ASB Bank said there was a chance of a small tick up in dairy prices at this week’s auction , “but the overall trend remains still weak and highlights one of the key areas of downside risk to the NZ economy,” the bank said.
Highlights the problem of putting all our eggs in one basket. Thanks banks, farmers and government for all being so bloody stupid.
With wave of Iranian oil imminent, a shudder in Saudi Arabia
If the governments of the world were doing what they should be doing then demand for oil and other fossil fuels should be declining steadily.
“Oxfam said a three-pronged approach was needed: a crackdown on tax dodging; higher investment in public services; and higher wages for the low paid.
It said a priority should be to close down tax havens, increasingly used by rich individuals and companies to avoid paying tax and which had deprived governments of the resources needed to tackle poverty and inequality.
Three years ago, David Cameron told the WEF that the UK would spearhead a global effort to end aggressive tax avoidance in the UK and in poor countries, but Oxfam said promised measures to increase transparency in British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, had not been implemented.
Goldring said: “We need to end the era of tax havens which has allowed rich individuals and multinational companies to avoid their responsibilities to society by hiding ever increasing amounts of money offshore.
Once again RNZ has this morning has some economist (if he could call himself one) being interviewed this morning on the Business Report (or whatever it is called) and part of the discussion was about there probably would be, once again, no pay rises forthwith this year for workers. It came to pass that the “economist” said that there were other ways to recompense workers, the interviewer had the sense to ask him “what other ways were there?” and – I just couldn’t believe my ears, he pontificated on that “praise” and “pats on the back” and “a job well done” went a long way to make it worthwhile for workers.
Where do these people come from for God’s sake. How patronising can you get. Did anybody else hear this and what do they think of it. Is it just me or what? My partner said “calm down its just spin” – how are they allowed to get away with this absolute bullshit – this is the second day in a row I have heard about a “glowing economy” ad nauseum from RNZ. Tell that to people who haven’t had a pay rise for God knows when and costs going up all the time. Pat on the back – its sick making and going back to early Victorian days when one fobbed their hat and grovelled just to survive. How about recompensing for the hard work in pay increases – isn’t that what its all about – slavery is supposed to have been abolished years ago – I think not.
5 minutes of propaganda by RNZ business section on behalf of big corporates.
First up
‘Employee confidence back in positive territory – survey’
Westpac Senior economist Anne Boniface.
Another spokesperson for the banksters is allowed to go unchallenged.
Westpac’s profits for 2015 was $916 million; clearly no free money to pay its workers.
Then the report you referred to.
‘HR report reveals NZers least confident of wage rise’
Blair Cashin from Randstad was saying the same type of stuff last year as well.
Thank you Paul for linking all the conversations. I am a bit of a technophobe and am learning to link information I hear – but for me, all takes time!! I just cannot fathom why there isn’t a sort of code of compliance these radio stations and TV channels have to apply. They have a Broadcasting Standards one I know but to just be allowed to put such utter crap out there without certain standards applying seems odd to me. RNZ is meant to be pretty up front with what it broadcasts – I think its going to be yet another source of information I am going to turn off.
Personally what that man said this morning has to be the worst sort of rubbish I have heard for a long time.
It’s not what he said. You would expect the Head of a company like Randstad to say something like this.
It’s the fact that our only state broadcaster provides a megaphone for these views – unchallenged.
Chair of the Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Richard Griffin was appointed to the board as a governor in May 2010. He has an extensive career in print media, radio, television and public relations. A past Radio New Zealand Political Editor and a life member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, he served as Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Prime Minister, Jim Bolger from 1993 until 1998. He was Manager of Policy Development, Government Relations and Communications for TVNZ from 2000 to 2007. Mr Griffin is a Director of the public relations consultancy, Fraser, Griffin, Wood.
JOSH EASBY
Deputy Chair – Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Josh Easby has over 35 years of experience in business development. He has held senior positions within the New Zealand and UK commercial radio industry, and more recently with Australasian Media group APN News and Media Ltd. He played a vital role in the consolidation of the New Zealand radio industry in the 1990s and has held senior operational roles in the New Zealand commercial radio and publishing markets.
He is a past executive member of the commercial Radio Broadcasters Association and was General Manager for Radio Hauraki. He has published several books, is a keen soccer fan and has had administrative involvement with clubs in England and New Zealand.
TIWANA TIBBLE
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Tiwana Tibble has been the chief executive of the Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori Trust Board since 1998. Prior to that he was the Company Secretary and Financial Controller at the Maori Development Corporation Ltd.
GARY MONK
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Gary has had a long involvement in New Zealand primary industry. Having completed a law degree he embarked on a career in the seafood industry in 1976 and established Intersea Limited in 1983. He is a shareholder and non-executive Chairman of Mathias International Limited, a privately owned New Zealand company trading in agricultural primary products, and is a Director and non-executive Chairman of New Zealand Light Leathers Limited, a tannery based in Timaru exporting deer leather to Europe, China and the USA.
SHEENA HENDERSON
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Sheena Henderson, previously Global Brand director for Fonterra, is a Christchurch-based consultant specialising in branding, marketing and corporate advisory work.
DEBORAH TAYLOR
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Deborah Taylor is a self-employed business consultant from Queenstown. She has an extensive financial and legal background and is a former director and principal of a chartered accountants firm.
MELISSA CLARK-REYNOLDS
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Wellingtonian Melissa Clark-Reynolds is a technology entrepreneur who has taken several companies from start up through to high growth.
Her last business was MiniMonos – a children’s games site which aims to provide a community for children based in good values: providing environmental education while playing great games. She is now CEO of Looxie, an online media startup.
She is featured in Her Business’s Hall of Fame, was named by Forbes Magazine as one of 10 Female Entrepreneurs to watch, and is also an Independent Director of the NZ Centre for Gifted Education.
I spy with my little eye COMMERCIAL broadcasting experience; treating audiences as consumers not citizens; branding; demographic targeting; bean cunting (oops missed the ‘o’); cumfy little board room chairs; cronyism; etc.
One of the main things any (next) government should address as a priority IF THEY ARE CONCERNED about NZ remaining a 1st world democracy (actually we’re already a bit passed that) is appointments to public service positions ……
that’s alongside usurping judicial power and vesting it in the executive; legislation passed under urgency; etc. (Generally recognising that democracy isn’t elected dictatorships.)
I’m not sure however, that either National, Labour, (and now Greens) are up for all that but I’ll be watching policy promises
I don’t know what it is about economics. There’s something in it that makes many people who take up economics lose their humanity. Or maybe it just attracts the wrong type of people.
Economists remind me of the old alchemists constantly trying to turn lead into gold. They’re formulaic, to the economist everything in life has a magic formula. There’s a perfect level of tax, a perfect level of economic growth, a perfect level of unemployment, a perfect level of inflation… etc etc. They try to be logical while at the same time acting irrationally.
They’re an odd bunch, would be amusing if they didn’t do so much harm.
Read a few books on economics in my time. Generally aimed at about year 8-9 intellectual school level. Full of old world metaphors and few real definitions.
i.e. ‘steam’.. dampening down’…’putting a lid on’… etc
Q -Why did god invent economists?
A -To make meteorologists look good. …(old joke and my apologies to current day meteorologists who are actually very skilled.)
macro economics is the study of entire economies comprising aggregated production, labour, social policy, resources etc…in other words large grouped factors that are predictable in average……and
‘Oxfam said that the 62 richest people having as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the population is a remarkable concentration of wealth, given that it would have taken 388 individuals to have the same wealth as the bottom 50% in 2010. ”
a very small group with (likely) diametrically opposed goals
Message to Lynn and other writers.
I’d like it if the above was posted as a guest post, in the next couple of days (with Stephanie’s permission of course). I’d like to discuss it here, and I think others might too.
For some reason, I’m not able to copy and paste a snippet from the blog
United doesn’t equal a tiny group of extremists berating and abusing the larger group of moderates until that group is forced to capitulate and agree absolutely with the extremists world view.
If you think that’s the path to success, you’re going to be seriously disappointed.
It is too hard for a ‘basic’ person like you to get bm and I’m pleased about that because having a (insults deleted) like you pushing opinions gives us an idea of what we are up against and why ‘left unity’ is necessary.
arsehole righties giving advice to the left? yeah nah – same for you pucker.
Notice how this picture inverts one of the standard tropes of the right-wing commentariat. According to endless pundits, it is the egalitarian left, obsessed with a “politics of envy”, who irrationally focus on the distribution of wealth and income at the expense of what really matters, making people’s lives better. But here we see that a focus on inequality, indeed a lust for inequality, is characteristic of the wealthy who value inequality for its own sake and who rejoice in the subordination of their fellows.
The RWNJs actually want others to be envious of them and probably get really upset when told that we’re actually disgusted by them.
According to Energinet, Denmark’s electric utility, the country’s turbines accounted for the equivalent of 42 percent of all electricity produced for the year. It’s the highest proportion for any country — breaking a record the country set just last year — and represents more than a doubling compared to just 10 years ago.
Proves that full renewable energy is possible. But, then, we already knew that here in NZ with ~70% of electricity produced by renewables. We just don’t have a government willing to go all out and produce the rest that we need via renewables including that needed for transport.
A nice clip of The Eagles playing Hotel California at their Induction Ceremony in 1998 after they got together again, they are steaming. And there are pics of a real eagle soaring into the video, taken by another eagle surely.
This is something that should be thought about and acted to advance now. It’s time has come, again. But for politicians it’s real work, not leading to a plum job out of the pollie heaven. So they will take it up reluctantly only if pushed. It’s euthanasia, assisted dying etc
Pollies can be quick enough to send citizens to war and aggression in this or another country (I regard the raid on Tuhoe as a practice police-military action). But it is too uppity of citizens to want to have charge of themselves and their time of death, that is legal and accessible. Ask politicians to act dutifully to the citizens and responsibly in supporting and finalising a well-written, fair, adequate and suitable Bill and act before the end of this month, January, less than a fortnight away. Don’t leave it in the hands of authoritarian detractors who want to make decisions for others who should be able to decide themselves on this most important right.
Ms Seales took legal action for the right to die with dignity in a case that played out as the curtain fell on her life. She died hours after the High Court ruled it was a debate that needed to be had by Parliament and not the courts.
Lecretia Seales’ husband Matt Vickers after her death and the judge’s decision
Parliament picked up on that challenge, with its health select committee launching an inquiry in response to a petition calling for a law change to permit medically assisted dying in the event of terminal illness or other specific circumstances.
Her husband Matt Vickers said it would be a tragedy if the chance to have a debate on the topic was wasted.
This link put up by a commenter on RADIONZ comment channel RNZ Talk –
Frithogar
Make submissions here – note there is a verification process at the bottom of the page
The closing date is February 1 http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/sc/make-submission/0SCHE_SCF_51DBHOH_PET63268_1/petition-of-hon-maryan-street-and-8974-others
and
chienfou
There’s a prospect of appearing before the committee to speak to your submission. I’d encourage anyone who possibly can to volunteer. It adds a lot of weight to the democratic process, especially if it’s not just the same old Wellington hacks turning up.
Lecretia and Matt’s blog – http://lecretia.org/ Lecretia’s Choice
Lecretia Seales believed ill people enduring intolerable suffering with no hope of recovery should have the choice to request assistance to end their lives.
Have no fear greywarshark, this Bill will be passed.
It is popular on the left, on the right and in the centre.
Anyone who expresses concern that such legislation should be approached with extreme caution is written off as a sadistic godbotherer.
My concern, for what it is worth, is that until there is legislation that entitles all New Zealanders to publicly funded health and disability care then legislation facilitating ‘voluntary euthanasia’ should be put on hold.
It will be hard to incorporate protections against people being coerced into taking this option when the State is doing the coercing.
Rosemay Mc
Well I hope that you are right, it will be passed. It is rational from most points of view, and it is ethical also from most.
But I understand that you may be concerned about coercion. Also there are lacks in the ‘publicly funded health and disability care’, and it would be good if someone could decide to go from a situation of excellent care, and not miserable conditions, not supported properly and fairly.. No legislation can be perfect, but we can try and also be watchdogs against misuse. I want people to have the right to decide after going through prescribed but not draconian, procedures.
tbh, I wouldn’t want the current government writing and passing euthanasia legislation. I just don’t trust them.
Ideally a government would take a year to educate the citizens about what euthanasia is, what the issues are on various sides, and what the likely parameters are within NZ when it comes to enacting legislation. That time could be used to run workshops in communities and facilitate debate and discussion across a wide section of society as possible. Leaving this up to petitions and select committee hearings is not ok for such an important issue. It’s also not black and white about what should be legislated and that needs debate.
I’m generally in favour of euthanasia but like Rosemary I have concerns from a health and disability perspective, as well as issues for the elderly. I also think we should be looking at this debate within the context of a resource depletion future but I don’t expect many to agree with me on that.
“….was the kind of environmentalist who loved progress, hated red tape and shared his knowledge with anyone who’d listen.
In the face of advancing glaucoma and what seemed like an unending mountain of red tape, Charles took his life on September 13, Megan said.
“The difficulty with having science on your side is that it is of no assistance if the denizens of officialdom do not understand that science.” ”
Its truly awful that he could not face the prospect of impending blindness, but I can understand how someone who spent his entire working life battling government bureaucracy could be tipped over the edge.
Accessing disability supports in New Zealand for those not under ACC’s Serious Injury service is a nightmare of hoop jumping and red tape untangling. For some, the prospect has been too much.
For others, they have spent many years battling, and it has been a seemingly trivial speed bump that has been the tipping point.
Two cases come to mind…the real issue was not entirely ‘unbearable pain and suffering’ but the loss of dignity at having to beg for basic supports in one case and the knowledge that the disability was going to have as much of an effect on loved ones in the other….in both of these cases the Voluntary Euthanasia lobby swooped down and commandeered the narrative and the underlying cause of the suicide was lost.
I have no faith that this government is capable of constructing legislation that will provide the safeguards needed.
Not when this government has made it quite clear that the rights of people with disabilities can be arbitrarily cast aside.
Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre Manchester, interviewed on Friday 8th January. This first of three videos covers the outcomes and significance of the recent UN climate conference in Paris.
he is of course quite correct….we are deluding ourselves if we believe we can continue anything like the current system and avoid the consequences of that system….and the discussion on the practical changes required is a conversation nobody appears willing to have.
How she claims to represent the left I do not know.
She is almost as much of a propagandist as Roughan.
And if she represents Labour, then it really is still a neo-liberal party.
She only gets oxygen because she supports the establishment.
Another round in the dance of seven veils but getting closer to an unfudged answer. Apparently no caucus members have approached their leader to support it. And he aint sounding impressed either.
From what I’ve gathered, their ‘technique’ is all about damaging a woman’s judgement and self esteem so that she deigns to let the “artist” do what he wants to her. The only reason that would be necessary is if he were a pointless waste of space whom nobody would ever want to know, biblically or otherwise.
Negging is probably just their automatic reflex to the rejection they know they deserve, A bit sad, really.
yeah. I should probably say “sad in a ‘that abuser is such a broken half-shell of a human being, it’s a shame cute babies can end up becoming warped monsters’ sort of way”.
Watched the first half online. Intriguing. Really good. Some say that it could usurp the emptiness of TV news.
Supposed to be available on Freeview 50 but not here anyway. Must find out if re-programming could find it here in Marlborough.
You probably need to update the tuning on your TV. Not many will automatically pick up a new channel that has become available – you need to make it scan what is now available…
“Some say that it could usurp the emptiness of TV news.”
Sure felt more honest to me. Less invested in pointless smoothness and more into the reporting, interviewing and showing us real New Zealanders. Worked well without the pictures on my drive home today too.
So then this fucking nightmare played over the Trump-o-Tron, as four very old veterans saluted the screen from the stage. It is hands down the most pandering feat of jingoism/Creed-worship one could imagine. You can watch the full video below. Caution, contains a clip of Michael Jordan dunking a basketball.
[…]
FUBU, aka “For Us By Us” is a line of hiphop branded clothing, i believe now partially owned by Samsung and manufactured in Korea & Cambodia. Here being worn in its 2 piece “FUBUSport” track suit form by an overweight white man actively booing Black Lives Matter mentions and foreign outsourced production. It’s so perfect I could cry.
[…]
bold claim coming from a guy who’s military experience is solely limited to being enrolled in a private military academy in the 8th grade, which he claimed gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military”
All the young dudes
(Hey dudes)
Carry the news
(Where are ya)
Boogaloo dudes
(Stand up Come on)
Carry the news
All the young dudes
(I want to hear you)
Carry the news
(I want to see you)
Boogaloo dudes
(And I want to talk to you all of you)
Carry the news
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
It’s the economy, stupid……
‘Dairy futures point to weak demand’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575842
NZ sharemarket falls again
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294349/nz-sharemarket-falls-again
Weak growth and dairy prices weigh on kiwi
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575715
With wave of Iranian oil imminent, a shudder in Saudi Arabia
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575666
Quoting first article:
Highlights the problem of putting all our eggs in one basket. Thanks banks, farmers and government for all being so bloody stupid.
If the governments of the world were doing what they should be doing then demand for oil and other fossil fuels should be declining steadily.
China GDP drops to 25-year low
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576210
Interactive map on ISDS
http://teamdata.oneworld.nl/projects/isds/movementmap-claimants/
Also good long read on ISDS
“Why companies sue countries (and how they do it) ” http://longreads.oneworld.nl/en/about-isds/
Thanks for the long read – on ISDS very good summary.
We don’t want a bar of it.
Think tanks: how independent are they?
“Big business orders its pro-TTIP arguments from these think tanks”
http://www.bilaterals.org/?big-business-orders-its-pro-ttip
The information came from this study
https://decorrespondent.nl/3874/How-we-looked-into-think-tanks-and-TTIP-and-feel-free-to-use-our-data/853522027644-4f371269
This growing global inequality, in my view, is becoming simply obscene.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/18/richest-62-billionaires-wealthy-half-world-population-combined
“Oxfam said a three-pronged approach was needed: a crackdown on tax dodging; higher investment in public services; and higher wages for the low paid.
It said a priority should be to close down tax havens, increasingly used by rich individuals and companies to avoid paying tax and which had deprived governments of the resources needed to tackle poverty and inequality.
Three years ago, David Cameron told the WEF that the UK would spearhead a global effort to end aggressive tax avoidance in the UK and in poor countries, but Oxfam said promised measures to increase transparency in British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, had not been implemented.
Goldring said: “We need to end the era of tax havens which has allowed rich individuals and multinational companies to avoid their responsibilities to society by hiding ever increasing amounts of money offshore.
… ”
I agree.
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Once again RNZ has this morning has some economist (if he could call himself one) being interviewed this morning on the Business Report (or whatever it is called) and part of the discussion was about there probably would be, once again, no pay rises forthwith this year for workers. It came to pass that the “economist” said that there were other ways to recompense workers, the interviewer had the sense to ask him “what other ways were there?” and – I just couldn’t believe my ears, he pontificated on that “praise” and “pats on the back” and “a job well done” went a long way to make it worthwhile for workers.
Where do these people come from for God’s sake. How patronising can you get. Did anybody else hear this and what do they think of it. Is it just me or what? My partner said “calm down its just spin” – how are they allowed to get away with this absolute bullshit – this is the second day in a row I have heard about a “glowing economy” ad nauseum from RNZ. Tell that to people who haven’t had a pay rise for God knows when and costs going up all the time. Pat on the back – its sick making and going back to early Victorian days when one fobbed their hat and grovelled just to survive. How about recompensing for the hard work in pay increases – isn’t that what its all about – slavery is supposed to have been abolished years ago – I think not.
5 minutes of propaganda by RNZ business section on behalf of big corporates.
First up
‘Employee confidence back in positive territory – survey’
Westpac Senior economist Anne Boniface.
Another spokesperson for the banksters is allowed to go unchallenged.
Westpac’s profits for 2015 was $916 million; clearly no free money to pay its workers.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/businessnews/audio/201785906/employee-confidence-back-in-positive-territory-survey
http://www.westpac.co.nz/business/economic-updates/our-economics-team/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/73612560/asb-anz-bnz-and-westpac-rake-in-459-billion-of-profits
Then the report you referred to.
‘HR report reveals NZers least confident of wage rise’
Blair Cashin from Randstad was saying the same type of stuff last year as well.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/businessnews/audio/201785907/hr-report-reveals-nzers-least-confident-of-wage-rise
http://www.randstad.co.nz/about-randstad/our-company/the-team/meet-the-team-in-wellington
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/65466063/Unhappy-workers-eye-the-exit
Thank you Paul for linking all the conversations. I am a bit of a technophobe and am learning to link information I hear – but for me, all takes time!! I just cannot fathom why there isn’t a sort of code of compliance these radio stations and TV channels have to apply. They have a Broadcasting Standards one I know but to just be allowed to put such utter crap out there without certain standards applying seems odd to me. RNZ is meant to be pretty up front with what it broadcasts – I think its going to be yet another source of information I am going to turn off.
Personally what that man said this morning has to be the worst sort of rubbish I have heard for a long time.
It’s not what he said. You would expect the Head of a company like Randstad to say something like this.
It’s the fact that our only state broadcaster provides a megaphone for these views – unchallenged.
As designed with griffin at the helm and a nat stacked board.
Details of the Board here.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/about/board-profile
RICHARD GRIFFIN
Chair of the Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Richard Griffin was appointed to the board as a governor in May 2010. He has an extensive career in print media, radio, television and public relations. A past Radio New Zealand Political Editor and a life member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, he served as Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Prime Minister, Jim Bolger from 1993 until 1998. He was Manager of Policy Development, Government Relations and Communications for TVNZ from 2000 to 2007. Mr Griffin is a Director of the public relations consultancy, Fraser, Griffin, Wood.
JOSH EASBY
Deputy Chair – Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Josh Easby has over 35 years of experience in business development. He has held senior positions within the New Zealand and UK commercial radio industry, and more recently with Australasian Media group APN News and Media Ltd. He played a vital role in the consolidation of the New Zealand radio industry in the 1990s and has held senior operational roles in the New Zealand commercial radio and publishing markets.
He is a past executive member of the commercial Radio Broadcasters Association and was General Manager for Radio Hauraki. He has published several books, is a keen soccer fan and has had administrative involvement with clubs in England and New Zealand.
TIWANA TIBBLE
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Tiwana Tibble has been the chief executive of the Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori Trust Board since 1998. Prior to that he was the Company Secretary and Financial Controller at the Maori Development Corporation Ltd.
GARY MONK
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Gary has had a long involvement in New Zealand primary industry. Having completed a law degree he embarked on a career in the seafood industry in 1976 and established Intersea Limited in 1983. He is a shareholder and non-executive Chairman of Mathias International Limited, a privately owned New Zealand company trading in agricultural primary products, and is a Director and non-executive Chairman of New Zealand Light Leathers Limited, a tannery based in Timaru exporting deer leather to Europe, China and the USA.
SHEENA HENDERSON
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Sheena Henderson, previously Global Brand director for Fonterra, is a Christchurch-based consultant specialising in branding, marketing and corporate advisory work.
DEBORAH TAYLOR
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Deborah Taylor is a self-employed business consultant from Queenstown. She has an extensive financial and legal background and is a former director and principal of a chartered accountants firm.
MELISSA CLARK-REYNOLDS
Radio New Zealand Board of Governors
Wellingtonian Melissa Clark-Reynolds is a technology entrepreneur who has taken several companies from start up through to high growth.
Her last business was MiniMonos – a children’s games site which aims to provide a community for children based in good values: providing environmental education while playing great games. She is now CEO of Looxie, an online media startup.
She is featured in Her Business’s Hall of Fame, was named by Forbes Magazine as one of 10 Female Entrepreneurs to watch, and is also an Independent Director of the NZ Centre for Gifted Education.
Business, finance, sales and marketing, fisheries and iwi led by bolgers old press secretary.
Spot any broadcasting experience ?
I spy with my little eye COMMERCIAL broadcasting experience; treating audiences as consumers not citizens; branding; demographic targeting; bean cunting (oops missed the ‘o’); cumfy little board room chairs; cronyism; etc.
One of the main things any (next) government should address as a priority IF THEY ARE CONCERNED about NZ remaining a 1st world democracy (actually we’re already a bit passed that) is appointments to public service positions ……
that’s alongside usurping judicial power and vesting it in the executive; legislation passed under urgency; etc. (Generally recognising that democracy isn’t elected dictatorships.)
I’m not sure however, that either National, Labour, (and now Greens) are up for all that but I’ll be watching policy promises
I don’t know what it is about economics. There’s something in it that makes many people who take up economics lose their humanity. Or maybe it just attracts the wrong type of people.
Economists remind me of the old alchemists constantly trying to turn lead into gold. They’re formulaic, to the economist everything in life has a magic formula. There’s a perfect level of tax, a perfect level of economic growth, a perfect level of unemployment, a perfect level of inflation… etc etc. They try to be logical while at the same time acting irrationally.
They’re an odd bunch, would be amusing if they didn’t do so much harm.
economists …the high priests of the new religion….have faith my son
Read a few books on economics in my time. Generally aimed at about year 8-9 intellectual school level. Full of old world metaphors and few real definitions.
i.e. ‘steam’.. dampening down’…’putting a lid on’… etc
Q -Why did god invent economists?
A -To make meteorologists look good. …(old joke and my apologies to current day meteorologists who are actually very skilled.)
something to ponder..
macro economics is the study of entire economies comprising aggregated production, labour, social policy, resources etc…in other words large grouped factors that are predictable in average……and
‘Oxfam said that the 62 richest people having as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the population is a remarkable concentration of wealth, given that it would have taken 388 individuals to have the same wealth as the bottom 50% in 2010. ”
a very small group with (likely) diametrically opposed goals
.. and not a broadcaster in sight !
Put Kim Hill on the board to safeguard broadcast standards.
There should not be any partisan objections.
The property bubble in west china has collapsed ..
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/…/west-china-property-market-has-quietly- collapsed/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-08/26/content_21715500.htm
blogs.ft.com/…/property-bubble-risks-popping-in-chinas-rural-southwest/
english.caixin.com/2013-04-12/100513654.html
http://www.bloombergview.com/…/china-can-t-afford-to-let-its-housing-bubble- pop
http://www.cnbc.com/…/this-city-is-worlds-riskiest-for-property-bubble-ubs.html
http://www.thebubblebubble.com/china-bubble/
http://www.wsj.com/…/more-than-1-in-5-homes-in-chinese-cities-are-empty-survey -says-1402484499
http://www.businessinsider.com/roubini-the-mother-of-all-asset-bubbles-will-burst- in-2016-2014-12
https://bootstheory.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/building-a-mass-movement/
Message to Lynn and other writers.
I’d like it if the above was posted as a guest post, in the next couple of days (with Stephanie’s permission of course). I’d like to discuss it here, and I think others might too.
For some reason, I’m not able to copy and paste a snippet from the blog
That’s been discussed so many times on here.
Just to save time, a quick summary.
It’s all the fault of white heterosexual males and if you disagree you’re a supporter of rape culture, homophobia, misogyny and you’re a racist.
Endless back and forth bickering and finger pointing.
I’m sure you don’t want the left to be united, BM.
Your summary is bullshit.
United doesn’t equal a tiny group of extremists berating and abusing the larger group of moderates until that group is forced to capitulate and agree absolutely with the extremists world view.
If you think that’s the path to success, you’re going to be seriously disappointed.
If you shill for the current government you’re not a moderate.
Trolling a community that doesn’t share your views isn’t moderate either.
false framing
pretty clumsy there bm, even for you
So many issues to troll through, nobodys perfect.
Very succinct BM
It is too hard for a ‘basic’ person like you to get bm and I’m pleased about that because having a (insults deleted) like you pushing opinions gives us an idea of what we are up against and why ‘left unity’ is necessary.
arsehole righties giving advice to the left? yeah nah – same for you pucker.
in other news, all is well.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/18/gdp-growth-estimates-fall-below-1-percent.html
and then there is this, guys, it’s gonna get better then it was in 2008! Yuppie! rejoice, our overlords know what they do, really they do.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/15/a-recession-worse-than-2008-is-coming-commentary.html
Piketty, Rousseau and the desire for inequality
The RWNJs actually want others to be envious of them and probably get really upset when told that we’re actually disgusted by them.
Can you guess which country just set a new world record for wind power?
Proves that full renewable energy is possible. But, then, we already knew that here in NZ with ~70% of electricity produced by renewables. We just don’t have a government willing to go all out and produce the rest that we need via renewables including that needed for transport.
Aw, shit.
Another one bites the big one.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/294412/heartache-tonight-the-eagles'-glenn-frey-dies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3mz5Nrpu4c
A nice clip of The Eagles playing Hotel California at their Induction Ceremony in 1998 after they got together again, they are steaming. And there are pics of a real eagle soaring into the video, taken by another eagle surely.
Plus a few photos of them as hairy youngsters for nostalgia.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkJcjBCG88
And The Eagles playing HC Unplugged and making beautiful sounds on their guitars, drums bongo I think, very special.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-WmXLb00Xc
“The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine”
RIp Glenn Frey, one of the greats of his time.
Cheer up…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLHKA9EGEzc
This is something that should be thought about and acted to advance now. It’s time has come, again. But for politicians it’s real work, not leading to a plum job out of the pollie heaven. So they will take it up reluctantly only if pushed. It’s euthanasia, assisted dying etc
Pollies can be quick enough to send citizens to war and aggression in this or another country (I regard the raid on Tuhoe as a practice police-military action). But it is too uppity of citizens to want to have charge of themselves and their time of death, that is legal and accessible. Ask politicians to act dutifully to the citizens and responsibly in supporting and finalising a well-written, fair, adequate and suitable Bill and act before the end of this month, January, less than a fortnight away. Don’t leave it in the hands of authoritarian detractors who want to make decisions for others who should be able to decide themselves on this most important right.
RADIONZ broadcast Matt Vickers a few days ago asking people to come forward and take up Lecretia’s plea.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/294319/have-your-say-on-euthanasia,-urges-lecretia%27s-husband
This link put up by a commenter on RADIONZ comment channel RNZ Talk –
Frithogar
Make submissions here – note there is a verification process at the bottom of the page
The closing date is February 1
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/sc/make-submission/0SCHE_SCF_51DBHOH_PET63268_1/petition-of-hon-maryan-street-and-8974-others
and
chienfou
There’s a prospect of appearing before the committee to speak to your submission. I’d encourage anyone who possibly can to volunteer. It adds a lot of weight to the democratic process, especially if it’s not just the same old Wellington hacks turning up.
Lecretia and Matt’s blog – http://lecretia.org/
Lecretia’s Choice
Lecretia Seales believed ill people enduring intolerable suffering with no hope of recovery should have the choice to request assistance to end their lives.
Scoop reporting the Lecretia Seales tragedy and the initiative taken by her and her husband.
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=76594
edited
Have no fear greywarshark, this Bill will be passed.
It is popular on the left, on the right and in the centre.
Anyone who expresses concern that such legislation should be approached with extreme caution is written off as a sadistic godbotherer.
My concern, for what it is worth, is that until there is legislation that entitles all New Zealanders to publicly funded health and disability care then legislation facilitating ‘voluntary euthanasia’ should be put on hold.
It will be hard to incorporate protections against people being coerced into taking this option when the State is doing the coercing.
Rosemay Mc
Well I hope that you are right, it will be passed. It is rational from most points of view, and it is ethical also from most.
But I understand that you may be concerned about coercion. Also there are lacks in the ‘publicly funded health and disability care’, and it would be good if someone could decide to go from a situation of excellent care, and not miserable conditions, not supported properly and fairly.. No legislation can be perfect, but we can try and also be watchdogs against misuse. I want people to have the right to decide after going through prescribed but not draconian, procedures.
tbh, I wouldn’t want the current government writing and passing euthanasia legislation. I just don’t trust them.
Ideally a government would take a year to educate the citizens about what euthanasia is, what the issues are on various sides, and what the likely parameters are within NZ when it comes to enacting legislation. That time could be used to run workshops in communities and facilitate debate and discussion across a wide section of society as possible. Leaving this up to petitions and select committee hearings is not ok for such an important issue. It’s also not black and white about what should be legislated and that needs debate.
I’m generally in favour of euthanasia but like Rosemary I have concerns from a health and disability perspective, as well as issues for the elderly. I also think we should be looking at this debate within the context of a resource depletion future but I don’t expect many to agree with me on that.
Talking about deciding to go….
like Charles Mitchell,
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/75922680/raglan-whitebait-pioneer-charles-mitchell-dies-age-64
“….was the kind of environmentalist who loved progress, hated red tape and shared his knowledge with anyone who’d listen.
In the face of advancing glaucoma and what seemed like an unending mountain of red tape, Charles took his life on September 13, Megan said.
“The difficulty with having science on your side is that it is of no assistance if the denizens of officialdom do not understand that science.” ”
Its truly awful that he could not face the prospect of impending blindness, but I can understand how someone who spent his entire working life battling government bureaucracy could be tipped over the edge.
Accessing disability supports in New Zealand for those not under ACC’s Serious Injury service is a nightmare of hoop jumping and red tape untangling. For some, the prospect has been too much.
For others, they have spent many years battling, and it has been a seemingly trivial speed bump that has been the tipping point.
Two cases come to mind…the real issue was not entirely ‘unbearable pain and suffering’ but the loss of dignity at having to beg for basic supports in one case and the knowledge that the disability was going to have as much of an effect on loved ones in the other….in both of these cases the Voluntary Euthanasia lobby swooped down and commandeered the narrative and the underlying cause of the suicide was lost.
I have no faith that this government is capable of constructing legislation that will provide the safeguards needed.
Not when this government has made it quite clear that the rights of people with disabilities can be arbitrarily cast aside.
Wow, almost a radical social democrat.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2016/01/winstons-choice.html
Only printed in the press, I wonder why?
That’s normal for it to be only in one paper at a time isn’t it?
Generally he is in 4 or 5 for one piece.
Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre Manchester, interviewed on Friday 8th January. This first of three videos covers the outcomes and significance of the recent UN climate conference in Paris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-t9XpFUoGU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfbp_90-Nws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n2wbpGEI0c
Thankyou for the links Paul.
he is of course quite correct….we are deluding ourselves if we believe we can continue anything like the current system and avoid the consequences of that system….and the discussion on the practical changes required is a conversation nobody appears willing to have.
David Cunliffe has a guest post today at TDB: “In a Land of Plenty”
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/01/19/guest-blog-david-cunliffe-in-a-land-of-plenty/
Gee that Josie Pagani works hard at undermining Labour and its membership. This time by supporting TPPA and by belittling Andrew Little. Andrew Geddis is there to correct Josie’s silly unfounded assertions.
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/opponents-of-the-tpp-have-been-vague-about-their-alternative#comment-42531
How she claims to represent the left I do not know.
She is almost as much of a propagandist as Roughan.
And if she represents Labour, then it really is still a neo-liberal party.
She only gets oxygen because she supports the establishment.
The very definiton of useful idiot.
Duncan Garner interviews Andrew Little about Labour’s position on TPP:
http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Is-Labour-opposed-to-the-TPP-or-not/tabid/506/articleID/111587/Default.aspx
Another round in the dance of seven veils but getting closer to an unfudged answer. Apparently no caucus members have approached their leader to support it. And he aint sounding impressed either.
And, from the “there IS a god” files…
this…http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76020121/controversial-pickup-artists-cancel-new-zealand-event-plans
Lol
pickups dropped off…
or as someone pointed out, they might be negging us.
How so?
Knew I should have added a smiley. I gather spurning is one of their strategies.
I hate it when I’m caught being a literalist 😉
I had to google negging and then wished I hadn’t.
It was probably accurate with or without smileys.
From what I’ve gathered, their ‘technique’ is all about damaging a woman’s judgement and self esteem so that she deigns to let the “artist” do what he wants to her. The only reason that would be necessary is if he were a pointless waste of space whom nobody would ever want to know, biblically or otherwise.
Negging is probably just their automatic reflex to the rejection they know they deserve, A bit sad, really.
and creepy.
yeah. I should probably say “sad in a ‘that abuser is such a broken half-shell of a human being, it’s a shame cute babies can end up becoming warped monsters’ sort of way”.
oh you said enough.
Really enjoying the new Checkpoint.
Watched the first half online. Intriguing. Really good. Some say that it could usurp the emptiness of TV news.
Supposed to be available on Freeview 50 but not here anyway. Must find out if re-programming could find it here in Marlborough.
You probably need to update the tuning on your TV. Not many will automatically pick up a new channel that has become available – you need to make it scan what is now available…
“Some say that it could usurp the emptiness of TV news.”
Sure felt more honest to me. Less invested in pointless smoothness and more into the reporting, interviewing and showing us real New Zealanders. Worked well without the pictures on my drive home today too.
I’m kind of enjoying the lack of slick too, even the little mistakes they are making here and there. Not sure about Campbell’s glasses though.
true, though I was thinking my next pair may look more like that. 🙂
lol, ok I’m obviously living too far in the back blocks to have seen that trend coming.
think Jemaine Clement
ah.
Oh dear…
So then this fucking nightmare played over the Trump-o-Tron, as four very old veterans saluted the screen from the stage. It is hands down the most pandering feat of jingoism/Creed-worship one could imagine. You can watch the full video below. Caution, contains a clip of Michael Jordan dunking a basketball.
[…]
FUBU, aka “For Us By Us” is a line of hiphop branded clothing, i believe now partially owned by Samsung and manufactured in Korea & Cambodia. Here being worn in its 2 piece “FUBUSport” track suit form by an overweight white man actively booing Black Lives Matter mentions and foreign outsourced production. It’s so perfect I could cry.
[…]
bold claim coming from a guy who’s military experience is solely limited to being enrolled in a private military academy in the 8th grade, which he claimed gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military”
…
https://storify.com/tinymediaempire/i-went-to-a-donald-trump-rally-and-saw-a-mean-wear
‘Tis the time….
All the young dudes
(Hey dudes)
Carry the news
(Where are ya)
Boogaloo dudes
(Stand up Come on)
Carry the news
All the young dudes
(I want to hear you)
Carry the news
(I want to see you)
Boogaloo dudes
(And I want to talk to you all of you)
Carry the news
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwVfEXJhQQ
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/18/mott-the-hoople-drummer-dale-griffin-dies-aged-67
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3pMoMQ61Zc&list=RDM3pMoMQ61Zc#t=41
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/19/davos-super-rich-wealth-inequality
Invite to Davos……BYO guillotine