Heh! Why worry about climate change and the inevitable rise in sea levels when you can make it illegal? Gotta love them denialists . . . always thinking.
Other schools approved for state-funded vouchers use social studies texts warning that liberals threaten global prosperity; Bible-based math books that don’t cover modern concepts such as set theory; and biology texts built around refuting evolution.
Delightful farce joe90. Of course the reality is very different. Please tell me that is the case and if it isn’t I don’t want to think about the decline of my illusions about the USA. One could expect in this century a modern take on their Constitution that has respect for all.
That’s actually terrifying as what these goons have done is tell the scientists how to get their measurements and how those measurements can be used and done it in such a way so as to produce the results that they want rather than the ones that will match physical reality. It’s going back to the days when scientists were persecuted by the church for their findings which contradicted the church’s teachings.
The next phase of New Zealand history will not be defined by games inside the Wellington Beltway. The “clever insiders” have failed.
Labour has the answers but not the voice. The answers are in it’s history and it’s people. They have an excellent policy machine (bright people). It now needs to focus on the future of New Zealanders. It needs to free itself from the shackles of the past Strategies.
Labour needs to focus on 5 years and 10 years out. When they Are seen to own the future vision the people will come back: back to the polling booth from the couch or garden on election day, back from the Gold Coast, the mines, London, back from the Greens/Mana/Maori.
Gareth Morgan’s half-page article in the Business Herald this morning outlines the complete hash that English is making of the economy. Gareth also seriously questions asset sales and instructing the Reserve bank to correct its prudential guidelines to banks “so that a repeat of speculative housing demand raising pressure on interest rates simply wouldn’t happen …”
He also points out that never has there been a better tmie for structural reform. Sorry I’m not good at links.
It’s as if the government is so burnt by its cluster of fuckups in the last six months that it can no longer make rational plans and is retreating further and further into itself. This is the ideal circumstance for the opposition to come out with pathbreaking plans.
All left parties need a rethink – I gave up on Labour a few years ago, and they still seem locked into the neoliberal paradigm.
I voted Green the last few elections, but am not happy with the centralising Normanisation of the Green Party. When Norman gets more sidelined in favour of the stronger left winger MPs, I’ll be happier with them.
Mana has promise, but I don’t yet trust them, and have some concerns about whether women will play a significant part in the party in the long term -incorporation of Bradford and Sykes seems promising, but I’ve yet to see them playing a leading role.
Yes, Carol, as usual I agree with your views. I, too, went with the Greens last time for the same reason. But Norman, though but a co-leader, always seems to be spokesperson and I am seldom happy with him. Turei is co-leader, much more to the Left, and whose views are fresher and much more exciting to see or hear.
Agree on Turei. I think the Normanisation is getting help from the MSM. Duncan Garner, in his live online chat this week, said Norman was the real leader on The Greens.
It suits the news corporates to have a more centrist Green Party. The Greens should resist colluding with them.
Mana is a very young party and was initially built on Hone’s popularity up north. I think it’s come a long way and hope it will go even further. What impresses me most about them is their willingness to act outside the established parliamentary norms, with Hone and the other candidates actually getting out on the street.
VTO; disappointed we are. Reading Uturns contributions recently indicates to us what a “wise” person or persons they are. As wise as DTB but in a broader way.
We learn a great deal of wisdom from contributors such as these. We have not learnt much beneficial from your recent rants.
THANKYOU (not shouting, but BIG) to
Joe 90
Mickey
Olwyn
Lanth
Carol (we think)
Dr T
Bored
et al; Chu know if you are being helpful.
Muchas Gracias
We want Bolivia with snow like Sweden and some of Cubas’ great features!
We could pilot-scheme a new constitution right here in Hawkes Bay. Great Natural Environment.
Dominant culture/hegemony/sleepwalk could do with some interuption though.
Thats why, that is why, chu are not on the list in our bubble.
We believe the internet can be a tool to leverage great wisdom.
As personal experience may prove to be the bitterest form of learning.
For those of you interested in 911 research I will be talking with professor and researcher radio host Jim Fetzer about my 911 storyboard research. the Show is live at 11 am NZ time.
Matt McCarten’s column certainly hit the mark, bestowing a knighthood on a Monarch’s spouse seems a little ridiculous but i was more interested in his quiet comment regarding the Asset sales.
Last week The Queen ( according to the media ) was so distressed about the future of a certain church that her majesty made inquiries to our PM concerning the hardship facing Christchurch if they lose a pile of bricks erected to symbolise the groupthink homoly to a Deity. Yes the symbolism of the cathedral and its importance to Christchurch is a serious matter and in no way do i mean to belittle it’s importance but why is our Monarch not showing the same concern for the very real hardship and poverty that so many of her subjects will endure if we sell the Assets? Does her majesty even know they are being sold?
freedom, I doubt that her Britannic Majesty even knows who or where we are (when did she last visit?) But I will concede that she sure does know John Key who is “one of her own” sort! (Did you observe his fawning bow?) Indeed he was even invited a while back to holiday at royal Balmoral Castle! (Though it did not come off). When was this invitation extended to a Labour PM?
Constitutionally the Queen does not get involved in the affairs of the government. That was the point of the Magna Carta.
Rebuilding the Cathedral is a little more of a grey area, because the Queen is the head of the Anglican Church of England. I think part of Key’s response that it’s the government’s job was a way out of outlining the constitutional ‘hands off’ approach that the monarch is expected to take.
By allowing a couple of lying bastards to get away with making a false complaint to the police, Judith Collins shows she is an ineffective minister. If she does not know what is right from wrong in this situation, in my opinion, she has no place being a minister of the crown at all…
The irony here Jackal is that Judith is taking a case of Defamation for her reputation allegedly being impugned.
In her own Ministry, she is condoning the much more serious defaming of Pullar and Boag. In not speaking out she could be identified as a hypocrite. Let alone the downright dishonesty of Senior Staff. Be an interesting line for Question Time.
freedom
The Queen is head of the Anglican church isn’t she. For that reason she would be expected by the church to be interested in the holy pile.
The poverty inducing governments which we persist in voting in is an operational matter. We have been given the right to decide on our own governments arising from our own people. This was achieved after sacrificial efforts by a dedicated minority for centuries on behalf of all to get the vote and a say in laws. We screwed up and now can we stop the sociopathic (The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way) way we think which is turned on ourselves in self-punishment? Can we stop the mutilation of our country and its once universally beneficial policies?
Don’t blame the Queen, we wallow in a sad moshpit of our own national choice.
Looks like it’s the police that can’t tell the difference between rape and sex – Stuff call it sex when reporting what Counties Manukau central acting crime manager Inspector Richard Wilkie said. He goes on to focus on teen sex workers rather than the men cruising the street*, or the offender who raped a teen at knifepoint. He also calls sex work ‘selling oneself’. I’m fairly sure that sex workers sell sex, not their selves. Classic endorsement of rape culture and a policeman of that seniority should know better (even if he is just acting).
*with the law change, is it illegal to pay for sex with someone between 16 and 18, or is it still just the sex worker who gets charged?
Policemen of much more seniority than him also seem to be a little confused about what constitutes rape. It’s a shame that the investigations into “police culture” didn’t go a lot further. Having a commision of inquiry with Ross Meurant as commisioner would shake a few of them up. He knows their inside bullshit and isn’t shy about speaking out.
Old media thinks rape against prostitutes isn’t rape.
And victim blaming from the police.
I just read the Stuff article about that, and didn’t get what you got from it at all! Don’t you think that if the media thought “rape against prostitutes isn’t rape”, then the headline wouldn’t say rape?
A little thought would go a lot further than your knee-jerking does. But your comments are almost exclusively about sexual issues, and I can absolutely predict your views on all of them! 😀
It’s the TVNZ article NickS linked to first. Which starts with the line “A 16-year-old prostitute was picked up in Manurewa and forced to have sex at knifepoint over the weekend, police have said.”
My italics.
Sigh.
“Let’s recap the main points. Assume we agree with the premise of the Stuff story (Russian mafia). Assume also, reasonably, that if one connected company is dodgy, it means all of them are at least worth a quick look. On that basis, we have a whole bunch of active companies worth a quick look, as follows:
35 active New Zealand companies, some with possible Russian Mafia links, at 17 Georgia Terrace, Albany.
594 active New Zealand companies, many with possible Russian Mafia links (run inter alia, by Vanagels, Bilder and miscellaneous residents of Cyprus), at Level 4, 44 Khyber Pass Road.
…and…
another 730 defunct New Zealand companies at 17 Georgia Terrace, Albany, many with possible Russian Mafia links, that may still, in the worst case, have active overseas bank accounts.
1766 defunct New Zealand companies at 69, Ridge Road, Albany, many with possible Russian Mafia links, that may still, in the worst case, have active overseas bank accounts.
That’s 3,000 companies that are worth some level of closer scrutiny: or at least, the (large) subset of that 3,000 that has overseas directors.
These counts and assumptions may exaggerate the scale of the problem, but not necessarily by much. And if I’ve missed any other big clusters, which is perfectly possible, the problem is bigger. For instance a thorough trawl of New Zealand company directors with addresses in Cyprus, Latvia, Panama, the US and Canada might throw up some interesting patterns. One can’t do that kind of investigation via the register’s public interface, but a sleuth with SQL-level query access and a bit of gumption could serve up some pretty neat (and alarming) reports, I should think.
By way of taster, among the companies at those three hot spot addresses in Albany we can quickly identify (in addition to Stuff’s red flags):
People running 28 active or defunct New Zealand companies (Liliya Soboleva, Evgeny Orlov, John Acosta, Olga Belchikova) who are indirectly connected with alleged moneylaunderers.
88 active New Zealand companies with possible Russian Mafia links, all run by one guy in Cyprus.
124 active New Zealand companies with possible Russian Mafia links, all run by another guy in Cyprus.
One is not necessarily impressed by the vigilance of the New Zealand authorities”
Southern Limits
Are these companies that have been registered in NZ under what has been called a very open company registration system. I had heard that some companies on NZ company lists were shell companies for criminal gangs looking to lander assets.
This sounds like the dumb sort of thing we would do under the evil eye influence of Sir Roger Douglas et al, unregulated, no business standards or eithics to keep to, no awkward government controls. An interesting list of dodgy sounding companies. How do you know they are mafia> Is all big Russian business to be regarded as such?
Also relevant is this article – that mentions New Zealand has been struck off a European ‘white list’ of countries with comparable controls to prevent money laundering in banking.
New Zealand and Russia have been struck off a prestigious European Union banking and corporate “white list” over this country’s weak money laundering and terrorism financing controls.
…
Latvia’s confirmation it had blacklisted New Zealand comes after revelations over the way New Zealand registered shell companies – which can be created on the internet for $153.33 – have been used in multi-million dollar money laundering operations involving banks in Riga.
Southern Limits don’t forget the Japanese yakousa’s very large share holding in the Bank of America which now owns Merrill lynch.I wonder if this is why Key resides in Hawaii .
More hits to the poor from this despicable government. I don’t know whether Labour brought in user pays on couples who once could get some free legal aid to deal with their separation or divorce and property and custody matters. But that really hit people on low and medium incomes – it is not cheap to finish a marriage or couple partnership. Often the female parent is left quite poor, and possibly homeless and having to rent in a different location and school. We have wonderfully equal laws which can demand that the house be sold and money split between the partners despite the needs of the custodial parent to provide and bring stability to the children.
Now NACT are charging to go to the Family Court as a disincentive, in their excuse, for couples fighting themselves into a corner. Now with this new measure they will sit down like rational people and talk it out. Huh. The people who go to the Family Court are the minority and extreme. By all means give them limits as to the number of times they can appear. But Courts Minister Chester Borrows (now he will be in tough with the people sseeking legal help who will have to borrow)! So $200 here and $900 a day there, no worries from the viewpoint of an MP overpaid and over there in Wellington.
I googled and found item on family lawyers fuming by lawfuel.co.nz and within seconds of viewing the page all the words changed to little squares – so not allowed to read it on google.
Haven’t struck this before.
Its about time that hooton and farrar were prohibited by law from making a book on politics.
Politics is not sport and the free exercis of the vote is fundamental to our democracy,
Trivialising it in this way is detrimental to society and moreover it is an illegitimate assist to the party who aspires to rig the election in any way possible.
Fighting to STOP asset sales – not just ‘OPPOSING’ asset sales!
If dodgy John Banks is forced to resign from Parliament then this MINORITY National Government with only 59 out of 121 MPs will not have the number to railroad through the Mixed Ownership Model Bill.
(UPDATED)*OPEN LETTER / REQUEST TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE, ADAM FEELEY: 12 June 2012 RE: C2390 – COMPLAINT TO THE SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE
PLEASE URGENTLY REVIEW YOUR DECISION WHICH HAS TREATED A ‘BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION’ COMPLAINT AS A ‘SERIOUS OR COMPLEX FRAUD’ COMPLAINT – WHICH IT IS NOT:
The reply received from Graham Gill, General Manager of Fraud Detection and Intelligence, dated 30 May 2012 stated:
Dear Ms Bright,
RE: C2390 – Complaint to the Serious Fraud Office
I refer to your complaint received by the Serious Fraud office (SFO) on 3 May 2012.
We have assessed your complaint and decided that there was insufficient evidence to support an allegation of a serious or complex fraud.
The Police are already investigating the circumstances surrounding Kim Dotcom’s donation to John Banks. We have advised the police to contact us should they find any evidence that would be of interest to the SFO.
If you have any further information you would like to provide in relation to this matter please feel free to do so.”
Why has a complaint alleging BRIBERY and CORRUPTION has been treated as a complaint alleging SERIOUS or COMPLEX FRAUD.
With all due respect – do you people know what you’re doing?
Since 2010, the SFO has been purportedly the ‘lead agency’ to whom complaints alleging bribery and corruption are supposed to be forwarded.
This complaint has been made, in the proper way – to supposedly the proper body, and it appears to have been sent in the completely wrong direction.
According to your SFO ‘flow chart’ – the General Manager for Fraud and Corruption is Nick l Paterson.
The recent phone call (Monday 11 June 2012) from Graham Gill, has now clarified why a complaint alleging ‘bribery and corruption’ was not directed to the General Manager of Fraud and Corruption, but – it still seems a rather peculiar process.
New Zealand is ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (according to the 2011 Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception index’).
Is this one of the reasons why NZ has this ‘perceived’ status? Because allegations of bribery and corruption are simply not dealt with as such, as appears to have happened in this case?
Why is it that former Labour MP Taito Phillip Field got sentenced to SIX years jail for ‘bribery and corruption’, for providing ‘immigration advice’ to Thai nationals in exchange for work on his properties – whilst John Banks, the Minister of Regulatory Reform appears to be effectively getting political protection from NZ Prime Minister John Key, after John Banks has allegedly given ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase ‘assistance’ to a German/ Finnish national, in return for $50,000 donated to his 2010 Auckland Mayoral campaign fund, and gifts valued at over $500 which he failed to declare?
Are you aware that Kim Dotcom’s ‘John Bank’s song’ has had nearly 150,000 ‘hits’ on You Tube,
in my opinion, helping to make NZ an international laughing stock? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CvRSZxqk_I
It is also of great concern that ACT’s ‘one law for all’ has yet still to apply to either John Banks and/ or Don Brash, current and former Leaders of the ACT Party.
As former fellow directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, both signed Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements, but were never charged for so doing. This is a strict liability offence under s58(3) of the Securities Act 1978, but neither the old Securities Commission, the Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) , nor the NZ Police arguably ‘did their job’ and charged John Banks or Don Brash.
John Banks, is now the Minister of Regulatory Reform, yet four different ‘regulatory’ bodies failed to act against him , someone, who arguably couldn’t properly run a Kiwisaver Scheme, yet now has a key Ministerial post and is supposedly helping to run the country ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt in the world’
The public ‘perception’ is arguably that John Banks has been politically protected at the highest levels, because this minority National Government has only 59 out of 121 MPs, thus no mandate for assets sales. Because there is not a majority of National MPs, this minority National Government is dependent on the pivotal vote of John Banks – the ACT MP for Epsom.
The ‘perception’ is that this why NZ Prime Minister John Key is continuing to ‘defend the indefensible’ and still express ‘confidence’ in John Banks, although former National MPs, Richard Worth and Pansy Wong appear to have lost his confidence over a lot less.
The public ‘perception’ is that if you are a politician upon whose vote the Government is politically dependent, you are protected at the highest levels, and ‘one law for all’ does NOT apply to you?
Please ensure that this complaint is given to those in the SFO tasked with dealing with corruption, as a matter of extreme urgency, and please ensure that the Police are requested to act with similar haste. This Government is proceeding with extreme urgency to railroad through the Mixed Ownership Model Bill, and it would be a travesty of justice for this to occur on the pivotal vote of a yet-to-be-charged alleged ‘corrupt’ Minister of the Crown?
You are certainly doing your job Penny, against all (very many) odds. Justice is probably the hardest thing in the world to gain, but must never cease to be our aim..
The following quotation is misapplied, but possibly pertinent:
“With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end.”
Guys this is as spectacular a peice of news as the governing caving on teacher funding.
Sorry for swearing but good fucking job to that soft cock Mayor Len Brown and all the Tory filth that supported their hands off approach to governance of assets and companies that are fully public owned. And hooo-ahhh to all those who hung tight and marched and protested.
Utterly wonderful news – I think this deserves a thread all by itself surely?
I also have heard unnoficially that the Oceania rest home wage dispute has been settled with an above inflation increase to the workers and no removal of OT payments as had been threatened by the employer. A good day in the union movement!
wow what an enlightening q&a that was with the PM. A whole hour of his wisdom to bathe in. I may be wrong but was it not advertised as being from 12-2pm ? Anyways, so it was as expected just patsy question after patsy question but i am sure the msm will pontificate at large about our glorious leader and his selfless dedication to open and accessible Government.
On a personal note, my question about the introduction of a tax free allowance to bring us in line with our OECD partners was unsurprisingly absent.
Dear Students, with STUDENT LOANS, after you have completed your indoctrination,oops, education under a regime that is vastly different from that experienced by your “elders and betters” (sic) here is an idea;
U know how businesses and business people etc can avoid the financial liabilities of their poor (predatory) decisions and go BANKRUPT, wellllll…
if you file for insolvency with the Ministry of Economic Development, Insolvency and Trustee service,
You can attach your STUDENT LOAN to your debtor schedule.
After learning what it ‘means” to be human being, and how to use that particular apparatus, (stuff the free education could teach if not so focused on grooming you for exploitation) WE have done this exact thing TWICE. Yep. Cost nothing, and nothing personal was taken, or any clawback made on income since.
Sooo, even before heading overseas, EMANCIPATE yourselves if you choose.
When applying for an insurance policy recently:
Have you ever been declared bankrupt?
Have you ever been declined or had additional questions for any reason when applying for an insurance policy in the past?
Excuse me, Sam, but are you saying you deliberatly chose bankruptcy to avoid repaying your student loan or was that part of a larger debt that you couldn’t manage?
The Treaty of Waitangi is being moved from Archives NZ to the National Library. This has been on the cards for the past year or so, but it’s now confirmed.
I never quite saw the point of having two buildings. But I really did love the restrained lighting and vault that they kept those kinds of documents in. Sincerely hope there is something similarly spooky and secure for such a hallowed set of documents.
Apparently he’s taking up the role of chair of ACC National Bank (which is not the same thing as chief executive). Somehow I’m reminded of this scene from the West Wing.
By appointing Paula Rebstock the National Government certainly shows they are committed to an efficient use of resources .. .. they are not wasting time attaching strings to a new puppet.
What is going to happen to the Treaty when we become a Republic after the next Election – there will be no Crown as far as New Zealand is concerned ?
Which Tribal leaders will sign the New Treaty – will they agree on anything ?
I don’t see why a new treaty is required – the new republican government will simply assume the rights and duties of the Crown. Same as with the title deeds to the Beehive.
Were Syrian rebels and not Assad forces responsible for the Houla massacre?
It was, in the words of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the “tipping point” in the Syria conflict: a savage massacre of over 90 people, predominantly women and children, for which the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was immediately blamed by virtually the entirety of the Western media.
Within days of the first reports of the Houla massacre, the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, and several other Western countries announced that they were expelling Syria’s ambassadors in protest.
But according to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad.
For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups.
According to the article’s sources, the massacre occurred after rebel forces attacked three army-controlled roadblocks outside of Houla. The roadblocks had been set up to protect nearby Alawi majority villages from attacks by Sunni militias. …..
The shift the mainstream media ned to do in the heads is stop relating this to the Arab Spring (bracketing Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt in the same breathless paragraph), and linking it more to Bosnia or Iraq or one of those thorough decade-long ethnic cleansings with all their attendant horror.
Further to a discussion on open mike recently about Jonathon Haidt’s theory of the working class being more interested in bigotry (moral issues about purity and authority), than social justice for themselves, here is George Manibot’s scathing rebuttal – full unlike Haidt’s right-wing apologism of those useful facty things.- hat tip Gobsmacked via No Right Turn
Will the Labour party take note of the fact that, rather than turning to the tories because of “identity politics” the working class left, has, in lieu on any real alternative because of being betrayed by Labour, largely stopped voting.
Nah they don’t give a shit about the poor either, hence the problem.
Still, Shearer might hand out food parcels to the starving in South Auckland one day – as long as he’s paid a big fat one-percenter salary, and given enough plaudits and awards to do so.
Damn – the strike-out tag is still not working. The word “bigotry” above was supposed to have had a line through it. I checked I did it correctly via the FAQ, but no joy.
[lprent: There was discussion a week or so ago that it was meant to be <del> </del> rather than the s tag. I haven’t caught up yet. ]
There is a new CDN running on the site that while having other possible benefits* will also hopefully get rid of the remaining excess of overseas traffic that we get charged for. 21GB last month and nearly double that in April. Many of you will be aware that I have been trying to club that excess to death since last year as it is a expensive and unrequired variable cost^
If it works then I should be able to turn the RSS full post feed back on for those dependent apon it rather than the front page excerpts.
So far the main effect I have noticed as it comes on line as the DNSes update (and shifted 1.1GB of mostly offshore traffic away from my content server since 1600), is that it is highlighting an error of quotes in the Opinions tab on the right hand side of the screen. I will fix it in the weekend as few people use that feature.
If anyone notices any other non-usual bugs**. Then let me know. I haven’t noticed any apart from a irritating option turned on at 1800 and off by 1830.
* mostly as far as the users are concerned it simply speeds up the static content of the site – images etc. this will mean that pages are faster to load until they hit the bloody slow advert servers. For the moderators, it should also really hammer the spambots (which I can see already) and move handling of them to the CDN providers servers.
^ problem with variable costs is that they kind of vary. Which means it is hard to hard to predict how they will impact in our cost structure a month later. What is really irritating is that we have more than 95% of our readers in NZ, but the entirety of our variable costs comes from offshore users coming through a really really expensive and resource constrained pipe to offshore.#
** ie don’t use this as an opportunity to offload the wish list. I’m almost through at work on this phase of the project. I have at least a week of catchup after that before I can enhance this site. I’d also like some lounging around doing nothing much time where the location is not Invercargill.
# it is cheaper by far to move the entire site offshore purely to escape those excess charges. Of course that makes the site a lot slower and indirecy more expensive for 95% of readers who live in NZ…. I wouldn’t stay here if this was commercial. Any commercial user with any sense would obey the price signals from the idiotic charges from monopoly suppliers of the Southern Cross Cable data and put their servers anywhere but here.
The UK, for the opening of the Olympics is setting up a picture of a country idyll with happy cows and people – must be like a glossy Midsomer Murders background. Very Marie Antoinette who used to have tableaus with her entourage dressed as rustics I understand.
And funny in a nightmarish way when one thinks of residential buildings in London having their roofs turned into sites for anti-missile etc surveillance. This will have to be set up earlier than the opening and people screened in and out. The people there will have this burden of suspicion and checking systems for months perhaps, and feel like targets for damage. Not an idyll.
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TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, 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?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
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. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
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 ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
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.
Heh! Why worry about climate change and the inevitable rise in sea levels when you can make it illegal? Gotta love them denialists . . . always thinking.
Bloody hell. Like trying to legislate to make pi equal to 3.000000000
They’re trying to LP.
Other schools approved for state-funded vouchers use social studies texts warning that liberals threaten global prosperity; Bible-based math books that don’t cover modern concepts such as set theory; and biology texts built around refuting evolution.
This too.
http://errancy.org/pi.html
Love em all BLiP. Agenda 21, illegal.
Delightful farce joe90. Of course the reality is very different. Please tell me that is the case and if it isn’t I don’t want to think about the decline of my illusions about the USA. One could expect in this century a modern take on their Constitution that has respect for all.
When you are right you’re right.
Any attempt to portray US lawmakers to be showing respect for their Constitution could only be done as a farce.
Now that’s a plan that Treasury could adopt. Do not measure unemployment or inconvenient Deficits.
That’s actually terrifying as what these goons have done is tell the scientists how to get their measurements and how those measurements can be used and done it in such a way so as to produce the results that they want rather than the ones that will match physical reality. It’s going back to the days when scientists were persecuted by the church for their findings which contradicted the church’s teachings.
The next phase of New Zealand history will not be defined by games inside the Wellington Beltway. The “clever insiders” have failed.
Labour has the answers but not the voice. The answers are in it’s history and it’s people. They have an excellent policy machine (bright people). It now needs to focus on the future of New Zealanders. It needs to free itself from the shackles of the past Strategies.
Labour needs to focus on 5 years and 10 years out. When they Are seen to own the future vision the people will come back: back to the polling booth from the couch or garden on election day, back from the Gold Coast, the mines, London, back from the Greens/Mana/Maori.
Gareth Morgan’s half-page article in the Business Herald this morning outlines the complete hash that English is making of the economy. Gareth also seriously questions asset sales and instructing the Reserve bank to correct its prudential guidelines to banks “so that a repeat of speculative housing demand raising pressure on interest rates simply wouldn’t happen …”
He also points out that never has there been a better tmie for structural reform. Sorry I’m not good at links.
It’s as if the government is so burnt by its cluster of fuckups in the last six months that it can no longer make rational plans and is retreating further and further into itself. This is the ideal circumstance for the opposition to come out with pathbreaking plans.
It seems to be only in the hard copy (page B2). But the sub-header says “Ideology-driven cuts adding momentum to the downturn”
so conmankey can steal them as he has no plan for the economy
All left parties need a rethink – I gave up on Labour a few years ago, and they still seem locked into the neoliberal paradigm.
I voted Green the last few elections, but am not happy with the centralising Normanisation of the Green Party. When Norman gets more sidelined in favour of the stronger left winger MPs, I’ll be happier with them.
Mana has promise, but I don’t yet trust them, and have some concerns about whether women will play a significant part in the party in the long term -incorporation of Bradford and Sykes seems promising, but I’ve yet to see them playing a leading role.
Yes, Carol, as usual I agree with your views. I, too, went with the Greens last time for the same reason. But Norman, though but a co-leader, always seems to be spokesperson and I am seldom happy with him. Turei is co-leader, much more to the Left, and whose views are fresher and much more exciting to see or hear.
Agree on Turei. I think the Normanisation is getting help from the MSM. Duncan Garner, in his live online chat this week, said Norman was the real leader on The Greens.
It suits the news corporates to have a more centrist Green Party. The Greens should resist colluding with them.
Mana is a very young party and was initially built on Hone’s popularity up north. I think it’s come a long way and hope it will go even further. What impresses me most about them is their willingness to act outside the established parliamentary norms, with Hone and the other candidates actually getting out on the street.
VTO; disappointed we are. Reading Uturns contributions recently indicates to us what a “wise” person or persons they are. As wise as DTB but in a broader way.
We learn a great deal of wisdom from contributors such as these. We have not learnt much beneficial from your recent rants.
THANKYOU (not shouting, but BIG) to
Joe 90
Mickey
Olwyn
Lanth
Carol (we think)
Dr T
Bored
et al; Chu know if you are being helpful.
Muchas Gracias
We want Bolivia with snow like Sweden and some of Cubas’ great features!
We could pilot-scheme a new constitution right here in Hawkes Bay. Great Natural Environment.
Dominant culture/hegemony/sleepwalk could do with some interuption though.
Posting on a blog site , is no indication of the wisdom of any idividual(s), you have misused the word SH.
While there are angles of thought to be considered, true wisdom will not be found on the internet, this site or anywhere else.
Thats why, that is why, chu are not on the list in our bubble.
We believe the internet can be a tool to leverage great wisdom.
As personal experience may prove to be the bitterest form of learning.
As I once said to another bully, (policeman),
Opinions are like bumholes…………..
Sam Hall
Have you crossed over from the Jedi or some such?
I wonder where Fairfax Media are going with this.
A deliberate attempt to make the minister look like a tool much?
Someone really should tell them she doesn’t need any help.
Good on them for highlighting this. Bennett’s proposal was clearly a dog whistle, as such actions are already being taken.
Depends how much prominence it gets – they blew Bennett’s dog whistle loud and clear and long.
The article isn’t open for comments; my guess is this is the last we’ll hear of it.
For those of you interested in 911 research I will be talking with professor and researcher radio host Jim Fetzer about my 911 storyboard research. the Show is live at 11 am NZ time.
Matt McCarten’s column certainly hit the mark, bestowing a knighthood on a Monarch’s spouse seems a little ridiculous but i was more interested in his quiet comment regarding the Asset sales.
Last week The Queen ( according to the media ) was so distressed about the future of a certain church that her majesty made inquiries to our PM concerning the hardship facing Christchurch if they lose a pile of bricks erected to symbolise the groupthink homoly to a Deity. Yes the symbolism of the cathedral and its importance to Christchurch is a serious matter and in no way do i mean to belittle it’s importance but why is our Monarch not showing the same concern for the very real hardship and poverty that so many of her subjects will endure if we sell the Assets? Does her majesty even know they are being sold?
freedom, I doubt that her Britannic Majesty even knows who or where we are (when did she last visit?) But I will concede that she sure does know John Key who is “one of her own” sort! (Did you observe his fawning bow?) Indeed he was even invited a while back to holiday at royal Balmoral Castle! (Though it did not come off). When was this invitation extended to a Labour PM?
Constitutionally the Queen does not get involved in the affairs of the government. That was the point of the Magna Carta.
Rebuilding the Cathedral is a little more of a grey area, because the Queen is the head of the Anglican Church of England. I think part of Key’s response that it’s the government’s job was a way out of outlining the constitutional ‘hands off’ approach that the monarch is expected to take.
The Queen could always sell a few of her assets and build a new cathedral if she’s so worried.
Waiting for Judith
By allowing a couple of lying bastards to get away with making a false complaint to the police, Judith Collins shows she is an ineffective minister. If she does not know what is right from wrong in this situation, in my opinion, she has no place being a minister of the crown at all…
The irony here Jackal is that Judith is taking a case of Defamation for her reputation allegedly being impugned.
In her own Ministry, she is condoning the much more serious defaming of Pullar and Boag. In not speaking out she could be identified as a hypocrite. Let alone the downright dishonesty of Senior Staff. Be an interesting line for Question Time.
+1 Jackal and Ianmac
freedom
The Queen is head of the Anglican church isn’t she. For that reason she would be expected by the church to be interested in the holy pile.
The poverty inducing governments which we persist in voting in is an operational matter. We have been given the right to decide on our own governments arising from our own people. This was achieved after sacrificial efforts by a dedicated minority for centuries on behalf of all to get the vote and a say in laws. We screwed up and now can we stop the sociopathic (The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way) way we think which is turned on ourselves in self-punishment? Can we stop the mutilation of our country and its once universally beneficial policies?
Don’t blame the Queen, we wallow in a sad moshpit of our own national choice.
thankfully the musos of Aotearoa supply one hell of a soundtrack
Read Erich Fromm “Escape from Freedom”
His thesis is writ large across New Zealand society.
SamHall, absolutely! Everybody should read this classic. It will not be hard to make necessary comparisons.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/teen-prostitute-attacked-knifepoint-4924869
Old media thinks rape against prostitutes isn’t rape.
And victim blaming from the police.
Yay.
And Stuff strangely gets it right:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/7081519/Teen-prostitute-raped-at-knifepoint
Looks like it’s the police that can’t tell the difference between rape and sex – Stuff call it sex when reporting what Counties Manukau central acting crime manager Inspector Richard Wilkie said. He goes on to focus on teen sex workers rather than the men cruising the street*, or the offender who raped a teen at knifepoint. He also calls sex work ‘selling oneself’. I’m fairly sure that sex workers sell sex, not their selves. Classic endorsement of rape culture and a policeman of that seniority should know better (even if he is just acting).
*with the law change, is it illegal to pay for sex with someone between 16 and 18, or is it still just the sex worker who gets charged?
Policemen of much more seniority than him also seem to be a little confused about what constitutes rape. It’s a shame that the investigations into “police culture” didn’t go a lot further. Having a commision of inquiry with Ross Meurant as commisioner would shake a few of them up. He knows their inside bullshit and isn’t shy about speaking out.
I just read the Stuff article about that, and didn’t get what you got from it at all! Don’t you think that if the media thought “rape against prostitutes isn’t rape”, then the headline wouldn’t say rape?
A little thought would go a lot further than your knee-jerking does. But your comments are almost exclusively about sexual issues, and I can absolutely predict your views on all of them! 😀
It’s the TVNZ article NickS linked to first. Which starts with the line “A 16-year-old prostitute was picked up in Manurewa and forced to have sex at knifepoint over the weekend, police have said.”
My italics.
Sigh.
Anybody know any more about this?
“Let’s recap the main points. Assume we agree with the premise of the Stuff story (Russian mafia). Assume also, reasonably, that if one connected company is dodgy, it means all of them are at least worth a quick look. On that basis, we have a whole bunch of active companies worth a quick look, as follows:
35 active New Zealand companies, some with possible Russian Mafia links, at 17 Georgia Terrace, Albany.
594 active New Zealand companies, many with possible Russian Mafia links (run inter alia, by Vanagels, Bilder and miscellaneous residents of Cyprus), at Level 4, 44 Khyber Pass Road.
…and…
another 730 defunct New Zealand companies at 17 Georgia Terrace, Albany, many with possible Russian Mafia links, that may still, in the worst case, have active overseas bank accounts.
1766 defunct New Zealand companies at 69, Ridge Road, Albany, many with possible Russian Mafia links, that may still, in the worst case, have active overseas bank accounts.
That’s 3,000 companies that are worth some level of closer scrutiny: or at least, the (large) subset of that 3,000 that has overseas directors.
These counts and assumptions may exaggerate the scale of the problem, but not necessarily by much. And if I’ve missed any other big clusters, which is perfectly possible, the problem is bigger. For instance a thorough trawl of New Zealand company directors with addresses in Cyprus, Latvia, Panama, the US and Canada might throw up some interesting patterns. One can’t do that kind of investigation via the register’s public interface, but a sleuth with SQL-level query access and a bit of gumption could serve up some pretty neat (and alarming) reports, I should think.
By way of taster, among the companies at those three hot spot addresses in Albany we can quickly identify (in addition to Stuff’s red flags):
People running 28 active or defunct New Zealand companies (Liliya Soboleva, Evgeny Orlov, John Acosta, Olga Belchikova) who are indirectly connected with alleged moneylaunderers.
88 active New Zealand companies with possible Russian Mafia links, all run by one guy in Cyprus.
124 active New Zealand companies with possible Russian Mafia links, all run by another guy in Cyprus.
One is not necessarily impressed by the vigilance of the New Zealand authorities”
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/05/new-zealand-fresh-from-its-service-to-mexican-drug-lords-helps-out-the-russian-mafia.html
Southern Limits
Are these companies that have been registered in NZ under what has been called a very open company registration system. I had heard that some companies on NZ company lists were shell companies for criminal gangs looking to lander assets.
This sounds like the dumb sort of thing we would do under the evil eye influence of Sir Roger Douglas et al, unregulated, no business standards or eithics to keep to, no awkward government controls. An interesting list of dodgy sounding companies. How do you know they are mafia> Is all big Russian business to be regarded as such?
I didn’t write the article but the Russian Mafia link comes from this story on Stuff: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/6976306/NZ-shell-company-linked-to-alleged-150m-fraud
Also relevant is this article – that mentions New Zealand has been struck off a European ‘white list’ of countries with comparable controls to prevent money laundering in banking.
Southern Limits don’t forget the Japanese yakousa’s very large share holding in the Bank of America which now owns Merrill lynch.I wonder if this is why Key resides in Hawaii .
so tell me now so I can understand: if you get on the list does that mean you are now an employeee of the public service?
More hits to the poor from this despicable government. I don’t know whether Labour brought in user pays on couples who once could get some free legal aid to deal with their separation or divorce and property and custody matters. But that really hit people on low and medium incomes – it is not cheap to finish a marriage or couple partnership. Often the female parent is left quite poor, and possibly homeless and having to rent in a different location and school. We have wonderfully equal laws which can demand that the house be sold and money split between the partners despite the needs of the custodial parent to provide and bring stability to the children.
Now NACT are charging to go to the Family Court as a disincentive, in their excuse, for couples fighting themselves into a corner. Now with this new measure they will sit down like rational people and talk it out. Huh. The people who go to the Family Court are the minority and extreme. By all means give them limits as to the number of times they can appear. But Courts Minister Chester Borrows (now he will be in tough with the people sseeking legal help who will have to borrow)! So $200 here and $900 a day there, no worries from the viewpoint of an MP overpaid and over there in Wellington.
I googled and found item on family lawyers fuming by lawfuel.co.nz and within seconds of viewing the page all the words changed to little squares – so not allowed to read it on google.
Haven’t struck this before.
ALSO found was David Farrar running a book on nz herald on who is going to be Labour leader in 2020, which will be the 7th Labour Govt, after the Sixth to come.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10812235
Its about time that hooton and farrar were prohibited by law from making a book on politics.
Politics is not sport and the free exercis of the vote is fundamental to our democracy,
Trivialising it in this way is detrimental to society and moreover it is an illegitimate assist to the party who aspires to rig the election in any way possible.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10812383
“The negotiations are expected to end at the point final agreement is reached,” wrote Roger Wigglesworth, MED’s tourism and events director.
in reply i would like to quote a friend’s four year old,
” d’uh !”
Why should we care about Tongan history?
http://www.readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/size-isnt-everything-or-why-we-should.html
Great link. Thank you.
Fighting to STOP asset sales – not just ‘OPPOSING’ asset sales!
If dodgy John Banks is forced to resign from Parliament then this MINORITY National Government with only 59 out of 121 MPs will not have the number to railroad through the Mixed Ownership Model Bill.
FYI –
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150850601911790&set=a.10150818107276790.398518.727511789&type=1&theater
(UPDATED)*OPEN LETTER / REQUEST TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE, ADAM FEELEY: 12 June 2012 RE: C2390 – COMPLAINT TO THE SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE
PLEASE URGENTLY REVIEW YOUR DECISION WHICH HAS TREATED A ‘BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION’ COMPLAINT AS A ‘SERIOUS OR COMPLEX FRAUD’ COMPLAINT – WHICH IT IS NOT:
The reply received from Graham Gill, General Manager of Fraud Detection and Intelligence, dated 30 May 2012 stated:
Dear Ms Bright,
RE: C2390 – Complaint to the Serious Fraud Office
I refer to your complaint received by the Serious Fraud office (SFO) on 3 May 2012.
We have assessed your complaint and decided that there was insufficient evidence to support an allegation of a serious or complex fraud.
The Police are already investigating the circumstances surrounding Kim Dotcom’s donation to John Banks. We have advised the police to contact us should they find any evidence that would be of interest to the SFO.
If you have any further information you would like to provide in relation to this matter please feel free to do so.”
Why has a complaint alleging BRIBERY and CORRUPTION has been treated as a complaint alleging SERIOUS or COMPLEX FRAUD.
With all due respect – do you people know what you’re doing?
Since 2010, the SFO has been purportedly the ‘lead agency’ to whom complaints alleging bribery and corruption are supposed to be forwarded.
This complaint has been made, in the proper way – to supposedly the proper body, and it appears to have been sent in the completely wrong direction.
According to your SFO ‘flow chart’ – the General Manager for Fraud and Corruption is Nick l Paterson.
The recent phone call (Monday 11 June 2012) from Graham Gill, has now clarified why a complaint alleging ‘bribery and corruption’ was not directed to the General Manager of Fraud and Corruption, but – it still seems a rather peculiar process.
New Zealand is ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (according to the 2011 Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception index’).
Is this one of the reasons why NZ has this ‘perceived’ status? Because allegations of bribery and corruption are simply not dealt with as such, as appears to have happened in this case?
Why is it that former Labour MP Taito Phillip Field got sentenced to SIX years jail for ‘bribery and corruption’, for providing ‘immigration advice’ to Thai nationals in exchange for work on his properties – whilst John Banks, the Minister of Regulatory Reform appears to be effectively getting political protection from NZ Prime Minister John Key, after John Banks has allegedly given ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase ‘assistance’ to a German/ Finnish national, in return for $50,000 donated to his 2010 Auckland Mayoral campaign fund, and gifts valued at over $500 which he failed to declare?
Are you aware that Kim Dotcom’s ‘John Bank’s song’ has had nearly 150,000 ‘hits’ on You Tube,
in my opinion, helping to make NZ an international laughing stock? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CvRSZxqk_I
It is also of great concern that ACT’s ‘one law for all’ has yet still to apply to either John Banks and/ or Don Brash, current and former Leaders of the ACT Party.
As former fellow directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, both signed Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements, but were never charged for so doing. This is a strict liability offence under s58(3) of the Securities Act 1978, but neither the old Securities Commission, the Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) , nor the NZ Police arguably ‘did their job’ and charged John Banks or Don Brash.
John Banks, is now the Minister of Regulatory Reform, yet four different ‘regulatory’ bodies failed to act against him , someone, who arguably couldn’t properly run a Kiwisaver Scheme, yet now has a key Ministerial post and is supposedly helping to run the country ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt in the world’
The public ‘perception’ is arguably that John Banks has been politically protected at the highest levels, because this minority National Government has only 59 out of 121 MPs, thus no mandate for assets sales. Because there is not a majority of National MPs, this minority National Government is dependent on the pivotal vote of John Banks – the ACT MP for Epsom.
The ‘perception’ is that this why NZ Prime Minister John Key is continuing to ‘defend the indefensible’ and still express ‘confidence’ in John Banks, although former National MPs, Richard Worth and Pansy Wong appear to have lost his confidence over a lot less.
The public ‘perception’ is that if you are a politician upon whose vote the Government is politically dependent, you are protected at the highest levels, and ‘one law for all’ does NOT apply to you?
Please ensure that this complaint is given to those in the SFO tasked with dealing with corruption, as a matter of extreme urgency, and please ensure that the Police are requested to act with similar haste. This Government is proceeding with extreme urgency to railroad through the Mixed Ownership Model Bill, and it would be a travesty of justice for this to occur on the pivotal vote of a yet-to-be-charged alleged ‘corrupt’ Minister of the Crown?
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright Anti-corruption campaigner’ …..
Lisa Prager …..
_______________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
You are certainly doing your job Penny, against all (very many) odds. Justice is probably the hardest thing in the world to gain, but must never cease to be our aim..
The following quotation is misapplied, but possibly pertinent:
“With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end.”
Just being retweeted around Twitter:
https://twitter.com/juliefairey/status/212331333660311552
Carol, is there a stronger source for this? Seems a pretty important story.
Confirmed by MUNZ, ad. Just got the email.
Guys this is as spectacular a peice of news as the governing caving on teacher funding.
Sorry for swearing but good fucking job to that soft cock Mayor Len Brown and all the Tory filth that supported their hands off approach to governance of assets and companies that are fully public owned. And hooo-ahhh to all those who hung tight and marched and protested.
Utterly wonderful news – I think this deserves a thread all by itself surely?
A press release, but doesn’t say much:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1206/S00324/union-pleased-with-progress-in-poal-facilitation.htm
I also have heard unnoficially that the Oceania rest home wage dispute has been settled with an above inflation increase to the workers and no removal of OT payments as had been threatened by the employer. A good day in the union movement!
That is really great news….
Why are $ 112 Billion in Derivatives not on our books?
Ask thi question on the “live” chat going on right now!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7084397/Live-chat-Prime-Minister-John-Key
With this link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/latest-edition/6671255/Government-in-112b-barney
wow what an enlightening q&a that was with the PM. A whole hour of his wisdom to bathe in. I may be wrong but was it not advertised as being from 12-2pm ? Anyways, so it was as expected just patsy question after patsy question but i am sure the msm will pontificate at large about our glorious leader and his selfless dedication to open and accessible Government.
On a personal note, my question about the introduction of a tax free allowance to bring us in line with our OECD partners was unsurprisingly absent.
Kapiti Cheese and Cartier watches and hopefully a whole lot of people wondering why their questions did not get asked!
Dear Students, with STUDENT LOANS, after you have completed your indoctrination,oops, education under a regime that is vastly different from that experienced by your “elders and betters” (sic) here is an idea;
U know how businesses and business people etc can avoid the financial liabilities of their poor (predatory) decisions and go BANKRUPT, wellllll…
if you file for insolvency with the Ministry of Economic Development, Insolvency and Trustee service,
You can attach your STUDENT LOAN to your debtor schedule.
After learning what it ‘means” to be human being, and how to use that particular apparatus, (stuff the free education could teach if not so focused on grooming you for exploitation) WE have done this exact thing TWICE. Yep. Cost nothing, and nothing personal was taken, or any clawback made on income since.
Sooo, even before heading overseas, EMANCIPATE yourselves if you choose.
The World, or Aotearoa, is your paua baby!
When applying for an insurance policy recently:
Have you ever been declared bankrupt?
Have you ever been declined or had additional questions for any reason when applying for an insurance policy in the past?
Excuse me, Sam, but are you saying you deliberatly chose bankruptcy to avoid repaying your student loan or was that part of a larger debt that you couldn’t manage?
And loss of “ability” to obtain credit? think about it.
Dont Even Bother Trying.
The Treaty of Waitangi is being moved from Archives NZ to the National Library. This has been on the cards for the past year or so, but it’s now confirmed.
I never quite saw the point of having two buildings. But I really did love the restrained lighting and vault that they kept those kinds of documents in. Sincerely hope there is something similarly spooky and secure for such a hallowed set of documents.
ACC CEO is leaving (yay!).
To be taken over by Paula Rebstock (boo!)
Apparently he’s taking up the role of chair of ACC National Bank (which is not the same thing as chief executive). Somehow I’m reminded of this scene from the West Wing.
By appointing Paula Rebstock the National Government certainly shows they are committed to an efficient use of resources .. .. they are not wasting time attaching strings to a new puppet.
What is going to happen to the Treaty when we become a Republic after the next Election – there will be no Crown as far as New Zealand is concerned ?
Which Tribal leaders will sign the New Treaty – will they agree on anything ?
I don’t see why a new treaty is required – the new republican government will simply assume the rights and duties of the Crown. Same as with the title deeds to the Beehive.
Footrot Maybe you better sell your house now and leave the country as your building is probably on stolen land.
Were Syrian rebels and not Assad forces responsible for the Houla massacre?
It was, in the words of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the “tipping point” in the Syria conflict: a savage massacre of over 90 people, predominantly women and children, for which the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was immediately blamed by virtually the entirety of the Western media.
Within days of the first reports of the Houla massacre, the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, and several other Western countries announced that they were expelling Syria’s ambassadors in protest.
But according to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad.
For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups.
According to the article’s sources, the massacre occurred after rebel forces attacked three army-controlled roadblocks outside of Houla. The roadblocks had been set up to protect nearby Alawi majority villages from attacks by Sunni militias. …..
Read more…..
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/middle-east-and-north-africa/1581-were-syrian-rebels-and-not-assad-forces-responsible-for-the-houla-massacre
The shift the mainstream media ned to do in the heads is stop relating this to the Arab Spring (bracketing Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt in the same breathless paragraph), and linking it more to Bosnia or Iraq or one of those thorough decade-long ethnic cleansings with all their attendant horror.
Thanks Morrissey, I have wondered…
Yep, guessed as much.
And what a contrast with the Western reaction to Israel’s massacre of 1400 Gazan civilians, including more than 300 Palestinian children.
Re-making the world, one school at a time.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/11/mitt-romney-blueprint-privatizing-american-education
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/11/voters-have-not-turned-right
Further to a discussion on open mike recently about Jonathon Haidt’s theory of the working class being more interested in
bigotry(moral issues about purity and authority), than social justice for themselves, here is George Manibot’s scathing rebuttal – full unlike Haidt’s right-wing apologism of those useful facty things.- hat tip Gobsmacked via No Right TurnWill the Labour party take note of the fact that, rather than turning to the tories because of “identity politics” the working class left, has, in lieu on any real alternative because of being betrayed by Labour, largely stopped voting.
Nah they don’t give a shit about the poor either, hence the problem.
Still, Shearer might hand out food parcels to the starving in South Auckland one day – as long as he’s paid a big fat one-percenter salary, and given enough plaudits and awards to do so.
Damn – the strike-out tag is still not working. The word “bigotry” above was supposed to have had a line through it. I checked I did it correctly via the FAQ, but no joy.
[lprent: There was discussion a week or so ago that it was meant to be <del> </del> rather than the s tag. I haven’t caught up yet. ]
Thanks LPrent.
I’ve made a bit of a hash of it all round. The comment was supposed to be in open-mike.
[lprent: No problem… Moved.]
There is a new CDN running on the site that while having other possible benefits* will also hopefully get rid of the remaining excess of overseas traffic that we get charged for. 21GB last month and nearly double that in April. Many of you will be aware that I have been trying to club that excess to death since last year as it is a expensive and unrequired variable cost^
If it works then I should be able to turn the RSS full post feed back on for those dependent apon it rather than the front page excerpts.
So far the main effect I have noticed as it comes on line as the DNSes update (and shifted 1.1GB of mostly offshore traffic away from my content server since 1600), is that it is highlighting an error of quotes in the Opinions tab on the right hand side of the screen. I will fix it in the weekend as few people use that feature.
If anyone notices any other non-usual bugs**. Then let me know. I haven’t noticed any apart from a irritating option turned on at 1800 and off by 1830.
* mostly as far as the users are concerned it simply speeds up the static content of the site – images etc. this will mean that pages are faster to load until they hit the bloody slow advert servers. For the moderators, it should also really hammer the spambots (which I can see already) and move handling of them to the CDN providers servers.
^ problem with variable costs is that they kind of vary. Which means it is hard to hard to predict how they will impact in our cost structure a month later. What is really irritating is that we have more than 95% of our readers in NZ, but the entirety of our variable costs comes from offshore users coming through a really really expensive and resource constrained pipe to offshore.#
** ie don’t use this as an opportunity to offload the wish list. I’m almost through at work on this phase of the project. I have at least a week of catchup after that before I can enhance this site. I’d also like some lounging around doing nothing much time where the location is not Invercargill.
# it is cheaper by far to move the entire site offshore purely to escape those excess charges. Of course that makes the site a lot slower and indirecy more expensive for 95% of readers who live in NZ…. I wouldn’t stay here if this was commercial. Any commercial user with any sense would obey the price signals from the idiotic charges from monopoly suppliers of the Southern Cross Cable data and put their servers anywhere but here.
The UK, for the opening of the Olympics is setting up a picture of a country idyll with happy cows and people – must be like a glossy Midsomer Murders background. Very Marie Antoinette who used to have tableaus with her entourage dressed as rustics I understand.
And funny in a nightmarish way when one thinks of residential buildings in London having their roofs turned into sites for anti-missile etc surveillance. This will have to be set up earlier than the opening and people screened in and out. The people there will have this burden of suspicion and checking systems for months perhaps, and feel like targets for damage. Not an idyll.