My neighbor got a pre-declined credit card in the mail
CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.
Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
I saw a Mormon with only one wife.
If the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call
them and ask if they meant you or them.
McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer.
Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s
names.
My cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t afford to pay for it, and they
re-possessed her!
A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.
A picture is now only worth 200 words.
When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.
The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.
Are electorates past their use by date? MSM can’t be bothered with most of them. Many MPs just use them to get publicity for party votes. Is it really time to ditch the electorates?
Or is it media and punditry convenience? A lot of people still complain that list MPs don’t have a proper mandate and see the party list as a major weakness of MMP.
You’ll know all about that one. Have you backed up your accusations? Like CT, Beehive? Try setting an example and newer posters here might follow it. How often does felix substantiate his insinuations? Being “honest” doesn’t seem to be the done thing here, stalking is.
Do you have anything to say about the topic I raised? I think that’s a significant democratic issue. Or are you just trolling again?
I was not going to comment on your proposal because it was really, really silly. You seem to be suggesting we only have list MPs. Also I know all of the Auckland Labour electorate MPs quite well and what you say is a reality free insult to them. They all work their electorates really hard. And there are List MPs who work hard at electorate issues.
Your comment was such a reality free one I was going to ignore it.
But it looks like you are trying to avoid responding to Felix’s request for the links. Where are they Pete Squirrel?
You seem to be ignoring what I actually said and have jumped to incorrect conclusions, again. If you had any clue about what I prefer of electorates you wouldn’t have jumped straight into troll mode.
<i>You seem to be ignoring what I actually said and have jumped to incorrect conclusions, again.</i>
I was actually having trouble understanding what you said. I avoided your link because I did not want to reward link whoring.
You previously said:
<i>Are electorates past their use by date? MSM can’t be bothered with most of them. Many MPs just use them to get publicity for party votes. Is it really time to ditch the electorates?</i>
I took offence at this because you are not acknowledging that many electorate MPs work damn hard. Your comment obviously shows you have not the faintest idea what they do.
You then jumped into agressive mode to avoid Felix’s request for promised links. Why don’t you provide the links to Felix?
Politically, in parliament, electorate MPs don’t really offer much. Conscience votes, when an MP should theoretically reflect their constituency, aren’t that common.
But MPs in electorates are a go-to point for anyone who is being screwed around by The System. This is a vital role that needs to be filled. Electorate MPs are the best way to do it.
If you’re upset with the party list letting people into parliament through a backdoor, and some electorate MPs slacking off and not doing as much as they should, the solution isn’t to get rid of electorate MPs.
One thing that could work is a suggestion I’ve made a few times here: make any incumbent MP who holds an electorate seat ineligible for placement on the party list. This would ensure that those MPs fully represent their electorate, because if they don’t, they’re gone. It would allow the public to vote bad MPs out of parliament, and really give some different weight and dynamics to electorate seats and the party list, rather than the peculiar ‘two shades of grey’ system we have now.
Interesting Idea Lanthanide. Personally I’d just extend it to any candidate that gets in the top 3 still has a chance to come in on the list. Afterall a close second or even a close third in a tight race, would still be a candidate a lot of people support, so perhaps deserves to be considered.
Or make it a percentage thing, any candidate that gets over 23% perhaps of the vote is still eligible to be on the party list. Then if there’s a 25, 23.9, 23.8, 23.7, 2.4 scenario, the fourth candidate which is only a fraction off the elected candidate still gets a chance.
Or perhaps some other formula, like just getting more than 5% of the vote?
Otherwise this would be the end of the green party as we know it and several others!
Oh yeah and what would happen to a party that has received say 10% of the overall party votes but has no eligible members due to missing out on these rules??
An interesting idea tho! Just needs a bit of fine tuning imo. Your current format is pretty much just FPP.
Perhaps… Make it that the MMP list order is determined by the ranking of %age votes that the candidates get! That would make sense imo!
Usually when you run away from a discussion you say you can’t be expected to keep up with all the threads you start. And fair enough I suppose, you do start a lot of them.
But in this instance no-one’s expecting you to keep up. You’ve been gone for a few days so I’ve waited patiently for your return so you can pick up where you left off.
Yet still you take no responsibility for what you wrote previously, saying you “can’t be bothered” with it.
Is there any situation in which a person can expect you to stand by what you say, Pete? Your words don’t evaporate when you close the browser, you know.
I’m not “running away”. I choose not to be continually stalked by trolls and then blamed for the blog being cluttered up with petty and precious off-topic attacks.
PG it was the same under FPP it was worse half the members of parliament slept or were drunk while in the debating chamber. Did bugger all for their constituents usually fobbed them off .Now with mmp we have a choice off several MPs so it keeps them on their toes.Its very hard to cover up scandals nowadays with the many different parties around all chasing the voter.
Riots in England, stock exchanges are crashing throughout the world and France and Germany are now in trouble. In the US the political system is clearly not fit for purpose.
Actually the more I think of it Bored the more I think that the events are linked. Adidas has effectively commandeered our community intellectual property (the All Blacks) and made them into a money maker for their share holders. They then go to the third world and use slave labour to manufacture jerseys with significance for locals for $10 or so, import them, and then set this astronomically high price. We are paying for what was communally owned culture.
They then use the profits to fund the elite (All Blacks themselves), and the rest goes to their shareholders.
And we are bombarded with images of their products and told that we have to buy. And for ordinary people particularly unemployed young this has become impossible.
So they suddenly realise they cannot afford them and the cultural behavioral norms get shattered and then it all breaks down. I am not surprised that the looters have been going for TVs and branded clothing.
We need to seriously change things and get our heads around this.
Yeah, I find it amusing how people pigeon hole events and claim that they are unrelated. Unintended consequences abound. Everything is linked….you then get twerps saying riots are unrelated to poverty, and the poverty is unrelated to the top echelon having all the cash….the denial is immense. Creaming the top off of the elites ill gotten cash are their symbiotic parasites, the Denial Industry (spindoctors, MSM, and most importantly “Brand” marketers). And we “buy” it…….
Yes, they keep buying, and buying, and buying. Label clothes. Label food. Label entertainment. And giving adidas more publicity is buying into it all.
We can choose to ignore Brand” marketers if we want to. I never buy sports clothing, I’m not going to pay a huge premium and be an ongoing “free” advertising billboard. It seems nuts, but there’s a lot of people that freely spend money, to be used by the brands twice.
We can choose to ignore Brand” marketers if we want to.
Indeed it is possible to avoid falling into the consumerism ‘trap’, if you are intelligent and mindful enough about your own behaviour. Unfortunately, advertisers make good use of what is known about human psychology to circumvent rational thinking when it comes to this kind of thing. Unsurprisingly, the result is that many people are convinced that they ‘need’ to have all these things. I am very hesistant to put all the blame on the individuals themselves. Instead, I see it as a societal problem – why do we allow large scale psychological manipulation in this way?
The trouble with our system is that it will fall apart if we do not work harder and harder to buy more and more shiny things that have fancy brandy things on them.
While engaged in this merry go round we have to consume more and more of our earth’s resources. And we have to jetson some humans on the way.
Of course anyone suggesting that this cannot continue are branded as being crazy.
@wtl I bet marketers know more about Pete G’s thinking than he knows himself. Perfect manipulable material to sell some product that is aimed at his category on the values chart. And we all have a place there too.
Bernays started this whole nonsense….he is as culpable as any of the great criminal politicos of the last century in establishing this “consumer” pacification of the population.
I looked up google looking for something that would show the sort of tool that marketers use for dividing society into types so they can be influenced in their thinking to buy or accept something. Pages 16 and 17 are interesting – one has a chart and one refers to Brit politics in 2005 and I think is a case study.
My 3.31 pm comment is useless. I was trying to correct it but the blog won’t let you if there is less than a minute left. So forget it. I havn’t been able to make the point I wanted to.
It is NOT possible to resist this all pervasive marketing psychological manipulation 100%. A jingle plays in the background and you instantly recognise McDonalds or Coke or whatever.
To pretend – like most people do – that you are smarter/better/more resistant/more independent than most is part of the illusion.
IE “I would never fall for something like that”, etc. Every damn fool thinks that, to the very last one.
People don’t try and escape from prison if they think that they are free.
a lot of people made noise about this very threat to the nature of a supporter’s allegiance when Adidas signed on. Some might remember for the 100 year celebrations there was a large banner image where Adidas appropriated the entire history of the All Blacks in one foul swoop. A brilliant arrogant and soul less piece of marketing that showed exactly what Adidas had in mind.
an agreement with Adidas was foretold when the game went professional anyway. their longstanding relationship with the IRB would have had it all tied up years before the ink was signed at the NZRU.. it never has been the same gane since, some good rugger but it’s all so $$$$ focused
( I have spent fifteen minutes trying to source an image of it but i guess that as it was a limited edition print they have locked it down pretty tight. )
@ms The $10 is for the making of the tops/jackets. I thought I heard that Adidas has taken NZ off some internet trading list presumably to stop people using the free market to get better prices than those being charged by a monopoly jackup.
Unfortunately Gareth after spending several days at Manukau District Court last month observing various cases I don’t think this one demonstrates inequalities within the legal system but rather the complete lack of justice that exists within it.
I hope that that staff and supporters of Te Papa make it clear to its management how inappropriate it is to have this person representing it overseas in any sort of official capacity.
have to love the British PM
standing up tall
talking of how ‘actions have consequences’
and ‘people think their rights outweigh their responsibilties’
when will those same words be directed towards the bankers, hedge fund managers, and every other thief that swagger through our streets, secure in the knowledge their riots not only go unpunished, they are usually rewarded with looser laws and easier access to more booty
especially this one
‘There is now a danger that rioting might feed into ethnic conflict.
it has already begun with three deaths last night that have suspcicons of racial undertones that supercede the riot activity. In England racial reactionaries will not be a pretty sight if it develops any more intensity.
There are many racial divides in England although much of the day to day seperatist activity is purely on cultural lines. The hard-nosed rascists in England are predominately of anglosaxon heritage and on the whole, have a level of thuggery that is beyond anyone’s ability to communicate with.
We have an opportunity here, Society is showing its best and its worst and we should all pay attention.
This is not the response to an act of terrorism, a war or a natural disaster. This is the result of complacency and double standards.
On a positive note, for every kid that has smashed a window there seems to be a dozen ready to clean it up. That at least is some consolation that our future still has a chance.
‘affect his mana’? what about the mana of our National Museum which is now dragged into the
quagmire of association with this act. A man with a serious job and according to the report, an arguably even more serious problem, gets released without conviction. The surface of this event is saturated by that blinding glare from the idol we dare not damage, alcohol.
Many readers would know elders of local Iwi who have fallen foul of alcohol and committed similar acts yet i do not recall seeing their mana used as a reason to discharge without conviction. There is a disturbing undercurrent in our justice system that is eroding the riverbed and the change in course this is presenting seems to be cutting through the fair fields and destroying the pathways of impartial judgement.
Booze is the single biggest factor when domestic pressure becomes domestic violence
There are not many options but perhaps we could start with prosecuting the guilty.
Osborne’s lawyer, Chris Pointer, said a conviction for domestic assault could prevent his client from entering some countries as part of his museum work. “This will have a … severe effect on Mr Osborne’s ability to do his job.”
A conviction would also “severely impact on his mana”.
You have $100 to invest. Your bank says: if you invest with us, we will give you 9% interest at the end of the year. Great, you say, I’m in.
11 Months down the track the bank comes back to you and says, sorry, been a bit of a fuck-up. We can only give you 9% on $70 but you will have to wait another couple of years for it, and one day in the future we may be able to give you back your other $30.
The poor bastards who bought bonds in Bluestar Group (Printing – Trans-Tasman) effectively kissed goodbye to their collective $140 Million yesterday by agreeing to a bank demand for restructure which sees overdue interest payments on $67 Million of the investment pushed out til 2013 and the remainder converted to a fancy-sounding ‘Participating Bond’ which accrue no interest and do not even have a confirmed (if any) pay back date.
Is it really about the money?
No.
Why? Because the poor old BNZ is third in line to recoup their $195 Million investment in Bluestar. Champ PE ($175 Million) were second, and who were first? You guessed it, the BOND HOLDERS. So in order to screw these suckers over and get themselves to the top of the queue the good ‘ol BNZ threatened receivership on Bluestar bond holders unless they voted themselves into third place, BNZ into first, Champ into second, and agreed to the financial rape of their investment.
For once, the ordinary investor had the opportunity to tell a bank to just fuck right off and they blew it. There is no way the BNZ would have placed Bluestar into receivership to be third in line for any payout (independent analysis put Bluestars worth at $4 Million – assets less liabilities).
Once again greed wins. These suckers deserve to lose every cent.
the tories dont even know what makes something politically correct. they dont know logic. it is what ever they say it is. and the red queens off her heard, go ask alice what the doormouse said.
Just need to pick up on a pet rankling rant here. The Christchurch City Council new draft plan is out and the foreword is attended to by the Council’s Bob Parker, which is entirely appropriate, and by Ecan, which is also appropriate. But it also attended to by Ngai Tahu, as if that organisation is somehow an equivalent governing body, which it is not. It is a body determined by privilege of birth and race and precludes the vast vast majority of Chch residents. It is not right. Ngai Tahu has a place for sure, but not here. Or many other places it gets placed. Sheesh, I know I always rant about this subject, but I need to because it is fundamentally wrong.
And please do not attach all sorts of assumptions to this – Ngai Tahu are fantastic and are a huge ‘asset’ to the city and its environs. And they will go from strength to strength and I wish them well.
It is just this type of placement of them within the city when it is founded on something so many NZers sought to escape from when immigrating here. They sought to escape because it breaches some fundamental facets of human nature – privilege of birth and race.
@vto – “It is a body determined by privilege of birth and race and precludes the vast vast majority of Chch residents. It is not right. Ngai Tahu has a place for sure, but not here. Or many other places it gets placed. Sheesh, I know I always rant about this subject, but I need to because it is fundamentally wrong.”
No you are fundamentally wrong vto. Ngai Tahu were at Otautahi (Christchurch) before you were and deserve to be present and heard when planning the new landscape.
prism, I fundamentally and very strongly disagree with that approach of “first in first served” for many reasons. But no time today to cover that large and intense issue in detail, sorry.
Though your statement that they “deserve to be present and heard when planning the new landscape” I don’t disagree with. It is the nature and scale of that “presence” to which I was referring.
edit: being a pedant, but how would you know whether they were here before me?
It’s not first in first served – the Treaty was signed between the crown and rangatira vto – equal participants – notwithstanding the lies and disinformation, omissions, cheating and evasions told to rangatira of course. I think most of us want to along and having tangata whenua there, is appropriate, indeed necessary – that is what looking forward is all about.
Yes I realise that mr marty and that is all fine and as it was done (the treaty etc). But you well know my opinion on it, which is, briefly, that it may well have been appropriate back then but the treaty is well past its use-by date. It does not take into account the world as it is today and for that reason alone it is fundamentally flawed and needs re-writing. It is no good holding onto contracts which can be frustrated or fail to take into account all parameters, especially in a political nation type setting. Doing so only leads to failure and frustration by sectors of society having less of a stake in society than others. (And this stakeless nature of some of London’s sectors is imo one of the main things which led to the riots)
Look, in saying that, I do not consider that everything should be thrown out and just forget the lot. I think it should be re-written – and a re-writing does not mean either of the parties has to miss out. Things just need changing.
And with regards to Chch and their input I think I said at the beginning and further on that they do have a place, an important place. I do not want them not to be there, they have one of the best and largest contributions to make in the region. Bring them on.
My point was that their placement alongside the Council and Ecan as if they are on some kind of similar governance footing is not right, based as it is on privilege of birth and race. That is all (even though a good argument can be made for such placement based on the out-of-date treaty).
Just got to add one more bit here. My response “first in first served” above was in response to prism’s point which stated that the reason Ngai Tahu should be there was because they were here first. Prism had no mention of the Treaty.
“Look, in saying that, I do not consider that everything should be thrown out and just forget the lot. I think it should be re-written – and a re-writing does not mean either of the parties has to miss out. Things just need changing.”
The Treaty is definately the Treaty – that’s why I advocate constitutional change (not the illusory one going on now) where Māori partnership and self determination can be entrenched. That is the road to equality. That is the way to ensure all parties are treated fairly with honour.
mr marty, if you’re around … ” that’s why I advocate constitutional change (not the illusory one going on now) where Māori partnership and self determination can be entrenched. That is the road to equality. That is the way to ensure all parties are treated fairly with honour.”
Self-determination for who? Just one group of people in NZ? That is no road to equality. That is a road to different structures for different people – which is inequality, according to the dictionary definition.
There is no harm in treating people fairly with honour, under the treaty, just as long as it is recognised that such treatment is under the treaty and the treaty, as you say, is the treaty, with its severe and unrealistic (in today’s world) expectations.
Do you seriously advocate that a form of self-determination, which is separatism, is sustainable and workable? What do all the other groups in NZ do about their own self-determination? Perhaps muslims would like a bit of self-determination too – under your idea, do they get to have that too? Or is it only for maori, because they are the only ones in the treaty so simply tough titty for the muslims – they just have to suck it up? Because that attitude is completely unsustainable. Feel free to explain in detail because I think your idea is way out of whack with reality.
It is sad that you don’t believe that people have the right to self determination – it isn’t seperatism as I have pointed out previously to you. Why are you so scared of empowering basic human rights – is it because of what you think you will lose. This “oh what about the muslims” leads me to wonder about you. Why can’t you argue your point honestly. Are muslims the indigenous people of this land? nah – didn’t think so. Got another group to analyse? push them up, it won’t take long. And that is the nub of the issue right there vto. Māori are not just another minority group shat on by the system, Māori are tangata whenua and for that and that reason alone Māori should have the opportunity to be true partners to the Crown, as agreed to in the Treaty, and add a unique voice to the solutions we need. That is not looking backwards, it is looking forward. It is not handout or grievance mode it is honestly dealing with the facts. The sooner you can just get over the fact that Māori are not going anywhere and that they are the partners with the Crown, the sooner we can all get on and build a country and society to be proud of.
marty mars, I am just going to ignore the assumptions you made about my beliefs, because you do indeed go right to the heart of issue, as I had asked in my previous post…
” Are muslims the indigenous people of this land? nah – didn’t think so. Got another group to analyse? push them up, it won’t take long. And that is the nub of the issue right there vto. Māori are not just another minority group shat on by the system, Māori are tangata whenua and for that and that reason alone Māori should have the opportunity to be true partners to the Crown,”
So you DO in fact believe that because Maori were here first they have a greater position within NZ. This is what prism said right at the start that I railed against. The attitude of “first in first served” is a poorly one which serves nobody in any setting, be it the dinner table each night, the weekly drop of money into the joint account, the allocation of resources like water under the RMA, and the status of immigrants to a new land. First in first served is a weak and selfish attitude and approach. Not to say it has no bearing on matters, but those matters are limited, especially as time passes.
You and I completely disagree right here at this junction. And it is a fundamental foundation stone from which you step off. It is a bad stone marty mars.
This applies no matter the race or place on earth.
As to the treaty, I have already outlined my view that it is a badly structured document. Ffs, the two versions don’t even say the same thing for a start!
But sure you can hang your hat on the crown entering into a poorly constructed contract. You can force them to follow through on their promises, even though those promises don’t always make good sense. It is worth being aware however that in legislation and in common law many many types of contract can be struck out for a whole bunch of reasons – like the contract makes no sense, mistakes were made in entering into them, or they are simply inequitable. For example, is there not a bill currently passing through Parliament deeming certain financial contracts illegal? Have you read the Contractual Mistakes Act?
While these acts and law deal with the daily machinations of life, they are based on centuries old wide and high principles of fairness and justice which are necessary to foster a good society. These principle apply equally to all aspects of life, including the relationship between different peoples.
You, marty, put the treaty above those principle of fairness and justice. That is clear from you last post. I say the treaty should be subject to those wider and highers principles of fairness and justice. My opinion is that the treaty needs re-writing for this and other reasons previously stated.
So there we have it. Good swap of ideas, but you and I strongly disagree on these two base foundation stones.
see when you say, “and the status of immigrants to a new land” I shake my head – it is not about first in first served – I say again – Māori are the indigenous people of this land – you can argue against that as you have but stop twisting what I am saying.
You are clear that you think Māori are just the first immigrant group and that is no reason for any ‘special’ consideration of them, their culture or beliefs. Have I got that right? If so – why? Why do you think this – that is what I’m after vto – I believe I understand what you think – why do you think it? You have said you have Māori blood – how do you work through that and your position? Of course they are personal questions that you don’t have to answer but I am sincerely interested because we are all in this waka together and we have to work through these issues to get our society sorted.
Well this is a problem. You haven’t explained why you think that because Maori are the indigenous people, the tangata whenua, the first people here, however you want to describe it, that that entitles them to a greater position in society. Why does their indigenous nature so entitle them? You have stated the position but provided no reason for it.
The reasons for me claiming that such first arrival or indigenous nature should have a far lesser status has been explained by me. By way of comparison to the “first in first served” approach. By reason that such privilege of birth and race leads to unfairness and trouble in society. That is why I do not think a society is sustainable with different sets of rules and structures for different peoples. It leads to a sense of frustration for those not so entitled and frustration leads to anger and then further trouble. That is why I do not want such an approach. It is based on birth and race. It is simply unfair. It leads to division. It leads to trouble – that is the reason. It is what many immigrants here escaped from.
And yes, all in NZ arrived as immigrants. Describing Maori as indigenous or something else does not subtract from their immigrant beginnings. As with all other immigrants. How are they not immigrants? Such ideas are not mutually exclusive.
As for my personal ancestry, that is minor but real. It was revealed only later in life, stemming from a time when such was kept hidden generations ago. Anyway, it makes no difference to my arguments in this thread. I am trying to make these arguments from an objective position. Subjective matters can arise once the broader settings are in place.
“You haven’t explained why you think that because Maori are the indigenous people, the tangata whenua, the first people here, however you want to describe it, that that entitles them to a greater position in society. Why does their indigenous nature so entitle them? You have stated the position but provided no reason for it.”
because they fit the description of indigenous people
“Indigenous peoples, or Natives, are ethnic groups who are native to a land or region, especially before the arrival and intrusion of a foreign and possibly dominating culture. They are a group of people whose members share a cultural identity that has been shaped by their geographical region. A variety of names are used in various countries to identify such groups of people, but they generally are regarded as the “original inhabitants” of a territory or region. Their right to self-determination may be materially affected by the later-arriving ethnic groups.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples
That is the simplist search i could do but there are many articles and sources about the nature of indigenous peoples and why they are special and important.
“By reason that such privilege of birth and race leads to unfairness and trouble in society. That is why I do not think a society is sustainable with different sets of rules and structures for different peoples. It leads to a sense of frustration for those not so entitled and frustration leads to anger and then further trouble.”
snap! that’s what is here already and that is why we need to make improvements. You keep playing the ‘not fair’ card – not fair for everyone, not fair for muslims, not fair for me but you are blind to the fact that it is not fair for Māori now.
I don’t think that wikipedia definition states a reason for their special status, it just describes what an indigenous people’s features are, which I don’t dispute. What I dispute is the nature and scale of the special nature. And how it relates to other people living in that same place. Your placement of that special nature differs quite considerably from mine. I guess that is as far as we can get at the moment.
As for things being unfair for Maori now, I am not blind to that and have never suggested otherwise. I don’t disagree and that is why I have suggested in previous posts that Maori should be assisted in righting this situation, but that it should be temporary, and that once that is achieved matters should be righted back to a balanced equality. And that ties in with my view on their special position – their indigenous nature does give them a special position, to protect them perhaps, to assist with the change imposed by worldwide demographic changes, etc, but again it must be temporary. Such a special position has limits and those limits decrease with the passage of time.
As I said, we disagree on the nature and scale of that special position. I have given my reasons and you have given me yours. We just have to disagree I think.
There are a couple of things which you haven’t answered s I recall … The issue of the treaty as a useful document given its hastily scratched together nature resulting in different versions, and its lack of ability to deal with a changing world, etc. The issue of how having different rules and settings for different people in one place leads to civil trouble, and how to deal with that. The issue of how you deal with other people also wanting their own self-determination. The correctness or otherwise of people having a place in society due to privilege, or not, of birth and race.
Don’t know if I will be back here for a while but will check in and see when I can. Good talks. Out for now.
I don’t get you vto – you have the so called privilege of birth and race don’t you?
Why does this get up your nose so much – I hear your ‘we are all one’ line but I cannot reconcile it with my concept of equality. Assimilation is not going to happen – unique valuable cultures will continue and grow because they are important – to the members and all our society. Many indigenous peoples just don’t believe the bullshit anymore – that they are lessor, inferior, lucky. The improvements for indigenous peoples will just keep on coming as momentum builds and it is a good thing because there are many many other ways of looking at the world than the dominant, bland, ‘culture’ most people live within.
I say the more that tangata whenua can be involved in all aspects of the rebuild, the better. And the more visible signs of that the even better too.
“I don’t get you vto – you have the so called privilege of birth and race don’t you?
Why does this get up your nose so much – I hear your ‘we are all one’ line but I cannot reconcile it with my concept of equality. Assimilation is not going to happen – unique valuable cultures will continue and grow because they are important – to the members and all our society. Many indigenous peoples just don’t believe the bullshit anymore – that they are lessor, inferior, lucky. The improvements for indigenous peoples will just keep on coming as momentum builds and it is a good thing because there are many many other ways of looking at the world than the dominant, bland, ‘culture’ most people live within.
I say the more that tangata whenua can be involved in all aspects of the rebuild, the better. And the more visible signs of that the even better too.”
You know, I agree with everything you say there. But what you miss is the fact that one of those cultures is lifted on a pedestal above all other cultures, by law in many many instances, by treaty. It is this that is wrong and which leads to trouble. I don’t think I can say it any simpler than that. It leads to trouble in any society in the world and there are many examples of varying degrees. We are all different, and as the French say vive la differenc, but we are also all equal. Otherwise fail.
It is a particular point only that I make but imo it is big.
Just going to add a prediction … what I suggest above (re-write the Treaty) that should happen, will happen. And it will be led by both Treaty partners, but more by Maori. Not the current generation involved in righting things and aligning things under the Treaty. Not the current young generation growing up into this new strong world for Maori. But perhaps the following generation – a leader with the wisdom of Solomon, or Ghandi, or Nelson Mandela, who will stand up, recognise the imbalance, recognise that the Treaty is no longer appropriate or needed, and suggest a rebalancing.
I can’t and won’t speak for marty, but for me, as Pākehā, I can’t just ignore the treaty.
I get what you are saying, and can see how it just describes a just society, but can’t see how we can get there from here in a just fashion.
The treaty is real. It exists. Wishing it away is pointless, and taking it away would be grave crime no matter what we were trying to do.
The reality is that as Pākehā my only claim to be of this land is via the treaty. The treaty is the thing I can point to and say this is why I have a right to be here. I can’t do that if the treaty is not honoured though.
The fact that it hasn’t been honoured affects my claim to be of here, rather than just living here.
For me to say to Māori that “well nah actually. Screw the treaty, I’m here by virtue of the fact I was born here same as you” I’m claiming what? That the past didn’t happen? That my families history isn’t real?
We can only draw a new picture with the consent of our partners. We haven’t honoured the treaty, they have. We have a hell of a lot of good will to make up and some huge debts of gratitude to pay before we can expect to be able to even start to converse about putting the treaty based relationship aside and forging a new one.
My pre-NZ heritage is celtic. Mostly Irish Catholic and a smattering of Scot. I’m not going to say that this gives me any understanding of Māori experience of colonisation, because it just fucking doesn’t. But I know from my own history that my mob weren’t anything like as forgiving as Māori have been.
And that humbles me greatly. I want to make this shit work.
Well there a few things in there. Firstly, I dont think I said it should be wished away or taken away. Not at all. I guess it could be described as recognising that there was an agreement about how two (see, two. one of the fundamental flaws that does not recognise the future, for a start) peoples could put in place a structure for living together in one place. That is fine. But it is that very structure that is now no longer appropriate because the world is vastly more complicated with more peoples, laws and rights, mobility, cultures, mixed up races (as we are all nealry). In fact, that is exactly it – the Treaty’s structure allowed no room for manouvre (I always spell that wrongue) as the world changed around it. This is a failing of the documenting and structuring put in place in that short and highly volatile moment in these hard lands back in 1840-odd. In that environment it is hardly surprising that they did not get a world class document drawn up, which took into account all the necessary bits such as change.
I don’t agree about your claim to be of here solely because of the treaty. Being born into a place and having ones families ashes thrown to the soils – at least for a generation or three – is enough (to put it crudely and briefly). In fact, Maori have a simialr idea as I recall. Keeping the fires burning it is called I think. Similar to many many cultures. Burying ones dead in a location, in most all human history, provides a link to a place too.
And re the last part and comparing your own ancestors acts and concluding they are lesser – I will just leave that for another day. I don’t think it is true and don’t want to get into an argument about who was the nastiest. Have you read some early accounts of Maori-Pakeha relations? They were as heinous and as heart-lifting as any anywhere.
Yes it will. Such is inevitable and cannot be stopped. Trying to prevent it, which is what you’re doing, is trying to stop the necessary change that will bring us together as one people. Will this mean that some cultural aspects will die out? Of course it does. Others, hopefully better, will emerge to replace them.
Trying to prevent that change will also bring about civil war. This too is inevitable unless the necessary changes are allowed to occur.
humans value difference and uniqueness. There is no assimilation utopia that I can see.
Only within very very narrow boundaries. In olden tribal days or in very conservative hierarchical societies it was barely tolerated.
Today we pretend to value difference and uniqueness. But in reality you don’t have to start acting and thinking too differently and uniquely to start losing friends.
And only a bit more than that, they will probably either lock you up or sedate you (or both).
This discussion is really important and I’m constantly challenged by it, especially since I have 2 grandchildren born a few months apart. One is blond, blue-eyed and is so fair his skin is almost transluscent. He doesn’t know it, but he has Maori ancestry. His cousin, although being brought up in a Pakeha family is clearly Maori – cannot be mistaken for any other ethnicity – and is in close contact with her Maori family. Both, of course, are beautiful, funny and smart, and seeing them together is an absolute delight.
What are their ‘rights’, their likely futures? Will the both get the same advantages, or will one be left behind? Does one deserve more, given the potential for discrimination in jobs, housing etc? Can one not be Maori because it has never been claimed? Or will we have a mixed-race utopia by the time they grow up?
I don’t have any sense of how the treaty, privilege and protection will play out for them, but the more discussions like this, the better IMO.
Change is inevitable alright but not towards your vision.
It’s not my vision – merely what will happen. You can not have two cultures next to each other without the people within them learning from each other especially when they happen to be in the same geographical area. Unless you want to go to an apartheid system of course which, really, is what you actually seem to be proposing.
When you try to put one of those groups above the other then there will be strife.
Whoa, the new draft City Plan for Christchurch looks superb. They have been working hard clearly, and it seems comprehensive, well though out and workable.
Exciting times down here over next decade that be for sure.
There going to be some central city property owners losing out big time methinks, as building heights are squashed from generally between 40m and 80m (12 to 25 stories) down to 4-5 to 7 stories. Big squashing of heights.
While the Christchurch opportunity is unique, what got me thinking was was the wider applicability and apparent value for money offered by some of the better ideas.
Community gardens – $300,000. Wifi $350,000. Covered outdoor markets for local produce and small business $2.2 million. Proper cycle lane network $22 million. Even the light rail system @ $410 million sounds achievable in the medium term.
Then I visit my hometown of Dunedin and I have to look at that ridiculous $198.3 million stadium and reflect on what might have been.
Dunedin screwed itself with that unimaginative monstrosity. I know people all around the South Island laughing at those guys, reading the news of ongoing budget shortfalls and saying “who can possibly act surprised”.
Jim Mora has Muriel Newman on his show this afternoon. She finds that our welfare problems
arise from not having fathers in the home as role models, that everyone should take any job they are offered because ‘once you have your foot on the ladder’ you rise up don’t you!
That woman is such a preachy bitch talking twaddle. She and those like her just repeat comfortable slogans that have been accepted by their set who hold themselves rigidly away from attempts at understanding those who haven’t advanced themselves as they have to comfort and status. Many women have made it good by marrying the right wealthy or high-status professional person but diss others as if they have been high achievers themselves. There is no-one so ignorant as the person who has made up their mind on an emotional basis and from self-satisfaction..
I switched that woman off who was saying the UK riots were caused by too much welfare… a welfare system creating a sense of entitlement, getting consumer goods on welfare … and then all the stupid stuff about absent fathers.
I switched that woman off who was saying the UK riots were caused by too much welfare…
Don’t switch her off, Vicky—do something about it! You should e-mail Jim Mora and tell him how concerned you are that he (or more likely his producer) has chosen someone as vacuous and ill-informed as Muriel Newman to comment on anything, leave alone such a serious topic.
I and several others have protested about Mora’s respectful and deferential treatment of the bloodthirsty S.S. fanatic Garth McVicar and his ghastly henchman Stephen Franks, both of whom should be persona non grata. The more criticism he gets from more decent people, the more likely Mora will be to listen.
Just switching off someone like Muriel Newman is not enough. You have to bring concerted pressure on those who are lazy enough or stupid enough to interview her.
Be polite, but firm and clear: tell him you want him to interview a guest who knows what she is talking about in future. That means NO MORE MURIEL NEWMAN.
I’ve given up on The Panel. To begin with, have you noticed that all of the guests spend the first 10 to 15 minutes telling everybody what exciting lives they lead. They have either been overseas and had a “simply wonderful time hahahahaha” or they’re about to go some place and have a “simply wonderful time haha etc”. As soon as the serious issues are discussed they all run for cover (including Mora with his heavy sighs) and express platitudes that mean bugger all. Occasionally someone calls their bluff (Brian Edwards comes to mind) and tells something like it really is. The collective drawing-in of horrified breath is almost audible. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion this country is now inhabited by a bunch of wankers and really… they deserve the government they’ve got.
@Anne – your desciption would apply to Kerre Woodham if Morrissey recorded her comments about the rioters right. She kept calling them toe-rags. What intelligent analysis.
To begin with, have you noticed that all of the guests spend the first 10 to 15 minutes telling everybody what exciting lives they lead
I certainly have noticed this. It’s deadly dull—in fact, it’s dead air. None of the guests have anything remotely interesting going on in their lives, and the regularity of the guests’ recycling and reappearing means it’s usually exactly the same ten minutes of trivia as the last time.
…Mora with his heavy sighs…
Ah, yes! The baffled sigh to indicate how perplexed yet deeply concerned he is. Unfortunately, it’s become ingrained into his on-air performance, and it’s as much a marker of Jim Mora as the affected, deliberate Oxbridge stammer is with Chris Laidlaw.
…and express platitudes that mean bugger all.
Actually, these seemingly mindless platitudes mean an awful lot. When someone like Barry Corbett or Islay McLeod or Neil Miller or (God save our mortal souls) Garth George says something bland and/or bordering on the moronic, it doesn’t mean “bugger all”, it means that the listeners are being treated with utter contempt.
Occasionally someone calls their bluff (Brian Edwards comes to mind)…
Brian Edwards is occasionally very good—he once humiliated his blithe and woolly-minded fellow-Panelist Deborah Hill Cone after she claimed that she knew all about “working-class people”, even though she didn’t believe they actually existed. However, he is usually teamed up with Michelle Boag, a neighbour of his on Waiheke Island, and so he is usually restrained to the point of being tamed. He seems to bend over backwards to find common ground with her, no matter how extreme her comments. Boag, on the other hand, never makes any concessions at all to him.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion this country is now inhabited by a bunch of wankers and really… they deserve the government they’ve got.
Come on, Anne! Don’t be discouraged. You’ve written a perfectly lucid and forceful critique for the benefit of readers of this forum, so why don’t you send it off as an email to Jim Mora himself? Here’s that address again… afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Might do just that Morrissey. Sent off an email to Kathryn Ryan after last Monday’s political discussion with Hooton and Bradford. Hooton effectively accused Goff of lying about whether he had seen the SIS briefing papers etc. and Ryan let him get away with it. I supplied her with the Stuff link where Tucker admits he has no signed verification that Goff had seen any papers. No acknowledgement of course.
I think that often she doesn’t know enough. I heard her on this morning’s programme saying how she often takes home lots of reading to prepare for the next show, but there’s precious little evidence of that. She not only routinely lets a notorious liar like Hooton effectively say what he wants each week, she also never challenges her often unreliable and extremely partisan “foreign correspondents”—in particular, the ex-Conservative M.P. Matthew Parris and the ignorant but shameless “middle east correspondent” Irris Makler.
No acknowledgement of course.
You should write to her again and demand an answer. It’s probably just idleness on her part, rather than any desire to silence you.
Morrissey, the whole show is dead air, occasionally punctuated by grossly offensive reptilian grunts and squawks and the distant screams of children being tortured.
I’m extremely grateful for the transcripts of the greatest hits you post here so I don’t have to let the black gas fill my ears.
@ Morrissey – I think you are wrong to think that Jim Mora gives a fart about people criticising him. My take on him is that he is smug and self-satisfied and has a right wing bias. He can ask the questions that the left might ask but only to set up a straw man. He is apparently good natured with a jovial laugh but it sounds hollow.
When I heard Newman was coming on the show, I assumed it was to deliver an apology. But apparently it isn’t 3 decades of neo-liberal economics that has bought us the riots, its the welfare state. What a wally! And to think she used to be the brains of ACT.
Even in the intellectual wasteland that is the far right of New Zealand politics, Muriel Newman is not, and never has been, regarded as any kind of “brains”. The nadir of her obscure and shamefully inept parliamentary career came when she published an advice book for young people, which told (in excruciatingly exhaustive detail) how to boil a jug of water. When she was hauled on television (the Holmes show, actually) to explain why she had written this piece of idiocy instead of attending to her parliamentary duties (whatever parliamentary duties the “brains of ACT” does) she was blitheringly incoherent.
She did, however, provide Pam Corkery her one and only opportunity to do something worthwhile in an otherwise wasted three years: Corkery (in the TV studio with Newman) damned the book as a “joke”, a “waste of time” and “irredeemably condescending” before contemptuously throwing it down on the floor.
Muriel Newman has a doctorate, apparently—from where?
The origin of her doctorate seems to be a closely guarded secret. If the truth were known it’s probably something to do with ‘Business Studies’ from an obscure American university. She is a former employee of Michael Hill, and I understand he originally set her up for a political career in ACT.
math is a real PhD and something I’d normally associate with real intelligence.
True. However, that doesn’t mean that she brings any rigour or even seriousness to her political thinking.
Intelligent people can say some imbecilic things—Richard Dawkins made some foolish and ignorant comments about “the middle east” a while ago, which showed he is about as intelligent a source of commentary on politics as Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
As a male there is something reassuring to know that being a RWNJ is not specifically a male trait……bloggers are welcome to reply with who they think is the worst RWNJ woman …I think that American baggage who did the consulting on welfare reform.
I think that American baggage who did the consulting on welfare reform.
Paula Rebstock? Yes, indeed!
And while I am here, listening to 3 News talking about the wonderfulness of Cameron, and the evil of the young criminals who pretend their rioting is about something else…
Off the top of my head add to that list Judith Collins – (thin lipped, arrogant pollie who would have been a hit in 1930/40s Germany.)
Christine Rankin(who came within a whisker of destroying the internationally renowned – and widely copied – welfare system set in place by the 1935-49 Labour Govt.)
Add to list Dame Margaret Bazley
and I have formed an immediate (irrational?) dislike of Kay Giles, new Oz Chief Executive of Christchurch Polytechnic – making a nice strong case for paying the teaching staff below inflation increases etc.
Colonial Viper – By the way did you see the links on Bored at 2.56pm. On the guy that carried brainwashing into commercial use, and is related to Freud. That family made waves.
Ah yes thanks…I watched about 3/4 of that. Scary, society changing stuff. We’re all sheeple to some extent, and those who swear they are not usually more than most.
The old PR guy, the relative of Freud, had obviously lived a wealthy and well connected life. But what was his legacy to the world as a frail old man reflecting on past glories, nothing but a harvest of bitter fruit with a taste undisguisable by any luxuries or excess.
Scoop has Selwyn Manning’s response regarding an OIA request about the SIS Israeli spy issue:
Dear Mr Manning
Official Information Act Request
1. Thank you for your letter dated 5 August 2011 (received 9 August 2011) requesting a copy of any legal advice received in relation to Official Information Act (OIA) requests for briefing papers relating to the Israeli earthquake investigation.
2. I am declining your request on the grounds that to do so is necessary to maintain legal professional privilege.
3. If you are unhappy with my response you have the right to seek a review by the Office of the Ombudsmen under section 28 of the OIA.
I love how senior public servants always thank-you so kindly for your correspondence – even when you’ve just told them what a bunch of @#$^$#@ they are.
Oh, and I’m not necessarily referring to the DoS, Warren Tucker – just senior Pub. Servants in general. 😯
Ah, as predicted, Patrick Gower bashing bennies and showing Key with his concerned face on…
Re sickness beneficiaries, Gower says “Beehive sources say many can work”… What Beehive sources would that be then? And how do they know?
German physicist Harald Haas talks about internet connectivity technology that would make it possible to send data through LED light bulbs instead of via radio waves.
“According to recent polls, Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of all news consumers. They are 12 percentage points more likely to believe the stimulus package caused job losses, 17 points more likely to believe Muslims want to establish Sharia law in America, 30 points more likely to say that scientists dispute global warming, and 31 points more likely to doubt President Obama’s citizenship.
At the height of the healthcare debate, more than two-thirds of Fox News viewers were convinced Obamacare would lead to a “government takeover”, provide healthcare to illegal immigrants, pay for abortions and let the government decide when to pull the plug on grandma.
In fact, a study by the University of Maryland revealed that the ignorance of Fox viewers actually increases the longer they watch the network.”
Spot on, TVOR.
The Nat/ACT etc bloc has gone from 60% down to 55.5% and the Labour/Green etc bloc up to 44.5% from 40%. The same movement again in another two months and it’s level pegging. And Roy Morgan is the most reliable of the polls, as far as that goes.
I predict the first RM poll of November will show that confidence in the Government is down to a pathetic 110 or below (128 now). Quite a lot below if the All Blacks have lost.
After WW2, many leaders and progressive thinkers put their heads together and formulated a plan so that such devastation and atrocities involved in the holocaust would not occur again…
David Cameron is a disgrace and a national embarrassment. I thought that Tony Blair was the most disgusting and dishonest politician produced by Britain in a generation, but Cameron brings something else to the table—sheer, unflappable, incorrigible Public School complacency and dimness.
A lot of people think a dim politician is a good thing, and that relatively smart ones like Blair are more dangerous. Watching Cameron in full graceless flight makes you wonder, though. Maybe a dim politician—Cameron, McCain, Key, Stephen Harper—is just as troubling as a slippery, smart one.
More riot related stuff, but from an unusual source. Joey Barton is a professional footballer with, shall we say, issues. But remarkably sound on the riots and man a of impeccable musical taste as well.
Interdependence, liberal economists believe, furthers peace – a sort of economic mutual assured destruction. If China or the United States were to attack the other, the attacker would suffer grave consequences. But as the US economy deteriorates from the Lost Decade of the 2000s through the post-2008 meltdown into what is increasingly looking like Marx’s classic crisis of late-stage capitalism, internationalisation looks more like a suicide pact.
But you can’t have interdependence when global productivity far exceeds global needs – and there aren’t any resources left anyway.
classic crisis of late-stage capitalism, internationalisation looks more like a suicide pact.
This is what the Euro looks like now.
But you can’t have interdependence when global productivity far exceeds global needs – and there aren’t any resources left anyway.
But there is a bad kind of interdependence left. When no sovereign state is self sufficient any longer because it has transferred away its industries…and can now no longer afford to buy the goods and services it needs from the countries that it used to buy them from…and can’t make do itself.
That is why I do not think a society is sustainable with different sets of rules and structures for different peoples. It leads to a sense of frustration for those not so entitled and frustration leads to anger and then further trouble.
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
With the US economy imploding some humour which is doing the rounds….
US RECESSION
The recession has hit everybody really hard…
My neighbor got a pre-declined credit card in the mail
CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.
Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
I saw a Mormon with only one wife.
If the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call
them and ask if they meant you or them.
McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer.
Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s
names.
My cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t afford to pay for it, and they
re-possessed her!
A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.
A picture is now only worth 200 words.
When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.
The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.
Are electorates past their use by date? MSM can’t be bothered with most of them. Many MPs just use them to get publicity for party votes. Is it really time to ditch the electorates?
Elecorate MP’s redundant, party lists rule?
Or is it media and punditry convenience? A lot of people still complain that list MPs don’t have a proper mandate and see the party list as a major weakness of MMP.
Hi Pete. Got any links for me yet or has it all gone down the memory hole again?
No, it’s gone into the “why the hell bother” basket.
Do
What happened there? I meant to say
Don’t you mean the “I don’t have the links” basket?
You’ll know all about that one. Have you backed up your accusations? Like CT, Beehive? Try setting an example and newer posters here might follow it. How often does felix substantiate his insinuations? Being “honest” doesn’t seem to be the done thing here, stalking is.
Do you have anything to say about the topic I raised? I think that’s a significant democratic issue. Or are you just trolling again?
Oh dear, I’m not sure you realise what you just admitted to.
If my standards are so woeful then why are you using them as the benchmark for your own behaviour?
Surely you’re better that that, Pete.
I think that’s a significant democratic issue
I was not going to comment on your proposal because it was really, really silly. You seem to be suggesting we only have list MPs. Also I know all of the Auckland Labour electorate MPs quite well and what you say is a reality free insult to them. They all work their electorates really hard. And there are List MPs who work hard at electorate issues.
Your comment was such a reality free one I was going to ignore it.
But it looks like you are trying to avoid responding to Felix’s request for the links. Where are they Pete Squirrel?
You seem to be ignoring what I actually said and have jumped to incorrect conclusions, again. If you had any clue about what I prefer of electorates you wouldn’t have jumped straight into troll mode.
See what Bryce Edwards says on it:
http://liberation.typepad.com/liberation/2011/08/fake-electorate-candidates.html
Slow down Pete, let’s clear up the discussion already underway before you started this new one. Links, please.
<i>You seem to be ignoring what I actually said and have jumped to incorrect conclusions, again.</i>
I was actually having trouble understanding what you said. I avoided your link because I did not want to reward link whoring.
You previously said:
<i>Are electorates past their use by date? MSM can’t be bothered with most of them. Many MPs just use them to get publicity for party votes. Is it really time to ditch the electorates?</i>
I took offence at this because you are not acknowledging that many electorate MPs work damn hard. Your comment obviously shows you have not the faintest idea what they do.
You then jumped into agressive mode to avoid Felix’s request for promised links. Why don’t you provide the links to Felix?
Politically, in parliament, electorate MPs don’t really offer much. Conscience votes, when an MP should theoretically reflect their constituency, aren’t that common.
But MPs in electorates are a go-to point for anyone who is being screwed around by The System. This is a vital role that needs to be filled. Electorate MPs are the best way to do it.
If you’re upset with the party list letting people into parliament through a backdoor, and some electorate MPs slacking off and not doing as much as they should, the solution isn’t to get rid of electorate MPs.
One thing that could work is a suggestion I’ve made a few times here: make any incumbent MP who holds an electorate seat ineligible for placement on the party list. This would ensure that those MPs fully represent their electorate, because if they don’t, they’re gone. It would allow the public to vote bad MPs out of parliament, and really give some different weight and dynamics to electorate seats and the party list, rather than the peculiar ‘two shades of grey’ system we have now.
Interesting Idea Lanthanide. Personally I’d just extend it to any candidate that gets in the top 3 still has a chance to come in on the list. Afterall a close second or even a close third in a tight race, would still be a candidate a lot of people support, so perhaps deserves to be considered.
Or make it a percentage thing, any candidate that gets over 23% perhaps of the vote is still eligible to be on the party list. Then if there’s a 25, 23.9, 23.8, 23.7, 2.4 scenario, the fourth candidate which is only a fraction off the elected candidate still gets a chance.
Or perhaps some other formula, like just getting more than 5% of the vote?
Otherwise this would be the end of the green party as we know it and several others!
Oh yeah and what would happen to a party that has received say 10% of the overall party votes but has no eligible members due to missing out on these rules??
An interesting idea tho! Just needs a bit of fine tuning imo. Your current format is pretty much just FPP.
Perhaps… Make it that the MMP list order is determined by the ranking of %age votes that the candidates get! That would make sense imo!
Well, because if you were honest you’d back up what you say.
How are you going to win votes if your word can’t be counted on from one day to the next?
You know it’s a funny thing Pete.
Usually when you run away from a discussion you say you can’t be expected to keep up with all the threads you start. And fair enough I suppose, you do start a lot of them.
But in this instance no-one’s expecting you to keep up. You’ve been gone for a few days so I’ve waited patiently for your return so you can pick up where you left off.
Yet still you take no responsibility for what you wrote previously, saying you “can’t be bothered” with it.
Is there any situation in which a person can expect you to stand by what you say, Pete? Your words don’t evaporate when you close the browser, you know.
I’m not “running away”. I choose not to be continually stalked by trolls and then blamed for the blog being cluttered up with petty and precious off-topic attacks.
No, you start conversations and then pretend they never happened when you want to start a new one.
Links please.
He is Gosman mk2
Gosman usually has a point to make, even if it appears to be from another universe.
Pete usually doesn’t say anything, just waffles on. A lot of the time I honestly can’t follow what he’s talking about, so don’t usually reply to him.
PG it was the same under FPP it was worse half the members of parliament slept or were drunk while in the debating chamber. Did bugger all for their constituents usually fobbed them off .Now with mmp we have a choice off several MPs so it keeps them on their toes.Its very hard to cover up scandals nowadays with the many different parties around all chasing the voter.
Riots in England, stock exchanges are crashing throughout the world and France and Germany are now in trouble. In the US the political system is clearly not fit for purpose.
And in New Zealand Adidas has cancelled its black is beautiful party.
Its PR have realized that they cannot spin the charging of something costing ten bucks to manufacture with an exorbitant $220 charge for locals.
The end of the world is nigh …
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/business/daily-stock-market-activity.html?_r=1&hp
Nice summary MS….its going down, the slippery slide continues as the deck chairs are re arranged on the Titanic.
Actually the more I think of it Bored the more I think that the events are linked. Adidas has effectively commandeered our community intellectual property (the All Blacks) and made them into a money maker for their share holders. They then go to the third world and use slave labour to manufacture jerseys with significance for locals for $10 or so, import them, and then set this astronomically high price. We are paying for what was communally owned culture.
They then use the profits to fund the elite (All Blacks themselves), and the rest goes to their shareholders.
And we are bombarded with images of their products and told that we have to buy. And for ordinary people particularly unemployed young this has become impossible.
So they suddenly realise they cannot afford them and the cultural behavioral norms get shattered and then it all breaks down. I am not surprised that the looters have been going for TVs and branded clothing.
We need to seriously change things and get our heads around this.
Yeah, I find it amusing how people pigeon hole events and claim that they are unrelated. Unintended consequences abound. Everything is linked….you then get twerps saying riots are unrelated to poverty, and the poverty is unrelated to the top echelon having all the cash….the denial is immense. Creaming the top off of the elites ill gotten cash are their symbiotic parasites, the Denial Industry (spindoctors, MSM, and most importantly “Brand” marketers). And we “buy” it…….
And we “buy” it…….
Yes, they keep buying, and buying, and buying. Label clothes. Label food. Label entertainment. And giving adidas more publicity is buying into it all.
We can choose to ignore Brand” marketers if we want to. I never buy sports clothing, I’m not going to pay a huge premium and be an ongoing “free” advertising billboard. It seems nuts, but there’s a lot of people that freely spend money, to be used by the brands twice.
Indeed it is possible to avoid falling into the consumerism ‘trap’, if you are intelligent and mindful enough about your own behaviour. Unfortunately, advertisers make good use of what is known about human psychology to circumvent rational thinking when it comes to this kind of thing. Unsurprisingly, the result is that many people are convinced that they ‘need’ to have all these things. I am very hesistant to put all the blame on the individuals themselves. Instead, I see it as a societal problem – why do we allow large scale psychological manipulation in this way?
The trouble with our system is that it will fall apart if we do not work harder and harder to buy more and more shiny things that have fancy brandy things on them.
While engaged in this merry go round we have to consume more and more of our earth’s resources. And we have to jetson some humans on the way.
Of course anyone suggesting that this cannot continue are branded as being crazy.
@wtl I bet marketers know more about Pete G’s thinking than he knows himself. Perfect manipulable material to sell some product that is aimed at his category on the values chart. And we all have a place there too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ8ZvYNlxiM
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1999Q2/bernays.html
Bernays started this whole nonsense….he is as culpable as any of the great criminal politicos of the last century in establishing this “consumer” pacification of the population.
I looked up google looking for something that would show the sort of tool that marketers use for dividing society into types so they can be influenced in their thinking to buy or accept something. Pages 16 and 17 are interesting – one has a chart and one refers to Brit politics in 2005 and I think is a case study.
Your type
My 3.31 pm comment is useless. I was trying to correct it but the blog won’t let you if there is less than a minute left. So forget it. I havn’t been able to make the point I wanted to.
It is NOT possible to resist this all pervasive marketing psychological manipulation 100%. A jingle plays in the background and you instantly recognise McDonalds or Coke or whatever.
To pretend – like most people do – that you are smarter/better/more resistant/more independent than most is part of the illusion.
IE “I would never fall for something like that”, etc. Every damn fool thinks that, to the very last one.
People don’t try and escape from prison if they think that they are free.
a lot of people made noise about this very threat to the nature of a supporter’s allegiance when Adidas signed on. Some might remember for the 100 year celebrations there was a large banner image where Adidas appropriated the entire history of the All Blacks in one foul swoop. A brilliant arrogant and soul less piece of marketing that showed exactly what Adidas had in mind.
an agreement with Adidas was foretold when the game went professional anyway. their longstanding relationship with the IRB would have had it all tied up years before the ink was signed at the NZRU.. it never has been the same gane since, some good rugger but it’s all so $$$$ focused
( I have spent fifteen minutes trying to source an image of it but i guess that as it was a limited edition print they have locked it down pretty tight. )
@ms The $10 is for the making of the tops/jackets. I thought I heard that Adidas has taken NZ off some internet trading list presumably to stop people using the free market to get better prices than those being charged by a monopoly jackup.
But I thought all corporates loved the free market, unhindered globalised trade? 🙄
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/5425894/Te-Papa-manager-avoids-assault-conviction
Just another example of the inequalities in our justice system which seek to protect the privledged…
Unfortunately Gareth after spending several days at Manukau District Court last month observing various cases I don’t think this one demonstrates inequalities within the legal system but rather the complete lack of justice that exists within it.
I hope that that staff and supporters of Te Papa make it clear to its management how inappropriate it is to have this person representing it overseas in any sort of official capacity.
As in people that have admitted assualt/domestic abuse are often discharged without conviction? Or they are convicted but given minor sentences?
sorry Gareth, missed your post somehow when i also posted that below.
Nice to see our P.M. getting involved in the All Black -Adidas jersey debate.
As Barak Obama said to Donald Trump…”That’s the kind of decision that would keep me awake all night.”
have to love the British PM
standing up tall
talking of how ‘actions have consequences’
and ‘people think their rights outweigh their responsibilties’
when will those same words be directed towards the bankers, hedge fund managers, and every other thief that swagger through our streets, secure in the knowledge their riots not only go unpunished, they are usually rewarded with looser laws and easier access to more booty
Seamus Milne pulls the discussion together on the London riots quite well here.
I don’t always go along with his analyses but he’s hit a number of nails on the head this time.
especially this one
‘There is now a danger that rioting might feed into ethnic conflict.
it has already begun with three deaths last night that have suspcicons of racial undertones that supercede the riot activity. In England racial reactionaries will not be a pretty sight if it develops any more intensity.
There are many racial divides in England although much of the day to day seperatist activity is purely on cultural lines. The hard-nosed rascists in England are predominately of anglosaxon heritage and on the whole, have a level of thuggery that is beyond anyone’s ability to communicate with.
We have an opportunity here, Society is showing its best and its worst and we should all pay attention.
This is not the response to an act of terrorism, a war or a natural disaster. This is the result of complacency and double standards.
On a positive note, for every kid that has smashed a window there seems to be a dozen ready to clean it up. That at least is some consolation that our future still has a chance.
@freedom 9.46am – Just what I was thinking.
Freedom 9.46 Good comment, but it was well said in his best empathetic Etonian accent.
so then what about a massive depopulation in 2017?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5425657/Te-Papa-manager-avoids-assault-conviction
plead guilty, claim priviledge, get off
‘affect his mana’? what about the mana of our National Museum which is now dragged into the
quagmire of association with this act. A man with a serious job and according to the report, an arguably even more serious problem, gets released without conviction. The surface of this event is saturated by that blinding glare from the idol we dare not damage, alcohol.
Many readers would know elders of local Iwi who have fallen foul of alcohol and committed similar acts yet i do not recall seeing their mana used as a reason to discharge without conviction. There is a disturbing undercurrent in our justice system that is eroding the riverbed and the change in course this is presenting seems to be cutting through the fair fields and destroying the pathways of impartial judgement.
Booze is the single biggest factor when domestic pressure becomes domestic violence
There are not many options but perhaps we could start with prosecuting the guilty.
Too right, we pay taxes to pay this guys slalry, plus keep the Courts running…..it pisses me off.
Nepotism alive in well in NZ, Jokey Hen appoints another incompetent to a big bucks position….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5427907/Prendergast-to-head-tourism-board
I was unaware Kerry Prendergast was related to the PM.
And some more absolute bollocks from the Courts….read this for PC crap and absolute disdain for the victim.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5425657/Te-Papa-manager-avoids-assault-conviction
Osborne’s lawyer, Chris Pointer, said a conviction for domestic assault could prevent his client from entering some countries as part of his museum work. “This will have a … severe effect on Mr Osborne’s ability to do his job.”
A conviction would also “severely impact on his mana”.
Bollocks, if he were a Honky like me…….
The search function appears to be disabled – nothing is showing in results since 31 July. Does Lyn or anyone know about that?
[lprent: Damn. I do now. Means that the cron job on the new server isn’t running. I will fix tonight. Thanks. ]
Imagine for a minute…
You have $100 to invest. Your bank says: if you invest with us, we will give you 9% interest at the end of the year. Great, you say, I’m in.
11 Months down the track the bank comes back to you and says, sorry, been a bit of a fuck-up. We can only give you 9% on $70 but you will have to wait another couple of years for it, and one day in the future we may be able to give you back your other $30.
How impressed would you be?
Do things like this actually happen?
Weeeeeell, yes they do!
Another group of suckers (investors) take a bath
The poor bastards who bought bonds in Bluestar Group (Printing – Trans-Tasman) effectively kissed goodbye to their collective $140 Million yesterday by agreeing to a bank demand for restructure which sees overdue interest payments on $67 Million of the investment pushed out til 2013 and the remainder converted to a fancy-sounding ‘Participating Bond’ which accrue no interest and do not even have a confirmed (if any) pay back date.
Is it really about the money?
No.
Why? Because the poor old BNZ is third in line to recoup their $195 Million investment in Bluestar. Champ PE ($175 Million) were second, and who were first? You guessed it, the BOND HOLDERS. So in order to screw these suckers over and get themselves to the top of the queue the good ‘ol BNZ threatened receivership on Bluestar bond holders unless they voted themselves into third place, BNZ into first, Champ into second, and agreed to the financial rape of their investment.
For once, the ordinary investor had the opportunity to tell a bank to just fuck right off and they blew it. There is no way the BNZ would have placed Bluestar into receivership to be third in line for any payout (independent analysis put Bluestars worth at $4 Million – assets less liabilities).
Once again greed wins. These suckers deserve to lose every cent.
the tories dont even know what makes something politically correct. they dont know logic. it is what ever they say it is. and the red queens off her heard, go ask alice what the doormouse said.
Just need to pick up on a pet rankling rant here. The Christchurch City Council new draft plan is out and the foreword is attended to by the Council’s Bob Parker, which is entirely appropriate, and by Ecan, which is also appropriate. But it also attended to by Ngai Tahu, as if that organisation is somehow an equivalent governing body, which it is not. It is a body determined by privilege of birth and race and precludes the vast vast majority of Chch residents. It is not right. Ngai Tahu has a place for sure, but not here. Or many other places it gets placed. Sheesh, I know I always rant about this subject, but I need to because it is fundamentally wrong.
And please do not attach all sorts of assumptions to this – Ngai Tahu are fantastic and are a huge ‘asset’ to the city and its environs. And they will go from strength to strength and I wish them well.
It is just this type of placement of them within the city when it is founded on something so many NZers sought to escape from when immigrating here. They sought to escape because it breaches some fundamental facets of human nature – privilege of birth and race.
@vto – “It is a body determined by privilege of birth and race and precludes the vast vast majority of Chch residents. It is not right. Ngai Tahu has a place for sure, but not here. Or many other places it gets placed. Sheesh, I know I always rant about this subject, but I need to because it is fundamentally wrong.”
No you are fundamentally wrong vto. Ngai Tahu were at Otautahi (Christchurch) before you were and deserve to be present and heard when planning the new landscape.
prism, I fundamentally and very strongly disagree with that approach of “first in first served” for many reasons. But no time today to cover that large and intense issue in detail, sorry.
Though your statement that they “deserve to be present and heard when planning the new landscape” I don’t disagree with. It is the nature and scale of that “presence” to which I was referring.
edit: being a pedant, but how would you know whether they were here before me?
It’s not first in first served – the Treaty was signed between the crown and rangatira vto – equal participants – notwithstanding the lies and disinformation, omissions, cheating and evasions told to rangatira of course. I think most of us want to along and having tangata whenua there, is appropriate, indeed necessary – that is what looking forward is all about.
Yes I realise that mr marty and that is all fine and as it was done (the treaty etc). But you well know my opinion on it, which is, briefly, that it may well have been appropriate back then but the treaty is well past its use-by date. It does not take into account the world as it is today and for that reason alone it is fundamentally flawed and needs re-writing. It is no good holding onto contracts which can be frustrated or fail to take into account all parameters, especially in a political nation type setting. Doing so only leads to failure and frustration by sectors of society having less of a stake in society than others. (And this stakeless nature of some of London’s sectors is imo one of the main things which led to the riots)
Look, in saying that, I do not consider that everything should be thrown out and just forget the lot. I think it should be re-written – and a re-writing does not mean either of the parties has to miss out. Things just need changing.
And with regards to Chch and their input I think I said at the beginning and further on that they do have a place, an important place. I do not want them not to be there, they have one of the best and largest contributions to make in the region. Bring them on.
My point was that their placement alongside the Council and Ecan as if they are on some kind of similar governance footing is not right, based as it is on privilege of birth and race. That is all (even though a good argument can be made for such placement based on the out-of-date treaty).
But thanks for keeping me on my toes ..
Just got to add one more bit here. My response “first in first served” above was in response to prism’s point which stated that the reason Ngai Tahu should be there was because they were here first. Prism had no mention of the Treaty.
“Look, in saying that, I do not consider that everything should be thrown out and just forget the lot. I think it should be re-written – and a re-writing does not mean either of the parties has to miss out. Things just need changing.”
The Treaty is definately the Treaty – that’s why I advocate constitutional change (not the illusory one going on now) where Māori partnership and self determination can be entrenched. That is the road to equality. That is the way to ensure all parties are treated fairly with honour.
mr marty, if you’re around … ” that’s why I advocate constitutional change (not the illusory one going on now) where Māori partnership and self determination can be entrenched. That is the road to equality. That is the way to ensure all parties are treated fairly with honour.”
Self-determination for who? Just one group of people in NZ? That is no road to equality. That is a road to different structures for different people – which is inequality, according to the dictionary definition.
There is no harm in treating people fairly with honour, under the treaty, just as long as it is recognised that such treatment is under the treaty and the treaty, as you say, is the treaty, with its severe and unrealistic (in today’s world) expectations.
Do you seriously advocate that a form of self-determination, which is separatism, is sustainable and workable? What do all the other groups in NZ do about their own self-determination? Perhaps muslims would like a bit of self-determination too – under your idea, do they get to have that too? Or is it only for maori, because they are the only ones in the treaty so simply tough titty for the muslims – they just have to suck it up? Because that attitude is completely unsustainable. Feel free to explain in detail because I think your idea is way out of whack with reality.
It is sad that you don’t believe that people have the right to self determination – it isn’t seperatism as I have pointed out previously to you. Why are you so scared of empowering basic human rights – is it because of what you think you will lose. This “oh what about the muslims” leads me to wonder about you. Why can’t you argue your point honestly. Are muslims the indigenous people of this land? nah – didn’t think so. Got another group to analyse? push them up, it won’t take long. And that is the nub of the issue right there vto. Māori are not just another minority group shat on by the system, Māori are tangata whenua and for that and that reason alone Māori should have the opportunity to be true partners to the Crown, as agreed to in the Treaty, and add a unique voice to the solutions we need. That is not looking backwards, it is looking forward. It is not handout or grievance mode it is honestly dealing with the facts. The sooner you can just get over the fact that Māori are not going anywhere and that they are the partners with the Crown, the sooner we can all get on and build a country and society to be proud of.
marty mars, I am just going to ignore the assumptions you made about my beliefs, because you do indeed go right to the heart of issue, as I had asked in my previous post…
” Are muslims the indigenous people of this land? nah – didn’t think so. Got another group to analyse? push them up, it won’t take long. And that is the nub of the issue right there vto. Māori are not just another minority group shat on by the system, Māori are tangata whenua and for that and that reason alone Māori should have the opportunity to be true partners to the Crown,”
So you DO in fact believe that because Maori were here first they have a greater position within NZ. This is what prism said right at the start that I railed against. The attitude of “first in first served” is a poorly one which serves nobody in any setting, be it the dinner table each night, the weekly drop of money into the joint account, the allocation of resources like water under the RMA, and the status of immigrants to a new land. First in first served is a weak and selfish attitude and approach. Not to say it has no bearing on matters, but those matters are limited, especially as time passes.
You and I completely disagree right here at this junction. And it is a fundamental foundation stone from which you step off. It is a bad stone marty mars.
This applies no matter the race or place on earth.
As to the treaty, I have already outlined my view that it is a badly structured document. Ffs, the two versions don’t even say the same thing for a start!
But sure you can hang your hat on the crown entering into a poorly constructed contract. You can force them to follow through on their promises, even though those promises don’t always make good sense. It is worth being aware however that in legislation and in common law many many types of contract can be struck out for a whole bunch of reasons – like the contract makes no sense, mistakes were made in entering into them, or they are simply inequitable. For example, is there not a bill currently passing through Parliament deeming certain financial contracts illegal? Have you read the Contractual Mistakes Act?
While these acts and law deal with the daily machinations of life, they are based on centuries old wide and high principles of fairness and justice which are necessary to foster a good society. These principle apply equally to all aspects of life, including the relationship between different peoples.
You, marty, put the treaty above those principle of fairness and justice. That is clear from you last post. I say the treaty should be subject to those wider and highers principles of fairness and justice. My opinion is that the treaty needs re-writing for this and other reasons previously stated.
So there we have it. Good swap of ideas, but you and I strongly disagree on these two base foundation stones.
…. so what do we do next? …
see when you say, “and the status of immigrants to a new land” I shake my head – it is not about first in first served – I say again – Māori are the indigenous people of this land – you can argue against that as you have but stop twisting what I am saying.
You are clear that you think Māori are just the first immigrant group and that is no reason for any ‘special’ consideration of them, their culture or beliefs. Have I got that right? If so – why? Why do you think this – that is what I’m after vto – I believe I understand what you think – why do you think it? You have said you have Māori blood – how do you work through that and your position? Of course they are personal questions that you don’t have to answer but I am sincerely interested because we are all in this waka together and we have to work through these issues to get our society sorted.
Well this is a problem. You haven’t explained why you think that because Maori are the indigenous people, the tangata whenua, the first people here, however you want to describe it, that that entitles them to a greater position in society. Why does their indigenous nature so entitle them? You have stated the position but provided no reason for it.
The reasons for me claiming that such first arrival or indigenous nature should have a far lesser status has been explained by me. By way of comparison to the “first in first served” approach. By reason that such privilege of birth and race leads to unfairness and trouble in society. That is why I do not think a society is sustainable with different sets of rules and structures for different peoples. It leads to a sense of frustration for those not so entitled and frustration leads to anger and then further trouble. That is why I do not want such an approach. It is based on birth and race. It is simply unfair. It leads to division. It leads to trouble – that is the reason. It is what many immigrants here escaped from.
And yes, all in NZ arrived as immigrants. Describing Maori as indigenous or something else does not subtract from their immigrant beginnings. As with all other immigrants. How are they not immigrants? Such ideas are not mutually exclusive.
As for my personal ancestry, that is minor but real. It was revealed only later in life, stemming from a time when such was kept hidden generations ago. Anyway, it makes no difference to my arguments in this thread. I am trying to make these arguments from an objective position. Subjective matters can arise once the broader settings are in place.
“You haven’t explained why you think that because Maori are the indigenous people, the tangata whenua, the first people here, however you want to describe it, that that entitles them to a greater position in society. Why does their indigenous nature so entitle them? You have stated the position but provided no reason for it.”
because they fit the description of indigenous people
“Indigenous peoples, or Natives, are ethnic groups who are native to a land or region, especially before the arrival and intrusion of a foreign and possibly dominating culture. They are a group of people whose members share a cultural identity that has been shaped by their geographical region. A variety of names are used in various countries to identify such groups of people, but they generally are regarded as the “original inhabitants” of a territory or region. Their right to self-determination may be materially affected by the later-arriving ethnic groups.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples
That is the simplist search i could do but there are many articles and sources about the nature of indigenous peoples and why they are special and important.
“By reason that such privilege of birth and race leads to unfairness and trouble in society. That is why I do not think a society is sustainable with different sets of rules and structures for different peoples. It leads to a sense of frustration for those not so entitled and frustration leads to anger and then further trouble.”
snap! that’s what is here already and that is why we need to make improvements. You keep playing the ‘not fair’ card – not fair for everyone, not fair for muslims, not fair for me but you are blind to the fact that it is not fair for Māori now.
I don’t think that wikipedia definition states a reason for their special status, it just describes what an indigenous people’s features are, which I don’t dispute. What I dispute is the nature and scale of the special nature. And how it relates to other people living in that same place. Your placement of that special nature differs quite considerably from mine. I guess that is as far as we can get at the moment.
As for things being unfair for Maori now, I am not blind to that and have never suggested otherwise. I don’t disagree and that is why I have suggested in previous posts that Maori should be assisted in righting this situation, but that it should be temporary, and that once that is achieved matters should be righted back to a balanced equality. And that ties in with my view on their special position – their indigenous nature does give them a special position, to protect them perhaps, to assist with the change imposed by worldwide demographic changes, etc, but again it must be temporary. Such a special position has limits and those limits decrease with the passage of time.
As I said, we disagree on the nature and scale of that special position. I have given my reasons and you have given me yours. We just have to disagree I think.
There are a couple of things which you haven’t answered s I recall … The issue of the treaty as a useful document given its hastily scratched together nature resulting in different versions, and its lack of ability to deal with a changing world, etc. The issue of how having different rules and settings for different people in one place leads to civil trouble, and how to deal with that. The issue of how you deal with other people also wanting their own self-determination. The correctness or otherwise of people having a place in society due to privilege, or not, of birth and race.
Don’t know if I will be back here for a while but will check in and see when I can. Good talks. Out for now.
I don’t get you vto – you have the so called privilege of birth and race don’t you?
Why does this get up your nose so much – I hear your ‘we are all one’ line but I cannot reconcile it with my concept of equality. Assimilation is not going to happen – unique valuable cultures will continue and grow because they are important – to the members and all our society. Many indigenous peoples just don’t believe the bullshit anymore – that they are lessor, inferior, lucky. The improvements for indigenous peoples will just keep on coming as momentum builds and it is a good thing because there are many many other ways of looking at the world than the dominant, bland, ‘culture’ most people live within.
I say the more that tangata whenua can be involved in all aspects of the rebuild, the better. And the more visible signs of that the even better too.
“I don’t get you vto – you have the so called privilege of birth and race don’t you?
Why does this get up your nose so much – I hear your ‘we are all one’ line but I cannot reconcile it with my concept of equality. Assimilation is not going to happen – unique valuable cultures will continue and grow because they are important – to the members and all our society. Many indigenous peoples just don’t believe the bullshit anymore – that they are lessor, inferior, lucky. The improvements for indigenous peoples will just keep on coming as momentum builds and it is a good thing because there are many many other ways of looking at the world than the dominant, bland, ‘culture’ most people live within.
I say the more that tangata whenua can be involved in all aspects of the rebuild, the better. And the more visible signs of that the even better too.”
You know, I agree with everything you say there. But what you miss is the fact that one of those cultures is lifted on a pedestal above all other cultures, by law in many many instances, by treaty. It is this that is wrong and which leads to trouble. I don’t think I can say it any simpler than that. It leads to trouble in any society in the world and there are many examples of varying degrees. We are all different, and as the French say vive la differenc, but we are also all equal. Otherwise fail.
It is a particular point only that I make but imo it is big.
Just going to add a prediction … what I suggest above (re-write the Treaty) that should happen, will happen. And it will be led by both Treaty partners, but more by Maori. Not the current generation involved in righting things and aligning things under the Treaty. Not the current young generation growing up into this new strong world for Maori. But perhaps the following generation – a leader with the wisdom of Solomon, or Ghandi, or Nelson Mandela, who will stand up, recognise the imbalance, recognise that the Treaty is no longer appropriate or needed, and suggest a rebalancing.
Betcha.
I can’t and won’t speak for marty, but for me, as Pākehā, I can’t just ignore the treaty.
I get what you are saying, and can see how it just describes a just society, but can’t see how we can get there from here in a just fashion.
The treaty is real. It exists. Wishing it away is pointless, and taking it away would be grave crime no matter what we were trying to do.
The reality is that as Pākehā my only claim to be of this land is via the treaty. The treaty is the thing I can point to and say this is why I have a right to be here. I can’t do that if the treaty is not honoured though.
The fact that it hasn’t been honoured affects my claim to be of here, rather than just living here.
For me to say to Māori that “well nah actually. Screw the treaty, I’m here by virtue of the fact I was born here same as you” I’m claiming what? That the past didn’t happen? That my families history isn’t real?
We can only draw a new picture with the consent of our partners. We haven’t honoured the treaty, they have. We have a hell of a lot of good will to make up and some huge debts of gratitude to pay before we can expect to be able to even start to converse about putting the treaty based relationship aside and forging a new one.
My pre-NZ heritage is celtic. Mostly Irish Catholic and a smattering of Scot. I’m not going to say that this gives me any understanding of Māori experience of colonisation, because it just fucking doesn’t. But I know from my own history that my mob weren’t anything like as forgiving as Māori have been.
And that humbles me greatly. I want to make this shit work.
Well there a few things in there. Firstly, I dont think I said it should be wished away or taken away. Not at all. I guess it could be described as recognising that there was an agreement about how two (see, two. one of the fundamental flaws that does not recognise the future, for a start) peoples could put in place a structure for living together in one place. That is fine. But it is that very structure that is now no longer appropriate because the world is vastly more complicated with more peoples, laws and rights, mobility, cultures, mixed up races (as we are all nealry). In fact, that is exactly it – the Treaty’s structure allowed no room for manouvre (I always spell that wrongue) as the world changed around it. This is a failing of the documenting and structuring put in place in that short and highly volatile moment in these hard lands back in 1840-odd. In that environment it is hardly surprising that they did not get a world class document drawn up, which took into account all the necessary bits such as change.
I don’t agree about your claim to be of here solely because of the treaty. Being born into a place and having ones families ashes thrown to the soils – at least for a generation or three – is enough (to put it crudely and briefly). In fact, Maori have a simialr idea as I recall. Keeping the fires burning it is called I think. Similar to many many cultures. Burying ones dead in a location, in most all human history, provides a link to a place too.
And re the last part and comparing your own ancestors acts and concluding they are lesser – I will just leave that for another day. I don’t think it is true and don’t want to get into an argument about who was the nastiest. Have you read some early accounts of Maori-Pakeha relations? They were as heinous and as heart-lifting as any anywhere.
Yes it will. Such is inevitable and cannot be stopped. Trying to prevent it, which is what you’re doing, is trying to stop the necessary change that will bring us together as one people. Will this mean that some cultural aspects will die out? Of course it does. Others, hopefully better, will emerge to replace them.
Trying to prevent that change will also bring about civil war. This too is inevitable unless the necessary changes are allowed to occur.
sorry but your borg logic is flawed – humans value difference and uniqueness. There is no assimilation utopia that I can see.
“Trying to prevent change will bring about a civil war.” Really? Change is inevitable alright but not towards your vision.
Only within very very narrow boundaries. In olden tribal days or in very conservative hierarchical societies it was barely tolerated.
Today we pretend to value difference and uniqueness. But in reality you don’t have to start acting and thinking too differently and uniquely to start losing friends.
And only a bit more than that, they will probably either lock you up or sedate you (or both).
This discussion is really important and I’m constantly challenged by it, especially since I have 2 grandchildren born a few months apart. One is blond, blue-eyed and is so fair his skin is almost transluscent. He doesn’t know it, but he has Maori ancestry. His cousin, although being brought up in a Pakeha family is clearly Maori – cannot be mistaken for any other ethnicity – and is in close contact with her Maori family. Both, of course, are beautiful, funny and smart, and seeing them together is an absolute delight.
What are their ‘rights’, their likely futures? Will the both get the same advantages, or will one be left behind? Does one deserve more, given the potential for discrimination in jobs, housing etc? Can one not be Maori because it has never been claimed? Or will we have a mixed-race utopia by the time they grow up?
I don’t have any sense of how the treaty, privilege and protection will play out for them, but the more discussions like this, the better IMO.
I’ve got a nephew like that. His brother is obviously of Maori descent but he’s pure albino.
No, it’s not my logic that is flawed but yours.
No, they don’t.
It’s not my vision – merely what will happen. You can not have two cultures next to each other without the people within them learning from each other especially when they happen to be in the same geographical area. Unless you want to go to an apartheid system of course which, really, is what you actually seem to be proposing.
When you try to put one of those groups above the other then there will be strife.
Whoa, the new draft City Plan for Christchurch looks superb. They have been working hard clearly, and it seems comprehensive, well though out and workable.
Exciting times down here over next decade that be for sure.
Well done to the people at the Council.
There going to be some central city property owners losing out big time methinks, as building heights are squashed from generally between 40m and 80m (12 to 25 stories) down to 4-5 to 7 stories. Big squashing of heights.
Yeah I was very impressed by most of it.
While the Christchurch opportunity is unique, what got me thinking was was the wider applicability and apparent value for money offered by some of the better ideas.
Community gardens – $300,000. Wifi $350,000. Covered outdoor markets for local produce and small business $2.2 million. Proper cycle lane network $22 million. Even the light rail system @ $410 million sounds achievable in the medium term.
Then I visit my hometown of Dunedin and I have to look at that ridiculous $198.3 million stadium and reflect on what might have been.
Dunedin screwed itself with that unimaginative monstrosity. I know people all around the South Island laughing at those guys, reading the news of ongoing budget shortfalls and saying “who can possibly act surprised”.
Jim Mora has Muriel Newman on his show this afternoon. She finds that our welfare problems
arise from not having fathers in the home as role models, that everyone should take any job they are offered because ‘once you have your foot on the ladder’ you rise up don’t you!
That woman is such a preachy bitch talking twaddle. She and those like her just repeat comfortable slogans that have been accepted by their set who hold themselves rigidly away from attempts at understanding those who haven’t advanced themselves as they have to comfort and status. Many women have made it good by marrying the right wealthy or high-status professional person but diss others as if they have been high achievers themselves. There is no-one so ignorant as the person who has made up their mind on an emotional basis and from self-satisfaction..
I switched that woman off who was saying the UK riots were caused by too much welfare… a welfare system creating a sense of entitlement, getting consumer goods on welfare … and then all the stupid stuff about absent fathers.
I switched that woman off who was saying the UK riots were caused by too much welfare…
Don’t switch her off, Vicky—do something about it! You should e-mail Jim Mora and tell him how concerned you are that he (or more likely his producer) has chosen someone as vacuous and ill-informed as Muriel Newman to comment on anything, leave alone such a serious topic.
I and several others have protested about Mora’s respectful and deferential treatment of the bloodthirsty S.S. fanatic Garth McVicar and his ghastly henchman Stephen Franks, both of whom should be persona non grata. The more criticism he gets from more decent people, the more likely Mora will be to listen.
Just switching off someone like Muriel Newman is not enough. You have to bring concerted pressure on those who are lazy enough or stupid enough to interview her.
That e-mail address is…
afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Be polite, but firm and clear: tell him you want him to interview a guest who knows what she is talking about in future. That means NO MORE MURIEL NEWMAN.
I’ve given up on The Panel. To begin with, have you noticed that all of the guests spend the first 10 to 15 minutes telling everybody what exciting lives they lead. They have either been overseas and had a “simply wonderful time hahahahaha” or they’re about to go some place and have a “simply wonderful time haha etc”. As soon as the serious issues are discussed they all run for cover (including Mora with his heavy sighs) and express platitudes that mean bugger all. Occasionally someone calls their bluff (Brian Edwards comes to mind) and tells something like it really is. The collective drawing-in of horrified breath is almost audible. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion this country is now inhabited by a bunch of wankers and really… they deserve the government they’ve got.
@Anne – your desciption would apply to Kerre Woodham if Morrissey recorded her comments about the rioters right. She kept calling them toe-rags. What intelligent analysis.
your desciption would apply to Kerre Woodham if Morrissey recorded her comments about the rioters right.
I did record it right. Those comments are verbatim. I have lots more by her and her esteemed colleagues, by the way…
To begin with, have you noticed that all of the guests spend the first 10 to 15 minutes telling everybody what exciting lives they lead
I certainly have noticed this. It’s deadly dull—in fact, it’s dead air. None of the guests have anything remotely interesting going on in their lives, and the regularity of the guests’ recycling and reappearing means it’s usually exactly the same ten minutes of trivia as the last time.
…Mora with his heavy sighs…
Ah, yes! The baffled sigh to indicate how perplexed yet deeply concerned he is. Unfortunately, it’s become ingrained into his on-air performance, and it’s as much a marker of Jim Mora as the affected, deliberate Oxbridge stammer is with Chris Laidlaw.
…and express platitudes that mean bugger all.
Actually, these seemingly mindless platitudes mean an awful lot. When someone like Barry Corbett or Islay McLeod or Neil Miller or (God save our mortal souls) Garth George says something bland and/or bordering on the moronic, it doesn’t mean “bugger all”, it means that the listeners are being treated with utter contempt.
Occasionally someone calls their bluff (Brian Edwards comes to mind)…
Brian Edwards is occasionally very good—he once humiliated his blithe and woolly-minded fellow-Panelist Deborah Hill Cone after she claimed that she knew all about “working-class people”, even though she didn’t believe they actually existed. However, he is usually teamed up with Michelle Boag, a neighbour of his on Waiheke Island, and so he is usually restrained to the point of being tamed. He seems to bend over backwards to find common ground with her, no matter how extreme her comments. Boag, on the other hand, never makes any concessions at all to him.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion this country is now inhabited by a bunch of wankers and really… they deserve the government they’ve got.
Come on, Anne! Don’t be discouraged. You’ve written a perfectly lucid and forceful critique for the benefit of readers of this forum, so why don’t you send it off as an email to Jim Mora himself? Here’s that address again…
afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Might do just that Morrissey. Sent off an email to Kathryn Ryan after last Monday’s political discussion with Hooton and Bradford. Hooton effectively accused Goff of lying about whether he had seen the SIS briefing papers etc. and Ryan let him get away with it. I supplied her with the Stuff link where Tucker admits he has no signed verification that Goff had seen any papers. No acknowledgement of course.
…and Ryan let him get away with it.
I think that often she doesn’t know enough. I heard her on this morning’s programme saying how she often takes home lots of reading to prepare for the next show, but there’s precious little evidence of that. She not only routinely lets a notorious liar like Hooton effectively say what he wants each week, she also never challenges her often unreliable and extremely partisan “foreign correspondents”—in particular, the ex-Conservative M.P. Matthew Parris and the ignorant but shameless “middle east correspondent” Irris Makler.
No acknowledgement of course.
You should write to her again and demand an answer. It’s probably just idleness on her part, rather than any desire to silence you.
“It’s deadly dull—in fact, it’s dead air. “
Morrissey, the whole show is dead air, occasionally punctuated by grossly offensive reptilian grunts and squawks and the distant screams of children being tortured.
I’m extremely grateful for the transcripts of the greatest hits you post here so I don’t have to let the black gas fill my ears.
I’m extremely grateful for the transcripts of the greatest hits you post here so I don’t have to let the black gas fill my ears.
It’s a helluva job, but someone has to do it.
@ Morrissey – I think you are wrong to think that Jim Mora gives a fart about people criticising him. My take on him is that he is smug and self-satisfied and has a right wing bias. He can ask the questions that the left might ask but only to set up a straw man. He is apparently good natured with a jovial laugh but it sounds hollow.
When I heard Newman was coming on the show, I assumed it was to deliver an apology. But apparently it isn’t 3 decades of neo-liberal economics that has bought us the riots, its the welfare state. What a wally! And to think she used to be the brains of ACT.
And to think she used to be the brains of ACT.
Even in the intellectual wasteland that is the far right of New Zealand politics, Muriel Newman is not, and never has been, regarded as any kind of “brains”. The nadir of her obscure and shamefully inept parliamentary career came when she published an advice book for young people, which told (in excruciatingly exhaustive detail) how to boil a jug of water. When she was hauled on television (the Holmes show, actually) to explain why she had written this piece of idiocy instead of attending to her parliamentary duties (whatever parliamentary duties the “brains of ACT” does) she was blitheringly incoherent.
She did, however, provide Pam Corkery her one and only opportunity to do something worthwhile in an otherwise wasted three years: Corkery (in the TV studio with Newman) damned the book as a “joke”, a “waste of time” and “irredeemably condescending” before contemptuously throwing it down on the floor.
Muriel Newman has a doctorate, apparently—from where?
Does anybody know?
The origin of her doctorate seems to be a closely guarded secret. If the truth were known it’s probably something to do with ‘Business Studies’ from an obscure American university. She is a former employee of Michael Hill, and I understand he originally set her up for a political career in ACT.
There shall be daily beatings and half rations for the paupers until morale improves!
Wiki says Rutgers University, the state university of New Jersey, PhD in mathematics.
I’d love to get her on something, but it doesn’t look like a fake degree is it (unless she never completed, of course).
math is a real PhD and something I’d normally associate with real intelligence.
Somebody should be able to search and see if she published any papers from her thesis.
Nothing on a Google Scholar search.
math is a real PhD and something I’d normally associate with real intelligence.
True. However, that doesn’t mean that she brings any rigour or even seriousness to her political thinking.
Intelligent people can say some imbecilic things—Richard Dawkins made some foolish and ignorant comments about “the middle east” a while ago, which showed he is about as intelligent a source of commentary on politics as Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
As a male there is something reassuring to know that being a RWNJ is not specifically a male trait……bloggers are welcome to reply with who they think is the worst RWNJ woman …I think that American baggage who did the consulting on welfare reform.
Paula Rebstock? Yes, indeed!
And while I am here, listening to 3 News talking about the wonderfulness of Cameron, and the evil of the young criminals who pretend their rioting is about something else…
Here is a short, hastily assembled list of some of the most vicious right wing women in New Zealand…
1.) Michelle Boag (PR trout, feared and hated National Party eminence grise and ex-squeeze of Murray McCully)
2.) Deborah Coddington (the only woman Lindsay Perigo ever fancied)
3.) Deborah (“Slurp”) Hill Cone (one of the smuggest, most self-satisfied women in New Zealand)
4.) Robyn Langwell (the smuggest, most self-satisfied woman in New Zealand)
5.) Lesley Max (rabid, harsh-voiced, invective-spitting late-night talkshow caller, and merciless scourge of the Palestinians)
6.) “Doctor” Muriel Newman (alarmingly frivolous and lightweight, and so hopeless in parliament she actually made Pam Corkery look good)
7.) Fran (“Um, ah, y’ know”) O’Sullivan (along with the pitiful Karl Du Fresne, perhaps the world’s No. 1 fan of ex-Australian P.M. John Howard)
8,) Ellen Read (charmless and deeply complacent NBR hackette)
9.) Pamela Stirling (clueless, barely literate destroyer of the Listener)
10.) Janet Wilson (Bill Ralston’s horrifying other half)
11.) Kerre Woodham (NewstalkZB chatterbox, fervent admirer of Chinese Communist regime)
Off the top of my head add to that list
Judith Collins – (thin lipped, arrogant pollie who would have been a hit in 1930/40s Germany.)
Christine Rankin(who came within a whisker of destroying the internationally renowned – and widely copied – welfare system set in place by the 1935-49 Labour Govt.)
Judith Collins – (thin lipped, arrogant pollie who would have been a hit in 1930/40s Germany
I’ve always thought she is a dead ringer for the James Bond villainess Rosa Klebb.
Christine Rankin
Of course! How could I forget her?
and you forgot their current queen, though she is oft in absentia
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4r7dAveA6Q/TjhcMa_jpVI/AAAAAAAAKs4/mEwTHe745hw/s400/bio_img_jenny_shipley.jpg
I tried, thanks so much for bringing back the memory 😛
Add to list
Dame Margaret Bazley
and I have formed an immediate (irrational?) dislike of
Kay Giles, new Oz Chief Executive of Christchurch Polytechnic – making a nice strong case for paying the teaching staff below inflation increases etc.
all fraking sociopaths
Freud would have a field day.
Colonial Viper – By the way did you see the links on Bored at 2.56pm. On the guy that carried brainwashing into commercial use, and is related to Freud. That family made waves.
Ah yes thanks…I watched about 3/4 of that. Scary, society changing stuff. We’re all sheeple to some extent, and those who swear they are not usually more than most.
The old PR guy, the relative of Freud, had obviously lived a wealthy and well connected life. But what was his legacy to the world as a frail old man reflecting on past glories, nothing but a harvest of bitter fruit with a taste undisguisable by any luxuries or excess.
Ruth Richardson …
Scoop has Selwyn Manning’s response regarding an OIA request about the SIS Israeli spy issue:
I love how senior public servants always thank-you so kindly for your correspondence – even when you’ve just told them what a bunch of @#$^$#@ they are.
Oh, and I’m not necessarily referring to the DoS, Warren Tucker – just senior Pub. Servants in general. 😯
Ah, as predicted, Patrick Gower bashing bennies and showing Key with his concerned face on…
Re sickness beneficiaries, Gower says “Beehive sources say many can work”… What Beehive sources would that be then? And how do they know?
German physicist Harald Haas talks about internet connectivity technology that would make it possible to send data through LED light bulbs instead of via radio waves.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/eng//id/1202
Excellent article in the Guardian about Fox News:
“According to recent polls, Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of all news consumers. They are 12 percentage points more likely to believe the stimulus package caused job losses, 17 points more likely to believe Muslims want to establish Sharia law in America, 30 points more likely to say that scientists dispute global warming, and 31 points more likely to doubt President Obama’s citizenship.
At the height of the healthcare debate, more than two-thirds of Fox News viewers were convinced Obamacare would lead to a “government takeover”, provide healthcare to illegal immigrants, pay for abortions and let the government decide when to pull the plug on grandma.
In fact, a study by the University of Maryland revealed that the ignorance of Fox viewers actually increases the longer they watch the network.”
Stories of the rapid demise of the Labour Party appear premature.
Labour 32%, Greens 7%, NZF 4%.
The gap between the blocs has halved in 2 months and the ‘right direction’ numbers have soured as well. Nice.
Spot on, TVOR.
The Nat/ACT etc bloc has gone from 60% down to 55.5% and the Labour/Green etc bloc up to 44.5% from 40%. The same movement again in another two months and it’s level pegging. And Roy Morgan is the most reliable of the polls, as far as that goes.
I predict the first RM poll of November will show that confidence in the Government is down to a pathetic 110 or below (128 now). Quite a lot below if the All Blacks have lost.
No Human Rights for Rioters
After WW2, many leaders and progressive thinkers put their heads together and formulated a plan so that such devastation and atrocities involved in the holocaust would not occur again…
David Cameron is a disgrace and a national embarrassment. I thought that Tony Blair was the most disgusting and dishonest politician produced by Britain in a generation, but Cameron brings something else to the table—sheer, unflappable, incorrigible Public School complacency and dimness.
A lot of people think a dim politician is a good thing, and that relatively smart ones like Blair are more dangerous. Watching Cameron in full graceless flight makes you wonder, though. Maybe a dim politician—Cameron, McCain, Key, Stephen Harper—is just as troubling as a slippery, smart one.
Sounds like Cameron and Key are birds of a feather.
More riot related stuff, but from an unusual source. Joey Barton is a professional footballer with, shall we say, issues. But remarkably sound on the riots and man a of impeccable musical taste as well.
ps, Spurs/Everton postponed due to riot.
Tied to a drowning man
But you can’t have interdependence when global productivity far exceeds global needs – and there aren’t any resources left anyway.
This is what the Euro looks like now.
But there is a bad kind of interdependence left. When no sovereign state is self sufficient any longer because it has transferred away its industries…and can now no longer afford to buy the goods and services it needs from the countries that it used to buy them from…and can’t make do itself.
To Vto, agreed! 🙂