Open mike 22/07/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 22nd, 2015 - 165 comments
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165 comments on “Open mike 22/07/2015 ”

  1. Paul 1

    The Herald is a dreadful rag, filling its pages with pap they garnered from social media about D grade ‘celebrities.’
    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11484464

    • The lost sheep 1.1

      They publish Pap because many people enjoy it Paul.
      If it ain’t for you, just don’t read it?
      And stop bothering us with it. I don’t think many here are interested in it.

      • Facetious 1.1.1

        +100

      • half crown 1.1.2

        “And stop bothering us with it. I don’t think many here are interested in it.”

        I am interested in his comments the same as I am interested in yours.

        I am glad he bothers us with it as it reinforces something we are aware of already and that is, the continuation of the dumbing down shit the right wing media wants us all to see. Nothing controversial, nothing that can rock the cosy right wing fucking boat, unless it is about the opposition to the right..

        Don’t read that pathetic excuse for shit house paper, but there are several international things on the go at the moment that can and will affect NZ. Have not seen one item mentioned on our Television. The likes of Christy and that simpering blond he has as a side kick are more interesting showing some guy (suppose to be funny ha ha ) taking to another’s throat with a chainsaw, minus chain of course. Very funny and mind stretching ha ha not.

        • The lost sheep 1.1.2.1

          So tell me, how do the media force people to read the pap?

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.2.1.1

            By conflating it with several gross and disrespectful acts.

            • The lost sheep 1.1.2.1.1.1

              How would that force anyone to read it if they weren’t interested in it?

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                Why is force your benchmark? The subeditor will attack me unless I at least glance at the headline?

                What if I’m interested in the blatant monetisation of deliberate offence – let’s call it ‘bullying for money’ – and The Herald’s role in that?

                Can I read it then? Perhaps I should only read things I already agree with, eh Sheep.

                • The lost sheep

                  You’ve run way off track there OAB.
                  Force is my ‘benchmark’, because of course the media can’t force you to read or watch material you don’t freely choose to take in.
                  And even if you do freely choose to take it in, neither the media or anyone else can force you to think about it in any specific manner.

                  So when HC makes yet another variation on the theme you can read here everyday, i.e. ‘The media are brainwashing people for RW purposes’, I can tell you that is bullshit because it there is no possibility of successful brainwashing occurring.

                  Many people freely choose to watch and read pap, because they enjoy doing so, and as a believer in personal freedoms, I’m all for it.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke

                    there is no possibility of successful brainwashing occurring.

                    HC didn’t say “brainwashing”, they said “dumbing down” – and that of the media content, not the audience.

                    As for what you think is a possibility and what isn’t, the notion that public opinion cannot be influenced by the media will be of great relief to anyone concerned by the cost of advertising.

                    • The lost sheep

                      As Orwell said “Propaganda only works when it coincides with what the people were inclined towards anyway”.

                      So, no, you do not have to worry that a brilliant ad might influence you to purchase anything against your free will.
                      Nor do you have to shake with fear as you read a RW Political columnist, because you cannot be influenced by them unless you find their argument convincing and so choose to be.
                      And you don’t have to be concerned that watching the Kardashians will force you to be dumber than you have already chosen to be of your own free will.

                      So called ‘RW Media’ influence is a nonsense.
                      It is merely a bullshit mechanism by which some particularly deluded Lefties rationalise away the unacceptable reality that a great number of intelligent and rational people simply not agree with many LW theories.

                    • McFlock

                      That assumes that individuals aren’t a milieu of conflicting impulses, ls.

                      Hey, part of me wants to be a selfish prick and keep my money rather than helping others with it. A tory ad appeals to that side. Part of me wants to be mellow and just drift along rather than doing something. Pap clickbait of do-nothing “celebrities” appeals to that side of me.

                      When other parts of me want to help folk, create something, write something, or thoroughly consider a subject like the nature of our society, there is little to no encouragement of that in the MSM.

                      This is “force” in the sense of a current, constantly pushing a boat in a right-wing direction. It takes energy to fight that power, simply to remain on a centre line.

                    • The lost sheep

                      When other parts of me want to help folk, create something, write something, or thoroughly consider a subject like the nature of our society, there is little to no encouragement of that in the MSM.

                      Citation needed?
                      In among all the other areas the MSM covers, I see plenty of such material?

                      This is “force” in the sense of a current, constantly pushing a boat in a right-wing direction. It takes energy to fight that power, simply to remain on a centre line.

                      Citation needed?
                      What evidence is there that such a force in RW direction exists?
                      This topic has been discussed many times here, and I have never seen any solid conclusion to that effect reached.

                    • McFlock

                      re: your first citation request: lol. Do you want me to cite something that I just said has “little to no” existence?

                      Tell you what: for every article that you can cite from the last week of NZ media (free to air channels, radio, the major broadsheets or their websites) that encourages creativity or complex thought, I can provide ten celebrity pap or conflict-driven drivel items.

                      As for the second request: description here, in Kicking the tyres : the New Zealand general election and electoral referendum of 2011
                      Jon Johansson 1961-; Stephen I. Levine; Corin Higgs
                      Wellington, N.Z. : Victoria University Press 2012

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      So, no, you do not have to worry that a brilliant ad might influence you to purchase anything against your free will.

                      Except that it does:

                      The Influence of Advertising
                      How Advertising Manipulates Your Choices and Spending Habits (and What to Do About It)

                      You see ads every day, whether it’s on a web page, before a movie, or in the middle of a TV show, and it’s easy to say “they’re just ads” because, at worst, they feel like a nuisance or interruption. A lot of people have difficulty accepting the idea that ads are manipulative because we want to believe we’re in complete control of our choices. While the concept of advertising isn’t inherently problematic, we’ve moved on from the “Eat at Joe’s” sign to far more complex and sometimes even moving, cinematic messages that are designed to create significant memories of a product. These memories are created because an ad succeeds at making us feel something—whether it’s good or bad—and that emotional response can have a profound effect on how we think and the choices we make.

                      Businesses wouldn’t spend billions every year if advertising didn’t manipulate people.

                      Nor do you have to shake with fear as you read a RW Political columnist, because you cannot be influenced by them unless you find their argument convincing and so choose to be.

                      Bollocks. RWNJ columnists do exactly the same as the advertisers – us overly emotion laden language to hide the facts and get a positive or negative response.

                      You’re obviously of the group of people who have difficulty accepting the idea that ads are manipulative because we want to believe we’re in complete control of our choices. Because of that you’re probably more manipulated than those of us who realise that the purpose of the MSM is to manipulate people.

                    • Ergo Robertina

                      ”Tell you what: for every article that you can cite from the last week of NZ media (free to air channels, radio, the major broadsheets or their websites) that encourages creativity or complex thought, I can provide ten celebrity pap or conflict-driven drivel items.”

                      Wow that sounds like a somewhat Reithian appeal for the values underpinning decent public broadcasting, McFlock. Good to see you’ve come around.

                    • McFlock

                      Nope, it was an unashamedly subjective opinion of all media, not just public broadcasting.

                      And I still think that the critically-acclaimed Top of the Lake was shit.

                    • Ergo Robertina

                      Well, we have very little public broadcasting (the vandals are even in RadioNZ now) in this country – that’s the point.
                      I don’t know why you insist on conflating a presumably commercially viable drama (which screened on Sky) you disliked with the entire concept of public broadcasting.

                  • half crown

                    “So when HC makes yet another variation on the theme you can read here everyday, i.e. ‘The media are brainwashing people for RW purposes’, I can tell you that is bullshit because it there is no possibility of successful brainwashing occurring.”

                    Hey mate what you have just written is fucking bullshit I have just seen this crap by you I never said the media is “brainwashing” for right wing purposes see my reply to you earlier response .

          • half crown 1.1.2.1.2

            “So tell me, how do the media force people to read the pap? ”

            Nowhere did I imply that they were forced to read it.

            I make the point that all the media sing from the same right wing vested interest song sheet. Apart from the papers we have Hoskins, Henry, Christy, Garner, Alfred E Neuman (Gower) just to name a few giving the same right wing shit. There is no opposing views (apart from John Campbell and we all know what happened to his programme when the right started to feel “uncomfortable” with his subject matter) to create a robust debate so the general public can form a well informed opinion.

    • Facetious 1.2

      Stop whining and get on with life.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1

        In other words, Paul, feeble trash ‘Facetious’ (Fatuous is a far better description) doesn’t like what you’re saying and would like you to stop saying it.

      • Gangnam Style 1.2.2

        “Stop whining and get on with life.” Pot meet kettle.

      • Charles 1.2.3

        Stop whining about other people whining and not getting on with their lives and get on your life without whining.

    • Puckish Rogue 1.3

      Must be the first thing you’ve said I agree with

    • ankerawshark 1.4

      I think Paul’s comments are really great. IMO he is one of a number of commenters that I value highly.

      And Open Mike is open mike………….we are free on this thread to post what we like as long as it isn’t offensive.

      Just one thing though. I am not sure this is completely mindless pap that doesn’t deserve some attention. Dom from the Edge social media comment was offensive and degrading of Crystal (I think that is her name, I don’t watch pap like Dw t S).

      I think he and his show embodies a lot of what is wrong on the airwaves. Offensive and exploitative. And remember the tee-shirt picture with “I am not sorry to be a man” taken with John Key…………….So I think it is worth reporting that many people objected to his comment and found it wasnt
      funny, but sickening really. His wife says he’s concerned when he hurts people? Then what is he going to do about his sexualizing of this woman???? The show might be pap, but its not porn.

      • Paul 1.4.1

        The Edge.
        How the right wing turn young citizens into dumbed down mindless consumers.
        Key realises the value of this propaganda outlet.
        As for the hosts, it would appear their values are in total sync with the me me me world Thatcher, Reagan and Douglas ushered in.

        Best doco ever ‘the Century of Self’ by Adam Curtis.
        Highly recommended for pr and other Rand cult believers.

        • ankerawshark 1.4.1.1

          Hi Paul,

          Agree entirely about the Edge…………….So I do think it is good if people are challenging the host Dom and saying what he posted wasn’t acceptable. Scum Dj imo.

          I do really appreciate all you posts and even though on this occasion I saw it differently, I have no problem with that. I wil try and watch the Curtis doco…..

          Cheers and keep posting.

          ps most of the Herald is pap or spin or both.

        • Realblue 1.4.1.2

          You don’t like The Edge? Don’t listen to it.

    • paul this story is about sexual harassment and objectification of women and the response to it. Learn to read the bigger story and then comment please – the minigun approach doesn’t work imo.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.5.1

        True, and so The Herald put it in the “entertainment” pages…

        • marty mars 1.5.1.1

          Front page is what I saw – this has been top for a couple of days and the responses from each party have been very interesting imo – a microscope showing some germs indeed.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.5.1.1.1

            I’m going from the url – Paul’s link.

            I was pleased to see the Clayton’s apology called out for what it was, as well as the ‘shock jock’ modus operandi on display. I hadn’t seen the front page. I note they’re calling it the “DWTS feud”, as opposed to “Idiot makes a mess, refuses to clean up.”

    • Morrissey 1.6

      Maybe the tone and quality will improve when they hire that racist Taupo WINZ manager as a columnist?

    • Draco T Bastard 1.7

      In Defence of Chrystal Chenery

      What this torrent of hostility has proved is that women’s bodies are still being treated differently. This difference is the reason Simon Barnett can wheel out his nips on ’80s night a mesh vest, yet when I go to recreate his iconic costume I make myself wear a singlet underneath for modesty. It’s the reason Dom Harvey himself can pointedly rip off his pants and shake his jockeys down the camera lens, and yet Chrystal is hounded on Facebook for being a “slut”, after exposing her underpants for a fraction of a second as a consequence of jaw-droppingly difficult routine. It’s like how Si’s shirtless ‘Dad bod’ has probably got a gold shrine in Hagley Park by now, and yet Chrystal is the one coming under fire for wearing a short sparkly dress in a dancing competition.

  2. Realblue 2

    So don’t read it. Every day you complain about the bloody Herald, be a grown up and make a grown up decision. Don’t read it.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1

      😆

      What’s with the trashy wingnut tag-team attention Paul’s getting this morning. Paul must be doing something right.

      • Ben 2.1.1

        OAB to the rescue (again). Paul’s post simply reinforces the fact that he is intolerant of other people’s opinions and viewing habits.

        Whether he likes it or not, the JJ saga is one of the 5 most viewed pages on The Hearld – why would they stop pushing the story when it is so popular? Guess what Paul..? There are other people out there that are younger, less bitter and more outgoing than you, and they actually enjoy that stuff. Not me, but I certainly don’t complain about it, and don’t click on it.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.1.1

          Paul makes no such comments. His alleged intolerance is your inference. To me it looks like he’s castigating The Herald, and several wingnuts want him to shut up.

          Intolerance of other people’s views is on display alright. Just not from Paul.

      • infused 2.1.2

        All Paul does is whinge. Much like yourself. I guess that’s why you come to his aid all the time.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.2.1

          😆

          You are a nasty hostile lot this morning, aren’t you. What’s the matter, did floods go under your bridges or something?

          • maui 2.1.2.1.1

            The wringers like the bad boys, and Dom is just one of the so called brat pack, along with Hoskings and Henry. As well as bad boys it seems they just like bad newspapers to go along side.

            • McFlock 2.1.2.1.1.1

              “brat pack”?
              Makes them sound like endearing wee scamps.

              More like fuck-ruck.

      • Paul 2.1.3

        Clearly critiquing the news is not acceptable for some. I certainly hit a nerve by commenting on their propaganda machine.

        If the Herald were only outlet out of many and it was foisting this celebrity sensationalism on us, then I’d probably defer from commenting so regularly on it. But the Herald is the only newspaper in the Auckland region.

        And Fairfax’s garbage is probably worse. Their stable of papers pump out pretty much the same level of trivia posing as news.

        TV news has degenerated into the pap led by Hosking, Henry, Christie and others. Unbiased high level news it certainly isn’t.

        If you turn on the radio airwaves, there are the odd oases, but here they are still dominated by the shrill voices on ZB and Radio Live.

        So you see in NZ there are only a small minority of voices now that don’t subscribe to the neo-liberal propaganda machine. And this has seen a gradual and deliberate dumbing down of the population, so that many citizens are able to dicsuss the All Blacks, Reality TV shows and celebrity gossip in great detail, yet are ignorant about the issues that really affect their lives, like the TPP, Climate Change, the neoliberal experiment and foreign affairs, to name but a few.

        I think that this is the reason the shills for the elite who attend this site don’t like my critique of the Herald.

        Can I encourage everyone, including those attacking me with their usual ad hominems, to watch this film. It’s about the Amercian media and in many ways our own media is more owned and controlled than theirs?

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SAUborWbPw

    • RedLogix 2.2

      Actually you are right RB. Scoop, Guardian, RadioNZ, RT, Aljazeera are all a LOT more interesting. The local rags really are just a bad habit.

    • DH 2.3

      “Every day you complain about the bloody Herald, be a grown up and make a grown up decision. Don’t read it.”

      The irony is thick here…… could also tell the lurking media types to stop reading The Standard if they don’t like what they read.

  3. Skinny 3

    Not surprisingly ‘the good ole boys network’ running Auckland Super City. Asian and Pacific Islander’s well under represented.

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11484680&ref=NZH

  4. Brendan 4

    House price rise increases inequality – English. No shit Bill! What have you been doing about that?

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/279353/house-price-rise-increases-inequality-english

    • tc 4.1

      Making sure it continues as that what their backers want.

      Blinglish is good at faking concern which comes from a lifetime in the beltway never working outside the bubble of treasury/national party MP.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1.1

        “We’re keen to get the cost of housing down”.

        That’s the plan: aspirational.

        One way house prices can come down is when the bubble goes pop and people are left with negative equity. I wonder if Double Dipton has heard of that.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1.1

          Probably counting on it as it makes it easier to shift more people into private rentals so that the rentiers can become bigger bludgers.

  5. vto 5

    it is that time of the year when the absence of the rich in our neighbourhoods is noticed.

    they are all in the islands or northern hemisphere, hiding from the cold and dark winter…. they do it every year …….

    and do you know what? It highlights their lack of use in society. We all carry on, doing the necessary work to keep our communities going, smiling with the gods of life..

    .. while they are absent. The rich are unnecessary and this time of life when they all abandon our lands proves it.

    The rich are of no use. Proved.

    • Clean_power 5.1

      How do you know they are not saying exactly the same about you while wherever they are enjoying their holidays? The poor are of no use. Proved.

      It cuts both ways.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1

        That must be why general strikes are illegal. No, wait…

      • adam 5.1.2

        So you hate the poor Clean_power?

        Well that explains a lot about why you come across as having no empathy – and very little in the way of ethics.

      • vto 5.1.3

        Clean-power that is a useless statement / knee jerk response. But nonetheless…… how is such proved? How is it that the rich being out of the country and the poor being in the country prove that the poor are of no use?

        It doesn’t.

        And unless you can come up with something quickly then you are an idiot. And a waste of space – you wouldn’t happen to be rich per chance would you?

        • Clean_power 5.1.3.1

          No, I do not hate the poor (but you seem to hate the rich).
          I was using the analogy to ridicule your absurd and nonsensical statement “The rich are of no use. Proved.”

          • vto 5.1.3.1.1

            I didn’t ask if you hate the poor.

            And there is nothing absurd or nonsensical about my statement that the rich are of no use. I made the statement and then provided some evidence to prove it, namely that the country carries on regardless when the rich are out of the country, therefore the rich are useless.

            What evidence have you got for your baseless statement that the poor are useless? Anything? You have nothing so far – nothing. You’ve got nothing clean-power. You are useless too. Put up or shut up.

          • Charles 5.1.3.1.2

            I notice you use words I would not have used, in ways I would not consider. Possibly you are not me, which would explain a lot. I say this to expose the nonsensical absurdity of you not being me.

      • McFlock 5.1.4

        Oh, I’m sure they have interchangable poor people where they holiday. To make the cocktails and clean the shower.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.5

        http://www.angryflower.com/atlass.gif

        So, no, it doesn’t cut both ways. We can do without the rich. In fact, we can’t afford them and we should stop paying for them.

      • Paul 5.1.6

        A very telling statement.

  6. The Chairman 6

    The ultimate Claytons dairy farm sale

    Shanghai Pengxin spokeswoman confirmed that there was no intention on the part of the company to sell the farms but it was going through the procedure because it had to follow the law.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/70429467/shanghai-pengxin-puts-all-its-farms-up-for-sale

    • The Chairman 6.1

      Ponder this:

      If one can openly tout they are merely going through the process, what’s the point of such toothless legislation?

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/70429467/shanghai-pengxin-puts-all-its-farms-up-for-sale

    • vto 6.2

      If there is an obligation to put the farms up for sale then there is clearly an obligation to sell….

      will be interesting to see an offer come in
      will be interesting to see them turn down the offer
      will be interesting to see a high court judge consider their refusal to accept offer and make them sell

      this should be most definitely be played out through the courts, especially in light of the fact that the company has stated it has no intention of genuinely offering for sale, contrary to the legislation ………

  7. Molly 7

    One for philure if he is still visiting….

    The Yes Men: Skip Showers for Beef campaign.

  8. Molly 8

    Nick Smith will be heading to Aussie in October to talk to some of their social housing non-profits. So the intent to offload state housing at all costs will continue.

    Would have had more credibility if this kind of investigation had taken place before the decision to offload had been made. But even then – it has nothing to do with outcomes, just ideology.

  9. Morrissey 9

    “We’re white. That’s the problem. We’re white.”
    The spirit of Sir Paul Holmes raises its ugly head in Taupo

    A Māori woman and a Pākehā male are refused entry into a Taupo bar because of inebriation issues. The Pākehā male glares in outraged faux-wonderment at the bouncer, who is Māori, and rants at the bouncer in a wheedling tone….

    (I’ve edited out the drunken contributions by his female companion, and also the good-natured, professional restraint of the bouncer.)

    “That’s why your bar’s shit. You don’t let the right people in. We wanna come in here and pay money. … [some indistinct mumbling]…. We’re WHITE. That’s the problem. We’re white, that’s the problem. Intoxicated? You don’t even know what intoxicated means. That’s CRAZY! I can’t believe you would say that. I’ve just WATCHED who you’ve let in. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Racist, that’s what it is. Racist shit. F***ing n***ers! No that’s what it is, racist shit. That’s what it is.”

    If this fool is fired, as he should be, no doubt he would fit in perfectly to a job at NewstalkZB.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11484044

    • Puckish Rogue 9.1

      His sense of entitlement and playing of the race card suggests he should stand for Labour at the next election

      • Morrissey 9.1.1

        No, it’s National that’s the racist party. Certainly, Labour has come out of the Chinese names fiasco looking incredibly inept, and many people were disturbed by the Clark government’s brutal persecution of Ahmed Zaoui, which involved a considerable element of racism.

        So Labour is by no means perfect, as we have seen recently. But it is National that still bears the shame of the overtly racist 1975 campaign—they were targeting Pacific Islanders back then—and, more recently, the shame of Don Brash’s anti-Māori campaign, and employed the maliciously racist John Ansell to design the infamous “Iwi/Kiwi” billboards.

        • Puckish Rogue 9.1.1.1

          Of course the dawn raids were started by Labour in 1973 but yes National did continue them with gusto

          • Morrissey 9.1.1.1.1

            “With gusto”? That’s a very diplomatic way of portraying a campaign of overwhelming force against people who National voters at that time sneeringly called “the Coconuts”. People like Sam Lotu-Liga seem to be unaware of that, but most Pasifika people are not.

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.1.1.1.1

              I’m sure there more than a few union memebers that were anti “the Coconuts” taking “their” jobs at the time as well

              • Morrissey

                I’m sure there more than a few union memebers that were anti “the Coconuts” taking “their” jobs at the time as well

                There were racist workers, of course. They voted for Muldoon.

    • weka 9.2

      Still don’t know why who they’re employed by was an issue.

      • Morrissey 9.2.1

        Still don’t know why who they’re employed by was an issue.

        Actually, it’s crucial. That Mike Hosking/Paul Holmes soundalike ranting about “f***ing ni**ers” is a senior manager at Work and Income New Zealand. Surely that is one organisation that demands a minimal standard of decency and decorum. Well, at least since Christine Spankin’ Rankin left.

        • weka 9.2.1.1

          Yes, the dept should look at that. But it’s not part of the news story unless they were on work time.

          • Morrissey 9.2.1.1.1

            That’s true, but they hold positions of public responsibility in a small town, and to behave with such a flagrant disregard of public decency—unleashing that obscenity-larded racist tirade—surely disqualifies him from holding that position from now on.

            His female companion’s behaviour was foolish, and she was drunk in a public place—but the really offensive behaviour was all on the part of the male.

            • weka 9.2.1.1.1.1

              That might all be true, and given he got himself filmed in public I hope his employers do look at the incident and consider how this might impact on his ability to do his job. But it still is not a matter for the media or public unless he was on work time.

  10. My two cents on Max and Instagram and why I think we should be discussing children. Everybody’s children. period!

    Politician’s Children Should Be Left Alone…. Should They?

  11. cricklewood 12

    Sean Plunkett has just ripped corrections minister to shreds on radio live. He managed to get confirmation the victim was injured at Mount Eden prior to the transfer…

    • McFlock 12.1

      This really is fucking disgusting.

      I really hope some prisoners manage to sue the crap out of Serco and corrections.

    • greywarshark 12.2

      Gosh all day it has been like the immaculate conception just like a bolt out of the blue sometime after arrival at Ngawha.

      And my racist feelings are getting the better of me. If I’m going to hear some johnny talking down the grim Serco reality why can’t it be a Kiwi, nawt a Scotsman.

  12. Clemgeopin 13

    Sam Lotu Iinga, Corrections Minister answers (?) Sean Plunket’s simple questions on Radio Live:

    Listen and get enlightened.

    http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Corrections-Minister-fronts-over-prison-death/tabid/506/articleID/91909/Default.aspx

    • crashcart 13.1

      Wow it was really nice of Plunket to install that new asshole for the minister. He may have been able to be a bit more gentle but it sounds like it is really big.

      • mac1 13.1.1

        The Corrections Minister will be sacked after that interview with Sean Plunket for his inability to lie and obfuscate with ease, and for his not bailing out of the interview once he started getting the rough handling.

        “Can I suggest to you Minister that you get better prepared because it’s very hard to interview you when you are not prepared.” (paraphrased)

        This however was the same minister who had no problem with accusing Labour’s first speaker, Kelvin Davis, in the urgent debate on Serco and Mt Eden of bringing a dead man into the argument.

        In essence what the Minister was saying was that he won’t speak until he has all the facts, and hopefully that won’t be until the media has moved onto the next important issue such as crotch-displays and drunken drummers.

        The Minister has not answered why reports many months old were not acted upon by persons responsible in Serco and the Department which spoke of staged fights, harm including broken jaws, broken legs and ruptured lungs.

        Also not answered is why Serco did not know about what inmates were up to without supervision when congregated together. No staff member around? No body to hear the sounds of fighting? No officer to check the damage done to bodies?

        The Speaker was right in his introduction to allow the urgent debate. This is an important matter. Kelvin Davis was also right to point out that the State has the right to incarcerate and also the obligation to care for those it incarcerates.

        Not only are prisoners poorly supervised and being harmed by other inmates but prisoners are not getting the help which inmates need to help address their problems.

        A society is judged on its treatment of its most vulnerable and powerless. Inmates, especially on remand and awaiting trial, are at the mercy of the quality and amount of protection offered by their jailers, acting on the government’s, and our, behalf.

        • Colonial Rawshark 13.1.1.1

          +100

          the ability to take away a persons freedom is amongst the most coercive powers of the Crown – therefore it must not be contracted out and the Crown must fully discharge all responsibilities associated with the exercise of that coercive power.

        • greywarshark 13.1.1.2

          The Nacts would be inclined to allocate this unpleasant Corrections portfolio to one of their brown group, or one of the women, but more likely to be a man. It would not be high on the pecking order I should think.

          Social Welf is an interesting one, suitable for a woman but also with a very large budget so having managed that successfully, if that is a suitable word, Poorer Benefit has proved herself.

          Corrections, should be a doddle according to the theory of Private Enterprise Proficiency or PEP – just made that up – but theory and reality being long divorced poor Corrections guy better take his suits in, as he’s going to lose weight.

  13. Les 14

    from ‘The Big Short’-Michael Lewis-‘we have a simple thesis…said Eisman.There is going to be a calamity,and whenever there is a calamity,Merrill is there.Merrill Lynch was the little fat kid assigned the least pleasant roles,just happy to be part of things’.Interesting read in light of Wall St bankers comments that ‘no one saw it coming(GFC)’.The complicity and duplicity of the ratings agencies and financial institutions and the amorality and incompetence is mind blowing.And what has changed?Aren’t we lucky to have an ex Merrill manager as P.M….THE ‘BEST’ IS YET TO COME.:(

  14. weka 15

    Sharon Murdoch nails Key again as Hawaiian Joy Germ Hits New Zealand,

    https://twitter.com/domesticanimal/status/623579412869419008

  15. Clemgeopin 16

    QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

    1. Dr JIAN YANG to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he received on the performance of the New Zealand economy and the Government’s management of its finances?

    2. ANDREW LITTLE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his justification for the $26 million process to consider changing the flag that “It’s just sheer confusion with Australia. Even at APEC they tried to take me to Abbott’s seat”?

    3. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?

    4. Dr PARMJEET PARMAR to the Minister for Building and Housing: What are the costs and benefits of the recently announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 that will require homes to be insulated and to have smoke alarms?

    5. GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Finance: When did he first become aware that there was an international glut of dairy products and does he stand by his reported comments that he has no plans to take active steps to diversify the economy in response to falling dairy prices?

    6. JAMES SHAW to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his answers to Oral Question No. 4 yesterday?

    7. RICHARD PROSSER to the Minister of Finance: Is he still sceptical about how effective a register of foreign property buyers would be; if so, why?

    8. Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: What recent reports has he received on the effectiveness of the child immunisation programme?

    9. PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement about whether inequality was a problem in the Auckland housing market, “We’ve been concerned about that for some time, that there’s part of Auckland where there’s been really no new supply of lower value houses that low and middle-income families can afford”?

    10. JONO NAYLOR to the Minister of Justice: What announcements has she made about improving the oversight and supervision for offenders deported to New Zealand?

    11. METIRIA TUREI to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “You certainly wouldn’t want to say to a low-income family they can never own a home, because I believe that they can own a home.”?

    12. KELVIN DAVIS to the Minister of Corrections: Does he stand by his statement in regards to the July 2014 report on fight clubs in Mt Eden Corrections Facility, that he “became aware of the report’s existence only late last week”?

    QUESTIONS TO MEMBERS

    1. MAHESH BINDRA to the Member in charge of the New Zealand International Convention Centre Act 2013 Repeal Bill: What is the intention of the New Zealand International Convention Centre Act 2013 Repeal Bill?

    2. CLAYTON MITCHELL to the Member in charge of the Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill: What is the intention of the Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill?

    ENDS

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1507/S00346.htm

    • greywarshark 16.1

      Heard Kelvin Davis on radionz this morning and he fronted up to media confidently, clearly and with thoughtful approach so he wasn’t caught out in any traps.

      • Puckish Rogue 16.1.1

        To think Labour (and more than a few people on here as well) wanted him to throw in the towel and let Hone win

      • Chooky 16.1.2

        greywarshark +100…Kelvin Davis seems to be doing quite well…he would make a good Labour list MP….thereby leaving TTT to Mana/Int and Hone ( Mana/Int had some great prospective MPs….)

        …thereby creating a valuable flaxroots/grassroots Left Maori Party coalition partner for Labour ( similar to the supportive role Act plays for Nactional)…

      • Morrissey 16.1.3

        Heard Kelvin Davis on radionz this morning and he fronted up to media confidently, clearly and with thoughtful approach so he wasn’t caught out in any traps.

        I presume by your positive comment that he did better than he did when attacked by Paul Henry on TV3 just after 7 o’clock. Davis was clearly rattled by Henry’s aggressive, disrespectful tone, and became practically incoherent. I’m going to put up a transcript of the débâcle on Open Mike tomorrow morning.

        • greywarshark 16.1.3.1

          Yes Radio this a.m. I don’t watch tv at present. I feel disinclined to watch anything put on by sleaze running television now except for Maori which I hope is managing to not get sucked into the vortex. Trying to hold onto thoughts while being needled by death heads like Henry sounds would rattle anyone. Perhaps all pollies should go to boot camps conducted by trained Army, police personnel or callous courtroom lawyers trained in intensive questioning.

  16. joe90 17

    Tory wrecking ball set to wreck everything that’s good about informing, educating and entertaining.

    http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/bbc/36237/the-bbc-funding-and-why-its-worth-fighting-for

  17. Rosemary McDonald 18

    And in the “Government employee actually does his job” category…

    Paul Gibson addresses the Health Select Committee…

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/279402/call-for-inquiry-into-family-caregiver-pay

    Paul Gibson has been so consistently staunch in his government paid role as the advocate for disabled people that I constantly fear for his continued employment.

  18. greywarshark 19

    A book that all Labour fans may not have read.

    1890
    by Warwick Johnston
    DESCRIPTION:
    It is election night, 5 December 1890. Willis Street in Wellington is a sea of people all jostling for a vantage point in front of the massive illuminated results board. This night is the culmination of an extraordinary year in our brief history. It heralds the dawn of socialism, unionism, and inevitably, the New Zealand Labour Party. In 1890 we see the events leading up to the election through the eyes of two fledgling union activists, Marty and Tui, in a fresh and insightful perspective of one of our most turbulent and significant eras.

    Available Trademe $22 Buy Now Free shipping

    • greywarshark 19.1

      Book – WW1
      Trme $23 post $3 (comes from Oz)

      Good-bye to all that by Robert Graves
      Description:
      There was no patriotism in the trenches. It was too remote a sentiment, and rejected as fit only for civilians. A new arrival who talked patriotism would soon be told to cut it out. As Blighty, Great Britain was a quiet, easy place to get back to out of the present foreign misery, but as a nation it was nothing. This is the original version of Robert Graves’ intense memoir of the First World War, restoring this raw, emotionally truthful, darkly comic work to the way it was first written, by a young man still reeling from the trenches.

      We see the dark heart of the book even more clearly, and hear it beating even more loudly, in this original edition than we do in the comparatively careful and considered terms of the later one’ Andrew Motion ‘One of the most candid self-portraits, warts and all, ever painted. (TLS). Robert Graves was born in 1895 in Wimbledon. He went from school to the First World War, where he became a captain in the Royal Welch Fusiliers and was seriously wounded at the Battle of the Somme. He wrote his autobiography, Goodbye to All That, in 1929, and it was soon established as a modern classic. He died on 7 December 1985 in Majorca, his home since 1929.

      Andrew Motion’s most recent collection of poetry is The Cinder Path. He was poet laureate from 1999 to 2009 and is now Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Fran Brearton is Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen’s University Belfast and author of The Great War in Irish Poetry.

      • Chooky 19.1.1

        +100..great book!

      • half crown 19.1.2

        Thanks for that greywarshark, I am always on the outlook for good new reading material especially when someone can give a good appraisal.
        I have just finished Thomas Pakenham’s Boar War. If you have not read it I can highly recommend it.
        A large book but extremely comprehensive Without giving too much detail about it all I can say is that History has a nasty habit of repeating itself and fucking politicians of all colours never learn.
        For Blair and Bush with the weapons of mass destruction to get at the oil in Iraq, read Rhodes and Milner and the poor Uitlanders to get at the Rand gold.
        The British generals would have been the biggest bunch of incompetents the world has seen with some of them going on to create mayhem in the first world war like Butcher Haig, Hamilton, and the biggest prat of them all who set up the concentration camps in South Africa, Kitchener.

        I will try and get 1890 on my e reader.

        Another good book, once again if you have not read it is “It’s Not Rocket Science” by Ben Miller
        Never heard of him but he’s a comedian in the uk
        This is what the preamble says about the book.
        Black holes. DNA. The Large Hadron Collider. Ever had that sneaking feeling that you are missing out on some truly spectacular science?
        You do? Well, fear not, for help is at hand.
        Ben Miller was working on his Physics PhD at Cambridge when he accidentally became a comedian. But first love runs deep, and he has returned to his roots to share with you all his favourite bits of science. This is the stuff you really need to know, not only because it matters but because it will quite simply amaze and delight you.
        ‘Let me show you another, perhaps less familiar side of Science; her beauty, her seductiveness and her passion. And let’s do it quickly, while Maths isn’t looking’

        • greywarshark 19.1.2.1

          Great half crown. Thanks for heads up.
          Talking about science I was trying an aphorism out in my head so will try it out on you. Don’t worry telling me if you don’t like it!

          On spending $100 mill (or pounds) looking for signs of intelligent life in space,
          I think this goes from blue sky research to black hole. And if it’s good science then we might find pi in the sky.

          And I consider comparing the venture to James Cook setting out into unknown waters, is like the simplistic comparing of the nation’s economic transactions with a citizen’s household budget.

          If they wanted to do some blue sky research on earth, they could scan the brains of all politicians and armed forces heads and advisors? Probably nearly all aliens if we only knew.

          • half crown 19.1.2.1.1

            Ha I like it.
            I have thought for ages that a lot of politicians are Aliens. There is a lot of Si Fi fiction about Aliens amongst us I am not sure that it is fiction, it is for real.
            Apart from the politicians The likes of Gower and Hoskins are definitely not from this world.
            It has been said the only thing that has made Prof Hawkins survive all these years with that terrible Motor Neuron disease is his determination of solving his theories on black Holes.
            Is the singularity a potential big bang into another dimension?
            Apart from doing some blue sky research, he can resolve and prove his theorem by coming to NZ, as I suspect our John Key and his government are definitely from another dimension.
            Think of all the money they will save, as it will only cost them the air fare and accommodation and I don’t think they will need to stay longer than half hour.

            On a more serious note , many on here have suggested good books to read.
            So please keep us informed of any good books you have read. I do look at Good Reads but I find books suggested by other people are always good as the y tend to give a unbiased opinion.
            That Boar War was suggested to me by a South African, he also suggested Pakenham’s “Scramble for Africa” The little bits I have read, it appears to be another good book.

    • Chooky 19.2

      thanks..is this a new book ie can I get it at Whitcoulls?

      • greywarshark 19.2.1

        Hi Chooky
        Can try. Here is the guff about it. Perhaps you can phone or email and ask – quote number etc.

        This is from online Southern Skies that has it for about $13.60 approx. There are numerous copies from different suppliers on line, and each seems to have a different number. I guess this is for different editions. Prices differ and not all of them mention other poets and writers like Motion.
        Product Details:
        ISBN: 9781909621053
        Format: Hardback
        Pages: 480
        Dims (mm): 93 x 150
        Pub Date: 01-09-13
        Pub Country: United Kingdom
        Condition: NEW

  19. McFlock 20

    I read somewhere but lost the link that the SNP have nicked the opposition front benches from Labour after the UKLabs abstained on the tory welfare cuts. SNP decided that the Opposition needs to actually oppose in order to deserve the title 🙂

  20. G C 21

    John Key is killing it in The House today. Andrew Little leading with questions about the ‘flag’! John Key totally made Mr Little look like an out-of-touch fool!

    National are now asking themselves the ‘big topic’ questions. Labour have yet again missed an opportunity – opportunities are just hanging on the vine for Labour, yet they wont pick them.

    Labour seems like a hopeless case. #ShiftingCamps

    Hold Up… …Here comes Grant Robertson on Dairy…

    2:25pm

  21. Macro 22

    El Nino brings hottest 6th month global temperatures in 136 years of records – and still developing. So much for an “hiatus”! Look for a hum dinger of a drought here this summer folks. Thank goodness I’m not a dairy farmer.
    http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/el-nino-fuels-hottest-june-and-hottest-six-months-on-record-us-agency-noaa-20150721-gigqju

    • Chooky 22.1

      pretty sobering!…last summer was unbearable at times….and some farmers still have not received rain…desperate alright…especially if you are a dairy farmer

      I am puzzled however about the talk of a new small ‘ice age’ coming in the next 15 years…personally i hope so…although it may not do much to stop global warming

      http://www.sciencealert.com/a-mini-ice-age-is-coming-in-the-next-15-years

      http://www.livescience.com/51597-maunder-minimum-mini-ice-age.html

      http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4277443.htm

      • Chooky 22.1.1

        Looks like the ‘ice age’ will only buy time from the relentless global warming:

        http://www.iflscience.com/environment/mini-ice-age-not-reason-ignore-global-warming

        ‘There Probably Won’t Be A “Mini Ice Age” In 15 Years’

        Zharkova ” commented on how the changes in the Sun are likely to affect the Earth’s environment. “During the minimum, the intensity of solar radiation will be reduced dramatically. So we will have less heat coming into the atmosphere, which will reduce the temperature.”

        However, Zharkova ends with a word of warning: not about the cold but about humanity’s attitude toward the environment during the minimum. We must not ignore the effects of global warming and assume that it isn’t happening. “The Sun buys us time to stop these carbon emissions,” Zharkova says. The next minimum might give the Earth a chance to reduce adverse effects from global warming.

      • Macro 22.1.2

        I wouldn’t hold out much hope for that Chooky. The physics regarding the solar minimum is fine – yes that is likely to happen around then, but the drop in solar energy received will be about equivalent to the current energy imbalance of the Earth now (approx 3 w /sq m) that drop would only last for a few years at most and would only lead to a slowdown in global warming – not an “ice age”. That is never going to happen in the short to medium term – there is already too much carbon in the atmosphere. The mathematics/physic prof should have consulted a climate scientist before shooting her mouth off about a “mini-ice-age”. Valentina Zharkova would have been quickly informed that such was not the case.
        http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/jul/16/no-the-sun-isnt-going-to-save-us-from-global-warming

        • Chooky 22.1.2.1

          yes I see belatedly that you are probably right…sigh….I am going to load up with baked beans , matches and head for the nearest ravine when it gets too hot…will take cats and have invited friends …family thinks it is funny …but I say you have to have a plan and be prepared ….but even being prepared will probably only delay the inevitable…death by frying

          …in the meantime plant more trees!

          • Macro 22.1.2.1.1

            🙂 I will not see it or least ways I’ll be a very old man by then. But I fear for my children and grandchildren. They will bear the brunt of it.
            Was out planting trees today. We have a very active group here lead by Ken (90! ) replanting wetlands by the new Kopu Bridge. You can see the Ngaio raising their heads above the old man mangroves as you pass over the bridge now. The pohutakawa are doing well – some flowered last summer – and the ariel roots are making an appearance. Just 400 meters from our home is the oldest arboretum in the country and I spend some time in there as well tending tracks and weeding etc.

            • Chooky 22.1.2.1.1.1

              great!..there is great satisfaction in planting trees

            • BM 22.1.2.1.1.2

              Being a baby boomer do you carry guilt for the state that the world is.

              Do you believe that you are some how responsible and need to make amends before you pass on?

              • Macro

                Being a baby boomer do you carry guilt for the state the the world is.

                Yes I do. In my younger days I was quite a petrol head. Owned my first car at age 15. I still have my motorcycle (1957 R50 BMW), a classic car, and 2 others. There is no public transport here. But my petrol usage has dropped substantially having moved from the country into town. 5 mins gets me almost everywhere I need to go these days.
                In the 1950’s and 60’s the concept of Global warming was little known – and indeed wasn’t really fully understood until the 80’s. I had the fortune to travel to Welliington each day in the late 70’s early 80’s with one of NZ’s foremost Climate Scientists who was at that time just completing his Doctorate on the NZ temperature record. As I was an educator in mathematics and science he and I had long and interesting discussions as to the nature of Global warming – so I became interested in climate science then and have followed it closely ever since. I have also been actively involved for a number of years working to bring awareness to as many as I can.

                • Chooky

                  @Macro…….many brownie points for educating on climate change….I have found it hard to understand …or havent been bothered to try…however I recognise it is THE major problem facing humanity and the planet and ecosystems and animals…

                  recently I have been reading a book given to me by a friend ‘This Changes Everything’ by Naomi Klein on the issues around climate change….am finding it surprisingly compelling and easy to read….

                  • Macro

                    Yes that is a very good book. She is a great communicator – I bought it for my daughter who is also very active in this area. Her “Shock Doctrine” is also a must read as is “War without end” – to which she is a contributing author.

              • Chooky

                @ BM…moi?…well I still have a wood fire…a luxury I guess ( but we grow trees too)…I have only had two children and admire those who don’t have any( the rest of my immediate family and my partner’s have not replaced themselves)…i do drive a car approx.twice a week ( dont speed)…i dont use planes often …in fact rarely ( but that is only because I cant afford airfares)…i like to travel by train and tram and bus…we cook most of our meals…( rarely eat out)…have a vege garden( not a good one)…try to eat locally…like op shops for clothes best!…. visit the hair dresser infrequently….when I die I want to be buried in a sheet and dug in ….and have tree planted on top ( so no cremation smoke /funeral/ embalming burial costs or ghastly speeches…they can pass the whiskey bottle around )..support Green Peace and environmental groups

                …most of all I am proud that I live in an environmentally aware culture and dont live in an overpopulated culture…to me overpopulation is the biggest curse …and humankind’s biggest irresponsibility…those countries which have cultural overpopulation ( generally coexist with patriarchal sexism) and environmental problems should sort them out…and not spread their overpopulation and problems to other countries

                so no i dont feel overburdened with guilt about global warming

            • Macro 22.1.2.1.1.3

              ps – I’m a fan of the furry friends too 🙂 our HRH the princess shinky-paws lollabout, is now cat napping after 3 helpings of dinner on the sofa.

            • maui 22.1.2.1.1.4

              Good man! I do a bit of that too, tree planting that is.

  22. Paul 23

    The ACT Party propose the continued fire sale of our country to speculators from Beijing, Berlin, Birmingham and Boston.

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11485101

    • Clemgeopin 23.1

      It is both astonishing and sad that the philosopher has focused on a very narrow view and hasn’t really thought things through properly. Most of the readers commenting on the article seem to have understood the matter much better.

  23. Chooky 24

    ACT is a mad dog …and mad dogs should be ….

  24. Chooky 25

    …transmogrification? …whatever the nature of the beast ….it is still keeping jonkey nact alive

  25. Mike the Savage One 26

    With all good will and desire for democracy and liberty, how can we fight these forces, well equipped by endless numbers of volunteers and mercenaries, from poverty, readily radicalised, to take up arms?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7BEAKrb-bI

    I despair about the future and lack of answers.

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  • Labour’s final report card
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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