No chance of him apologising today (or ever probably) Conveniently, he’s on his way to Malaysia.
The talk here on TS over the last few days on the issue of inhumane treatment of Australians who are NZ citizens in Australian detention camps has been as usual, a very high calibre of conversation. I’ve had no time to contribute.
Briefly however I will say, how strong and dignified are our women MP’s who would not be shut down in their objections to Key’s amazingly offensive rapists remarks?
Huge love and respect to you. You are true leaders and shining lights against the darkness of our misogynist PM.
Tania Billingsley.
Amanda Bailey
The victims of a prominent NZer.
Survivors of sexual assault, abuse and rape sitting across from you in the house.
And you have nothing but contempt for them PM. Shame on you.
I often wonder what the women Natz MP’s really think and feel about Key’s behaviour and statements around abuse of women, including what happened in the house on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Are they so un self aware that they don’t understand that they themselves are being disempowered by their own leader, or are they really not ok with him but just go along with him out of blind loyalty, or are reluctant to speak out against him because they believe they may get attacked and/or humiliated?
Yep. All of what you have said in your last paragraph. They could have stood their ground, uniting with ALL victims of violent physical assault and mental abuse and walked out. But they chose not to, preferring to turn their backs on too many Kiwis hurt and maimed at the hands of others, to protect their own positions I’d say, thereby strengthening FJK’s hold on power! Shame on them!
FJK is a thug and a bully and I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate to threaten or intimidate any NatzKEY MP, particularly women, if they dared challenge him!
An excellent piece by Brian Rudman on “The shameful lack of political fallout over Aussie Gulags” : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11543178
“The inhumane policy the Australians have adopted of shipping these people to holding pens on remote Christmas Island, 2650 km northwest of Perth, is an outrage.”
And, “To our shame, New Zealand’s submission to the Australia review made no mention of this.”
“This action (of flying detainess to a WA prison) shows they could have just put them on a plane to NZ at anytime.”
“A very valid point, You talk one hell of a lot of common sense Tracey, but there again that is something we have come to expect from you.”
That is assuming they have a passport.
You do realise that these dangerous crims are restrained and there is security for the safety of the crew on the chartered flight.
Its not like they can be put on a flight with other passengers.
“You do realise that these dangerous crims are restrained and there is security for the safety of the crew on the chartered flight.”
dangerous crims eh?
Like Angela Russell, shoplifter, Aussie and happens to be an NZ citizen.
“Angela Russell is also in the detention centre.
She was found guilty of shoplifting $1300-worth of cosmetics. It was her fifth offence.
So far she has spent six months there – twice as long as her sentence.
She moved to Australia when she was three years old. That was 37 years ago.”
Rosie
Your five time crim is not on Christmas island.
There are no women children or shoplifters at Christmas Island detention centre, only dangerous criminal scumbags.
Thankfully some of them will now be doing another stretch for causing more than 1$mill damage.
Correct Naki Man. She’s not. She’s in another detention centre. Does that make it ok? Is it ok by international human rights expectations that a country would detain a criminal AFTER they had completed their sentence? What makes it worse is that Australia has multiple detention centres. Geez these guys haven’t moved on from the eighteenth and nineteeth century penal colonies.
Those “dangerous criminal scumbags” would be better placed to rehab their lives, post imprisonment, in their own communities, surrounded by their own families and networks, in their own country would they not?
They are Australians, they belong there. They just happen to be born here but this country means little to the ones the media have spoken to.
“Those “dangerous criminal scumbags” would be better placed to rehab their lives, post imprisonment, in their own communities, surrounded by their own families and networks, in their own country would they not?”
Probably, For some of them the company they keep might be part of their problem. At the end of the day the Australians will deport these crims and we cant stop them. I have no sympathy for slow learners, just the victims of their crimes.
“That is assuming they have a passport.
You do realise that these dangerous crims are restrained and there is security for the safety of the crew on the chartered flight.
Its not like they can be put on a flight with other passengers.”
Do tell me O Wise one with your superior knowledge. How the fuck did they fly them to Perth?
Naki man, you’re full of shit.
Because when Phillip Smith was deported from South America, the actual rapist and murderer (a real one, not just names key uses for political advantage) who had fled custody was flown back on a commercial flight with regular passengers.
So, once again, you don’t let facts get in the way of your bile.
“We saw him getting off the plane, there was quite a big police escort with him.”
That’s right,” Quite a big police escort” for one prisoner.
There is no way that a bunch of dangerous criminal scumbags will be allowed to fly on a commercial flight.
That is why the rioters where restrained and flown on a chartered plane back to WA. Those are the facts Muppert
And of course the only reason the aussies flew seven prisoners at once was because the aussies chose to intern them all in the same shitty place at the same time. When, as Tracey said, the Aussies could have just put them on a plane at any time. Even individually over a few days. Like NZ did with an actual rapist and murderer, rather than someone who got caught up when aussie politicians played to the fucktard anti-immigrant brigade.
So? Charter a plane and fly em back. Use a Hercules. You realise that by far the majority of the Kiwis are not dangerous criminals? Or are you still swallowing the PM’s lies, put out just for gullible fools like you to swallow and repeat?
Do you really not see the difference between flying between two places in the same country and between one country and another?
Do you not see that the reason they are in detention is because they do not want to come back to New Zealand?
Do you really think they would thank us if we sent a plane over there and, given we have no right to do so, kidnapped them and brought them to New Zealand?
Come on Tracey, you are normally much more sensible than this.
Now, just what do you think that the New Zealand Government can do to change Australia’s actions?
Short of going to war of course.
“… for instance, indecent treatment or dealings with a child under 16,…”
Key is standing up for the victims of sexual violence you say”?
So, he would never support, in any way, say, the Prominent New Zealander awaiting trial? Right?
“A prominent New Zealander charged with indecent assault has been granted interim name suppression till the beginning of his trial.
Heavy suppression orders mean the man cannot be identified, nor can his alleged victims or their ages.
Name suppression lapsed on February 19 but the man had his identity protected for one month to allow him the chance to appeal. The appeal was lodged on March 19 and heard today in the High Court at Auckland before Justice Raynor Asher.
Several media organisations, including NZME. publisher of The New Zealand Herald, lodged a joint request for the appeal to be heard with urgency.
The man denies 12 charges of indecent assault against two people, including two representative charges. He has elected trial by jury.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
THAT sounds like someone who can be a Prime Minister. Like Key at the same stage (and now) Little struggles off the cuff, but is improving faster than Key.
Ms Watkins’ opinion piece on Stuff regarding the current uproar in parliament is a disgrace. Firstly, the entire focus for the first several paragraphs is on the opposition’s walkouts, rather than the substance of the issue (the fact that this is precisely what was predicted by several commentators on this site and elsewhere does not make it any less disgraceful for a senior journalist to adopt that framing). Secondly, she posits that Labour should have taken the view that Key adopted with his “backing the rapists” comment, and criticised him for being soft on the presumed criminals when they arrived on these shores.
This, in its turn, is a twice-craven position to adopt. For one thing, it suggests that the only acceptable view (Morally? Politically? The distinction appears to be of no significance for Watkins) is to support the right-wing desire to be indiscriminately tough on suspected criminals over universal respect for human rights. For another, she attaches the condition that Key is correct in insinuating that the majority of those New Zealanders in detention are offenders of the most serious kind. Even if we generously assume that she is not implying that he is correct in doing so, it would seem that she is basing her opinion in a purportedly serious publication on hearsay from the Prime Minister, whereas it should be her job as a journalist to provide informed opinion, and existing work by other news outlets, such as TV3, suggests that it is not difficult to obtain better information on that subject. Either she is incompetent, misleading by omission, or both. There are no other possible interpretations.
Thirdly, in stating that the opposition is on the wrong side of public opinion on the issue, she once again takes it upon herself to pronounce upon public opinion in a forum which exists precisely for the purpose of informing and influencing public opinion. This may be admissible if she were reporting on an historical issue, whose outcome is a done deal and no longer to be influenced; it may also be admissible if she were to introduce some sort of data such as a poll to make her pronouncements tangibly contestable. As it stands, however, it amounts to saying, “This is what you should think because you think this way already.” The very worst kind of begging the question.
And this is the crux. Key has a deal with Turnbull. It is Adams ramming through some legislation quickly (while the Aussies hold the kiwis offshore) so he can say “I am being hard on them”. But he needs time. And Turnbull has given him that time. Hence so-called troublemakers were flown yesterday to Perth and not to Wellington.
As for Watkins, if the public is on Key’s side it is because journalists like her have not presented the facts, deception and obfuscation by the PM to them. Have not investigated and continue to substitute opinionising for reporting.
Through his many actions in relation to treatment of girls and women in this country Key is making this an increasingly unsafe place for girls to thrive by allowing (it seems) large portions of our male society to believe that how they view and treat women is acceptable.
“So, did you hear about the hair controversy?”
Asked of Gabrielle Douglas
“I just wonder if her dad did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14: ‘Listen, you’re never going to be a looker, you are never going to be somebody like a Sharapova, you’re never going to be 5ft 11, you’re never going to be somebody with long legs, so you have to compensate for that,'”
BBC Commentator about Marion Bartoli”
“You’re getting a lot of fans here,” “A lot of them are male, and they want to know: If you could date anyone in the world of sport, of movies – I’m sorry, they asked me to say this – who would you date?”
Channel 7, to Eugenie Bouchard”
”
“As your profile rises, people find out more about you, your breast reduction surgery was three or four years ago. Does that play any part in your success? What about outside the tennis?”
It is Adams ramming through some legislation quickly (while the Aussies hold the kiwis offshore) so he can say “I am being hard on them”.
I wonder what options are available to “be hard on” people who have been convicted of a crime overseas, then served their sentence overseas, then been deported here.
Edit: or not been convicted of a crime (or even charged) and deported here anyway.
She has indicated they will impose strong parole provisions on them… You can do anything if you have an Act allowing it.
Of course the Act maybe completely contravene our International obligations, which Srylands and others told us yesterday they and this Government hold so important.
You can do anything if you have an Act allowing it.
I suppose; I would have thought there’d be human rights issues with paroling people who’ve been law-abiding for a number of years post-sentence, as according to various sources some of them have.
“Of course the Act maybe completely contravene our International obligations, which Srylands and others told us yesterday they and this Government hold so important.”
Tracy Watkins has consistently been one of Key’s main cheerleaders in the press gallery. Briefly yesterday she sympathised with the women walking out, and wrote something almost neutral for the website, but it didn’t last long. I also suspect she was behind the vitriolic anti-Little editorial in the Dominion Post on Monday.
I find she blows hot and cold, so I think in what counts as journalism today that makes her neutral 😉
BUT this is what happens when journalists are only required to have an opinion on things rather than research and present two sides of something with facts.
I disagree. I was always puzzled to see the extent to which John Armstrong was criticised on here, when he in general at least structured articles as a discourse proceeding from a range of facts, whereas Watkins consistently structures her articles to proceed from a pro-Key (specifically Key personally, more than National) or anti-Labour spin, and to supplement it only such assertions (or, less often, facts) as would support that spin. This has been her modus operandi since before National were elected to the government benches in 2008.
Wrong. Aussie immigration policy is a national scandal, children raped, children self harming. Abbott forced out. The spin doctors wanted for sometime to portray those in detention as criminals, but the last people who turn up after waiting years and limited cash left are those who would turned away immediately with criminal records.
So what cost Abbott his job? Sending criminals who have served their time, not doing the correct thing, allowing a judge at sentencing to deliberate, or allowing convicted criminals time before release to make a case, no the immediacy of the extension of punishment is what so undermines the integrity of the whole sorry saga. And now we hear that one suicide later, a riot, that they are criminals, why did so prick realize that they have human rights, that having served their time it was prejudical, or worse that those individuals use as political pawns might have huge ongoing political blowback for years. Aka why Abbott was ejected seated from on high.
But its worse. Imagine that, you put hardened agitators with long histories of civil disobedience in with families desperate to do the right thing to win favor. It was always going to come to a riot, that’s the worst form of govt, putting rapists in with children.
So let discuss Key, firstly he should resign as is obvious from English smirking at the time it was premeditated. Second, Key is endevavoring to do right by these convicted kiwis. Third, how does it help the oz pm when he was expecting to get the criminal immigration photo op turdblossum, now he has the nightmare of rapists with immigrant families in detention. Fourth, well done opposition for helping make that connection it seems the opposition played this up, dragged their feet, to let the world peak in on how empty hollow Key is. Remembering that putting Key with a class of long hair girls…
But wait. So for real. A kiwi who lived his whole waking life in oz, without family in nz, with no knowledge of culture, of language differences, is hauled out of prison after serving their time, to be told they have no life effectively, and so killed themselves. Wtf.
Parliament shame. Its the debased nature of the debate led by the PM that should sicken.
Ponce-Key-Fanboy-Rawdon-Christie…….TV One Breakfast this morning…….the loyal smarm cheerleading for the unrepentant waitress assailant……identifying the essential issue as this – “Question Time in Parliament is just too unruly !!!” – (suggestion of pearls clutching and “tut tut tut”).
Man is stabbed in a park. His friend goes to the nearby hospital to get help and then returns to his injured friend. Hospital rings police and sends ambulance but can’t find the injured man so they give up. Injured man is carried by his friend and another man to hospital, but dies after arrival.
Here’s the timeline,
Man stabbed sometime during the evening
10.15pm man tells hospital his friend has been stabbed in nearby park
What a cold heartless thing to say. Shame on you Daniel. I hope your Mother, Sister, Aunt or Daughter, or for that matter, their male equivalents don’t become victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse and if they do I hope they receive better empathy from those around them than you portray today.
My distain for these people is because of their using these experiences for political point scoring. Yesterday’s episode was a pre-arranged, coordinated ‘protest’. They played on experiences that haunt many NZ’ers, and belittled every survivor of abuse in so doing.
[RL: This is your only and last warning. I am running zero tolerance for idiocy on this thread. Repeat anything like this and you will take a week off.]
“They played on experiences that haunt many NZ’ers, and belittled every survivor of abuse in so doing.” Referring to the women MP’s who walked out of the house yesterday.
Are you a survivor of sexual abuse? Did you feel belittled?
I AM a survivor and I felt strengthened by their actions. By standing up to the PM they also honoured all of us who are survivors. They did something very powerful and true to themselves. We need to be proud of them. I am.
[RL: No quibble with your comment at all – but Daniel is very much on warning.]
Hi Rosie. Given the threat of a ban, I will be careful. In answer to your questions, yes and yes. As a teenager I was indecently assaulted by an older man, not once but several times. But I also have based my comments on listening to feedback from other survivors. My sympathies to you for your experience. I certainly meant no offence to you.
Likewise Daniel, I’m sorry you had that experience. Thank you for sharing.
So you can see we all respond in different ways to others speaking up. Perhaps our perceptions are coloured by the way we handle our experiences, eg, we transfer our anger on to other victims and whether we did or didn’t have access to support. I’m not sure.
I do know those women would have to pull some deep seated strength from inside to speak out so publicly and under such duress in the house. Some, including Metiria Turei did this for the very time. That is the hardest time ever.
The night before they spoke out they would have talked to their families and partners. Quite a bit of psychological energy would have gone into that.
They didn’t pull a stunt, they stood up for all victims.
In my eyes they have increased their mana considerably.
But thats just my view and I respect that you, as a fellow survivor might view it differently.
I’m not feigning compassion for anyone. I have little or no compassion for the inhabitants of the detention centre. The vast majority are criminal ratbags, who are being detained pending deportation.
Strange, I could have sworn that the National MPs had stayed in parliament rather than walk out in response to their leader’s and the Speakers vitriol.
Disturbing but not surprising that the government is planning to stuff the environment court with its own people after it didn’t get its way with undersea mining off Taranaki and the Chatham Islands. This will turn the court into a rubber stamp for all environmentally harmful projects (otherwise why would they bother changing it). It was also interesting to see on a news item someone involved with one of the projects saying it had cost them a lot of money. That’s the sort of thing that will lead to the government being sued in future, not just for lost spending but any potential profit.
If the courts say NO to this government then the government says WE CHANGE THE LAWS.
The National government have gone too far, they are dictators in the way they behave.
If a government spies on it’s people on mass and then starts replacing the judges and changing the judicial laws to serve their own interests – people need to face it, we are NOT being run as a democracy.
In the early 80s Muldoon didn’t like the High Court ruling against the building of the Clyde Dam so he introduced legislation to get around it. At the time this was shocking, that the government could overrule the courts. But this kind of flouting democracy and its institutions and conventions is routine now and people barely bat an eyelid. That’s the legacy of the Key government. I bet they are proud.
This is why we need a way to limit the power of government. They should not be able to do whatever they like as that always results in arbitrary rule changes as we’re seeing now under this government.
1. “TPP Financial Services Chapter Opens Door To Broader ISDS Claims
Updated: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) chapter on financial services gives private firms in that sector broader grounds to sue member governments than previous U.S. free trade agreements by incorporating obligations for parties to accord a “minimum standard of treatment” to financial services investments and subjecting that commitment to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).
2. “The real reason Wall Street loves the Trans-Pacific Partnership”
US-based banks are going to make money selling financial services in Asia, and some of that money will flow into the pockets of people who work in the financial services sector in the United States. That’s why the US Coalition for TPP includes the American Insurance Association, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. http://www.vox.com/2015/11/11/9706360/tpp-financial-services
Thanks for keeping an eye on this ball TRP… I suspect it is just ONE of many issues the government wants to distract us from (hence the appalling behaviour by our PM)
Has anyone tried to play the Todd Barclay question from yesterday? I have tried every connectable device I have and they all say it’s not there. All the other questions are there just not this one. What are The Speaker? and Tandem Studios up to? And did anyone record the live stream?
Question 1 video is still not coming up on the Parliament TV Archives site.
In case you haven’t checked today’s QT questions, Question 12 is related to yesterday’s Q1, ie
RON MARK to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his answers to Oral Question No. 1 on 11 November 2015?
Kelvin Davis also has a question to the PM today (although he will presumably not be in the House) at Q7 – the standard “Does he stand by all his statements”. Christmas Island related, no doubt.
Paul Henry’s thoughtful viewers have worked it out:
It’s KELVIN DAVIS who’s causing all the trouble on Christmas Island! Paul Henry, TV3, Thursday 12 November 2015
Television viewer polls have about as much credibility as an Ohio election count. No one except fools, psychopaths and ACT voters would ever take one seriously. The Paul Henry daily poll question is always inane, and often quite offensive. Yesterday, the question asked was “Do you care about the Christmas Island detainees?” Seventy per cent of respondents said NO.
The same viewers who don’t care about people being illegally detained by a scofflaw regime have obviously been thinking hard about this, and have this morning been sharing their insights with Charlotte in the tech bunker….
PAUL HENRY: People are going to get bored with this Christmas Island detainees story soon.
HILLARY BARRY:[nodding] Mmmm. Yes.
JIM KAYES:[nodding] Hmmmm.
PAUL HENRY: I told Kelvin Davis that when he was on the program. Charlotte in the tech bunker, what are the viewers saying?
CHARLOTTE: Actually, Paul, people are saying he should GET OUT OF THERE. They reckon that Kelvin Davis is the catalyst for the rioting.
PAUL HENRY: “The catalyst for the rioting”? That’s giving him more credit than he deserves. He hasn’t got that much influence. But he’s still cranking it up….
So all Henry has proven is that FACTS are irrelevant if the person pushing the misinformation is sincere enough in their deception of the audience, or sincere in their ignorance?
I think calling the people who vote in those ridiculous polls “ignorant” is indulging them. I think they know perfectly well that the Australian government is breaking the law, that the prisoners are being ill treated, and that Key is nothing more than a crony of the Australian regime. Those viewers are—like Henry—simply determined to back the government, no matter what, and are indifferent to the suffering of other people.
I don’t think Henry is ignorant. He shows signs now and again that he does have a sense of right and wrong. For entirely ideological and partisan reasons, however, he almost always sides with the government.
FYI – amongst the chaos in the House yesterday, the following petition made it’s way into the Parliamentary ‘sausage machine’ ……
Petition of Penelope Mary Bright and 55 others
That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the cost-effectiveness, transparency, and democratic accountability to Auckland Council and the majority of Auckland citizens and ratepayers, of all Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs).
Petition number: 2014/33
Presented by: Ron Mark
Date presented: 11 November 2015
Referred to: Local Government and Environment Committee
“Agrochemical giant Monsanto knowingly contaminated Oakland’s storm water and the San Francisco Bay with a highly toxic chemical for decades, a new lawsuit filed by the California city claims. Oakland wants the company to pay for the environmental cleanup.
The State Water Resources Control Board determined that the presence of highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in Oakland’s storm water threatens the San Francisco Bay’s ecosystem and interferes with the bay’s use and enjoyment by Californians, the city said in a statement….
(Doesn’t ACT support and advocate for Monsanto?…free market and all that….and where will the TPPA leave NZ and Monsanto?)
Fistbump. I too got a new PS4 for the game. Just the standard edition of Fallout, though. The game arrived yesterday so I’m only a couple of hours into it.
Part of the problem is that Little’s parents voted National likewise Clark.
They really want to believe in the status quo like TPP. Nobody could possibly be lying to them could they?
Little need to bring a different type of Labour member like Kelly Ellis into their cosy meetings with the Natz, someone who has a better understanding of power corruption than Little, Shearer etc and outside the mould and used to experiencing criminal and morally bankrupt behaviour without the veneer of parliament to soften the impression.
However, instead of walking away, it seems Labour think renegotiating their ability to ban offshore buyers somehow resolves the whole investor settlement dispute and loss of sovereignty concern.
@The Chairman – crazy Labour position – their voters will NOT like them selling out on the other 4 conditions (if that is their position which quite frankly I’m keen to find out in a clear way – the txt is out – so they need to make a clear decision) which clearly have NOT been met. In particular ISDS and Pharma sell outs.
Who does everyone believe, Jane Kelsey – International Law expert or Grosser who is an idiot?
A Waikato law student is suing the government over its climate change policy, claiming its greenhouse gas emissions targets were arrived at illegally, and that the low emissions reduction pledge it will make in the upcoming UN climate conference in Paris in December is “unreasonable and irrational”.
Thanks Karen. That’s a solid history of the Key government’s failings towards survivors of sexual abuse in regard to funding cuts left right and centre since 2008. It also puts a spotlight on Key’s own persistently misogynist behaviour. He’s got a really troubling track record. He’s a freaking creep.
People forget that the only reason Ms Billingsley went public with her identity as the victim of attempted rape is that the PM said if he knew her name he would apologise.
“”I don’t know her name. Obviously it’s a matter of privacy, but I think there’s been plenty of public comments that would echo what I’ve just said,” he said.
Asked whether he would apologise if he did know her name, Mr Key said: “Yes, in so much that I believe that she shouldn’t have had to go through what she went through.”
And then reneged cos it wasn’t a “serious reason” to apologise…
Yeah he really supports victims of sexual crime our PM.
…+100…good!…at last the NZ farmers are sitting up and taking notice…and opposing the TPPA…of course it will lead to foreign farm ownership!
…really the TPPA is only good for jonkey and his bankster / investment mates like Goldman Sachs…NZ is being led like a lamb to the slaughter…they will gut New Zealand
The current ‘free’ trade deals have already led to huge farm sales. Are the farmer’s benefiting from this ‘prosperity’ – I would think at $4.80 kg of milk solids – NOT.
Instead of foreigners buying our milk they are buying our country.
abour’s Member’s Bill to ban foreign buyers from purchasing existing homes will achieve what the Government failed to in its Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
“The Government should adopt the Overseas Investment (Protection of New Zealand Homebuyers) Amendment Bill and get New Zealand the carve out Australia secured through its negotiations.
“The sovereignty of the New Zealand Parliament should never have been traded away and this Bill is a case in point.
“Opinion polls show New Zealanders overwhelmingly want non-resident investors stopped from buying homes here.
“Labour isn’t against foreign investors but inviting overseas speculators to trade in Kiwi homes for capital gain is entirely non-productive. It produces no jobs or exports, and pushes up house prices beyond the reach of first homebuyers.
“In the past year in Australia, a similar policy as resulted in $30 billion worth of overseas money building new homes there. My Bill will result in foreign investors channelling their capital into the building of new houses in New Zealand,” Phil Twyford says
Labour isn’t against foreign investors but inviting overseas speculators to trade in Kiwi homes for capital gain is entirely non-productive. It produces no jobs or exports, and pushes up house prices beyond the reach of first homebuyers.
“In the past year in Australia, a similar policy has resulted in $30 billion worth of overseas money building new homes there”
Billions of dollars worth of overseas money being invested in land here (Auckland) will drive up the price of land, thus add to the cost of housing. Defeating the objective.
Re Carters ruling on acceptable language in the chamber; today in Q1 at QT Robertson challenged Carter to let him use Key type language in a question. Watch from 7:30. as Carter tries to justify his ruling. http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/
Why is Radio New Zealand citing a scurrilous Murdoch rag? Checkpoint, RNZ National, Thursday 12 November 2015, 5:15 p.m.
Surely the coverage of the Christmas Island detainees is shoddy enough without supposedly serious outlets like Radio New Zealand parroting the Murdoch press.
On Checkpoint this afternoon, Ruth Hill claimed that public opinion in Australia was “hardening against the Christmas Island detainees.” As evidence of this “hardening of public opinion”, she cited an item in the notorious Murdoch rag the Brisbane Courier Mail, which included the phrase “Thug Kiwis” in the headline.
We need decent, honest, rigorous reporting of what the Australian government is doing, and what its junior partner John Key is approving. So far, Radio New Zealand is failing badly.
“When Wightman was released from jail in September, Western Australia’s prisoners review board noted he had completed all rehabilitation programs and had demonstrated “a motivation to change his offending behaviour”.
“A limited criminal history indicates an ability to lead a pro-social life,” it said.
But Wightman was apprehended immediately on leaving prison and detained at Yongah Hill detention centre, 90km east of Perth, for eight weeks before he was suddenly flown to Christmas Island in the middle of the night.
Some of the other guys’ stories, they are just tragic. These people shouldn’t be there. This is just wrong
Gary Wightman
Wightman’s brother Gary told Guardian Australia it was “morally wrong” that his brother was being held in immigration detention indefinitely.
“It’s just wrong on any moral level that people are in there in those conditions. Ian was convicted of a crime, he was sentenced and punished. He served his time and he was rehabilitated. He was released a free man but then they arrested him at the gates.”
He said Ian was finding immigration detention much harsher than prison. He has told family he was “keeping his head down” and did not participate in the riots that razed significant sections of the detention centre this week.
“But it’s just wrong. With prison, you’ve got your start date, you’ve got your end date,” Gary Wightman said, “you know how much time you have to serve. But this, it’s just the uncertainty, they’ve got no idea when he might be released. It’s unbelievable. This detention is far, far worse than prison.”
Gary Wightman said his brother had told him there were dozens of other detainees – known as 501s after the section of the Migration Act that applies to their cases – with similar lifelong links to Australia in detention, facing deportation to countries they hardly knew.
“Some of the other guys’ stories, they are just tragic. These people shouldn’t be there. This is just wrong,” he said.”
snip….
and oh lookit the rape thingy does come from OZ….(our PM is really just a Handpuppet)
““These people [on Christmas Island] are serious criminals and people who have been involved in attempted murder, in manslaughter, convictions for rape, convictions for grievous bodily harm and serious assaults otherwise.”
He said some detainees on Christmas Island had been assessed as an “extreme threat”.
Dutton said visa cancellation for non-citizens convicted of a crime was unremarkable internationally and had been part of Australian migration law since the second world war.
“If somebody is here on a visa … if they’ve committed a crime they have their visa cancelled. And they face the criminal penalty and administratively their visa is cancelled. In this case they’re taken into custody and they await deportation.”
The number of people detained under section 501 rose more than 600% in a year, from 76 in 2013-14 to 580 in 2014-15.”
Just caught on TV1 News that the government is looking at stopping people betting offshore as the TAB is losing money.
It appears that the politicians really didn’t know what they were doing when they signed all those FTAs and joined the WTO that allowed for and encouraged free money movement across borders.
“Some people might be surprised to find there are 25 registered banks in New Zealand.
Of those, the big four Aussie lenders dominate, with about 90 per cent market share.
ANZ, ASB, BNZ, and Westpac have just hauled in a collective $4.59 billion of annual net profits, hoovered out of the pockets of New Zealanders to feather nests across the Tasman.
Some politicians believe the super-profits are “strip-mining” the economy…
‘Brian Gaynor: Profits for banks, loss for New Zealand’
….”Finally, the banks have a huge influence over the allocation of the country’s economic resources because we have a shortage of equity and a strong reliance on borrowings to fund commercial activity.
The banks, particularly the four major Australian-owned banks, have a strong bias towards the housing market as residential mortgages now represent 50.5 per cent of total bank lending compared with 47.7 per cent at the end of 2004. By comparison, residential mortgages have fallen from 36.3 per cent to 35.2 per cent of total Australian bank lending over the same period
…The combination of offshore borrowing and residential property lending is a prudent strategy as far as the overseas banks are concerned, from both an earnings and capital requirement point of view.
But it is not a win-win situation as far as the New Zealand economy is concerned, particularly considering the impact on the country’s current account deficit.
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
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Key doesn’t turn up to parliament on a Thursday, does he?
To use his own words “Get some guts.”
A song for the PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2e4NlnLr28
No chance of him apologising today (or ever probably) Conveniently, he’s on his way to Malaysia.
The talk here on TS over the last few days on the issue of inhumane treatment of Australians who are NZ citizens in Australian detention camps has been as usual, a very high calibre of conversation. I’ve had no time to contribute.
Briefly however I will say, how strong and dignified are our women MP’s who would not be shut down in their objections to Key’s amazingly offensive rapists remarks?
Huge love and respect to you. You are true leaders and shining lights against the darkness of our misogynist PM.
Tania Billingsley.
Amanda Bailey
The victims of a prominent NZer.
Survivors of sexual assault, abuse and rape sitting across from you in the house.
And you have nothing but contempt for them PM. Shame on you.
+100 Rosie
Malaysia Huh?
Speaking of Tania Billingsley, I wonder if the PM will conveniently avoid the start of the Rizalman trial?
Betcha he’s hoping for a guilty plea so it will be all over by the time he gets back.
Good on you Miravox. I was wondering when that was going to take place.
I’m sure our PM will do what it takes to avoid, deflect and divert any fallout heading his way………………
@ Rosie (1.1) –
Agree with you. And also where were the NatzKEY MPs supporting their Opposition colleagues and other NZ victims of brutal assault and abuse?
Surely they don’t ALL go along with FJK!
Do they?
I often wonder what the women Natz MP’s really think and feel about Key’s behaviour and statements around abuse of women, including what happened in the house on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Are they so un self aware that they don’t understand that they themselves are being disempowered by their own leader, or are they really not ok with him but just go along with him out of blind loyalty, or are reluctant to speak out against him because they believe they may get attacked and/or humiliated?
@ Rosie (1.1.3.1) –
Yep. All of what you have said in your last paragraph. They could have stood their ground, uniting with ALL victims of violent physical assault and mental abuse and walked out. But they chose not to, preferring to turn their backs on too many Kiwis hurt and maimed at the hands of others, to protect their own positions I’d say, thereby strengthening FJK’s hold on power! Shame on them!
FJK is a thug and a bully and I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate to threaten or intimidate any NatzKEY MP, particularly women, if they dared challenge him!
He’s a filthy cesspit dweller!
Paula Bennett is leading the charge pretending that Key and she are for protecting the victims of detainees…
That they are Australians, in Australia rather makes a lie of Key’s pronouncement that “we are for helping New Zealanders”
An excellent piece by Brian Rudman on “The shameful lack of political fallout over Aussie Gulags” :
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11543178
“The inhumane policy the Australians have adopted of shipping these people to holding pens on remote Christmas Island, 2650 km northwest of Perth, is an outrage.”
And, “To our shame, New Zealand’s submission to the Australia review made no mention of this.”
If your best mate is a bully, shouldn’t you do something about it?
“Seven New Zealanders have been flown off Christmas Island, as images emerge of the damage caused by rioting at the detention centre.
The ABC reported it had witnessed detainees being transported to the Christmas Island airport.
Australia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton subsequently confirmed their removal to a correctional facility in Western Australia.”
This action (of flying detainess to a WA prison) shows they could have just put them on a plane to NZ at anytime.
I believe a deal has been done between Turnbull and Key but the deal is the Aussies hold them until Ms Adams has time to get her legislation through.
Then Key can say he has protected New Zealanders from the marauding hoardes of barbarians descending upon our shores.
There HAS been a deal between mates Paul, just not the deal most imagined.
“This action (of flying detainess to a WA prison) shows they could have just put them on a plane to NZ at anytime.”
A very valid point, You talk one hell of a lot of common sense Tracey, but there again that is something we have come to expect from you.
You make me blush
“This action (of flying detainess to a WA prison) shows they could have just put them on a plane to NZ at anytime.”
“A very valid point, You talk one hell of a lot of common sense Tracey, but there again that is something we have come to expect from you.”
That is assuming they have a passport.
You do realise that these dangerous crims are restrained and there is security for the safety of the crew on the chartered flight.
Its not like they can be put on a flight with other passengers.
“You do realise that these dangerous crims are restrained and there is security for the safety of the crew on the chartered flight.”
dangerous crims eh?
Like Angela Russell, shoplifter, Aussie and happens to be an NZ citizen.
“Angela Russell is also in the detention centre.
She was found guilty of shoplifting $1300-worth of cosmetics. It was her fifth offence.
So far she has spent six months there – twice as long as her sentence.
She moved to Australia when she was three years old. That was 37 years ago.”
Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/hundreds-of-kiwis-face-deportation-in-australia-2015091317#ixzz3rETuwv4U
Yeah. I wouldn’t want to sit next to her on a flight. She might want to share some of her Lancome contraband around.
Rosie
Your five time crim is not on Christmas island.
There are no women children or shoplifters at Christmas Island detention centre, only dangerous criminal scumbags.
Thankfully some of them will now be doing another stretch for causing more than 1$mill damage.
Correct Naki Man. She’s not. She’s in another detention centre. Does that make it ok? Is it ok by international human rights expectations that a country would detain a criminal AFTER they had completed their sentence? What makes it worse is that Australia has multiple detention centres. Geez these guys haven’t moved on from the eighteenth and nineteeth century penal colonies.
Those “dangerous criminal scumbags” would be better placed to rehab their lives, post imprisonment, in their own communities, surrounded by their own families and networks, in their own country would they not?
They are Australians, they belong there. They just happen to be born here but this country means little to the ones the media have spoken to.
“Those “dangerous criminal scumbags” would be better placed to rehab their lives, post imprisonment, in their own communities, surrounded by their own families and networks, in their own country would they not?”
Probably, For some of them the company they keep might be part of their problem. At the end of the day the Australians will deport these crims and we cant stop them. I have no sympathy for slow learners, just the victims of their crimes.
“That is assuming they have a passport.
You do realise that these dangerous crims are restrained and there is security for the safety of the crew on the chartered flight.
Its not like they can be put on a flight with other passengers.”
Do tell me O Wise one with your superior knowledge. How the fuck did they fly them to Perth?
Did you not read the bit that you copied?
Naki man, you’re full of shit.
Because when Phillip Smith was deported from South America, the actual rapist and murderer (a real one, not just names key uses for political advantage) who had fled custody was flown back on a commercial flight with regular passengers.
So, once again, you don’t let facts get in the way of your bile.
McFlock
Did you not read your link
“We saw him getting off the plane, there was quite a big police escort with him.”
That’s right,” Quite a big police escort” for one prisoner.
There is no way that a bunch of dangerous criminal scumbags will be allowed to fly on a commercial flight.
That is why the rioters where restrained and flown on a chartered plane back to WA. Those are the facts Muppert
“Quite a big police escort”. lol
Three officers were with him on the plane.
And of course the only reason the aussies flew seven prisoners at once was because the aussies chose to intern them all in the same shitty place at the same time. When, as Tracey said, the Aussies could have just put them on a plane at any time. Even individually over a few days. Like NZ did with an actual rapist and murderer, rather than someone who got caught up when aussie politicians played to the fucktard anti-immigrant brigade.
He’s running diversion lines for the PM. Those RW Key supporters who have decided to post have shown themselves up as gullible fools
‘RW Key supporters’
Or as I like to call them, Keydophiles.
😉
So? Charter a plane and fly em back. Use a Hercules. You realise that by far the majority of the Kiwis are not dangerous criminals? Or are you still swallowing the PM’s lies, put out just for gullible fools like you to swallow and repeat?
Do you really not see the difference between flying between two places in the same country and between one country and another?
Do you not see that the reason they are in detention is because they do not want to come back to New Zealand?
Do you really think they would thank us if we sent a plane over there and, given we have no right to do so, kidnapped them and brought them to New Zealand?
Come on Tracey, you are normally much more sensible than this.
Now, just what do you think that the New Zealand Government can do to change Australia’s actions?
Short of going to war of course.
“… for instance, indecent treatment or dealings with a child under 16,…”
Key is standing up for the victims of sexual violence you say”?
So, he would never support, in any way, say, the Prominent New Zealander awaiting trial? Right?
“A prominent New Zealander charged with indecent assault has been granted interim name suppression till the beginning of his trial.
Heavy suppression orders mean the man cannot be identified, nor can his alleged victims or their ages.
Name suppression lapsed on February 19 but the man had his identity protected for one month to allow him the chance to appeal. The appeal was lodged on March 19 and heard today in the High Court at Auckland before Justice Raynor Asher.
Several media organisations, including NZME. publisher of The New Zealand Herald, lodged a joint request for the appeal to be heard with urgency.
The man denies 12 charges of indecent assault against two people, including two representative charges. He has elected trial by jury.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
What’s the story on the front page of the Dom Post that he holds up?
See Andrew Little take on Key and Carter! – http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/11/11/parliament-under-attack-second-day-of-mp-walk-outs/#sthash.G13MXyex.dpuf
(Maybe someone can provide a direct link to the vid)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcTZ0-CC9E
THAT sounds like someone who can be a Prime Minister. Like Key at the same stage (and now) Little struggles off the cuff, but is improving faster than Key.
Ms Watkins’ opinion piece on Stuff regarding the current uproar in parliament is a disgrace. Firstly, the entire focus for the first several paragraphs is on the opposition’s walkouts, rather than the substance of the issue (the fact that this is precisely what was predicted by several commentators on this site and elsewhere does not make it any less disgraceful for a senior journalist to adopt that framing). Secondly, she posits that Labour should have taken the view that Key adopted with his “backing the rapists” comment, and criticised him for being soft on the presumed criminals when they arrived on these shores.
This, in its turn, is a twice-craven position to adopt. For one thing, it suggests that the only acceptable view (Morally? Politically? The distinction appears to be of no significance for Watkins) is to support the right-wing desire to be indiscriminately tough on suspected criminals over universal respect for human rights. For another, she attaches the condition that Key is correct in insinuating that the majority of those New Zealanders in detention are offenders of the most serious kind. Even if we generously assume that she is not implying that he is correct in doing so, it would seem that she is basing her opinion in a purportedly serious publication on hearsay from the Prime Minister, whereas it should be her job as a journalist to provide informed opinion, and existing work by other news outlets, such as TV3, suggests that it is not difficult to obtain better information on that subject. Either she is incompetent, misleading by omission, or both. There are no other possible interpretations.
Thirdly, in stating that the opposition is on the wrong side of public opinion on the issue, she once again takes it upon herself to pronounce upon public opinion in a forum which exists precisely for the purpose of informing and influencing public opinion. This may be admissible if she were reporting on an historical issue, whose outcome is a done deal and no longer to be influenced; it may also be admissible if she were to introduce some sort of data such as a poll to make her pronouncements tangibly contestable. As it stands, however, it amounts to saying, “This is what you should think because you think this way already.” The very worst kind of begging the question.
And this is the crux. Key has a deal with Turnbull. It is Adams ramming through some legislation quickly (while the Aussies hold the kiwis offshore) so he can say “I am being hard on them”. But he needs time. And Turnbull has given him that time. Hence so-called troublemakers were flown yesterday to Perth and not to Wellington.
As for Watkins, if the public is on Key’s side it is because journalists like her have not presented the facts, deception and obfuscation by the PM to them. Have not investigated and continue to substitute opinionising for reporting.
Through his many actions in relation to treatment of girls and women in this country Key is making this an increasingly unsafe place for girls to thrive by allowing (it seems) large portions of our male society to believe that how they view and treat women is acceptable.
example
http://covertheathlete.com/
This one is for our PM
“So, did you hear about the hair controversy?”
Asked of Gabrielle Douglas
“I just wonder if her dad did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14: ‘Listen, you’re never going to be a looker, you are never going to be somebody like a Sharapova, you’re never going to be 5ft 11, you’re never going to be somebody with long legs, so you have to compensate for that,'”
BBC Commentator about Marion Bartoli”
“You’re getting a lot of fans here,” “A lot of them are male, and they want to know: If you could date anyone in the world of sport, of movies – I’m sorry, they asked me to say this – who would you date?”
Channel 7, to Eugenie Bouchard”
”
“As your profile rises, people find out more about you, your breast reduction surgery was three or four years ago. Does that play any part in your success? What about outside the tennis?”
Asked of Simona Halep”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol9VhBDKZs0
I wonder what options are available to “be hard on” people who have been convicted of a crime overseas, then served their sentence overseas, then been deported here.
Edit: or not been convicted of a crime (or even charged) and deported here anyway.
She has indicated they will impose strong parole provisions on them… You can do anything if you have an Act allowing it.
Of course the Act maybe completely contravene our International obligations, which Srylands and others told us yesterday they and this Government hold so important.
I suppose; I would have thought there’d be human rights issues with paroling people who’ve been law-abiding for a number of years post-sentence, as according to various sources some of them have.
Hence I wrote
“Of course the Act maybe completely contravene our International obligations, which Srylands and others told us yesterday they and this Government hold so important.”
underneath that comment
Sorry, I was agreeing with you, but also with regards to our own human rights laws… assuming we have any.
ah, I get ya…
eroded under this governemnt….
respect and compassion for the vulnerable
privacy
environment (no pun intended)
democratic representation
respect for females
Our BORA is not supreme law and so parliament can pass legislation that contravenes it.
Yep.
AND pass laws that prevent the discriminated against ever making a complaint to the Human Rights Commission or Tribunal ever again.
Tracy Watkins has consistently been one of Key’s main cheerleaders in the press gallery. Briefly yesterday she sympathised with the women walking out, and wrote something almost neutral for the website, but it didn’t last long. I also suspect she was behind the vitriolic anti-Little editorial in the Dominion Post on Monday.
I find she blows hot and cold, so I think in what counts as journalism today that makes her neutral 😉
BUT this is what happens when journalists are only required to have an opinion on things rather than research and present two sides of something with facts.
Opinions are like arseholes. Everyone has one.
I disagree. I was always puzzled to see the extent to which John Armstrong was criticised on here, when he in general at least structured articles as a discourse proceeding from a range of facts, whereas Watkins consistently structures her articles to proceed from a pro-Key (specifically Key personally, more than National) or anti-Labour spin, and to supplement it only such assertions (or, less often, facts) as would support that spin. This has been her modus operandi since before National were elected to the government benches in 2008.
Very strong criticism of Key in today’s Dominion editorial and also from Vernon Small.
hardly makes up for the bol****s they wrote in Monday’s editorial
Wrong. Aussie immigration policy is a national scandal, children raped, children self harming. Abbott forced out. The spin doctors wanted for sometime to portray those in detention as criminals, but the last people who turn up after waiting years and limited cash left are those who would turned away immediately with criminal records.
So what cost Abbott his job? Sending criminals who have served their time, not doing the correct thing, allowing a judge at sentencing to deliberate, or allowing convicted criminals time before release to make a case, no the immediacy of the extension of punishment is what so undermines the integrity of the whole sorry saga. And now we hear that one suicide later, a riot, that they are criminals, why did so prick realize that they have human rights, that having served their time it was prejudical, or worse that those individuals use as political pawns might have huge ongoing political blowback for years. Aka why Abbott was ejected seated from on high.
But its worse. Imagine that, you put hardened agitators with long histories of civil disobedience in with families desperate to do the right thing to win favor. It was always going to come to a riot, that’s the worst form of govt, putting rapists in with children.
So let discuss Key, firstly he should resign as is obvious from English smirking at the time it was premeditated. Second, Key is endevavoring to do right by these convicted kiwis. Third, how does it help the oz pm when he was expecting to get the criminal immigration photo op turdblossum, now he has the nightmare of rapists with immigrant families in detention. Fourth, well done opposition for helping make that connection it seems the opposition played this up, dragged their feet, to let the world peak in on how empty hollow Key is. Remembering that putting Key with a class of long hair girls…
But wait. So for real. A kiwi who lived his whole waking life in oz, without family in nz, with no knowledge of culture, of language differences, is hauled out of prison after serving their time, to be told they have no life effectively, and so killed themselves. Wtf.
Parliament shame. Its the debased nature of the debate led by the PM that should sicken.
Ponce-Key-Fanboy-Rawdon-Christie…….TV One Breakfast this morning…….the loyal smarm cheerleading for the unrepentant waitress assailant……identifying the essential issue as this – “Question Time in Parliament is just too unruly !!!” – (suggestion of pearls clutching and “tut tut tut”).
“Unruly” because Carter is incompetent?
Incompetent…….at concealing that he’s a mere cypher. It’s really The Ponce-Key sitting in that chair.
Man is stabbed in a park. His friend goes to the nearby hospital to get help and then returns to his injured friend. Hospital rings police and sends ambulance but can’t find the injured man so they give up. Injured man is carried by his friend and another man to hospital, but dies after arrival.
Here’s the timeline,
Man stabbed sometime during the evening
10.15pm man tells hospital his friend has been stabbed in nearby park
10.16pm hospital notify police
10.52pm amulance called
~ 11pm man carried friend into hospital
11.12pm ambulance cancelled (by police)
11.19pm stabbed man dies
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11543929
Looks like several systemic failures, but the bit I left out is that both men are described as homeless.
…and we should be far more concerned about that than a bunch of no-hopers walking out of parliament.
What a cold heartless thing to say. Shame on you Daniel. I hope your Mother, Sister, Aunt or Daughter, or for that matter, their male equivalents don’t become victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse and if they do I hope they receive better empathy from those around them than you portray today.
My distain for these people is because of their using these experiences for political point scoring. Yesterday’s episode was a pre-arranged, coordinated ‘protest’. They played on experiences that haunt many NZ’ers, and belittled every survivor of abuse in so doing.
[RL: This is your only and last warning. I am running zero tolerance for idiocy on this thread. Repeat anything like this and you will take a week off.]
lolz, a bullshit politicallly manipulative comment if I ever saw one. Do tell us about all the work you’ve done on rape and violence prevention in NZ.
Daniel Cale
You say:
“They played on experiences that haunt many NZ’ers, and belittled every survivor of abuse in so doing.” Referring to the women MP’s who walked out of the house yesterday.
Are you a survivor of sexual abuse? Did you feel belittled?
I AM a survivor and I felt strengthened by their actions. By standing up to the PM they also honoured all of us who are survivors. They did something very powerful and true to themselves. We need to be proud of them. I am.
[RL: No quibble with your comment at all – but Daniel is very much on warning.]
Yes, saw that thanks RL. Good.
Hi Rosie. Given the threat of a ban, I will be careful. In answer to your questions, yes and yes. As a teenager I was indecently assaulted by an older man, not once but several times. But I also have based my comments on listening to feedback from other survivors. My sympathies to you for your experience. I certainly meant no offence to you.
Likewise Daniel, I’m sorry you had that experience. Thank you for sharing.
So you can see we all respond in different ways to others speaking up. Perhaps our perceptions are coloured by the way we handle our experiences, eg, we transfer our anger on to other victims and whether we did or didn’t have access to support. I’m not sure.
I do know those women would have to pull some deep seated strength from inside to speak out so publicly and under such duress in the house. Some, including Metiria Turei did this for the very time. That is the hardest time ever.
The night before they spoke out they would have talked to their families and partners. Quite a bit of psychological energy would have gone into that.
They didn’t pull a stunt, they stood up for all victims.
In my eyes they have increased their mana considerably.
But thats just my view and I respect that you, as a fellow survivor might view it differently.
and yet you are not, cos Weka posted it, and her concern, not you.
you think that women who have been sexually assaulted and have worked to support those who have been sexually assaulted are ‘no-hopers’?
Good to know that your compassion only applies to the people that you approve of and that that excludes women and rape victims.
When you are feigning compassion, as Daniel is, it is hard to get it right
bullseye
I’m not feigning compassion for anyone. I have little or no compassion for the inhabitants of the detention centre. The vast majority are criminal ratbags, who are being detained pending deportation.
“you think that women who have been sexually assaulted and have worked to support those who have been sexually assaulted are ‘no-hopers’?”
When did I say that?
Strange, I could have sworn that the National MPs had stayed in parliament rather than walk out in response to their leader’s and the Speakers vitriol.
Yes well concern for anyone would be a start Dannie. You work on that ok?
I am concerned for the future victims of these criminals who Labour and the Greens call ‘NZ’ers’ but who don’t even want to come here.
And National and the Australian government call New Zealanders.
Disturbing but not surprising that the government is planning to stuff the environment court with its own people after it didn’t get its way with undersea mining off Taranaki and the Chatham Islands. This will turn the court into a rubber stamp for all environmentally harmful projects (otherwise why would they bother changing it). It was also interesting to see on a news item someone involved with one of the projects saying it had cost them a lot of money. That’s the sort of thing that will lead to the government being sued in future, not just for lost spending but any potential profit.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/government-considers-changes-to-epa-after-mining-applications-rejected
It’s just the environment, we dont need it to survive. Unlike money.
If the courts say NO to this government then the government says WE CHANGE THE LAWS.
The National government have gone too far, they are dictators in the way they behave.
If a government spies on it’s people on mass and then starts replacing the judges and changing the judicial laws to serve their own interests – people need to face it, we are NOT being run as a democracy.
National have always been dictators but they’re getting more blatant in their dictatorial actions.
In the early 80s Muldoon didn’t like the High Court ruling against the building of the Clyde Dam so he introduced legislation to get around it. At the time this was shocking, that the government could overrule the courts. But this kind of flouting democracy and its institutions and conventions is routine now and people barely bat an eyelid. That’s the legacy of the Key government. I bet they are proud.
+1
This is why we need a way to limit the power of government. They should not be able to do whatever they like as that always results in arbitrary rule changes as we’re seeing now under this government.
Two interesting TPP snippets.
1. “TPP Financial Services Chapter Opens Door To Broader ISDS Claims
Updated: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) chapter on financial services gives private firms in that sector broader grounds to sue member governments than previous U.S. free trade agreements by incorporating obligations for parties to accord a “minimum standard of treatment” to financial services investments and subjecting that commitment to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).
http://insidetrade.com/
2. “The real reason Wall Street loves the Trans-Pacific Partnership”
US-based banks are going to make money selling financial services in Asia, and some of that money will flow into the pockets of people who work in the financial services sector in the United States. That’s why the US Coalition for TPP includes the American Insurance Association, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley.
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/11/9706360/tpp-financial-services
+1 TMM
Thanks for keeping an eye on this ball TRP… I suspect it is just ONE of many issues the government wants to distract us from (hence the appalling behaviour by our PM)
Has anyone tried to play the Todd Barclay question from yesterday? I have tried every connectable device I have and they all say it’s not there. All the other questions are there just not this one. What are The Speaker? and Tandem Studios up to? And did anyone record the live stream?
this one? I only found the transcript
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/business/qoa/51HansQ_20151111_00000001/1-economy%E2%80%94employment
What an error. Hansard has made a mistake – that was Patsy Barclay not Todd.
Question 1 video is still not coming up on the Parliament TV Archives site.
In case you haven’t checked today’s QT questions, Question 12 is related to yesterday’s Q1, ie
RON MARK to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his answers to Oral Question No. 1 on 11 November 2015?
Kelvin Davis also has a question to the PM today (although he will presumably not be in the House) at Q7 – the standard “Does he stand by all his statements”. Christmas Island related, no doubt.
Full questions – http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/?document=00HOH_OralQuestions
Paul Henry’s thoughtful viewers have worked it out:
It’s KELVIN DAVIS who’s causing all the trouble on Christmas Island!
Paul Henry, TV3, Thursday 12 November 2015
Television viewer polls have about as much credibility as an Ohio election count. No one except fools, psychopaths and ACT voters would ever take one seriously. The Paul Henry daily poll question is always inane, and often quite offensive. Yesterday, the question asked was “Do you care about the Christmas Island detainees?” Seventy per cent of respondents said NO.
The same viewers who don’t care about people being illegally detained by a scofflaw regime have obviously been thinking hard about this, and have this morning been sharing their insights with Charlotte in the tech bunker….
PAUL HENRY: People are going to get bored with this Christmas Island detainees story soon.
HILLARY BARRY: [nodding] Mmmm. Yes.
JIM KAYES: [nodding] Hmmmm.
PAUL HENRY: I told Kelvin Davis that when he was on the program. Charlotte in the tech bunker, what are the viewers saying?
CHARLOTTE: Actually, Paul, people are saying he should GET OUT OF THERE. They reckon that Kelvin Davis is the catalyst for the rioting.
PAUL HENRY: “The catalyst for the rioting”? That’s giving him more credit than he deserves. He hasn’t got that much influence. But he’s still cranking it up….
….ad nauseam….
So all Henry has proven is that FACTS are irrelevant if the person pushing the misinformation is sincere enough in their deception of the audience, or sincere in their ignorance?
I think calling the people who vote in those ridiculous polls “ignorant” is indulging them. I think they know perfectly well that the Australian government is breaking the law, that the prisoners are being ill treated, and that Key is nothing more than a crony of the Australian regime. Those viewers are—like Henry—simply determined to back the government, no matter what, and are indifferent to the suffering of other people.
I was calling Henry ignorant
I don’t think Henry is ignorant. He shows signs now and again that he does have a sense of right and wrong. For entirely ideological and partisan reasons, however, he almost always sides with the government.
Not a great surprise that Dipshit Henry’s audience is a select group of likeminded individuals.
FYI – amongst the chaos in the House yesterday, the following petition made it’s way into the Parliamentary ‘sausage machine’ ……
Petition of Penelope Mary Bright and 55 others
That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the cost-effectiveness, transparency, and democratic accountability to Auckland Council and the majority of Auckland citizens and ratepayers, of all Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs).
Petition number: 2014/33
Presented by: Ron Mark
Date presented: 11 November 2015
Referred to: Local Government and Environment Committee
Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright
+100 Penny…good solid work !…and by Ron Mark who presented…Auckland Council must be held to account
A whole 56 people! They will be shaking in their boots.
from small drops of water and tiny streams…mighty rivers flow…
‘Oakland sues Monsanto for ‘long-standing contamination’ of San Francisco Bay’
https://www.rt.com/usa/321630-oakland-monsanto-contamination-lawsuit/
“Agrochemical giant Monsanto knowingly contaminated Oakland’s storm water and the San Francisco Bay with a highly toxic chemical for decades, a new lawsuit filed by the California city claims. Oakland wants the company to pay for the environmental cleanup.
The State Water Resources Control Board determined that the presence of highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in Oakland’s storm water threatens the San Francisco Bay’s ecosystem and interferes with the bay’s use and enjoyment by Californians, the city said in a statement….
(Doesn’t ACT support and advocate for Monsanto?…free market and all that….and where will the TPPA leave NZ and Monsanto?)
+1 Chooky
We sure do
So thats what happens when you start drinking early in the morning…please disregard
You must be very drunk PR to start your day agreeing with something on TS 😉
Between the drinking and the Fallout 4 its been a hectic few days thats for sure
Good Lord man… I want YOUR job 😉
Naah I just took some time off
hell, that’s true dedication to the cause
I had to buy the new gen playstation specifically for the game and even got the collectors edition with the lunch box and bobblehead
Sometimes i wish i was living in the capital wasteland…
Fistbump. I too got a new PS4 for the game. Just the standard edition of Fallout, though. The game arrived yesterday so I’m only a couple of hours into it.
TPPA’s effects on councils to be analysed
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/hutt-news/73819158/regional-council-to-analyse-tppas-effects-on-wellington
Bill Rosenberg calls for an independent impact assessment of the TPPA, questioning the bias of committed parties like the Government, MFAT and NZIER.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11536850
This is a drum all opposition parties should be harmoniously banging.
Has Govt, MFAT and NZIER release their cost/benefit analyses?
I read Catherine Beard the other day and thought she was hardly impartial. I also marvelled at the speed by which she got through the 6000 pages.
Not as far as I’m aware, Tracey.
Meets 4 out of 5 of Labour’s “bottom lines.”
And yes, its amazing how fast they can read 6,000 pages in that caucus.
the scarey thing is I suspect that Labour believes the 4 out of 5 thing on the basis of the meeting with Groser.
Part of the problem is that Little’s parents voted National likewise Clark.
They really want to believe in the status quo like TPP. Nobody could possibly be lying to them could they?
Little need to bring a different type of Labour member like Kelly Ellis into their cosy meetings with the Natz, someone who has a better understanding of power corruption than Little, Shearer etc and outside the mould and used to experiencing criminal and morally bankrupt behaviour without the veneer of parliament to soften the impression.
With her experience with gang members she could see straight past Grosser and Key – gang members in suits of a different kind.
@ CV
So they now say.
Yet, they still concede to one not being met.
However, instead of walking away, it seems Labour think renegotiating their ability to ban offshore buyers somehow resolves the whole investor settlement dispute and loss of sovereignty concern.
@The Chairman – crazy Labour position – their voters will NOT like them selling out on the other 4 conditions (if that is their position which quite frankly I’m keen to find out in a clear way – the txt is out – so they need to make a clear decision) which clearly have NOT been met. In particular ISDS and Pharma sell outs.
Who does everyone believe, Jane Kelsey – International Law expert or Grosser who is an idiot?
Indeed.
http://www.nzgeographic.co.nz/atlarge/sarah-vs-the-state
A Waikato law student is suing the government over its climate change policy, claiming its greenhouse gas emissions targets were arrived at illegally, and that the low emissions reduction pledge it will make in the upcoming UN climate conference in Paris in December is “unreasonable and irrational”.
+100 …Go Waikato law student!
Fantastic article about John Key and his attitude to rape and abuse:
http://hadassahgrace.tumblr.com/post/132993554371/john-key-doesnt-care-about-rape-victims-he
Thanks Karen. That’s a solid history of the Key government’s failings towards survivors of sexual abuse in regard to funding cuts left right and centre since 2008. It also puts a spotlight on Key’s own persistently misogynist behaviour. He’s got a really troubling track record. He’s a freaking creep.
Italy had Silvio Berlusconi. We have John Key.
Given Key clearly thinks that apologies are for the weak, you have to ask yourself WHAT Slater has on him to get an apology from him.
” “I regret any harm that may have been caused to you or your family…”
23 Nov 2014
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/63454874/john-key-says-sorry-to-whale-oil.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11297168
People forget that the only reason Ms Billingsley went public with her identity as the victim of attempted rape is that the PM said if he knew her name he would apologise.
“”I don’t know her name. Obviously it’s a matter of privacy, but I think there’s been plenty of public comments that would echo what I’ve just said,” he said.
Asked whether he would apologise if he did know her name, Mr Key said: “Yes, in so much that I believe that she shouldn’t have had to go through what she went through.”
And then reneged cos it wasn’t a “serious reason” to apologise…
Yeah he really supports victims of sexual crime our PM.
Farmers think TPPA will lead to foreign farm ownership
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/73602915/farmers-think-tppa-will-lead-to-foreign-farm-ownership
…+100…good!…at last the NZ farmers are sitting up and taking notice…and opposing the TPPA…of course it will lead to foreign farm ownership!
…really the TPPA is only good for jonkey and his bankster / investment mates like Goldman Sachs…NZ is being led like a lamb to the slaughter…they will gut New Zealand
The current ‘free’ trade deals have already led to huge farm sales. Are the farmer’s benefiting from this ‘prosperity’ – I would think at $4.80 kg of milk solids – NOT.
Instead of foreigners buying our milk they are buying our country.
They will still vote for NACT in droves
They will turn to Winston Peters – he’s against foreign land sales.
They did in Northland.
Phil Twyfords Bill to prevent NON_Resident Foreign Speculators to buy property in NZ has been drawn and will be debated.
This is a good thing.
http://campaign.labour.org.nz/foreign_buyers_ban_will_achieve_what_govt_failed_to
abour’s Member’s Bill to ban foreign buyers from purchasing existing homes will achieve what the Government failed to in its Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
“The Government should adopt the Overseas Investment (Protection of New Zealand Homebuyers) Amendment Bill and get New Zealand the carve out Australia secured through its negotiations.
“The sovereignty of the New Zealand Parliament should never have been traded away and this Bill is a case in point.
“Opinion polls show New Zealanders overwhelmingly want non-resident investors stopped from buying homes here.
“Labour isn’t against foreign investors but inviting overseas speculators to trade in Kiwi homes for capital gain is entirely non-productive. It produces no jobs or exports, and pushes up house prices beyond the reach of first homebuyers.
“In the past year in Australia, a similar policy as resulted in $30 billion worth of overseas money building new homes there. My Bill will result in foreign investors channelling their capital into the building of new houses in New Zealand,” Phil Twyford says
So is Labour ok under TPP for other countries to sue us via IDS or set up Charter schools, reduce our biosecurity, and have lengthened patents then?
I don’t know. We could ask. In fact I will ask my Labour MP.
But for what its worth, this bill has been drawn and will be debated. And for today that is my good story.
baby steps. baby steps.
Foreign investment doesn’t do any of that either.
“In the past year in Australia, a similar policy has resulted in $30 billion worth of overseas money building new homes there”
Billions of dollars worth of overseas money being invested in land here (Auckland) will drive up the price of land, thus add to the cost of housing. Defeating the objective.
Re Carters ruling on acceptable language in the chamber; today in Q1 at QT Robertson challenged Carter to let him use Key type language in a question. Watch from 7:30. as Carter tries to justify his ruling.
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/
Why is Radio New Zealand citing a scurrilous Murdoch rag?
Checkpoint, RNZ National, Thursday 12 November 2015, 5:15 p.m.
Surely the coverage of the Christmas Island detainees is shoddy enough without supposedly serious outlets like Radio New Zealand parroting the Murdoch press.
On Checkpoint this afternoon, Ruth Hill claimed that public opinion in Australia was “hardening against the Christmas Island detainees.” As evidence of this “hardening of public opinion”, she cited an item in the notorious Murdoch rag the Brisbane Courier Mail, which included the phrase “Thug Kiwis” in the headline.
We need decent, honest, rigorous reporting of what the Australian government is doing, and what its junior partner John Key is approving. So far, Radio New Zealand is failing badly.
i guess they did not want to use this article of Thug Brits.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/nov/12/british-citizen-in-australia-for-50-of-51-years-faces-deportation-for-scrub-fire
“When Wightman was released from jail in September, Western Australia’s prisoners review board noted he had completed all rehabilitation programs and had demonstrated “a motivation to change his offending behaviour”.
“A limited criminal history indicates an ability to lead a pro-social life,” it said.
But Wightman was apprehended immediately on leaving prison and detained at Yongah Hill detention centre, 90km east of Perth, for eight weeks before he was suddenly flown to Christmas Island in the middle of the night.
Some of the other guys’ stories, they are just tragic. These people shouldn’t be there. This is just wrong
Gary Wightman
Wightman’s brother Gary told Guardian Australia it was “morally wrong” that his brother was being held in immigration detention indefinitely.
“It’s just wrong on any moral level that people are in there in those conditions. Ian was convicted of a crime, he was sentenced and punished. He served his time and he was rehabilitated. He was released a free man but then they arrested him at the gates.”
He said Ian was finding immigration detention much harsher than prison. He has told family he was “keeping his head down” and did not participate in the riots that razed significant sections of the detention centre this week.
“But it’s just wrong. With prison, you’ve got your start date, you’ve got your end date,” Gary Wightman said, “you know how much time you have to serve. But this, it’s just the uncertainty, they’ve got no idea when he might be released. It’s unbelievable. This detention is far, far worse than prison.”
Gary Wightman said his brother had told him there were dozens of other detainees – known as 501s after the section of the Migration Act that applies to their cases – with similar lifelong links to Australia in detention, facing deportation to countries they hardly knew.
“Some of the other guys’ stories, they are just tragic. These people shouldn’t be there. This is just wrong,” he said.”
snip….
and oh lookit the rape thingy does come from OZ….(our PM is really just a Handpuppet)
““These people [on Christmas Island] are serious criminals and people who have been involved in attempted murder, in manslaughter, convictions for rape, convictions for grievous bodily harm and serious assaults otherwise.”
He said some detainees on Christmas Island had been assessed as an “extreme threat”.
Dutton said visa cancellation for non-citizens convicted of a crime was unremarkable internationally and had been part of Australian migration law since the second world war.
“If somebody is here on a visa … if they’ve committed a crime they have their visa cancelled. And they face the criminal penalty and administratively their visa is cancelled. In this case they’re taken into custody and they await deportation.”
The number of people detained under section 501 rose more than 600% in a year, from 76 in 2013-14 to 580 in 2014-15.”
so much for “The GC” being the good life eh?
Just caught on TV1 News that the government is looking at stopping people betting offshore as the TAB is losing money.
It appears that the politicians really didn’t know what they were doing when they signed all those FTAs and joined the WTO that allowed for and encouraged free money movement across borders.
they should stop people putting money in Australian Banks and other foreign offshore banks first
( one rule for the banksters and another for the small punters)
‘Q&A: Are Australian banks really rorting New Zealanders?’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/73626116/qa-are-australian-banks-really-rorting-new-zealanders
“Some people might be surprised to find there are 25 registered banks in New Zealand.
Of those, the big four Aussie lenders dominate, with about 90 per cent market share.
ANZ, ASB, BNZ, and Westpac have just hauled in a collective $4.59 billion of annual net profits, hoovered out of the pockets of New Zealanders to feather nests across the Tasman.
Some politicians believe the super-profits are “strip-mining” the economy…
‘Brian Gaynor: Profits for banks, loss for New Zealand’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10390302
….”Finally, the banks have a huge influence over the allocation of the country’s economic resources because we have a shortage of equity and a strong reliance on borrowings to fund commercial activity.
The banks, particularly the four major Australian-owned banks, have a strong bias towards the housing market as residential mortgages now represent 50.5 per cent of total bank lending compared with 47.7 per cent at the end of 2004. By comparison, residential mortgages have fallen from 36.3 per cent to 35.2 per cent of total Australian bank lending over the same period
…The combination of offshore borrowing and residential property lending is a prudent strategy as far as the overseas banks are concerned, from both an earnings and capital requirement point of view.
But it is not a win-win situation as far as the New Zealand economy is concerned, particularly considering the impact on the country’s current account deficit.
a picture diary about syrians, boats, drowned babies and life
http://blogs.afp.com/correspondent/?post/war-in-peace
Most problems in this world are based on tribalism and religion, we should ban and prohibit both, or there will be NO progress for humanity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKxIaPdb9Mc
Chechen radicals ha e something to answer, I struggle to see any reason to feel solidarity
for some;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGvtDUU_HR0