Yep, Tracy Watkins or Audrey Young (they seem interchangeable to me) had a ‘politician top list’ column a few days ago, hailing Bill English as polly of the year, & the main reason was for keeping their promise & putting NZ in the black.
The Zion Church in Berlin is hosting a special service on Sunday to coincide with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There’ll be Return of the Jedi clips, an organist interpreting the score, and heaps and heaps of Christian-Star Wars metaphors … and probably lots of good Freudian stuff about God, the Father, the Son, and all the other gendered freight that Christianity has bestowed upon the entire franchise. (Apparently the entire amount of dialogue spoken in the film by any female character totals three minutes).
Hopefully one of Auckland’s North Shore mega-churches will do the same and really screw with people’s minds.
Not interested? I find your lack of faith disturbing. 😉
There was a Radio Live poll on Duncan Garner’s show for Auckland Mayor yesterday, and I polled a clear third with (at one point 17% – maybe now 16%).
Phil Goff polled 1st with 40%.
Victoria Crone 2nd with 33%.
I now look forward, on mainstream media, to being given a fair and proper opportunity to put forward my VERY clear policies to obtain the ‘fiscal prudence / responsibility’ to which Phil Goff and Victoria Crone are making vague reference.
Penny Bright
Credible and serious 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Apart from the 7 years full time anti corruption campaign with zero results, and previous experience as a redundant welding tutor and room renter – any qualifications for the Mayoralty Penny?
Helped to stop the proposed Wellington ‘Supercity’.
Have been campaigning for the last 5 years for NZ to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
NZ did (finally) ratify UNCAC – on 1 December 2015.
Within 24 hours – as it happens – of an ‘Open Letter’ I emailed locally, nationally and internationally, exposing (amongst other things) – the FACT that New Zealand had STILL not yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption.
In my view, the ratification of UNCAC is not just another meaningless piece of paper.
Now that UNCAC has been ratified – the next step is ‘implementation’.
There is a lot of, in my view, a lot which is potentially VERY helpful in the UNCAC in the fight against corruption in NZ.
Have a google and have a read for yourselves, and see what YOU think 🙂
A very good article by Bryce Edwards in the Herald, on the Struggle for Political Integrity.
“The integrity of governance of any society is dependent on numerous pillars that hold up democracy. Akin to an old roman temple, important institutions such as the Official Information Act, public servants and watchdogs act as the foundations of a corruption-free society.
“But in 2015 it became apparent that some of the pillars of New Zealand’s governing arrangements have eroded, making democracy less stable. There have been apparent failings in the OIA regime, transparency of Government ministers and departments, murky deals struck and clampdowns on attempts to get accountability. ” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11561446
TV3 breakfast television has been watchable for a few days:
That’s because Paul Henry is away, replaced by Alison Mau. PAUL HENRY, TV3, Wednesday 16 December 2015, 8:10 a.m.
Imagine you’re back at school. You have a really substandard, nasty, teacher who terrorizes everyone with his sarcasm and his provocative, threatening language. In his classroom everyone feels oppressed, and resentful, but he’s a bully and no one has the heart or the spine to confront him. Imagine the relief when the nasty, substandard, hated teacher is away for a few days and he’s replaced by an intelligent, kindly, competent woman teacher….
That’s pretty much what it has been like this week on TV3’s morning dog PAUL HENRY. The regular host, Paul AKA “Death to Ratings” Henry, has had to take time off for some reason, and has been replaced by Alison Mau. The difference in tone and intellectual level is striking.
Take this morning’s “Panel” segment after the 8 o’clock news for example. The guests, Amanda Gillies and Simon Pound, were not badgered about insulting trivialities, and were treated as adults. Talking about the ridiculous decision to close the Los Angeles public schools after a hoax ISIL terror threat, Simon Pound reminded us that Los Angeles children are under far more danger from white home-grown Christian terrorists than they are from any Islamic terrorists.
This level of insight is forbidden by Henry, who would not have tolerated such common sense. Here’s a reminder of what Henry has to offer on the subject…..
I suppose Paul Henry wanted to spend more time with his family. Has he passed on his genes? Or he wants to recharge his batteries so that he can stick his finger in all the Christmas toys and blow their wiring. His sort of fun, like.
Fanboy, flag lover and climate denier Leighton Smith interviews his idol John Key on talk hate station ZB.
Warning. Listening to this may be bad for your health.
Beneficiaries are apparently in their state of poverty due to their POOR CHOICES and desire Not to Work!!
Jonah Loma made some POOR CHOICES and left his young family with no money to live on.
This apparently is to be regarded with sadness and sorrow that such a *great athlete* was reduced to poverty.
Therefore our esteemed!! PM thinks maybe there should be a Charity Match with all the Big Stars (think Richie) to raise money to support and educate Lomu’s boys.
There apparently has already been paid out 90k for the Memorial. Whose money was that?
So bene’s get slammed and shamed and Lomu is to be pitied and his family supported. Nothing against Lomu but this doesn’t seem right.
Key – “On the other hand… I don’t know the underlying issues, but what I do know is there’s two young boys and what I do know is that there’s not just no money, there may be a couple of debts.”
Lomu had done “an awful lot of fundraising work for charity”, and while he may have mismanaged his money, that did not mean his family did not deserve support.”
I think the key for Key is he had money and lost it rather than he never had money in the first place.
Well, that makes it okay then. As long as he had lots of money once then spent it on luxuries like fancy cars that’s alright. It’s the ones who never had any money in the first place who made the wrong choices and are undeserving.
And then this really revealing one late afternoon, followed by an interview with Trevor McKewen. Seems father-in-law may not have helped Jonu’s financial situation.
hi ffloyd,
speaking of poor choices, investers in scf made poor choices but they didnt bear the fruit of those decisions.
by being an invester it implies they had some spare coin and therefore able to ride out the upset.
Very sick puppy is Key IMHO – why don’t the Lomu clan trot down to WINZ like others have to? Why are those kids so special? And why did Auckland ratepayers have to fork out $90,000 for Lomu’s funeral?? No-one asked me if I would like to contribute to that! And why is John Key so very very concerned about those Lomu kids but totally devoid of concern for the hundreds of thousands of other kiwi kids living in poverty whose parents have NOT been profligate with money, unlike Lomu? Just when you think you couldn’t loathe Key more, something like this happens, and then the same day, he accuses beneficiary parents of taking drugs and claims that’s why they and their children are living in poverty? Could there be a more empty or revolting vessel than Key?
+2, there is a dark chasm that people at the bottom of the ladder fall into. Self interested kiwis have locked them down there, keep on prodding them between the bars and taunt them with abuse. It’s sick.
… why don’t the Lomu clan trot down to WINZ like others have to?
My thoughts too Hami Shearlie. Many of us have gone through bad times and we needed help to meet our living costs. The hat could have been quietly passed around to those who can afford it, but of course that way would mean JK would miss out on a good photo op. and a look at me everybody. Aren’t I a kind and generous person. It sickens me.
Bear in mind, Jonah Lomu was a John Key fanboy who was only too happy to be politically used by the National Party during the election campaign.
@ Ffloyd (8) – you got it right there. Been thinking the same, particularly as Jonah’s wife had the begging bowl out, in less than 24 hours after he had died!
There’s a big smelly dirty rat involved somewhere, judging by the reports coming out now. And I don’t believe it’s all Jonah’s fault either.
Wife Nadene was his manager. Now I wonder what it was she actually managed!
Well, from what I have been able to ascertain , what his third wife “managed” was to leave her husband of ten months, inveigle Lomu into leaving his wife Fiona (who was the one who got him through his transplant op AND arranged all his business affairs so he would have advertising jobs etc to help him financially once he became ill.)
And then, his third wife got him involved with her father’s dodgy business dealings, and finally, as soon as he had left this earth, set up a give a little page and let people believe the money they would be giving was going to fulfil Jonah’s dreams, implying it was going to charities he supported – only later to finally have to admit, that it was she who was going to pocket the lot! And the timing, with her husband not yet cold. A normal person who is in shock and grieving would hardly be cold, calm and collected enough to dream that little ploy up!
Old Jonah’s finances sure took some very “quirky” turns once he got involved with Ms Nadene “Quirk”!
It’s rather noteworthy that this charity being set up excludes Ms Quirk entirely. What do all those people know about her that we don’t??
“Thank goodness Judith you were willing to play the distraction role to save us from explaining the Dirty Tricks. I will make it up to you for your most loyal act. The Party is so grateful.”
driving to work thru the manawatu gorge, behind two trucks going 55 kph.
coming towards us is a slow stream of traffic with 5 truck and trailer units (each bearing the yellow H card, meaning 50 tonne trucks), 25 cars and another 6 trucks.
meanwhile over the river a train meanders thru with over 12 soft side wagons, several wagons loaded with building timber and lots of empty wagons.
i thought about how powerful the trucking lobbyists must be to keep these dangerous, polluting beasts all over our roads, while being massively subsidized by the rest of us.
then realized that the supermarket lobby would have a strong bearing on these behemoths staying on the roads.
after all we must get these out of season, overseas fruit and veges to our stores.
who else has a vested interest in the trucks dominating our highways.
the big building chains?
surely folk could do without overnight from auckland?
are there that many votes lost in trimming trucking and investing in rail?
i thought about how powerful the trucking lobbyists must be to keep these dangerous, polluting beasts all over our roads, while being massively subsidized by the rest of us.
Yep. It’s a concern. Government decisions need to be made upon the facts that are publicly available and not from behind closed doors to whomever is giving the biggest donations.
We most definitely need to get rid of the truck subsidies.
are there that many votes lost in trimming trucking and investing in rail?
Part of the problem is the truck drivers who see that they’ll be losing their jobs rather than that they’ll be shifting from one job to another which will be safer with a more secure pay packet.
John Key and ‘the Edge’.
Ew!
If this is the Brighter Fyoucha NuZull, it’s now my ambition, my esprayshun, my fucking heart’s desire to get the fuck out of the place as soon as possible.
They can fucking soak in it!
“A troubled Northland charter school has failed to turn itself around leaving the Education Minister no choice but to close it in March.
Millions of dollars has been invested in Te Pumanawa o te Wairua, whose future remained uncertain after a final performance notice and a warning from Hekia Parata that the doors could still close if it failed another audit in October.”
Well. I wonder how much of those millions will escape and how many millions of taxpayers will be refunded. (Someone has to pay for the MPs salary rise.) http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/75177381/hekia-parata-to-close-failing-whangaruru-charter-school
Ms Parata’s office confirms $4.8 million of government funding has gone into the Whangaruru school, including $1.6 million in establishment funding, which the Nga Parirau Matauranga Charitable Trust used to purchase farmland on which the school is based.
There are now questions about whether the Government can claim back the land or any other assets.
Seems that they may get to keep it because of National’s determination to give away our money and our wealth.
Remember when the question of what happens to money if there is wind-up/fail. Parata avoided answering repeatedly. There is apparently nothing in the contract.
Icke has about 10 pages of personal intimate facts to fill out to get a visa to enter australia, similar to the last two times he has been there.He says that one question is to list all his education from birth until the present. State all his children, foster children, dead or alive, entire family etc.
Perhaps they are planning to do a study of his biological characteristics seeing he talks a lot about being lizard people. But his actions cannot be more bizarre than many of the Australian governments anyway.
I have never owned, operated or managed a business in my life, and am not familiar or experienced with matters pertaining to private sector business law or ‘culture’.
I apply for the job of Managing Director of a major corporate.
Would YOU consider me ‘fit for duty’?
(If you’re reading this Matthew Hooton – Im VERY interested in your considered opinion?)
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
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The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 8 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Last night AC/DC were ‘Back in Black’.
Today the government is back in the red.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/292185/i-see-red-government-forecasts-deficit
Useless, corrupt, duplicitous.
It always was an accounting construct …
http://thestandard.org.nz/thanks-canterbury-for-the-surplus/
And the media lap up all Key’s bs.
Yep, Tracy Watkins or Audrey Young (they seem interchangeable to me) had a ‘politician top list’ column a few days ago, hailing Bill English as polly of the year, & the main reason was for keeping their promise & putting NZ in the black.
For those of you eagerly awaiting the arrival of Star Wars, just a little hint of how seriously some people take it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/star-wars-church-service-germany_567024f3e4b0fccee16fd316
The Zion Church in Berlin is hosting a special service on Sunday to coincide with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There’ll be Return of the Jedi clips, an organist interpreting the score, and heaps and heaps of Christian-Star Wars metaphors … and probably lots of good Freudian stuff about God, the Father, the Son, and all the other gendered freight that Christianity has bestowed upon the entire franchise. (Apparently the entire amount of dialogue spoken in the film by any female character totals three minutes).
Hopefully one of Auckland’s North Shore mega-churches will do the same and really screw with people’s minds.
Not interested? I find your lack of faith disturbing. 😉
I liked this
very good.
Thanks Bloody minded, I feel better now, great series.
An a good day too you, now I’ll fuckity off. 🙂
Brilliant. Just brilliant. Teddy bears…
Malcolm Turnbull, Canberra.
Prime Minister,
given your gold mine investments in Ghana and Siberia, what is your assessment of their working conditions ?
Yours Sincerely,
Paaparakauta
http://deeperweb.com/results.php?cx=%21004415538554621685521%3Avgwa9iznfuo&cof=FORID%3A11%3BNB%3A1&ie=UTF-8&q=gold+mine+siberia+slavery&as_qdr=&site
http://deeperweb.com/results.php?cx=%21004415538554621685521%3Avgwa9iznfuo&cof=FORID%3A11%3BNB%3A1&ie=UTF-8&q=gold+mine+ghana+slavery&as_qdr=&siteurl=
FYI
There was a Radio Live poll on Duncan Garner’s show for Auckland Mayor yesterday, and I polled a clear third with (at one point 17% – maybe now 16%).
Phil Goff polled 1st with 40%.
Victoria Crone 2nd with 33%.
I now look forward, on mainstream media, to being given a fair and proper opportunity to put forward my VERY clear policies to obtain the ‘fiscal prudence / responsibility’ to which Phil Goff and Victoria Crone are making vague reference.
Penny Bright
Credible and serious 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
If you have to sign off a post with “Credible and serious 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate”. – you probably arn’t.
Snide
Well I voted for you as a joke and I live in Christchurch so I wouldn’t be getting your hopes up any time soon
and snider.
Pucky…back to the cooking sherry with you…did you send your vote up in a sealed envelope addressed to Auckland?
Apart from the 7 years full time anti corruption campaign with zero results, and previous experience as a redundant welding tutor and room renter – any qualifications for the Mayoralty Penny?
Helped to stop the proposed Wellington ‘Supercity’.
Have been campaigning for the last 5 years for NZ to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
NZ did (finally) ratify UNCAC – on 1 December 2015.
Within 24 hours – as it happens – of an ‘Open Letter’ I emailed locally, nationally and internationally, exposing (amongst other things) – the FACT that New Zealand had STILL not yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption.
In my view, the ratification of UNCAC is not just another meaningless piece of paper.
Now that UNCAC has been ratified – the next step is ‘implementation’.
There is a lot of, in my view, a lot which is potentially VERY helpful in the UNCAC in the fight against corruption in NZ.
Have a google and have a read for yourselves, and see what YOU think 🙂
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
GO PENNY BRIGHT!…may the FORCE be with you!…and you overtake both Victoria Crone and Phil Goff
….You would make a magnificent Mayor …and corruption fighter!
You could take Auckland back to the 1960s or 1970s..before the rot set in
A very good article by Bryce Edwards in the Herald, on the Struggle for Political Integrity.
“The integrity of governance of any society is dependent on numerous pillars that hold up democracy. Akin to an old roman temple, important institutions such as the Official Information Act, public servants and watchdogs act as the foundations of a corruption-free society.
“But in 2015 it became apparent that some of the pillars of New Zealand’s governing arrangements have eroded, making democracy less stable. There have been apparent failings in the OIA regime, transparency of Government ministers and departments, murky deals struck and clampdowns on attempts to get accountability. ” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11561446
TV3 breakfast television has been watchable for a few days:
That’s because Paul Henry is away, replaced by Alison Mau.
PAUL HENRY, TV3, Wednesday 16 December 2015, 8:10 a.m.
Imagine you’re back at school. You have a really substandard, nasty, teacher who terrorizes everyone with his sarcasm and his provocative, threatening language. In his classroom everyone feels oppressed, and resentful, but he’s a bully and no one has the heart or the spine to confront him. Imagine the relief when the nasty, substandard, hated teacher is away for a few days and he’s replaced by an intelligent, kindly, competent woman teacher….
That’s pretty much what it has been like this week on TV3’s morning dog PAUL HENRY. The regular host, Paul AKA “Death to Ratings” Henry, has had to take time off for some reason, and has been replaced by Alison Mau. The difference in tone and intellectual level is striking.
Take this morning’s “Panel” segment after the 8 o’clock news for example. The guests, Amanda Gillies and Simon Pound, were not badgered about insulting trivialities, and were treated as adults. Talking about the ridiculous decision to close the Los Angeles public schools after a hoax ISIL terror threat, Simon Pound reminded us that Los Angeles children are under far more danger from white home-grown Christian terrorists than they are from any Islamic terrorists.
This level of insight is forbidden by Henry, who would not have tolerated such common sense. Here’s a reminder of what Henry has to offer on the subject…..
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052015/#comment-1021090
I suppose Paul Henry wanted to spend more time with his family. Has he passed on his genes? Or he wants to recharge his batteries so that he can stick his finger in all the Christmas toys and blow their wiring. His sort of fun, like.
“Has Paul Henry passed on his genes?”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67770667/Paul-Henrys-biggest-cringe-moments
In fact Bella Henry did some political commentary on his show once or twice.
I wonder if we’ll ever see audience figures.
Paul Henry is really an attack dog…and an ugly one
Fanboy, flag lover and climate denier Leighton Smith interviews his idol John Key on talk hate station ZB.
Warning. Listening to this may be bad for your health.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11561791
He really tackles the tricky interviews, does our git of a Prime Minister?
On the Crowd Goes Wild, ffs!!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11561837
I don’t get this Jonah Lomu thing.
Beneficiaries are apparently in their state of poverty due to their POOR CHOICES and desire Not to Work!!
Jonah Loma made some POOR CHOICES and left his young family with no money to live on.
This apparently is to be regarded with sadness and sorrow that such a *great athlete* was reduced to poverty.
Therefore our esteemed!! PM thinks maybe there should be a Charity Match with all the Big Stars (think Richie) to raise money to support and educate Lomu’s boys.
There apparently has already been paid out 90k for the Memorial. Whose money was that?
So bene’s get slammed and shamed and Lomu is to be pitied and his family supported. Nothing against Lomu but this doesn’t seem right.
I have felt the same disquiet.
Key – “On the other hand… I don’t know the underlying issues, but what I do know is there’s two young boys and what I do know is that there’s not just no money, there may be a couple of debts.”
Lomu had done “an awful lot of fundraising work for charity”, and while he may have mismanaged his money, that did not mean his family did not deserve support.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/75153683/john-key-eden-park-benefit-game-for-jonah-lomu-a-possibility
I think the key for key is he had money and lost it rather than he never had money in the first place.
I agree, as long as its only corporates paying in its all good but it won’t be
I think the key for Key is he had money and lost it rather than he never had money in the first place.
Well, that makes it okay then. As long as he had lots of money once then spent it on luxuries like fancy cars that’s alright. It’s the ones who never had any money in the first place who made the wrong choices and are undeserving.
Nothing against Lomu but this doesn’t seem right.
David Fisher at the Herald has been delving into the family finances and filed three stories yesterday.
First this one, early yesterday – note the references to Nadene.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11561132
And then this really revealing one late afternoon, followed by an interview with Trevor McKewen. Seems father-in-law may not have helped Jonu’s financial situation.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503077&gal_cid=1503077&gallery_id=156590
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11561435
Its sounding like a cliché all right
hi ffloyd,
speaking of poor choices, investers in scf made poor choices but they didnt bear the fruit of those decisions.
by being an invester it implies they had some spare coin and therefore able to ride out the upset.
Very sick puppy is Key IMHO – why don’t the Lomu clan trot down to WINZ like others have to? Why are those kids so special? And why did Auckland ratepayers have to fork out $90,000 for Lomu’s funeral?? No-one asked me if I would like to contribute to that! And why is John Key so very very concerned about those Lomu kids but totally devoid of concern for the hundreds of thousands of other kiwi kids living in poverty whose parents have NOT been profligate with money, unlike Lomu? Just when you think you couldn’t loathe Key more, something like this happens, and then the same day, he accuses beneficiary parents of taking drugs and claims that’s why they and their children are living in poverty? Could there be a more empty or revolting vessel than Key?
@ Hami Shearlie – Agree with your sentiments.
All this goes to demonstrate FJK is as shallow as most of us have known all along!
He’s rotten to his filthy core!
BTW, love your very cute dog pic 🙂
Thanks mary_a, my wee poodle boy makes everyone smile!
+2, there is a dark chasm that people at the bottom of the ladder fall into. Self interested kiwis have locked them down there, keep on prodding them between the bars and taunt them with abuse. It’s sick.
… why don’t the Lomu clan trot down to WINZ like others have to?
My thoughts too Hami Shearlie. Many of us have gone through bad times and we needed help to meet our living costs. The hat could have been quietly passed around to those who can afford it, but of course that way would mean JK would miss out on a good photo op. and a look at me everybody. Aren’t I a kind and generous person. It sickens me.
Bear in mind, Jonah Lomu was a John Key fanboy who was only too happy to be politically used by the National Party during the election campaign.
@ Ffloyd (8) – you got it right there. Been thinking the same, particularly as Jonah’s wife had the begging bowl out, in less than 24 hours after he had died!
There’s a big smelly dirty rat involved somewhere, judging by the reports coming out now. And I don’t believe it’s all Jonah’s fault either.
Wife Nadene was his manager. Now I wonder what it was she actually managed!
Well, from what I have been able to ascertain , what his third wife “managed” was to leave her husband of ten months, inveigle Lomu into leaving his wife Fiona (who was the one who got him through his transplant op AND arranged all his business affairs so he would have advertising jobs etc to help him financially once he became ill.)
And then, his third wife got him involved with her father’s dodgy business dealings, and finally, as soon as he had left this earth, set up a give a little page and let people believe the money they would be giving was going to fulfil Jonah’s dreams, implying it was going to charities he supported – only later to finally have to admit, that it was she who was going to pocket the lot! And the timing, with her husband not yet cold. A normal person who is in shock and grieving would hardly be cold, calm and collected enough to dream that little ploy up!
Old Jonah’s finances sure took some very “quirky” turns once he got involved with Ms Nadene “Quirk”!
It’s rather noteworthy that this charity being set up excludes Ms Quirk entirely. What do all those people know about her that we don’t??
Men can make such shite relationship choices.
Idiot Key still sucking on the the rugby.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11561837
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2015/12/omsa_rules_in_favour_of_blogger.html
This seems fair and I’m sure everyone will feel the same
dont go to kiwiblog…some nasty infections around
Clown key
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/politics/pm-drug-dependency-a-major-contributor-to-nz-poverty/
here are some facts”:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11184479
This a perfect picture for a caption contest!
https://twitter.com/gtiso/status/676880421708140548
Sorry, I cannot figure out how to copy just the photo itself.
But two wonderful strands:
What is Key doing to Collins’ hair? Is this a variation on ponytail pulling?
What on earth is Woodhouse thinking as he watches?
He’s whispering into her dainty shell-like ear… you f***k about like you did last time and I’ll finish you for good.
“Thank goodness Judith you were willing to play the distraction role to save us from explaining the Dirty Tricks. I will make it up to you for your most loyal act. The Party is so grateful.”
driving to work thru the manawatu gorge, behind two trucks going 55 kph.
coming towards us is a slow stream of traffic with 5 truck and trailer units (each bearing the yellow H card, meaning 50 tonne trucks), 25 cars and another 6 trucks.
meanwhile over the river a train meanders thru with over 12 soft side wagons, several wagons loaded with building timber and lots of empty wagons.
i thought about how powerful the trucking lobbyists must be to keep these dangerous, polluting beasts all over our roads, while being massively subsidized by the rest of us.
then realized that the supermarket lobby would have a strong bearing on these behemoths staying on the roads.
after all we must get these out of season, overseas fruit and veges to our stores.
who else has a vested interest in the trucks dominating our highways.
the big building chains?
surely folk could do without overnight from auckland?
are there that many votes lost in trimming trucking and investing in rail?
Yep. It’s a concern. Government decisions need to be made upon the facts that are publicly available and not from behind closed doors to whomever is giving the biggest donations.
We most definitely need to get rid of the truck subsidies.
Part of the problem is the truck drivers who see that they’ll be losing their jobs rather than that they’ll be shifting from one job to another which will be safer with a more secure pay packet.
Latest happenings in Kurdish parts of Turkey – https://roarmag.org/essays/turkey-curfew-kurdish-resistance/?utm_content=buffer305cb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
John Key and ‘the Edge’.
Ew!
If this is the Brighter Fyoucha NuZull, it’s now my ambition, my esprayshun, my fucking heart’s desire to get the fuck out of the place as soon as possible.
They can fucking soak in it!
“A troubled Northland charter school has failed to turn itself around leaving the Education Minister no choice but to close it in March.
Millions of dollars has been invested in Te Pumanawa o te Wairua, whose future remained uncertain after a final performance notice and a warning from Hekia Parata that the doors could still close if it failed another audit in October.”
Well. I wonder how much of those millions will escape and how many millions of taxpayers will be refunded. (Someone has to pay for the MPs salary rise.)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/75177381/hekia-parata-to-close-failing-whangaruru-charter-school
They bought a farm.What happens to that?
Taxpayers could lose $5m after decision to axe Northland charter school contract
Seems that they may get to keep it because of National’s determination to give away our money and our wealth.
Remember when the question of what happens to money if there is wind-up/fail. Parata avoided answering repeatedly. There is apparently nothing in the contract.
Well what about us all starting schools? What else is National giving away?
The Australian fascist madness continues. They’re copying the crazy U$ lockdown on anything that does not strictly conform!
must be a plot by the lizard people.
Icke has about 10 pages of personal intimate facts to fill out to get a visa to enter australia, similar to the last two times he has been there.He says that one question is to list all his education from birth until the present. State all his children, foster children, dead or alive, entire family etc.
Perhaps they are planning to do a study of his biological characteristics seeing he talks a lot about being lizard people. But his actions cannot be more bizarre than many of the Australian governments anyway.
Ok folks – what’s your view on this one?
I have never owned, operated or managed a business in my life, and am not familiar or experienced with matters pertaining to private sector business law or ‘culture’.
I apply for the job of Managing Director of a major corporate.
Would YOU consider me ‘fit for duty’?
(If you’re reading this Matthew Hooton – Im VERY interested in your considered opinion?)
Thanks!
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Just asking …. nicely 🙂
Has Victoria Crone ever attended a single Auckland Council Governing Body or Auckland Council Committee meeting?
How about any Auckland Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) meeting?
How about any Auckland Local Board meeting?
Has Victoria Crone had any experience as a ‘public servant’?
Has Victoria Crone ever had any experience of local government law?
If not – no disrespect – but how is she possibly ‘fit for duty’ as a potential Mayor of Auckland?
Seriously?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.