Open mike 22/08/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 22nd, 2016 - 206 comments
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openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

206 comments on “Open mike 22/08/2016 ”

  1. Paul 1

    Looks like another surge of immigrants is arriving to put further pressure on our housing crisis.

    http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/83406855/British-registrations-to-move-to-New-Zealand-double-after-Brexit-Immigration-NZ

    Neoliberalism relies on globalisation and encourages immigration to weaken workers’ bargaining positions. This excerpt comes from a brilliant article by Martin Jacques.

    “But the causes of this political crisis, glaringly evident on both sides of the Atlantic, are much deeper than simply the financial crisis and the virtually stillborn recovery of the last decade. They go to the heart of the neoliberal project that dates from the late 70s and the political rise of Reagan and Thatcher, and embraced at its core the idea of a global free market in goods, services and capital. The depression-era system of bank regulation was dismantled, in the US in the 1990s and in Britain in 1986, thereby creating the conditions for the 2008 crisis. Equality was scorned, the idea of trickle-down economics lauded, government condemned as a fetter on the market and duly downsized, immigration encouraged, regulation cut to a minimum, taxes reduced and a blind eye turned to corporate evasion.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/21/death-of-neoliberalism-crisis-in-western-politics

  2. weka 2

    A geologist speculating on how water from the Tukituki might have gotten into the aquifer (drought created cracks in the clay, flooding spread the water to those areas). I’m still not seeing very good explanations though (is this surface clay? The 2 impervious layers?)

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/311529/river-water-may-have-contaminated-supply-scientist

  3. The Chairman 3

    The Māori King will not be voting for Labour again.

    He said he had changed his mind about the party after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/311515/maori-king-rejects-labour-in-unscripted-speech-closing

    However, didn’t Labour and the Greens recently extend an open invitation to any party that wanted to join them in changing the Government? Or has that now been retracted?

    Thoughts?

    • Wyndham 3.1

      It is difficult not to see the hand of Tuku Morgan behind most of what King Tuheitia says. Tuku appears to be making a strong political come back with his recent ascension to president of the Maori Party and a declared interest in bringing Hone Harawira in from the political wilderness.

      • The Chairman 3.1.1

        Indeed, it is difficult not to see the hand of Tuku Morgan at play.

        However, if Labour did change their position and have now ruled out working with the Māori Party, one could argue his position has some merit. Perhaps he was also unhappy with Labour’s unwillingness to work with Hone?

        • Anne 3.1.1.1

          I presume Labour has ruled out working with the Maori Party because the M.P. has supported almost every bit of government legislation to which Labour is implacably opposed. In such circumstances, Labour is correct to side-step the M.P. If they can’t to what’s right by their own people, then what chance to trust them on anything else.

          • marty mars 3.1.1.1.1

            How many votes have labour mate with there mates in the gnats???

            Talk about letting people down – A+ for labs.

          • weka 3.1.1.1.2

            Have Labour ruled out working with the Mp? Citation please.

            • The Chairman 3.1.1.1.2.1

              “Have Labour ruled out working with the Mp?”

              According to the Māori King.

              However, as highlighted by Sabine, it seems the King is being somewhat disingenuous. Unless there is more to it and he knows something we don’t?

              • weka

                So that would be a no then. And all this speculation is based on a single sentence in an RNZ report that isn’t even a quote. And no-one bothering to define what ‘working with’ means in this context.

                None of us yet know what either Labour or the Mp think or have done, nor really even what the Māori King said/meant.

                • The Chairman

                  “So that would be a no then. And all this speculation is based on a single sentence in an RNZ report that isn’t even a quote.”

                  No.

                  Little was also interviewed about it on RNZ. He didn’t dispute Labour no longer willing to work with them.

                  And there is this from TV3, the King blamed comments made by Little that Labour couldn’t work with the Māori Party.

                  Nanaia Mahutatold told Newshub the Māori King was as free to make political statements as anyone else, but that she has spoken to Mr Little about it.

                  “I’ve given him a brief of what was said and the context in which it was said. It’s up to Andrew in terms of how he chooses to respond.”

                  However, Ms Mahuta wouldn’t be drawn on whether Mr Little should retract and apologise for his comments, to heal divisions.

                  “There is no doubt Andrew will reflect on a whole lot of comments from a whole lot of people.”

                  • weka

                    Can you please link to where Little made this statement on RNZ?

                    • weka

                      Thanks.

                      So, there is nothing there that says that Labour won’t work with the Mp (he does say they won’t work with Harawira).

                      Which means this whole conversation is based on pretty much nothing.

                    • The Chairman

                      The assertion that Labour won’t work with the MP was made by the King in the first link provided. Which is one of the reasons why he won’t be voting Labour. And which Little was later questioned on in the last link provided.

                      What I found interesting was Little never addressed the reason why the King won’t be voting Labour.

                      If the King was mistaken or incorrect, surely that would have been one of the first things Little would have addressed?

                      It was also somewhat supported by the report on TV3. Which I already highlighted above.

                      http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/mori-king-dumps-labour-backs-mori-and-mana-2016082209

                      The whole thing raises a lot of questions, hence why I started the discussion.

                    • weka

                      “The assertion that Labour won’t work with the MP was made by the King in the first link provided.”

                      Not quite. RNZ report that he said something like that. There is no quote or context.

                      The audio with Little was obviously edited and we don’t get to hear the original question. He wasn’t asked if Labour have ruled out working with the Mp, it doesn’t come up. He was asked about ruling out Harawira and answers that.

                      So, all we have is a single sentence in an RNZ report that no-one on the largest left wing blog in NZ is able to confirm.

                    • The Chairman

                      Your overlooking it was also reported to be asserted by the King on TV3, which was a little more specific in their reporting. Directly naming Little and quoting the King as finding Little’s statement (Labour couldn’t work with the MP) “hurtful”

                      Nanaia Mahuta was also questioned on whether Little should retract and apologise, but wouldn’t be drawn.

                      Therefore, we have more than a single sentence in a RNZ report, but questions still remain.

                      As you point out, it’s interesting no-one on the largest left wing blog in NZ is able to confirm Labour’s alleged change of position, thus allowing us to fully ascertain whether the King and what has been reported is on the level.

            • Anne 3.1.1.1.2.2

              I was replying to TC @ 3 weka.

              Until someone can prove otherwise, I was assuming the Maori King’s contention that … he had changed his mind about the party [Labour] after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party is correct.

            • alwyn 3.1.1.1.2.3

              The party’s late leader, the now -person” David C certainly appeared to have done so when he was in power but it is almost impossible to find any definitive comment by the current party leader. He is a master of the “on the one hand… on the other hand ” approach of saying different things to different groups of course.

              Cunliffe said
              “The Labour leader says there will be a maximum of three parties in Government should the party take office after September 20 – Labour, the Green Party and New Zealand First.” and
              “But he said Internet Mana and Maori Party “absolutely won’t be ministers”.”
              http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/labour-wont-have-maori-party-in-govt-2014090822

              • weka

                Nothing to do with this conversation though.

                • alwyn

                  Why on earth not?
                  You are making an assumption that he is talking about Andrew Little being the leader he meant.
                  The King didn’t say that however. He said, “He said he had changed his mind about the party after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party”.
                  He doesn’t say when that happened and it is only an assumption made by people on this blog that he meant the current leadership. He could have given up on Labour in 2014 for all we know.
                  That would make his statement perfectly understandable.

                  He is, after all, entitled to believe that statements of Labour Party policy stand until they are unequivocally reversed. Has Little ever said, about Cunliffe’s comment on working with Maori, that it no longer applies? He was very quick to announce that changing the age for Super was scrapped and that there would be no CGT.
                  Perhaps the Kings remark is merely an attempt to force Little to scrap the last remaining policy of Cunliffe’s reign?

          • Sabine 3.1.1.1.3

            The homeless inquiry is run by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party. So obviously the Labour and Green Coalition can and is working with the Maori Party.

            As for the Maori Party they clearly state that they will work with whomever is in Power. Luckily for this country, everyone gets to have a vote an every one gets to vote by themselves.

            In the end does it matter if the one publicly votes when everyone else is alone in the both making their choice?

            • weka 3.1.1.1.3.1

              Thanks Sabine. There is a large amount of misinformation being peddled in this thread.

            • Karen 3.1.1.1.3.2

              Exactly, Sabine.

              I am not aware of any statement from Andrew Little saying Labour will not work with the Māori Party if there is a Labour led government. If he did can someone provide a citation?

              I was initially surprised by this statement by Kīngi Tūheitia but not so much when I thought about the influence of Tuku Morgan. The only way the Māori Party can get more seats is by taking them off the Labour Party, so expect to hear more attacks on Labour now that Tuku Morgan is the president. He is far too right wing for my tastes but there is no question that he is a very astute politician.

              As for Labour gifting seats to the Māori Party – what on earth for? There is no advantage to Labour in doing this. Even the Nats don’t stand aside in any electorate – including Epsom.

            • Anne 3.1.1.1.3.3

              I don’t understand your response to my 3.1.1.1 Sabine. I didn’t say the M.P. has supported every bit of govt. legislation. I said “almost” which is true. Yes, there are areas where they can work reasonably well together but that’s the case between all political parties. I expect there are areas where Labour and ACT – or even the Greens and ACT – have something in common.

              I reject the premise that a political party can be a part of “whomsoever is in power” It suggests they have no fundamental principles/values behind them – a sure-fire pathway to eventual failure. Would they have worked with an ACT govt. whose policies are counter to Maori aspiration? They would have been voting for their own swift demise.

              • Sabine

                i merely pointed out to the naysayer and those that want Labour to fail at any cost that irrespective of what one person says it actually means nothing.

                my partner votes Green i don’t. I see the same thing happening elsewhere. One may state they will never ever do this or that, and its good and fine for them, and all the others will do this an that and its good and fine.

                I don’t think that the majority of Maoris will base their vote on what the King says.
                And for the naysayers that say that Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party i merely pointed out that gasp, Labour and the Greens are already working with the Maori Party together in regards to our homeless crisis.
                but then the spring is coming, and sleeping in a car maybe not be an issue anymore until next winter?

                • The Chairman

                  “I merely pointed out to the naysayer and those that want Labour to fail at any cost that irrespective of what one person says it actually means nothing”

                  One can’t deny that the opinion of one of such high notability doesn’t have some voter sway . Nevertheless, there is a good chance that anyone initially considering voting Labour, but are now swayed by the notion, may result in voting Mana instead.

                  “And for the naysayers that say that Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party i merely pointed out that gasp, Labour and the Greens are already working with the Maori Party together in regards to our homeless crisis.”

                  The assertion is Little said Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party. Which could be a new development (taking place after deciding to work together on the homeless crisis)?

                  • Sabine

                    you know what, it does not matter who people vote for in my opinion as long as they vote.

                    I have stated it some three years ago that the opposition parties need to learn to work and co-exists. In the long term that would include Mana or any other new party that will come along.

                    I don’t see how hard that is to understand?

                    MMP = coalitions. Labour/Mana/Greens/Maori/legalise Aotearoa etc etc etc.

                    MMP again. So for now the Labour Party is working with the Maori Party and the Greens on the homeless crisis. Kudos, they are doing it and all the others can get fucked in my books cause they are doing nothing.

                    As for your assertion that Little said this or that, please kindly provide a link. Thanks.

                    Cause the bibpartisan group to address homelessness in NZ has been on the books now for a few weeks/month.

                    • The Chairman

                      “As for your assertion that Little said this or that, please kindly provide a link. Thanks.”

                      It’s not my assertion. I was referring to the assertion reported – i.e. RNZ, TV3.

                      http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/mori-king-dumps-labour-backs-mori-and-mana-2016082209

                      http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/311515/maori-king-rejects-labour-in-unscripted-speech-closing

                    • Sabine

                      re Chairman
                      so ‘your’ comment :The assertion is Little said Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party.
                      is still without a link to any statement by Little.

                      I merely pointed out that Labour is already working with the Maori Party 🙂 Today they are already working together. Not next year after the election. Today.

                    • The Chairman

                      “So ‘your’ comment :The assertion is Little said Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party is still without a link to any statement by Little.”

                      That’s because the assertion was reportedly made by the King. As shown in the links.

                      “I merely pointed out that Labour is already working with the Maori Party”

                      Yes, which further brings into question what’s been reported.

                    • alwyn

                      Neither Radio New Zealand, not TV3, claimed that Little had said that he would not work with the Maori Party, nor that the Maori King had claimed that Little had done so..
                      What the Maori King said, and which I commented on a little further up this correspondence, was that
                      “He said he had changed his mind about the party after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party”.
                      This doesn’t put any particular time on when he did change his mind. It is simply a statement in the past tense about the “leadership”.
                      David Cunliffe DID say this. At the time he said it he was the leader of the Labour Party. Little has never said that the Labour Party no longer held this view. I suspect the Maori King is trying to put pressure on Little to come out and say that Labour would happily work with the M.P. This would put the cat among the pigeons for the Maori members of the Labour Party, and help the M.P in the next election..

                  • Craig H

                    Someone questioned our local MP on this tonight at our LEC meeting – Labour have not ruled out working with MP, and MP have not ruled out working with Labour. The Maori King believes Mana and MP should not be separate parties i.e. they should re-merge.

                    Mondayisation of Waitangi and ANZAC Day and the PPL bills are recent examples of bills from the member’s ballot being passed over the top of NAct, so there’s still room to work with them.

          • The Chairman 3.1.1.1.4

            “I presume Labour has ruled out working with the Maori Party because the M.P. has supported almost every bit of government legislation to which Labour is implacably opposed.”

            If your presumption is correct, it doesn’t explain why Labour initially extended an open invitation to work together.

            • Anne 3.1.1.1.4.1

              I didn’t catch up with that TC. Was it a general invitation or just on some specific legislation? How long ago? Genuine questions.

              • weka

                Anne, have you seen something specific where Labour says they won’t work with the Mp?

              • The Chairman

                “I didn’t catch up with that TC. Was it a general invitation or just on some specific legislation? How long ago?”

                It was an open invitation, extended when they announced their MOU.

    • Colonial Viper 3.2

      Labour should have been working hard to reconcile with the Maori Party since Turia left.

      However doing so would likely require Labour not contesting some seats. Which internally Labour would find unpalatable, especially as Labour views all the Maori Seats as naturally theirs. So the Maori Party get driven back into the arms of National.

      • mpledger 3.2.1

        The Maori party choose to go back into the arms of National. But it seems their intent is to remain MPs at the expense of doing what’s best for Maori.

        • Colonial Viper 3.2.1.1

          And what do you think of all the Maori roll voters who support them?

        • save nz 3.2.1.2

          Yep, maybe Labour might be wrong in the past, (in particular Hone Harawira) but the Maori party has made the situation much worse by propping up National for 8 years. And anyone who tries to justify that as being good for Maori, needs their head read. Maybe it is personally beneficial for the .1% Maori ‘at the table’ just like personally beneficial for the .1% elite Pakeha, Chinese, US etc as well, but what about the rest of Maori and the rest of the country?

          • Chooky 3.2.1.2.1

            +100 save nz

          • Puckish Rogue 3.2.1.2.2

            Well when Labour shafted Maori over the forshore then maybe Maori remembered which party had actually done more to raise Maori up, not through words by through actions, Doug Graham anyone?

            It is the worst kind of racist paternalism to expect/demand Maori vote for Labour without offering anything in return

            • framu 3.2.1.2.2.1

              yet they forgot why labour did what it did – after a certain party kicked the hornets nest

              (thats not to excuse labours actions – just part of the mix at that time)

              • Puckish Rogue

                That’s also true

                • In Vino

                  And Tuku Morgan should have had the honesty to leave Labour with Douglas, Prebble, etc, and be part of the Act Party. He is indeed a 1%er, and is no doubt behind this statement by the so-called Maori king – whose monarchy a number of Maori reject.

                  • Not sure Morgan was ever in Labour, though he may have been a member when he was younger, I suppose. He got elected as a NZF MP in the nineties and has proceeded further and further to the right from then on in.

                    • In Vino

                      Ulp! – I think you may be correct there. I associated him with Rogernomics and $90 taxpayer-funded undies, but it could well have been through NZF .. who are thereby equally tainted.

            • Gabby 3.2.1.2.2.2

              Some Maori.

        • Sanctuary 3.2.1.3

          The comments of the Maori King are just the last throw of the dice by the dying Maori Party. Never forget the Maori Party represent brown privilege as expressed in the form of Iwi businesses that are busily proving capitalist greed is colour blind. At the top of the Iwi entitlement mythology tree is the Maori king.

          These Brown Tories are poised to make an absolute fortune from National’s drive to privatise welfare and education through various shady Iwi organisations. If the Maori Party disappears, so does one of National’s support partners and if National loses power, all those fat, fat contracts featuring taxpayer money going to unaccountable private Maori providers goes with them.

      • Jenny Kirk 3.2.2

        Labour has a proud history of standing candidates in all seats, CV – to enable the Labour message to get out everywhere, including the Maori seats. Why should it deviate from this record now?

        What is more, when Labour and Greens united, they both offered invitations to other Parties to join them. mpledger has it right. The Maori Party are close to National and the Maori King is being taken in by them.

        • Colonial Viper 3.2.2.1

          What did the Labour and Greens leadership offer to the Maori Party in exchange for their support?

          How is the strategy of alienating or eliminating potential MMP allies going for Labour so far?

          • BM 3.2.2.1.1

            You can’t really offer them anything substantial without alienating and pissing off the Maori sector of the Labour party.

            That’s why the Maori party partners with National far more opportunity to get stuff done

        • The Chairman 3.2.2.2

          “Why should it deviate from this record now?”

          Perhaps to help improve their wish of changing the Government?

          For example, if Labour and the Greens stood down in Epsom (an electorate both would never win) and encouraged their supporters to vote for National, that would kill ACT.

          Moreover, Labour and the Greens have indicated there is some potential for them to reach accommodations to support one anothers candidates in electoral seats, suggesting they may be considering deviating from this past record.

          • Colonial Viper 3.2.2.2.1

            You are only allowed to work cross party to get rid of left wing MPs like Hone Harawira.

            • te reo putake 3.2.2.2.1.1

              Except that never happened. They had an election and Hone came second.

              • adam

                Yeah mana shot themselves in the foot, but labour did the dirty too. It was not as nice as you’d like it to be te reo putake

                • Hey, it’s an election, Adam. I been involved in plenty and nice is not a word I would usually associate with the process. Well, maybe if the Greens are involved 😉

                  I guess the point is that the WO spread meme that there was some cooperation between National and Labour still pops up from time to time. It’s bollocks, obviously, but for some people it’s easier to believe that rubbish than accept that Hone made a terrible tactical choice hooking up with a self absorbed millionaire. Ironically, the maori party have also hooked up with a self absorbed millionaire, but they’ve got away with it so far.

        • weka 3.2.2.3

          “What is more, when Labour and Greens united, they both offered invitations to other Parties to join them”

          Citation for that please Jenny.

      • Ad 3.2.3

        The Maori King is a stupid piece of useless corrupt inbred fawning that holds Maori back.

        • marty mars 3.2.3.1

          You offensive creep – luckily your obnoxious opinion is worth nothing. What a foul arsehole you are.

          • weka 3.2.3.1.1

            Not sure if he means the man or the position, but either way it’s easily the most racist comment in the thread so far :-/

            FFS Ad, I know you’re doing this whole inflammatory style of politics now, but putting some context into that comment so it could be understood as anything other than outright offensive and supporting racism might have been a good idea.

        • Anne 3.2.3.2

          The Maori King has been easily led I would say.

        • jcuknz 3.2.3.3

          You could be right AD but for once the guy is talking sense … Labour for years has taken Maori for granted whereas National has given more than crumbs during its stay in office. I hate to think of how many more lollies Maori would get if they had more seats.

          • BM 3.2.3.3.1

            Tainui is also a real business power house in the Waikato now.

            They have their fingers in lots of pies and are doing lots of developments, hardly surprising they see their future with National, not Labour.

            • jcuknz 3.2.3.3.1.1

              Just as Maori showed during the early settlement period they can work the capitalism system as well as any whitey.

              • Puckish Rogue

                I suspect its one of the reasons that Maori have done relatively better then most other peoples that have been colonised

                • What??? How do all those stats look? Typical rubbish from a gnat – it’s all relative unless it’s them.

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    I’d suggest that Maori have certainly done better then the first people in Australia, South Africa, Alaska or the USA (yeah yeah I know its the same country)

                    I mean if I had to choose from that selection I’d choose to be Maori everytime

                    • Bully for you and your stupid view not based an anything except your belly button lint.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Please accept this virtual hug from me to you, I feel like you could use one right now and I hope that whatever has you down is resolved soon 🙂

                    • mauī

                      Wow, 3 minutes earlier you said, The worst thing you can do when holding a position is to not try to understand what other peoples points of views are

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Yup and if someone says something convinces me they’re right and I’m wrong I change or more likely someone points out something I hadn’t considered then I take that on board and that filters through to my postings

                      One of the reasons you don’t see me posting sexist stuff or how I’m likely to point to people that comments on someones physical appearance is not cool and that’s come directly from here

                      I’d post stuff that I didn’t realise was sexist or demeaning but once it was shown from others posts on the subject I immediately changed what I post

        • Puckish Rogue 3.2.3.4

          Tell us what you really think, don’t hold anything back 🙂

        • Grant 3.2.3.5

          Someone doesn’t know how to use fawning in a sentence.

  4. Colonial Viper 4

    The German government tells its people that they must hold 10 days worth of personal food and water in case of terrorist attack. Brighter future?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/83406644/germany-to-tell-people-to-stockpile-food-and-water-in-case-of-attacks

    • Sabine 4.1

      Fact, Germany grew up with a strong history of war the resulting lack of food and other goods.

      Fact, when your stuff is re-possesed they can’t take 1 TV as the Government insists you need it for the news and to be informed of events such as terrorists attack and floods and other assorted shite that may have to keep you home or to be told where emergency assembly points, shelters and the likes are.

      Fact, every now and then we have -25 – 30 degrees winter and in certain regions become un-reachables aka the Schwaebishe Alp and high mountain Farmers.
      Fact, every now and then we have awesome floods that can make regions un-reachables for days on end.

      Fact, also from Germany we are a transit country, goods come from the south, the east and the west and north to travel through Germany. Leaving us with lots of nice things in the shops. Should a war or terrorist attack happens stuff in the shops may run low. Thus a smart populace is prepared to some extend.

      Fact, if the russians or the us fuckwits start playing war games, Germany France and the rest of europe is gone first and we know it.

      Fact, we grew up with ABC alarms, Fact we have old people having lived through a lot of shit and some of them are awesome hoarders and makers.

      Fact, you should really not start sprouting off about Germany, they are too sane for you. I hear Trump took a truck load of PlayDoh to Louisianna as disaster relieve – how is that for a brighter future.

      • Colonial Viper 4.1.1

        AfD is going to gain more traction as economic and security conditions decline and Merkel insists on letting even more Middle Eastern refugees into the country.

        As for facts how about this one – sales of pepper spray and requests for personal defence weapon permits appear to have reached record highs in Germany this year.

        Fact, if the russians or the us fuckwits start playing war games, Germany France and the rest of europe is gone first and we know it.

        Yes.

        Which makes me somewhat surprised that Germany is willing to risk war via treaties with countries like Latvia and Bulgaria.

        The Germans have also allowed the US to run a lot of Middle Eastern wars as well as CIA renditions out of German bases. And Germany has accepted US directions to put harsh sanctions on Russia.

        Has it not occurred to the German people that many of the costs and risks of these actions – like economic damage to German industry, destabilising the long standing strategic balance with Russia and millions of refugees on the door step – are being borne by the German people and not by the US leaders in far away Washington DC.

        • Sabine 4.1.1.1

          Has it ever incurred to you that you know jack shit about Germany?

          What about that Truckload of Playdoh? Anything to say about the brighter future?

        • Garibaldi 4.1.1.2

          C’mon CV and Sabine .From where I am sitting you are both correct.

          • Sabine 4.1.1.2.1

            i doubt, i have absolutely no use what so ever for CV. I put him in the same box as the other trolls. For what it concerns Germany i sincerely doubt that CV has any knowledge what so ever. Sometimes it behoofes him to keep it shut.
            I am sure there is some Hillary is sick meme that he can peddle if he feels bored and needs attention.

    • Puckish Rogue 4.2

      But how can this be, I mean they’ve opened their borders so everyone that enters should be really thankful and thus safe from terrorist attacks. If anything it should be these countries that should be doing the prepping:

      http://qz.com/635110/these-are-the-routes-being-closed-off-to-refugees-fleeing-into-europe/

      But seriously everyone should be prepping anyway, I myself have just completed my three week preps and am now starting on three months

      • Sabine 4.2.1

        How much water do you have?
        Have you got your sanitation sorted?
        Medication?

        Cause the killing will be done by infected cuts, broken bones and shit everywhere.
        NZ is a good place to go foraging if you know what is edible and if you know how to cook it.

        But a cut to your finger infected is what is going to kill you. Same as it was some 200 years ago,

        • Puckish Rogue 4.2.1.1

          The earthquakes showed me just how unprepared I was (complacent) so I started to some research and found some web sites that were very helpful

          These in particular are very good:

          http://thesurvivalmom.com/

          Very good starting point, some American stuff of course but a mostly useful, common sense approach to prepping

          http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/

          Really good stuff on here, theres a lot to go through however its also conservatively American but the information in there means you just need to ignore the political side of it

          From there I take the information and balance it against what I already know and go from there

    • Stuart Munro 4.3

      Kiwis should do the same evidently – for when the real trickledown (bovine fecal matter into aquifers) becomes a flood.

  5. mauī 5

    (Song) Justin Bieber ft. Auckland Law Revue – Sorry to Māori

    https://youtu.be/jpEzMKIO9UQ

  6. save nz 6

    Will this National’s new policy if they get a 4th term? Scary stuff. (Have they already started arresting people).

    U.S. Marshals Are Arresting People in Texas Who Have Outstanding Student Loans

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/us-marshals-forcibly-collecting-student-debt.html

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      Debtors prisons, the way of the future.

    • Olwyn 6.2

      The selling of student loans by a government seems to me like the use of debt to reintroduce slavery – a variation on private prisons.

  7. Chooky 7

    China’s shame!…how does this compare with Nazi Germany?…the maiming and murder of dissidents and Tibetans and other minority ethnic groups

    ‘Ethan Gutmann and Angela Ballantyne – Forced Organ Harvesting’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201812988/ethan-gutmann-and-angela-ballantyne-forced-organ-harvesting

    “Claims of forced organ harvesting from thousands of Chinese prisoners of conscience are revealed in a new documentary being screened around Aotearoa in coming weeks.

    The film is called Hard to Believe – and it alleges the Chinese government is behind an industrial scale programme of organ harvesting – mostly targeting members of the religious sect Falun Gong. The Chinese government maintains this is all a lie, and donors are all prisoners on death row. Ethan Gutmann, author of the book, The Slaughter, is one of the authors of a new 800-page report, ‘An Update,’ that says up to 100,000 transplants are taking place in China each year. Dr Angela Ballantyne is Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Otago and President of the International Assn of Bioethics.

    https://youtu.be/_SAFxAcNmno

    • RedLogix 7.1

      Yes. This has been around for a while. I mentally shelved it in the ‘need more information’ category, because it really is hard to believe. But if it is true then we have a problem.

      Quite a big one.

      • Chooky 7.1.1

        …very BIG one…and agree it is so bad it is hard to believe! …it puts other human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the pale

    • Sabine 7.2

      When they start branding people, forcing them to wear yellow starts, pink triangles and other assorted symbols to represent their transgressions in public and in prison, when they have charts for its citizens to check if they are ‘aryan’ enough etc etc then you may compare the Chinese and the treatment of their minority groups and the likes to Nazi Germany, when they openly work people to death in mines, factories, fields, when they openly shoot them in front of mass graves for hours on end, when they end up killing 6 million people of one religion and several other million of people who happen to be gay, socialists, communists, catholic, protestant, jehovas witnesses, blind, deaf, mute, otherwise physically handicapped, old or sick then you may start looking for a comparison with the German organised and executed Holocoust.

      In the meantime i suggest you find a different term for it. And then you should also ask yourself who profits of the atrocities committed in China.

      are you aryan enough to survive?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Jewish_laws#/media/File:Nuremberg_laws.jpg

  8. Puckish Rogue 8

    What a weekend for sport, even the doom merchant no joy lefties on here would have to say its been a pretty decent run

    The Olympics team doing us proud, the All Blacks showing exactly why they’re the standard (pardon the expression ;-)) the only blot being the Diaz v McGregor fight (of course a third fight means bigger box office) and the rain affected 1st test against SA

    Its all good 🙂

    • jcuknz 8.1

      It is the brighter future JK has promised us PR 🙂

    • mauī 8.2

      Surprising seeing you running the establishment line again PR..

      • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1

        Not the establishment line. I just like watching sports and this weekend was a doozy, sports wise

        I know that most of the left would prefer to be suck on a lemon then celebrate NZs sporting achievements but sometimes theres a good weekend and you’re just glad to have watched it 🙂

        • Paul 8.2.1.1

          If sport is t he most important thing to you.

          • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1.1.1

            Bet you’re real fun at parties

            • Paul 8.2.1.1.1.1

              Yes I am because I am able to talk about a lot more than sport and real estate.
              Folk whose repertoire is just sport tend to make parties dull.

              • Puckish Rogue

                Of course because how can anyone enjoy mere sport when there is so many more important things to worry about out there

                • In Vino

                  Well, PR, I think Gordon Campbell has blown your ‘decent run’ apart.

                  More cost per medal for the taxpayer to bear than ever before, and a shrinking TV audience because of Paywall. Actually the lowest value NZ taxpayers have had from any Olympics, if I remember rightly.

                  Maybe the end of the current system, which is sick. I refuse to pay for sport on TV. So do so many others.
                  Read his latest article on Werewolf, admit that he is right, and stop your blathering rubbish.

        • marty mars 8.2.1.2

          Idiot – the left love sports, sportspeople often vote too and for many parties. The right don’t like sport they like competition.

          • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1.2.1

            http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/545/236/38d.jpg

            Are you feeling all right this morning? You seem to be more irritable then usual, let it all out if it’ll make you feel better 🙂

            • marty mars 8.2.1.2.1.1

              I feel assaulted by ignorance and bigotry but yeah I’m good.

              This isn’t a competition ☺

              • Puckish Rogue

                I like sports but winning is more enjoyable when theres decent competition and something on the line

                For instance the All Blacks beating say Italy is nice but the All blacks beating Australia in the world cup final was something else entirely

                • What sports do you like that aren’t competitive?

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    Seriously? All sports require an element of competition unless you’re practicing of course

                    • RedLogix

                      And then there is the old school of thinking that says the only true sports are motor racing and alpine climbing. All the rest are games.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      I’m genuinely interested, whats their reasoning behind that and I’m assuming that motor racing includes various types of sailing as well?

                    • weka

                      “All sports require an element of competition unless you’re practicing of course”

                      What do you call kayaking done outside of competition and practice for competition?

                      Or rock climbing for the joy of it?

                    • RedLogix

                      A spot of googling tracks it down to an Ernst Hemingway quote: ‘There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.’

                      And more references here:

                      http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/auto_racing_bullfighting_and_mountain_climbing_are_the_only_real_sports_all

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      I’m not sure I’d call bull fighting any sort of sport

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Well Weka practice is just that, practice but this is a pretty good definition I reckon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport

                      SportAccord uses the following criteria, determining that a sport should:

                      have an element of competition

                      be in no way harmful to any living creature

                      not rely on equipment provided by a single supplier (excluding proprietary games such as arena football)

                      not rely on any “luck” element specifically designed into the sport

                      They also recognise that sport can be primarily physical (such as rugby or athletics), primarily mind (such as chess or go), predominantly motorised (such as Formula 1 or powerboating), primarily co-ordination (such as billiard sports), or primarily animal-supported (such as equestrian sport).

                    • RedLogix

                      Neither would I count bullfighting, which is probably why I’d mentally erased it from my first version.

                      But weka is spot on, while I’ve played football, a bit of rugby and some softball, I found climbing, tramping, kayaking … all activities that challenge your own limitations … far more engaging.

                      Beating other people is easy; overcoming your own fears isn’t.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      and nothing wrong with that either but for me tramping is something I do for fun, I’m not really looking to challenge myself as such (except for when I haven’t done it in a while and it feels like a challenge even taking a step but I digress)

                      I guess the sports I’ve, mostly, gravitated to are the more team orientated ones

                      However the main point of the original post was what a great weekend it was for NZ sport…maybe I should have added whatever sport it is you choose to participate in 🙂

                    • locus

                      Sport for competition or sport for the sheer enjoyment, either way it’s been a pleasure to be a spectator and to share some wonderful moments this Olympics…..

                      to see people realise their childhood dreams and to show us and the next generation that sporting excellence is as much about the journey, the teamwork and how you participate, as it is about individual achievement.

                    • BM

                      About the only sport that I don’t find boring is Cricket.

                      I don’t think there’s another game that requires as much mental toughness and skill as cricket.

                      It’s a real rooster one moment, feather duster next sort of game ….. or over.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      All that and more, absolutely. To see people from small towns like Waimate or Timaru etc and, not just compete, but succeed has been really excellent as well and if that’s not motivating enough the sheer class shown by athletes like (but not limited to) Valarie Adams will hopefully convince more women (and men of course) to strive for higher honours in their chosen sports

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Yes I forgot to mention the cricket this weekend as well, they’ve done well in the bowling but the batting was looking a bit wobbly but unfortunately it looks like rain will have the final say

                    • Sanctuary

                      Just to let you all know, in Spain bullfighting is covered on the same pages as the theatre reviews and ballet performances, not in the sports section.

        • mauī 8.2.1.3

          Of course its the establishment line, just look how the ABs are used by politicians and the media, and how someone of your viewpoint uses the subject on a political blog. Anyway Noam Chomsky says it better:
          https://youtu.be/Vz1nIHv6P6Q

    • Bearded Git 8.3

      $27 million for one silver medal in cycling…..or $54 million for one cycling silver and the same flag.

      Money well spent indeed.

  9. Puckish Rogue said:
    “I know that most of the left would prefer to be suck on a lemon then celebrate NZs sporting achievements…”
    Tell us, PR, why if you believe what you have written, do you visit a Left wing blog to trumpet your support for something you believe the readers here would “rather suck on a lemon” than listen to? You’re better suited to a Right wing blog where sports fans such as yourself are all a twitter with excitement at the Olympic medal tally and the All Black win over Australia.

    • Puckish Rogue 9.1

      Don’t forget UFC 202 🙂

      Probably because while most of the left do suck on lemons (see Pauls comment) not all lefties are like that, some even have comments that’re worth reading

      The worst thing you can do when holding a position is to not try to understand what other peoples points of views are

      If hell is other people then only existing with other people that agree with you may not be hell but it’d certainly be very boring

      • Garibaldi 9.1.1

        PR with your incorrect use of ‘ then/than’, it makes your crap hard to read.

        • Puckish Rogue 9.1.1.1

          Sucks to be you than doesn’t it

          • In Vino 9.1.1.1.1

            Sucks is plural, PR, so it should be ‘doesn’t they’. ☺

          • Chooky 9.1.1.1.2

            …and how about “then” instead of “than”

            • In Vino 9.1.1.1.2.1

              Sorry Chooky, but I think PR was displaying his form of wit, and did that error deliberately. His other many errors are through misguided political slant, and not so deliberate.

              • Chooky

                damn went completely over my head…I thought I had smarty PR on the grammar…(and I am not too hot on grammar myself)

      • framu 9.1.2

        “The worst thing you can do when holding a position is to not try to understand what other peoples points of views are ”

        oh the irony

        i dont have a problem with sportspeople succeeding – but i do have an issue with the way sport is overhyped, over corporatised and the pack mentality displayed by many non participants.

        I would be willing to bet that many have a somewhat similar take – and one that comes across as “dont like sport” if the detail isnt there

        that thing you were saying about not understanding others points of view? 🙂

        • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1

          i dont have a problem with sportspeople succeeding – but i do have an issue with the way sport is overhyped, over corporatised and the pack mentality displayed by many non participants

          and that’s a fair point, I feel something has been lost from NZ rugby and it’ll never come back again

          I recall drinking the Cook down in Dunedin (early to mid 90s) and having a look at the uni a rugby photos and just looking at all the provincial and all blacks in the photos and going to games at the ‘brook and having a great time but now…I don’t know its just not quite the same

          However I’d also not want to begrudge a player making decent money from the game, they’re only a tackle away from retirement after all

          But hasn’t some of the performances from the NZ Olympics team, especially the women, been impressive?

          • b waghorn 9.1.2.1.1

            The unexpected medal from the pole vaulter was the high light for me .
            Nothing like peaking at the right time.

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1.1.1

              Yeah wasn’t she impressive, hitting a PB at the exact time she needed it. I personally think Natalie Rooney was one of the, many, highlights for me

              I’m stoked when I hit two clay birds in a row so I was just sitting getting more and more excited about her prospects and her attitude to silver was equally as impressive, she’ll be a good bet for 2020

              • Colonial Viper

                Very nice but the medal is not worth the same as Isinbayeva the world champion was not permitted to compete.

                • There’s an obvious answer: two Olympics, one drug free and one drugged up to the eyeballs.

                  • McFlock

                    Trouble with that is that we’ve seen the results with WWE wrestlers. Very high death rate in middle age.

                    Dunno if sports really deserve the “one crowded hour” attitude.

                    • Not just WWE, McFlock. Plenty of athletes, cyclists, body builders and others have died early, Florence Griffith Joyner being probably the most famous. Lord knows how many from Eastern Europe have died over the last few decades because it’s always been easier to hide the stats there.

                      I suspect if there were two Olympics, one clean the other not so much, the public would prefer the clean one. But Sky TV would happily show both.

                    • McFlock

                      well, that’s capitalism for ya.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Hi TRP, I had hoped [Deleted. No referring to what you think is my real life identity, please. TRP] would have given you more respect for due process and natural justice.

                    Isinbayeva is a two time Olympic gold medalist and three times world champion. She has been pole vault champion at at least four other major international competitions. Each of these events had independent drug testing before and after. AFAIK she was found clean each and every time.

                    So for her to be banned as a drug cheat as part of the collective punishment of the Russian athletics team and not be given any chance for individual appeal based on her outstanding record to date is nothing short of political and malicious.

                    You shouldn’t excuse it.

                    • CV, the sad fact is that Russian athletics is horribly tainted. I’ve no issue with Isinbayeva or any individual. But all of them were trained and employed under a regime that routinely cheated. It’s unfortunate for her not to be able to go to Rio if she was genuinely clean, but the likelihood is that she wasn’t. Even if she was unaware of what was happening (again, unlikely) the damage is done. It’s not the Olympic gold medal that has been diminished, as she claims, it’s her own record that is now suspect. And that’s the fault of the people she trusted to administer her sport at home, not the IOC.

                      btw, she hasn’t been world champ for ages and coming back after a break of a few years suggests she probably would have struggled to make the grade at Rio. Unless she had, ahem, help 😉

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Yes I can sense your “sadness”. Collective punishment and collective guilt without individual right of appeal then.

                      From wikipedia

                      At the 2012 Olympic Games, she easily qualified for the finals, where she came third with 4.70 m. She considered the bronze medal as success but mentioned that she would like to retire as acting Olympic champion.

                      And again, despite your ungenerous assertions, she tested clean in both the pre and post Olympic drug testing regime.

                    • The sadness is genuine. I’d much prefer that the workers in that industry weren’t being abused by their employers. But we can’t change the past, only influence the future.

                      ps, you probably need to look up ‘collective punishment’. It’s not what you appear to think it is.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Collective punishment is a form of retaliation whereby a suspected perpetrator’s family members, friends, acquaintances, sect, neighbors or entire ethnic group is targeted. The punished group may often have no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions.

                      Seems like an appropriate use of the term.

                    • If you think that after reading the definition, you’re a goose.

                • McFlock

                  Isinbayeva was let down by her country’s inability to demonstrate its athletes aren’t drug cheats.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Russia definitely has had a drug cheat problem amongst some of its athletes.

                    Having said that, 2/3 of its Olympic team (except the athletics section) was finally cleared to compete at Rio so I think that the Russian drug testing regime isn’t as porous as is sometimes made out in the MSM.

                    • McFlock

                      Sounds pretty evenhanded then – they only barred the section with the endemic cheating problem

                    • Colonial Viper

                      And they’ve now banned the Russian para-olympians too. The Olympics finest hour.

                    • McFlock

                      well, maybe the Russians should have tried harder to prevent drug cheats.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      It would be malicious and arbitrary to not allow individual para-olympians with clean drug records to appeal the collective decision and submit to additional testing protocols.

                    • McFlock

                      Well, that depends on how long the drugs have a benefit after they’re out of the system, doesn’t it? For example, if they bulk up muscle mass during training and carry that through (now “drug free”) to rio. Or whether you need a verifiable baseline to detect sudden spikes invarious drugs or hormones. Or whatever.

                      Frankly, I have no idea. Nor do you. Maybe your suggestion would be fair, or maybe quite frankly the russian drug testing debacle has genuinely tainted the entire team and there’s no way to make a plausible determination that any of them are clean.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      So, its to be a judgement of collective guilt with zero right of appeal and no means of proving innocence then?

                      Sounds fair and square.

                    • McFlock

                      National sports bodies wanting their athletes to compete at international events need to abide by the rules to ensure a fair competition.

                      For any individual athlete to compete at a top-level international event, their participation is dependant on the competence and integrity of their support staff and organisations, from coaches and doctors to their national sports organisations.

                      If those national sports bodies systematically failed to do that, then those athletes should rightly blame the sports body that failed to stick to the rules. Just like if an athlete is given a performance enhancing drug by a doctor who failed to ensure they abided by the rules, the athlete should blame the doctor, not the international body.

                      Wasn’t there some fuckup last olympics or so when a NZ athlete almost didn’t get to compete because someone in our sports organisation fucked up some paperwork? Same deal with Russia, only they fucked up the process for an entire team.

                  • mauī

                    Yet countries like Kenya and Jamaica have practices that allow for systemic doping and their athletes are given the all clear.

          • BM 9.1.2.1.2

            and that’s a fair point, I feel something has been lost from NZ rugby and it’ll never come back again

            It’s so robotic and structured it’s just become boring, used to enjoy watching Rugby but haven’t seen a game in years

            Last game was the All black world cup final in 2011, god it was dull, no flair at all it’s like the players have chips in their heads and the coaches were controlling the players .

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1.2.1

              I’m finding the rubgy played by the All Blacks to be “total” rugby but I’ve found the exposure of the Super teams a bit much

              Having said that the evening out of the NPC competition has been a revelation with the re-emergence of the smaller centres being competitive

              Just…somewhere its lost…something

          • framu 9.1.2.1.3

            re; olympics . absolutely – i’m all for giving the athletes their moment, after all, they are the ones who actually did “thing x”

            not an avid follower, which has made the surprise angle even better. What really ruins it is the idiot media – on the pole vault it only took a minute or two till some egg used rugby line outs as a means to visualise the height she vaulted over – gahh!

            but good lord – whats happening – i keep agreeing with you – good thing the lemon tree is going strong aye 🙂

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1.3.1

              I’ve long surmised that those on the left and those on the right that post on here probably have more things in common then not on here

              Take all on the right and an approximate amount from the left, add a pub and I’m sure most would get on famously

              As long as politics isn’t brought up 🙂

              • adam

                Odd you have not said much about our tax dollars funding the olympics, but it’s behind a pay wall…

                Oh well the Swans are going well, and the Demons dropped the ball…

                Sports, love what you love – personally I find the olympics dull as dish water – too much politics.

  10. Bill 10

    The “replies” tab is back – yay! Or…fck, I guess we get more of those interminable long streams of pointless ping-pong from ego 1 and ego 2 🙁

    Maybe it’ll fall over again? 🙂

    • Andre 10.1

      It only comes back for me after I’ve made a comment. But it only hangs around if I just click on comments. It disappears again if I do a page refresh, or go back to the front page.

      • Bill 10.1.1

        I think I’m in the same boat. It just disappeared again 🙂

        And should be back in a moment after I submit this comment?

        edit. Yup. And then I refreshed the page and….gone again.

        edit 2. And back again after editing the comment 🙂

        • Macro 10.1.1.1

          The “Reply” button on the bottom of each comment is there, and has always worked for me – but the “Replies” has been intermittent for some time now and mostly nothing appears when clicked. Never mind – I’ll live with it :).

          • weka 10.1.1.1.1

            It does seem to be interrupting the conversations though, because it makes it harder to find what one was talking about. I’m guessing people are mostly going with the convo that is in front of them.

        • Lanthanide 10.1.1.2

          Yip, it’s still broken. Lynn hasn’t had any time to look at it.

  11. Chooky 11

    Excellent interview on Morning Report …what a wonderful woman!

    ‘Medicial cannabis campaigner brings more into NZ – past Customs’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201813060/medicial-cannabis-campaigner-brings-more-into-nz-past-customs

    “Medicinal marijuana campaigner Rebecca Reider has a history of bringing the drug into NZ. She suffers from chronic pain and has successfully been able to bring more into the country – straight past customs. We speak with her.”

    • Lanthanide 11.1

      What surprised me most about that interview is the amount of time they gave her to speak. Usually they only allot a tiny amount of time for these topics, and Suzie Ferguson keeps interrupting trying to move it on, not letting them actually say anything worthwhile.

    • marty mars 11.2

      Rebecca is also a very good poet

  12. b waghorn 12

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11698404

    A bit of a conundrum . Is it right to evict a tenant who is happy with their flat ,because the conversion of the garage is unpermitted .

    • McFlock 12.1

      Yep. Permits exist for a reason.

      What isn’t right is that they were there in the first place, rather than a decent state house.

      • b waghorn 12.1.1

        Wouldn’t it be better to work with the owner to get it permitted if possible.

        • McFlock 12.1.1.1

          Well, we don’t know if it’s possible. Maybe between everything else in the lot, the site isn’t zoned for that many residences.

  13. Sabine 13

    Phil Twyford at Te Puea Marae in first open meeting to discuss the impacts of homelessness in our Society. This inquiry into Homelessness is bipartisan and is conducted by the Labour Party, the Green Party NZ and of course the Maori Party.

    Notable absent – the Party that supposedly runs the government but then it is a government for some and not for all. Surely we can find Mrs. Bennett, Mr. English and Mr. Smith sipping latte in Mount Eden or another equally nice place so as to not disturb their pretty minds.

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1182604225138444&set=a.112303772168500.13663.100001666321260&type=3&theater

  14. Chooky 14

    On the topic of water:

    ‘India’s water crisis: 8 liters for 7 days, for drinking and all other needs (RT DOCUMENTARY)’

    https://www.rt.com/news/356679-india-water-crisis-documentary/

    …”The people in India are one of the first to experience a crisis which within 15 years will affect everyone on the planet, according to scientists’ warnings. And it might be the most devastating one humankind has ever faced.”

    Watch the documentary “H2WOE” on RT and RTD, premiering on September 22.

    https://youtu.be/uuUgIYtTtNc

  15. Poission 16

    communication is the art of breaking a few eggs for making an omelette,as opposed to the internecine squawks of the big and little endians.

    https://medium.com/@nntaled/how-to-legally-own-another-person-4145a1802bf6#.ej7yhhr15

    its a wow.

  16. alwyn 17

    The Herald have an interview with an American academic who is involved in a campaign to get a woman as UN Secretary General.
    She appears to be living about 200 years in the past, when all communication would have been hand-written and carried for months in a sailing vessel. In those days Ambassadors really did have to make decisions on behalf of their country.
    The reason Helen is not doing too well in the contest is, according to her, because 14 of the 15 “people” on the Security Council are men. Ignoring the fact that there are 15 countries rather than people on the Council I find it rather strange that she seems to think that is the people who head their countries delegation to the UN who decide who to vote for rather than the country they represent.
    The Herald says
    “She said on the Security Council itself, there were 14 men and the only woman was US Ambassador Samantha Power”
    and then quote the woman, a Dr Jean Krasno, as saying
    “They all know each other, they’ve all evolved over time with an old boys’ club. And that’s what always happens, they network, so they vote for them. It’s just old boy networking.”
    I bet you didn’t know that it isn’t the New Zealand Government who decide who we are going to vote for but the head of our delegation to the UN. His name, for anyone who isn’t familiar with this seemingly very powerful individual, is Gerard van Bohemen. I wonder what he has been up to? Along with the representatives of Russia, China, Great Britain and so on.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11698804
    I feel rather sorry for Krasno’s students if this is the sort of thing she seems to believe.

  17. Colonial Viper 18

    Early indications that the Vancouver property bubble has popped and that investors local and foreign are running for the exits.

    We’ll know more if this is truly the case over the next 4 to 8 weeks as more sales data comes out.

    • Paul 18.1

      As The Vancouver Housing Market Implodes, The “Smart Money” Is Rushing To Get Out Now

      Three weeks after we suggested that the Vancouver housing bubble had popped in the aftermath of the implementation of the July 25 15% property tax in British Columbia targeting the Chinese free for all in Vancouver real estate, we got confirmation of that last week when we reported that only one word could describe what has happened to Vancouver housing in the past month: implosion.

      Zolo, a Canadian real estate brokerage, which keeps track of MLS home sales in real-time and reports prices as an average rather than the “benchmark price”, showed as of last week a major correction underway in most Metro Vancouver markets. According to the website, the City of Vancouver currently has an average home price of $1.1 million, down 20.7% over the last 28 days and down 24.5% over the last three months. The average detached home is $2.6 million, down 7% compared to three months ago.

      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-21/vancouver-housing-market-implodes-smart-money-scrambles-get-out-now

  18. ianmac 19

    John Campbell is dealing now with water pollution in Hawke’s Bay.
    Crikey!
    Water quality, in for example Tuki Tuki River is awful!
    Must get a replay.
    Dreadful!

  19. Paul 20

    Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I

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  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    8 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    8 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    8 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    11 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    14 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    16 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    17 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    19 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    4 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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
    12 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
    14 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
    15 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
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