Key sets out clearly how he is desperate to achieve sustaining the grip on power by all democratic means necessary… and that sordid story gets to rot in public a week
Six days of news cycle, by formal speech, Cunliffe will set out what the ideals to aspire to are for New Zealand, concentrate on child poverty, and how to achieve opportunity for all.
Can’t think of a better way to start the political year going into the opening of parliament.
And a new minister of Local Gummint no less – as the rats leaving the sinking ship can be more accurately described as mice leaving the stinking ship, here’s an ex-DPB wahine of no great airs and grace for the silver-spoon misogeny old boys club to chew on.
There’s a distinct and pervasive smell seeping out of Torytown now: Gower and the rest of the rent-children have seen the descent to the gutter, watched the mice and those with a trace of dignity and judgement still intact head for the hills: and truth, purity and justice grow in strength again for the first time in years.
Kia kaha Standardistas and all believers in humanity: the time has come, this year is yours.
The focus will probably change tomorrow (Thursday) when Key gives his State of the Nation speech – and his announcements of potential coalition partners yesterday was probably planned on this probable change of focus.
According to Vernon Small, Key’s State of the Nation speech is expected to focus on education. See the last paragraph in Small’s article on Stuff.
..tvone breakfast ‘team’ ‘discover’ that school tuck-shops sell sugar/crap-laden unhealthy drinks/food to school children..
..rawdon christie is in shock..and needing consoling from his colleagues..
..(and funny story..!..that deep-as-a-petrie-dish christie is one of those access-media/neo-lib-apologist trouts..
..who would have run with that ‘nanny-state’-meme….
..and probably cheered the key tory party when they removed any restrictions on what children could be sold in school tuck-shops.
..(one of their first acts..so ensuring primary-school children are early-addicted to sugar/salt/fat/caffeine-laden crap..was obviously high on their urgent-to-do list..
..they do have their advertisers/corporate-supporters to think of..eh..?..and the promises/nods/winks they had give them..)
..’gotta get that nanny-state out of our lives..!..we demand the right to addict our children to whatever we choose..!’
..eh rawdon..?..)
(..but be reassured..!..
..that other ‘expert’..that weather-youth..
..he had an anecdotal or two..that ‘proved’ that we really have to problem at all..
(whew..!..that’s a relief..!..eh..?..)
..and all over town energy-drink marketeers were ordering that cases of their product be sent to that weather-guru..)
Often politicians talk about growth. What sort of growth? What does the Labour Party (DC) mean when talking of growth? If making the pie (economy/GDP) bigger then it is more of the same neo-lib BS. If increasing the share of wealth to the less wealthy you then have a socialist policy.
Where is that growth coming from and what sort of consumption growth? If it is growth in consumption of imports, debt, population, resource consumption then there is little sustainable benefit to NZ.
Desirable growth include:
Growth in the efficiency of resource usage NOT more resource usage.
Growth in the value of sustainable exported goods NOT just quantities.
Growth in employment, quality of work, income for the less well off. NOT longer hours, poorer conditions and pay rises for execs, or reduced number of jobs.
Correct. Uneconomic growth, i.e. growth which leaves people behind, worsens disparity, damages the prospects of future generations, harms the environment, is unsustainable, benefits only those far from where the work is actually done…that kind of growth must be singled out and halted in its tracks.
hmmm… ok, so perpetual growth on a finite planet (or series of islands) is a special kind of madness. So do we attempt to re-appropriate the word ‘growth’ to mean something sustainable? Or do we replace the whole concept (eg steady state economy)?
Nice to see it is not just me writing about the folly of ever expanding consumption on a finite world millions of lightyears from just maybe expansion room.
Probably hard to re-appropriate words but need to distinguish politically types of growth advocated between the parties. Make a point of difference.
Also difficult to solve the worlds problems but we can work on making NZ an example to the world of how to run a society and an economy. At least look after our own interests properly and not give stuff away cheaply. Nobody else seems to have any clues. All a bunch of lemmings following USA over the cliff.
David Cunliffe on RadioNZ National just now, a good interview outlining Labour’s position,(nothing new there),
Relaxed as, even to the point of what sounded like genuine laughter at Slippery the Prime Ministers 6 headed monster when it comes to Nationals coalition choices…
Apologies in advance for being shallow. It has only just occurred to me what a lovely sounding voice Cunliffe has, so ………………….soothing and pleasant to listen to. Aaaah.
Unlike Key’s, whose voice cause the teeth to grind, the knuckles to clench and the blood pressure to raise.
“[Blair] was sitting at the head of a table upstairs with about eight other people eating dinner. I think he was out with his family and a few friends,” Garcia said. “I went over to him, put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Mr. Blair, this is a citizen’s arrest for a crime against peace, namely your decision to launch an unprovoked war against Iraq. I am inviting you to accompany me to a police station to answer the charge.’”
This is the perfect example of how to make these “leaders” (of societal death and destruction) pay a daily and social price for their malfeasance.
Good one Garcia. Even if you are trying to be a comedian, what a great idea. It would be good to carry out citizens arrests on old politicians who have wormed their way into the consciousness of the people and have created a fact-free, untouchable tunnel of love for themselves. Sort of like termites into solid wood. Berlusconi to get the treatment, everyone would find it arresting!
Locally, I’d love to do it to Sir Roger Douglarse.
reminds me of the time when AUSA offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who attempted a citizen’s arrest of condoleeza rice, when she was visiting the country. that was awesome too.
On the Bradbury/KDC ‘relationship’, yesterday I came upon a few bits of interesting speculation/rumour in a Vernon Small opinion piece on Stuff dated 18 January 2014.
The whole article is worth reading as it also covers Crusher Collins wrecking ball on ACC, but here is part of Small’s take on the KDC Internet Party ‘Clayton’s’ launch last week – and who else may have been involved in giving advice. (This speculation appears to align with KDC’s comments about advice having been sought from across the political spectrum.)
First, the comedy of errors.
The Kim Dotcom vortex, that had already sucked in and crushed so many careers in 2013, has swung into action again.
There were rumours late last year that the usual suspects in the politico-legal world were jockeying for position around the giant German wrecking ball’s plans for his new party. Lawyer and former ACT MP Stephen Franks and his trusty sidekick, Jordan Williams, were rumoured to have been elbowed aside before Christmas, though neither would confirm or deny if Mr Dotcom was a client.
Constitutional lawyer Mai Chen’s firm has confirmed its involvement in giving advice ahead of the launch.
On the pure political side, news service Scoop’s press gallery reporter, Alastair Thompson, has also confirmed a role (interestingly, his stepson, who was once a Scoop employee, now works for Ms Chen’s firm). When Thompson came on to the scene, blogger Martyn Bradbury seems to have been given the heave- ho, along with his strategy “white paper” revealed by Cameron Slater’s Whaleoil blog this week. Thompson has since quit Scoop – or taken a sabbatical, depending on which version of events you hear – and is interim secretary of the embryonic Internet Party.
But the irony will not be lost on anyone that some of the commentariat who are hottest on rooting out influence and conflicts of interest – and are most sanctimonious about it – were themselves so conflicted.
It is anyone’s guess why, in all the planning, no-one realised Mr Dotcom’s giant free birthday bash – dubbed the “Party Party” – could fall foul of the electoral law on “treating”.
But whatever the ins and outs, his party has gone backwards this week.
It had the potential to be a real influence on the election – less so now.
Or better re-cycling either before or after cremation … the practice of littering the world with dead bodies slowly disintergrating is really disgusting … then the practice of barring the use of such land by future generations … particularly when it is just one body.
The price of funerals, burials and cremations here in NZ is prohibitive for many NZers also.
Interestingly, just a few days ago by accident I came across the fact that related NZ legislation is currently under review. And guess who is leading this review? None other than the Law Commission and ‘our Wayne’.
Here are some links from the Law Commission site. I haven’t read the Issues paper and don’t have time today, but others may want to.
LOL – I had forgotten that! Shanks’ pony …. She and Mapp would already know one another through the National Party and as MPs. As you say, coincidence?
McDonalds Queens NY finally agrees to let seniors ‘hang out’ after calling police on them
This is just one danger of the loss of public common space and conversion into private spaces for private profit. Even hanging out with long time friends becomes impossible without it being an offence.
Interesting point.
There are bugger all places in the city hubs where people can gather, hang-out, talk at length, if they want to, without having to spend any money. Communities need such places – comfortable, warm in winter with chairs and a couple of tables, maybe a zip and toilets. It’s cheapest if people are able to bring their own food and drink. As petrol gets more and more expensive it gets less viable to visit others’ homes to meet up with those from further than walking distance away.
Indeed. In some NZ cities the new subdivisions have sweet f.a. public meeting spaces. Just miles of curvy twisty suburban cul de sacs that you can barely walk between (why would you) and mostly have to drive in and out of. No sense of a community or town centre, just another housing estate designed to isolate you from your neighbours.
I swear those places just breed Tories because of the lack of public common spaces for people and children to interact in.
Wasn’t Naomi Klein talking about “reclaiming the streets” back in the 90’s? From hazy memory it was a movement or idea about bringing a sense of community back via regaining public spaces that had been lost to private ownership and development
And those housing developments you mention above. I live on one (purely for economic and building soundness reasons) It is dire. We do have a neighbourhood planting group whose aim is to bring some nature to the otherwise featureless landscape. I am also considering organising a neighbourhood kite flying day on one of the privately owned future development sites. (It’s extremely windy here and I have seen kites flying so it may be a hobby to get people involved in together) There is no sense of neighbourly camaraderie and it is even a challenge to get a “hello” out of a passer by. Area’s such as these are such a departure from the cohesive nature of traditional neighbourhoods.
This grassroots community building is the volunteer work that I’ve been doing over the last four to five years.
There is a definite movement developing and some really good tools and ideas out there – Rosie.
Don’t know whether you are in Auckland – but one of the long-time community advocates – Jim Diers from Seattle – is coming over to NZ in March. He will definitely be in Auckland. He is worth going to see.
Attended an Auckland Conversation. What struck me is the comments in the introduction from Auckland Council’s now replaced CEO – Doug McKay, who thanked Jim Diers for showing him that people can be viewed as resources and contributors.
Our current planning head in Auckland Council – Dr Roger Blakely – came from Porirua City Council which won awards for their village planning programme.
There have been indications that Auckland Council may attempt the same up here – but despite those whispers – nothing concrete as yet.
Thanks Molly for the links and big ups to you for the work you do 🙂
That’s interesting about the Village Planning Programme. I have indeed noticed the various public outdoor art works springing up in the environment around Porirua. (I’m in Wellington) I might mention it to the one contact I do have in the neighbourhood, who happens to have strong council connections. That is a great idea, thank you.
I think there are opportunities for community strengthening in our area – I know the local Papa Kainga has been active and the emergency resilience group is influential in other parts of the area – it’s tying it together that is the trick, and creating a sense of unity.
Reent New Lynn development is interesting. There are some open air spaces for the public to hang out – There’s a spot on Todd Triangle – open but I think with some overhead cover – where a small group of Chinese people (many elderly) regularly do some slow movement exercises together.
But many of the prime sites have been bought by business interests – eg MacDonalds overlooking one of the main squares by the Mall. Although, there still are buskers and others gathering to chat etc in the square in fron of MacDonalds.
There’s a community centre with indoor space and many activties for people – it’s just not one of the more centrally-located spots – businesses have too much influence in buying preferred spaces.
It seems like the local tertiary institutions are the only places that provide facilities in which people can bring their own whatever, and hang-out all day if they want to.
The lack of such facilities is very isolating, particularly for those without much money.
I’ve known a couple of people who took a paper or two at uni mainly to procure these and the many other collective facilities and advantages that students enjoy. And very cost-effective it was too.
The library is certainly a kind of community centre here too. But hanging out all day, talking, and food and drink are not exactly encouraged. There are no group meeting rooms.
Which reminds me that WINZ has some such public facilities. Mainly used for formal meetings. Beneficiaries always mention how uncomfortable they feel about being there.
The Americans invented the modern day equivalent of the meeting hall – it’s called the “Mall”. Just make sure you look “youthful” and you have plenty of “bling”.
Modern day Councils don’t see investing in Council amenities as “investments”, they want “returns” – $$$$. Have a look at the layout of the modern-day development, the focus is where to place the shopping area, the school will then go nearby, followed by a park. But the focus starts with the commercial aspect first – $$$$ – revenue, not people.
Hey be kind to Councils that do anything. The ACT giant reversed the fairy tale and came down the beanstalk and took away all our things to his place in the sky. It’s a wonder we hae any Councils left –
That aren’t just set up to advance the wants and desires of the noisy and pushy. I notice Dunedin council not content with piling an extravagant colosseum on the ratepayers, shows its colours further by banning a No Drilling sign on an island that has been leased from it. The Rule is that it doesn’t allow advertising. Is a two-finger salute advertising? Or just an example of Andy-Warhol-type modern stuff.
the new bill will take things to an entirely new level, removing existing checks on the use of powers, such as the need for public consultation or to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt. This bill will make authorities’ total control over public space a daily reality.
Absolutely, but the Medusa’s raft of new anti-protest laws in the UK have already seen to it that future progress for Occupy and similar movements will be [nigh impossible]. I see these new changes as a not so subtle goosestep towards complete stage-management of ‘the message’.
Just moving this reply to BM from “National coalition with NZ First?” to Open Mike so he can’t miss it. I really am curious BM and would like to hear your response.
Bringing in Peter Dunn just may have batted this swinging voter away. Would Labour include Dunn if necessary? Probably; so where to from here?
Winston First? Well I don’t see Peters being healthy enough both mentally and physically to function in 2015 and he does have some very good MPs who could step up. So acceptable but then Labour certainly wouldn’t say no to Peters.
So it’s down to Mana/Greens verses Conserves/ACT. I could accept limited input from all but Mana; racists have no place in my government.
Bottom line for me; if Cunliff can rule out Harawira I vote Labour.
Steve James, Labour leader David Cunliffe speaking on RadioNZ National this morning more or less ruled out Peter Dunne,(”if He calls us we might talk to Him,but i don’t think i will be calling Him”),
No mention of the Mana Party by Cunliffe this morning, for our amusement Steve can you tell us what it is that engenders your hatred when it comes to the Mana Party…
Lol. I was trying to find evidence of Dunne saying he would never work with Labour (again)- he’s said it recently, but what I came across instead was this from Pete George who has cold feet for his leader:
I’m still a member of United Future, I joined for three years when I stood for the party last election. That membership runs out in a few months.
“I have seen nothing to encourage me to renew that membership. That’s very disappointing.
United Future could be, should be a small by significant player in Parliament and potentially in Government. Key has given them a vote of confidence.
But the party will have to start earning votes from the public (and members). Soon. again.
The opportunity is there. Is the party there? Is the determination? Or is United Future just an electorate committee for Ohariu?”
Lolz Rosie, that is funny from He who still cannot get over being temporarily spanked by Lprent, i wonder what colour that ones overcoat will be when He changes it…
Hi Steve
Great to hear you have no room for rascists ( or liars apparently).
As you seem to have missed some replies to your posts from yesterday,
I thought I might save you some time – other folks also have their own questions for you
Are you saying you are a low income/beneficiary and pay for scripts?
thus negating your original comment.
or you are not a low income/beneficiary and enjoy the state subsidy Pharmac supplies.
(which only raises the question of what it has to do with your original comment?)
Steve, here is an older Blip’s List (only up to April 2013) so as not to scare you too badly.
Maybe I am being unfair and you are a rational reasonable man, but so far the on-message soundbites you have shared say otherwise.
Yeah time is precious so I get little time to visit The standard.
Firstly I have two jobs though the second is as a small business operator with my partner. Neither of us are on benefits however some of our friends are and they are very open about their circumstances. I received the DPB some years back and I remain grateful to those who contributed to my family’s wellbeing.
Having strong personal values is a good thing so no further comment required.
I will look at the Blip’s list tonight, thanks.
Look freedom; people have different perspectives, varied understandings and inherent biases on most issues, that’s what open discussion is about. If you write just one thing that makes sense to me and changes a misguided perspective I may have; well, that’s a good thing. The same applies the other way.
Do you consider Hone racist because he noticed that the colonisers had paler skin than the colonised? I really don’t think you have much idea what racism is.
A good look at the health of our people and our Health system this morning on Radionz. Tony Ryall oils his way over the bumpy ground of sharp tacks formed by unsatisfactory stats.
A point made that Annette King changed counting lists of waiting sick, to counting waiting times. There was no attempt earlier to count those sick and not on the waiting list, now there is no attempt to count either the needy off list, or the waiting on list. There is just the trumpeting of increases in numbers of operations. Gives the impression that everything is under control.
But the Christchurch Charity Hospital and others are aware of people in pain who have no hope of getting near the list. Others who have GP or specialist advice that they could be helped, are far away from getting on the list. Who knows how many are unable to be done within time, are sent back to the GP and start on the cycle again. The system fits into the overarching approach that this government operates under, the casino principle, luck is important and the only way to be sure of getting stuff is to be in on running the ‘tables’. And not to have too much oversight, to have stats that are seen through a mirror darkly, so they are open to misunderstanding and confusion.
Couldn’t agree with this comment more, excellent description of this mornings discussion on RadioNZ which paints neither Labour or National in a good light,
i know the truth of the substance of the allegations made this morning because i am one of those not counted, i have access to as many brands of pain-blocking medication as there are available through Pharmac, but,
As far as removing the causes of this pain goes i am told that i will have to wait ‘until they have become life threatening’,
My next logical question to the Doctor informing of this was of course, ”how will i know when it has become life threatening”, and while admiring this particular Doctors honest answer had to wonder why He didn’t don a ‘black cap’ while announcing what in effect sounded remarkably like a death sentence,
”It will pierce your bowels which you will definitely feel” being His reply while writing the scrip which allows me to be mostly free of pain while i wait for the grand occasion to occur,(even going so far as to write a note to WINZ telling them i definitely need a landline phone for my future health),
NICE, a health system that passes the buck to WINZ who will in five years have paid out as much, if not more, than the cost of what the health system would incur by fixing the original bone anomaly…
So essentially you are being denied treatment to the cause of your pain now, treatment that would prevent a serious and costly health crisis
Such a foolish and cavalier approach from the health system towards illness must create anxiety in patients such as yourself. Anxiety that would be avoidable if the problem were to be treated now before its reaches crisis stage.
Tah much Rosie, i am pretty pragmatic about my life span tending to view such as ”how long is a piece of string”, having smoked at least 20 a day since age 14 i should have no great expectations of longevity nor in the current climate being looked on favorably by any within the health sector,
i am tho still seething over the original diagnosis of this particular problem 20 odd years ago by the medical profession who using ‘the crystal ball method’ convinced me it was a simple muscle problem easily alleviated by a couple of simple exercises,
In the intervening 20 odd years i have engaged in physical activity which has resulted in outright agony,(lamb tailing in the South Island which involved bending over and picking up lambs to the tune of 1000 a day for the 3 week ‘season’), all the while telling myself it’s ‘only’ a muscle problem,
It was only 5 years ago when explaining to yet another Doctor who didn’t rely on the crystal ball method of diagnosis my worn out hip and this particular problem, Her view was ‘lets gt a picture of what’s happening here’ and i was totally gob-smacked to find on the x-ray that my 20+ year ‘muscle problem’ had all along been a piece of bone growing off my spine that is now quite a protuberance…
Oh FFS! I I would be seething too, all those years of thinking you had one thing when it was another, and the lost opportunities to get the right treatment from the beginning.
It’s very easy, upon hearing stories such as yours to wonder how a person’s well being and health would be vastly improved if we were governed by those who were committed to providing a high quality barrier free readily accessible and safe public health system. (well done to those health workers who do so much within the limits on their ability to provide an above adequate service)
bad12
Regards. Glad I managed to convey the gist of this mornings talk adequately.
Sorry to hear your situation. We’ll see how we can change things with a change of government. Probably everyone I know will unlike me by the election.
Any chance of an op at Christchurch? Have a look at them on google. I think I will put them on my donation list. Just a little bit but if a lot did that then hopefully if would pile up and grease the wheels of the trolleys to theatre.
bad12
Regards. Glad that I caught the tone of this mornings twaddle so effectively.
Do you think you could get it done through Christchurch Charity? Have a look at their google.
We will try and get a new bunch in government this year, but I think Annette King is still around – same job?
Did this comment again as I thought the first was lost. Waited round for it, and looked here and there, refreshed, and then decided I hadn’t put my identification. Perhaps it went to moderation.
Wouldn’t it be good for transparency to have a statistician create – and another statistician – critique the standard figures that indicate good governance in NZ – and then they stay the same for at least the next twenty years?
Might not be useful for political ends – but what a good basis for policy and indicator for the rest of us.
I agree Molly that performance indicators/measures need to be established and then kept for a reasonable period of time to allow comparison. And if these need to be changed/improved due to changes in circumstances, outcomes sought etc, the changes must incorporate some methodology to allow comparision with the original or previous performance indicators/measures.
But this type of work is not straight statistics. It is a specific field that involves statistics, but also requires a much wider range of skills and knowledge,many of which are not numerical or statistical. For example strategic and business planning, an understanding of the interaction of outcomes, goals, inputs, outputs and how to identify and establish meaningful performance indicators/measures that actually measure performance against desired outcomes etc. It also requires ‘sales’ skills to get buy-in from management and others to appreciate the usefulness of such measures to them in their daily work and implement such measuring systems – often one of the hardest parts!
Instantly thought of a kid scribbling to obliterate out some drawing that had gone wrong when I watched this. Unfortunately, the ‘scribble’ is the track of plane flights through our atmosphere spewing (and because no-one wants ‘international’ emissions included in their national emission totals) uncounted CO2 24/7. (note: 1g of aviation fuel = 3g CO2)
“and because no-one wants ‘international’ emissions included in their national emission totals)”
So where the graphic talks about air travel accounting for 3.5% to 4.9% of all GHG emissions, that’s going to be a low number? Or will they be estimating in what’s not in the national figures?
I don’t know how they arrived at the numbers they do. But according to Kevin Anderson of the Tyndal Institute, international shipping and international air travel are not counted into national totals for the reasons I gave in the original comment.
Also…they don’t seem to have calculated emissions for fighter/military flights or private jets. And given that fighter jets are always on exercise or on maneuvers when not in combat…anyone with experience of the UK where the screaming of RAF jets is punctuated by emerging sounds of the countryside might appreciate just how many of those buggers are up in the air at any given time.
The DoD accounted for around 1 percent of the US energy consumption and 80 percent of the federal government energy consumption. Although this may seem small, the fact is that the Pentagon is the largest single consumer of energy in the World. Nigeria, with a population of more than 160 million, consumes as much energy and emits as much CO2 as the US military.
Baker has, I think, done some of the best popular writing attacking the fiction that the Right is for free markets while the Left is for government regulation. As I’ve noted elsewhere, the contest before us in the immediate future is between different regimes of state-created and -enforced property, not between the state and the market.
The Herald is totally obsessed by Brown.
Must want Cameron Brewer or Dick Quax as mayor.
Or at least one prepared to sell Auckland’s assets to foreign corporations.
Listening to this song by lizzie west… the following caught my ear
Well as I drive then I begin to see,
The lazy trade their dignity
At the root of the conspiracy,
Is the corporate claim on all our needs.
Down goes the small man’s dream,
The franchise rise and provide.
America how do you like it.
This is how it will be.
David Cunliffe sounded better (on RadioLive) then he has in a long time but he still has a tendency to sound patronising when he starts to get on a roll. But whoevers working with him is certainly doing their job.
Very disappointed in Cunliffe, ditching the tax-free for first $5000 earned and taking off GST from fruit and veges. Screw the poor, yet again.
What’s the use of voting for Labour now?
What he’s committed to is that the minimum wage will go up to $15 within the first 100 days, and that there will be further rises after that – likely a standard annual raise but I also wouldn’t rule anything else out.
The tax free $5k helped everyone including the rich and was poorly targetted. Same with GST off fruit and veges in fact it would have had a regressive effect because the rich would benefit more.
Better to come up with more targetted policies. For instance the money saved could be used to bring in free school breakfasts for poorer schools.
To be fair Labour did want to “axe the tax” 🙂 but seriously this is a good call by Cunliffe, shows hes serious about running the country and wants the center ground rather then pandering to the hard left
I reckon the poor would notice either a lot more than the rich, and the second point simply plays the “oooo, we’re soooo poor there’s not enough to go around” tory bullshit. For instance, we could do all three if the rich paid their way.
I am disappointed re the GST on fruit and veges – everyone needs to eat and this shouldn’t be taxed – especially not the way the price of eating has gone up so badly – I fail to see how knocking the GST off fruit and veges benefits wealthy people more (?) It would be very nice to have these necessities costing less.
Despite this reservation and disappointment I liked Labour’s press release it was short and sweet, to the point and indicated they are going to bring out something even better. I am, therefore, looking forward to what Labour are replacing these two policies with – they had better be good and feel hopeful that they will be.
i would suggest you don’t be disappointed about the GST and fruit and veg thingy, from where i sit such a move could be viewed in much the same light as raising the accommodation supplement,
Those on the supply side of both these equations, as has been shown in the rental market, simply view such Government subsidies as an ‘opportunity’, raising their prices to match what the Government has provided thus negating any benefit to those most in need,
Monday we await with raised expectation David Cunliffe explaining how Labour plan to address the bread and butter issue of increasing inequality and the poverty that builds around this…
Ah good to hear some sort of explanation re fruit and veges tax – I did take it that they are not pursuing dropping this tax so that they can spend the money gathered on something helpful…..so I am waiting with quite a bit of interested antipication
I agree the $5k lacked focus. Nevertheless, the tax component of $5k would be of immeasurable benefit to the poorest of us. How about then, that the abatement rates applied to earnings while claiming entitlements gets a radical over-haul or dumped? That benefits the poorest and small businesses too in terms of cash through and the ability to employ people legally.
Fruit and veg is, well…I’m going to punt that far too many of us poorest people don’t really buy fresh fruit and veg in any worthwhile quantity anyway. And that’s not necessarily down solely to cost, but also poor eating habits and poor cooking skills plus other factors.
The tax free $5k helped everyone including the rich and was poorly targetted. Same with GST off fruit and veges in fact it would have had a regressive effect because the rich would benefit more.
The tax free threshold should of course be paired with a higher flat tax rate, which together as a system would maintain progressiveness and simplify the tax system into something closer to supporting a UBI.
I definitely don’t want to see innovation draining out of Labour’s policy play book, which would leave the Greens pushing the most progressive policy ideas.
Of course, let’s wait for Mon as I am sure DC will have a few real surprises for all of us. *Fingers crossed*
Come on mickey, be honest. The GST off F&V thing wasn’t regressive. Poor people spend a far greater proportion of their income on basic weekly food requirements than rich people do.
It was dropped for one reason only: because when it was announced, Labour failed to stand by the basic decency of trying to make food cheaper and instead got sucked in to the right-wing “but you’re meddling with the free market!” framing of the policy and wasted their time having stupid arguments about snow-peas.
Totally sensible policy. Total clusterfuck of coms. Total lack of ideological fortitude from the Labour caucus.
I cant believe Cunliffe has just backed away from the minimum living wage, he just stated the minimum wage will be $15 and no plans to go any higher, what a massive backdown when he was going for broke when he was seeking to be leader of the party with all the promises of bridging the gap of inequality with an $18+per hour living wage. Any time Cunliffe has some momentum he shots himself in the foot and shows him to be a bigger liar than Key,
[lprent: That appears to be a deliberate diversion from the post. Banned permanently. Moving thread to OpenMike. ]
Hmmm a second time commenter engaging in concern trolling.
Cunliffe has not backed away from the minimum living wage. He has confirmed it and has plans to go higher as finances allow. If he did not say this he would be attacked for being reckless with the cheque book …
Oh yes its not a positive comment in Labours favour so it must be trolling mickysavage, im an undecided voter and Cunliffes promise of which I herd him say in person at a meeting that he would introduce a living wage as his first priority in government, had me won over
I didn’t hear any talk of if and when or strings attached
Nor did you hear or read any evidence of a backing away. Personally I think you’re lying. I don’t believe you’re an undecided voter, either. Your comments stand out like a dog’s balls as insincere, bad faith drivel.
Now, to demonstrate what a shallow individual you are, why not take my contempt as a reason to support John Key the way you always intended to?
I didn’t hear any talk of if and when or strings attached.
Well in that case kerry you are deaf (don’t listen properly), blind (can’t see properly) or dumb (can’t comprehend properly) because right from Day 1… Cunliffe made it clear that the minimum wage (or Living Wage seems to be the preference now) would have to be raised in at least two stages. He announced it would rise to $15 per hour immediately on taking office, but Labour’s ultimate aim was to increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour as soon as the coffers were sufficiently replenished. Since the minimum wage is a core policy plank, you can be assured $18 per hour will be implemented probably in 2017.
Anne, there is a difference between the minimum wage and the living wage.
The minimum wage is lower. $18.00 has generally been agreed to be a reasonable “living wage”.
The minimum wage would be more compulsory, while the living wage would be more something aimed at through incentives – eg government procurement contracts.
Yes I know the living wage is treated as a separate entity karol, but the original minimum wage concept from Labour included a target of two steps – a $15 increase followed at a later stage by another increase to $18. That was my clear recollection. Then the living wage concept was introduced which I know has different elements attached to it.
I was replying to kerry at 21 plus 21.1.1 where he was accusing Cunliffe of being a worse liar than Key.
A fired up David Cunliffe said Labour would raise the minimum wage and was committed to a living wage for government employees in one of his first major speeches as Labour Leader.
[…]
At a press standup following his speech, Mr Cunliffe said provisions for a “living wage”, initially for all government employees, would be included in their first budget subject to the “provisions of fiscal responsibility”. It would then be rolled out to crown entities and then to government contractors.
Labour would develop a a certified living wage employer scheme, and would give preference of procurement contracts to employers who signed up to the scheme.
SSo, no change from this in today’s announcement.</blockquote.
As compared with your selective memory of something you allegedly heard live???!!!!
Introducing, doesn't mean bringing it in for all employees at the same time.
Is the Oct report was repeated quite widely in the MSM.
The $30m a year cost to extend a “living wage” to core Government employees would be accounted for in its first Budget “subject to the provisions of fiscal responsibility”.
The scheme to ensure certified living wage employers were favoured when tendering for Government contracts would also be implemented as soon as possible.
There’s a difference between the minimum and living wage. The minimum wage is the one you are referring to. The living wage policy remains the same as before.
Stuff reports:
A living wage would be brought in over time, starting with the state sector, as it could be afforded.
Cunliffe has endorsed both an increase to the adult minimum wage ($15 within the first 100 days of his election as PM) and the seperate matter of the Living Wage (public sector immediately, private sector in time).
I feel sorry for you, Kerry, demonstrating such a high level of ignorance in public. The fact that you can write a comment implies that you can read, so I guess the problem must be some form of basic comprehension handicap.
Yea Nah Cunliffe was just sucking up to the unions to get the top job. He would say what ever they wanted to hear.They will be pissed with him
He was never going to have a minimum wage of $18+
An increase in the minimum wage to $15 within his first 100 days in office had not changed, although the minimum wage would go higher in time. A living wage would be brought in over time, starting with the state sector, as it could be afforded.
You’d think the National Party could do something about wanna-be spokespeople like Funi Man making wingnuts look like clueless gimps. So hard to get good help these days.
An increase in the minimum wage to $15 within his first 100 days in office had not changed, although the minimum wage would go higher in time. A living wage would be brought in over time, starting with the state sector, as it could be afforded
In other words $15 minimum wage and then any increases will be very slow. Not $18+
Councils have already voted against $18, the cost to rate payers is to high
Jeez, knackered man, have you still not spotted that they are two different things? Have a read here: http://www.livingwagenz.org.nz
And another bit of education for you: the Wellington council has already voted to implement the living wage for its employees. Auckland won’t be far behind.
Surely best not to come to hasty comments or decisions about this until the overall package mentioned in speech on Monday.
Looks like Labour getting the bad news out of the way first so the spotlight will be on positive aspects on Monday.
“Haw, haw, haw, haw, haw!”
The campaign to dismiss Kim Dotcom continues The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 21 January 2014
Jim Mora, Graham Bell, Bernard Hickey
JIM MORA: On the program today, Kim Dotcom’s new album— GRAHAM BELL: Pshaw! Haw, haw, haw, haw! BERNARD HICKEY:[wryly] You’ll be looking forward to that, Graham. GRAHAM BELL: Haw, haw, haw, haw, haw!
That disparaging reaction is interesting. Kim Dotcom is not exactly Kanye West, but he is a skilled and accomplished rapper, as anyone who has heard his powerful indictment of government corruption “Mr President” has to admit. [1] People like Graham Bell cannot abide hearing words like the refrain of that song: “Let’s get together, let’s all unite, or they will do whatever they like.” Bell did not snicker like that simply because he is a crude and tasteless bully who wouldn’t know good music if he stumbled into a performance of the St. Matthew Passion by the Münchener Bach Orchestra & Choir. His expression of scorn for Kim Dotcom was political, though perhaps he is unaware of exactly why.
Significantly, there was none of this scoffing from the establishment when Paul Holmes put out his truly awful vanity project in 2000, an utterly horrendous collection of butchered covers entitled Paul Holmes. [2] That wasn’t the reaction of normal people of course—everyone recognized immediately that Holmes’s album was a vanity project, possible only because he had power and influence, if not the common sense to realize he had no talent. But his colleagues in the media gritted their teeth and praised him, at least in public.
Kim Dotcom, on the other hand, is an official enemy, targeted by the United States government. Not only is he a threat to the establishment, he is eloquent and immensely popular. The only way to deal with him, in the absence of any substantial argument, is to scorn him and snicker whenever his name is mentioned.
Later in the program, after the 4:30 news, the other guest, Bernard Hickey, also took the opportunity to run with the hounds and have a go at Kim Dotcom….
JIM MORA: I mean, how do YOU see Kim Dotcom? He says he’s just like a postmaster…. BERNARD HICKEY: If the postmaster knowingly allowed people to steal things from the mail, then that would be a fair comparison. But having read that Grand Jury indictment [3] against him— GRAHAM BELL: He’s a convicted fraudster! He’s a big fat attention-seeker! I like the cartoon in the paper [4] which showed him as a big balloon about to explode! ….[drones on dully and interminably]…
[1]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MokNvbiRqCM [2] Any of the thousands of complementary copies Holmes gave away for Christmas in 2000, 2001 and 2003 that have not been used as pot-scrapers or sunlight reflectors or for clay-pigeon shooting practice can be sourced from the free-bin in front of some St Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army shops. [3] Though Bernard Hickey seems to be entirely trusting in the integrity of the U.S. government, that indictment was clearly written by Hollywood industry lawyers. For anyone that—unlike Hickey—is serious about coming to grips with the validity or otherwise of that indictment, here is one of the many rigorous examinations of it…. http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/internet/u-s-v-kim-dotcom-et-al [4] He’s referring to an unfunny cartoon by the Herald‘s unfunny cartoonist Emmerson, who got the job after editor Gavin Ellis was browbeaten and threatened into firing the vastly superior Malcolm Evans in 2002. Not only does Bell have no musical taste, he is no judge of cartooning either.
It’s awful today again with Fox Democrat Edwards and Tory Boag on.
What got me was some employment ‘expert’ on talking about a buoyant jobs market.
Nothing from Mora.
Tell that to the 155 000
Bring back Matinee Idol. I forgot how bad Mora is,
Yes this bouyant jobs market bullshit despite earlier in the day the ‘real’ figures being discussed on the same radio station which showed ‘the jobs market’ as being patchy at best,
There’s Christchurch, a few professions, i forget which are in demand, (Health was one of them), and from there it’s pretty much ‘not so good news’,
Even that not so good news will pale as the Reserve Bank hikes the cash rate and the Banks follow with interest rate rises…
Yes to that (Bring back Matinee Idol). 9-5 ‘beltway hacks’, paid for experts, and various other has-beens are going to ensure the better parts of RNZ take a dive.
Even if a Matinee-Idol attempted some sort of serious analysis of current affairs – it’d be superior to the bilge that occupies 101FM and its environs – especially betweem 1pm and 4pm. (9-12 …. could do better)
“And Mora said nothing.”
Does he ever?
That’s the reason he’s the nicest man on Earth after all. Utterly inoffensive to anyone! If Adolf bloody Hitler was on “The Panel” he’d be attempting to ‘engage’ (in the nicest possible way of course).
Roy Morgan Poll out: “Labour/ Greens (46%) start election year with edge over National (43.5%) as Kim Dotcom set to launch new ‘Internet Party’ to contest elections.”….
“Today’s New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows a potential Labour/ Greens alliance (46%, up 1%) leading John Key’s National Party (43.5%, down 1.5%) in the first New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll for 2014. Support for Key’s Coalition partners has slightly improved: Maori Party 2% (up 0.5%), United Future 0.5% (up 0.5%), ACT NZ 0% (unchanged).”
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
it’s wednesday..
..so why not start the day by singing/dancing..
..and just generally grooving..?
..here is 82 mins of the best of ‘soul-train’..
..that’ll do the trick for ya..eh..?
http://boingboing.net/2014/01/20/soul-train-line-compilation.html
(this one deserves bookmarking…)
phillip ure..
Most excellent. I can even tell which one is you mr ure.
@ vto..
..do tell..
phillip ure..
37.21 snappily dressed in black. smooth.
heh..!..i’ll have a look when i’ve finished whoar-ing for the morning..
..it is a tasty hunk of vid tho’..eh..?..
phillip ure..
Thanks for the link absolutly fantastic way to start the day,
I enjoy your comments very much and I must say I understand them at first glance, 🙂
chrs…te..
..it is a good way to start the the day..
..and end it..(‘i’ve just finished a four hour session..got a music-glow on right now..)
..i’ve decided to pick a choice track each day for whoar..
..so i’ll throw it up here too..
..i’ve got a very cool one for tomorrow..
..i’ll try for good/unknown..or killer-versions of something better known..
..i think having unifying factors in this upcoming year of conflict/turmoil..
..won’t hurt..
..(and who could not enjoy watching/listening to that soul-train link above..eh..?
..you’d have to be made of stone/tone-deaf..
..phillip ure..
Excellent positioning for the week:
Key sets out clearly how he is desperate to achieve sustaining the grip on power by all democratic means necessary… and that sordid story gets to rot in public a week
Six days of news cycle, by formal speech, Cunliffe will set out what the ideals to aspire to are for New Zealand, concentrate on child poverty, and how to achieve opportunity for all.
Can’t think of a better way to start the political year going into the opening of parliament.
Quite right Ad.
And a new minister of Local Gummint no less – as the rats leaving the sinking ship can be more accurately described as mice leaving the stinking ship, here’s an ex-DPB wahine of no great airs and grace for the silver-spoon misogeny old boys club to chew on.
There’s a distinct and pervasive smell seeping out of Torytown now: Gower and the rest of the rent-children have seen the descent to the gutter, watched the mice and those with a trace of dignity and judgement still intact head for the hills: and truth, purity and justice grow in strength again for the first time in years.
Kia kaha Standardistas and all believers in humanity: the time has come, this year is yours.
The focus will probably change tomorrow (Thursday) when Key gives his State of the Nation speech – and his announcements of potential coalition partners yesterday was probably planned on this probable change of focus.
According to Vernon Small, Key’s State of the Nation speech is expected to focus on education. See the last paragraph in Small’s article on Stuff.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9636040/Nats-won-t-rule-out-talks-with-Peters
However, having Key’s speech before Cunliffe’s gives Cunliffe the opportunity to counter Key’s speech in his own one on Monday.
breaking news..!
..tvone breakfast ‘team’ ‘discover’ that school tuck-shops sell sugar/crap-laden unhealthy drinks/food to school children..
..rawdon christie is in shock..and needing consoling from his colleagues..
..(and funny story..!..that deep-as-a-petrie-dish christie is one of those access-media/neo-lib-apologist trouts..
..who would have run with that ‘nanny-state’-meme….
..and probably cheered the key tory party when they removed any restrictions on what children could be sold in school tuck-shops.
..(one of their first acts..so ensuring primary-school children are early-addicted to sugar/salt/fat/caffeine-laden crap..was obviously high on their urgent-to-do list..
..they do have their advertisers/corporate-supporters to think of..eh..?..and the promises/nods/winks they had give them..)
..’gotta get that nanny-state out of our lives..!..we demand the right to addict our children to whatever we choose..!’
..eh rawdon..?..)
(..but be reassured..!..
..that other ‘expert’..that weather-youth..
..he had an anecdotal or two..that ‘proved’ that we really have to problem at all..
(whew..!..that’s a relief..!..eh..?..)
..and all over town energy-drink marketeers were ordering that cases of their product be sent to that weather-guru..)
phillip ure..
You deserve a medal for listening to Christie and the rest on breakfast.
@ paul..
..to be honest..it is only a few days in..and my spirit is sagging..
..it is such unrelentingly/multi-faceted ‘bad’..
..i can’t see me lasting much longer..
..and i flicked over to three..and horror of horrors..!
..their (excruciatingly-boring) business-person has been upgraded to co-host..(!)
..i lasted there about three minutes..
..it’s not looking good..eh..?
phillip ure..
Often politicians talk about growth. What sort of growth? What does the Labour Party (DC) mean when talking of growth? If making the pie (economy/GDP) bigger then it is more of the same neo-lib BS. If increasing the share of wealth to the less wealthy you then have a socialist policy.
Where is that growth coming from and what sort of consumption growth? If it is growth in consumption of imports, debt, population, resource consumption then there is little sustainable benefit to NZ.
Desirable growth include:
Growth in the efficiency of resource usage NOT more resource usage.
Growth in the value of sustainable exported goods NOT just quantities.
Growth in employment, quality of work, income for the less well off. NOT longer hours, poorer conditions and pay rises for execs, or reduced number of jobs.
These are growth goals for the left.
Correct. Uneconomic growth, i.e. growth which leaves people behind, worsens disparity, damages the prospects of future generations, harms the environment, is unsustainable, benefits only those far from where the work is actually done…that kind of growth must be singled out and halted in its tracks.
hmmm… ok, so perpetual growth on a finite planet (or series of islands) is a special kind of madness. So do we attempt to re-appropriate the word ‘growth’ to mean something sustainable? Or do we replace the whole concept (eg steady state economy)?
Uneconomic growth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uneconomic_growth
Nice to see it is not just me writing about the folly of ever expanding consumption on a finite world millions of lightyears from just maybe expansion room.
There’s always Titan…or the Moon…hey, what happened to the awesome Moonbase we were promised in Space: 1999? Way over schedule.
Probably hard to re-appropriate words but need to distinguish politically types of growth advocated between the parties. Make a point of difference.
Also difficult to solve the worlds problems but we can work on making NZ an example to the world of how to run a society and an economy. At least look after our own interests properly and not give stuff away cheaply. Nobody else seems to have any clues. All a bunch of lemmings following USA over the cliff.
David Cunliffe on RadioNZ National just now, a good interview outlining Labour’s position,(nothing new there),
Relaxed as, even to the point of what sounded like genuine laughter at Slippery the Prime Ministers 6 headed monster when it comes to Nationals coalition choices…
Agreed that it was a good interview – relaxed but clear and to the point. Loved his two instances of very natural laughter.
Loved his two instances of very natural laughter.
– Well its something he needs to work on so good on him
Apologies in advance for being shallow. It has only just occurred to me what a lovely sounding voice Cunliffe has, so ………………….soothing and pleasant to listen to. Aaaah.
Unlike Key’s, whose voice cause the teeth to grind, the knuckles to clench and the blood pressure to raise.
Chill. Take a pill. Go for a walk. We need your vote come election time. Not a cot-case, stressed out because of old slippery snake oil.
UK barman attempts citizens arrest of Tony Blair
This is the perfect example of how to make these “leaders” (of societal death and destruction) pay a daily and social price for their malfeasance.
http://rt.com/news/blair-iraq-war-crimes-law-949/
Good one Garcia. Even if you are trying to be a comedian, what a great idea. It would be good to carry out citizens arrests on old politicians who have wormed their way into the consciousness of the people and have created a fact-free, untouchable tunnel of love for themselves. Sort of like termites into solid wood. Berlusconi to get the treatment, everyone would find it arresting!
Locally, I’d love to do it to Sir Roger Douglarse.
Excellent.
A great initiative
It seems Mr Blair may soon have more trouble travelling without security in Britain than he does in the Middle-East.
reminds me of the time when AUSA offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who attempted a citizen’s arrest of condoleeza rice, when she was visiting the country. that was awesome too.
George Galloway is trying to get Blair to The Hague.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi_YHxMomds
a martin bradbury/kim dotcom..passing-thought..
….upon reading the unrelenting savagery of the reviews of the musical-offering from kim dotcom..
..i couldn’t help but wonder if bradburys’ conditions of employment with dotcom..
..included (semi-enforced) listening to/nodding-along-to/smiling-enthusiastically –
– to listenings of early mixes..?
..whoar..!..eh..?
..(just saying..!..)
..and in other dotcom-news..
..chris trotter did a particularly cloying/apologist puff-piece on dotcom @ the daily blog..
,.and that inspired me to pose the (quite reasonable..under the circumstances..i thought) question:
“..phillip ure says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:41 pm
hello..
..i asked a question of chris trotter about 48 hrs ago..
..that seemed to not get thru moderation..
..i am puzzled..
..as i only asked if mr trotter was in the past/currently/on future-promises..
..of paid employment in any shape or form..
..from kim dotcom or any entity he is involved with..?
..thank you..
..phillip ure..
(no answer..as yet..and as article has now slipped back into tdb-archives..
..i ain’t holding my breath..eh..?
..but..i do think it is a question that needs to be asked again..
phillip ure
On the Bradbury/KDC ‘relationship’, yesterday I came upon a few bits of interesting speculation/rumour in a Vernon Small opinion piece on Stuff dated 18 January 2014.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/9624107/Wrecking-balls-entertaining
The whole article is worth reading as it also covers Crusher Collins wrecking ball on ACC, but here is part of Small’s take on the KDC Internet Party ‘Clayton’s’ launch last week – and who else may have been involved in giving advice. (This speculation appears to align with KDC’s comments about advice having been sought from across the political spectrum.)
First, the comedy of errors.
The Kim Dotcom vortex, that had already sucked in and crushed so many careers in 2013, has swung into action again.
There were rumours late last year that the usual suspects in the politico-legal world were jockeying for position around the giant German wrecking ball’s plans for his new party. Lawyer and former ACT MP Stephen Franks and his trusty sidekick, Jordan Williams, were rumoured to have been elbowed aside before Christmas, though neither would confirm or deny if Mr Dotcom was a client.
Constitutional lawyer Mai Chen’s firm has confirmed its involvement in giving advice ahead of the launch.
On the pure political side, news service Scoop’s press gallery reporter, Alastair Thompson, has also confirmed a role (interestingly, his stepson, who was once a Scoop employee, now works for Ms Chen’s firm). When Thompson came on to the scene, blogger Martyn Bradbury seems to have been given the heave- ho, along with his strategy “white paper” revealed by Cameron Slater’s Whaleoil blog this week. Thompson has since quit Scoop – or taken a sabbatical, depending on which version of events you hear – and is interim secretary of the embryonic Internet Party.
But the irony will not be lost on anyone that some of the commentariat who are hottest on rooting out influence and conflicts of interest – and are most sanctimonious about it – were themselves so conflicted.
It is anyone’s guess why, in all the planning, no-one realised Mr Dotcom’s giant free birthday bash – dubbed the “Party Party” – could fall foul of the electoral law on “treating”.
But whatever the ins and outs, his party has gone backwards this week.
It had the potential to be a real influence on the election – less so now.
PS. As an aside to Small’s article, I also enjoyed this Andrea Vance article a few days ago.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/9625531/Silly-season-of-political-madness
No don’t hold your breath phil. TDB editor doesn’t like questions or to be challenged, no matter how reasonable, imo. I learned the hard way lol.
By Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKZdzxX3qFc
IMF forecasts of global trade growth miss…again
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-21/comedy-imf-forecasting-errors-global-trade-tumbles-more-50-imfs-2012-prediction
With the price of funerals rising rapidly, UK poor now can’t afford to die
With even the lowest key funeral clicking in at thousands of pounds, perhaps it is time for the UK to go back to unmarked paupers’ graves?
http://rt.com/news/funeral-poverty-afford-die-958/
Or better re-cycling either before or after cremation … the practice of littering the world with dead bodies slowly disintergrating is really disgusting … then the practice of barring the use of such land by future generations … particularly when it is just one body.
Dust to dust…
Reforestation perhaps?
soylent green?
The price of funerals, burials and cremations here in NZ is prohibitive for many NZers also.
Interestingly, just a few days ago by accident I came across the fact that related NZ legislation is currently under review. And guess who is leading this review? None other than the Law Commission and ‘our Wayne’.
Here are some links from the Law Commission site. I haven’t read the Issues paper and don’t have time today, but others may want to.
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/news/2013/10/law-commission-seeking-feedback-review-burial-and-cremation-law
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/news/2013/11/law-commission-releases-consultation-schedule-burial-cremation-law-review
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/news/2014/01/new-lead-advisor-appointed-burial-cremation-law-review
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/project/review-burial-and-cremation-law?quicktabs_23=issues_paper
But Murphy’s Law (?) – submissions closed two days ago on 20 January.
Hey…don’t the Undertakers of NZ Association have a brand new CEO…by coincidence.
LOL – I had forgotten that! Shanks’ pony …. She and Mapp would already know one another through the National Party and as MPs. As you say, coincidence?
McDonalds Queens NY finally agrees to let seniors ‘hang out’ after calling police on them
This is just one danger of the loss of public common space and conversion into private spaces for private profit. Even hanging out with long time friends becomes impossible without it being an offence.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/mcdonald-flushing-seniors-reach-seating-deal-article-1.1585819
Interesting point.
There are bugger all places in the city hubs where people can gather, hang-out, talk at length, if they want to, without having to spend any money. Communities need such places – comfortable, warm in winter with chairs and a couple of tables, maybe a zip and toilets. It’s cheapest if people are able to bring their own food and drink. As petrol gets more and more expensive it gets less viable to visit others’ homes to meet up with those from further than walking distance away.
Indeed. In some NZ cities the new subdivisions have sweet f.a. public meeting spaces. Just miles of curvy twisty suburban cul de sacs that you can barely walk between (why would you) and mostly have to drive in and out of. No sense of a community or town centre, just another housing estate designed to isolate you from your neighbours.
I swear those places just breed Tories because of the lack of public common spaces for people and children to interact in.
Wasn’t Naomi Klein talking about “reclaiming the streets” back in the 90’s? From hazy memory it was a movement or idea about bringing a sense of community back via regaining public spaces that had been lost to private ownership and development
Here we go, quick googley for reclaim the streets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaim_the_Streets
And those housing developments you mention above. I live on one (purely for economic and building soundness reasons) It is dire. We do have a neighbourhood planting group whose aim is to bring some nature to the otherwise featureless landscape. I am also considering organising a neighbourhood kite flying day on one of the privately owned future development sites. (It’s extremely windy here and I have seen kites flying so it may be a hobby to get people involved in together) There is no sense of neighbourly camaraderie and it is even a challenge to get a “hello” out of a passer by. Area’s such as these are such a departure from the cohesive nature of traditional neighbourhoods.
Awesome…you gotta be proud of that hands-on community building work!
This grassroots community building is the volunteer work that I’ve been doing over the last four to five years.
There is a definite movement developing and some really good tools and ideas out there – Rosie.
Don’t know whether you are in Auckland – but one of the long-time community advocates – Jim Diers from Seattle – is coming over to NZ in March. He will definitely be in Auckland. He is worth going to see.
Attended an Auckland Conversation. What struck me is the comments in the introduction from Auckland Council’s now replaced CEO – Doug McKay, who thanked Jim Diers for showing him that people can be viewed as resources and contributors.
Our current planning head in Auckland Council – Dr Roger Blakely – came from Porirua City Council which won awards for their village planning programme.
There have been indications that Auckland Council may attempt the same up here – but despite those whispers – nothing concrete as yet.
Thanks Molly for the links and big ups to you for the work you do 🙂
That’s interesting about the Village Planning Programme. I have indeed noticed the various public outdoor art works springing up in the environment around Porirua. (I’m in Wellington) I might mention it to the one contact I do have in the neighbourhood, who happens to have strong council connections. That is a great idea, thank you.
I think there are opportunities for community strengthening in our area – I know the local Papa Kainga has been active and the emergency resilience group is influential in other parts of the area – it’s tying it together that is the trick, and creating a sense of unity.
Rosie
Kindra Douglas in Nelson has been behind the Victory suburb development and helped it grow into a vital and positive area. Here is a link to some of the stuff they have done and perhaps some sources.
http://inspiringcommunities.org.nz/community-led-development-projects-initiatives/family-centered-community-led-development
Reent New Lynn development is interesting. There are some open air spaces for the public to hang out – There’s a spot on Todd Triangle – open but I think with some overhead cover – where a small group of Chinese people (many elderly) regularly do some slow movement exercises together.
But many of the prime sites have been bought by business interests – eg MacDonalds overlooking one of the main squares by the Mall. Although, there still are buskers and others gathering to chat etc in the square in fron of MacDonalds.
There’s a community centre with indoor space and many activties for people – it’s just not one of the more centrally-located spots – businesses have too much influence in buying preferred spaces.
It seems like the local tertiary institutions are the only places that provide facilities in which people can bring their own whatever, and hang-out all day if they want to.
The lack of such facilities is very isolating, particularly for those without much money.
I’ve known a couple of people who took a paper or two at uni mainly to procure these and the many other collective facilities and advantages that students enjoy. And very cost-effective it was too.
There’s also some community centres and libraries in Auckland.
The library is certainly a kind of community centre here too. But hanging out all day, talking, and food and drink are not exactly encouraged. There are no group meeting rooms.
Which reminds me that WINZ has some such public facilities. Mainly used for formal meetings. Beneficiaries always mention how uncomfortable they feel about being there.
The Americans invented the modern day equivalent of the meeting hall – it’s called the “Mall”. Just make sure you look “youthful” and you have plenty of “bling”.
Modern day Councils don’t see investing in Council amenities as “investments”, they want “returns” – $$$$. Have a look at the layout of the modern-day development, the focus is where to place the shopping area, the school will then go nearby, followed by a park. But the focus starts with the commercial aspect first – $$$$ – revenue, not people.
Hey be kind to Councils that do anything. The ACT giant reversed the fairy tale and came down the beanstalk and took away all our things to his place in the sky. It’s a wonder we hae any Councils left –
That aren’t just set up to advance the wants and desires of the noisy and pushy. I notice Dunedin council not content with piling an extravagant colosseum on the ratepayers, shows its colours further by banning a No Drilling sign on an island that has been leased from it. The Rule is that it doesn’t allow advertising. Is a two-finger salute advertising? Or just an example of Andy-Warhol-type modern stuff.
meanwhile in the UK
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/josie-appleton/end-of-public-space-one-law-to-ban-them-all
They want to prevent public protests such as Occupy recurring. The power elite is afraid.
Absolutely, but the Medusa’s raft of new anti-protest laws in the UK have already seen to it that future progress for Occupy and similar movements will be [nigh impossible]. I see these new changes as a not so subtle goosestep towards complete stage-management of ‘the message’.
‘out of sight out of mind’ ring a bell?
Just moving this reply to BM from “National coalition with NZ First?” to Open Mike so he can’t miss it. I really am curious BM and would like to hear your response.
“UF will get a seat” (says BM)
Can you tell us how you know that?
Bringing in Peter Dunn just may have batted this swinging voter away. Would Labour include Dunn if necessary? Probably; so where to from here?
Winston First? Well I don’t see Peters being healthy enough both mentally and physically to function in 2015 and he does have some very good MPs who could step up. So acceptable but then Labour certainly wouldn’t say no to Peters.
So it’s down to Mana/Greens verses Conserves/ACT. I could accept limited input from all but Mana; racists have no place in my government.
Bottom line for me; if Cunliff can rule out Harawira I vote Labour.
“So it’s down to Mana/Greens verses Conserves/ACT. I could accept limited input from all but Mana; racists have no place in my government.”
Except John Banks, apparently.
Hey felix, FYI: John Banks will be gone
Yes, and which party did you vote for at the last election, Steve?
Was it National, knowing they’d bring along Banksie (and maybe Brashie)?
Steve James, Labour leader David Cunliffe speaking on RadioNZ National this morning more or less ruled out Peter Dunne,(”if He calls us we might talk to Him,but i don’t think i will be calling Him”),
No mention of the Mana Party by Cunliffe this morning, for our amusement Steve can you tell us what it is that engenders your hatred when it comes to the Mana Party…
Lol. I was trying to find evidence of Dunne saying he would never work with Labour (again)- he’s said it recently, but what I came across instead was this from Pete George who has cold feet for his leader:
I’m still a member of United Future, I joined for three years when I stood for the party last election. That membership runs out in a few months.
“I have seen nothing to encourage me to renew that membership. That’s very disappointing.
United Future could be, should be a small by significant player in Parliament and potentially in Government. Key has given them a vote of confidence.
But the party will have to start earning votes from the public (and members). Soon. again.
The opportunity is there. Is the party there? Is the determination? Or is United Future just an electorate committee for Ohariu?”
http://yournz.org/tag/peter-dunne/
So, in essence Steve James, Dunne won’t work with Labour and they’re not interested in him anyway as bad12 points out.
And BM, even Dunne’s biggest cheer leader is starting to have misgivings about the future for his man.
Lolz Rosie, that is funny from He who still cannot get over being temporarily spanked by Lprent, i wonder what colour that ones overcoat will be when He changes it…
Hello Bad12
“hatred”? not in my world so no comment.
So why did you bother to then, wing-nuts all of them too terrified to expose their opinions to scrutiny…
Steve James i bet you Richard Prosser gets you going as one of the NZFirst MP’s you see ”as being able to step up”…
Hi Steve
Great to hear you have no room for rascists ( or liars apparently).
As you seem to have missed some replies to your posts from yesterday,
I thought I might save you some time – other folks also have their own questions for you
first up is your sharing of prescription data
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21012014/#comment-760638
then there is your declaration of strong personal values
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21012014/#comment-760652
Thanks freedom
Yeah time is precious so I get little time to visit The standard.
Firstly I have two jobs though the second is as a small business operator with my partner. Neither of us are on benefits however some of our friends are and they are very open about their circumstances. I received the DPB some years back and I remain grateful to those who contributed to my family’s wellbeing.
Having strong personal values is a good thing so no further comment required.
I will look at the Blip’s list tonight, thanks.
Look freedom; people have different perspectives, varied understandings and inherent biases on most issues, that’s what open discussion is about. If you write just one thing that makes sense to me and changes a misguided perspective I may have; well, that’s a good thing. The same applies the other way.
Any way, work to do
Have a good day
“people have different perspectives, varied understandings and inherent biases on most issues, that’s what open discussion is about.”
the above quote was brought to you by the guy that just yesterday told CV
“I’m not sure I care what you think actually.”
enjoy your employment Steve, long may it last
(and fear not, despite the flurry of recent attention, you are not some pet project )
🙂
Do you consider Hone racist because he noticed that the colonisers had paler skin than the colonised? I really don’t think you have much idea what racism is.
A good look at the health of our people and our Health system this morning on Radionz. Tony Ryall oils his way over the bumpy ground of sharp tacks formed by unsatisfactory stats.
A point made that Annette King changed counting lists of waiting sick, to counting waiting times. There was no attempt earlier to count those sick and not on the waiting list, now there is no attempt to count either the needy off list, or the waiting on list. There is just the trumpeting of increases in numbers of operations. Gives the impression that everything is under control.
But the Christchurch Charity Hospital and others are aware of people in pain who have no hope of getting near the list. Others who have GP or specialist advice that they could be helped, are far away from getting on the list. Who knows how many are unable to be done within time, are sent back to the GP and start on the cycle again. The system fits into the overarching approach that this government operates under, the casino principle, luck is important and the only way to be sure of getting stuff is to be in on running the ‘tables’. And not to have too much oversight, to have stats that are seen through a mirror darkly, so they are open to misunderstanding and confusion.
Couldn’t agree with this comment more, excellent description of this mornings discussion on RadioNZ which paints neither Labour or National in a good light,
i know the truth of the substance of the allegations made this morning because i am one of those not counted, i have access to as many brands of pain-blocking medication as there are available through Pharmac, but,
As far as removing the causes of this pain goes i am told that i will have to wait ‘until they have become life threatening’,
My next logical question to the Doctor informing of this was of course, ”how will i know when it has become life threatening”, and while admiring this particular Doctors honest answer had to wonder why He didn’t don a ‘black cap’ while announcing what in effect sounded remarkably like a death sentence,
”It will pierce your bowels which you will definitely feel” being His reply while writing the scrip which allows me to be mostly free of pain while i wait for the grand occasion to occur,(even going so far as to write a note to WINZ telling them i definitely need a landline phone for my future health),
NICE, a health system that passes the buck to WINZ who will in five years have paid out as much, if not more, than the cost of what the health system would incur by fixing the original bone anomaly…
Very sorry to hear of that bad12.
So essentially you are being denied treatment to the cause of your pain now, treatment that would prevent a serious and costly health crisis
Such a foolish and cavalier approach from the health system towards illness must create anxiety in patients such as yourself. Anxiety that would be avoidable if the problem were to be treated now before its reaches crisis stage.
Tah much Rosie, i am pretty pragmatic about my life span tending to view such as ”how long is a piece of string”, having smoked at least 20 a day since age 14 i should have no great expectations of longevity nor in the current climate being looked on favorably by any within the health sector,
i am tho still seething over the original diagnosis of this particular problem 20 odd years ago by the medical profession who using ‘the crystal ball method’ convinced me it was a simple muscle problem easily alleviated by a couple of simple exercises,
In the intervening 20 odd years i have engaged in physical activity which has resulted in outright agony,(lamb tailing in the South Island which involved bending over and picking up lambs to the tune of 1000 a day for the 3 week ‘season’), all the while telling myself it’s ‘only’ a muscle problem,
It was only 5 years ago when explaining to yet another Doctor who didn’t rely on the crystal ball method of diagnosis my worn out hip and this particular problem, Her view was ‘lets gt a picture of what’s happening here’ and i was totally gob-smacked to find on the x-ray that my 20+ year ‘muscle problem’ had all along been a piece of bone growing off my spine that is now quite a protuberance…
Oh FFS! I I would be seething too, all those years of thinking you had one thing when it was another, and the lost opportunities to get the right treatment from the beginning.
It’s very easy, upon hearing stories such as yours to wonder how a person’s well being and health would be vastly improved if we were governed by those who were committed to providing a high quality barrier free readily accessible and safe public health system. (well done to those health workers who do so much within the limits on their ability to provide an above adequate service)
I can only wish you the best bad12.
bad12
Regards. Glad I managed to convey the gist of this mornings talk adequately.
Sorry to hear your situation. We’ll see how we can change things with a change of government. Probably everyone I know will unlike me by the election.
Any chance of an op at Christchurch? Have a look at them on google. I think I will put them on my donation list. Just a little bit but if a lot did that then hopefully if would pile up and grease the wheels of the trolleys to theatre.
bad12
Regards. Glad that I caught the tone of this mornings twaddle so effectively.
Do you think you could get it done through Christchurch Charity? Have a look at their google.
We will try and get a new bunch in government this year, but I think Annette King is still around – same job?
Greywarbler, cheers yes i listened with interest to the Christchurch charity hospital, something i have never heard of befor,
Will check them out later although i think they may prefer younger candidates…
Did this comment again as I thought the first was lost. Waited round for it, and looked here and there, refreshed, and then decided I hadn’t put my identification. Perhaps it went to moderation.
Wouldn’t it be good for transparency to have a statistician create – and another statistician – critique the standard figures that indicate good governance in NZ – and then they stay the same for at least the next twenty years?
Might not be useful for political ends – but what a good basis for policy and indicator for the rest of us.
I agree Molly that performance indicators/measures need to be established and then kept for a reasonable period of time to allow comparison. And if these need to be changed/improved due to changes in circumstances, outcomes sought etc, the changes must incorporate some methodology to allow comparision with the original or previous performance indicators/measures.
But this type of work is not straight statistics. It is a specific field that involves statistics, but also requires a much wider range of skills and knowledge,many of which are not numerical or statistical. For example strategic and business planning, an understanding of the interaction of outcomes, goals, inputs, outputs and how to identify and establish meaningful performance indicators/measures that actually measure performance against desired outcomes etc. It also requires ‘sales’ skills to get buy-in from management and others to appreciate the usefulness of such measures to them in their daily work and implement such measuring systems – often one of the hardest parts!
Instantly thought of a kid scribbling to obliterate out some drawing that had gone wrong when I watched this. Unfortunately, the ‘scribble’ is the track of plane flights through our atmosphere spewing (and because no-one wants ‘international’ emissions included in their national emission totals) uncounted CO2 24/7. (note: 1g of aviation fuel = 3g CO2)
Part 4 is pertinent
http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2014/aviation-100-years
(might take a wee few minutes to load)
Holy shit, that’s quite some graphic.
“and because no-one wants ‘international’ emissions included in their national emission totals)”
So where the graphic talks about air travel accounting for 3.5% to 4.9% of all GHG emissions, that’s going to be a low number? Or will they be estimating in what’s not in the national figures?
I don’t know how they arrived at the numbers they do. But according to Kevin Anderson of the Tyndal Institute, international shipping and international air travel are not counted into national totals for the reasons I gave in the original comment.
Also…they don’t seem to have calculated emissions for fighter/military flights or private jets. And given that fighter jets are always on exercise or on maneuvers when not in combat…anyone with experience of the UK where the screaming of RAF jets is punctuated by emerging sounds of the countryside might appreciate just how many of those buggers are up in the air at any given time.
This.
The DoD accounted for around 1 percent of the US energy consumption and 80 percent of the federal government energy consumption. Although this may seem small, the fact is that the Pentagon is the largest single consumer of energy in the World. Nigeria, with a population of more than 160 million, consumes as much energy and emits as much CO2 as the US military.
http://www.dailyenergyreport.com/how-much-energy-does-the-u-s-military-consume-an-update/
Ah…. so much to thank wars for [/sarc] – great innovations leading to massive use of air travel – and envormental degradation..
– and dead people,
economists seem to forget all the dead people
they are a lost resource surely
what good is an economy or a society or even democracy itself,
if eventually all it produces are just more dead people
Here’s Tom with the weather
Terrifying actually and where will it end and when/if it does what happens to country dependent on Tourism? Thanks Bill.
The Left and the State
A very valid observation.
Natz e
Ohariu List MP, Katrina (undertaker) Shanks. From one dead end job to another….
The herald has frontpaged which of the following the most;
A. Len brown affair; or
B. John banks charged with fraud on an electoral matter
The Herald is totally obsessed by Brown.
Must want Cameron Brewer or Dick Quax as mayor.
Or at least one prepared to sell Auckland’s assets to foreign corporations.
Listening to this song by lizzie west… the following caught my ear
Well as I drive then I begin to see,
The lazy trade their dignity
At the root of the conspiracy,
Is the corporate claim on all our needs.
Down goes the small man’s dream,
The franchise rise and provide.
America how do you like it.
This is how it will be.
David Cunliffe sounded better (on RadioLive) then he has in a long time but he still has a tendency to sound patronising when he starts to get on a roll. But whoevers working with him is certainly doing their job.
Very disappointed in Cunliffe, ditching the tax-free for first $5000 earned and taking off GST from fruit and veges. Screw the poor, yet again.
What’s the use of voting for Labour now?
Apparently He’s ditching the living wage bollocks as well.
https://twitter.com/StaceyKirkNZ
Go Cunliffe, first bit of sane news I’ve heard from labour for a long time
Er, he’s not ditching a policy they never had.
What he’s committed to is that the minimum wage will go up to $15 within the first 100 days, and that there will be further rises after that – likely a standard annual raise but I also wouldn’t rule anything else out.
Stuff says:
That’s just a continuation of the existing policy.
The tax free $5k helped everyone including the rich and was poorly targetted. Same with GST off fruit and veges in fact it would have had a regressive effect because the rich would benefit more.
Better to come up with more targetted policies. For instance the money saved could be used to bring in free school breakfasts for poorer schools.
To be fair Labour did want to “axe the tax” 🙂 but seriously this is a good call by Cunliffe, shows hes serious about running the country and wants the center ground rather then pandering to the hard left
I disagree.
I reckon the poor would notice either a lot more than the rich, and the second point simply plays the “oooo, we’re soooo poor there’s not enough to go around” tory bullshit. For instance, we could do all three if the rich paid their way.
I am disappointed re the GST on fruit and veges – everyone needs to eat and this shouldn’t be taxed – especially not the way the price of eating has gone up so badly – I fail to see how knocking the GST off fruit and veges benefits wealthy people more (?) It would be very nice to have these necessities costing less.
Despite this reservation and disappointment I liked Labour’s press release it was short and sweet, to the point and indicated they are going to bring out something even better. I am, therefore, looking forward to what Labour are replacing these two policies with – they had better be good and feel hopeful that they will be.
@ blue..
“..I fail to see how knocking the GST off fruit and veges benefits wealthy people more (?)..”
that attempted-rationale puzzles me too..
..does the claimer think the rich have bigger stomachs…?
..as a claim..it totally lacks any logic..
..i’m holding judgement until after cunnliffes’speech next mon..
..but even if other serious moves are made..
..this would have been a practical help to the poorest..and promoted healthier-living..
..it was a two-fer..w.t.f. was not to like about it..
..i can undrstand the argument the tax-free for all gives to those who don’t need..
..but this is not the case with the gst/fruit/veges policy..
..and cunnliffe had better come up with something pretty whizz-bangy..
..to replace it..
..if raising the minimum wage is it..
..he will have just once again kicked the poorest in the guts..
..in that long neo-lib/clarkist-labour tradition..
..monday will tell..
..phillip ure..
i would suggest you don’t be disappointed about the GST and fruit and veg thingy, from where i sit such a move could be viewed in much the same light as raising the accommodation supplement,
Those on the supply side of both these equations, as has been shown in the rental market, simply view such Government subsidies as an ‘opportunity’, raising their prices to match what the Government has provided thus negating any benefit to those most in need,
Monday we await with raised expectation David Cunliffe explaining how Labour plan to address the bread and butter issue of increasing inequality and the poverty that builds around this…
@ Bad12
Ah good to hear some sort of explanation re fruit and veges tax – I did take it that they are not pursuing dropping this tax so that they can spend the money gathered on something helpful…..so I am waiting with quite a bit of interested antipication
I agree the $5k lacked focus. Nevertheless, the tax component of $5k would be of immeasurable benefit to the poorest of us. How about then, that the abatement rates applied to earnings while claiming entitlements gets a radical over-haul or dumped? That benefits the poorest and small businesses too in terms of cash through and the ability to employ people legally.
Fruit and veg is, well…I’m going to punt that far too many of us poorest people don’t really buy fresh fruit and veg in any worthwhile quantity anyway. And that’s not necessarily down solely to cost, but also poor eating habits and poor cooking skills plus other factors.
Anyway. That were me tuppence worth
A discussion we should have after Monday Bill …
repeat – ‘that were me tuppence worth’ 😉
The tax free threshold should of course be paired with a higher flat tax rate, which together as a system would maintain progressiveness and simplify the tax system into something closer to supporting a UBI.
I definitely don’t want to see innovation draining out of Labour’s policy play book, which would leave the Greens pushing the most progressive policy ideas.
Of course, let’s wait for Mon as I am sure DC will have a few real surprises for all of us. *Fingers crossed*
Come on mickey, be honest. The GST off F&V thing wasn’t regressive. Poor people spend a far greater proportion of their income on basic weekly food requirements than rich people do.
It was dropped for one reason only: because when it was announced, Labour failed to stand by the basic decency of trying to make food cheaper and instead got sucked in to the right-wing “but you’re meddling with the free market!” framing of the policy and wasted their time having stupid arguments about snow-peas.
Totally sensible policy. Total clusterfuck of coms. Total lack of ideological fortitude from the Labour caucus.
I cant believe Cunliffe has just backed away from the minimum living wage, he just stated the minimum wage will be $15 and no plans to go any higher, what a massive backdown when he was going for broke when he was seeking to be leader of the party with all the promises of bridging the gap of inequality with an $18+per hour living wage. Any time Cunliffe has some momentum he shots himself in the foot and shows him to be a bigger liar than Key,
[lprent: That appears to be a deliberate diversion from the post. Banned permanently. Moving thread to OpenMike. ]
Hmmm a second time commenter engaging in concern trolling.
Cunliffe has not backed away from the minimum living wage. He has confirmed it and has plans to go higher as finances allow. If he did not say this he would be attacked for being reckless with the cheque book …
Oh yes its not a positive comment in Labours favour so it must be trolling mickysavage, im an undecided voter and Cunliffes promise of which I herd him say in person at a meeting that he would introduce a living wage as his first priority in government, had me won over
I didn’t hear any talk of if and when or strings attached
Which meeting Kerry?
Nor did you hear or read any evidence of a backing away. Personally I think you’re lying. I don’t believe you’re an undecided voter, either. Your comments stand out like a dog’s balls as insincere, bad faith drivel.
Now, to demonstrate what a shallow individual you are, why not take my contempt as a reason to support John Key the way you always intended to?
His previous comments would suggest he’s acting concerned.
He’s certainly attempting to derail discussion about Key’s decision to talk to Peters.
Well in that case kerry you are deaf (don’t listen properly), blind (can’t see properly) or dumb (can’t comprehend properly) because right from Day 1… Cunliffe made it clear that the minimum wage (or Living Wage seems to be the preference now) would have to be raised in at least two stages. He announced it would rise to $15 per hour immediately on taking office, but Labour’s ultimate aim was to increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour as soon as the coffers were sufficiently replenished. Since the minimum wage is a core policy plank, you can be assured $18 per hour will be implemented probably in 2017.
Edit function on the blink.
correction: (Living wage seems to be the preferred term now)
Anne, there is a difference between the minimum wage and the living wage.
The minimum wage is lower. $18.00 has generally been agreed to be a reasonable “living wage”.
The minimum wage would be more compulsory, while the living wage would be more something aimed at through incentives – eg government procurement contracts.
“$18.00 has generally been agreed to be a reasonable “living wage”.”
Yes, for a family of four. Yet organisations are saying it should apply to everybody.
Yes I know the living wage is treated as a separate entity karol, but the original minimum wage concept from Labour included a target of two steps – a $15 increase followed at a later stage by another increase to $18. That was my clear recollection. Then the living wage concept was introduced which I know has different elements attached to it.
I was replying to kerry at 21 plus 21.1.1 where he was accusing Cunliffe of being a worse liar than Key.
Kerry: David Cunliffe video and report on Scoop October 2013:
SSo, no change from this in today’s announcement.</blockquote.
As compared with your selective memory of something you allegedly heard live???!!!!
Introducing, doesn't mean bringing it in for all employees at the same time.
Is the Oct report was repeated quite widely in the MSM.
Stuff October 2013:
There’s a difference between the minimum and living wage. The minimum wage is the one you are referring to. The living wage policy remains the same as before.
Stuff reports:
A living wage would be brought in over time, starting with the state sector, as it could be afforded.
Kerry, you’re wrong.
Cunliffe has endorsed both an increase to the adult minimum wage ($15 within the first 100 days of his election as PM) and the seperate matter of the Living Wage (public sector immediately, private sector in time).
He’s just another ignoramus trying to derail worthwhile discussion on this site.
I feel sorry for you I really do Paul, atleast add something like Te Reo Putake has
Sorry for me because I call you out for not knowing what you’re talking about.
Fine by me.
You have a track record.
can you post your source?
There is never a source from folk like Kerry.
Maybe they heard Leighton Smith or Mike Hosking say it?
I feel sorry for you, Kerry, demonstrating such a high level of ignorance in public. The fact that you can write a comment implies that you can read, so I guess the problem must be some form of basic comprehension handicap.
Kerry deserves our sympathy, people.
I imagine we’re going to see more and more ‘concern’ from dupes and plants as the reality of the coming change of Government hits home, Paul.
Miserable attempt to distract.
Yea Nah Cunliffe was just sucking up to the unions to get the top job. He would say what ever they wanted to hear.They will be pissed with him
He was never going to have a minimum wage of $18+
Really, naki.?
Evidence for this claim?
Funi Man, it’s time for your reality check.
You’d think the National Party could do something about wanna-be spokespeople like Funi Man making wingnuts look like clueless gimps. So hard to get good help these days.
they prefer their supporters semi-literate with short concentration spans.
An increase in the minimum wage to $15 within his first 100 days in office had not changed, although the minimum wage would go higher in time. A living wage would be brought in over time, starting with the state sector, as it could be afforded
In other words $15 minimum wage and then any increases will be very slow. Not $18+
Councils have already voted against $18, the cost to rate payers is to high
Thread title….’National’s first strategic mistake’
How is this comment related?
Just a couple of problems with your opinion, Funi Man: it’s worthless and offered in bad faith. I think I’ll dismiss it out-of-hand.
Jeez, knackered man, have you still not spotted that they are two different things? Have a read here: http://www.livingwagenz.org.nz
And another bit of education for you: the Wellington council has already voted to implement the living wage for its employees. Auckland won’t be far behind.
Hey Naki Man, do you want to hold wages down?
Surely best not to come to hasty comments or decisions about this until the overall package mentioned in speech on Monday.
Looks like Labour getting the bad news out of the way first so the spotlight will be on positive aspects on Monday.
maybe in the interval between now and monday..
..we could/should look to the prescription to end poverty that was proffered by martin luther king ..
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37423.htm
“..In his final book –
– the civil rights leader laid out his vision for a universal basic income –
– that would raise all Americans into the middle class..”
phillip ure…
Coming soon to a protest near you?
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/maybe-the-most-orwellian-text-message-ever-sent
“Haw, haw, haw, haw, haw!”
The campaign to dismiss Kim Dotcom continues
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 21 January 2014
Jim Mora, Graham Bell, Bernard Hickey
JIM MORA: On the program today, Kim Dotcom’s new album—
GRAHAM BELL: Pshaw! Haw, haw, haw, haw!
BERNARD HICKEY: [wryly] You’ll be looking forward to that, Graham.
GRAHAM BELL: Haw, haw, haw, haw, haw!
That disparaging reaction is interesting. Kim Dotcom is not exactly Kanye West, but he is a skilled and accomplished rapper, as anyone who has heard his powerful indictment of government corruption “Mr President” has to admit. [1] People like Graham Bell cannot abide hearing words like the refrain of that song: “Let’s get together, let’s all unite, or they will do whatever they like.” Bell did not snicker like that simply because he is a crude and tasteless bully who wouldn’t know good music if he stumbled into a performance of the St. Matthew Passion by the Münchener Bach Orchestra & Choir. His expression of scorn for Kim Dotcom was political, though perhaps he is unaware of exactly why.
Significantly, there was none of this scoffing from the establishment when Paul Holmes put out his truly awful vanity project in 2000, an utterly horrendous collection of butchered covers entitled Paul Holmes. [2] That wasn’t the reaction of normal people of course—everyone recognized immediately that Holmes’s album was a vanity project, possible only because he had power and influence, if not the common sense to realize he had no talent. But his colleagues in the media gritted their teeth and praised him, at least in public.
Kim Dotcom, on the other hand, is an official enemy, targeted by the United States government. Not only is he a threat to the establishment, he is eloquent and immensely popular. The only way to deal with him, in the absence of any substantial argument, is to scorn him and snicker whenever his name is mentioned.
Later in the program, after the 4:30 news, the other guest, Bernard Hickey, also took the opportunity to run with the hounds and have a go at Kim Dotcom….
JIM MORA: I mean, how do YOU see Kim Dotcom? He says he’s just like a postmaster….
BERNARD HICKEY: If the postmaster knowingly allowed people to steal things from the mail, then that would be a fair comparison. But having read that Grand Jury indictment [3] against him—
GRAHAM BELL: He’s a convicted fraudster! He’s a big fat attention-seeker! I like the cartoon in the paper [4] which showed him as a big balloon about to explode! ….[drones on dully and interminably]…
So it’s business as usual on The Panel then….
http://sadhillnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/oh-lord-please-make-it-stop-sad-hill-news.jpg
[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MokNvbiRqCM
[2] Any of the thousands of complementary copies Holmes gave away for Christmas in 2000, 2001 and 2003 that have not been used as pot-scrapers or sunlight reflectors or for clay-pigeon shooting practice can be sourced from the free-bin in front of some St Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army shops.
[3] Though Bernard Hickey seems to be entirely trusting in the integrity of the U.S. government, that indictment was clearly written by Hollywood industry lawyers. For anyone that—unlike Hickey—is serious about coming to grips with the validity or otherwise of that indictment, here is one of the many rigorous examinations of it….
http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/internet/u-s-v-kim-dotcom-et-al
[4] He’s referring to an unfunny cartoon by the Herald‘s unfunny cartoonist Emmerson, who got the job after editor Gavin Ellis was browbeaten and threatened into firing the vastly superior Malcolm Evans in 2002. Not only does Bell have no musical taste, he is no judge of cartooning either.
It’s awful today again with Fox Democrat Edwards and Tory Boag on.
What got me was some employment ‘expert’ on talking about a buoyant jobs market.
Nothing from Mora.
Tell that to the 155 000
Bring back Matinee Idol. I forgot how bad Mora is,
Yes this bouyant jobs market bullshit despite earlier in the day the ‘real’ figures being discussed on the same radio station which showed ‘the jobs market’ as being patchy at best,
There’s Christchurch, a few professions, i forget which are in demand, (Health was one of them), and from there it’s pretty much ‘not so good news’,
Even that not so good news will pale as the Reserve Bank hikes the cash rate and the Banks follow with interest rate rises…
And at about 10 to 5 Boag says NZ is an egalitarian society. In 2013. Not in 1975. In 2013.
And Mora said nothing.
Neither did Fox Democrat Edwards.
Tell that to the 270 000 kids in poverty.
Yes to that (Bring back Matinee Idol). 9-5 ‘beltway hacks’, paid for experts, and various other has-beens are going to ensure the better parts of RNZ take a dive.
Even if a Matinee-Idol attempted some sort of serious analysis of current affairs – it’d be superior to the bilge that occupies 101FM and its environs – especially betweem 1pm and 4pm. (9-12 …. could do better)
“And Mora said nothing.”
Does he ever?
That’s the reason he’s the nicest man on Earth after all. Utterly inoffensive to anyone! If Adolf bloody Hitler was on “The Panel” he’d be attempting to ‘engage’ (in the nicest possible way of course).
Roy Morgan Poll out: “Labour/ Greens (46%) start election year with edge over National (43.5%) as Kim Dotcom set to launch new ‘Internet Party’ to contest elections.”….
“Today’s New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows a potential Labour/ Greens alliance (46%, up 1%) leading John Key’s National Party (43.5%, down 1.5%) in the first New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll for 2014. Support for Key’s Coalition partners has slightly improved: Maori Party 2% (up 0.5%), United Future 0.5% (up 0.5%), ACT NZ 0% (unchanged).”
Oh well. A tooth and nail battle awaits.
Here you go:
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5389-new-zealand-voting-intention-january-22-2014-201401220409
Good lead in to Cunliffe’s State of the Nation speech.
This is what the Nats polling has obviously been telling them so hence the panic stations. 🙂