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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In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
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.