Had a little birdie whisper in my ear…..the great Clare Curran spent her entire time on the Parliamentary trip to the US….at Disneyworld playing with bugs bunny.
Anyone want to write a eulogy to Fisher and Paykel?
It won’t die of course, but it was our last locally formed, high value-add, high design quality, proudly Pakuranga originated, globally renowned company with New Zealand designs and engineering of any global scale.
Of course it had offshored much of its manufacturing over the last five years, but for the previous 50 years they were mostly here.
It made some New Zealanders rich, domiciled dividends to local owners, but many thousands were given good jobs here too.
This feels far sicker to me than Navman being sold and disembowelled. This is just sad. People are free to sell, no complaints. It’s still really sad.
Huge praise to the Fishers and the Paykels and all the originating families. You made your mark on the world.
Of course those on the right say that it is the mythical magical hand of the free market that creates intellectual property and technology and the State has no role to play but this ignores history and the actions of states like Japan and China who with major state planning created a high tech industry.
It’s selling off the economy making the country poorer but this government (and probably the last government as well considering that they were the ones that opened up the barn door) doesn’t care just so long as their rich mates get more money.
The Maori Council is off to Court to seek an injunction to stop MRP’s share sale.
Good on them. This sort of action has occurred before. In 1987 the Maori Council successfully injuncted the Government from selling various parcels of land.
The principles here seem to me to be pretty clear. Maori had an interest in water pre treaty, this was never taken away because as Key said the common law thought that no one owned water, and Maori’s interests are preserved. It was a taonga under article two.
Of course the Government will not settle this. They will be hoping that court action will fail. But if they do fail they will look weak and powerless and the red neck brigade will be up in arms.
And dunno who it was saying on RNZ this morning (could’ve been Flavell) when asked this is part of the confidence and supply agreement with MP and it’s been broken he said it’s not a deal breaker.
What flexible morals they have or maybe we’re just being pedantic.
Poor DunnoKeyo, he is exhibiting all the symptoms of early onset dementia. The short term memory loss coupled with the historic memory of exchange rates of 25 years ago are all warning signs for family and party members to take note. Soon there will be an exhibition of not remembering that he couldn’t remember something, and he will accuse the media/opposition of getting it wrong. From here it will be all downhill – a jar of jellybeans in the office and sending Bronagh off to consult astrologers……
What’s the difference between John Key and a tasty snack of haddock and chips enjoyed in the blissful bucolic ambience of a small Merseyside village near Sefton?
Shane Jones settles back on the hotel bed after putting in the tape Winston has just given him, pushes play, and it’s grainy footage of some lunchroom and a guy up the front who appears to have lost all syllabic precision …
‘I dunno and i just can’t think,hey, did anyone tell fossy to sort super out?’
‘Yes it was you boss,you can’t do it,cos it will cost you your job boss’ say’s gerry
‘Why,what could i have said to put my job on the line ?’
‘Your words boss,you wont touch super,or you will resign’ says gerry
‘FFS i didn’t say that, did i, surely not,how stupid,how silly,i’ll just ignore it
and it will go away then ‘
‘Where is Bennett, has anyone seen her today,we need a diversion,NOW’
‘I will sort it’ says gerry.
NZs economic plight and much mismanagement leading to our poor situation being discussed right now on Radionz by one of the Fletcher family. Is making points that sound like sense from a businessman with nous. And is criticising present ideologyeconomic .
From RNZ site “Hugh Fletcher steps down at the end of this month from the board of Fletcher Building, he is the former chief executive of Fletcher Challenge and has had a 34-year involvement with the family firm.”
Pity he did nothing to stop Fletcher Challenge from being dismantled. That could have been a New Zealand company that could have held its own in a globalised world.
As plans for the day (gardening, lawns etc) have been frustrated by the rain, have read a couple of interesting articles this morning.
While a somewhat ignoramus when it comes to the history/timelines etc for the internet, blogging etc, I could not believe my ears earlier in the week when Maurice Williamson spoke in the urgent debate on the WINZ kiosk debacle. Williamson said amongst other things that blogging had only been around for about 5 years ….. Hello? His speech is here.
I am pleased to see that Toby Manhire has raised this in his Herald opinion piece today “MPS out of touch”. .
Bloggers”, Uncle Maurice? They sound just awful. “Yeah, blogging only came into fashion just towards the end of the Labour Government. Blogging has been around only four or five years now.”
Toby’s article covers more than just this and is worth a read.
Level 19 of Bowen House will be swept and fumigated from midday, forcing Attorney General Chris Finlayson, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne and around 15 staff out.
Headline in the Herald: Who is to Blame for Armstrong Myth?
“Strewth,” I thought. “Now they are seeing the truth about poor old John.”
Oops. It was the other Armstrong, Lance Armstrong. Sorry John.
Can’t say that I’m surprised as the US seems to dislike anything that may topple the entrenched two party system and give choice and voice to the many.
DTB
I was interested to hear someone from Germany criticising MMP. The new head of the Roundtable agency thought we’d made a mistake. It seems to me that right wingers like the two party system.
The RWNJs don’t like democracy so they try to maintain the least democratic system they can. If we brought in full participatory democracy they’d be jumping up and down saying that it was a total failure (even if it wasn’t) and demanding that we bring back MMP.
Mike Giddey
Committee Secretary
Democracy Services
Auckland Council
OPEN LETTER/ REQUEST FOR SPEAKING RIGHTS AT THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL GOVERNING BODY MEETING – THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 2012
– 10AM RECEPTION LOUNGE, AUCKLAND TOWN HALL.
Dear Mike,
The subject matter will be the following ‘Open Letter’ of complaint to the Office of the Auditor-General, of which Sarah Lineham ( Local Government Sector Manager), has verbally confirmed receipt, Friday 19 October 2012:
OPEN LETTER TO THE OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL
Under s.18 of the Public Audit Act 2001, we the undersigned request that you please conduct an urgent investigation into the following matters:
1) The allegedly corrupt ‘conflict of interest’ of the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay, who is also a member of the extremely powerful private lobby group – the Committee for Auckland.
2) Please investigate how many contracts have been awarded by Auckland Council and/or any of the following Auckland Council Controlled Organisations to member companies of the Committee for Auckland:
a) Watercare Services Ltd
b) Auckland Transport
c) ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd)
d) ACIL (Auckland Council Investment Ltd)
e) AWDA (Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Ltd)
f) RFA (Regional Facilities Auckland)
g) APL (Auckland Property Ltd)
3) Please investigate the following potential ‘conflicts of interest’:
a) The CEO of Watercare Services Ltd, is Committee for Auckland member – Mark Ford.
b) The Chair of the Board of ATEED – David McConnell, and Deputy Chair Norm Thompson are both members of the Committee For Auckland.
c) Directors on the Board of ACIL, Pauline Winter and Brian Corban are both members of the Committee for Auckland.
d) Director Evan Davies and CEO John Dalzell of AWDA, are both members of the Committee for Auckland.
e) Deputy Chair Dame Jenny Gibbs, and CEO Robert Domm of RFA, are both members of the Committee for Auckland.
4) Please also investigate the failure of Auckland Council to ensure that CEO Doug McKay carry out his statutory duties under s.42 (2) (e) of the Local Government Act 2002:
(2)A chief executive appointed under subsection (1) is responsible to his or her local authority for—
(c)ensuring that all responsibilities, duties, and powers delegated to him or her or to any person employed by the local authority, or imposed or conferred by an Act, regulation, or bylaw, are properly performed or exercised; and
(d)ensuring the effective and efficient management of the activities of the local authority; and
(e)maintaining systems to enable effective planning and accurate reporting of the financial and service performance of the local authority;
A Local Government Official Information Act reply from Auckland Council dated 21 November 2011, from Darryl Griffin, (Auckland Council Manager for Democracy Services), confirms the lack of transparency in the spending of public monies by Auckland Council, in refusing to make available for public scrutiny the ‘devilish detail’ ie: the names, the scope, term and value of 5000 contracts related to 12,500 suppliers contracted to Auckland Council, on the basis that:
‘To collate and publish these would be a major exercise logistically and cost-wise’.
Further evidence to support this request for an urgent inquiry is:
A) The LGOIMA reply from Wendy Brandon, General Counsel for Auckland Council, dated 10 February 2012 – re: Committee for Auckland – CE membership.
B) The LGOIMA reply from Wendy Brandon, General Counsel for Auckland Council, dated 14 March 2012 – re: Register of Interests and contracts.
Oh look, it turns out that the MoJustice:
A)has computer kiosks; and
B)has shut them down due to insecurities.
Took them long enough to check, after all it’s not like Ng didn’t explain what the vulnerabilities were. It appears that no manager in MoJ had the immediate inclination to follow the instructions and see if they’d fucked up, too.
this country is turning into the laughing stock of nations.
the whole place is being run by post moderns who think that only their own truths count and what is even worse if they talk about it then it is done.
the whole place has become completely infantilised and run by overfed mental midgets with overweening faith in their own stupidity.
they are becoming dangerous!
Yeah, I certainly agree this country is becoming good fodder for a laughing stock, though not a laughing stock “of nations”.
I don’t consider many other countries are in a position to be laughing at us. i.e. the whole Western world is turning into a Mickey Mouse outfit. (Don’t know so much about other cultures so will stick to focussing on the fiascos of the western nations.). The whole western world is being over-run by mentally challenged power-tripping midgets; not solely NZ.
And like Muzza said, the more undesirable traits you have the more desirable you are in this culture of avarice we are being sold.
Seems to me someone is looking for reasons to outsource more jobs!
Ill say it again, the kiosk issues would not have been missed my major development and testing gates!
HOOK – These people running our country, are simply the corruptable minions of those with more power. The more undesirable traites you have as a human being, the more desireable you are to those who feel the need to control us.
It all went past dangerous a very long time back, you just have to look at how many people globally are being totally dominated, killed, mamed, pushed into poverty, bombed, slaugtered, removed off their lands, imprisoned, poisoned, polluted to death, medicated to death, sent ot war, sentenced to die..
Still I reckon blogging on the net should fix it up!
…anyone ask the Otago flake Claire Curran what she was doing at Disneyworld when she was on the Speakers tour?…no UFB briefings there unless Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck have something else to say about it.
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike as it was clearly deliberately offtopic. Just had a look at your 12 comments to date. You look like one of those boring idiots who swallowed a book that should be entitled “Boring bloggers for Dummies” on how to push memes on dat social media. We’ve seen all of this stupid rap before, just say what you want to say and explain why.
Make your pushing a lot more interesting, and lose the half-arsed leading question style that was so 2008 (and reminds everyone of stupid ACToids they have known). I usually decide that people using it are merely trolling because they obviously have never formed a opinion that they can argue for. And do read the policy so you don’t do something really stupid that triggers a reflexive moderating action. ]
What these two factors mean, I think, is that if baby boomers abuse their demographic power (which they already are to some extent), then they risk alienating younger generations to the point where the latter simply leave New Zealand. I think this kind of “demographic purge” is a real risk, and may have already begun.
The author is going on more about the declining use of cars in the younger generations but it can certainly be generalised to other aspects such as education where the older generations got free education while the younger are having to pay. Maybe the reason why our young are leaving is because NZ has become so static that there’s nothing interesting to do (and, no, I’m not just talking about going out to party).
Nothing interesting to do, and even if there were, no opportunities to do it.
You should see what my upper middle class friends are doing with their 4 day Labour Weekend. A boat trip, cruising around out of town in their new MX-5, doing a winery and restaurant tour of the provinces.
What recession? What unemployment? What child poverty? All that bad stuff is in an irrelevant universe far far away.
I’m beginning to think that they have planned al lthis shit.
If people realise that their privacy is up for grabs and open slather then they wont bother troubling the boorokrats anymore.
q.e.d.
Certainly makes it easier to demonise the local serivces, if you had an agenda which involved outsourcing, just like the IRD have done. How surprising will the KPMG report be I wonder…
If you own the legislative and the money system, you can do what you want eh, pretty staight forward really!
The ‘explosives’ had already been made safe by undercover agents who had supplied them to him.
That line right there, tells all thats needed about what a fix up this is!
In his conversations with the undercover agent he had spoken of how he had wanted to “destroy America” by attacking its economy and of his “beloved Sheikh Osama bin Laden”.
Oh look another undercover intelligence sting this time using the “on behalf of AQ”, to link those who speak against the money system as being terrorists..How convenient!
Australia has been handing key intelligence on Julian Assange to Washington for over two years. Newly-released cables indicate the US conducted an “active and vigorous enquiry” as early as 2010 to ascertain if they could try Assange for espionage.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) revealed it had been in cahoots with the US over the Assange case for over two years, saying it had turned over documents as early as 2010 that pertained to the whistleblower’s activities.
I’m not really surprised but it does show that TPTB get really irritated and nasty when things they want to be kept hidden get released to the general public. IMO, this keeping things hidden is the actions of dictators.
I note that Master Key attempted to assure those from Yaldhurst School today:
“We take on board fully their concerns. I give them my word we’ll be looking at what they say, I can’t guarantee we’ll agree with them, we haven’t made any decisions yet,” he said.
Heck, they’ve been given his word….they must feel so much better now…
Perhaps his advisors could tell him as well as keeping off the blatent porkies, that references to “words” or “promises” need to be avoided for for a wee while…after the last few months such statements from our PM are laughable.
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Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
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 ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
Had a little birdie whisper in my ear…..the great Clare Curran spent her entire time on the Parliamentary trip to the US….at Disneyworld playing with bugs bunny.
Anyone want to write a eulogy to Fisher and Paykel?
It won’t die of course, but it was our last locally formed, high value-add, high design quality, proudly Pakuranga originated, globally renowned company with New Zealand designs and engineering of any global scale.
Of course it had offshored much of its manufacturing over the last five years, but for the previous 50 years they were mostly here.
It made some New Zealanders rich, domiciled dividends to local owners, but many thousands were given good jobs here too.
This feels far sicker to me than Navman being sold and disembowelled. This is just sad. People are free to sell, no complaints. It’s still really sad.
Huge praise to the Fishers and the Paykels and all the originating families. You made your mark on the world.
Yep and where is the sign of the next F&P?
And what is the Government doing about this?
Of course those on the right say that it is the mythical magical hand of the free market that creates intellectual property and technology and the State has no role to play but this ignores history and the actions of states like Japan and China who with major state planning created a high tech industry.
Its nuts to say Government can do nothing about situations like this.
In Germany, the Board has to give the factory’s unions 12 months of notice that they are planning to offshore production.
That usually stops it.
Yet another example of the Chinese purchasing New Zealand assets.
Where will it stop?
Does the governmnet not realise what China is doing here
It’s selling off the economy making the country poorer but this government (and probably the last government as well considering that they were the ones that opened up the barn door) doesn’t care just so long as their rich mates get more money.
This really pisses me off. Each and every shareholder and the Board of Directors is guilty of treason and being unpatriotic.
The Maori Council is off to Court to seek an injunction to stop MRP’s share sale.
Good on them. This sort of action has occurred before. In 1987 the Maori Council successfully injuncted the Government from selling various parcels of land.
The principles here seem to me to be pretty clear. Maori had an interest in water pre treaty, this was never taken away because as Key said the common law thought that no one owned water, and Maori’s interests are preserved. It was a taonga under article two.
Of course the Government will not settle this. They will be hoping that court action will fail. But if they do fail they will look weak and powerless and the red neck brigade will be up in arms.
Interesting times …
And dunno who it was saying on RNZ this morning (could’ve been Flavell) when asked this is part of the confidence and supply agreement with MP and it’s been broken he said it’s not a deal breaker.
What flexible morals they have or maybe we’re just being pedantic.
How many John Keys does it take to change a light bulb?
I forget.
ak. I need a new light bulb. I would not trust him with the replacement!
Poor DunnoKeyo, he is exhibiting all the symptoms of early onset dementia. The short term memory loss coupled with the historic memory of exchange rates of 25 years ago are all warning signs for family and party members to take note. Soon there will be an exhibition of not remembering that he couldn’t remember something, and he will accuse the media/opposition of getting it wrong. From here it will be all downhill – a jar of jellybeans in the office and sending Bronagh off to consult astrologers……
Two John Keys walk into a bar with an Englishman, an Irish man and a Scotsman.
No one recalls ever being briefed on what happens next.
Dave shearer walks into a bar. The barman says “who are you…”
oh my aching sides.
John key walks into a bar. The barman asks “what are you…”
John Key walks into a bar.
Key says,” Ouch!, I dont remember a bar being there, does anybody have video evidence of a bar being there”
David Shearer does, (but a spy deleted it, or his dog ate it)
John Key walks into a bar.
Do I have to be 18 or 20 to drink here?
Let me see split age 18 to drink here and 20 to purchase alcohol or is that 20 to drink here?
What’s the difference between John Key and a tasty snack of haddock and chips enjoyed in the blissful bucolic ambience of a small Merseyside village near Sefton?
One’s a kai in Lunt.
lol …. 😀
The gap keeps narrowing.
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/horse-race-watch/
Nicely shows labour’s progress, and national’s faltering.
I’ll be intrigued to see what it’s like in six months time – that line for labour has to flatten sometime 🙂
Shane Jones settles back on the hotel bed after putting in the tape Winston has just given him, pushes play, and it’s grainy footage of some lunchroom and a guy up the front who appears to have lost all syllabic precision …
Ah well.
At least Shane enjoyed it.
‘I dunno and i just can’t think,hey, did anyone tell fossy to sort super out?’
‘Yes it was you boss,you can’t do it,cos it will cost you your job boss’ say’s gerry
‘Why,what could i have said to put my job on the line ?’
‘Your words boss,you wont touch super,or you will resign’ says gerry
‘FFS i didn’t say that, did i, surely not,how stupid,how silly,i’ll just ignore it
and it will go away then ‘
‘Where is Bennett, has anyone seen her today,we need a diversion,NOW’
‘I will sort it’ says gerry.
NZs economic plight and much mismanagement leading to our poor situation being discussed right now on Radionz by one of the Fletcher family. Is making points that sound like sense from a businessman with nous. And is criticising present ideologyeconomic .
Hugh Fletcher.
From RNZ site “Hugh Fletcher steps down at the end of this month from the board of Fletcher Building, he is the former chief executive of Fletcher Challenge and has had a 34-year involvement with the family firm.”
Hugh is married to Chief Justice Sian Elias.
Yes its a “family firm” alright.
Pity he did nothing to stop Fletcher Challenge from being dismantled. That could have been a New Zealand company that could have held its own in a globalised world.
millsy I think he talked about that on the interview. Could be interesting to hear his views on it.
As plans for the day (gardening, lawns etc) have been frustrated by the rain, have read a couple of interesting articles this morning.
While a somewhat ignoramus when it comes to the history/timelines etc for the internet, blogging etc, I could not believe my ears earlier in the week when Maurice Williamson spoke in the urgent debate on the WINZ kiosk debacle. Williamson said amongst other things that blogging had only been around for about 5 years ….. Hello? His speech is here.
http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/15500
I am pleased to see that Toby Manhire has raised this in his Herald opinion piece today “MPS out of touch”. .
Bloggers”, Uncle Maurice? They sound just awful. “Yeah, blogging only came into fashion just towards the end of the Labour Government. Blogging has been around only four or five years now.”
Toby’s article covers more than just this and is worth a read.
Manhire’s article here.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7838696/Flies-spark-ministerial-evacuation
Level 19 of Bowen House will be swept and fumigated from midday, forcing Attorney General Chris Finlayson, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne and around 15 staff out.
So the Bull shit levels are causing difficulties.
You know the government is fucked when God starts sending plagues…
Ha
Watch out for toads
Oops sorry Toad.
Locust’s in Dunnokeyo’s back yard would be a telling sign.
dv
Boils better.
McFlock. Awesome.
In supporting our elderly, National is underfunding our future:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/government-prioritises-elderly-before.html
Headline in the Herald:
Who is to Blame for Armstrong Myth?
“Strewth,” I thought. “Now they are seeing the truth about poor old John.”
Oops. It was the other Armstrong, Lance Armstrong. Sorry John.
.
WTF!!!
Jill Stein arrested outside presidential debate.
Can’t say that I’m surprised as the US seems to dislike anything that may topple the entrenched two party system and give choice and voice to the many.
DTB
I was interested to hear someone from Germany criticising MMP. The new head of the Roundtable agency thought we’d made a mistake. It seems to me that right wingers like the two party system.
The RWNJs don’t like democracy so they try to maintain the least democratic system they can. If we brought in full participatory democracy they’d be jumping up and down saying that it was a total failure (even if it wasn’t) and demanding that we bring back MMP.
TAKING ON THE 1% IN AUCKLAND!
19 October 2012
Mike Giddey
Committee Secretary
Democracy Services
Auckland Council
OPEN LETTER/ REQUEST FOR SPEAKING RIGHTS AT THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL GOVERNING BODY MEETING – THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 2012
– 10AM RECEPTION LOUNGE, AUCKLAND TOWN HALL.
Dear Mike,
The subject matter will be the following ‘Open Letter’ of complaint to the Office of the Auditor-General, of which Sarah Lineham ( Local Government Sector Manager), has verbally confirmed receipt, Friday 19 October 2012:
OPEN LETTER TO THE OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL
Under s.18 of the Public Audit Act 2001, we the undersigned request that you please conduct an urgent investigation into the following matters:
1) The allegedly corrupt ‘conflict of interest’ of the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay, who is also a member of the extremely powerful private lobby group – the Committee for Auckland.
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership/member-organisations
2) Please investigate how many contracts have been awarded by Auckland Council and/or any of the following Auckland Council Controlled Organisations to member companies of the Committee for Auckland:
a) Watercare Services Ltd
b) Auckland Transport
c) ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd)
d) ACIL (Auckland Council Investment Ltd)
e) AWDA (Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Ltd)
f) RFA (Regional Facilities Auckland)
g) APL (Auckland Property Ltd)
3) Please investigate the following potential ‘conflicts of interest’:
a) The CEO of Watercare Services Ltd, is Committee for Auckland member – Mark Ford.
b) The Chair of the Board of ATEED – David McConnell, and Deputy Chair Norm Thompson are both members of the Committee For Auckland.
c) Directors on the Board of ACIL, Pauline Winter and Brian Corban are both members of the Committee for Auckland.
d) Director Evan Davies and CEO John Dalzell of AWDA, are both members of the Committee for Auckland.
e) Deputy Chair Dame Jenny Gibbs, and CEO Robert Domm of RFA, are both members of the Committee for Auckland.
4) Please also investigate the failure of Auckland Council to ensure that CEO Doug McKay carry out his statutory duties under s.42 (2) (e) of the Local Government Act 2002:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0084/latest/DLM171859.html
42 Chief executive
(2)A chief executive appointed under subsection (1) is responsible to his or her local authority for—
(c)ensuring that all responsibilities, duties, and powers delegated to him or her or to any person employed by the local authority, or imposed or conferred by an Act, regulation, or bylaw, are properly performed or exercised; and
(d)ensuring the effective and efficient management of the activities of the local authority; and
(e)maintaining systems to enable effective planning and accurate reporting of the financial and service performance of the local authority;
A Local Government Official Information Act reply from Auckland Council dated 21 November 2011, from Darryl Griffin, (Auckland Council Manager for Democracy Services), confirms the lack of transparency in the spending of public monies by Auckland Council, in refusing to make available for public scrutiny the ‘devilish detail’ ie: the names, the scope, term and value of 5000 contracts related to 12,500 suppliers contracted to Auckland Council, on the basis that:
‘To collate and publish these would be a major exercise logistically and cost-wise’.
Further evidence to support this request for an urgent inquiry is:
A) The LGOIMA reply from Wendy Brandon, General Counsel for Auckland Council, dated 10 February 2012 – re: Committee for Auckland – CE membership.
B) The LGOIMA reply from Wendy Brandon, General Counsel for Auckland Council, dated 14 March 2012 – re: Register of Interests and contracts.
____________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Oh look, it turns out that the MoJustice:
A)has computer kiosks; and
B)has shut them down due to insecurities.
Took them long enough to check, after all it’s not like Ng didn’t explain what the vulnerabilities were. It appears that no manager in MoJ had the immediate inclination to follow the instructions and see if they’d fucked up, too.
this country is turning into the laughing stock of nations.
the whole place is being run by post moderns who think that only their own truths count and what is even worse if they talk about it then it is done.
the whole place has become completely infantilised and run by overfed mental midgets with overweening faith in their own stupidity.
they are becoming dangerous!
Well done, MoJ. And great timing for the announcement, pre-long weekend.
You do your political bosses proud.
@ captain hook
Yeah, I certainly agree this country is becoming good fodder for a laughing stock, though not a laughing stock “of nations”.
I don’t consider many other countries are in a position to be laughing at us. i.e. the whole Western world is turning into a Mickey Mouse outfit. (Don’t know so much about other cultures so will stick to focussing on the fiascos of the western nations.). The whole western world is being over-run by mentally challenged power-tripping midgets; not solely NZ.
And like Muzza said, the more undesirable traits you have the more desirable you are in this culture of avarice we are being sold.
Seems to me someone is looking for reasons to outsource more jobs!
Ill say it again, the kiosk issues would not have been missed my major development and testing gates!
HOOK – These people running our country, are simply the corruptable minions of those with more power. The more undesirable traites you have as a human being, the more desireable you are to those who feel the need to control us.
It all went past dangerous a very long time back, you just have to look at how many people globally are being totally dominated, killed, mamed, pushed into poverty, bombed, slaugtered, removed off their lands, imprisoned, poisoned, polluted to death, medicated to death, sent ot war, sentenced to die..
Still I reckon blogging on the net should fix it up!
…anyone ask the Otago flake Claire Curran what she was doing at Disneyworld when she was on the Speakers tour?…no UFB briefings there unless Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck have something else to say about it.
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike as it was clearly deliberately offtopic. Just had a look at your 12 comments to date. You look like one of those boring idiots who swallowed a book that should be entitled “Boring bloggers for Dummies” on how to push memes on dat social media. We’ve seen all of this stupid rap before, just say what you want to say and explain why.
Make your pushing a lot more interesting, and lose the half-arsed leading question style that was so 2008 (and reminds everyone of stupid ACToids they have known). I usually decide that people using it are merely trolling because they obviously have never formed a opinion that they can argue for. And do read the policy so you don’t do something really stupid that triggers a reflexive moderating action. ]
Thanks you righteous bastard!
The governments No pay, sorry, Novo pay payroll system in the education sector is continuing to be shambolic.
Question for me, why didn’t they test it first before rolling it out. Surely the likes of MSD IT folk could have done that work.
Oh, by the looks of it maybe MSD staff DID test the system first.
An interesting point:
The author is going on more about the declining use of cars in the younger generations but it can certainly be generalised to other aspects such as education where the older generations got free education while the younger are having to pay. Maybe the reason why our young are leaving is because NZ has become so static that there’s nothing interesting to do (and, no, I’m not just talking about going out to party).
🙂
+1 Draco.
Nothing interesting to do, and even if there were, no opportunities to do it.
You should see what my upper middle class friends are doing with their 4 day Labour Weekend. A boat trip, cruising around out of town in their new MX-5, doing a winery and restaurant tour of the provinces.
What recession? What unemployment? What child poverty? All that bad stuff is in an irrelevant universe far far away.
I’m beginning to think that they have planned al lthis shit.
If people realise that their privacy is up for grabs and open slather then they wont bother troubling the boorokrats anymore.
q.e.d.
Certainly makes it easier to demonise the local serivces, if you had an agenda which involved outsourcing, just like the IRD have done. How surprising will the KPMG report be I wonder…
If you own the legislative and the money system, you can do what you want eh, pretty staight forward really!
Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was arrested in an undercover operation by the FBI after he parked a van containing what he believed to be explosives outside New York’s Federal Reserve.
That line right there, tells all thats needed about what a fix up this is!
Oh look another undercover intelligence sting this time using the “on behalf of AQ”, to link those who speak against the money system as being terrorists..How convenient!
America fcuk yeah!
US and Australia in cahoots for years over Assange intel
Murkier and murkier.
I’d be surprised if five eyes hadn’t been looking at him from the time Wikileaks started. No surprise.
I’m not really surprised but it does show that TPTB get really irritated and nasty when things they want to be kept hidden get released to the general public. IMO, this keeping things hidden is the actions of dictators.
I note that Master Key attempted to assure those from Yaldhurst School today:
“We take on board fully their concerns. I give them my word we’ll be looking at what they say, I can’t guarantee we’ll agree with them, we haven’t made any decisions yet,” he said.
~TVNZ News Item
Heck, they’ve been given his word….they must feel so much better now…
Perhaps his advisors could tell him as well as keeping off the blatent porkies, that references to “words” or “promises” need to be avoided for for a wee while…after the last few months such statements from our PM are laughable.