I hear from someone in Auckland that representatives from Serco have been seen sniffing around Whakatakapokai, the MSD/CYF Care and Protection Residence in Clendon, Manurewa.
This place houses our broken kids in a low-security restrained environment.
Are we gonna see our broken kids handed over as raw material for proft making by Serco on behalf of its foreign shareholders ?
The Serco Group ain’t doing too well it would seem. What happens when Serco decides it has to cut corners to meet its compact with head office and its foreign shareholders ? What might that mean for our broken kids ? You know, those bad wee buggers who’ve made all the wrong choices. In this land of milk and honey for the few PlanetKey.
Not even enough residential care places available anyway. Handing this one over puts already vulnerable kids in a position where the duty of care chain is further lengthened. And the SERCO link is one that will no doubt be forged at the least expense, and at the lowest strength.
Over on The Daily Blog, Metiria Turei bravely opens the dogma box. Worth a read if you’re out that way. Those already way out on the left might want to keep a chill pill handy. It’ll upset some.
It’s good, not particularly upsetting IMO, but I think that it highlights an issue here on ts where the rhetoric renders any understanding or cooperation impossible at times. I agree with Turei that we (New Zealanders) need new conversations and they need to include the left being able to talk to people who don’t fit in the traditional left/right spectrum (as well as IMO being able to work with old school conservatives), people who are apolotical, or who’s politics change or where they take from traditional left and right. I can’t see how we can get past where we are now if that doesn’t happen (Bill’s posts and comments on Scotland probably hold the most clues)..
Ah yes we desperately need to convince the amiable ‘working suits on the aeroplane class’ (is that the ‘with Koru membership’ or ‘without Koru membership’ demographic) that progressive principles are up for negotiation and compromise.
Face it after massively disappointing themselves last elections, the Greens are just as lost in the philosophical and electoral woods as Labour is at the moment.
Agreed! So to beat Australia and be #1 we need to raise it by 27%, which would be about $18.73. I believe the living wage is $18.80 so it’s clear we need to go to $18.80! 😉
This is why NZ under National is such a good place to live and why John Key may go for a fourth term (probably won’t but the look on lefties faces would be priceless)
Trials of psych drugs biased to look good; suicides in drug trials are under-reported
Gøtzsche, who is also a clinical trials expert, says drug trials funded by big pharmaceutical companies tend to produce biased results because many patients took other medication prior to the tests.
He says patients cease taking the old drugs and then experience a phase of withdrawal prior to taking the trial pharmaceuticals, which appear highly beneficial at first.
The Danish professor also warns fatalities from suicides in clinical trials are significantly under-reported.
“In the case of antidepressants venlafaxine and fluoxetine, Gøtzsche casts doubt over their efficacy. He said depression lifts in placebo groups given fake tablets almost as promptly as groups who partake in official clinical tests.”
Reasonably commonly (subsidised) and prescribed here in NZ – with some delightful side effects that are too easily left unexplained. Be careful out there, people, support those near you who are going through the fire or, like me, they’ll have to do it alone and that’s not fun at all. You might also find that what you are told you need is not what you need or what you’re getting. Communicative and cultural styles add to the difficulty of prescribing the right course. It’s another one of those bad jokes that life plays: those least capable somehow have to be more capable and keep their wits about them under enormous stresses, while the capable often get in their way and look the other way.
If there is a general sentiment I would give to those at the “lesser” end of the mental illness spectrum, i.e. hasn’t totally lost their grip on present reality, although their reasoning may be distorted, it’s please remember to consider your illness as a “friend in disguise” that is trying to attract attention to something important you have to change, while you also simultaneously treat the symptoms of the same (serious) illness in a careful and sensible way, using drugs, therapy, family support and even your own intuition and intelligence.
There’s a million reasons why someone may or may not be better off with or without antidepressents, so don’t stop taking your meds just because I did and “I turned out fine”. My situation may not match yours. Cleaning up the repercussions of an overwhelming life is hardwork and may not be entirely possible for some.
It is yet another reason why experienced people cannot afford to buy into the luxury of the aspirant lifestyle, as promoted by certain well-known groups – too much to do that is irreconcilable.
Two weeks ago I looked at facebook likes, in that time Sanders has gone up 90,000 to 453,000, Hilary Clinton has gone up only 25,000 to 824,000. Hopefully he can put the frighteners on Clinton.
Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, falls to ISIS; just 60 miles west of Baghdad
Iraqi troops flee Ramadi as black flags are raised over the city; divisions between the Shia militia and the Baghdad government hindered the defence of the city; Iraqi government refusal to arm Sunni groups around Ramadi a key contributor to the fall of the city.
In my view, we have gotten ourselves mixed up in a sectarian based civil war, one which is going as predictably and as well as these things always do.
Juan Cole:
Some of the problems Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi may be having keeping Ramadi may stem from his rift with some of the Shiite militias, who did the heavy lifting in the assault on Tikrit. Some of them have retired from the battlefield in anger because they were criticized for acting like Shiite extremists. But Sunni tribes in the Ramadi region eager to fight Daesh also complained that they have never received promised government weapons and that the government seems to be afraid to arm them.
Why exactly the Iraqi forces in Ramadi could not get reinforcements or air support is not clear. The Iraqi army also does have helicopter gunships, which appear also not to have been deployed, despite the fighting being near the capital.
RT: Marine Brig Gen Weidley says
“We believe across Iraq and Syria that Daesh is losing and remains on the defensive,” said Marine Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Weidley, chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. Playing down ISIS made gains he added that Iraqi forces still controlled most “key facilities, infrastructure and lines of communication” in the Ramadi area.
So remind us Jonkey Nactional why are we are sending NZ troops into help fight ISIL?! …when our ‘allies’ (USA, Israel , Saudi Arabia) seem to be supporting ISIL covertly and overtly…
….when ISIL is being used against Syria to bring down Assad! ( who 80% of Syrians voted for)….this mess?!…straw dogs and red herrings….and following on from the shame of what has happened to Libya?…who are the pawns in this game?….who is behind these utter warmongering strategic crimes against humanity?
“Is it too late for an agreed political settlement to end the Syrian civil war? Recent advances by Al-Qaeda affiliated groups and the Islamic State suggest any regime following Assad will be radicalized, extremely brutal and possibly aggressive. Would this be a case of the cure being worse than the disease?
CrossTalking with Richard Murphy, Jason Hirthler, and Sukant Chandan”.
Have a read of this piece in this morning’s Dominion Post, then go back and read BLiP’s piece about their work with Roger Douglas in the 1980’s. This needs more exposure.
I noted the finding below that was reported by the human resources research team in the link. I would have thought that the last thing that Poorer Benefit would want is staff who ‘thought rules were more important than ideas’.
I remember one job I read of in the US where they set up a team that got friendly with staff who after telling them private thoughts in confidence found they got sacked. So watch out MSD staff. They’re listening and watching you!
The programme called Building Blue followed a 2013 survey of
approximately 10,000 MSD staff, which found they were too accepting of the status quo, thought rules were more important than ideas, and didn’t want to rock the boat. Staff felt they had to obey orders, follow policy, create a good impression and check in with superiors demonstrating a willingness to conform.
American police need automatic weapons and military gear because they are in a dangerous job
So they say.
But strangely, fishers, loggers, pilots, drivers, roofers, iron and steel workers, construction labourers, agricultural labourers, power line technicians, farmers and others have higher on the job death rates.
It’s the go-to sound bite when pushed into a corner.
Bling: “We got people paying them one way or another”
Yes Bill, the same fucking people, over and over!
Bling: “We got growth and supply coming to market”
No Bill, you don’t. Actual town planners say stop, you can’t do this without infrastructure!
“One way or another.” Did the Finance Minister just say that as part of official position???
IRD receiv(ed) $33 million in Budget 2010 for more inspectors to start cracking down on investors who bought and sold a lot of property in a short period of time.
Really? Well that was money well spent, wasn’t it?
A talk on the referendum on same-sex marriage taking place in the south of Ireland on Friday. . .
The talk is on “Will south of Ireland be first country in world to vote for same-sex marriage?” (Venue, time etc below)
For many decades after the establishment of the twenty-six county state in the south of Ireland in 1921-23, the Catholic Church, both directly and indirectly, wielded vast power in the state and in civil society. Even well into the 1980s it was able to mobilise followers in referenda that prevented divorce being made available and abortion being made available.
However, despite this apparent high-water point for conservative social attitudes and Church power, the wider society was already changing significantly. Exposure of child abuse by priests and nuns – ranging from physical beatings to child rape – undermined the Church’s pretence to the ‘high moral ground’, while new generations supported expanded personal freedom.
The wider changes in southern Irish society also mean that the religious right’s campaign against same-sex marriage can no longer be expressed in blatantly anti-gay terms. Instead, they argue that same-sex couples can settle for civil unions and that marriage has to be of male and female because “children’s rights” involve the right to have a mother and father. They’ve even invoked the names of the radical rebels of the 1916 Rising to push their opposition to marriage equality.
While, in the past two decades, the religious right has lost battle after battle and look likely to lose on the same-sex marriage issue, there is now a secularising, post-religious right which, while actively supporting issues like same-sex marriage, is carrying out an utterly vicious assault on working class living standards. This new post-religious right is represented today in government as the Fine Gael-Labour coalition.
Speaker: Dr Philip Ferguson
5pm, Thursday, May 21
Room 2, Clubs and Societies Building
84 Albany Street
Dunedin
FYI folks – information flushed out from Trade Minister Tim Groser under the OIA, regarding his secret meeting behind closed doors on the TPPA with Auckland Mayor Len Brown, on 7 April 2015, in the Auckland Mayoral Office.
In my opinion, the lack of transparency regarding TPPA discussions and negotiations has now infested New Zealand at the highest levels of central and local government?
______________________________________________________________________________________
18 May 2015
Further ‘Open Letter’ / OIA request to Minister of Trade Tim Groser, arising from ‘briefing notes’ provided for the ‘informal exchange of information’ between the Minister of Trade and Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown, on the TPPA (and related matters) behind closed doors, on 7 April 2015:
Tim Groser,
Minister of Trade
Dear Minister,
A) Please be reminded of the following statutory requirements of the New Zealand Public Records Act 2005:
(c) to enable the Government to be held accountable by—
(i) ensuring that full and accurate records of the affairs of central and local government are created and maintained; and
(ii) providing for the preservation of, and public access to, records of long-term value; and
(d)to enhance public confidence in the integrity of public records and local authority records; and
______________________________________________________________________________________
How can the public have confidence in the transparency or accountability of those in public office, at the highest levels, without proper written records?
BACKGROUND:
In your OIA reply, (dated 14 May 2015) you state:
“The meeting was organised by MFAT and the Office of the Mayor.
It was an opportunity to discuss with the Mayor, trade and economic issues relevant to Auckland.
In addition to the Mayor and me, the meeting was attended by an official from my office, one official from NZTE and one official from MFAT.
Several of the Mayor’s advisors also attended.
The meeting was not a public engagement.
It was an informal exchange of information.
It was not therefore appropriate to include the public, media or other Councillors.
I have attached a briefing note prepared for me by officials in advance of the meeting.
No formal minute or record of the meeting was prepared. ”
______________________________________________________________________________________
INCLUDED IN THE (attached) ‘BRIEFING NOTE’:
“Purpose of the call.
This meeting is expected to focus entirely on trade and economic issues.
It is an opportunity for you to give the mayor an update on the FTA agenda and BGA, and discuss their relevance to Auckland’s economic growth aspirations.
The Mayor may use the meeting to brief you on the Council’s new Global Engagement Strategy, in particular, the Tripartite Economic Alliance and Auckland’s candidacy for the Lee Kwan Yew City Prize.
FTA roundup.
You may wish to give the mayor a summary of New Zealand’s various and ongoing and recently concluded FTA negotiations.
In particular, we believe the Mayor would be interested in updates on TPP, Korea, and the China upgrade.
We provide some background on the Mayor’s interest in TPP below.
* The Mayor has expressed interest in the economic benefits to Auckland that the TPP could deliver.
As New Zealand’s exporting hub, and its most internationally connected city, Auckland stands to derive significant benefits from TPP.
In particular, the fact that the TPP promises to better integrate New Zealand into a region accounting for 40% of global GDP, presents significant opportunities for Auckland’s exporters, and ultimately its residents.
While we have no projections of how the benefits of TPP might accrue specifically to Auckland, the mayor will be interested in in a high level discussion of progress in the negotiation, and of the projected benefits at national level, particularly in terms of export growth, investment flow and labour mobility.
It is also worth noting that in December 2012, the Regional and Development Committee of the Auckland Council passed a resolution which encouraged the Government to conclude negotiations on TPP in a way which achieved 12 objectives (see Appendix 1).
These objectives included achieving substantially increased access for agricultural exports, not increasing the costs of medical treatments, and not giving overseas investors more rights than domestic investors.
Mayor Brown was not present when this resolution was adopted, but he is known to be supportive of trade agreements in general.”
OIA Request:
1) Please provide the information which explains how a meeting between yourself as the Minister of Trade (in that official capacity), and the Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown (in that official capacity), for which the attached ‘briefing note’ was provided – can possibly be described as an ‘informal exchange of information’, from which:
– the details of this meeting were NOT minuted,
– elected Auckland Councillors were not informed and were excluded,
– the public and media were not informed and excluded,
can be compliant with the above-mentioned statutory requirements of the Public Records Act 2005.
B) This attached ‘briefing note’, included the following, in my view, significant ‘statistic’:
Appendix 1 : Economic and demographic statistics demonstrating the importance of Auckland to New Zealand’s international connectivity.
……………………….
“Auckland’s population is projected to grow by approximately 700,000 people between 2011 and 2041 (assuming a medium populations growth scenario).”
As the initiating petitioner of the following petition, which resulted in a Social Services Select Committee of Inquiry, here is their Report:
The Social Services Committee has considered Petition 2011/64 of Penelope Mary Bright, requesting that Parliament decline to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics “high” population growth projections, instead of their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans.
We heard and received evidence from the petitioner, but note that the matters she raised have been addressed publicly by the Auckland Council in statements posted on its website and issued to media.
The Auckland Council’s Chief Planning Officer has said that while Auckland may not grow by one million people by 2041 (the high-growth projection), Auckland Council is preparing for it.
The city has historically met the high-growth projection, and it is therefore prudent for the council to plan accordingly.
He said that the city needs to be prepared for, and infrastructure needs to be able to cope with, growth. He pointed out that the “Unitary Plan”, which is a part of the Auckland Spatial Plan, sets out only rules for development.
We understand that actual development would be undertaken only in response to demand. Regarding the use of alternative projections for higher- and lower-growth scenarios, we note that the council’s Chief Planning Officer has also said that it is prudent for the Auckland Council to provide for the highest likely population growth, and at the same time to be cautious to avoid over-investment.
He said that the council requires organisations it owns or controls to be cautious about capital spending ahead of time to avoid high borrowing, interest, and depreciation costs, and that any underspending on infrastructure could be addressed through regular budget reviews and incremental expansion of facilities such as wastewater treatment plants.
The Mayor of Auckland has also said that using the high-growth projection was the appropriate thing to do, and that the council should not be too conservative in their assumptions about population growth.
We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House.
Melissa Lee Deputy Chairperson ”
( FYI – the supplementary evidence which I provided the Social Services Select Committee, (dated 14 June 2013) to support this Petition 2011/64, is available here:
2) Please provide ALL/ANY information which explains why this above-mentioned ‘briefing note’ used the medium population growth projection of 700,000 more people coming to Auckland in the next 30 years, rather than high population growth projection, (1 million extra people) which was preferred by both Auckland Council and the Social Services Select Committee in their above-mentioned Report.
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright
……………………..
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
2009 Attendee Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2010 Attendee Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
2013 Attendee Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2014 Attendee G20 Anti-Corruption Conference
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate (polled 4th with 11,723 votes)
Its estimated that up to 6000 Myanmar people have been forced to leave because of religion – Muslim in a Buddhist country, although they have been there about 1000 years. I think that’s what I read. Anyway they are being pushed out to sea because no-one wants them to land. And they are needing water and food. So whats happening. The UN is anxious. The various countries around are obdurate. Time for Batman or some hero to organise a helicopter from Sea Shepherd or some such. By the time anybody does anything officially many will be dead.
And in Australia money available in foreign aid had a big cut because of them being in the proverbial.
Australia’s slashing of foreign aid by almost Aus$1.0 billion (US$800 million) will hurt the most vulnerable people in Asia and Africa and damage the country’s reputation, aid groups said Wednesday.In its national budget on Tuesday,
Australia confirmed that aid spending will fall by Aus$980.2 million to Aus$4.1 billion in 2015-16 as it looks for savings to rein in its deficit. The Asian region will lose Aus$522.5 million in assistance. – See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/australian-foreign-aid-cuts-hurt-most-vulnerable-ngos.html#sthash.v6uSwPzg.dpuf
Compare with military expenditure around the world:
from Stockholm Int. Peace Research Institute
The USA is first by a huge number. about $600 Billion 2014-2015
China next $216 Billion
Russia $84.5 Billion
Saudi Arabia $81 Billion
France $62 Billion
UK $60 Billion
Australia $25 Billion
(Projection from UK Ministry of Defence for 2045 is that USA will be up around $1300 Billion and China will be just behind – India about $600 Billion!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
edited
I would like to start a thread with all of the interested people here to let us all input the names of all the large and middle size companies and their tax payments that have been sold to overseas interests since the perfidious R Douglas introduced the neo liberal clusterfuck that has rooted the New Zealand economy since 1984 .I understand we are now close to $100 bn debt now. Of course the recent power companies come to mind ,Fisher and Paykel to the Chinese Government owned Haier . Lion Breweries to Kirin ,Japan ,Dominion Breweries to Heineken (Singapore ) ? wtf I think it was Dutch originally ,Crafar farms ,Telecom to Bell South and on and on and on . Please feel free to add to the list . Ps Not to mention Air New Zealand ,sold by that illiterate fuck wit Prebble for about the cost of about 1 new 747 replacement cost ,and the CNI forest to Fletchers and the Chinese I think for about $0 ,20 cents per tree
Interesting interview tomorrow on RNZ for those interested in WTF has/is going on in the Middle East.
10:05 am Wednesday 20 May: Nine To Noon
Christina Lamb Journalist and author, Christina Lamb’s latest book, Farewell Kabul tells how the West turned success into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history and by Britain since the Hundred Years War. She says Farewell Kabul: How the West Ignored Pakistan and Lost Afghanistan is the he story of well-intentioned men and women going into a place they did not understand at all. And how, what had once been the right thing to do had become a conflict that everyone wanted to exit. This has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest and most dangerous nations on earth.
Christina Lamb is the best-selling author of The Africa House and I Am Malala, co-authored with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
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Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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 Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],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, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
George Orwell
A capital gains tax is not a capital gains tax
John Key.
KeyGT.
I hear from someone in Auckland that representatives from Serco have been seen sniffing around Whakatakapokai, the MSD/CYF Care and Protection Residence in Clendon, Manurewa.
This place houses our broken kids in a low-security restrained environment.
Are we gonna see our broken kids handed over as raw material for proft making by Serco on behalf of its foreign shareholders ?
The Serco Group ain’t doing too well it would seem. What happens when Serco decides it has to cut corners to meet its compact with head office and its foreign shareholders ? What might that mean for our broken kids ? You know, those bad wee buggers who’ve made all the wrong choices. In this land of milk and honey for the few PlanetKey.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11357634
Damn.
Not even enough residential care places available anyway. Handing this one over puts already vulnerable kids in a position where the duty of care chain is further lengthened. And the SERCO link is one that will no doubt be forged at the least expense, and at the lowest strength.
We’ll call it the “Pony-tail Budget”, surely !
lower case gains tax
Over on The Daily Blog, Metiria Turei bravely opens the dogma box. Worth a read if you’re out that way. Those already way out on the left might want to keep a chill pill handy. It’ll upset some.
It’s good, not particularly upsetting IMO, but I think that it highlights an issue here on ts where the rhetoric renders any understanding or cooperation impossible at times. I agree with Turei that we (New Zealanders) need new conversations and they need to include the left being able to talk to people who don’t fit in the traditional left/right spectrum (as well as IMO being able to work with old school conservatives), people who are apolotical, or who’s politics change or where they take from traditional left and right. I can’t see how we can get past where we are now if that doesn’t happen (Bill’s posts and comments on Scotland probably hold the most clues)..
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/05/18/may-day-guest-blog-metiria-turei-shoot-the-dogma/
Ah yes we desperately need to convince the amiable ‘working suits on the aeroplane class’ (is that the ‘with Koru membership’ or ‘without Koru membership’ demographic) that progressive principles are up for negotiation and compromise.
Face it after massively disappointing themselves last elections, the Greens are just as lost in the philosophical and electoral woods as Labour is at the moment.
http://money.cnn.com/interactive/economy/top-10-national-minimum-wages-in-the-world/?iid=EL
– Well done NZ, a good top ten to be in
Agreed! So to beat Australia and be #1 we need to raise it by 27%, which would be about $18.73. I believe the living wage is $18.80 so it’s clear we need to go to $18.80! 😉
If its so good I dear you to go live in Auckland for six months on minimum wage and report back about how well done it is.
This is why NZ under National is such a good place to live and why John Key may go for a fourth term (probably won’t but the look on lefties faces would be priceless)
I love the way you brainless fools click into a default “key is great ” setting when you’ve got nothing worth saying .
to be fair, pr probably does think that making Auckland unaffordable to live in for most actual Auckland workers is a good thing.
Because he’s a cock.
PR ‘s not a cock ,cocks are useful
Good point.
I withdraw that analogy, even though withdrawal isn’t very reliable…
“good top ten to be in”
Another top 10
Location – IRD Office Planet Key
Present – Me and IRD Person
IRD Person – “Mr Me, I see you bought a capital asset for $X and sold that
capital asset for $XPlus”…….Arithmetic 101…….you made a
capital gain of $#”
Me – “Well…….if you put it that way……I s’pose I did. But the Prime
Minister says there’s no capital gains tax”
IRD Person – “Yeah right…….there’s tax to pay Muppet ! Get your cheque
book out !”
IRD Persons at smoko 10 minutes later – “Fark ! Another howler for The BLip List !”
Trials of psych drugs biased to look good; suicides in drug trials are under-reported
http://rt.com/uk/258133-antidepressants-unnecessary-for-many/
re: http://rt.com/uk/258133-antidepressants-unnecessary-for-many/
“In the case of antidepressants venlafaxine and fluoxetine, Gøtzsche casts doubt over their efficacy. He said depression lifts in placebo groups given fake tablets almost as promptly as groups who partake in official clinical tests.”
Reasonably commonly (subsidised) and prescribed here in NZ – with some delightful side effects that are too easily left unexplained. Be careful out there, people, support those near you who are going through the fire or, like me, they’ll have to do it alone and that’s not fun at all. You might also find that what you are told you need is not what you need or what you’re getting. Communicative and cultural styles add to the difficulty of prescribing the right course. It’s another one of those bad jokes that life plays: those least capable somehow have to be more capable and keep their wits about them under enormous stresses, while the capable often get in their way and look the other way.
If there is a general sentiment I would give to those at the “lesser” end of the mental illness spectrum, i.e. hasn’t totally lost their grip on present reality, although their reasoning may be distorted, it’s please remember to consider your illness as a “friend in disguise” that is trying to attract attention to something important you have to change, while you also simultaneously treat the symptoms of the same (serious) illness in a careful and sensible way, using drugs, therapy, family support and even your own intuition and intelligence.
There’s a million reasons why someone may or may not be better off with or without antidepressents, so don’t stop taking your meds just because I did and “I turned out fine”. My situation may not match yours. Cleaning up the repercussions of an overwhelming life is hardwork and may not be entirely possible for some.
It is yet another reason why experienced people cannot afford to buy into the luxury of the aspirant lifestyle, as promoted by certain well-known groups – too much to do that is irreconcilable.
Paul Henry Show Recap, 18 May 2015:
Paul Henry: “LABOUR ARE SHIT AND DON’T HAVE ANY IDEAS TEE HEE HEE”
10 minutes later, he interviews John Key about the new policy he stole from Labour.
Hillary Barry and that guy just sit there like burnt stumps and let him get away with it.
lol…so pathetic many dont watch tv…let alone Paul Henry who is the dregs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=245&v=C7L9V7oGRv8
Bernie Sanders 2016! He speaks the truth.
Go Bernie! Can’t see how reasonably minded people wouldn’t vote for him. Here’s a fresh interview from him on CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/05/17/sotu-keilar-bernie-sanders-running-for-president-2016-clinton-trade-tpp.cnn
Two weeks ago I looked at facebook likes, in that time Sanders has gone up 90,000 to 453,000, Hilary Clinton has gone up only 25,000 to 824,000. Hopefully he can put the frighteners on Clinton.
Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, falls to ISIS; just 60 miles west of Baghdad
Iraqi troops flee Ramadi as black flags are raised over the city; divisions between the Shia militia and the Baghdad government hindered the defence of the city; Iraqi government refusal to arm Sunni groups around Ramadi a key contributor to the fall of the city.
In my view, we have gotten ourselves mixed up in a sectarian based civil war, one which is going as predictably and as well as these things always do.
Juan Cole:
RT: Marine Brig Gen Weidley says
http://www.juancole.com/2015/05/refuses-tribal-levies.html
http://rt.com/news/259173-isis-ramadi-control-iraq/
So remind us Jonkey Nactional why are we are sending NZ troops into help fight ISIL?! …when our ‘allies’ (USA, Israel , Saudi Arabia) seem to be supporting ISIL covertly and overtly…
….when ISIL is being used against Syria to bring down Assad! ( who 80% of Syrians voted for)….this mess?!…straw dogs and red herrings….and following on from the shame of what has happened to Libya?…who are the pawns in this game?….who is behind these utter warmongering strategic crimes against humanity?
‘Syrian nightmare’
http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/258701-syria-civil-war-is/
“Is it too late for an agreed political settlement to end the Syrian civil war? Recent advances by Al-Qaeda affiliated groups and the Islamic State suggest any regime following Assad will be radicalized, extremely brutal and possibly aggressive. Would this be a case of the cure being worse than the disease?
CrossTalking with Richard Murphy, Jason Hirthler, and Sukant Chandan”.
Have a read of this piece in this morning’s Dominion Post, then go back and read BLiP’s piece about their work with Roger Douglas in the 1980’s. This needs more exposure.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/68614620/bowron-going-blue-makes-me-see-red
I noted the finding below that was reported by the human resources research team in the link. I would have thought that the last thing that Poorer Benefit would want is staff who ‘thought rules were more important than ideas’.
I remember one job I read of in the US where they set up a team that got friendly with staff who after telling them private thoughts in confidence found they got sacked. So watch out MSD staff. They’re listening and watching you!
The programme called Building Blue followed a 2013 survey of
approximately 10,000 MSD staff, which found they were too accepting of the status quo, thought rules were more important than ideas, and didn’t want to rock the boat. Staff felt they had to obey orders, follow policy, create a good impression and check in with superiors demonstrating a willingness to conform.
American police need automatic weapons and military gear because they are in a dangerous job
So they say.
But strangely, fishers, loggers, pilots, drivers, roofers, iron and steel workers, construction labourers, agricultural labourers, power line technicians, farmers and others have higher on the job death rates.
And no one is proposing to paramilitarise them.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-17/deadliest-jobs-america
That is because obviously different jobs have different risk associated.
I dont see the police being given tools required for roofing either.
Right tools for the job.
There’s a name for this sort of thing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence
Its a good comparison, especially when prison guards have to buy their own steel capped boots.
well, sometime US cops have to buy their equipment, too.
The problems of Cuban Socialism laid bare
http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21651300-despite-thaw-united-states-politics-paralysing-economy-first-two
Fuck me.
First quote in the article: “Clark did it too.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/68621964/no-housing-crisis-in-auckland-john-key
It’s the go-to sound bite when pushed into a corner.
Bling: “We got people paying them one way or another”
Yes Bill, the same fucking people, over and over!
Bling: “We got growth and supply coming to market”
No Bill, you don’t. Actual town planners say stop, you can’t do this without infrastructure!
“One way or another.” Did the Finance Minister just say that as part of official position???
Really? Well that was money well spent, wasn’t it?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11609570/Secrets-of-the-Tories-election-war-room.html
– Discipline, knowledge, information and passion
Lies deceit money Crosby Textor …
For folks in or near Dunedin:
A talk on the referendum on same-sex marriage taking place in the south of Ireland on Friday. . .
The talk is on “Will south of Ireland be first country in world to vote for same-sex marriage?” (Venue, time etc below)
For many decades after the establishment of the twenty-six county state in the south of Ireland in 1921-23, the Catholic Church, both directly and indirectly, wielded vast power in the state and in civil society. Even well into the 1980s it was able to mobilise followers in referenda that prevented divorce being made available and abortion being made available.
However, despite this apparent high-water point for conservative social attitudes and Church power, the wider society was already changing significantly. Exposure of child abuse by priests and nuns – ranging from physical beatings to child rape – undermined the Church’s pretence to the ‘high moral ground’, while new generations supported expanded personal freedom.
The wider changes in southern Irish society also mean that the religious right’s campaign against same-sex marriage can no longer be expressed in blatantly anti-gay terms. Instead, they argue that same-sex couples can settle for civil unions and that marriage has to be of male and female because “children’s rights” involve the right to have a mother and father. They’ve even invoked the names of the radical rebels of the 1916 Rising to push their opposition to marriage equality.
While, in the past two decades, the religious right has lost battle after battle and look likely to lose on the same-sex marriage issue, there is now a secularising, post-religious right which, while actively supporting issues like same-sex marriage, is carrying out an utterly vicious assault on working class living standards. This new post-religious right is represented today in government as the Fine Gael-Labour coalition.
Speaker: Dr Philip Ferguson
5pm, Thursday, May 21
Room 2, Clubs and Societies Building
84 Albany Street
Dunedin
FYI folks – information flushed out from Trade Minister Tim Groser under the OIA, regarding his secret meeting behind closed doors on the TPPA with Auckland Mayor Len Brown, on 7 April 2015, in the Auckland Mayoral Office.
In my opinion, the lack of transparency regarding TPPA discussions and negotiations has now infested New Zealand at the highest levels of central and local government?
______________________________________________________________________________________
18 May 2015
Further ‘Open Letter’ / OIA request to Minister of Trade Tim Groser, arising from ‘briefing notes’ provided for the ‘informal exchange of information’ between the Minister of Trade and Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown, on the TPPA (and related matters) behind closed doors, on 7 April 2015:
Tim Groser,
Minister of Trade
Dear Minister,
A) Please be reminded of the following statutory requirements of the New Zealand Public Records Act 2005:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2005/0040/latest/DLM345536.html
3 Purposes of Act
The purposes of this Act are—
(c) to enable the Government to be held accountable by—
(i) ensuring that full and accurate records of the affairs of central and local government are created and maintained; and
(ii) providing for the preservation of, and public access to, records of long-term value; and
(d)to enhance public confidence in the integrity of public records and local authority records; and
______________________________________________________________________________________
How can the public have confidence in the transparency or accountability of those in public office, at the highest levels, without proper written records?
BACKGROUND:
In your OIA reply, (dated 14 May 2015) you state:
“The meeting was organised by MFAT and the Office of the Mayor.
It was an opportunity to discuss with the Mayor, trade and economic issues relevant to Auckland.
In addition to the Mayor and me, the meeting was attended by an official from my office, one official from NZTE and one official from MFAT.
Several of the Mayor’s advisors also attended.
The meeting was not a public engagement.
It was an informal exchange of information.
It was not therefore appropriate to include the public, media or other Councillors.
I have attached a briefing note prepared for me by officials in advance of the meeting.
No formal minute or record of the meeting was prepared. ”
______________________________________________________________________________________
INCLUDED IN THE (attached) ‘BRIEFING NOTE’:
“Purpose of the call.
This meeting is expected to focus entirely on trade and economic issues.
It is an opportunity for you to give the mayor an update on the FTA agenda and BGA, and discuss their relevance to Auckland’s economic growth aspirations.
The Mayor may use the meeting to brief you on the Council’s new Global Engagement Strategy, in particular, the Tripartite Economic Alliance and Auckland’s candidacy for the Lee Kwan Yew City Prize.
FTA roundup.
You may wish to give the mayor a summary of New Zealand’s various and ongoing and recently concluded FTA negotiations.
In particular, we believe the Mayor would be interested in updates on TPP, Korea, and the China upgrade.
We provide some background on the Mayor’s interest in TPP below.
* The Mayor has expressed interest in the economic benefits to Auckland that the TPP could deliver.
As New Zealand’s exporting hub, and its most internationally connected city, Auckland stands to derive significant benefits from TPP.
In particular, the fact that the TPP promises to better integrate New Zealand into a region accounting for 40% of global GDP, presents significant opportunities for Auckland’s exporters, and ultimately its residents.
While we have no projections of how the benefits of TPP might accrue specifically to Auckland, the mayor will be interested in in a high level discussion of progress in the negotiation, and of the projected benefits at national level, particularly in terms of export growth, investment flow and labour mobility.
It is also worth noting that in December 2012, the Regional and Development Committee of the Auckland Council passed a resolution which encouraged the Government to conclude negotiations on TPP in a way which achieved 12 objectives (see Appendix 1).
These objectives included achieving substantially increased access for agricultural exports, not increasing the costs of medical treatments, and not giving overseas investors more rights than domestic investors.
Mayor Brown was not present when this resolution was adopted, but he is known to be supportive of trade agreements in general.”
OIA Request:
1) Please provide the information which explains how a meeting between yourself as the Minister of Trade (in that official capacity), and the Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown (in that official capacity), for which the attached ‘briefing note’ was provided – can possibly be described as an ‘informal exchange of information’, from which:
– the details of this meeting were NOT minuted,
– elected Auckland Councillors were not informed and were excluded,
– the public and media were not informed and excluded,
can be compliant with the above-mentioned statutory requirements of the Public Records Act 2005.
B) This attached ‘briefing note’, included the following, in my view, significant ‘statistic’:
Appendix 1 : Economic and demographic statistics demonstrating the importance of Auckland to New Zealand’s international connectivity.
……………………….
“Auckland’s population is projected to grow by approximately 700,000 people between 2011 and 2041 (assuming a medium populations growth scenario).”
As the initiating petitioner of the following petition, which resulted in a Social Services Select Committee of Inquiry, here is their Report:
Social Services Select Committee Report
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/50DBSCH_SCR5953_1/9f8a825ae96c25bddf7d0c8bddb58511039a4d16
The Social Services Committee has considered Petition 2011/64 of Penelope Mary Bright, requesting that Parliament decline to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics “high” population growth projections, instead of their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans.
We heard and received evidence from the petitioner, but note that the matters she raised have been addressed publicly by the Auckland Council in statements posted on its website and issued to media.
The Auckland Council’s Chief Planning Officer has said that while Auckland may not grow by one million people by 2041 (the high-growth projection), Auckland Council is preparing for it.
The city has historically met the high-growth projection, and it is therefore prudent for the council to plan accordingly.
He said that the city needs to be prepared for, and infrastructure needs to be able to cope with, growth. He pointed out that the “Unitary Plan”, which is a part of the Auckland Spatial Plan, sets out only rules for development.
We understand that actual development would be undertaken only in response to demand. Regarding the use of alternative projections for higher- and lower-growth scenarios, we note that the council’s Chief Planning Officer has also said that it is prudent for the Auckland Council to provide for the highest likely population growth, and at the same time to be cautious to avoid over-investment.
He said that the council requires organisations it owns or controls to be cautious about capital spending ahead of time to avoid high borrowing, interest, and depreciation costs, and that any underspending on infrastructure could be addressed through regular budget reviews and incremental expansion of facilities such as wastewater treatment plants.
The Mayor of Auckland has also said that using the high-growth projection was the appropriate thing to do, and that the council should not be too conservative in their assumptions about population growth.
We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House.
Melissa Lee Deputy Chairperson ”
( FYI – the supplementary evidence which I provided the Social Services Select Committee, (dated 14 June 2013) to support this Petition 2011/64, is available here:
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/mi-nz/50SCSS_EVI_50DBHOH_PET3157_1_A338307/c0545be9171849399f2468c6567ae9303ce418ce )
______________________________________________________________________________________
OIA REQUEST:
2) Please provide ALL/ANY information which explains why this above-mentioned ‘briefing note’ used the medium population growth projection of 700,000 more people coming to Auckland in the next 30 years, rather than high population growth projection, (1 million extra people) which was preferred by both Auckland Council and the Social Services Select Committee in their above-mentioned Report.
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright
……………………..
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
2009 Attendee Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2010 Attendee Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
2013 Attendee Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2014 Attendee G20 Anti-Corruption Conference
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate (polled 4th with 11,723 votes)
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate
+100 ….Go Penny ….and disgraceful that Len Brown seems to be colluding with Tim Groser in secret on the TPP
…the corruption and secrecy is getting grosser and grosser
lol
I love tories who come to a left-wing blog but don’t want to read posts with a left-wing “spin”
🙄
Its estimated that up to 6000 Myanmar people have been forced to leave because of religion – Muslim in a Buddhist country, although they have been there about 1000 years. I think that’s what I read. Anyway they are being pushed out to sea because no-one wants them to land. And they are needing water and food. So whats happening. The UN is anxious. The various countries around are obdurate. Time for Batman or some hero to organise a helicopter from Sea Shepherd or some such. By the time anybody does anything officially many will be dead.
And in Australia money available in foreign aid had a big cut because of them being in the proverbial.
Australia’s slashing of foreign aid by almost Aus$1.0 billion (US$800 million) will hurt the most vulnerable people in Asia and Africa and damage the country’s reputation, aid groups said Wednesday.In its national budget on Tuesday,
Australia confirmed that aid spending will fall by Aus$980.2 million to Aus$4.1 billion in 2015-16 as it looks for savings to rein in its deficit. The Asian region will lose Aus$522.5 million in assistance. – See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/13/australian-foreign-aid-cuts-hurt-most-vulnerable-ngos.html#sthash.v6uSwPzg.dpuf
Compare with military expenditure around the world:
from Stockholm Int. Peace Research Institute
The USA is first by a huge number. about $600 Billion 2014-2015
China next $216 Billion
Russia $84.5 Billion
Saudi Arabia $81 Billion
France $62 Billion
UK $60 Billion
Australia $25 Billion
(Projection from UK Ministry of Defence for 2045 is that USA will be up around $1300 Billion and China will be just behind – India about $600 Billion!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
edited
I would like to start a thread with all of the interested people here to let us all input the names of all the large and middle size companies and their tax payments that have been sold to overseas interests since the perfidious R Douglas introduced the neo liberal clusterfuck that has rooted the New Zealand economy since 1984 .I understand we are now close to $100 bn debt now. Of course the recent power companies come to mind ,Fisher and Paykel to the Chinese Government owned Haier . Lion Breweries to Kirin ,Japan ,Dominion Breweries to Heineken (Singapore ) ? wtf I think it was Dutch originally ,Crafar farms ,Telecom to Bell South and on and on and on . Please feel free to add to the list . Ps Not to mention Air New Zealand ,sold by that illiterate fuck wit Prebble for about the cost of about 1 new 747 replacement cost ,and the CNI forest to Fletchers and the Chinese I think for about $0 ,20 cents per tree
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Interesting interview tomorrow on RNZ for those interested in WTF has/is going on in the Middle East.
10:05 am Wednesday 20 May: Nine To Noon
Christina Lamb Journalist and author, Christina Lamb’s latest book, Farewell Kabul tells how the West turned success into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history and by Britain since the Hundred Years War. She says Farewell Kabul: How the West Ignored Pakistan and Lost Afghanistan is the he story of well-intentioned men and women going into a place they did not understand at all. And how, what had once been the right thing to do had become a conflict that everyone wanted to exit. This has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest and most dangerous nations on earth.
Christina Lamb is the best-selling author of The Africa House and I Am Malala, co-authored with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.