Maybe we all should follow the Johns and try it out on our bosses, partners, friends and family members at the first opportunity. We can all celebrate the Johns’ higher standard of non-accountability.
The Minister of Health might well have to declare a NZ pandemic of Johnesia.
GSCB boss, Ian Fletcher has an interesting professional background:
Former high flyer in British Civil Service.
Former Director General and CEO of Queensland’s Dept. of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
He took up his position at the GSCB at the beginning of this year.
Announcing the appointment Prime Minister John Key said he has ” policy and operational experience particularly in relation to international economic and trade matters.”
So, under the Prime Minister’s stewardship, the GSCB has been quietly shifting it’s focus away from international political developments (Foreign Affairs)? Does it now concentrate rather more on off-shore economic and trade concerns that are of interest to John Key and the National govt., but not necessarily the rest of us?
Very interesting to speculate what effect such a scenario might be having on the morale of those who work within the GCSB.
Nah, all this is, is the continued over-run of the imperialist officers into NZ. Have a good look around the governmnent departments, central and local, see how many are run or heavily influenced by the UK!
The head of our spy agency being one, is to be expected!
The Dotcom case appears to have its roots in US influence on NZ via the various agencies (FBI, NSA, etc), around the whole trade/IP/TPP negotiations mix.
Throw in the US/China tensions, and you have NZ jammed between the biggies on a serious issue of global power politics.
Fletcher the ideal man for the job, always assuming the Key/McCully instructions are to work for NZ and not the US. But then again, if those instructions were to mix trade with national security, then the illegal use of the GCSB is not surprising.
The GCSB is administered by a Director. The directors have been:
Colin Hanson (1977–1988)
Ray Parker (1988–1999)
Dr Warren Tucker (1999–2006)
Air Marshal Sir Bruce Ferguson (2006–2010)
Simon Murdoch (acting November 2010 – February 2011)[5]
Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae (7 February – 30 June 2011)
Simon Murdoch (acting 1 July – 19 December 2011)
Ian Fletcher (January 2012–)
Jerry Mateparae was appointed by Prime Minister John Key on 26 August 2010 taking up the role on 7 February 2011. On 8 March 2011 Mataparae was announced as the next Governor-General. He continued as Director until June 2011.
Up to and including Mateparae, all the permanent directors had military careers before joining the organisation – Hanson, Parker, and Ferguson were all Air Force officers (the latter serving as Chief of Defence), and Tucker and Mateparae were Army officers.
So Simon Murdoch was acting Director for four months before Mataparae (over the period the Dotcom came to NZ and was granted residency) AND for the six months after Mataparae.
EDIT – also from Wikipedia’s entry on Murdoch
Murdoch joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1972. He had an early posting to Canberra, before joining the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1980 as foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Robert Muldoon.
In 1983, Murdoch was assistant head of the Asian division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later that year, he was posted to Washington DC as political counsellor, and the New Zealand intelligence liaison officer to the United States.
In 1987, Murdoch returned to New Zealand and became head of the Australia Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1989, Murdoch was seconded to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to be head of the Policy Advisory Group. In 1991, State Services Commissioner Don Hunn appointed Murdoch to the post of Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Murdoch was head of the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Prime Ministers Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley. He left the post in 1998, to become Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Management at Victoria University of Wellington for a year.
In 1999, Murdoch was appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia. At the time, the posting was seen to be grooming Murdoch for the role of Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
In 2002, Murdoch succeeded Neil Walter as New Zealand’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
He was appointed to the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.[2]
GCSB
In 2010 he conducted a review of New Zealand intelligence agencies, and for a period before and after the appointment of Lt Gen Sir Jerry Mateparae, he was acting chief executive and director of the GCSB. During his second stint in the position he presided over the illegal surveillance of Kim Dotcom.[3]
Murdoch has now been appointed to do the Rena review.
Thanks, should have recalled. But then I’m not paid to do this!
Murdoch before and after Mataparae…and at the crucial DotCom time. Hardly an amateur – and not someone to ‘overlook’ serious stuff. The DotCom saga will (may, eventually?) go right to the top.
We should be in for an interesting week or two.
All this may provoke some interesting discussion around the TPP, its timetable and the secret negotiations involved. We have an FTA with China, crucial to NZ exports. But the chances of similar TPP liberalization of US farm trade, especially in dairy, are those of the proverbial snowball in hell.
It is not difficult to imagine the sort of political pressure being brought to bear on Key. But that’s the job. The question is whether he will stand up for NZ. So far, looks unlikely.
That the GCSB run by ex RNZAF officers works on behalf of the US and A doesn’t surprise me in the least. RNZAF officers seem to put loyalty to Washington ahead of anything else and should probably all be imprisoned for treason. The speeches they used to give at Duntroon when Labour was in power were shocking.
… if those instructions were to mix trade with national security, then the illegal use of the GCSB is not surprising.
Thanks Red Rosa. It is essentially the point I was making.
Of course there is a role for our intelligence agencies to play in economic espionage. There is also a role for them to play in other areas too such as international drug cartels. However there is always a risk of them being used by a government in a way that is not appropriate. We saw it happen between 1975 and 1984 when Muldoon used the SIS for political purposes.
And since I don’t trust this govt. – and this PM in particular – then it is, in my view, a pertinent scenario to ponder… at least as far as the GCSB is concerned.
“However there is always a risk of them being used by a government in a way that is not appropriate. We saw it happen between 1975 and 1984 when Muldoon used the SIS for political purposes”.
Good point Anne – and that period covers Murdoch’s time as foreign affairs adviser to Muldoon and his appointment in 1983 as political councillor and NZ Intelligence liaison officer to the US in Washington DC. (as per my quote of Wikipedia’s summary of his career at 3.2.1)
Does it now concentrate rather more on off-shore economic and trade concerns that are in the interest of John Key and the National govt., but not necessarily the rest of us?
Males a difference in the meaning of the sentence.
Edit; just seen your comment deuto. No, I don’t believe it to be coincidence. I’m coming to the view there is not a coincidence with the appointment of Ian Fletcher either. Look at the way he is responding to the whistle blower story. What’s happened to Public Service ethics? You throw a staff member to the wolves because he/she is exercising his/her right to express concern over inexcusable behaviour?
Furthermore, our vicar spoke today on the Great Importance of focusing on Poverty in this country and I am certain that the same message is being delivered by All Men of Faith; I know that it is being delivered from the evangelical pastor I support also.
Excellent, that the pastors are defying Tax laws penalising socio-political rhetoric from the pulpit
in the God-Forsaken U S of A
(no Uturn, move on, nothing to see here; “you aint gotta hold on me, you aint gotta hold on me…)
The rot set in during the Rogernomic and Ruthanasia years. I know… I was on the receiving end for blowing a certain whistle. Interesting to note… some months after I resigned (virtually a forced resignation) the govt. unit I complained about was closed down.
I agree, Anne. Ethics were very much a part of public sector culture prior to then, but changed throughout that period – in some public sector areas more than others. Over the years I saw it eroding away – very much who you knew/’networked’ with rather than your competencies; back stabbing, etc etc. That is not to say that there are not still many public servants with ethics and the right culture, but more and more they are being troden down, disillusioned and give up and/or eventually leave as I did.
Yes, deuto. So sad. They have lost a lot of very good people – competent, loyal and reliable. Whilst lip service may still be paid to such qualities, in many areas of the public sector they seem no longer regarded as being essential requisites. And the bulk of the blame can be sheeted home to the ‘dog eat dog’ culture that epitomises NAct governments.
The only “significant positive effect” was that children felt less hungry, the study into free school breakfasts found.
Head of the study, Associate Professor Cliona Ni Murchu, said there were indications that attendance at school was also likely to improve but in reading, writing and maths there was no noticeable improvement.
Researchers at Auckland University’s School of Population Health studied 423 children at decile one to four schools in Auckland, Waikato and Wellington for the 2010 school year
Dear research unit.
Thank you for your time and effort in letting my, I mean our governmnet off the hook with this well timed release of information, I know Paula appreciates the fact that someone else is going to run interference today. I would also like to acknowledge stuff.co.nz for running the story as agreed today, especially as those reading it will be enjoying their latte breakfasts, and I can go back to getting on with the job, without having to worry if all that talk about not providing food in schools will cost me votes, let them eat fruit
Oh, and to John Campbell, eat a dick, you lost, I won!
“Ni Murchu said there was a chance her study did not capture the children who most needed the breakfasts.
“There’s always a risk that the kinds of people who participate are not the higher needs group.” This was because her study participants had to get parental consent and fill in a lengthy questionnaire – a process that may have alienated the high-needs families.”
Not the most authoritative study by the authors own account then.
What measures did they use to see if there were improvements or not?
There was NO indication in the report of how they ensured kid were hungry to start with.
“They were given a free daily breakfast – Weet-Bix, bread with honey, jam or Marmite, and Milo – by either the Red Cross or a private sector provider.”
There was no indication in the report if the kids had had any breakfast, there just seemed to be an assumption that if they were in a low (1-4) decile school they would be hungary.
Nor any indication that they checked if carbo-loading kids at the beginning of the day might, you know, give them a sugar-crash by morning tea which wouldn’t exactly help their concentration.
It’s amazing how many ex-ACT people get on to the media to spout the neo-liberal dogma.
For a party that commands 1% of the vote, they seem to have a lot more than 1% of the pundits invited to put forward their opinions.
Deborah Coddington,Rodney Hide and Stephen Franks come to mind immediately.
Agree, Paul. Those three are given far too much airtime, for example on RNZ National (Nine to Noon, The Panel etc)
Could not believe my ears last Monday(?) when on the politcal commentary slot on Nine to Noon, Coddington stated categorically that the Kim Dotcom was only big news in NZ and was not being covered by overseas media! It has been covered extensively by the likes of the NY Times, Washington Post etc. She certainly lives in a small bubble.
Who do the left have to represent them regularly on the MSM?
Matt McCarten and Chris Trotter are the only ones I can think of.
I’m not including pundits like Josie Pagani, who is really centrist..hardly the polar opposite to ACT anyway.
Maybe this is how the left should be tackling the issue..by challenging the impartiality of the New Zealand media.
The MSM are already predominantly left-wing ie Campbell, Gower, Smalley, Sainsbury – all good progressives (who like firework displays). We need some of these ACT center-right commentators to even it up a bit and raise a few hard issues that many people dont like being raised.
Paul Holmes, Mike Hosking, Fran O’Sullivan, John Roughan, John Armstrong, Leighton Smith, Danny Williams, Michael Laws…
The media is predominately left wing. Yeah right!
I guess it’s left wing if you’re an ACT supporter or ‘one tracked’.
The examples I gave are all the mainstream television identities so you have TV sown up. Do a few talkback hosts and weekly newspaper columnists make up for that? Nope.
John Armstrong – you must be joking – centre left at best (ie right is better of course). Paul Holmes – i dont think so, apart from one politically incorrect reference to the UN Secretary General which was a simple joke that the hard left media couldnt handle. No, he’s on your team. I note you didn’t even try to deny that the examples I gave are lefties though. And who is Danny Williams?
It’s amazing how many ex-ACT people get on to the media to spout the neo-liberal dogma.
For a party that commands 1% of the vote, they seem to have a lot more than 1% of the pundits invited to put forward their opinions.
Deborah Coddington,Rodney Hide and Stephen Franks come to mind immediately.
William Feller was quite succinct in this matter eg.
It has been suggested that an army of monkeys might be trained to pound typewriters at random in the hope that ultimately great works of literature would be produced. Using a coin for the same purpose may save feeding and training expenses and free the monkeys for other monkey business.
The most troublesome problem is that political pundits,(and to some extent economic commentators) almost never outperform either monkeys or chance.Eg Tetlock.
EVERY DAY, countless experts offer innumerable opinions in a dizzying array of forums. Cynics groan that expert communities seem ready at hand for virtually any issue in the political spotlight–communities from which governments or their critics can mobilize platoons of pundits to make prepackaged cases on a moment’s notice.
Although there is nothing odd about experts playing prominent roles in debates, it is odd to keep score, to track expert performance against explicit benchmarks of accuracy and rigor. And that is what I have struggled to do in twenty years of research of soliciting and scoring experts’ judgments on a wide range of issues. The key term is “struggled.” For, if it were easy to set standards for judging judgment that would be honored across the opinion spectrum and not glibly dismissed as another sneaky effort to seize the high ground for a favorite cause, someone would have patented the process long ago.
No and heres why. Act, like the Greens will never be the majority party in Govt. which is actually a good thing because it means the center govt of the day can take out the more radical parts while keeping the general idea
I mean does anybody take the Greens idea of QE seriously? I don’t think Cunliffe would go for that.
I take the Greens idea seriously as do many others.
In my opinion Labour asked the Greens to do this, they’re attacking the Government on other fronts.
(i.e Assets/Law)
And voting for a party that you don’t want in power is delusional bud.
I would vote for Act if Act got back to the principles it was founded on
you and a few thousand others, and that’s the problem. their ideas are just not at all popular. ACT doesn’t divert into law and order, and conservative knee jerkery, and climate change denialism for laughs. They do it because the need funders and votes.
Then I guess you didn’t understand it. It’s the economic stuff that’s so deeply disliked and distrusted.
Have you been in a coma or something? Everything you want has already happened. The populist Mr Hide was replaced with the serious economics focused Dr Brash, because the only thing holding the party back from its rightfully deserved popularity was all that populism.
Remember? He was to take the party back to its core economic principles and win 15% of the vote. Actually wasn’t he scoffing at that figure and saying he expected a lot more? You know, because of the serious economic focus and return to core principles.
How’d that work out again?
And “rebuild around Epsom”, are you serial? You want a party that’s deliberately structured to be 100% reliant on National gifting a seat every three years?
An ACT internal review: two people wondering why their chequebooks failed them.
Here’s a thought: the “one of us” you parachuted into the seat is a fucking lying moron, and your ability to fool people into thinking that your policies are a good idea is inversely proportional to the level of hardship that your prospective voters face.
ACT is a party for people who think their problems revolve around GDP and labour market flexibility (the solutions to which handily include tax cuts anf enabling developers to bulldoze unique environments), not around feeding the kids tonight.
Just listened to “Down the list”. Jeepers the satire was top-notch and cutting, even Chris said “ouch” when it finished – key gets chucked on the barbie – good fun.
Today, two Hollywood film moguls preparing for a quick meeting with Jeff Key (John Key) discuss making a film in New Zealand based on Richie McCaw’s sore foot. They struggle to make it sound exciting enough to invest in, but finally they are swayed by the concessions and subsidies being offered to overseas film productions.
Just listened to “Down the list”. Jeepers the satire was top-notch and cutting, even Chris said “ouch” when it finished – key gets chucked on the barbie – good fun.
Will our ill fated military intervention in Afghanistan end in one more final act of ignominy and disgrace to be covered over by lies and secrecy?
Who is lying? – Who is telling the truth? Former translator 19 year old Diamond Kazimi? or, Anonymous senior Defence Force spokespeople, backed by secretive, ‘no comment’ Prime Minister?
According to Diamond Kazimi, 6 of our Aghan translators, have been told not to talk to the press about their fears that they are being abandoned by our troops in Baniyan.
Last week, the Sunday Star-Times reported 26 Afghan interpreters working with Kiwi troops were pleading with the Government not to abandon them to “certain death”
And this week? According to Kazimi, 6 Afghan translators have been released by the army in Afghanistan and told not to go to the media.
In reply to Kazimi’s claim of lay offs, an anonymous unattributed statement was published in the Star Times on behalf of the army brass, it reads; “There are still 26 interpreters on staff and there is no change we are aware of.“, NZDF
Along with this official denial by the Defence Force – Prime Minister Key who had previously told media that, ‘the interpreters concern had been acknowledged and were being considered.’ On Friday, announced he would not be commenting any further on the issue.
19 year old Diamond Kazimi, in the face of official military denials and top government secrecy and apparent cover up, is defying military and the government officials in continuing to openly speak up, demanding that the rights of our troop’s translators and their families to safety be taken seriously by the army and the government.
Why will our government and military leaders not heed Diamond Kazimi and the other translators and give them and their families some assurance or certainty as to their fate?
Why have the 6 laid off last week, been ordered to shut up?
Is a shabby and cowardly abandonment by our troops of their interpreters being ordered?
Will our final withdrawal from Afghanistan be in dignity or shame?
Doc you haven’t addressed the question of why our military deny that it laid off 6 interpreters last week amid fears that they will abandoned when our troops finally pull out. Or why the Prime Minister has gone silent on the issue.
Maybe possibly, to admit we need to do something to protect our Afghan interpreters from Taliban retribution after our departure, is also an admission that our declared reason for being there: To pacify the country and turn back the Taliban has been a complete and dismal failure and pointless waste of the lives of the ten Kiwis who have died there.
Rather than admit the defeat of our mission in Afghanistan, Defence Force and Government personel are in effect claiming there is no problem, that Baniyan has been made safe by our efforts, and the interpreters claims that they face “certain death” on our withdrawal from the province are wrong.
Biosecurity officers have raided the Auckland Botanic Gardens, apparently looking for an exotic relation to the kauri tree that may have been illegally introduced to the country.
The homes of the gardens’ curator, Jack Hobbs, and veteran Albany ecologist Graeme Platt were also targeted by Ministry of Primary Industries staff in simultaneous raids just after dawn on Thursday.
….”I was sitting at my computer in my undies and the next thing a police car came roaring down the driveway, followed by five more cars.
I thought something very tragic must’ve happened. The policewoman was lovely, the others were maggots.”
….Officers removed computers and plants and ordered him not to not sell or remove plants from the property that were part of the kauri or Norfolk pine family.
Platt said after the raids Hobbs told him computers were also taken from his home and the botanic gardens, and plant samples were taken from the gardens.
“He’s extremely upset and staff at the botanic gardens are outraged.”
The ministry refused to comment before the Herald on Sunday deadline.
Can’t a tree or two grow in peace? And how come the Dotcom-like raid was enacted on hapless misnamed trees. Did the police think that trees might have a safe room or have an escape plan? Escaped trees last seen scampering down Kaihangahape Road. Do not approach. Jeez!
Today’s most insulting quote from the Minister of Hypocrisy, ” “an extra 50 bucks a week” into the homes of child abusers wouldn’t save lives and more than the extra $20 million budgeted to fight child abuse would not get abuse rates down”
Of course the child abusers the Minister refers to are beneficiaries – all of them. Bennett reverts to the tried and true B-bashing technique only this time making use of presuppositions.
The Minister confuses cause and effect by using statistics to wrongly imply beneficiaries are synonymous with abuse. Of course this suits her key purpose which is to vilify anyone who has legally sort government assistance under the Social Securities Act as they are entitled to do.
Another sad chapter of NZ politics. No word as yet from the Minister on how she thinks the continued attacks by her on the character of parents of the children on welfare affect the children’s self esteem and development.
Indeed the deflector shields are always up, because the biggest abusers on the planet are the elite, and in the case of the UN, and CPA in the USA, many openly busted instances of habitual abuse, and then of course there is the “entertainment” business known as Hollywood!
What a freakin lying-arsed, in-denial, freakin drench trough we live in, and the lice are only multiplying;
Military Assaults each other; apparently, weak discipline, they see a fox-hole, and they gotta fill it,
and the CDF blatently lies, does he think we are stupid? He can Bat his eyelids all he wants, but his aperture will not shut.
Bnnt- failing abysmally to acknowledge the Primary link (she would be a primary link if we ever saw one) between Poverty and Child Abuse. (if I was not a believer and follower of My Lord, I would be speaking much Harsher; however, I prophecy that all will not end well for her; her spirit is on show for All to see)
The freakin sheep still bleating after the very weak master of Deception, baaa, baaaa, as they slip down all the OECD slopes..
And, New Zealand is likely to be the “Weakest Link” in the Five Eyes Network (only one eye open) well, that suits me just fine. (bring it on you Crosby-Textor sycophantic Fasci; losers)
Personally, I WELCOME THE CHINESE (and they have known that for nearly a year), and then the sooner the local merchants can get on with business (all cards ON the table, instead of Denial about their graft and Inbred Kleptocracy)
Now I do not choose to Know much about Falun Gong, but I Do Know a lot about Monotheism (I believe) and the sooner THE CHINESE get here, The Better.
WELCOME THE CHINESE WELCOME THE CHINESE WELCOME THE CHINESE (and Foo Yung to any nation that gets in their way, fools)
As a contrast to the above poll Labour are on 30.8% the nats are on 50.6%
Labour down 2.4% Nats up 4.8%
Who on earth would believe these polls,garnered by garner.
TV3 news reid research polls are usually
way out of wack anyway.
The first polls are from roy morgan,the middle one is one i went looking for,tv3
reid research,the third is national and opposition parties also from roy morgan
for the dates 24/9 -7/10
Always worth remembering that the 3 news/Reid poll allways overestimates National support by 2-3 pts, at least. And always underestimates NZF’s support. Anyway, further comfirmation of the downward trend for Key and Co., so good news there.
I’m not sure about the reid research polls – too irregular to get a trend off, and the seem to have pumped national at getting over 50% in the election just a week or so out, and labour proportionately less than their election tally.
Oh, and take care looking at the RR graphs – they don’t have null spaces in their charts in the months they fail to publish a poll, e.g. the jump from april to june, and the last record is july.
The penguin probably does closer coverage, but I try not to go to sites that might lso-cookie me. Safe browsing, peeps!
The roy morgan tracker has the national led govt that includes support party’s
on 44%, the opposition party’s which includes all support party’s is 53.5%
I was shocked by the tv3 poll,so i went looking for some answers.
The tracker was taken 24/9/12 – 7/10/12
shonkey will be slapping his chest about how great they are doing and people
just dont care about the dotcom fiasco,he will say nz’ers have moved on,look at
the polls,the roy morgan polls need to be shown in the media as well,that will
stop him chest beating, but it will be difficult with the msm.
Last week, I got tipped-off that the parts of the MSD network were completely exposed to the public. You could go into any WINZ office and use their self-service kiosks to access their corporate network.
These locked-down kiosks are provided so you could look for jobs online, send off CVs etc. They’ve had some basic features disabled, which supposedly meant that you couldn’t just open up File Manager and poke around the machine. However, by just using the Open File dialogue in Microsoft Office, you could map any unsecured computer on the network, and then open up any accessible file.
Apparently you can’t access everything – just nearly everything – in MSDs servers.
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Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
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 ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
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Brian Edwards now blames john banks for key’s memory loss.lol.
It does catch on, doesn’t it?
Maybe we all should follow the Johns and try it out on our bosses, partners, friends and family members at the first opportunity. We can all celebrate the Johns’ higher standard of non-accountability.
The Minister of Health might well have to declare a NZ pandemic of Johnesia.
Brian Edwards is yesterday’s political analyst and belongs in the same pasture as Franet, JA, Roughan etc
I’ve been watching and listening to Owen Glenn in regard to the Warriors. Serious question – is he just a litle bit senile now?
GSCB boss, Ian Fletcher has an interesting professional background:
Former high flyer in British Civil Service.
Former Director General and CEO of Queensland’s Dept. of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
He took up his position at the GSCB at the beginning of this year.
Announcing the appointment Prime Minister John Key said he has ” policy and operational experience particularly in relation to international economic and trade matters.”
So, under the Prime Minister’s stewardship, the GSCB has been quietly shifting it’s focus away from international political developments (Foreign Affairs)? Does it now concentrate rather more on off-shore economic and trade concerns that are of interest to John Key and the National govt., but not necessarily the rest of us?
Very interesting to speculate what effect such a scenario might be having on the morale of those who work within the GCSB.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5589538/New-Zealands-new-top-spy-boss-revealed
Nah, all this is, is the continued over-run of the imperialist officers into NZ. Have a good look around the governmnent departments, central and local, see how many are run or heavily influenced by the UK!
The head of our spy agency being one, is to be expected!
Mmmm..that would fit.
The Dotcom case appears to have its roots in US influence on NZ via the various agencies (FBI, NSA, etc), around the whole trade/IP/TPP negotiations mix.
Throw in the US/China tensions, and you have NZ jammed between the biggies on a serious issue of global power politics.
Fletcher the ideal man for the job, always assuming the Key/McCully instructions are to work for NZ and not the US. But then again, if those instructions were to mix trade with national security, then the illegal use of the GCSB is not surprising.
Who ran the GCSB between Mataparae and Fletcher?
From Wikipedia, Red Rosa:
So Simon Murdoch was acting Director for four months before Mataparae (over the period the Dotcom came to NZ and was granted residency) AND for the six months after Mataparae.
EDIT – also from Wikipedia’s entry on Murdoch
Murdoch has now been appointed to do the Rena review.
Thanks, should have recalled. But then I’m not paid to do this!
Murdoch before and after Mataparae…and at the crucial DotCom time. Hardly an amateur – and not someone to ‘overlook’ serious stuff. The DotCom saga will (may, eventually?) go right to the top.
We should be in for an interesting week or two.
All this may provoke some interesting discussion around the TPP, its timetable and the secret negotiations involved. We have an FTA with China, crucial to NZ exports. But the chances of similar TPP liberalization of US farm trade, especially in dairy, are those of the proverbial snowball in hell.
It is not difficult to imagine the sort of political pressure being brought to bear on Key. But that’s the job. The question is whether he will stand up for NZ. So far, looks unlikely.
How on earth many more weeks are going to be “interesting, but stop right there!
That the GCSB run by ex RNZAF officers works on behalf of the US and A doesn’t surprise me in the least. RNZAF officers seem to put loyalty to Washington ahead of anything else and should probably all be imprisoned for treason. The speeches they used to give at Duntroon when Labour was in power were shocking.
… if those instructions were to mix trade with national security, then the illegal use of the GCSB is not surprising.
Thanks Red Rosa. It is essentially the point I was making.
Of course there is a role for our intelligence agencies to play in economic espionage. There is also a role for them to play in other areas too such as international drug cartels. However there is always a risk of them being used by a government in a way that is not appropriate. We saw it happen between 1975 and 1984 when Muldoon used the SIS for political purposes.
And since I don’t trust this govt. – and this PM in particular – then it is, in my view, a pertinent scenario to ponder… at least as far as the GCSB is concerned.
“However there is always a risk of them being used by a government in a way that is not appropriate. We saw it happen between 1975 and 1984 when Muldoon used the SIS for political purposes”.
Good point Anne – and that period covers Murdoch’s time as foreign affairs adviser to Muldoon and his appointment in 1983 as political councillor and NZ Intelligence liaison officer to the US in Washington DC. (as per my quote of Wikipedia’s summary of his career at 3.2.1)
Coincidence?
ooops, I meant to say:
Does it now concentrate rather more on off-shore economic and trade concerns that are in the interest of John Key and the National govt., but not necessarily the rest of us?
Males a difference in the meaning of the sentence.
Edit; just seen your comment deuto. No, I don’t believe it to be coincidence. I’m coming to the view there is not a coincidence with the appointment of Ian Fletcher either. Look at the way he is responding to the whistle blower story. What’s happened to Public Service ethics? You throw a staff member to the wolves because he/she is exercising his/her right to express concern over inexcusable behaviour?
addition… on the part of the prime-minister?
There are no coincidences. Not with this government – they know exactly what they’re doing and it’s not good for NZ.
Furthermore, our vicar spoke today on the Great Importance of focusing on Poverty in this country and I am certain that the same message is being delivered by All Men of Faith; I know that it is being delivered from the evangelical pastor I support also.
Excellent, that the pastors are defying Tax laws penalising socio-political rhetoric from the pulpit
in the God-Forsaken U S of A
(no Uturn, move on, nothing to see here; “you aint gotta hold on me, you aint gotta hold on me…)
Anne – so there was a time they had “ethics”?
Once Dr Terry – but it was a long time ago.
The rot set in during the Rogernomic and Ruthanasia years. I know… I was on the receiving end for blowing a certain whistle. Interesting to note… some months after I resigned (virtually a forced resignation) the govt. unit I complained about was closed down.
I agree, Anne. Ethics were very much a part of public sector culture prior to then, but changed throughout that period – in some public sector areas more than others. Over the years I saw it eroding away – very much who you knew/’networked’ with rather than your competencies; back stabbing, etc etc. That is not to say that there are not still many public servants with ethics and the right culture, but more and more they are being troden down, disillusioned and give up and/or eventually leave as I did.
Yes, deuto. So sad. They have lost a lot of very good people – competent, loyal and reliable. Whilst lip service may still be paid to such qualities, in many areas of the public sector they seem no longer regarded as being essential requisites. And the bulk of the blame can be sheeted home to the ‘dog eat dog’ culture that epitomises NAct governments.
Feeding hungry schoolchildren does nothing to boost their learning, a new report shows.
Dear research unit.
Thank you for your time and effort in letting my, I mean our governmnet off the hook with this well timed release of information, I know Paula appreciates the fact that someone else is going to run interference today. I would also like to acknowledge stuff.co.nz for running the story as agreed today, especially as those reading it will be enjoying their latte breakfasts, and I can go back to getting on with the job, without having to worry if all that talk about not providing food in schools will cost me votes, let them eat fruit
Oh, and to John Campbell, eat a dick, you lost, I won!
Best
J Key
“Ni Murchu said there was a chance her study did not capture the children who most needed the breakfasts.
“There’s always a risk that the kinds of people who participate are not the higher needs group.” This was because her study participants had to get parental consent and fill in a lengthy questionnaire – a process that may have alienated the high-needs families.”
Not the most authoritative study by the authors own account then.
Hey now, self-selecting samples are always the BEST samples.
And of course the headline on the page NOT biased one little bit is it?
Food and learning connection shot down
Yes and then at the bottom of the article is well, oopps maybe it’s not dead BUT Stuff as usual get’s it’s spin working.
Stephen Doyle said
You mean in that the study, if anything, paints a too optimistic picture because the most in need kids may have been left out?
You really are a brainbox, aren’t you, Stephen.
What measures did they use to see if there were improvements or not?
There was NO indication in the report of how they ensured kid were hungry to start with.
“They were given a free daily breakfast – Weet-Bix, bread with honey, jam or Marmite, and Milo – by either the Red Cross or a private sector provider.”
There was no indication in the report if the kids had had any breakfast, there just seemed to be an assumption that if they were in a low (1-4) decile school they would be hungary.
Nor any indication that they checked if carbo-loading kids at the beginning of the day might, you know, give them a sugar-crash by morning tea which wouldn’t exactly help their concentration.
ACT are conducting an internal review according to a small article on the Herald site
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10840409
LOL, best of luck to them. From a comment on Audrey’s Young’s column yesterday “Is Banks still alive?”
It’s amazing how many ex-ACT people get on to the media to spout the neo-liberal dogma.
For a party that commands 1% of the vote, they seem to have a lot more than 1% of the pundits invited to put forward their opinions.
Deborah Coddington,Rodney Hide and Stephen Franks come to mind immediately.
Agree, Paul. Those three are given far too much airtime, for example on RNZ National (Nine to Noon, The Panel etc)
Could not believe my ears last Monday(?) when on the politcal commentary slot on Nine to Noon, Coddington stated categorically that the Kim Dotcom was only big news in NZ and was not being covered by overseas media! It has been covered extensively by the likes of the NY Times, Washington Post etc. She certainly lives in a small bubble.
Who do the left have to represent them regularly on the MSM?
Matt McCarten and Chris Trotter are the only ones I can think of.
I’m not including pundits like Josie Pagani, who is really centrist..hardly the polar opposite to ACT anyway.
Maybe this is how the left should be tackling the issue..by challenging the impartiality of the New Zealand media.
The MSM are already predominantly left-wing ie Campbell, Gower, Smalley, Sainsbury – all good progressives (who like firework displays). We need some of these ACT center-right commentators to even it up a bit and raise a few hard issues that many people dont like being raised.
🙄
Paul Holmes, Mike Hosking, Fran O’Sullivan, John Roughan, John Armstrong, Leighton Smith, Danny Williams, Michael Laws…
The media is predominately left wing. Yeah right!
I guess it’s left wing if you’re an ACT supporter or ‘one tracked’.
Onetrack is centre-left (of Genghiz Khan)
A little harsh to Genghis maybe!
The examples I gave are all the mainstream television identities so you have TV sown up. Do a few talkback hosts and weekly newspaper columnists make up for that? Nope.
John Armstrong – you must be joking – centre left at best (ie right is better of course). Paul Holmes – i dont think so, apart from one politically incorrect reference to the UN Secretary General which was a simple joke that the hard left media couldnt handle. No, he’s on your team. I note you didn’t even try to deny that the examples I gave are lefties though. And who is Danny Williams?
You’re insane, but that’s an interesting slip of the tongue re: Holmes.
LOL get your head checked and a wheel alignment mate, I think you got your lefts and rights whacked out
so whatta ya think of the show so far….?
Reruns of Happy Days would be better.
The MSM is propaganda for the 1%.
It’s amazing how many ex-ACT people get on to the media to spout the neo-liberal dogma.
For a party that commands 1% of the vote, they seem to have a lot more than 1% of the pundits invited to put forward their opinions.
Deborah Coddington,Rodney Hide and Stephen Franks come to mind immediately.
William Feller was quite succinct in this matter eg.
It has been suggested that an army of monkeys might be trained to pound typewriters at random in the hope that ultimately great works of literature would be produced. Using a coin for the same purpose may save feeding and training expenses and free the monkeys for other monkey business.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Monkey-typing.jpg
The most troublesome problem is that political pundits,(and to some extent economic commentators) almost never outperform either monkeys or chance.Eg Tetlock.
EVERY DAY, countless experts offer innumerable opinions in a dizzying array of forums. Cynics groan that expert communities seem ready at hand for virtually any issue in the political spotlight–communities from which governments or their critics can mobilize platoons of pundits to make prepackaged cases on a moment’s notice.
Although there is nothing odd about experts playing prominent roles in debates, it is odd to keep score, to track expert performance against explicit benchmarks of accuracy and rigor. And that is what I have struggled to do in twenty years of research of soliciting and scoring experts’ judgments on a wide range of issues. The key term is “struggled.” For, if it were easy to set standards for judging judgment that would be honored across the opinion spectrum and not glibly dismissed as another sneaky effort to seize the high ground for a favorite cause, someone would have patented the process long ago.
http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s7959.html
And Don Brash and even Muriel Newman, not too much heard from “Brothel signage eyes” Hilary Clavert though.
If the act louts are missing in action,they are most likey down the nearest toilet,getting
closer to the sewage waste going out to sea.
Heres some advice for them
Ditch Banks
Bring up some of the younger talent
Ditch the SST
Go back to focusing on economic matters
Classic Gnat policy ….
Destroy any thought and analysis that currently exists, and put a teenager in charge
Then start thinking about what everyone else has been talking about for 4 years.
“Welcome too PlanetChris73 M8!”
Classic lefty response: be a dipshit
Banks is not nor has he ever been Act. National yes or maybe even Conservative but not Act.
What?, R U trying too reason out here Chris73?
Restructure ACT so you can vote for them again?
Kinda head up ur arse stuff that one buddy!
I would vote for Act if Act got back to the principles it was founded on just like I’d imagine quite a few people would vote Labour if it did likewise
They only have one principle …. “Free Market”, i.e “Open Slather”
This country is dying because of that blinkered approach to Aoteoroa.
No and heres why. Act, like the Greens will never be the majority party in Govt. which is actually a good thing because it means the center govt of the day can take out the more radical parts while keeping the general idea
I mean does anybody take the Greens idea of QE seriously? I don’t think Cunliffe would go for that.
I take the Greens idea seriously as do many others.
In my opinion Labour asked the Greens to do this, they’re attacking the Government on other fronts.
(i.e Assets/Law)
And voting for a party that you don’t want in power is delusional bud.
If Cunliffe doesn’t then he’s a fool.
The principles that just had the global economy collapse.
I would vote for Act if Act got back to the principles it was founded on
you and a few thousand others, and that’s the problem. their ideas are just not at all popular. ACT doesn’t divert into law and order, and conservative knee jerkery, and climate change denialism for laughs. They do it because the need funders and votes.
I can’t disagree with that.
What I’d suggest is bring up the younger talent, stick with economic policies and rebuild around Epsom. It can be done but it’ll take time.
NZ politics need smaller parties to give voice to as many people so it’d be a shame if Act went under.
“I can’t disagree with that. “
Then I guess you didn’t understand it. It’s the economic stuff that’s so deeply disliked and distrusted.
Have you been in a coma or something? Everything you want has already happened. The populist Mr Hide was replaced with the serious economics focused Dr Brash, because the only thing holding the party back from its rightfully deserved popularity was all that populism.
Remember? He was to take the party back to its core economic principles and win 15% of the vote. Actually wasn’t he scoffing at that figure and saying he expected a lot more? You know, because of the serious economic focus and return to core principles.
How’d that work out again?
And “rebuild around Epsom”, are you serial? You want a party that’s deliberately structured to be 100% reliant on National gifting a seat every three years?
Doesn’t matter anyway, ACT is already over.
Did you have breakfast this morning,you seem to be a bit sugar deprived ?
reply to chris73 about his ‘lefty’ remark.
Is SST the name of the toilet they are in ?
Whatever is left of Act can gather together and stare down into their pit.
Betting on who they’ll throw in next, great bloodsportsmanship!
An internal review??? Have they got anyone left to do it?
An ACT internal review: two people wondering why their chequebooks failed them.
Here’s a thought: the “one of us” you parachuted into the seat is a fucking lying moron, and your ability to fool people into thinking that your policies are a good idea is inversely proportional to the level of hardship that your prospective voters face.
ACT is a party for people who think their problems revolve around GDP and labour market flexibility (the solutions to which handily include tax cuts anf enabling developers to bulldoze unique environments), not around feeding the kids tonight.
Just listened to “Down the list”. Jeepers the satire was top-notch and cutting, even Chris said “ouch” when it finished – key gets chucked on the barbie – good fun.
Link not there yet but well worth a listen
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/20121014
I heard that, it was brilliant! 🙂
Will our ill fated military intervention in Afghanistan end in one more final act of ignominy and disgrace to be covered over by lies and secrecy?
Who is lying? – Who is telling the truth? Former translator 19 year old Diamond Kazimi? or, Anonymous senior Defence Force spokespeople, backed by secretive, ‘no comment’ Prime Minister?
You decide.
Afghan interpreters ‘scared and confused’
According to Diamond Kazimi, 6 of our Aghan translators, have been told not to talk to the press about their fears that they are being abandoned by our troops in Baniyan.
And this week? According to Kazimi, 6 Afghan translators have been released by the army in Afghanistan and told not to go to the media.
In reply to Kazimi’s claim of lay offs, an anonymous unattributed statement was published in the Star Times on behalf of the army brass, it reads; “There are still 26 interpreters on staff and there is no change we are aware of.“, NZDF
Along with this official denial by the Defence Force – Prime Minister Key who had previously told media that, ‘the interpreters concern had been acknowledged and were being considered.’ On Friday, announced he would not be commenting any further on the issue.
19 year old Diamond Kazimi, in the face of official military denials and top government secrecy and apparent cover up, is defying military and the government officials in continuing to openly speak up, demanding that the rights of our troop’s translators and their families to safety be taken seriously by the army and the government.
Why will our government and military leaders not heed Diamond Kazimi and the other translators and give them and their families some assurance or certainty as to their fate?
Why have the 6 laid off last week, been ordered to shut up?
Is a shabby and cowardly abandonment by our troops of their interpreters being ordered?
Will our final withdrawal from Afghanistan be in dignity or shame?
Probably shame – it’s all we get out of this government.
Jenny – there is not a choice here. Any final withdrawal can only be “in shame”!
Maybe I should have said less shame.
Doc you haven’t addressed the question of why our military deny that it laid off 6 interpreters last week amid fears that they will abandoned when our troops finally pull out. Or why the Prime Minister has gone silent on the issue.
Maybe possibly, to admit we need to do something to protect our Afghan interpreters from Taliban retribution after our departure, is also an admission that our declared reason for being there: To pacify the country and turn back the Taliban has been a complete and dismal failure and pointless waste of the lives of the ten Kiwis who have died there.
Rather than admit the defeat of our mission in Afghanistan, Defence Force and Government personel are in effect claiming there is no problem, that Baniyan has been made safe by our efforts, and the interpreters claims that they face “certain death” on our withdrawal from the province are wrong.
May be a security thing. The less publicity the greater chance of a quiet withdrawl to safety below the Taliban radar?
Safety for who, ianmac?
Are they that worried about what the Taliban will do to our interpreters that our troops have to quietly sneak out of the country?
Do you really think that if they sneak out of the country silently the Taliban won’t notice they are gone and so will leave the translators alone?
The “over the top” raids phenomenum is catching!
“Plant Naz1s hunt for outlawed trees.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10840408
LOL – who signed off on this one?
PS – thanks to Dotcom’s twitter for the link….
Can’t a tree or two grow in peace? And how come the Dotcom-like raid was enacted on hapless misnamed trees. Did the police think that trees might have a safe room or have an escape plan? Escaped trees last seen scampering down Kaihangahape Road. Do not approach. Jeez!
Dawn raids? Oh unbelievable!
hey leAVE ‘EM ALONE.
THEY HAVE JUST AS MUCH RIGHT AS ANYONE ELSE TO GET THEIR GOBS PLASTERED ALL OVER THE TEEVEE FOR FIVE MINUTES!
Today’s most insulting quote from the Minister of Hypocrisy, ” “an extra 50 bucks a week” into the homes of child abusers wouldn’t save lives and more than the extra $20 million budgeted to fight child abuse would not get abuse rates down”
Of course the child abusers the Minister refers to are beneficiaries – all of them. Bennett reverts to the tried and true B-bashing technique only this time making use of presuppositions.
The Minister confuses cause and effect by using statistics to wrongly imply beneficiaries are synonymous with abuse. Of course this suits her key purpose which is to vilify anyone who has legally sort government assistance under the Social Securities Act as they are entitled to do.
Another sad chapter of NZ politics. No word as yet from the Minister on how she thinks the continued attacks by her on the character of parents of the children on welfare affect the children’s self esteem and development.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1210/S00207/qa-greg-boyed-interviews-paula-bennett.htm
Indeed the deflector shields are always up, because the biggest abusers on the planet are the elite, and in the case of the UN, and CPA in the USA, many openly busted instances of habitual abuse, and then of course there is the “entertainment” business known as Hollywood!
Kids of rich parents dont get abused!
Game-changer: LiLo endorses Mittens.
And what a ringing endorsement she is Joe. 🙂
Just thought i would give you these polls from roy morgan taken 24/9/2012 – 7/10/2012
it was taken nz wide and there were 827 electors.
National 41.5% ( down 2% )
Labour 33.5% ( up 0.5% )
Greens 13.5% ( up 2 % )
NZ First 6.5% ( up 1.5 % )
United F 0.5%
Act 0%
What a freakin lying-arsed, in-denial, freakin drench trough we live in, and the lice are only multiplying;
Military Assaults each other; apparently, weak discipline, they see a fox-hole, and they gotta fill it,
and the CDF blatently lies, does he think we are stupid? He can Bat his eyelids all he wants, but his aperture will not shut.
Bnnt- failing abysmally to acknowledge the Primary link (she would be a primary link if we ever saw one) between Poverty and Child Abuse. (if I was not a believer and follower of My Lord, I would be speaking much Harsher; however, I prophecy that all will not end well for her; her spirit is on show for All to see)
The freakin sheep still bleating after the very weak master of Deception, baaa, baaaa, as they slip down all the OECD slopes..
And, New Zealand is likely to be the “Weakest Link” in the Five Eyes Network (only one eye open) well, that suits me just fine. (bring it on you Crosby-Textor sycophantic Fasci; losers)
Personally, I WELCOME THE CHINESE (and they have known that for nearly a year), and then the sooner the local merchants can get on with business (all cards ON the table, instead of Denial about their graft and Inbred Kleptocracy)
Now I do not choose to Know much about Falun Gong, but I Do Know a lot about Monotheism (I believe) and the sooner THE CHINESE get here, The Better.
WELCOME THE CHINESE WELCOME THE CHINESE WELCOME THE CHINESE (and Foo Yung to any nation that gets in their way, fools)
As a contrast to the above poll Labour are on 30.8% the nats are on 50.6%
Labour down 2.4% Nats up 4.8%
Who on earth would believe these polls,garnered by garner.
TV3 news reid research polls are usually
way out of wack anyway.
starlight are you referring to the latest TV3 poll reported this evening?
The numbers are actually:
National 48.8%
Labour 33.0%
Greens 10.6%
NZ 1st 3.2%
Not a bad result given their landline based and are therefore always skewed towards National.
Same with TV1 too of course.
The first polls are from roy morgan,the middle one is one i went looking for,tv3
reid research,the third is national and opposition parties also from roy morgan
for the dates 24/9 -7/10
TV 3 Poll tonight:
National 48.8%
Labour 33.2%
Greens 10.6 %
NZF 3.2
For PM:
Key 41%
Shearer 8.5%
Norman 5%
Winston 2.4 %
According to Garner National could govern alone with 62 seats??
Snap Anne.
Always worth remembering that the 3 news/Reid poll allways overestimates National support by 2-3 pts, at least. And always underestimates NZF’s support. Anyway, further comfirmation of the downward trend for Key and Co., so good news there.
He wishes.
I’m not sure about the reid research polls – too irregular to get a trend off, and the seem to have pumped national at getting over 50% in the election just a week or so out, and labour proportionately less than their election tally.
Oh, and take care looking at the RR graphs – they don’t have null spaces in their charts in the months they fail to publish a poll, e.g. the jump from april to june, and the last record is july.
The penguin probably does closer coverage, but I try not to go to sites that might lso-cookie me. Safe browsing, peeps!
The roy morgan tracker has the national led govt that includes support party’s
on 44%, the opposition party’s which includes all support party’s is 53.5%
I was shocked by the tv3 poll,so i went looking for some answers.
The tracker was taken 24/9/12 – 7/10/12
Oh, I get it now starlight. Am easily confused. 🙂
shonkey will be slapping his chest about how great they are doing and people
just dont care about the dotcom fiasco,he will say nz’ers have moved on,look at
the polls,the roy morgan polls need to be shown in the media as well,that will
stop him chest beating, but it will be difficult with the msm.
I reckon that the more he beats his chest when more and more people think he’s a lying braggart, then the more it alienates him from the electorate.
Bill English should be worried.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/the-greens-go-well-in-gore.html
Getting a little late but this needs to be out:
Apparently you can’t access everything – just nearly everything – in MSDs servers.
FFS. Cost cutting and private sector/corporate providers hurrah.
And today of course, it’s been all over the MSM!