I’m in two minds, on the one hand National staying in power would really annoy the posters on here but on the other if Labour gain power then Shearer is safe for a few years and that would annoy the posters even more because Cunliffe would be even further from power
The soul you were trying to tell me about the other week.
Would your old fella be happy with that attitude?
I foresee lots of sore knees in your future đ
Which is why I didn’t say sore wrists. Those ligaments and muscles must be like granite.
Come your personal judgement day, I don’t know how you’ll reconcile the attitude as displayed in your first post to saving souls, but if you try it on, good luck.
Maybe hypocrites are on the list.
The departure of Chauvel and immanent clearance and reacceptance of Jones, together with (I predict) the demotion of Cunliffe supporters like Dalziell, make a post-reshuffle shadow cabinet like this:
1. Shearer
2. Robertson. Environment.
3. Parker. Finance. Attorney General.
4. King. Housing. (Probably no longer going for Wellington Mayor)
5. Arden
Rn. Social Welfare. Youth.
6. Maori. Economic Development.
7. Goff. International Affairs and Trade.
8. Mallard. Tertiary Education. Conservation. Sport.
9. Twyford. Transport. Auckland.
Good hard edged balance that could take them on, yes?
Was stuck with health. Who would you recommend?
Parker is the only lawyer now and he already looked overloaded for Justice.
Also presuming Dalziell gets the signal so who covers Christchurch.
Also who would want Immigration? Ew!
CT: You must be out of your mind, sorry, but I have no other comment to this.
Re wrongly spelled Ardern, I fed her some highly explosive info late last year, she was too ignorant and passive to even realise it, so nothing ever came of it. She rather went on about “privacy breaches” and WINZ “helping” unemployed get a ticket and job in Australia.
Excuse me, that is to me total incompetence and idiocy.
There are so ruthless welfare reforms before Parliament, endless stories of injustice, but do we ever hear anything from her addressing this???
And do not get me started on King for “housing” (lost cause long ago), on Mallard (should resign for good), and well, the “leader” the Shearer, omg.
I fear that some here continue living in lala land.
I had some small hope for Ardern, but after her reaction to the introduction of secret bedroom sniffer squads and prison for partners, I have given up totally on her. She is hopeless.
Frankly Matt, I’m confused. Two polls ago (can’t remember their names) Shearer was reported to be closing the gap, the next one reported Key suddenly gaining three points to put Shearer in the shade, and the one you link to is suddenly promising for Shearer.
It’s enough to give me angina if I was that emotionally involved. There is also the suspicion of being toyed with given your employment by the National Party.
Key is no longer the young, bubbly, and endearingly incoherent politico he was in the first term.
Today, that’s Shearer.
Even before his near-death experience in a Christchurch restaurant Key was noticeably starting to lose his spark, his enthusiasm for the job. People can read body language.
Today he is more detached, there are suddenly grey flecks around his temples, and he must be assessing the personal cost-benefits of staying in this position. Mortality can do that.
The strongest line of inquiry is probably to ask if he will be standing against Shearer.
To be clear, it was not a criticism, this is the kind of thing which shows why it’s critical to have a capable team in any political endeavour. Your line of inquiry is good, however the detail of the wording might be more like:
“Have you decided to stand for another term as Prime Minister, in 2014?”
Hey Hoots why weren’t you up at 6 in the morning a couple of days ago, typing up a comment saying that National was at its highest Colmar Brunton polling in a year?
Because you know just like i do that that particular poll has a continuous track record of polling the National Party higher than it’s actual support by 2-3%,
To do that of course means that that poll has to poll other Party’s 2-3% lower than their actual support, depends how creative they get with the margin of error right???…
Anyone else notice the media training that has been going on for government ministers.
Parata and Key both, when asked a challenging question, start with
“So … and then proceed with a prepared statement line and in fact do not address the question
at all.
And then there is “Mr Fixit” Tina Joyce who just bores the listener with his rambling delivery. And this morning on Morning report, suggests that “reasonable people might take a different view …”
of the report into the Sky City convention centre bid. What arrogance!
I’ve noticed that, but why should anyone be surprised ? There are many ex-journalists setting up ‘media training’ companies.
Re âreasonable people might take a different view âŠâ .. intellectually patronising and refusing
to engage in reasoned democratic debate. There was once a quaint notion that you have to take people with you ..
Muldoon did a good line in that (and that long slow laugh “heh … heh … heh”)
which seemed to disarm the critical faculties of the journalists at the time.
One interesting snippet is that he did his accounting degree (by correspondence ?)
while taking part in the Italian campaign during WWII.
Joyce is in charge of a ‘super-ministry’, has to get across a range of material, and
although made his money in radio, does not have the explanatory skills of a trained
and experienced teacher. We all have our limitations ..
Re âreasonable people might take a different view âŠâ .. intellectually patronising and refusing
to engage in reasoned democratic debate. There was once a quaint notion that you have to take people with you ..
I think it’s what passes for political panache these days. Muldoon had a certain style and timing, Lange had good quips, even Cullen could mercilessly take the piss from an unwary journalist or opponent, but most of parliament are more Adam Sandler’s B roles than an Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker.
wassername – Gentner from the Greens might have a bit of kick. Will take a while to develop the style and get the media focus, though.
Well spotted, logie. I made a similar observation last year in a thread about Shearer’s communications difficulties. Thankfully he’s improved tremendously since then!
Not only do the Nats refuse to debate live on radio or TV, because it gives credilbilty to the opposition, the ‘so’ response has been drilled into them from the first term (by Crosby Textor? Hooters?).
There’s a documentary called Spin that shows that that is exactly what politicians are taught to do when asked a question. Basically, it’s that they ignore the question and spout the spin that they want people to repeat.
As I noted the other day, the “so” is to imply that the question has been listened to and is about to receive a reasoned response.
It’s a device for skipping the reasoning entirely and jumping straight to the conclusion. But when we hear the “so” we’re supposed to believe that the reasoning has already occurred,
Exactery! And what’s worse is that its a phenomenon that everyone is picking up on. From my perspective, it’s a symptom of ‘I don’t actually care what you or anybody else thinks’ (the so ….. I mean), this is what I (me,me,me,me) thinks.
The good think is it’s becoming so pervasive that its becoming meaningless: even the supermarket checkout operator said to me yesterday
“so ….. try swiping your card” (instead of inserting it).
It’s the new “going forwid”
Reminds me of another one to watch out for…. whenever someone says “I just think …” it meaans they haven’t actually thought properly at all. The “just” word carries out the same function as “So” in that it implies a degree of thought and consideration that simply doesn’t exist.
The other one that Key and Joyce and others have been taught is “The reality is…” which is almost always followed by a description of a parallel universe.
Not always vto. It seems to have become some kind of pc political ‘play it safe’ byword -which I suppose is the same thing
I heard Jacinda Ardern saying it on the TV news tonight. She was responding to the latest bit of govt. bene bashing (smokescreen distraction from Sky City Convention Centre rort) and she preceded her answers with “I think“. I yelled at her you don’t think woman you know, so why don’t you bloody well say so. I don’t think she heard me.
hi xtasy,
I was meaning she should drop the “I think” and say it how it is. I’m getting fed up with Labour pollies (and Greens too sometimes) who seem too scared to categorically state a situation or make an accusation they know to be true… without prefacing their words with I think. That immediately removes some of the impact of what they are saying.
I agree though, sometimes she doesn’t appear to have thought something through, but she’s not alone there of course.
Is the NZ Herald ownership about to undergo a change? The details of who owns what shares, and who is the manager/owner of this or that bit tend to make my non-business head spin. But it seems all is not well with Granny’s APN owners:
The New Zealand assets of APN News & Media, including the New Zealand Herald, are more likely than ever to be divided up and sold after its Australia-based chief executive, chairman and independent directors resigned.
The boardroom stoush leading to the resignations exposes the difficulties the media company’s board, management and shareholders are grappling….
Chenoweth and the board members said their position was “untenable” and stepped down yesterday, with only Luscombe remaining on the board until his planned resignation date of April.
APN is now without a chief executive or a strategy to reduce debt, both issues likely to be raised when the company reports its annual results tomorrow.
Speculation has grown that APN director Vincent Crowley – currently chief executive of [irealnd based Independent News and Media] INM – will return to APN as CEO after more than a decade’s absence.
Other names in the mix include former Fairfax CEO Brian McCarthy who took an advisory role at APN last year.
The company yesterday appointed long-serving board member Peter Cosgrove as its chairman.
Cosgrove, who has been on the board for more than nine years, has strong ties to APN’s largest shareholder INM.
It is all about more profits being needed or wanted for shareholders, that is why this happened. Also the digitatlisation and user pay section for internet access are due to be pushed. Prepare for paying for every article you want to read. I told you all before, but stop dreaming, this is the future of “media”, sadly!
You will have to register, pay and read in future, that is with few exceptions.
This will provide exactly for the further social AND knowledge DIVISION in society, where the better earners, and elitists, who can “afford” to pay subscriptions, will be “informed” and maybe “educated”, the rest will become ignorant “riff raff”!
Again, this is NO joke, it is taking place gradually day by day, just look around, and one day, you will be disenfranchised as “odd ball” “dissenters”, “problematic social elements” and the likes, as most (the dumbed down and brainwashed) will take up what they are offered!
A boost for Labor over the ditch: Gillard naming the election date early has apparently freaked out new Greens leader Christine Milne. She has bizarrely announced the end of the parliamentary relationship between the two parties, while also saying the Greens would still support Labor in parliament.
Well, losing 45-55 on the two party preferred, which is the relevant figure in the weird Aussie system. But no question Gillard is in trouble and Rudd is quietly smiling in the background. Short of a miracle, he’s likely to be leading Labor soon. Question is, before or after the election?
The news media is muttering about the backbenchers muttering about putting Rudd back in. I think their stories are almost totally fabricated. The Aussie media makes the Kiwi media seem fair and balanced. Most of their least partisan journalists could ghostwrite columns using Michael Laws’s name and no one would notice the difference.
David Shearer gave an excellent interview this morning on Morning Report: clear, forceful, didn’t stutter, mumble or bumble his way through it at all, and on the complicated issue of the AG report on Sky City and rebutting National and Joyce’s spin on it.
Pretty much a standard interview with a politician, and better than any average interview with Key (with his poor diction, slurring, folkism and reliance on catch-phrases).
*This* is what we need to see from him, and I certainly hope he keeps it up!
Agree – Shearer was smooth and on the ball throughout that segment. My observations:
1) Shearer seems to feel much more comfortable talking about commercial due process and commercial best practice.
2) The report that the interview centres around has done most of the thinking and analysis for Shearer – he is pulling out pertionent points and observations from it.
I think you do him a bit of disservice with your #2: the analysis and thinking might be there, but he is making an interpretation of what is there, in contrast to the interpretation that Joyce and co are spewing every chance they get. Now whether he did this himself or it was prepared by someone else isn’t a huge deal at this point, since his stumbling block has always been the delivery of his point, which he (finally) aced.
Yes, I was well impressed with his delivery during that interview, it was chalk and cheese. Shearer when he has been at his best has been noticeably improving in that regard over the last 6 months.
That was an excellent performance by Shearer. Stayed on point, deftly rebutted the interviewers’ attempts to get him to say the officials were at fault (the poor sods are always at risk of being restructed out of their jobs if they become inconvenient), kept calm, didn’t mumble or fumble, sounded persuasive and on top of the relevant details. He needs to be able to do that every time, on telly, and in Parliament.
True, the hesitancy was far less evident. So it seems he can do cerebral on clearly delineated issues. But he needs to be able to present stuff that arises from passion or ‘the gut’. And he can’t and won’t because he ain’t got anything there (except for when he percieves a threat to himself and his standing at which point his alpha male response is reckless and over the top) And he needs to do the ‘on the feet’ stuff. And he can’t and won’t for much the same reason…no passion, ideology or vision to work from.
Actually, I’m not sure that’s true. Jonkey is steadily getting up more and more people’s noses for his quick smartass quip responses that smell of smokescreening and make him look like a puerile schoolboy. They just further damage his already well-dented credibility with the non-National voters who will decide the next election.
Shearer may actually do better to adopt a less passionate, more personably analytical style. He’s battling Jonkey – who thinks and talks in slogans – no depth of knowledge about anything but money marketing. What Shearer mustn’t do is waffle. He should tackle Jonkey on facts. Jonkey doesn’t understand facts.
Shearer used one excellent rebuttal in Parliament today when he replied to Jonkey’s claim he was exonerated by the AG report. Shearer’s reply – “he wasn’t vindicated, he was implicated”. TV One news picked that one up straight away. Very good, I thought. A few more clever responses like that will go a long way. They are memorable.
Seriously, its an interview, it makes no difference, Shearer is still a plant!
Any Labour lead govt is going to continue on the same track the last one left for National to continue, and which NACT have progressed, why do people so badly want to believe the system is going change..
The system , might change when people do what is necessary to create change, voting for the LP, will no achieve that.
Polls are meaningless distractions for stupid people, which should be very clear then the first post today on open mike is Matthew Hooten talking about polling and Shearer..
Its a game, its too complex for you to understand, I get that.
While its playing out, of course there will be, positive, negative, and neutral impacts, of the journey, but the destination remains the same, its not going to reverse the trending, by tinkering around the fringes.
One Tane Huna,
What part of Muzza’s comment was “banal, simplistic or delusional”?
And why the đ with no justification?
I don’t think your đ was not very fair particularly not providing justification It serves to make you appear much as you are accusing others of.
What part of Muzza’s comments are you objecting to?
That any Labour lead govt is going to continue on the same track the last one left?
Seems to be about what has happened up until now, although I would exchange the word “same” for “similar”.
That “the system might change when people do what is necessary to create change”
Seems like basic commonsense to me.
“voting for the LP, will not achieve that”
A matter of opinion, although linking this with the first statement indicates the reasoning behind it.
“Polls are meaningless distractions for stupid people, which should be very clear then the first post today on open mike is Matthew Hooten talking about polling and Shearer..”
Dunno about the “stupid people” bit, however polls most-likely are meaningless distractions….Although there is room for debate on this one; I guess it depends whose interests are going to benefit from the opinion being swayed by reading them, as to how “meaningless” one perceives them to be.
Let’s assume the bits you quoted were reasonable. What was left out:
Seriously, its an interview, it makes no difference, Shearer is still a plant!
Oooo yay – a conspiracy theory, right off the bat.
[lab6 will be identical to lab5] and which NACT have progressed, why do people so badly want to believe the system is going change..
Firstly, the system has already changed, Key is a very different leader to Holyoake. Why wouldn’t it change back?
Second, it’s a claim of total futility. If no change is possible, then why bother worrying?
Wakey Wakey
Yay – muzz is “awake” and has hidden knowledge that those who are “asleep” cannot see because of their own stupidity. Given Muzz’ track record, much rolly eyes at that. More likely, muzz is just tripping again. That’s assuming that they’re using words according to an actual commonly accepted meaning, rather than just stringing funny words together to sound profound.
That is fair enough, McFlock, because you have put up an argument, some reasoning.
(…and I have to say, I would have gone back and added the bit about NACT, however the editing function wasn’t working…sorry about that, I did realise it was a mis-quote and would come across as cherry picking.)
My point being that there was enough commonsense statements in Muzza’s comment, and some provision of reasoning, that I think it a bit “off” simply to be replied to as a đ and then when asked for some justification, simply ad hominem attacks were supplied.
I have no problem with someone who is stating some well repeated unthought-out meme (especially if they are right-wing memes…heh) getting the đ however, I am objecting to the đ treatment on the grounds that Muzza’s comment showed some critical analysis with reasoning provided.
Muzza specialises in salting their comments with a few points that, on the face of it, are reasonable comments, but upon closer inspection they’re either trite truisms or just camouflage for more nutty conspiracism.
Oh, and pointing out the differences between the ECA and ERA etc does not constitute a personal attack. Nor does characterisation of Muzza’s comments as stupidity, or delusions, or banal, since it is the comments being described, not the tiresome cretin himself. Calling him a tiresome cretin, now that’s a personal attack. You see the difference?
lol, because Shearer controls my opinions, and therefore I must agree with everything he says, assuming your version of what he said is anything other than a self-serving distortion, that is.
But hang on – last week you were pointing to other people to support your unsubstantiated allegation that I was homophobic, yet now that approach lacks validity? Well, I will accept your changed view because that is what I said to you – who cares what other people’s opinions are. Good to see you come around.
And further, your reason for alleging I was homophobic rested solely on my disagreement with the current marriage equality bill. That “evidence” is clearly invalid in the mind of the leader of one of NZ’s two main political parties. A party that you are a member of, I think.
Nope, my opinion rests on your claiming membership of a tiny minority group who want to keep marriage all to themselves (otherwise known as bigots), oh, and now I come to think of it, your remark about Chris Findlayson on 14.12.12.
sheesh, vto – someone might think that your obsession with banging the “against same-sex marriage” peg into the “not being homophobic” hole is beginning to get a wee bit extreme and irrational…
finlayson was clearly a joke, but it helps for bigots like yourself who shove their hollow opinions onto whatever’s going doesn’t it. Wanna evaluate that one as well to see if you manage to stack up again? You should be careful though as you will end up in the same pile of doo doo that you are sitting in now.
Nope, my opinion rests on your claiming membership of a tiny minority group who want to keep marriage all to themselves (otherwise known as bigots), oh, and now I come to think of it, your remark about Chris Findlayson on 14.12.12.
But just for fun, I’m going to let you dig yourself a deeper hole, vto.
Explain to me why it’s so “funny” that “Queen’s Council” and “queer cunt” have the same initial letters, so that we can all have a little giggle, and acknowledge that you’re just a terrifically witty comedian.
But I think I may have seen the light – “queer cunt” is funny like “front bum” – you only see the funny side if you’re a, oh now, what’s the word? It’s on the tip of my tongue…
actually been busy, but the term “front bum” as expressed by John Tamihere and the ancient and in fact endearing term (prior to new meanings arising since December) “queer cunt” have absolutely no relation to each other. Except in simple minds of dubious intention.
You need to learn some understanding of people outside your world.
and marty mars shut up. Talk about digging holes ….
Shearer also gave a good sound-bite on the issue on TV1 News the night befor, no stumbles, no fumbles, no stopping to self edit in mid sentence, nary an um or ah in sight,
He actually came across as being quite forceful even to the point of letting a bit of anger show in His voice, give the bloke a +1…
“Two million disabled people face new benefits test”
“Any disabled person capable of walking a measly 20 metres is set to lose their mobility payments when the Tories scrap the disability living allowance (DLA) on 1 April.
It is set to be replaced by the new personal independence payment (PIP). But this will push thousands of people off the higher rate of mobility support.
This helps pay for everything from wheelchairs and mobility scooters to specially adapted cars. “
Got some links today, which may be relevant in a way. They have there and here (in NZ) previously heavily relied on GPs to do “examinations”, do “assessments”, to fill in forms for work capacity fitness and so forth, but are GPs really that competent and qualified, some ask:
There are other research findings, that prove that GPs often over value their competencies and abilities, to know about “all” health issues. Most are anyway physicians, and some are specialised, but tell me, few, if any, are in NZ qualified (post grad qual. or else) to be “experts” say in mental health and addiction treatment and diagnosis.
So why and how can MSD and WINZ claim their chosen doctors (almost all GPs) and other health and disablity advisors (mostly non registered nurses) know all about the applicants and beneficiaries on sickness and invalids benefits and their health, plus their ability to work.
This is proving that they know f all and lead all you on, who rely on their biased doctors.
Bennett will see to it, John, that if you can walk to the letter box, you can bloody work. It is all a BS agenda anyway, that is what insiders know. It is all just designed to save the government money by reducing costs, by cutting benefit entitlements. All the talk about extra health care and support is BS too, as I have ample info that proves, that according to their “Rising to the Challenge” plan for mental health and addiction, strangely published just before Xmas, delivers NADA for extra expenses and services to actually assist such people into any form of work! Read it yourself, you will see it. Peter Dunne is the other traitor to us, who announced it (Associate Minister for Health, the Bastard).
Google ‘Rising to the Challenge’, the plan from the Ministry, and you can read details. I actual fact, the blunty state that sufferers have to use the resources and “help themselves”. That is what NZ health policy is about now.
This is stuff that most politicians do not even bother reading. That is why NZ is in a SHIT situation, it is being let down even by a hopeless opposition, that does not even do its job.
It is close to becoming suicidal, when you wake up to what really goes on in NZ. It is damned horrible.
Good night, and take your time to digest it, as otherwise you will yourself get sick!
By the way, I want people to spread that info and the links I presented above around as much as possible, as it is so highly important. Please consider taking that action, for other people’s well being’s sake! X
Is anyone listening to Radionz while Sir James Dyson (think vacuum cleaners et al) talks about inventing and engineering and manufacturing. He is pure gold for good practical opinions. Listen up NZ politicians and alert and pragmatic citizens.
How does Gerry Brownlee get away with putting the reason for not offering full payment to red zone bare land owners in Chch down to their lack of insurance when it is not possible to get that insurance he says is needed?
He refuses to acknowledge and recognise this.
It is this type of conduct which leads to politicians being ranked the lowest of the low.
I agree, but it seems National politicians get ranked on their ability to bully and Brownlee is one of their best. Why voters aren’t turned off by this I’ll never know, maybe they misinterpret bullying as being assertive, confident and knowledgeable.
fenerviper
lolz I think you are right about NZ attitudes. Ask a group of ordinary NZs to dredge their heads for ideas about anything (not being asked to criticise or complain) and very little will come out. Then someone who is assertive will take over and the whole process is master minded by his/her views. I
I’ve seen it happen and its dispiriting to me as I believe that we have been educated to take a place in a society living by reasoned decisions. I have never conducted an experiment where people are taught brain-storming, encouraged to bring up ideas first and then all examine them for how they could be utilised for practical results. I think with some time and effort at a thinking session, individuals would come up with valuable ideas. Then there is no place for loud-mouths and put-downs by a steam-roller with more mouth than brain over-riding the shyer, diffident members so frequently seen in our society.
Things go from bad to worse for top pommy toff David Cameron. Not only does he have bad polls and Boris Johnson to worry about, he’s also accidently got Mozza and Johnny Marr agrreing on something for the first time in decades:
I made a mistake in placing a comment under an ‘old’ one, and it might get lost. I thought it was an appropriate time to introduce the old song You’ve got to Accentuate the Positive. (And mess with mister in-between refers to supportr needing to be full.)
Youâve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Donât mess with Mister In-Between
Youâve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemoniumâs
Liable to walk upon the scene
This is the point I made at NoseViper (The Nose knows) âŠ
20 February 2013 at 10:58 am on Reshuffle for Unity and see the whole lyrics of the song also good retro you tube vocal.
Yes it gets to the point where the destructive force of pressing for change mounts higher as it continues and what is being destroyed is Labourâs chances to do anything because it doesnât get elected. So I think keep working for change (limitation of terms or?). And push for more positives rather than blanket disapproval and increase the positives.
Yep, they’ll go on about everybody taking personal responsibility but won’t say or do a damn thing when it becomes obvious that they have a responsibility they need to accept.
Dairy farmers should be required to source their personal water downstream from their farm. I imagine that would sort the majority of cowshit pollution problems out quite quickly.
It’s easy to get very different views on the huge number of things going on and not going on in the city.
Some sectors and locations are going gang-busters and are bursting at the seams with excitement. Others are sagging and looking weak. It is a city of many tales now and a city of many and varied views on what is going on and where it will end up. To view the complete picture is like putting together a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle, which then gets turned into a slowly spinning kaleidoscope.
A big round view on where it is heading can be gained from looking at this governments approach and competency in completing its Blueprint projects etc. There is a strong element of “believe it when it happens” with this and many are simply waiting see the anchor projects come to fruition before going much further with the CBD. Of course the CBD is but one part of the puzzle.
Don’t mind my 2c on it, we are in the forgotten east and it is easy to get depressed about it all. I tell you one of the main factors depressing people imo is the loss of the CBD and all of its busyness and cosmopolitality and workers and tourists and funny locals and students and theatres restaurants museums big shops small shops on and on and on it goes. We have truly lost a city and I think that reality alone is one of the main depressing stresses.
You haven’t lost a city. You’ve lost the networks and communications, the community, that the city represents and now the authoritarians of this government are busily trying to recreate it in their image through disaster capitalism.
You’re taking the phrase ‘lost a city’ much too literally I suspect, and in doing so negating the validity of the psychological (and psychic) damage which has occurred.
I think you miss my point a bit a lot. The sense is that we really have lost a city. And we have. The loss of the buildings and the scape they created – the physical location is meaningless when it is empty dustbowls. And of course all of the society and community that lived and interacted within that built scape. That is gone. It has been lost. It has been destroyed and morphed into a different form of “population interaction”. We are now simply a bunch of suburbs. The city has been lost. There is no city of Christchurch, as defined by what we had before (being that cosmopolitan central city of density and activity etc).
I think I haven’t described it very well but hopefully you get my point.
Imagine, all you Wellingtonians, if central Wellington was lost. Gone. Flattened like Chch. Not there anymore. It is bizarre.
Hah. Hardly surprising that Gerry Brownlee would resort to deception. As I said earlier, it is a city of many tales, defined by specific geographical location more than anything else, which is what the writer also says. Pretty obvious really.
Here is something more to whet the appetite for those wanting to nail this govt lot – heavy rumours abound that red zoners and red stickered folk who remain in their homes are about to have sewer, water and other services chopped to force them out………..
These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them (got that down pat). For thay mouth empty boastful words and by appealing to the lustful desires of human nature they entice people who are escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves-for a person is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
Needs a shorter name, a smart charismatic speaker who really understands economics for a leader, needs to update its old social credit ideas to accomodate principles of environmental and resource depletion, needs a few standout policies which make other people look orthodox and conventional, and it needs some (lol) serious money backing it. Well, not that serious. $200K would do.
They made a commendable effort campaigning in 2011, I have to say, better than they’ve managed for quite some years.
There is a major problem there, which you’ve identified in the first line.
That’s when you say that the Social Credit leader needs to be someone who really understands economics. That’s like looking for a new Pope who doesn’t believe in God.
Do you really think a new party could campaign on only 200K and have any chance of getting into Parliament? The rules so strongly favour existing parties I wouldn’t have thought it possible. They wouldn’t get more than a risible amount of TV time, if any at all, and without being in Parliament they would have to pay their own travel costs. It was free travel for MPs after all, that made the Greens so desperate to get Nandor out and Russel into the house when Russel got elected leader. Without that the would have to have found the money to pay for Russel’s rambles during the election campaign. With him as an MP they had unlimited use of the taxpayer’s purse. Being able to speak in Parliament wasn’t of much importance at that stage of the electoral cycle.
I’d suggest that the goal for 2014 would not be to get into Parliament, it would be to get a solid 2% of the vote. Base building for a solid attempt at 2017.
There used to be a lot more of them, but I formed my (poor) opinion of them after talking to many of their supporters. It wasn’t their policies that I objected to. It was the religious fervour.
I’d point out that I have exactly the same reaction to the conservatives, many of the far left, most people who are fervently religious (ie want to tell me or anyone else how we should live our life rather than living their own life according to their precepts), and anyone who thinks computers can show any signs of intelligence.
I know one from years back, she was a committed Mormon.
There were also others of mixed backgrounds. Some of their ideas were very good, but once you learned the nitty gritty of who was involved for whatever purpose, it got me disinterested.
I am happy to “embrace” any nun, but I fear, most will not want to be embraced, even in friendship, also for that fear, often unreasonable, of being “abused”. Strangely many of their “brethren” faced issues that seem to be more to worry about.
Good night, nuns, non nuns, anarchists, socialists, social democrats, humanitarians, environmentally concerned friends, and all else who may care and want a better world.
The figures for his current consumption were quoted in the Dom/Post this morning. According to them he managed to drive from Paraparaumu to Otaki using 7.1 ltr/km in his Corolla. The car has an official consumption of 8.1 ltr/km.
That seems dreadful to me.
I have a car with an official overall consumption of 9.4 ltr/km. On a flat open stretch like that, travelling at the speed limit and with the air-con on I will routinely get 6.8 km/ltr so his claimed consumption doesn’t seem very good at all. Note that I am not trying to get spectacular figures and drive normally.
It also wasn’t at all clear how it would get any better. The claims do seem a bit like the claims that there is a carb that will let you get 150 mpg, except that the oil companies bought it up and are hiding it.
Just a question. Will lawyers be liable now that government has awarded land owners 50% of the unimproved water-gas-power-roaded lots value for not having informed their clients that they needed to improve their property otherwise they’d only get 50% of the value?
I mean, for sure, in future lawyers on purchase of empty land will have to tell clients to get out and put in a mail box or some improvement so they aren’t exposed to the Brownlee shakedown.
The Brownlee shakedown is where ‘he’s doing them a favor giving them 50% rather than the new now earthquake destroyed land estimate ??1%??.
Yeah I can see in the future some of this land coming back to market when better building technology appears.
“It’s an absolute insult to residents in existing communities for this Auckland Council to proceed with the proposal to ‘slummify’ numerous areas (32) with high-rise intensive housing, particularly housing 8 stories high in Glen Innes,” says Housing Lobby Spokesperson, Sue Henry.
“Over many years, practically every area earmarked for decimation, (for the benefit of property developers and speculators), has had resounding opposition from the residents currently living in them,” she continued.
“Are the Mayor and Councillors listening to the public, and communities opposing housing intensification in Auckland?
NO – they are not!”
“We would not like to see formal notification for the Auckland Draft Unitary Plan actioned in September 2013, with local body elections looming in October 2013.
It would be far more appropriate to wait for a newly-elected Auckland Council to settle in first.”
‘Open Letter’ to the Mayor and all Auckland Councillors:
Did YOU authorise this ‘directive’ from CEO Doug McKay – effectively ‘blocking’ fellow ‘anti-corruption
whistle-blower – Gary Osbourne?
Dear Mayor Len Brown,
Please confirm that you, either personally or collectively through a resolution passed by elected Auckland Councillors, authorised the Principal Administrative Officer (CEO) of Auckland Council, Doug McKay to issue the following ‘directive’, the effect being to block/ filter the emails of fellow ‘anti-corruption’ / ‘concerned citizen’ Gary Osbourne from reaching Auckland Council elected representatives.
Can you please reply – YES or NO?
If YES, upon what lawful basis?
Please be advised that I have the authority of Gary Osbourne to publicise the following ‘directive’ from Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay
FYI – I read this ‘directive’ out today, Wednesday 20 February 2013, 11.45am -ish) on Radio Live, when the former Minister of Local Government, Rodney Hide was host.
I confirm my previous verbal advice that you are assigned to case manage Mr Gary Osbourne, and respond to any inquiry lodged with Auckland Council by telephone, email, in person or in writing by him.
Please ensure that Mr Osbourne, Customer Services (including all call centres) and the Mayor’s Office are aware of this directive.
As an ‘anti-corruption’ – ‘pro-transparency’ Public Watchdog, I am DEEPLY concerned at this action by Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay.
Not only is Gary Osbourne a concerned citizen and ratepayer, he is also an ‘anti-corruption/ pro-transparency whistle-blower’.
Is this an attempt by Auckland Council CEO Doug McKay to effectively help ‘cover-up’ allegedly corrupt / non-transparent practices by Auckland Council, and/or Auckland Council CCOs?
Not only are there legal NO PROTECTIONS for New Zealand ‘whistle-blowing’ citizens and ratepayers – but Auckland Council at the highest levels are, in my opinion, engaging in what I consider to be an arguably corrupt form of local government ‘censorship’, and violating citizens lawful rights :
Please be reminded of the OATH you swore, upon obtaining your elected office:
“I, [full name of councillor], declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [name of region or district], the powers, authorities, and duties vested in or imposed upon me as a member of the [name of local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act.”
NZ BILL OF RIGHTS ACT 1990
14. Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
_____________________________________
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2002
14Principles relating to local authorities
(1)In performing its role, a local authority must act in accordance with the following principles:
(a)a local authority shouldâ
(i)conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner; and
(ii)give effect to its identified priorities and desired outcomes in an efficient and effective manner:
(b)a local authority should make itself aware of, and should have regard to, the views of all of its communities; and
(c)when making a decision, a local authority should take account ofâ
(i)the diversity of the community, and the community’s interests, within its district or region; and
(ii)the interests of future as well as current communities; and
(iii)the likely impact of any decision on the interests referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii):
(d)a local authority should provide opportunities for MÄori to contribute to its decision-making processes:
(e)a local authority should collaborate and co-operate with other local authorities and bodies as it considers appropriate to promote or achieve its priorities and desired outcomes, and make efficient use of resources; and
(f)a local authority should undertake any commercial transactions in accordance with sound business practices; and
(fa)a local authority should periodicallyâ
(i)assess the expected returns to the authority from investing in, or undertaking, a commercial activity; and
(ii)satisfy itself that the expected returns are likely to outweigh the risks inherent in the investment or activity; and
(g)a local authority should ensure prudent stewardship and the efficient and effective use of its resources in the interests of its district or region; and
(h)in taking a sustainable development approach, a local authority should take into accountâ
(i)the social, economic, and cultural interests of people and communities; and
(ii)the need to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment; and
(iii)the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations.
(2)If any of these principles conflict in any particular case, the local authority should resolve the conflict in accordance with the principle in subsection (1)(a)(i).
LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND MEETINGS ACT 1987
4Purposes
The purposes of this Act areâ
(a)to provide for the availability to the public of official information held by local authorities, and to promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings of local authorities, in orderâ
(i)to enable more effective participation by the public in the actions and decisions of local authorities; and
(ii)to promote the accountability of local authority members and officials,â
and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote good local government in New Zealand:
(b)to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:
(c)to protect official information and the deliberations of local authorities to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.
The MSM keeps promoting the lie that Sky City is doing us a favor by building a conference venue THEY will own.
The Auditor General’s report says a year before there was any discussion of more poky machines Sky had decided to build the venue. Sky would build it with OR WITHOUT the additional pokies.
Sky City is getting 30 pokies worth $193 million for free. The public gets NOTHING.
You can’t say this outside of Parliament, but it smells to high hell of bribery and corruption.
Can the PM state unequivocally that no National MP (personally or through a trust or nominee company) and no major financial contributor to National does not own any shares in Sky City?
No, he cannot. Because Sky contributed to National (and John Banks).
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As weâve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a âmoisture-ladenâ long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra â that the Budget âwill deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing.  Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Itâs becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-MÄori andâŠ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that countryâs mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealandâs highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â Â Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Petersâ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes â If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshubâs closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague â whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak â has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities sheâs meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Governmentâs archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the Americaâs Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labourâs change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand Firstâs State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared âco-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. âIâm calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to âtake back our countryâ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesnât act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. âIt was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âThe Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â Mr Peters says.  Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. âRoad safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. âOur relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. âI have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the governmentâs finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                        âThe Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.  âThese changes are long overdue â the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âToday I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. âWeâre sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âComprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. âI would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs great to be here.  First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and Iâm sorry I canât be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article â Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? â looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pickânâmix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If youâre at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, donât panic: The Spinoffâs got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but letâs be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time â but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who havenât accessed support to come forward and engage with the councilâs recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “Itâs official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “weâre in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliamentâs forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the âdisappearanceâ of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people âsequesteredâ in this weekâs raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? â Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Educationâs claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxonâs fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for âDead in Bedâ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queenâs crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellingtonâs Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservationâs biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the planâs treatment of Auckland passed through the councilâs transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealandâs Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was âimproperâ ...
Another good poll for David Shearer: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8325609/National-no-longer-a-sure-winner-poll
Didn’t I always tell you he’d be prime minister? Didn’t I?
I’m in two minds, on the one hand National staying in power would really annoy the posters on here but on the other if Labour gain power then Shearer is safe for a few years and that would annoy the posters even more because Cunliffe would be even further from power
Decisions, decisions…
The soul you were trying to tell me about the other week.
Would your old fella be happy with that attitude?
I foresee lots of sore knees in your future đ
I foresee lots of sore knees in your future đ
– no no I’m happily married đ
“no no Iâm happily married”
Which is why I didn’t say sore wrists. Those ligaments and muscles must be like granite.
Come your personal judgement day, I don’t know how you’ll reconcile the attitude as displayed in your first post to saving souls, but if you try it on, good luck.
Maybe hypocrites are on the list.
Umm could you remind me which post? I can’t recall off the top of my head anything about saving souls but I guess its possible…
Supermarket 12 items or less queues.
If I’ve got it wrong and connected you to a comment you didn’t make, then of course I withdraw.
If I remembered correctly đ
Don’t recall anything like that…
Amusing interchange anyway. I enjoy some non-serious stuff for a change.
Nah, that was a differently numerated commenter: http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07022013/#comment-586557
I withdraw and even apologise for my error.
The departure of Chauvel and immanent clearance and reacceptance of Jones, together with (I predict) the demotion of Cunliffe supporters like Dalziell, make a post-reshuffle shadow cabinet like this:
1. Shearer
2. Robertson. Environment.
3. Parker. Finance. Attorney General.
4. King. Housing. (Probably no longer going for Wellington Mayor)
5. Arden
Rn. Social Welfare. Youth.
6. Maori. Economic Development.
7. Goff. International Affairs and Trade.
8. Mallard. Tertiary Education. Conservation. Sport.
9. Twyford. Transport. Auckland.
Good hard edged balance that could take them on, yes?
Whos got health, justice and acc? Because I wouldn’t want to be fed to Ryall and Collins…
Was stuck with health. Who would you recommend?
Parker is the only lawyer now and he already looked overloaded for Justice.
Also presuming Dalziell gets the signal so who covers Christchurch.
Also who would want Immigration? Ew!
They’d have to be intelligent, well spoken and have patience…
Chris Hipkins seems to be doing a good job…
10. Hipkins. Education. Whip.
Agreed. Great hits.
Sorry 6 was Jones
Doesn’t look like much of a govt in waiting. More like a govt put out to pasture.
Mind you the Greens are good for about 25% of the seats on the left so presumably they’ll be looking for about 25% of the top ten cabinet posts.
greens caucus could be almost 50% the size of Labour’s eg
32% Labour result
15% greens result
Yeah, I was being conservative there. But at those numbers they wouldn’t be forming a govt, would they?
CT: You must be out of your mind, sorry, but I have no other comment to this.
Re wrongly spelled Ardern, I fed her some highly explosive info late last year, she was too ignorant and passive to even realise it, so nothing ever came of it. She rather went on about “privacy breaches” and WINZ “helping” unemployed get a ticket and job in Australia.
Excuse me, that is to me total incompetence and idiocy.
There are so ruthless welfare reforms before Parliament, endless stories of injustice, but do we ever hear anything from her addressing this???
And do not get me started on King for “housing” (lost cause long ago), on Mallard (should resign for good), and well, the “leader” the Shearer, omg.
I fear that some here continue living in lala land.
I had some small hope for Ardern, but after her reaction to the introduction of secret bedroom sniffer squads and prison for partners, I have given up totally on her. She is hopeless.
Frankly Matt, I’m confused. Two polls ago (can’t remember their names) Shearer was reported to be closing the gap, the next one reported Key suddenly gaining three points to put Shearer in the shade, and the one you link to is suddenly promising for Shearer.
It’s enough to give me angina if I was that emotionally involved. There is also the suspicion of being toyed with given your employment by the National Party.
Key is no longer the young, bubbly, and endearingly incoherent politico he was in the first term.
Today, that’s Shearer.
Even before his near-death experience in a Christchurch restaurant Key was noticeably starting to lose his spark, his enthusiasm for the job. People can read body language.
Today he is more detached, there are suddenly grey flecks around his temples, and he must be assessing the personal cost-benefits of staying in this position. Mortality can do that.
The strongest line of inquiry is probably to ask if he will be standing against Shearer.
That would be a gift question for Key: “with all the Labour leadership instability we’ve seen, who would know?”
That’s cool CV, I have never claimed infallibility. I’m just chucking out a few ideas
for the cognoscenti (that’s NOT a secret society).
To be clear, it was not a criticism, this is the kind of thing which shows why it’s critical to have a capable team in any political endeavour. Your line of inquiry is good, however the detail of the wording might be more like:
“Have you decided to stand for another term as Prime Minister, in 2014?”
Somebody should ask him to clarify the issue.
Hey Hoots why weren’t you up at 6 in the morning a couple of days ago, typing up a comment saying that National was at its highest Colmar Brunton polling in a year?
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/national-bounces-up-in-poll-5343671
Because I wasn’t
Because you know just like i do that that particular poll has a continuous track record of polling the National Party higher than it’s actual support by 2-3%,
To do that of course means that that poll has to poll other Party’s 2-3% lower than their actual support, depends how creative they get with the margin of error right???…
CV – If you have nothing but “hooters” on your mind, you are unlikely to get far in life.
Labour is rising because of the corruption and general incompetence of John Key’s government.
If Labour had a leader that could string a coherent sentence together they would be in the 40s by now.
Deck chairs Matthew.
“Didn’t I always tell you he’d be prime minister? Didn’t I?
You sound like a parent reflecting on an arranged marriage when their first child is conceived.
Or saying “won’t they have beautiful babies?” when their four-year-old gets “married” to their best friend at kindy.
Anyone else notice the media training that has been going on for government ministers.
Parata and Key both, when asked a challenging question, start with
“So … and then proceed with a prepared statement line and in fact do not address the question
at all.
And then there is “Mr Fixit” Tina Joyce who just bores the listener with his rambling delivery. And this morning on Morning report, suggests that “reasonable people might take a different view …”
of the report into the Sky City convention centre bid. What arrogance!
I’ve noticed that, but why should anyone be surprised ? There are many ex-journalists setting up ‘media training’ companies.
Re âreasonable people might take a different view âŠâ .. intellectually patronising and refusing
to engage in reasoned democratic debate. There was once a quaint notion that you have to take people with you ..
Muldoon did a good line in that (and that long slow laugh “heh … heh … heh”)
which seemed to disarm the critical faculties of the journalists at the time.
One interesting snippet is that he did his accounting degree (by correspondence ?)
while taking part in the Italian campaign during WWII.
Joyce is in charge of a ‘super-ministry’, has to get across a range of material, and
although made his money in radio, does not have the explanatory skills of a trained
and experienced teacher. We all have our limitations ..
Muldoon probably never would have cancelled support for night classes.
I think it’s what passes for political panache these days. Muldoon had a certain style and timing, Lange had good quips, even Cullen could mercilessly take the piss from an unwary journalist or opponent, but most of parliament are more Adam Sandler’s B roles than an Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker.
wassername – Gentner from the Greens might have a bit of kick. Will take a while to develop the style and get the media focus, though.
Well spotted, logie. I made a similar observation last year in a thread about Shearer’s communications difficulties. Thankfully he’s improved tremendously since then!
Not only do the Nats refuse to debate live on radio or TV, because it gives credilbilty to the opposition, the ‘so’ response has been drilled into them from the first term (by Crosby Textor? Hooters?).
http://thestandard.org.nz/shearer-says-on-leadership/#comment-547041
There’s a documentary called Spin that shows that that is exactly what politicians are taught to do when asked a question. Basically, it’s that they ignore the question and spout the spin that they want people to repeat.
As I noted the other day, the “so” is to imply that the question has been listened to and is about to receive a reasoned response.
It’s a device for skipping the reasoning entirely and jumping straight to the conclusion. But when we hear the “so” we’re supposed to believe that the reasoning has already occurred,
Exactery! And what’s worse is that its a phenomenon that everyone is picking up on. From my perspective, it’s a symptom of ‘I don’t actually care what you or anybody else thinks’ (the so ….. I mean), this is what I (me,me,me,me) thinks.
The good think is it’s becoming so pervasive that its becoming meaningless: even the supermarket checkout operator said to me yesterday
“so ….. try swiping your card” (instead of inserting it).
It’s the new “going forwid”
Yep.
Reminds me of another one to watch out for…. whenever someone says “I just think …” it meaans they haven’t actually thought properly at all. The “just” word carries out the same function as “So” in that it implies a degree of thought and consideration that simply doesn’t exist.
So
Just
just so
The other one that Key and Joyce and others have been taught is “The reality is…” which is almost always followed by a description of a parallel universe.
lol
Not always vto. It seems to have become some kind of pc political ‘play it safe’ byword -which I suppose is the same thing
I heard Jacinda Ardern saying it on the TV news tonight. She was responding to the latest bit of govt. bene bashing (smokescreen distraction from Sky City Convention Centre rort) and she preceded her answers with “I think“. I yelled at her you don’t think woman you know, so why don’t you bloody well say so. I don’t think she heard me.
Dammit, it still won’t edit.
Should be ‘politically correct byword’
Anne – I can say with confidence, often she DOES NOT THINK!
hi xtasy,
I was meaning she should drop the “I think” and say it how it is. I’m getting fed up with Labour pollies (and Greens too sometimes) who seem too scared to categorically state a situation or make an accusation they know to be true… without prefacing their words with I think. That immediately removes some of the impact of what they are saying.
I agree though, sometimes she doesn’t appear to have thought something through, but she’s not alone there of course.
From the some would say play book.
Is the NZ Herald ownership about to undergo a change? The details of who owns what shares, and who is the manager/owner of this or that bit tend to make my non-business head spin. But it seems all is not well with Granny’s APN owners:
What are the political implications ?
Karol:
It is all about more profits being needed or wanted for shareholders, that is why this happened. Also the digitatlisation and user pay section for internet access are due to be pushed. Prepare for paying for every article you want to read. I told you all before, but stop dreaming, this is the future of “media”, sadly!
You will have to register, pay and read in future, that is with few exceptions.
This will provide exactly for the further social AND knowledge DIVISION in society, where the better earners, and elitists, who can “afford” to pay subscriptions, will be “informed” and maybe “educated”, the rest will become ignorant “riff raff”!
Again, this is NO joke, it is taking place gradually day by day, just look around, and one day, you will be disenfranchised as “odd ball” “dissenters”, “problematic social elements” and the likes, as most (the dumbed down and brainwashed) will take up what they are offered!
A boost for Labor over the ditch: Gillard naming the election date early has apparently freaked out new Greens leader Christine Milne. She has bizarrely announced the end of the parliamentary relationship between the two parties, while also saying the Greens would still support Labor in parliament.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/doubts-over-end-to-greenslabor-alliance-20130219-2eplv.html
Labor definitely needs a boost; it’s sitting on the low 30% in the polls, and the backbenchers are muttering about putting Rudd back in.
Well, losing 45-55 on the two party preferred, which is the relevant figure in the weird Aussie system. But no question Gillard is in trouble and Rudd is quietly smiling in the background. Short of a miracle, he’s likely to be leading Labor soon. Question is, before or after the election?
The news media is muttering about the backbenchers muttering about putting Rudd back in. I think their stories are almost totally fabricated. The Aussie media makes the Kiwi media seem fair and balanced. Most of their least partisan journalists could ghostwrite columns using Michael Laws’s name and no one would notice the difference.
David Shearer gave an excellent interview this morning on Morning Report: clear, forceful, didn’t stutter, mumble or bumble his way through it at all, and on the complicated issue of the AG report on Sky City and rebutting National and Joyce’s spin on it.
Pretty much a standard interview with a politician, and better than any average interview with Key (with his poor diction, slurring, folkism and reliance on catch-phrases).
*This* is what we need to see from him, and I certainly hope he keeps it up!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2546936/labour-wants-convention-centre-process-stopped.asx
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2546936/labour-wants-convention-centre-process-stopped
Naah must have been a voice double
Agree – Shearer was smooth and on the ball throughout that segment. My observations:
1) Shearer seems to feel much more comfortable talking about commercial due process and commercial best practice.
2) The report that the interview centres around has done most of the thinking and analysis for Shearer – he is pulling out pertionent points and observations from it.
Just keep him away from anything to do with homophobia đ (not that National would have noted it I’m sure)
Err, it was National who blogged the story.
I know, I was being sarcastic
Ah so.
I think you do him a bit of disservice with your #2: the analysis and thinking might be there, but he is making an interpretation of what is there, in contrast to the interpretation that Joyce and co are spewing every chance they get. Now whether he did this himself or it was prepared by someone else isn’t a huge deal at this point, since his stumbling block has always been the delivery of his point, which he (finally) aced.
Yes, I was well impressed with his delivery during that interview, it was chalk and cheese. Shearer when he has been at his best has been noticeably improving in that regard over the last 6 months.
That was an excellent performance by Shearer. Stayed on point, deftly rebutted the interviewers’ attempts to get him to say the officials were at fault (the poor sods are always at risk of being restructed out of their jobs if they become inconvenient), kept calm, didn’t mumble or fumble, sounded persuasive and on top of the relevant details. He needs to be able to do that every time, on telly, and in Parliament.
Sorry for typos – comment editor not working?
yeah that comment editor problem came to light yesterday, it’s on lprent’s list of things to sort.
Bloody irritating it is as well. Bounced off it this morning and no time during the day today.
True, the hesitancy was far less evident. So it seems he can do cerebral on clearly delineated issues. But he needs to be able to present stuff that arises from passion or ‘the gut’. And he can’t and won’t because he ain’t got anything there (except for when he percieves a threat to himself and his standing at which point his alpha male response is reckless and over the top) And he needs to do the ‘on the feet’ stuff. And he can’t and won’t for much the same reason…no passion, ideology or vision to work from.
Actually, I’m not sure that’s true. Jonkey is steadily getting up more and more people’s noses for his quick smartass quip responses that smell of smokescreening and make him look like a puerile schoolboy. They just further damage his already well-dented credibility with the non-National voters who will decide the next election.
Shearer may actually do better to adopt a less passionate, more personably analytical style. He’s battling Jonkey – who thinks and talks in slogans – no depth of knowledge about anything but money marketing. What Shearer mustn’t do is waffle. He should tackle Jonkey on facts. Jonkey doesn’t understand facts.
Shearer used one excellent rebuttal in Parliament today when he replied to Jonkey’s claim he was exonerated by the AG report. Shearer’s reply – “he wasn’t vindicated, he was implicated”. TV One news picked that one up straight away. Very good, I thought. A few more clever responses like that will go a long way. They are memorable.
Seriously, its an interview, it makes no difference, Shearer is still a plant!
Any Labour lead govt is going to continue on the same track the last one left for National to continue, and which NACT have progressed, why do people so badly want to believe the system is going change..
The system , might change when people do what is necessary to create change, voting for the LP, will no achieve that.
Polls are meaningless distractions for stupid people, which should be very clear then the first post today on open mike is Matthew Hooten talking about polling and Shearer..
Wakey Wakey
đ
Pull all the faces you like, it changes nothing, just like polls, and swapping the blue flag for a red one!
By reponsding, you are showing your fear, you know that right…
Guess not!
…and swapping the ECA for the ERA, and deficit for surplus, and no mining on Schedule 4 land, etc etc.
By pretending that makes no difference you are showing your stupidity, you know that right.
Its a game, its too complex for you to understand, I get that.
While its playing out, of course there will be, positive, negative, and neutral impacts, of the journey, but the destination remains the same, its not going to reverse the trending, by tinkering around the fringes.
You flatter yourself: your banal, simplistic delusions could never be described as “complex”.
One Tane Huna,
What part of Muzza’s comment was “banal, simplistic or delusional”?
And why the đ with no justification?
I don’t think your đ was not very fair particularly not providing justification It serves to make you appear much as you are accusing others of.
What part of Muzza’s comments are you objecting to?
That any Labour lead govt is going to continue on the same track the last one left?
Seems to be about what has happened up until now, although I would exchange the word “same” for “similar”.
That “the system might change when people do what is necessary to create change”
Seems like basic commonsense to me.
“voting for the LP, will not achieve that”
A matter of opinion, although linking this with the first statement indicates the reasoning behind it.
“Polls are meaningless distractions for stupid people, which should be very clear then the first post today on open mike is Matthew Hooten talking about polling and Shearer..”
Dunno about the “stupid people” bit, however polls most-likely are meaningless distractions….Although there is room for debate on this one; I guess it depends whose interests are going to benefit from the opinion being swayed by reading them, as to how “meaningless” one perceives them to be.
Let’s assume the bits you quoted were reasonable. What was left out:
Seriously, its an interview, it makes no difference, Shearer is still a plant!
Oooo yay – a conspiracy theory, right off the bat.
[lab6 will be identical to lab5] and which NACT have progressed, why do people so badly want to believe the system is going change..
Firstly, the system has already changed, Key is a very different leader to Holyoake. Why wouldn’t it change back?
Second, it’s a claim of total futility. If no change is possible, then why bother worrying?
Wakey Wakey
Yay – muzz is “awake” and has hidden knowledge that those who are “asleep” cannot see because of their own stupidity. Given Muzz’ track record, much rolly eyes at that. More likely, muzz is just tripping again. That’s assuming that they’re using words according to an actual commonly accepted meaning, rather than just stringing funny words together to sound profound.
That is fair enough, McFlock, because you have put up an argument, some reasoning.
(…and I have to say, I would have gone back and added the bit about NACT, however the editing function wasn’t working…sorry about that, I did realise it was a mis-quote and would come across as cherry picking.)
My point being that there was enough commonsense statements in Muzza’s comment, and some provision of reasoning, that I think it a bit “off” simply to be replied to as a đ and then when asked for some justification, simply ad hominem attacks were supplied.
I have no problem with someone who is stating some well repeated unthought-out meme (especially if they are right-wing memes…heh) getting the đ however, I am objecting to the đ treatment on the grounds that Muzza’s comment showed some critical analysis with reasoning provided.
Muzza specialises in salting their comments with a few points that, on the face of it, are reasonable comments, but upon closer inspection they’re either trite truisms or just camouflage for more nutty conspiracism.
easier to just do the rolley-eyes thing.
What McFlock said.
Oh, and pointing out the differences between the ECA and ERA etc does not constitute a personal attack. Nor does characterisation of Muzza’s comments as stupidity, or delusions, or banal, since it is the comments being described, not the tiresome cretin himself. Calling him a tiresome cretin, now that’s a personal attack. You see the difference?
I see someone else has noticed your tendency to make allegations without justification.
I also note Shearer’s recent comment that it is possible to not agree with so-called marriage equality without being a homophobe.
lol, because Shearer controls my opinions, and therefore I must agree with everything he says, assuming your version of what he said is anything other than a self-serving distortion, that is.
But hang on – last week you were pointing to other people to support your unsubstantiated allegation that I was homophobic, yet now that approach lacks validity? Well, I will accept your changed view because that is what I said to you – who cares what other people’s opinions are. Good to see you come around.
And further, your reason for alleging I was homophobic rested solely on my disagreement with the current marriage equality bill. That “evidence” is clearly invalid in the mind of the leader of one of NZ’s two main political parties. A party that you are a member of, I think.
Got anything else?
Nope, my opinion rests on your claiming membership of a tiny minority group who want to keep marriage all to themselves (otherwise known as bigots), oh, and now I come to think of it, your remark about Chris Findlayson on 14.12.12.
lol
sheesh, vto – someone might think that your obsession with banging the “against same-sex marriage” peg into the “not being homophobic” hole is beginning to get a wee bit extreme and irrational…
dancing on a pin head equals fail.
finlayson was clearly a joke, but it helps for bigots like yourself who shove their hollow opinions onto whatever’s going doesn’t it. Wanna evaluate that one as well to see if you manage to stack up again? You should be careful though as you will end up in the same pile of doo doo that you are sitting in now.
Tee hee what a funny joke. Fuck off, bigot – that’s just a joke. Tee hee, you see how funny it is?
is that it oth? is that all you got? complete and total distortion and misrepresentation?
that’s pretty useless.
Nope, my opinion rests on your claiming membership of a tiny minority group who want to keep marriage all to themselves (otherwise known as bigots), oh, and now I come to think of it, your remark about Chris Findlayson on 14.12.12.
But just for fun, I’m going to let you dig yourself a deeper hole, vto.
Explain to me why it’s so “funny” that “Queen’s Council” and “queer cunt” have the same initial letters, so that we can all have a little giggle, and acknowledge that you’re just a terrifically witty comedian.
He’s gone quiet đ
But I think I may have seen the light – “queer cunt” is funny like “front bum” – you only see the funny side if you’re a, oh now, what’s the word? It’s on the tip of my tongue…
lol – get prepared for the next barrage because vto doesn’t get it and doesn’t want to.
actually been busy, but the term “front bum” as expressed by John Tamihere and the ancient and in fact endearing term (prior to new meanings arising since December) “queer cunt” have absolutely no relation to each other. Except in simple minds of dubious intention.
You need to learn some understanding of people outside your world.
and marty mars shut up. Talk about digging holes ….
Explain how it’s funny, you terrifically witty comedian.
đ
đŻ
đ
đŻ
Good on Shearer for doing his job to a competent standard this morning. Hopefully he can keep it up all day.
đ
I am with Jesus, I can forgive anybody and everybody, if they repent.
Shearer also gave a good sound-bite on the issue on TV1 News the night befor, no stumbles, no fumbles, no stopping to self edit in mid sentence, nary an um or ah in sight,
He actually came across as being quite forceful even to the point of letting a bit of anger show in His voice, give the bloke a +1…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_REJTbwJ8eI&list=UUGThM-ZZBba1Zl9rU-XeR-A&index=6
More about the U$K situation. Remember Key has said Cameron is a friend of his.
True, but given the right media circumstance Key would also say that Schwarzeneggar, Putin and Kate Middleton were friends of his.
Actually there is much which joins all those names up, circumstance has little to do with it!
More about the U$K situation.
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=30625
“Two million disabled people face new benefits test”
“Any disabled person capable of walking a measly 20 metres is set to lose their mobility payments when the Tories scrap the disability living allowance (DLA) on 1 April.
It is set to be replaced by the new personal independence payment (PIP). But this will push thousands of people off the higher rate of mobility support.
This helps pay for everything from wheelchairs and mobility scooters to specially adapted cars. “
I bet Ministerial BMWs (Jags?) will stay in the Budget.
Got some links today, which may be relevant in a way. They have there and here (in NZ) previously heavily relied on GPs to do “examinations”, do “assessments”, to fill in forms for work capacity fitness and so forth, but are GPs really that competent and qualified, some ask:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478286
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951586/
There are other research findings, that prove that GPs often over value their competencies and abilities, to know about “all” health issues. Most are anyway physicians, and some are specialised, but tell me, few, if any, are in NZ qualified (post grad qual. or else) to be “experts” say in mental health and addiction treatment and diagnosis.
So why and how can MSD and WINZ claim their chosen doctors (almost all GPs) and other health and disablity advisors (mostly non registered nurses) know all about the applicants and beneficiaries on sickness and invalids benefits and their health, plus their ability to work.
This is proving that they know f all and lead all you on, who rely on their biased doctors.
johnm and others –
Bennett will see to it, John, that if you can walk to the letter box, you can bloody work. It is all a BS agenda anyway, that is what insiders know. It is all just designed to save the government money by reducing costs, by cutting benefit entitlements. All the talk about extra health care and support is BS too, as I have ample info that proves, that according to their “Rising to the Challenge” plan for mental health and addiction, strangely published just before Xmas, delivers NADA for extra expenses and services to actually assist such people into any form of work! Read it yourself, you will see it. Peter Dunne is the other traitor to us, who announced it (Associate Minister for Health, the Bastard).
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/rising-challenge-mental-health-and-addiction-service-development-plan-2012-2017
http://www.nzno.org.nz/home/consultation/articletype/articleview/articleid/1350/rising-to-the-challenge–the-mental-health-and-addiction-service-development-plan-2012-2017
http://anzasw.org.nz/social_work_practice/topics/show/426-release-of-rising-to-the-challenge-the-mental-health-and-addiction-service-development-plan-2012-2017
http://www.psychology.org.nz/cms_show_download.php?id=1753
http://www.nzma.org.nz/sites/all/files/NZMA%20Submission%20on%20the%20Mental%20Health%20%26%20Addiction%20Service%20Development%20Plan%202012-2017.pdf
http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/assets/documents/Standards–Policy/Submissions/2012.11.02-MoH-Rising-to-the-Challenge.pdf
Google ‘Rising to the Challenge’, the plan from the Ministry, and you can read details. I actual fact, the blunty state that sufferers have to use the resources and “help themselves”. That is what NZ health policy is about now.
This is stuff that most politicians do not even bother reading. That is why NZ is in a SHIT situation, it is being let down even by a hopeless opposition, that does not even do its job.
It is close to becoming suicidal, when you wake up to what really goes on in NZ. It is damned horrible.
Good night, and take your time to digest it, as otherwise you will yourself get sick!
X
By the way, I want people to spread that info and the links I presented above around as much as possible, as it is so highly important. Please consider taking that action, for other people’s well being’s sake! X
hmmm, interesting
Edit test.
Is anyone listening to Radionz while Sir James Dyson (think vacuum cleaners et al) talks about inventing and engineering and manufacturing. He is pure gold for good practical opinions. Listen up NZ politicians and alert and pragmatic citizens.
Yes I caught some of that, was very interesting especially his points about r&d and the necessity to keep investing in product development.
I look forward to seeing the tap and hand dryer all in one thing he described.
How does Gerry Brownlee get away with putting the reason for not offering full payment to red zone bare land owners in Chch down to their lack of insurance when it is not possible to get that insurance he says is needed?
He refuses to acknowledge and recognise this.
It is this type of conduct which leads to politicians being ranked the lowest of the low.
I agree, but it seems National politicians get ranked on their ability to bully and Brownlee is one of their best. Why voters aren’t turned off by this I’ll never know, maybe they misinterpret bullying as being assertive, confident and knowledgeable.
Works for the ABCs.
đ
sad but true CV
Sorry fenderviper got your name wrong at 9.1.2 but I’m not able to edit it. Edit box comes up empty. (Sort of an eejit box.)
fenerviper
lolz I think you are right about NZ attitudes. Ask a group of ordinary NZs to dredge their heads for ideas about anything (not being asked to criticise or complain) and very little will come out. Then someone who is assertive will take over and the whole process is master minded by his/her views. I
I’ve seen it happen and its dispiriting to me as I believe that we have been educated to take a place in a society living by reasoned decisions. I have never conducted an experiment where people are taught brain-storming, encouraged to bring up ideas first and then all examine them for how they could be utilised for practical results. I think with some time and effort at a thinking session, individuals would come up with valuable ideas. Then there is no place for loud-mouths and put-downs by a steam-roller with more mouth than brain over-riding the shyer, diffident members so frequently seen in our society.
Things go from bad to worse for top pommy toff David Cameron. Not only does he have bad polls and Boris Johnson to worry about, he’s also accidently got Mozza and Johnny Marr agrreing on something for the first time in decades:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/feb/19/david-cameron-smiths-what-difference
Rather witty comments section, too!
I made a mistake in placing a comment under an ‘old’ one, and it might get lost. I thought it was an appropriate time to introduce the old song You’ve got to Accentuate the Positive. (And mess with mister in-between refers to supportr needing to be full.)
Youâve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Donât mess with Mister In-Between
Youâve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemoniumâs
Liable to walk upon the scene
This is the point I made at NoseViper (The Nose knows) âŠ
20 February 2013 at 10:58 am on Reshuffle for Unity and see the whole lyrics of the song also good retro you tube vocal.
Yes it gets to the point where the destructive force of pressing for change mounts higher as it continues and what is being destroyed is Labourâs chances to do anything because it doesnât get elected. So I think keep working for change (limitation of terms or?). And push for more positives rather than blanket disapproval and increase the positives.
Of course there was cow shit in the drinking water, what do you expect after the rain?
Welcome to NZ Inc, enjoy your stay.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8327280/New-well-for-Darfield-after-gastro-outbreak
Has Federated Farmers got anything to say about this?
Have the local dairy farms which caused this offered to clean up their mess? Including, the vomit of those people they caused sickness in?
I would suspect not …… what does that say about their attitudes to society and their immediate neighbours? Not much.
Yep, they’ll go on about everybody taking personal responsibility but won’t say or do a damn thing when it becomes obvious that they have a responsibility they need to accept.
Dairy farmers should be required to source their personal water downstream from their farm. I imagine that would sort the majority of cowshit pollution problems out quite quickly.
SOMEBODIES ripped a “Banksie” off the Poundland wall.
meanwhile the govt insurance payout offer on undeveloped ChCh sections is 50% of R.V.
a real gem from Bob Jones (one of the few i can recall); “people on boards are bludgers and parasites, boards are a joke.” (bit of an upper cut).
is JT dead from the open-collar up?
Janus, Flockie, a summing up.
Pr 13:10 Pride only breeds quarrels, yet wisdom is found in those who take advice.
If you were searching for a metaphor to describe the ChCh rebuild, would you go with:
a) A coiled spring building up tension before rapidly releasing energy.
or
b) Anything else.
sand always comes to mind (having lived there for Seven years; used to rip down Telegraph Road)
One of the better instances of rock opera
Sultan you (gonna take a long ride with me…through the Tunnel of Love, Juliet says, hey it’s Romeo, he’s underneath the window…)
c) a sagging sausage slowly sinking into soft sands sans sizzle, setting up a sorry city, sorry to say.
d) c) with a small weak shot of a).
Gerry Brownlee used ‘a’. Reported in NBR Property Investor.
Hopefully the liquifaction from this burst of pent up energy is a nice new city! Huzzah.
It’s easy to get very different views on the huge number of things going on and not going on in the city.
Some sectors and locations are going gang-busters and are bursting at the seams with excitement. Others are sagging and looking weak. It is a city of many tales now and a city of many and varied views on what is going on and where it will end up. To view the complete picture is like putting together a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle, which then gets turned into a slowly spinning kaleidoscope.
A big round view on where it is heading can be gained from looking at this governments approach and competency in completing its Blueprint projects etc. There is a strong element of “believe it when it happens” with this and many are simply waiting see the anchor projects come to fruition before going much further with the CBD. Of course the CBD is but one part of the puzzle.
Don’t mind my 2c on it, we are in the forgotten east and it is easy to get depressed about it all. I tell you one of the main factors depressing people imo is the loss of the CBD and all of its busyness and cosmopolitality and workers and tourists and funny locals and students and theatres restaurants museums big shops small shops on and on and on it goes. We have truly lost a city and I think that reality alone is one of the main depressing stresses.
You haven’t lost a city. You’ve lost the networks and communications, the community, that the city represents and now the authoritarians of this government are busily trying to recreate it in their image through disaster capitalism.
You’re taking the phrase ‘lost a city’ much too literally I suspect, and in doing so negating the validity of the psychological (and psychic) damage which has occurred.
The city, as a physical location, still exists. What has been lost is the social structure.
I think you miss my point a bit a lot. The sense is that we really have lost a city. And we have. The loss of the buildings and the scape they created – the physical location is meaningless when it is empty dustbowls. And of course all of the society and community that lived and interacted within that built scape. That is gone. It has been lost. It has been destroyed and morphed into a different form of “population interaction”. We are now simply a bunch of suburbs. The city has been lost. There is no city of Christchurch, as defined by what we had before (being that cosmopolitan central city of density and activity etc).
I think I haven’t described it very well but hopefully you get my point.
Imagine, all you Wellingtonians, if central Wellington was lost. Gone. Flattened like Chch. Not there anymore. It is bizarre.
Would that include the space between the Terrace and Molesworth St?
đ
wouldn’t it be grand
Young fella from your way done got himself a writing space in teh Herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10866637
Hah. Hardly surprising that Gerry Brownlee would resort to deception. As I said earlier, it is a city of many tales, defined by specific geographical location more than anything else, which is what the writer also says. Pretty obvious really.
Here is something more to whet the appetite for those wanting to nail this govt lot – heavy rumours abound that red zoners and red stickered folk who remain in their homes are about to have sewer, water and other services chopped to force them out………..
Mate.
Did you hear about the square sausages on TV 3 last night?
Makes a lot more sense than some Nat policy, at least the sausages cook evenly and do not roll over. I think they are skinless, so will save skining.
I’d like to “skin” someone, he goes by the abbreviation JK!
These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them (got that down pat). For thay mouth empty boastful words and by appealing to the lustful desires of human nature they entice people who are escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves-for a person is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
2 Pete (2:17)
Why isn’t the New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit more popular than it is?
Needs a shorter name, a smart charismatic speaker who really understands economics for a leader, needs to update its old social credit ideas to accomodate principles of environmental and resource depletion, needs a few standout policies which make other people look orthodox and conventional, and it needs some (lol) serious money backing it. Well, not that serious. $200K would do.
They made a commendable effort campaigning in 2011, I have to say, better than they’ve managed for quite some years.
There is a major problem there, which you’ve identified in the first line.
That’s when you say that the Social Credit leader needs to be someone who really understands economics. That’s like looking for a new Pope who doesn’t believe in God.
Do you really think a new party could campaign on only 200K and have any chance of getting into Parliament? The rules so strongly favour existing parties I wouldn’t have thought it possible. They wouldn’t get more than a risible amount of TV time, if any at all, and without being in Parliament they would have to pay their own travel costs. It was free travel for MPs after all, that made the Greens so desperate to get Nandor out and Russel into the house when Russel got elected leader. Without that the would have to have found the money to pay for Russel’s rambles during the election campaign. With him as an MP they had unlimited use of the taxpayer’s purse. Being able to speak in Parliament wasn’t of much importance at that stage of the electoral cycle.
I’d suggest that the goal for 2014 would not be to get into Parliament, it would be to get a solid 2% of the vote. Base building for a solid attempt at 2017.
There used to be a lot more of them, but I formed my (poor) opinion of them after talking to many of their supporters. It wasn’t their policies that I objected to. It was the religious fervour.
I’d point out that I have exactly the same reaction to the conservatives, many of the far left, most people who are fervently religious (ie want to tell me or anyone else how we should live our life rather than living their own life according to their precepts), and anyone who thinks computers can show any signs of intelligence.
I think they joined the alliance with the greens, then departed with Anderton.
Their leader got no votes in the electorate she stood in. That is correct. Zero.
A far cry from when Bruce Beetham had Rangitikei as his personal feifdom.
Most of the SC vote was a protest vote against the Muldoon government. When Muldoon was gone, its vote collapsed.
The 1987 election is rather forgotten, but it has the historical significance as the election in which in which they faded as a third party,
“It was the religious fervour.”
I know one from years back, she was a committed Mormon.
There were also others of mixed backgrounds. Some of their ideas were very good, but once you learned the nitty gritty of who was involved for whatever purpose, it got me disinterested.
I am happy to “embrace” any nun, but I fear, most will not want to be embraced, even in friendship, also for that fear, often unreasonable, of being “abused”. Strangely many of their “brethren” faced issues that seem to be more to worry about.
Good night, nuns, non nuns, anarchists, socialists, social democrats, humanitarians, environmentally concerned friends, and all else who may care and want a better world.
X
not parallel
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-new-born-puppy-knows-no-fear-of-a-tiger–north-korea-threatens-final-destruction-of-south-korea-during-debate-at-un-8501139.html
offering 30 pieces of 8
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/report-megachurches-thriving-in-tough-economic-times/2013/02/19/1d2f65c6-7add-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html
Interesting conversation going on on RadioNZ National right now about a Hydrogen booster kitset that a bloke in Paraparaumu has fitted to His car,
He expects to save 70 odd % of His fuel bill (petrol) by having this system, must have a look online to see what this entails…
The figures for his current consumption were quoted in the Dom/Post this morning. According to them he managed to drive from Paraparaumu to Otaki using 7.1 ltr/km in his Corolla. The car has an official consumption of 8.1 ltr/km.
That seems dreadful to me.
I have a car with an official overall consumption of 9.4 ltr/km. On a flat open stretch like that, travelling at the speed limit and with the air-con on I will routinely get 6.8 km/ltr so his claimed consumption doesn’t seem very good at all. Note that I am not trying to get spectacular figures and drive normally.
It also wasn’t at all clear how it would get any better. The claims do seem a bit like the claims that there is a carb that will let you get 150 mpg, except that the oil companies bought it up and are hiding it.
Just a question. Will lawyers be liable now that government has awarded land owners 50% of the unimproved water-gas-power-roaded lots value for not having informed their clients that they needed to improve their property otherwise they’d only get 50% of the value?
I mean, for sure, in future lawyers on purchase of empty land will have to tell clients to get out and put in a mail box or some improvement so they aren’t exposed to the Brownlee shakedown.
The Brownlee shakedown is where ‘he’s doing them a favor giving them 50% rather than the new now earthquake destroyed land estimate ??1%??.
Yeah I can see in the future some of this land coming back to market when better building technology appears.
John Armstrong, bites the hand that feeds:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10866493
“A banana republic without the bananas”
Good on John Armstrong.
URGENT!
FYI
20 February 2013
MEDIA RELEASE: “Stop Chicken Coop Housing!”
Housing Lobby Spokesperson Sue Henry
“It’s an absolute insult to residents in existing communities for this Auckland Council to proceed with the proposal to ‘slummify’ numerous areas (32) with high-rise intensive housing, particularly housing 8 stories high in Glen Innes,” says Housing Lobby Spokesperson, Sue Henry.
“Over many years, practically every area earmarked for decimation, (for the benefit of property developers and speculators), has had resounding opposition from the residents currently living in them,” she continued.
“Are the Mayor and Councillors listening to the public, and communities opposing housing intensification in Auckland?
NO – they are not!”
“We would not like to see formal notification for the Auckland Draft Unitary Plan actioned in September 2013, with local body elections looming in October 2013.
It would be far more appropriate to wait for a newly-elected Auckland Council to settle in first.”
Sue Henry
Spokesperson
Housing Lobby
Ph (09) 575 6344
FYI
WHO CONTROLS AUCKLAND COUNCIL?????
20 February 2013
‘Open Letter’ to the Mayor and all Auckland Councillors:
Did YOU authorise this ‘directive’ from CEO Doug McKay – effectively ‘blocking’ fellow ‘anti-corruption
whistle-blower – Gary Osbourne?
Dear Mayor Len Brown,
Please confirm that you, either personally or collectively through a resolution passed by elected Auckland Councillors, authorised the Principal Administrative Officer (CEO) of Auckland Council, Doug McKay to issue the following ‘directive’, the effect being to block/ filter the emails of fellow ‘anti-corruption’ / ‘concerned citizen’ Gary Osbourne from reaching Auckland Council elected representatives.
Can you please reply – YES or NO?
If YES, upon what lawful basis?
Please be advised that I have the authority of Gary Osbourne to publicise the following ‘directive’ from Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay
FYI – I read this ‘directive’ out today, Wednesday 20 February 2013, 11.45am -ish) on Radio Live, when the former Minister of Local Government, Rodney Hide was host.
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=18afffb768&view=att&th=13cf47c57f5d3f79&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-I5Cd-lIWIP7LzmJSi9erv&sadet=1361320648353&sads=wWHEIzAYJ8yQ-KSNUtbRoOltpVg
_______________________________________________________________________________________
“Auckland Council MEMO 19 June 2012
To: Darryl Griffin, Manager Democracy Services
From: Doug McKay, Chief Executive
Subject: Case Management – Mr Gary Osbourne
Darryl,
I confirm my previous verbal advice that you are assigned to case manage Mr Gary Osbourne, and respond to any inquiry lodged with Auckland Council by telephone, email, in person or in writing by him.
Please ensure that Mr Osbourne, Customer Services (including all call centres) and the Mayor’s Office are aware of this directive.
Doug McKay
Chief Executive.
_____________________________________________________________________________
As an ‘anti-corruption’ – ‘pro-transparency’ Public Watchdog, I am DEEPLY concerned at this action by Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay.
Not only is Gary Osbourne a concerned citizen and ratepayer, he is also an ‘anti-corruption/ pro-transparency whistle-blower’.
Is this an attempt by Auckland Council CEO Doug McKay to effectively help ‘cover-up’ allegedly corrupt / non-transparent practices by Auckland Council, and/or Auckland Council CCOs?
Not only are there legal NO PROTECTIONS for New Zealand ‘whistle-blowing’ citizens and ratepayers – but Auckland Council at the highest levels are, in my opinion, engaging in what I consider to be an arguably corrupt form of local government ‘censorship’, and violating citizens lawful rights :
Please be reminded of the OATH you swore, upon obtaining your elected office:
http://www.lgnz.co.nz/lg-sector/role/index.html
“I, [full name of councillor], declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [name of region or district], the powers, authorities, and duties vested in or imposed upon me as a member of the [name of local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
The LAW, which I believe applies in this situation:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0109/latest/DLM225513.html
NZ BILL OF RIGHTS ACT 1990
14. Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
_____________________________________
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0084/latest/DLM171810.html
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2002
14Principles relating to local authorities
(1)In performing its role, a local authority must act in accordance with the following principles:
(a)a local authority shouldâ
(i)conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner; and
(ii)give effect to its identified priorities and desired outcomes in an efficient and effective manner:
(b)a local authority should make itself aware of, and should have regard to, the views of all of its communities; and
(c)when making a decision, a local authority should take account ofâ
(i)the diversity of the community, and the community’s interests, within its district or region; and
(ii)the interests of future as well as current communities; and
(iii)the likely impact of any decision on the interests referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii):
(d)a local authority should provide opportunities for MÄori to contribute to its decision-making processes:
(e)a local authority should collaborate and co-operate with other local authorities and bodies as it considers appropriate to promote or achieve its priorities and desired outcomes, and make efficient use of resources; and
(f)a local authority should undertake any commercial transactions in accordance with sound business practices; and
(fa)a local authority should periodicallyâ
(i)assess the expected returns to the authority from investing in, or undertaking, a commercial activity; and
(ii)satisfy itself that the expected returns are likely to outweigh the risks inherent in the investment or activity; and
(g)a local authority should ensure prudent stewardship and the efficient and effective use of its resources in the interests of its district or region; and
(h)in taking a sustainable development approach, a local authority should take into accountâ
(i)the social, economic, and cultural interests of people and communities; and
(ii)the need to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment; and
(iii)the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations.
(2)If any of these principles conflict in any particular case, the local authority should resolve the conflict in accordance with the principle in subsection (1)(a)(i).
_______________________________
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0174/latest/whole.html#DLM122283
LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND MEETINGS ACT 1987
4Purposes
The purposes of this Act areâ
(a)to provide for the availability to the public of official information held by local authorities, and to promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings of local authorities, in orderâ
(i)to enable more effective participation by the public in the actions and decisions of local authorities; and
(ii)to promote the accountability of local authority members and officials,â
and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote good local government in New Zealand:
(b)to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:
(c)to protect official information and the deliberations of local authorities to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.
______________________________________
I look forward to your prompt reply.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
2013 Auckland Mayoral Candidate
………………………………..
………………………………..
My website – covering my legal submissions as a ‘Named Respondent’ in the Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal (CIV-2011-404- 8284) :
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OCCUPY-AUCKLAND-APPEAL-APPLICATION-BY-APPELLANT-BRIGHT-TO-ADDUCE-NEW-EVIDENCE-pdf.pdf
Gary Osbourne’s blog:
http://accountabilitynz.wordpress.com/
laughs.
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/AboutParl/HstBldgs/History/Special/Language/d/8/8/d8896b2516084ed6bd87f0ae8da0982e.htm
Love it!
lol
Half of those seem to sum up our current PM
Timeless comedy gold, P’s B! And kudos to the hard working civil servant who compiled the list. Mint!
“His brains could revolve inside a peanut shell for a thousand years without touching the sides”
Tony Abott?
“Energy of a tired snail returning home from a funeral”
King Jerry?
“Could go down the Mount Eden sewer and come up cleaner than he went in”
Well, if it was the Parnell sewer …
Best laugh of the day Pb, cheers.
To David Shearer:
The MSM keeps promoting the lie that Sky City is doing us a favor by building a conference venue THEY will own.
The Auditor General’s report says a year before there was any discussion of more poky machines Sky had decided to build the venue. Sky would build it with OR WITHOUT the additional pokies.
Sky City is getting 30 pokies worth $193 million for free. The public gets NOTHING.
You can’t say this outside of Parliament, but it smells to high hell of bribery and corruption.
Can the PM state unequivocally that no National MP (personally or through a trust or nominee company) and no major financial contributor to National does not own any shares in Sky City?
No, he cannot. Because Sky contributed to National (and John Banks).