How badly does illegal downloading actually effect these companies?
I mean the music business still keeps churning out artists, movies are breaking records etc etc
Personally I think CDs (yes yes I’m a dinosaur) are way over-priced, movie tickets (and the food they sell) are exorbitant and video rental store prices used to be way over the top
The Warehouse (NZ’s biggest music retailer) has posted double-digit declines in the sales of CDs and DVDs, apparently for the 2nd or 3rd year in a row.
CD and DVD prices will probably eventually decline, or be replaced out-right by digital distribution which will probably be cheaper.
Liner notes
Albums
Cover art
Sound quality
You can loan/borrow them. (goes triple for dead tree books)
On the cost, they are expensive in comparison to mp3s, but when I get a cd the chances are I’m going to listen to it certainly dozens of times, probably hundreds, possibly thousands. Books, video games, movies? Not so much.
Unless you’ve got a high end sound system 320kb mp3’s are the same quality as CD’s in a blind test đ
And yeah, while you can’t lend them out the price difference on ebooks makes them really attractive, on top of the fact it takes months sometimes for a new book (hard sci-fi in my case) to turn up in NZ whereas I can get an ebook in less than a minute. Though it’s somewhat dependent on the publishers not being douchebags and putting regional restrictions in.
For me this goes for music, TV and films. The view that newest is best and/or that it’s really important to be up with the latest shiny thing, is a hyper-capitalist con, largely being promoted by US corporates. And the Internet has helped spread this mythology.
And not to say anything about the car sound system. Mine don’t even take cds’ no disc at all hence no skip no dirt, and gunk on CD that makes it weird. it takes Memory sticks., Sdram cards and anything with an 8mm jack out put and all for 70 bucks. I put it in my self and I have a 4 GIG memory stick that’s on Random play and I still haven’t heard a repeat yet. And I can plug my Laptop in as well for even more music. All on MP3 at 320 (CD quality)
It is true that the decision to buy a CD and the time and effort to actually purchase it means IMHO that the music on a CD is valued more then that which is downloaded (but the cost…)
How many here are happy with the adversarial dominant parliament we currently have, where bringing down the government or other parties is a major focus of attention?
We need an opposition, and examination of the behaviour of the government. That’s “adversarial” I guess. But we don’t need all the petty personality stuff. We don’t need the continual war.
Trouble is, I don’t see how you can draw the line, or prevent valid examination from turning in to continual petty warfare. And I don’t have a better system to propose (well, not within the bounds of a Westminster system anyway).
Silly question and it ignores the fact that there are significant differences between the parties. Â One is a bunch of rich intent on looking after themselves and their mates to the detriment of the poor. Â The other is committed to managing New Zealand for all Kiwis and making the country socially, financially and environmentally sustainable.
Of course it is adversarial. Â The differences of opinion guarantee that this happens.
PeteG, it’s not so much that there would be not enough conflict but, rather, that your perspective seems to be overestimating (or just over-assuming) the degree of consensus there actually is. Your position probably stems from the false consensus effect.
Anyone else feeling conflicted about voting Green or Mana? I guess for me it will come down to strategic voting and that won’t be apparent until closer to the election and we can see what Mana are standing where. I’m wondering how much of the Green vote will move to Mana. Not that that’s a bad thing, the Greens need to get their shit together anyway and this may prompt them, but I hope the Greens and Mana can look at accomodations.
Anyone else feeling conflicted about voting Green or Mana?
Yep, I am. I’d like to vote for Mana but they have a serious lack of policy to vote for ATM. They’re making most of the right noises but those noises need to backed up with policy.
I will vote Green. Mana already has a strong core constituency& will have 1 MP at least. The left needs a strong Green Party list vote. They also will work with Mana, and Greens have some really good political expertise & systems.
A recent BRANZ study has found that 59% of New Zealand houses are not maintained properly. It found many common defects in the houses studied, such as poor under-floor ventilation, inadequate clearance of wall cladding from the ground, missing or corroding sub-floor fasteners and poor maintenance of timber windows. 25% of the houses surveyed were in particular poor condition.
Households participating in the study fall into two categories; those that participated in the phone survey as well as an on sight physical survey (assessed), and secondly households that participated in the phone survey but did not have a physical survey (non-assessed).
It appears that 23% of the assessed dwellings and 39.7% of non-assessed houses surveyed are rented.
As previously discussed on here, Horizon’s methodology has some “issues”. So it’s probably better to look at the trend over time within their own polling, rather than the party vote numbers in isolation (I doubt that the two main parties are as low as Horizon says).
The trend is … good for ACT and Labour, and also for Mana (from a starting point of zero, so they could hardly go down!).
But is supposed to be a walkover for Key and his governing alone. (Maybe he might need a few Ministers to help but his ego and sense of entitlement means he couls do it alone.) đ
The latest instalment in the effort by Government and the MSM to soften us up to the idea of being policed by an international police force was published in the Sunday Star times today:
This is the fourth time NZ and Aussie cops have run a coordinated operation described as a ‘crackdown on drunken-ness and violence’ and while the media has been very accommodating in trumpeting the success of the ‘operation’ the glaring omission in the articles has been a lack of rationale for an international operation.
Drunken-ness and violence is not suddenly going to spill over the ditch from Australia in one weekend unless, in an inspired moment of lawlessness the offenders happen to highjack airplanes and fly here.
In addition, given the difference in time zones between the two countries any ‘operation’ is going to be staggered in terms of implementation and essentially disconnected in any real physical sense – so why bother?
There is only one scenario in which this kind of coordinated policing across international borders would be required – mass civilian unrest, the kind that is not limited to just one country.
Since there will be some that say ‘what about the RWC? wont we need make sure that all those rugby fans donât cause bother with their celebrations/ commiserations’ – I will respond in advance simply by referring to my earlier point ie that the physical and temporal disconnect between our two countries renders coordinated policing redundant.
Quite clearly practicing civilian control measures simultaneously across international borders is preparation for a specific occurrence – and I am not talking about a rugby game.
I mentioned softening up, and thatâs because this is just the beginning – wait as Aussie police are welcomed back to NZ to help us deal with the crowds at the RWC (no doubt with carefully orchestrated airport applause, or – gag – standing ovation)
I may sound anti-authoritarian – and that would be a fair assessment – but all that I am asking for in this instance is some honesty and transparency in regard to these ‘operations’ – if the cops want to practice simultaneous civilian control with their Australian counterparts so be it – but they should front up about the reasons why and not try and pretend that arresting drunks across the ditch on the same weekend as us has any effect whatsoever on our ability to deal with our own.
“There is only one scenario in which this kind of coordinated policing across international borders would be required â mass civilian unrest, the kind that is not limited to just one country.”
Your are so right Campbell Larsen. The TPPA needs to have enforcers because when people finally begin to understand just how badly their darling John Key has betrayed them for his knighthood/30 pieces of silver/governor general/shares in SOEs… they will take to the streets. It will be too late of course because by the end of the year this government will have sold the rights to New Zealand and passed to the pondscum elite the Treasury key.
If ever there was a time to scream out a “VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THIS GOVERNMENT OF NACTMU”, it must be before the TPPA is signed off.
Yep, agreed, there was and is no justification for coordination of these types of policing except as practice for more nefarious purposes. Think check points and travel papers.
The Sunday Star Times editorial today (only in print version) indicates part of the MSM are waking up to what many of us have known for a long time:
Key’s pleasantness will one day look like blandness and lack of vision. His smiley face will eventually symbolise vapidity and self-satisfaction. His pragmatism will in due course strike many voters as lack of policy and an absence of ideas. And one day his natural conservatism will come to seem like hollowness. The flipside of all his virtues can be seen even now, although the shadow hasn’t fallen across the polls.
Can’t argue so far but then comes the bullshit:
Some time in the second term the perceptions will change.
This is the second time in a week that I have read an editorial which just asssumes that National & Key will win a second term. This alongside the “Goff can’t win” mantra seems to be the way the game’s being played by the MSM – repeat something enough and the people will believe it.
What I am sure of is there will be a point at which there is a collective realisation that Key is just the vacuous frontman for a nasty right wing agenda that aims to destroy what is left to feel proud of in this country. At that point the backlash will be severe. The big question is whether this occurs before or after the up coming election. If Key does lead the next government I predict he will make a hasty exit in the hope that he can get out before the moment of realisation arrives. The most important thing to Key right now is protecting his legacy.
Yes Susan and “The most important thing to Key right now is protecting his legacy.” So true. But that knighthood? How can he serve office for one term or one and a bit, and still get his “Sir John Key, Right Honorable Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Money Dealer Extrordinaire, Governor Designate 2014, Celebrity 2008-2011.”
What matters, of course, is not the details (of interest to 0.01% of voters) but the headline. The Horizon poll is already attracting media attention (Radio NZ, Radio Live, Stuff). And Don Brash is talking it up, as you’d expect.
In fact, the Horizon poll has always been out of line with the others. Contrast with the latest Morgan poll, which showed little change. But here’s the thing … Change is news. No change is not news.
So there was no media coverage at all of the last Morgan poll (literally none at all – try and find it mentioned anywhere!). It may have been more accurate, but it wasn’t news.
But the Spinner’s job is to ignore the details and cash in on the headline. The Horizon poll shows a 3% jump for Labour. Therefore Phil Goff should be appearing in all media NOW trumpeting Labour’s leap (you can write the lines in five minutes, scary Brash is back, National falling, voters coming home to Labour, etc, etc). Repeat: All media. NOW.
Sadly, on past performance, Labour’s lethargic losers will respond to this poll in a forgettable media release some time on Tuesday.
Therefore Phil Goff should be appearing in all media NOW trumpeting Labourâs leap (you can write the lines in five minutes, scary Brash is back, National falling, voters coming home to Labour, etc, etc). Repeat: All media. NOW.
Exactly. I’d add; Brash is back, National falling as voters switch to Labour, Key has to make a choice for once, will he rule out Brash?
Thanks for this, Bunji. I also notice that the ACT women MPs are particularly strong on cutting back on the WomenâsAffairs Ministry. It seems to rankle with their fantasy of individualism, and their anti-âcollectivistâ principles.
But, given that the ACT male MPs have a record of sexual/gender harrassment and bullying, the ACT women seem to me to be colluding with, and/or accepting of the way they are demeaned and kept in a secondary positon in the party. This all exposes the neoliberal fantasy of a society of equally âfreeâ & sovereign individuals, with equal amounts of, or access to power.”
I hope Carol will not mind me quoting her but it needs to be highlighted that if Act gets high votes in this election the rights of women will be reduced further. We’ve seen how Brash has behaved towards the women in his caucus.
The sad thing is that the Act women actually believe the men of Act actually see them as equal.
In the French revolution the men saw the women as equal until the revolution was sewn up and then the women were sent back to reality and to inequality.
Act which is at present controlling National would pretend to see women as being equal, but espouse the same beliefs as National – women will be made redundant as much as possible and forced to work in aged care, the men encouraged to believe women are taking their jobs.
Act cabinet members will be sidelined increasingly as Brash has done in the past, as Key has done in the past, unless they are in positions where women cabinet ministers destroy the futures of other women.
I’m glad Brash isn’t being called a ‘gentleman’ anymore; he never was.
As for how he would see the place of women in this society and the value they are held in – at a MOTU meeting, Jenny Gibbs, who has openly campaigned against the Suffragist Memorial Tiles in Lower Khartoum Place being retained, was asking the speaker Don Brash patsy questions, so gives you a good idea about that! If you are rich he will use you. If you are poor he will abuse you.
I love it how they give Family First so much space, instead of say noting the legal and human rights issues that lead to parental notification being optional, along with legitimising what was likely a flawed poll.
They weren’t murderers or anything; they had merely stolen more money than most people can rationally conceive of, from their own customers, in a few blinks of an eye. But then they went one step further. They came to Washington, took an oath before Congress, and lied about it.
Thanks to an extraordinary investigative effort by a Senate subcommittee that unilaterally decided to take up the burden the criminal justice system has repeatedly refused to shoulder, we now know exactly what Goldman Sachs executives like Lloyd Blankfein and Daniel Sparks lied about. We know exactly how they and other top Goldman executives, including David Viniar and Thomas Montag, defrauded their clients. America has been waiting for a case to bring against Wall Street. Here it is, and the evidence has been gift-wrapped and left at the doorstep of federal prosecutors, evidence that doesn’t leave much doubt: Goldman Sachs should stand trial.
And wasn’t someone saying that we should listen to these people about some financial deals going through the other day?
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The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to âdefend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.â To achieve this, they have pledged they âwill not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workersâ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
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 Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
MÄori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, MÄori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Governmentâs refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. âI am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. âPets are important members of many Kiwi families. Itâs estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iranâs shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.  âThese attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.  "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand â Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.  âDame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,â says Dr Reti. âI have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Governmentâs 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âBoosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Governmentâs plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âOur country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,â Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.  âWe cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. âThis is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin itârule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islandsâ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the countryâs next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies âfrictionâ is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. âFrictionâ is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) âFâsâ in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term âbulk billedâ refers to a GP visit they donât have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss whatâs in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to whatâs been on my mind for a while. Itâs very important. You see weâve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so weâve destroyed valuable coastal habitat â in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he canât stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
MÄori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of MÄori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao MÄori (the MÄori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, âWeâre here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment thatâs thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didnât find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. âI thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, hereâs our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
ZoĂ« Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new âFast-track Approvals Billâ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister â the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory â gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australiaâs flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But thatâs changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum âre-imaginedâ itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-oldâs seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so itâs wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhardâs rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Youâd be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesnât require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project Youâre not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesnât fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingwayâs Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans peopleâs self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelonaâs city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoffâs Wellington editor Joel MacManus: âYou can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups âClimate Action VUWâ, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Governmentâs âWar on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiâs popularity has grown exponentially â and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, theyâre better for the environment. No, thatâs not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
âIt will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealandersâ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether youâre watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, itâs not the done thing to know â let alone ask â what our colleagues are paid. Yet, itâs easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The governmentâs plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up â and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. Itâs consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/5003521/Illegal-downloading-a-favourite-NZ-pastime
How badly does illegal downloading actually effect these companies?
I mean the music business still keeps churning out artists, movies are breaking records etc etc
Personally I think CDs (yes yes I’m a dinosaur) are way over-priced, movie tickets (and the food they sell) are exorbitant and video rental store prices used to be way over the top
The Warehouse (NZ’s biggest music retailer) has posted double-digit declines in the sales of CDs and DVDs, apparently for the 2nd or 3rd year in a row.
CD and DVD prices will probably eventually decline, or be replaced out-right by digital distribution which will probably be cheaper.
I think thats because prices for CDs and DVDs are still too high plus downloading is just so convienent (or so I’ve heard of course)
Why I prefer cd’s:
Liner notes
Albums
Cover art
Sound quality
You can loan/borrow them. (goes triple for dead tree books)
On the cost, they are expensive in comparison to mp3s, but when I get a cd the chances are I’m going to listen to it certainly dozens of times, probably hundreds, possibly thousands. Books, video games, movies? Not so much.
Unless you’ve got a high end sound system 320kb mp3’s are the same quality as CD’s in a blind test đ
And yeah, while you can’t lend them out the price difference on ebooks makes them really attractive, on top of the fact it takes months sometimes for a new book (hard sci-fi in my case) to turn up in NZ whereas I can get an ebook in less than a minute. Though it’s somewhat dependent on the publishers not being douchebags and putting regional restrictions in.
I tend to find that given the number of really good books I have not yet read, the time pressure to buy any given new one? Not high. đ
For me this goes for music, TV and films. The view that newest is best and/or that it’s really important to be up with the latest shiny thing, is a hyper-capitalist con, largely being promoted by US corporates. And the Internet has helped spread this mythology.
Welp, I do have an abundance of free time at present due to being on the sickness benefit + I can eat a 400-500 pg book in one day đ
So cheap and easy to get is better for me.
Libraries are moving more to ebooks that can be accessed fro m home.
And not to say anything about the car sound system. Mine don’t even take cds’ no disc at all hence no skip no dirt, and gunk on CD that makes it weird. it takes Memory sticks., Sdram cards and anything with an 8mm jack out put and all for 70 bucks. I put it in my self and I have a 4 GIG memory stick that’s on Random play and I still haven’t heard a repeat yet. And I can plug my Laptop in as well for even more music. All on MP3 at 320 (CD quality)
It is true that the decision to buy a CD and the time and effort to actually purchase it means IMHO that the music on a CD is valued more then that which is downloaded (but the cost…)
And it’s easier to get to see all of the episodes of your favourite show right up to date and not 2 years behind NZ and no ads. (Or so I have heard)
How many here are happy with the adversarial dominant parliament we currently have, where bringing down the government or other parties is a major focus of attention?
Too negative? Ok? Not enough conflict?
I’m not happy with it at all.
We need an opposition, and examination of the behaviour of the government. That’s “adversarial” I guess. But we don’t need all the petty personality stuff. We don’t need the continual war.
Trouble is, I don’t see how you can draw the line, or prevent valid examination from turning in to continual petty warfare. And I don’t have a better system to propose (well, not within the bounds of a Westminster system anyway).
Silly question and it ignores the fact that there are significant differences between the parties. Â One is a bunch of rich intent on looking after themselves and their mates to the detriment of the poor. Â The other is committed to managing New Zealand for all Kiwis and making the country socially, financially and environmentally sustainable.
Of course it is adversarial. Â The differences of opinion guarantee that this happens.
The problem is its hard to tell which party is which (I mean Phil Goff was/is a Roger Douglas disciple) at times
PeteG, it’s not so much that there would be not enough conflict but, rather, that your perspective seems to be overestimating (or just over-assuming) the degree of consensus there actually is. Your position probably stems from the false consensus effect.
Wow
Sunday Star Times has a full page advertisement with Brash’s letter to Key being reproduced.
Any idea how much it would have cost?
15 to 20 k?
For donkey’s chums, that’s chump change.
These are seen now as their investment opportunities,
i.e. to get their hands on the seat of power
to raid the people’s coffers and assets.
They get in to carry on their unfinished business
and we’re finished.
Australia will be welcoming another wave of Kiwi economic refugees.
it’s heaps.
There’s a rates card for the SST but I don’t know what the pricing signifies – cost per column centimetre? http://www.fairfaxmedia.co.nz/dotAsset/9017.pdf
If it’s column cm, there are 540 column/cms on a full page, $42 each at casual rate in Section A = $22K
Who has paid for the ad?
Don will be very honest about who has been putting the stuffing in his hollowness this time.
Well, it seems that electioneering is now in full swing. How many months before the regulated period starts?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5006057/Activist-Minto-eyes-role-in-Mana-Party
This partys just getting better and better
for a few percent of Kiwis, it is. That’s all they’re aiming for.
It’s called diversity. Not everyone’s like you but they have just as much right to a voice in Parliament.
I totally agree
Anyone else feeling conflicted about voting Green or Mana? I guess for me it will come down to strategic voting and that won’t be apparent until closer to the election and we can see what Mana are standing where. I’m wondering how much of the Green vote will move to Mana. Not that that’s a bad thing, the Greens need to get their shit together anyway and this may prompt them, but I hope the Greens and Mana can look at accomodations.
Yep, I am. I’d like to vote for Mana but they have a serious lack of policy to vote for ATM. They’re making most of the right noises but those noises need to backed up with policy.
I will vote Green. Mana already has a strong core constituency& will have 1 MP at least. The left needs a strong Green Party list vote. They also will work with Mana, and Greens have some really good political expertise & systems.
I voted for the maori party and greens last time but Mana will get them both this time.
59% of NZ Houses Not Maintained Properly
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/59-of-nz-houses-not-maintained-properly.html
A recent BRANZ study has found that 59% of New Zealand houses are not maintained properly. It found many common defects in the houses studied, such as poor under-floor ventilation, inadequate clearance of wall cladding from the ground, missing or corroding sub-floor fasteners and poor maintenance of timber windows. 25% of the houses surveyed were in particular poor condition.
How many of those 59% of homes that are not maintained properly are rental units?
One would guess a larger proportion than in the good 31% of houses.
You can download the full report here.
Households participating in the study fall into two categories; those that participated in the phone survey as well as an on sight physical survey (assessed), and secondly households that participated in the phone survey but did not have a physical survey (non-assessed).
It appears that 23% of the assessed dwellings and 39.7% of non-assessed houses surveyed are rented.
Horizon opinion poll out:
http://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/page/122/act-breaks-t
As previously discussed on here, Horizon’s methodology has some “issues”. So it’s probably better to look at the trend over time within their own polling, rather than the party vote numbers in isolation (I doubt that the two main parties are as low as Horizon says).
The trend is … good for ACT and Labour, and also for Mana (from a starting point of zero, so they could hardly go down!).
But is supposed to be a walkover for Key and his governing alone. (Maybe he might need a few Ministers to help but his ego and sense of entitlement means he couls do it alone.) đ
So Don Brash has finally left home.
hmm?
and we hope not to be the butler or delivery man for millionaires’ mansions?
Whose home was he seen leaving?
Operation ‘Unite’
The latest instalment in the effort by Government and the MSM to soften us up to the idea of being policed by an international police force was published in the Sunday Star times today:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5005498/Minors-get-alcohol-in-police-sting
This is the fourth time NZ and Aussie cops have run a coordinated operation described as a ‘crackdown on drunken-ness and violence’ and while the media has been very accommodating in trumpeting the success of the ‘operation’ the glaring omission in the articles has been a lack of rationale for an international operation.
Drunken-ness and violence is not suddenly going to spill over the ditch from Australia in one weekend unless, in an inspired moment of lawlessness the offenders happen to highjack airplanes and fly here.
In addition, given the difference in time zones between the two countries any ‘operation’ is going to be staggered in terms of implementation and essentially disconnected in any real physical sense – so why bother?
There is only one scenario in which this kind of coordinated policing across international borders would be required – mass civilian unrest, the kind that is not limited to just one country.
Since there will be some that say ‘what about the RWC? wont we need make sure that all those rugby fans donât cause bother with their celebrations/ commiserations’ – I will respond in advance simply by referring to my earlier point ie that the physical and temporal disconnect between our two countries renders coordinated policing redundant.
Quite clearly practicing civilian control measures simultaneously across international borders is preparation for a specific occurrence – and I am not talking about a rugby game.
I mentioned softening up, and thatâs because this is just the beginning – wait as Aussie police are welcomed back to NZ to help us deal with the crowds at the RWC (no doubt with carefully orchestrated airport applause, or – gag – standing ovation)
I may sound anti-authoritarian – and that would be a fair assessment – but all that I am asking for in this instance is some honesty and transparency in regard to these ‘operations’ – if the cops want to practice simultaneous civilian control with their Australian counterparts so be it – but they should front up about the reasons why and not try and pretend that arresting drunks across the ditch on the same weekend as us has any effect whatsoever on our ability to deal with our own.
You’re describing a disturbing loss of sovereignty here.
Next thing we know, we’ll be combining aspects of our criminal justice system with Australia.
“There is only one scenario in which this kind of coordinated policing across international borders would be required â mass civilian unrest, the kind that is not limited to just one country.”
Your are so right Campbell Larsen. The TPPA needs to have enforcers because when people finally begin to understand just how badly their darling John Key has betrayed them for his knighthood/30 pieces of silver/governor general/shares in SOEs… they will take to the streets. It will be too late of course because by the end of the year this government will have sold the rights to New Zealand and passed to the pondscum elite the Treasury key.
If ever there was a time to scream out a “VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THIS GOVERNMENT OF NACTMU”, it must be before the TPPA is signed off.
Yep, agreed, there was and is no justification for coordination of these types of policing except as practice for more nefarious purposes. Think check points and travel papers.
The Sunday Star Times editorial today (only in print version) indicates part of the MSM are waking up to what many of us have known for a long time:
Can’t argue so far but then comes the bullshit:
This is the second time in a week that I have read an editorial which just asssumes that National & Key will win a second term. This alongside the “Goff can’t win” mantra seems to be the way the game’s being played by the MSM – repeat something enough and the people will believe it.
What I am sure of is there will be a point at which there is a collective realisation that Key is just the vacuous frontman for a nasty right wing agenda that aims to destroy what is left to feel proud of in this country. At that point the backlash will be severe. The big question is whether this occurs before or after the up coming election. If Key does lead the next government I predict he will make a hasty exit in the hope that he can get out before the moment of realisation arrives. The most important thing to Key right now is protecting his legacy.
Yes Susan and “The most important thing to Key right now is protecting his legacy.” So true. But that knighthood? How can he serve office for one term or one and a bit, and still get his “Sir John Key, Right Honorable Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Money Dealer Extrordinaire, Governor Designate 2014, Celebrity 2008-2011.”
Did anyone see Winston on QA this morning when he said the Nats were looking at the pensioners Gold Card.
The Nats are looking at the Card to find gold there?
More on the Horizon poll …
What matters, of course, is not the details (of interest to 0.01% of voters) but the headline. The Horizon poll is already attracting media attention (Radio NZ, Radio Live, Stuff). And Don Brash is talking it up, as you’d expect.
In fact, the Horizon poll has always been out of line with the others. Contrast with the latest Morgan poll, which showed little change. But here’s the thing … Change is news. No change is not news.
So there was no media coverage at all of the last Morgan poll (literally none at all – try and find it mentioned anywhere!). It may have been more accurate, but it wasn’t news.
But the Spinner’s job is to ignore the details and cash in on the headline. The Horizon poll shows a 3% jump for Labour. Therefore Phil Goff should be appearing in all media NOW trumpeting Labour’s leap (you can write the lines in five minutes, scary Brash is back, National falling, voters coming home to Labour, etc, etc). Repeat: All media. NOW.
Sadly, on past performance, Labour’s lethargic losers will respond to this poll in a forgettable media release some time on Tuesday.
Prove me wrong, guys. Please.
Therefore Phil Goff should be appearing in all media NOW trumpeting Labourâs leap (you can write the lines in five minutes, scary Brash is back, National falling, voters coming home to Labour, etc, etc). Repeat: All media. NOW.
Exactly. I’d add; Brash is back, National falling as voters switch to Labour, Key has to make a choice for once, will he rule out Brash?
Everything you need to know summed up in three graphs:
http://seanbonner.tumblr.com/post/5497438449/everything-you-need-to-know-summed-up-in-three-graphs
Tumblr are busy but Kos has them.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/13/865501/-Open-thread-for-night-owls:-Charting-American-exceptionalism
Ah thanks, i couldn’t get into the first link.
“Carol
19 November 2010 at 11:09 am
Thanks for this, Bunji. I also notice that the ACT women MPs are particularly strong on cutting back on the WomenâsAffairs Ministry. It seems to rankle with their fantasy of individualism, and their anti-âcollectivistâ principles.
But, given that the ACT male MPs have a record of sexual/gender harrassment and bullying, the ACT women seem to me to be colluding with, and/or accepting of the way they are demeaned and kept in a secondary positon in the party. This all exposes the neoliberal fantasy of a society of equally âfreeâ & sovereign individuals, with equal amounts of, or access to power.”
I hope Carol will not mind me quoting her but it needs to be highlighted that if Act gets high votes in this election the rights of women will be reduced further. We’ve seen how Brash has behaved towards the women in his caucus.
The sad thing is that the Act women actually believe the men of Act actually see them as equal.
In the French revolution the men saw the women as equal until the revolution was sewn up and then the women were sent back to reality and to inequality.
Do you think that the Act List will see current MPs dropped down to below 30th, and Brash no 1 Banks no 2. and perhaps the first woman about no 25?
Ianmac,
Act list 30+? Now you are scaring me.
Act which is at present controlling National would pretend to see women as being equal, but espouse the same beliefs as National – women will be made redundant as much as possible and forced to work in aged care, the men encouraged to believe women are taking their jobs.
Act cabinet members will be sidelined increasingly as Brash has done in the past, as Key has done in the past, unless they are in positions where women cabinet ministers destroy the futures of other women.
Mark Sainsury should ask Shagger Brash…”Do you think women have a special place in New Zealand?’
I wonder what his answer would be.
Rodel,
I’m glad Brash isn’t being called a ‘gentleman’ anymore; he never was.
As for how he would see the place of women in this society and the value they are held in – at a MOTU meeting, Jenny Gibbs, who has openly campaigned against the Suffragist Memorial Tiles in Lower Khartoum Place being retained, was asking the speaker Don Brash patsy questions, so gives you a good idea about that! If you are rich he will use you. If you are poor he will abuse you.
Stay Classy TV3.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Schools-accused-of-ignorance-in-abortion-debate/tabid/423/articleID/211216/Default.aspx
Steve Taylor
http://fundypost.blogspot.com/2008/07/chien-andalusia.html
http://publicaddress.net/hardnews/moral-thugs/
Not really a go-to guy for commentary, but if you do, you should point out his affiliations and history.
I love it how they give Family First so much space, instead of say noting the legal and human rights issues that lead to parental notification being optional, along with legitimising what was likely a flawed poll.
The People vs. Goldman Sachs
And wasn’t someone saying that we should listen to these people about some financial deals going through the other day?