Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Science without humanity
Knowledge without character
Politics without principle
Commerce without morality
Worship without sacrifice.
― Mahatma Gandhi
Not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse that I will be at work through the leadership announcement.
Conserving my energies for the next phase of media diversions, distortions and anti-left attacks.
We all want to help one another; human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there’s room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful.
But we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost…
A belly-laugh-out-loud -’Secret Diary of Grant Robertson’. Makes me wonder it Steve Braunias is a commenter or a lurker round these parts….
Wee teaser:
WEDNESDAY
O Thorndon! O political beltway of Wellington. How I’ve missed it! It’s so good to be back with people you can trust. Who needs humanity when you have caucus?
We sat around and analysed latest polling. There was good news and bad news.
The bad news was that 79 per cent of New Zealanders thought I was inexperienced, shifty, kind of creepy, a bit of a toerag, and probably a really sore loser.
The good news was that caucus couldn’t care less what 79 per cent of New Zealanders think about anything.
THURSDAY
We revised earlier estimates and concluded that caucus couldn’t care less what 100 per cent of New Zealanders think about anything
edit – moved this to open mike when it suddenly appeared
It seems to me that Farrar participating in the axe the copper tax campaign is a clear sign that the English/Key faction is targeting pro-Collins minister Amy Adams. Between this and Key letting her bury herself over the RMA changes things don’t look good for Adams.
The rumblings are that the factional war in National stepping up a notch. Presumably as a result of Key’s polling slipping and the threat of a resurgent Labour party. I predict we’ll see Judith Collins increase her PR work but also hit a few carefully planted landmines over the next twelve months.
Strange also that in the past the Labour Party was lambasted for allowing the unions to ‘control’ it.
No-one in the MSM see’s a problem with the National Party being controlled by some very rich business men. These people will be paying very close attention to John Key at the present time, when they can sense some strange stirrings in the political atmosphere which may not bode too well for them.
Good to see the ABC group have migrated to National Party “Anyone but Collins”
It seems to me that Farrar participating in the axe the copper tax campaign is a clear sign that the English/Key faction is targeting pro-Collins minister Amy Adams. Between this and Key letting her bury herself over the RMA changes things don’t look good for Adams.
Yup its as if labour dont have a telecoms spokesperson.
They should be dicatating the narrative on UFB as joyce has stitched up the taxpayer to line chorus pockets just like the old days. Chorus need to be brought in line and what happened to the $300m gifted for rural broadband ?
A court indictment by the Turkish prosecutors into the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian rebels has once again highlighted fears this week that sarin toxic gas was used by the opposition and not the Assad government.
The prosecutor in the Turkish city of Adana has issued a 132-page indictment, alleging that six men of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham tried to seek out chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent, sarin gas, a number of Turkish publications reported.
From today’s Herald online, Bernard Hickey gives some details about the love affair the middle class in Auckland have with the 2nd and 3rd property as a rental investment,
Berrnard points out that while prices are going up for the actual houses rents overall seem to have dropped 1%, if that fall continues i would suggest that in Auckland such investment in rental investments has reached a point where the ‘rental market’ has reached saturation point,
The competition between 1st home buyers and rental investors continues at pace,
”The surge of former owner-occupied houses becoming rentals was most evident in Mt Eden,(up 19%), Mt Wellington,(up24%), and Remuera, (up 10%)”, unquote: Bernard Hickey,
What’s next, my pick is interest rates go up, rents start to ratchet up and those who are over-leveraged will be forced to sell the rental or lose their shirts…
On Radionz now – for all people interested in international aid suggestions that might apply to NZ and within NZ to give a way forward, in these difficult times, through community strength.
10:06 Ideas International Aid – What works and what doesn’t?
Duncan Green, the author of From Poverty to Power, speaks to Chris Laidlaw about his belief that active citizenship is the key to reversing the world’s growing inequalities; UnionAID’s Helen Wilson describes a project in Tamil Nadu, India that has seen some of the poorest of the poor setting up worker cooperatives; and Professor Stephen Howes, a former World Bank economist, reflects on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to international aid.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.
Also check out Polifact.com.au I think this may have something to offer we nz citizens.
MediaWatch this morning had a segment about the company Politifact, who do fact-checking on US political statements (particularly around elections), and how they branched out into the recent Australian election.
The guy was saying that he’d have no problem covering the NZ election next year, if they can partner with someone or be funded by someone wanting to pay the bills.
The idea of a Maori Upper House will never fly but perhaps the current system of separate Maori seats doesn’t offer true bicultural commitment. How about if Maori voters weren’t offered an either or situation with their electoral roll but instead given both. The Maori seats stay, the separate electoral roll remains, but Maori voters also get to remain on the General roll and vote a second time!
Lose the Jelly. Toughen up, stand firm on good present policy and don’t bring up such ideas that would arouse the ire of large numbers of NZ because it goes against a well understood principle of equal representation.
People of integrity want fairness for all ensuring that Maori are up there, but not in a way that specially favours their vote over everybody else. People who want Maori to receive the favourable consideration denied for so long want extra care put into organising reparation and ownership and a voice in government, a more bi-cultural approach.
Maori have options for voting already that give them rights to opt for either the Maori or General Roll, plus 4 guaranteed places for Maori in government, (and I believe this should always remain and perhaps go to 6) which is a base and further Maori MPs are likely to be in parliament if pakeha and Maori on the General Roll elect them.
We also should see a set minimum representation in local government. But not playing around with the voting system to give each Maori two votes. It would be unwise to tinker with the balanced system we have based on one vote per person. There are some situations where some get two votes in local body elections I think, but this is based on where property owners having a say where they are ratepayers, and would apply to Maori as well.
This would be fraud, and you know it! One person, one vote.
I think NZ should move beyond the self pity stage and enter the grown up scene. To ask for “special” treatment” belittles the ability and skills of Maoris to be forever reliant on some hand me downs to get a piece of the action. Its debilitating and humiliating.
FW
It’s not wrong to ensure that Maori have clear availability and options to use their well- demonstrated ability and skills. It isn’t debilitating and humiliating to ensure that. Sometimes the heavier side on the balance of justice has to take off a weight and put it on the lighter side to even or slightly advantage the previously lighter side.
Moira Coatsworth has just sent Labour members a final email. Excerpt:
With a highly winnable but tough general election only 14 months or less away, it is critical now that we are united going forward and have a relentless focus on the campaign to win a Labour victory for our country. As you reflect on the result this afternoon I ask you to follow our three candidates’ inspiring lead and focus on two imperatives – unity and a Labour victory next year.
I think that will depend on the Labour caucus Moira.
If, after the votes have been counted and the final figures published, we find that the caucus has yet again thrown s–t in the face of the majority of the membership and affiliates, then I think your chances of unity will be short-lived.
If, however the caucus accept that party unity comes first after-all (and not themselves) then there is a chance. A win in 2014 will surely follow. So, lets see if the Labour caucus is up for it.
Each sector will have it’s final figures published.That is, the percentage figure for each of the sectors for each candidate. Example: what percentage of the 40% caucus contribution voted for each of the candidates. It will be easy enough to work out the actual numbers.
Mediocrity Watch: DAVID FARRAR Mediawatch, Radio New Zealand National, Sunday 15 September 2013
Media whores and self-publicists Gareth and Jo Morgan have foolishly gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have been sponsored by the North Korean government to go to North Korea and have a look at a few Potemkin villages. Predictably, they have made asses of themselves by raving about how wonderful it all was. On Mediawatch this morning, both Morgans were Holmesian in their effusiveness…
GARETH MORGAN: Their clothes are unbelievable! We were the scwuffiest people in North Kowea without a doubt!
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
How contemptible are people who get paid by brutal regimes to tour around with blinkers on and then speak and write positively of those regimes? Undoubtedly they deserve condemnation for their naïveté and their willful blindness. They deserve rigorous criticism.
Not all critics, however, are credible. Unfortunately, the producers at Mediawatch went to a notorious apologist for one rogue regime and let him cut loose on the hapless Morgans for their support of another rogue regime. The Morgans deserve to be admonished, but not by this bloke.
I flicked Chris Laidlaw a quick email to express my, and no doubt many others’, consternation. Keep listening, fellas, and you might hear an on-air slapdown of one of the nastiest hypocrites in the country…
Dear Chris,
While Kim-boosters Gareth and Jo Morgan might well be the modern equivalent of Stalin-bosters Sidney and Beatrice Webb, it was astonishing to hear Mediawatch give the right-wing blogger David Farrar a platform to attack them. Apparently Farrar objects to them being sponsored by the North Korean regime, claiming that this destroyed any credibility they might have had.
In late 2009, David Farrar accepted the sponsorship of another rogue, pariah regime—Israel—and came back to New Zealand full of praise for a regime which has violated more international resolutions than any other. Farrar chose to stay away from the devastated Gaza strip, which had only months earlier been attacked, including with phosphorous munitions, by Israel in what Israeli spokesmen boasted was “twenty-two days of madness”. He did, however, walk around occupied East Jerusalem and afterwards noted, with resolute Webbian blindness, that “things were generally very relaxed in this area”.
For Farrar to criticise the Morgans for acting towards North Korea in exactly the same way as he did towards another pariah regime, is an example of gall and chutzpah on the grand scale. Disappointingly, the Mediawatch interviewer failed to challenge Farrar’s hypocrisy.
Keenly onto it again I see Morrissey ! Appreciated. Don’t blame poor Farrar too much though. Any problems he didn’t see are surely down to those truly ghastly Gazan youths throwing stones.
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
Problems? Like a regime that routinely executes enemies of the state including their leader’s ex ‘girlfriend’? Those ‘problems’? So no one lynched anyone in front of you, Jo? How lovely.
“The Government has stopped a review of New Zealand’s controversial terrorism laws, a move being greeted with suspicion by critics.”
“Green party co-leader Russel Norman said the move raises suspicions that the Government is unwilling to risk further public scrutiny of the state’s search and surveillance powers, at a time when it is already under fire over the GCSB Amendment Bill.”
On something else entirely different, from somebody who hasn’t a clue how to go about it. Any chance of a nice green/purple theme with camillias on Thursday the 19th on here? It’s 120 years after all.
I must make some noises at work too – I’ll try to wear the appropriate colours.
Be nice if we could get other media and social media to recognise it too.
Might be a way to get more people interested in turning out to vote next time.
Read up Te Ara. Apparently a quarter of the adult women in new zealand signed the petition.. found some of mine on there. and they were from every two bit place in the country too.
The mic picture was swapped for some evil looking teeth on Friday the 13th…a white camellia would look great for the 19th, a very significant Women’s Suffrage Aniversary
In my experience, busting into the wrong house and searching it is reasonably common. Of course, it doesn’t happen in Parnell and the people it does happen to are often easily intimidated into silence.
Yeah it was a pretty slow sunday. I had to double the size of the database to handle the load..
I might have to head off for a beer. Looks like the results were what I was expecting except Grant didn’t do as well as I expected in caucus. Looks like a pile of votes headed to Jones.
i am doing a head scratch all round about support for Shane Jones, i don’t see any point in saying exactly how i feel about all the ‘smoko room Bro’ stuff except to say i cannot believe that some people bought into what is obviously so false,
Lolz i can only say there must be some very ‘strange’ people in the Labour Caucus, enjoy your beer, i indulged far too heavily in the stuff earlier in this life so i will turn the roast over and have another coffee…
..yeah..i wd really like to hear the justifications for pissing their votes up against the wall done by those who voted for the w.t.f!-candidate…
..they either seriously think jones was up to it..was really ‘the man’ he pretends to be..’the man’ for this particular moment in time/nz/the labour party..
..(in which case they need to be hauled off for some serious diagnoses..)
..or they were just playing games..’wanking’ as it were…
..treating their ballot-papers/vote like the dog-eared ‘penthouse’-skinmags (seemingly) favoured by who they voted for..
..in which case the please explain? might be harder for them..
.than being hauled off..accused of dementia..
..(and..sigh..!..’having indulged far too heavily’ in my earlier life in my favourite..the ‘speedball’..(heroin/cocaine mixed..)..
..i flipped the vegan-burgers…and sparked up a celebratory-joint..
Did anyone see John Key in his new role last night? He was the third commentator for the All Blacks – Springbok Test on SkyTV. Slumped next to Richie McCaw and the lead broadcaster he appeared somewhat portly and poorly, had bad posture and kept self-consciously adjusting his jacket and tie to try and cover his tummy up, which seemed to want to be part of the action too the way it kept sneaking a peek. His comments were bland and uninspiring and said with a casualness which kind of indicated he was making it up as he went.
All in all a brilliant performance completely in keeping with his NZ presence elsewhere. It is absolutely the next job he should apply for.
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Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
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 ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. 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 ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Dear Lorde,
Please Deliver Us
From Political Folly.
Amen.
Amen.
― Mahatma Gandhi
Not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse that I will be at work through the leadership announcement.
Conserving my energies for the next phase of media diversions, distortions and anti-left attacks.
-Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator
Amen to that …
19:11. A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his benefit to overlook an offence.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/9161763/The-secret-diary-of-Grant-Robertson
A belly-laugh-out-loud -’Secret Diary of Grant Robertson’. Makes me wonder it Steve Braunias is a commenter or a lurker round these parts….
Wee teaser:
edit – moved this to open mike when it suddenly appeared
Clearly Steve Braunias is homophobic!
God Braunias is good. This one was very funny, then quite sobering.
It seems to me that Farrar participating in the axe the copper tax campaign is a clear sign that the English/Key faction is targeting pro-Collins minister Amy Adams. Between this and Key letting her bury herself over the RMA changes things don’t look good for Adams.
The rumblings are that the factional war in National stepping up a notch. Presumably as a result of Key’s polling slipping and the threat of a resurgent Labour party. I predict we’ll see Judith Collins increase her PR work but also hit a few carefully planted landmines over the next twelve months.
Interesting how the Nats out-source their factional struggles and in-fighting.
Strange that the right does it in clear sight, without comment, yet it is the left that is repeatedly accused of it.
(As if we could be so organised).
Strange also that in the past the Labour Party was lambasted for allowing the unions to ‘control’ it.
No-one in the MSM see’s a problem with the National Party being controlled by some very rich business men. These people will be paying very close attention to John Key at the present time, when they can sense some strange stirrings in the political atmosphere which may not bode too well for them.
Adams is a shocker!
Good to see the ABC group have migrated to National Party “Anyone but Collins”
Adams has never been put under real pressure as minister. Good opportunity for a newly focused labour party.
Yup its as if labour dont have a telecoms spokesperson.
They should be dicatating the narrative on UFB as joyce has stitched up the taxpayer to line chorus pockets just like the old days. Chorus need to be brought in line and what happened to the $300m gifted for rural broadband ?
Heh. Reading all your comments as at 9:03am. Love ya all!
Oh, and love to all this afternoon ….. well, erm, aah, except if …. (!!!)
🙂
http://wikispooks.com/wiki/Document:Mind_Control_and_the_US_Government#That.27s_Entrainment
Came across this summary recently, nicely consolidated.
Enjoy!
“Special” US media:
http://i.imgur.com/MRX3wJ9.jpg
Hard to know which is kept more ignorant, America, or NZ!
Makes no difference, both are losing a battle, many have no idea they’re in!
http://rt.com/news/turkey-syria-chemical-weapons-850/
A court indictment by the Turkish prosecutors into the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian rebels has once again highlighted fears this week that sarin toxic gas was used by the opposition and not the Assad government.
The prosecutor in the Turkish city of Adana has issued a 132-page indictment, alleging that six men of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham tried to seek out chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent, sarin gas, a number of Turkish publications reported.
From today’s Herald online, Bernard Hickey gives some details about the love affair the middle class in Auckland have with the 2nd and 3rd property as a rental investment,
Berrnard points out that while prices are going up for the actual houses rents overall seem to have dropped 1%, if that fall continues i would suggest that in Auckland such investment in rental investments has reached a point where the ‘rental market’ has reached saturation point,
The competition between 1st home buyers and rental investors continues at pace,
”The surge of former owner-occupied houses becoming rentals was most evident in Mt Eden,(up 19%), Mt Wellington,(up24%), and Remuera, (up 10%)”, unquote: Bernard Hickey,
What’s next, my pick is interest rates go up, rents start to ratchet up and those who are over-leveraged will be forced to sell the rental or lose their shirts…
so..’l’-day is here…
..the what’s best for nz/labour party has me wanting cunnliffe..
..the green/mana part of me wants robertson..(‘cos of the resultant flow of labour-voters to both parties..)
..and when indulging in a touch of magic-realism..it’s jones..
..’cos then the river of votes heading green/mana-way..
.. becomes a torrent….(mmm!!!..’torrent..!’..)
..phillip ure..
vocabulary knows no bounds; have Chambers, blood-red.
btw..those americas’ cup commentators are the statler and waldorf of commentating..eh..?
..inarticulate grunts/cliches bellowed/harrumphed from the balcony..
..with statler (the 70’s hairy-lip one..) notably trailing in the wake of all those he interacts with..
..and how about that $35 million up on one pontoon..?
..and just about to go into the drink..?
..whoar..!
..eh..?
phillip ure..
This is a day of days.
Are any of the numbers going to be released? I think the caucus ones won’t be, but what the membership ones?
or, The End of Days 😎
On Radionz now – for all people interested in international aid suggestions that might apply to NZ and within NZ to give a way forward, in these difficult times, through community strength.
10:06 Ideas International Aid – What works and what doesn’t?
Duncan Green, the author of From Poverty to Power, speaks to Chris Laidlaw about his belief that active citizenship is the key to reversing the world’s growing inequalities; UnionAID’s Helen Wilson describes a project in Tamil Nadu, India that has seen some of the poorest of the poor setting up worker cooperatives; and Professor Stephen Howes, a former World Bank economist, reflects on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to international aid.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.
Also check out Polifact.com.au I think this may have something to offer we nz citizens.
MediaWatch this morning had a segment about the company Politifact, who do fact-checking on US political statements (particularly around elections), and how they branched out into the recent Australian election.
The guy was saying that he’d have no problem covering the NZ election next year, if they can partner with someone or be funded by someone wanting to pay the bills.
Not up on the web yet, but here’s the index, so it should be up later today: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch
Thanks for putting that right Lanthanide
What are the odds that there will be a major contentious announcement from National today just at the time that Labour announces a new leader?
The idea of a Maori Upper House will never fly but perhaps the current system of separate Maori seats doesn’t offer true bicultural commitment. How about if Maori voters weren’t offered an either or situation with their electoral roll but instead given both. The Maori seats stay, the separate electoral roll remains, but Maori voters also get to remain on the General roll and vote a second time!
Why?
You’re thinking in the wrong direction jellytussle
And that’s democratic how?
Lose the Jelly. Toughen up, stand firm on good present policy and don’t bring up such ideas that would arouse the ire of large numbers of NZ because it goes against a well understood principle of equal representation.
People of integrity want fairness for all ensuring that Maori are up there, but not in a way that specially favours their vote over everybody else. People who want Maori to receive the favourable consideration denied for so long want extra care put into organising reparation and ownership and a voice in government, a more bi-cultural approach.
Maori have options for voting already that give them rights to opt for either the Maori or General Roll, plus 4 guaranteed places for Maori in government, (and I believe this should always remain and perhaps go to 6) which is a base and further Maori MPs are likely to be in parliament if pakeha and Maori on the General Roll elect them.
We also should see a set minimum representation in local government. But not playing around with the voting system to give each Maori two votes. It would be unwise to tinker with the balanced system we have based on one vote per person. There are some situations where some get two votes in local body elections I think, but this is based on where property owners having a say where they are ratepayers, and would apply to Maori as well.
This would be fraud, and you know it! One person, one vote.
I think NZ should move beyond the self pity stage and enter the grown up scene. To ask for “special” treatment” belittles the ability and skills of Maoris to be forever reliant on some hand me downs to get a piece of the action. Its debilitating and humiliating.
FW
It’s not wrong to ensure that Maori have clear availability and options to use their well- demonstrated ability and skills. It isn’t debilitating and humiliating to ensure that. Sometimes the heavier side on the balance of justice has to take off a weight and put it on the lighter side to even or slightly advantage the previously lighter side.
Moira Coatsworth has just sent Labour members a final email. Excerpt:
I think that will depend on the Labour caucus Moira.
If, after the votes have been counted and the final figures published, we find that the caucus has yet again thrown s–t in the face of the majority of the membership and affiliates, then I think your chances of unity will be short-lived.
If, however the caucus accept that party unity comes first after-all (and not themselves) then there is a chance. A win in 2014 will surely follow. So, lets see if the Labour caucus is up for it.
Just saying it like it is.
I thought the caucus vote numbers weren’t going to be made public.
Each sector will have it’s final figures published.That is, the percentage figure for each of the sectors for each candidate. Example: what percentage of the 40% caucus contribution voted for each of the candidates. It will be easy enough to work out the actual numbers.
At least that’s how I understand it will work.
All sections the vote %ages are to be made public I’ve been told.
Better than letting the media make it up.
It is a measure of a person, their manner in defeat. This will define many.
Mediocrity Watch: DAVID FARRAR
Mediawatch, Radio New Zealand National, Sunday 15 September 2013
Media whores and self-publicists Gareth and Jo Morgan have foolishly gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have been sponsored by the North Korean government to go to North Korea and have a look at a few Potemkin villages. Predictably, they have made asses of themselves by raving about how wonderful it all was. On Mediawatch this morning, both Morgans were Holmesian in their effusiveness…
GARETH MORGAN: Their clothes are unbelievable! We were the scwuffiest people in North Kowea without a doubt!
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
How contemptible are people who get paid by brutal regimes to tour around with blinkers on and then speak and write positively of those regimes? Undoubtedly they deserve condemnation for their naïveté and their willful blindness. They deserve rigorous criticism.
Not all critics, however, are credible. Unfortunately, the producers at Mediawatch went to a notorious apologist for one rogue regime and let him cut loose on the hapless Morgans for their support of another rogue regime. The Morgans deserve to be admonished, but not by this bloke.
I flicked Chris Laidlaw a quick email to express my, and no doubt many others’, consternation. Keep listening, fellas, and you might hear an on-air slapdown of one of the nastiest hypocrites in the country…
Dear Chris,
While Kim-boosters Gareth and Jo Morgan might well be the modern equivalent of Stalin-bosters Sidney and Beatrice Webb, it was astonishing to hear Mediawatch give the right-wing blogger David Farrar a platform to attack them. Apparently Farrar objects to them being sponsored by the North Korean regime, claiming that this destroyed any credibility they might have had.
In late 2009, David Farrar accepted the sponsorship of another rogue, pariah regime—Israel—and came back to New Zealand full of praise for a regime which has violated more international resolutions than any other. Farrar chose to stay away from the devastated Gaza strip, which had only months earlier been attacked, including with phosphorous munitions, by Israel in what Israeli spokesmen boasted was “twenty-two days of madness”. He did, however, walk around occupied East Jerusalem and afterwards noted, with resolute Webbian blindness, that “things were generally very relaxed in this area”.
For Farrar to criticise the Morgans for acting towards North Korea in exactly the same way as he did towards another pariah regime, is an example of gall and chutzpah on the grand scale. Disappointingly, the Mediawatch interviewer failed to challenge Farrar’s hypocrisy.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/11/jerusalem.html
Keenly onto it again I see Morrissey ! Appreciated. Don’t blame poor Farrar too much though. Any problems he didn’t see are surely down to those truly ghastly Gazan youths throwing stones.
Wtf?
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
Problems? Like a regime that routinely executes enemies of the state including their leader’s ex ‘girlfriend’? Those ‘problems’? So no one lynched anyone in front of you, Jo? How lovely.
These media whores need to crash and burn.
Good article
“The Government has stopped a review of New Zealand’s controversial terrorism laws, a move being greeted with suspicion by critics.”
“Green party co-leader Russel Norman said the move raises suspicions that the Government is unwilling to risk further public scrutiny of the state’s search and surveillance powers, at a time when it is already under fire over the GCSB Amendment Bill.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9166763/Review-of-terror-laws-stopped
Yes Russel I think you are correct.
On something else entirely different, from somebody who hasn’t a clue how to go about it. Any chance of a nice green/purple theme with camillias on Thursday the 19th on here? It’s 120 years after all.
Excellent idea. And it would look a lot prettier than ‘The Teeth!’ 🙂
I must make some noises at work too – I’ll try to wear the appropriate colours.
Be nice if we could get other media and social media to recognise it too.
Might be a way to get more people interested in turning out to vote next time.
Read up Te Ara. Apparently a quarter of the adult women in new zealand signed the petition.. found some of mine on there. and they were from every two bit place in the country too.
What was the significance of the teeth?
Not suffragette day?
The mic picture was swapped for some evil looking teeth on Friday the 13th…a white camellia would look great for the 19th, a very significant Women’s Suffrage Aniversary
You bet. I’ve seen those teeth on someone somewhere I’m sure……..that’s it, Potty Gower.
Found a couple of my great grandma’s
Can someone with the info post links to live streaming and such like please?
No digital tv at home but keen to watch anything live online.
I believe TV3 will be live streaming. While I’m unable to find a link to the actual page, their website is http://www.3news.co.nz
Honest mistake or not, had the family been at home this would be a story about assault, threatening behaviour, traumatised kids – or worse.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9166834/Cops-raid-wrong-house-in-GPS-goof
In my experience, busting into the wrong house and searching it is reasonably common. Of course, it doesn’t happen in Parnell and the people it does happen to are often easily intimidated into silence.
Here’s why unemployment is never going to significantly drop again:
http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/515926/how-technology-is-destroying-jobs/
I’m sure there’s many a robber baron who would like to reintroduce delightful Victorian innovations like sweatshops and serfdom
@ ‘sweatshops’ and ‘serfdom’..
..don’t we already have both..?
..fast-food/supermarket/w.h.y.. slave-wagers..?
..farm workers on single-figure dollar hourly-rates..(after ‘seasonal-adjustment’ by the pricks robbing them blind..?..)
..we already have our ‘robber-barons’..
..and they all donate heavily to key/the national party..
..the national party..the enemy of the people..
..phillip ure..
Removed from Dann’s twit feed, but my reply still shows on mine.
What a nasty irrelevance this woman Kirsten McKenzie is.
https://twitter.com/Al1enOrg
Boosted the database which was being a bottleneck. For some reason there appears to be quite a lot of excitement.
Can’t see why myself it being a slow Sunday and all, had to go through Google to reach the pages which usually works when all else fails…
Yeah it was a pretty slow sunday. I had to double the size of the database to handle the load..
I might have to head off for a beer. Looks like the results were what I was expecting except Grant didn’t do as well as I expected in caucus. Looks like a pile of votes headed to Jones.
i am doing a head scratch all round about support for Shane Jones, i don’t see any point in saying exactly how i feel about all the ‘smoko room Bro’ stuff except to say i cannot believe that some people bought into what is obviously so false,
Lolz i can only say there must be some very ‘strange’ people in the Labour Caucus, enjoy your beer, i indulged far too heavily in the stuff earlier in this life so i will turn the roast over and have another coffee…
@ bad..
..yeah..i wd really like to hear the justifications for pissing their votes up against the wall done by those who voted for the w.t.f!-candidate…
..they either seriously think jones was up to it..was really ‘the man’ he pretends to be..’the man’ for this particular moment in time/nz/the labour party..
..(in which case they need to be hauled off for some serious diagnoses..)
..or they were just playing games..’wanking’ as it were…
..treating their ballot-papers/vote like the dog-eared ‘penthouse’-skinmags (seemingly) favoured by who they voted for..
..in which case the please explain? might be harder for them..
.than being hauled off..accused of dementia..
..(and..sigh..!..’having indulged far too heavily’ in my earlier life in my favourite..the ‘speedball’..(heroin/cocaine mixed..)..
..i flipped the vegan-burgers…and sparked up a celebratory-joint..
..it’s a good day…
..phillip ure..
Did anyone see John Key in his new role last night? He was the third commentator for the All Blacks – Springbok Test on SkyTV. Slumped next to Richie McCaw and the lead broadcaster he appeared somewhat portly and poorly, had bad posture and kept self-consciously adjusting his jacket and tie to try and cover his tummy up, which seemed to want to be part of the action too the way it kept sneaking a peek. His comments were bland and uninspiring and said with a casualness which kind of indicated he was making it up as he went.
All in all a brilliant performance completely in keeping with his NZ presence elsewhere. It is absolutely the next job he should apply for.
sunday on tvnz just did a most-excellent piece of current affairs television..
..a piece exposing the follies/insanities of our world-beating rates of imprisonment..
..(if we dropped that rate by just 25% we would still be just at the prison-rate of britain..
..whoar..!..haven’t the garth mcvicars’..(and that act mp..?..what was his name again..?..)..
..haven’t they been so successful with their hysterical hang-’em-high! exhortations..?
..and didn’t they plug so successfully into the nastier/punitive aspects of our national psyche..eh..?
..and this is what this piece of current affairs/essential-journalism does..
..it hangs the barking-madness of mc vicar out to dry/for all to see..
..you get to laugh out loud..as mcvicar lies in the face of global crime-dropping stats..
..and then gets all over-excited about the possible use of chaingangs here…
..(seriously..he isn’t so much ‘barking’..as howling at the moon..)
..and when shown footage of swedish prisons..where prisoners are treated with respect/educated..
..and they have crime rates the same as us..and an inprisonment rate of one third of ours here in nz..
..his disgust is shivering/palpable..
..and could we start a facebook campaign or something..?
..to get kim workman again made the head of our prison services..?
..going on the evidence here..
..(oh..!..as a final fiscal-footnote..
..this madmen-encouraged campaign of crime/punitive-hysteria costs us $1.2 billion per year..
..that figure again..?
..$1.2 billion..
..eh..?
..phillip ure..