In my view, the last thing Auckland wants is any ‘business person’ (or ‘pro-business person’), as Mayor of Auckland.
Already, in my opinion, thanks to the ‘corrupt corporate coup’ that forced the Auckland amalgamation upon citizens and rate payers, the region is being run ‘like a business, by business, FOR business’.
The mechanism for this effective corporate takeover – has been the Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) model, where 7 democratically elected Councils (warts and all), were replaced with 7 CCOs with undemocratically selected boards of business people.
No Auckland CCO has ever been subject to a review for cost-effectiveness, transparency or democratic accountability.
In my view, the only ones who have benefitted from Auckland being run in a more ‘business like’ manner, have been those businesses who have won the contracts with Auckland Council and CCOs.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-privatisation/ anti-corruption Public Watchdog’
So Auckland needs some person who “means well”, is “inclusive”, yada yada yada
auckland would walk over a mayor like celia wade brown, who has been absolutely hopeless for wellington. the only reason she is still mayor is because she is from the right team for all the beige civil servants who reside there.
from business, by business, for business is exactly what auckland needs. it’s business that’s making auckland great. it certainly isn’t the council
to Nassalt: I must have missed something because at no stage was Auckland being transferred to a plutocracy. Regardless of your opinion what the business world might want or not, a democracy works for ALL people and not just the few. I belief that with support of such dictatorial tendencies NZ becomes almost worst then the Russian federation, at least they don’t pretend to be something they are not.
Celia hasn’t been absolutely hopeless for Wellington. (which looks like it’s one of the lines that is going to be taken against her) nor has her council.
Most of the local right wingers seem to think that laying concrete on something=growth but instead we have a liveable city which is trying to treat it’s lower paid employees fairly (and the multinational’s resident here should stop trying to run up the ratepayers bills unnecessarily) and ttracting the high tech jobs we need.
You have no idea of what democracy means do you Nosalt. What you describe is actually an Oligarchy. Democracy is government for the people not businesses; and by the people not businesses.
So sorry what you want is simply not available under our present constitution.
The way things are going in Auckland, the best candidate for Mayor would be someone with liquidation/bankruptcy management experience.
If Auckland doesn’t sort out its excessive borrowing and bloated staffing structures it won’t be long before they are forced to hock off assets to try and pay for their debt.
$7 Billion in debt – what do they have to show for it?
Len has already forced a 10%/annum hike in rates – I can’t see the next Mayor being able to squeeze the ratepayer for any more so where is the $$$ gona come from?
If people ran their households like Len has run Auckland they would be dragged off to Bankruptcy court in no time.
It was John Banks that put Auckland into excessive debt by following right-wing policies – just like the current government is putting NZ into excessive debt by following right-wing policies.
What Banks is less vocal about is that while he has phased out “water price-gouging” – his words – taking water profits from Metrowater for council spending, he has still benefited from profits of $23.1 million and $12.1 million in his first two budgets, inherited $90 million a year in extra income from the previous council and increased council debt from $322 million to $867 million.
I’d say that you RWNJs haven’t got clue as to how to manage the economy but some of you do and they manage it to cause massive debt for the government and profits for their donors. The rest of you idiots actually believe them when they lie to you.
I’m not saying that you’re wrong, however you still have to face the fact that under Brown’s stewardship Auckland Council has more than doubled its debt to 7+ Billion, has pushed through multiple rates increases many times higher than the rate of inflation, and the Auckland Council Bureaucracy has increased significantly.
Against these numbers any faults in Bank’s mayoralty from yesteryear pale into insignificance.
It wouldn’t be so bad if you could see large infrastructure improvements from all the borrowing – but there isn’t.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the whole Auckland Council ran a tight ship on budget/cost blowouts etc. but it doesn’t – huge swathes of staff on $100K plus a year, trips and junkets for all the flunkies, large increases in staff number with no increase in services offered, and to cut costs they drop berm grass cutting.
The government’s supercity legislation is where speedily-equalised rates and hence large increases for some came from, not any decision of council’s. Same with govt refusing to allow other ways of funding needed transport investment, leaving council only the option of a dedicated extra rate amount for that.
Council may have some latitude to slow or stop the reduction of business rates relative to residential ones, however. Could be worth asking candidates about that. Also whether they are prepared to resist pressure from this government to privatise the region’s assets.
Or the other option was that they rolled out berm mowing to all the other council areas that didn’t have it and push rates up by at least $1000 per year per house.
Yeah, I think that covers all of what you said. You obviously haven’t got a friggen clue what you’re talking about which is true of most RWNJs.
The debt to asset ratio is the figure to attribute any meaning to.
It’s now got about the same scale of assets of Fonterra.
Since it started in 2010, Auckland’s grown by several hundred thousand people. With that comes roads, parks, water, etc.
So you need staff. It’s not a game for amateurs.
I’ll leave evaluating the benefits of Brown’s two terms to later in next year.
Agree Ad – a family member used to work for the City Council and mentioned the Fonterra comparison. This same family member stressed on several occasions that salaries were carefully benchmarked against the private sector and then were usually marked down. He is now working in the private sector and can earn the same dollars per week in three days and anything over and above that is extra. He also worked on average 60 hours per week at the Council.
my understanding is such a person has no problem paying rates so long as what they are allocated to is detailed in a transparent manner….nothing to hide ,nothing to…fear’!as the saying goes.
no, the allocation must be as penny wants it to be, not just transparent. we can’t decide how our taxes are spent. otherwise welfare would be slashed to the ground.
‘he London contract ends in September, and Mr Brown says he expects to be told about what tangible benefits it has brought to Auckland.’…any updates?…’
‘It was revealed at the weekend that Auckland Council has sent one of its staff to London at a cost of $230,000 a year, after his English-born wife became homesick. Another of its staff was sent to San Francisco.’
what a farce…good work’…if you can get it!
[lprent: I am deeply suspicious of that quote. But we can’t tell can we? You haven’t sourced it.
Offhand, it just sounds like Cameron Slater or his stupid handpuppets at laudafinem deliberately lying again. Probably by omission.
Link your quotations as I have pointed out to you before. This is your warning, and since I see you have been a persistent offender, I will give you a years holiday from the site to learn how to do it (personally I think that is how long you will need to learn this simple technique).
You are in autospam until I see an acknowledgement there that you have read and understand this note. Which means that you have to restate what you are required to do, and link to this comment. THis is a basic test of your competency to comment here.
I am flying for the next couple of days. If you don’t do it by the time I hit Auckland then I will just add you to permanent bans by default. Reading your comments, I don’t think that you add too much to the site. ]
There’s not enough information there for form an opinion one way or the other.
Was the employees wife being homesick the reason he wanted the job, or the reason the job was created? (was there corruption/favours? Or even an appearance of such)
Were these employees doing work that could be done anywhere? (were they excellent employees that ACC wanted to retain even after they indicated they were leaving NZ?)
What job/task were these people doing for ACC? (is it valid work, and do the workers need to be on location?)
Will their findings be made public? (we are after all, paying for it)
How long is their stay overseas? (so we can assess total cost of project/contract)
What part of the figure is salary and what part is living support? (to help assess value for money for both parts)
It may well be that the money is a complete waste.
Or, it might be money well spent.
But without enough information to assign value to the spend, we have no way of knowing.
And honestly, if you want to criticise ACC and Len Brown, there’s no shortage of policy and leadership failures.
You could start with why Tony Gibson still has a job.
Flinging ignorance around like a demented chimp does faeces makes you look hysterical and it’s difficult to take you seriously.
You guys would have a point if you were also focused on the deteriorating transparency under our current government and their increased abuse of OIA’s. BUT making it as though only Penny is abusing the system is just laughable.
Can’t see any evidence that Trevett has been briefed to rubbish Carmel in that article. All Trevett says is Carmel has failed to fire………there is some evidence of that.
Trevett was briefed by a senior source in the Labour Office.
Someone is trying to influence Little’s reshuffle.
Little has already back tracked on replacing King, the godmother to the ABC faction that has undermined the party for seven years.
Little was elected over Robertson to bring an end to this shit.
Who briefed Trevett?
It was clearly not Sepuloni, Mahuta or Cunliffe who briefed Trevett.
Grants back on form pulling the strings and ensuring Labour do as well Nationally as they did in Wellington central.
Wake up and smell the coffee. The same arses who fucked thinks up are now running the shop. And they have Lusk’s friend Nash helping them.
Labour are not doing well in the polls.
If we leave Robetson in charge of the shop we will continue to loose.
Nice theories, and I can’t say that that would surprise me if it were true. Problem is, there doesn’t appear to be any reason to believe you other than that you say we should.
Nobody “briefed Trevett” because there would be no reason to do so even if your half- baked conspiracy theory of a Robertson plot had any basis apart from in your head.
The cabinet shuffle will be decided by Little based on the performance of his MPs, just as the deputy leadership was. He said the deputy job would be reviewed in a year – it was and King is doing a good job in that role so she is staying.
Little is quite capable of assessing who should get each role without advice from Trevett or Robertson. To suggest otherwise is laughable. Little is pragmatic, a good manager of people and he has managed to get the various factions within the caucus working well together for the first time since Helen left.
If you have evidence/information Bill Drees then spit it out. Otherwise I will regard it as yet another attempt to discredit Labour and treat it with the contempt it deserves.
Robertson briefed Dom Post to undermine colleagues during
1. Goff’s reign
2. Shearer’s reign
3. Cunliffe’s reign
and he is back doing it under Little’s nose.
I get that the oster (Drees) appears to have something firmly in his mind supporting his view. BUT specifically can you point to a public act that has Robertson’s fingerprints on it? And if he has a cabal of support, it doesn’t appear to me to be a cabal wanting to move left of Little (who is pretty middle right now)?
RWNJs desperately trying to stir up division with no actual evidence of anything. Trevett is a right leaning political journalist who is quite capable of making her own assessments of who she thinks should be in the shadow cabinet without needing a “leak”. We need better RWNJs – the ones we have are too transparent
Robertson is the troll in this situation. He is arranging briefings against colleagues to undermine them and to elevate his own supporters.
Robertson is trying to shape Little’s reshuffle.
Can you provide any evidence to support this statement? Anything other than your own opinion?
No? Than what you are doing her is a bit like mental masturbation, wanting it to be true, but nothing to base it on, but it gives you ten seconds of pleasure and relieve.
Ahhh, whats a lonely man to do on a rainy sunday morning.
I think you have hit the nub of the issue, Karen. Even if Bill Drees is right in his assessment, and I am in no position to make a judgement on that, anyone tempted to leak to media friends in order to weight things in this or that direction should be aware by now that this method has passed its use-by date. One only has to look at the downhill slide of TV3 since the demise of Campbell Live to see how things have changed. Right wing approval of Labour people has always raised the suspicions of many Standard commentators, but that suspicion is becoming much more widespread. The old “x is so good that even right wing journalists admire them” or “y is so bad that even right wing journalists have noticed” no longer washes much with anyone.
1. I’ve never known it to happen
2. If Labour suggested it the right-wing would be calling it ‘revenue gathering’ as they do with speed cameras this despite the fact that they always call for harsher penalties on crims (They just don’t want harsher penalties for when they break the law)
I have put my freehold home on the line to defend my (and all citizens and ratepayers) LAWFUL rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ local government.
OPEN THE BOOKS!
Make the following information about awarded contracts, available for public scrutiny:
The NAME of the consultant/ contractor.
The SCOPE of the contract.
The TERM of the contract.
The VALUE of the contract.
Whether the contract was awarded through a public tender process.
If the statutory ‘third party Public Watchdogs’ had done their job, and ensured that Auckland Council was held accountable to the RULE OF LAW – regarding citizens and ratepayers’ LAWFUL rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ local government – then – as an ordinary person, I would not be making this ‘extraordinary’ stand?
errr…. how on earth is ‘OPENING THE BOOKS’ – so that citizens and ratepayers can find out exactly where their public monies are being spent (invested and borrowed) ‘tearing things down’?
Nothing to hide – nothing to fear – (sort of thing)?
How would publishing the details you have specified help ratepayers assess the relative value of spending on contractors vs staff?
Which trusted agency would be continually pulling together the required contextual information, including comparisons with other councils, state organisations and businesses? Who would pay for that work to be done, and how would you go about ensuring it is enacted?
I meant the value (cost/benefit), not the dollar amounts. You really think the public have the other details needed to make sense of those figures?
The only outcome would be the Taxpayers Onion and other neolib nutjobs trumpeting that any public spending is bad and rates should be reduced immediately. That’s exactly how Auckland ended up with broken sewers after decades of penny-pinching from C&R.
How can you ‘follow the dollar’ – if you don’t know where exactly the ‘dollar’ is being spent in the first place?
How can you do any form of ‘cost-benefit’ analysis, if you don’t first know where exactly the ‘costs’ fall?
Are you aware Sacha, that there is no such thing as ‘Public’ transport in the Auckland region?
It is privately-provided ‘passenger transport’.
Also, Auckland Transport are refusing to reveal exactly how much has been spent on public subsidies of private passenger transport providers since 1 November 2010, on the basis that information is ‘contractually sensitive’?
Yet Auckland Council has introduced a ‘Transport Levy’, without enforcing the disclosure on monies spent on public subsidies of private passenger transport providers?
You ok with that?
I’m not.
I think it STINKS.
FYI – here is the information I provided to the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting of 25 June 2015, attached to the minutes:
Not being one to just bleat on blogs – FYI – here’s the ‘live-streaming’ on my presentation to the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting on 25 June 2015, just before the vote was taken on Auckland rates and the ‘Transport Levy’.
Anyone else asking these HARD questions about transparency and democratic accountability, when it comes to the spending of public monies on private passenger transport services in the Auckland region?
Questions are for critics. Mayors should have answers.
So seriously, once you’ve finished doing what a 6th tier Council or CCO accountant does every day doing line by line forensics drafting new draft Annual Plans like the Act Party’s butler, what will Mayor Bright do to improve Auckland?
Transport provision like so many other things is determined by government legislation not the whim of local councillors.
Council’s regular financial statements and plans seem to show what money is spent on to the satisfaction of most citizens. Not clear exactly what you think you will uncover by demanding line item accounting but I’m convinced there are better causes for you to pursue for the benefit of our city and our country.
“Key climbs aboard the Boeing 757-200, kissing the cheeks of familiar Air Force cabin crew who have fed and watered him over thousands of air miles on other trips.”
And yet he claimed he didn’t remember the chap being detained in Aussie?
Tracey…..just an opinion re Audrey and John Key. She talked about his bloody mindedness and no apology. I thought the underlying tone showed a little bit of cynicism, but maybe that just how I read it.
Young’s world view is similar to that of John Armstrong – they’re old school conservatives occasionally discomforted by the way Key operates.
Just why this engenders excited comment on the Standard is beyond me.
I think when John Key displays his true attitude to women, Audrey Young gets uncomfortable. She was critical of the pony tail episode as well.
However, she is also true to her roots. Her father, Vern Young, was a National Party cabinet minister and her brother Simon is a current National Party MP and I have seen footage of Audrey with John Key that indicated a very chummy relationship with him.
Not sure what you mean by your comment, but that was an interesting link.
I guess boundary changes reflect the ”problems” (i.e that humans are rather horrible and rapacious) rather than those changes in themselves being the cause.
That graphic could give an illusion of progress given the relative stability of borders in the last century, compared with earlier centuries.
But the graphic would make it seem as if the world’s becoming a more stable place.
Geographic conquest was largely replaced by other forms (such as economic) of imperialism.
I also wonder what the concept of ”belonging” means in the context of those earlier empires.
So Tracey – you think that Auckland Council should not be held accountable to the RULE OF LAW?
You think that citizens and ratepayers should just tug their forelocks and ‘do as they’re told’ – irrespective of whether Auckland Council has complied with its statutory duties arising from the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002, the Local Government Act 2002, and the Public Records Act 2005?
(For starters ….)
I might be many things – but ‘gutless’ is not one of them.
How can you have transparency, or democratic accountability – without proper written records available for public scrutiny?
Don’t you agree Tracey, that citizens and ratepayers have a LAWFUL right to know exactly where public monies are being spent?
How can you check for cost savings or ‘cost-effectiveness’ – if you don’t know exactly where the ‘costs’ fall?
Why is it so hard for you to use the reply button? See how my comment is attached to yours? That is what the reply button is for.
You realise you have received preferential treatment by Auckland City don’t you? Otherwise YOUR house would have been forceably sold, like that other poor woman.
Why put “gutless” in quotations. I didn’t call yout hat.
I have commented before on here, to you, about how you and Grace Haden don’t care if you are right or wrong, and who gets hurt amongst your conspiracy theories.
You have some valid points but you are also patently wrong at other times.
Yeah Penny, I am just a head-nodder, you are the only person fighting the good fight 🙄
I have never criticised this government, or challenged their lack of transparency. YOU are the only hero out there.
I won’t vote for you because you will destroy innocent folks along with the deserving, believing everyone of them was guilty.
Penny Bright lacks accountability and transparency for all to see.
She will never ever answer any questions put to her about her public affairs.
After all, she is running to be Mayor of Auckland council ?
Tracey, I am now accessing ‘The Standard’ from my computer, and am now able to use the ‘reply’ option, which appears to be unavailable to me when I post from my iphone.
[lprent: That is because I have never had the time to add and test the code required to make that happen on the mobile version (I have tried to do it 4 times thus far and got interrupted mid-stream after 2-3 days all 4 times).
Flip from Mobile to Desktop using a page from the menu on the top right. ]
A couple of points:
First – I request that you provide EVIDENCE of where I have ever stated, on any matter, anything that has been FACTUALLY inaccurate?
Second – I most definitely DO care, if I am wrong, which is why I am asking you to prove where I have been ‘wrong’?
Third – please be advised that I WILL defend my reputation as an ‘investigative activist’, who actually spends a considerable amount of time and effort, in carefully researching issues, in order to make sure that I am factually accurate in what I am stating.
(Currently, I have proceedings on foot in the High Court, against Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town for alleged defamation.)
Anytime you agreed with grace hayden in wells v haden you were supporting a wrong. You thinking you are right is not the same as being right. Several judges have told you where you have been factually wrong in the past but you decided the judges were corrupt. I am not playing your games anymore
Whilst they are NOT a game – do you think that would be esier to “win” if you were able to turn up for the court cases?
Do while it may be factual when you say “(Currently, I have proceedings on foot in the High Court, against Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town for alleged defamation.)”
It might be more HONEST to say Currently, I have proceedings on foot in the High Court, against Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town for alleged defamation, but my case is looking shit and will probably be thrown out.?
Wow Penny… threatening people with defamation to shut down criticism. Classy for a Mayoral.aspirant.
I quoted you a case where you were wrong. The judgment is EVIDENCE
You sat with grace hayden in court whispering in her ear and every one of her defences was shot down By the Judge. Haden refused to pay costs and judgment. Are you saying you thouht her defences to that claim were wrong?
” 15. It is not necessary to refer in detail to the Judgment other than perhaps to note the Judge’s conclusion that it was necessary to grant relief against the defendants, referring to the dispute as a “sorry saga” (paragraph 143) and in relation to certain pleaded acts of defamation that Mrs. Haden had “made mountains out of a molehill” and that Mrs. Haden and her company Verisure had engaged in conduct that was “remarkable for their plain vindictiveness”. ”
Haden v Wells DC Auckland CIV-2012-004-696, 10 May 2013 at [14] and [16]. This finding was upheld on appeal: Haden v Wells [2013] NZHC 2753 at [25]-[26].
It is easiest not to do it from the front page. That has infinite scrolling. Nothing quite as irritating as trying to hit the Mobile->Desktop transition and finding you have just selected a posts author as the infinite scroll loaded more posts.
OK people, in honour of The Phantom Menace being released within weeks, Stephanie Rodgers is watching the entire series, in sequence, and is live-tweeting it blow by blow.
If any person in New Zealand thinks they can out-nerd Stephanie on this subject, then join the hashtags, but I warn you now children, The Force Is Strong In This One.
Many of you probably know DM of the Rings. If not, and you are familiar with Lord of the Rings or roleplaying games, you might enjoy it. If you are familiar with both, you will enjoy it.
Basically, Shamus Young, the creator, has treated Lord of the Rings as the fantasy campaign of a long-suffering Dungeon Master saddled with all too typical players, and illustrated it in the form of a comic using screencaps from the movies. Brilliant idea, and very well done. And I constantly boggle that (a) nobody did it before, and that (b) nobody has copied him yet.
Alas, DM of the Rings has recently come to an end, having told the story to the ending. Shamus has moved on to a new comic project, which involves a collaboration with an artist. So no more movie screencap comics from Shamus. This has led to a call from his legion of fans for someone, anyone, to fill the void:
Shamus:
Which reminds me: This comic is popular enough that I’m surprised nobody else has done something similar. Harry Potter? Aliens? Spider-Man? X-Men? Star Trek? Star Wars? The Matrix? There are tons of movies which are well known and take themselves very seriously, which are the two main ingredients for good satire. I keep expecting another movie comic to appear someplace, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Adam Bloom:
I think it’s because the kind of person who thinks, “It would be funny to make a comic that spoofs Star Wars” is the kind of person who would read the amount of work you put into each comic and say, “OMFG WAT???”
Whereas the kind of person who thinks, “I want to spend time and effort to make a high-quality webcomic” is not the kind of person who says, “It would be funny to spoof Star Wars.”
The golf course thing is a bit of a stretch I’ll admit . But landlords are definatly getting subsidised which is insane as rents would be cheaper if they where left to the all powerful market.
Another sky scraper on fire that did not collapse.
So still the only ones that ever have collapsed are the 3 that did so on 9/11
What an amazing coincidence.
Around, not onto. It was not damaged.
But, hey, I sense no evidence will persuade you.
You believe George Bush’s government line.
Now that’s a ‘tinfoil’ conspiracy theory, if ever I heard one.
No. Buildings, the higher they get, were never meant to be loaded with a modern passenger jet.
Seeking the inner tin foil. The US, oil, oil money and terrorism, all became aligned after G.Bush junior declared famously the axis of evil. A line from Libya to Afghanistan, all now under going regime change except Iran which is in talks.
For the benefit of Ad.
A few days ago I offered a wager that Goff would not resign from Parliament if he chose to run for Mayor. You assured me that
“Yes I am willing to bet on that statement.
I would expect the resignation within 48 hours after his actual announcement of candidacy this weekend.
I’ve been wrong before, but he’s experienced enough to know you can only be one thing at a time. The campaign will be all-consuming. ”
Phil has now announced and he says, according to The Herald, that
“Mr Goff said that if elected Mayor next October, he would immediately resign as an MP.
“I was elected MP for Mt Roskill for three years and I would resign that role and force a by-election with reluctance. I intend taking a leave of absence from Parliament once I embark on intensive campaigning next year. Until then, just as I balanced being a Cabinet Minister and MP for many years, I will continue serving my constituents full-time as their MP as I have done for more than 30 years.””
I fear that I will not be eating humble pie as I said I would if your prediction came true.
Never get between a pig and a trough. You should remember that in the future.
And a very gracious response.
I am probably a great deal more cynical about politicians, all politicians, than you are.
I find that they are, with only a few exceptions, dedicated to eating their fill at the trough. They seem to be worst if they enter Parliament at a young age and stay for a long time. Goff qualifies on both counts. Apart from anything else most of these ones are basically unemployable
The least greedy are those who enter at an older age and have been successful in some other occupation. Clarkson, who beat Winston in Tauranga, is a prize example. He couldn’t get our quick enough at the end of one term. It probably helped that he could say that he was wasting his time there and could make more money in a week outside Parliament than he did in a year as an MP.
The expression derives from umble pie, which was a pie filled with the chopped or minced parts of a beast’s ‘pluck’ – the heart, liver, lungs or ‘lights’ and kidneys, especially of deer but often other meats. Umble evolved from numble, (after the French nomble) meaning ‘deer’s innards’.[1][2]
It has occasionally been suggested that ‘umbles’ were considered inferior food and that in medieval times, the pie was often served to lower-class people, possibly following speculation in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable but there is little evidence for this.[citation needed] Early references in cookbooks such as Liber Cure Cocorum present a grand dish with exotic spices.
I am now in two minds. Should I wish I had lost the wager?
It actually sounds pretty good and eating humble pie doesn’t sound like something to be avoided. I am a fan of heart, liver and kidneys, although generally lamb or beef rather than deer which I haven’t tried, so most of it appears to be rather tasty.
I might be wrong about the nats using it against labour but I guess this below from key could be the start of a classic bit of two track DP! http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11549402
“”Mr Key did not believe the big commitment needed for the upcoming campaign meant Mr Goff should resign as an MP.
“The history is not of people resigning … he won’t be in the House as much, I don’t know what his schedule will be, but in terms of his constituency, which is Mt Roskill, that is sort of the heart of Auckland, I think he will argue pretty strongly he will continue to serve his constituents.”
Even if Mr Goff was successful, Mr Key said there was precedent for him to remain in Parliament until the next election, as long as he didn’t take both salaries.
Such a move could avoid the expense of a byelection, Mr Key said.
Asked if Mt Roskill was unwinnable from National’s perspective, he said no incumbent Government had ever won a byelection for a seat it did not hold.
“I don’t think we would be claiming we were the frontrunners. But, in the end, if there is a byelection, we are happy to fight it…I’m just simply saying we are not trying to railroad him out of their””
So do I key himself says an incumbent government has never taken a seat that wasn’t theirs in a by election and it would give a new labour mp time to get out into the comunity pre 2017.
If it’s all looking good for him I think he will resign when the official campaign starts. He’s hedging his bets at this stage in case it all turns topsy turvy. I guess you can’t blame him for that.
I was with you alwyn. he will suck on the taxpayer teat until he cans uck on the ratepayer teat. That’s how much Goff cares about the vulnerable of NZ, he will take every last dollar from them.
Are our Auckland housing bubble caught up in this corruption charges coming out of arrests of criminal Chinese investors laundering illegal bank money here now?
Beijing has announced a crackdown on the country’s biggest “underground bank” which handled $64 billion (410 billion yuan) of illegal foreign-exchange transactions. China is currently boosting efforts to curb capital outflows and fight corruption.
The bank transferred money overseas using non-resident accounts, exploiting regulatory loopholes and bypassing oversight, according to the government.
More than 370 people have been arrested, some face lawsuits or criminal charges, the People’s Daily reports citing police officials.
“Chinese authorities started raiding underground banks in April. Since then they have revealed over 170 cases of money laundering and illegal fund transfers totalling more than 800 billion yuan ($125.34 billion). Police have shut down 37 banks.”
( The New Zealand Nact government must be aware of this…but the last time the Labour Party brought the housing crisis up in Auckland it was accused of “crude racial profiling” by both John Key and the Greens….!
Chooky, I’m too sleep deprived to comprehend and discuss but thought you might be interested to know that Al Jazeera, (freeview chanel 16) had a news story about this issue last night. Quite fascinating, and I also wondered if the Ak property boom has been affected in part by the activities of these underground banks…………..
You can probably find their story on their website. I think they will continue to investigate too.
“Phil Twyford tweeted: Phil Goff is a legend: one of the hardest working, most capable and decent people in politics. @Forabetterakld ”
Give me a break ….
I first encountered Phil Goff in 1985, when Phil Goff was the Minister of Housing in the 1984-87 ‘Rogernomic$’ Labour Government, which lifted the rent freeze, making life tough for low-income renters.
Please be reminded that for the 9 years under Helen Clark’s Labour Government, (in which Phil Goff was a Cabinet Minister) the underpinning legislation upon which the Rogernomic$ neo-liberal reforms were based, was left basically untouched.
It was under a Labour Government, (lest we forget), that the process for the current Auckland ‘Supercity’ (for the 1%) was started.
(5 September 2006, to be precise, the date of the ‘failed Mayoral coup’, where the four (then) Auckland City Council Mayors, wrote an ‘Open Letter’ to PM Helen Clark, calling for the abolition of the ARC, and its urgent replacement with an Auckland ‘Supercity’.)
It was the Labour Government which appointed the ‘Royal Commissioners’ for Auckland Regional Governance, which recommended the mechanism for the effective corporate takeover of the Auckland region – the Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) model for Auckland major trading and infrastructure services.
Please don’t ask Aucklanders to have a collective ‘frontal lobotomy’?
In my considered opinion, Phil Goff will be a safe pair of hands for the business community, in whose interests the Auckland region is currently being run.
In comparison, my Mayoral campaign will be a full, frontal assault on the neo-liberal ‘Rogernomic$’ model, of which citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region, have now had TWO doses.
Who has benefited?
Follow the dollar …..
Oh – that’s right.
You CAN’T – because the ‘books’ are not open, and we the public cannot find out exactly where public monies have/ are being spent.
How convenient …..
Because I am openly attacking the ‘commercialise, corporatise, PRIVATISE’ agenda – I expect a lot more more effort will be made to ‘demonise’ and attack what I am saying and what I am doing.
So be it.
But as a proven ‘anti-privatisdation / anti-corruption Public Watchdog/ whistle-blower’ – where am I FACTUALLY INACCURATE in anything I am saying?
What’s the point in asking someone about an action the role she is contending for has no power to make? Government sets the rules. If Ms Bright is genuinely concerned, that’s what she would be standing for or at least seeking to influence through other methods.
As you well know Penny, the Royal Commission’s report was thrwn in the dustbin by Rodney Hide and the NACTS and the Super City legislation was what they wanted and not what the Commission recommended.
Penny has also been told that the previous councils all had CCOs as well, but facts which do not suit her conspiracy-minded rants seem to go in one ear and out the other.
And wow Joe! Having seen many examples of mosaics in mosques and other places it is just too easy to walk all over them without realising the craft and patience and commitment to create these works of art. Next time I am in a museum I will stop and look harder.
And in the middle east a drone somewhere will destroy the mosaics and the artisans. Poof. A Crime!
it looks like your regular day at “Question Time in Parliament” all you got to do is replace Penny Wrigth with Bill English, Pulyer Benefit, the Ponytail puller and the rest of the National Posse.
In fact, i would suggest you should admire her for not revealing any policies before the election, its so National 2014 🙂
Seeing as open mike seems to have developed into a pick on Penny thread I would like to say she would make a far better mayor than that double dipping fair weather friend John Banks ever did.
like many new zealanders who do not live in Auckland I think the place is poorly planned shit hole with an over abundance of rude show boating wankers …. rich white trash like Hosking and Key thrive there.
But having got that out of the way that I do remember watching the mayoralty of John Banks from afar and thinking what the fuck is wrong with that place electing a horrible semi fascist authoritarian prick like that
I remember watching John Banks using the police a lot at council meetings … they were like his own personal heavies ….. the red squad was in the chambers .
At that when the police were acting as Johns Banks personal heavies one Clint Rickards was the Auckland districts police commander …..
John Banks had a very high regard for Clint Richards and they worked really well together ………… they had this special understanding going on …..you could just see it at the council meetings.
Penny has my admiration and although she may not be a practical choice for Aucklands Mayor ……. I think without people like her the mongrels like Banks/Hide etc would be even more blatant in their quest to privatize council services like water and generally loot ratepayers for the enrichment of the few.
She believes in democracy and open government ……. Unlike your next Auckland Mayor to be.
You have quite a distinctive writing style reason. If you read the objections to Ms Bright they are pretty well set out. She has no plan for Auckland, she is anti corruption BUT she and those in her group have a very particular view of corruption which is based on what they believe and damn the evidence and damn the innocent that they besmirch and whose reputations they wrongly demolish through mass emails to employers etc.
So, no, I don’t think she would make a good Mayor. Do we need people on the sidelines shouting the odds about corruption and transparency. Yes, we do. She can use the Mayoral vehicle for that but to suggest she actually be mayor is, I think, even beyond her own expectations in running.
A recent definition from my dictionary, for the word capricious.
“Capricious”
(adj.) 1. determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; “Authoritarian rulers are frequently capricious”, impulsive, whimsical;
2. Changeable:
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 KotahiThe fact that a ...
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 ...
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 CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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; ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
“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 ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
.“$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 ...
“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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 → ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
In my view, the last thing Auckland wants is any ‘business person’ (or ‘pro-business person’), as Mayor of Auckland.
Already, in my opinion, thanks to the ‘corrupt corporate coup’ that forced the Auckland amalgamation upon citizens and rate payers, the region is being run ‘like a business, by business, FOR business’.
The mechanism for this effective corporate takeover – has been the Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) model, where 7 democratically elected Councils (warts and all), were replaced with 7 CCOs with undemocratically selected boards of business people.
No Auckland CCO has ever been subject to a review for cost-effectiveness, transparency or democratic accountability.
In my view, the only ones who have benefitted from Auckland being run in a more ‘business like’ manner, have been those businesses who have won the contracts with Auckland Council and CCOs.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-privatisation/ anti-corruption Public Watchdog’
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate
Spot on Penny and congratulations on keeping your comment short and to the point.
So Auckland needs some person who “means well”, is “inclusive”, yada yada yada
auckland would walk over a mayor like celia wade brown, who has been absolutely hopeless for wellington. the only reason she is still mayor is because she is from the right team for all the beige civil servants who reside there.
from business, by business, for business is exactly what auckland needs. it’s business that’s making auckland great. it certainly isn’t the council
Since the Super City we already have that Nessalt. Open your eyes, or take off the blinkers. And no, I don’t support Penny as the alternative.
No, it’s business that’s killing Auckland as they cost us more and more as they work to maintain high profits.
to Nassalt: I must have missed something because at no stage was Auckland being transferred to a plutocracy. Regardless of your opinion what the business world might want or not, a democracy works for ALL people and not just the few. I belief that with support of such dictatorial tendencies NZ becomes almost worst then the Russian federation, at least they don’t pretend to be something they are not.
Celia hasn’t been absolutely hopeless for Wellington. (which looks like it’s one of the lines that is going to be taken against her) nor has her council.
Most of the local right wingers seem to think that laying concrete on something=growth but instead we have a liveable city which is trying to treat it’s lower paid employees fairly (and the multinational’s resident here should stop trying to run up the ratepayers bills unnecessarily) and ttracting the high tech jobs we need.
You have no idea of what democracy means do you Nosalt. What you describe is actually an Oligarchy. Democracy is government for the people not businesses; and by the people not businesses.
So sorry what you want is simply not available under our present constitution.
Thanks Penny. Well put.
You will be getting my vote.
+100 Penny…and you would get my vote if i were in Auckland
The way things are going in Auckland, the best candidate for Mayor would be someone with liquidation/bankruptcy management experience.
If Auckland doesn’t sort out its excessive borrowing and bloated staffing structures it won’t be long before they are forced to hock off assets to try and pay for their debt.
$7 Billion in debt – what do they have to show for it?
Len has already forced a 10%/annum hike in rates – I can’t see the next Mayor being able to squeeze the ratepayer for any more so where is the $$$ gona come from?
If people ran their households like Len has run Auckland they would be dragged off to Bankruptcy court in no time.
excessive borrowing? But he’s just following the Key/English plan
if the debt was actually ‘excessive’, the council would not have a better credit rating than the govt.
Credit ratings agencies
AAA
It was John Banks that put Auckland into excessive debt by following right-wing policies – just like the current government is putting NZ into excessive debt by following right-wing policies.
I’d say that you RWNJs haven’t got clue as to how to manage the economy but some of you do and they manage it to cause massive debt for the government and profits for their donors. The rest of you idiots actually believe them when they lie to you.
I’m not saying that you’re wrong, however you still have to face the fact that under Brown’s stewardship Auckland Council has more than doubled its debt to 7+ Billion, has pushed through multiple rates increases many times higher than the rate of inflation, and the Auckland Council Bureaucracy has increased significantly.
Against these numbers any faults in Bank’s mayoralty from yesteryear pale into insignificance.
It wouldn’t be so bad if you could see large infrastructure improvements from all the borrowing – but there isn’t.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the whole Auckland Council ran a tight ship on budget/cost blowouts etc. but it doesn’t – huge swathes of staff on $100K plus a year, trips and junkets for all the flunkies, large increases in staff number with no increase in services offered, and to cut costs they drop berm grass cutting.
Talk about penny wise pound foolish.
The government’s supercity legislation is where speedily-equalised rates and hence large increases for some came from, not any decision of council’s. Same with govt refusing to allow other ways of funding needed transport investment, leaving council only the option of a dedicated extra rate amount for that.
Council may have some latitude to slow or stop the reduction of business rates relative to residential ones, however. Could be worth asking candidates about that. Also whether they are prepared to resist pressure from this government to privatise the region’s assets.
Or the other option was that they rolled out berm mowing to all the other council areas that didn’t have it and push rates up by at least $1000 per year per house.
Yeah, I think that covers all of what you said. You obviously haven’t got a friggen clue what you’re talking about which is true of most RWNJs.
The debt to asset ratio is the figure to attribute any meaning to.
It’s now got about the same scale of assets of Fonterra.
Since it started in 2010, Auckland’s grown by several hundred thousand people. With that comes roads, parks, water, etc.
So you need staff. It’s not a game for amateurs.
I’ll leave evaluating the benefits of Brown’s two terms to later in next year.
Agree Ad – a family member used to work for the City Council and mentioned the Fonterra comparison. This same family member stressed on several occasions that salaries were carefully benchmarked against the private sector and then were usually marked down. He is now working in the private sector and can earn the same dollars per week in three days and anything over and above that is extra. He also worked on average 60 hours per week at the Council.
Have some fun while campaigning Penny, good luck
In my opinion the last thing Auckland City wants is a rates bludger who wants and uses services but won’t pay for them.
my understanding is such a person has no problem paying rates so long as what they are allocated to is detailed in a transparent manner….nothing to hide ,nothing to…fear’!as the saying goes.
no, the allocation must be as penny wants it to be, not just transparent. we can’t decide how our taxes are spent. otherwise welfare would be slashed to the ground.
‘he London contract ends in September, and Mr Brown says he expects to be told about what tangible benefits it has brought to Auckland.’…any updates?…’
‘It was revealed at the weekend that Auckland Council has sent one of its staff to London at a cost of $230,000 a year, after his English-born wife became homesick. Another of its staff was sent to San Francisco.’
what a farce…good work’…if you can get it!
[lprent: I am deeply suspicious of that quote. But we can’t tell can we? You haven’t sourced it.
Offhand, it just sounds like Cameron Slater or his stupid handpuppets at laudafinem deliberately lying again. Probably by omission.
Link your quotations as I have pointed out to you before. This is your warning, and since I see you have been a persistent offender, I will give you a years holiday from the site to learn how to do it (personally I think that is how long you will need to learn this simple technique).
You are in autospam until I see an acknowledgement there that you have read and understand this note. Which means that you have to restate what you are required to do, and link to this comment. THis is a basic test of your competency to comment here.
I am flying for the next couple of days. If you don’t do it by the time I hit Auckland then I will just add you to permanent bans by default. Reading your comments, I don’t think that you add too much to the site. ]
There’s not enough information there for form an opinion one way or the other.
Was the employees wife being homesick the reason he wanted the job, or the reason the job was created? (was there corruption/favours? Or even an appearance of such)
Were these employees doing work that could be done anywhere? (were they excellent employees that ACC wanted to retain even after they indicated they were leaving NZ?)
What job/task were these people doing for ACC? (is it valid work, and do the workers need to be on location?)
Will their findings be made public? (we are after all, paying for it)
How long is their stay overseas? (so we can assess total cost of project/contract)
What part of the figure is salary and what part is living support? (to help assess value for money for both parts)
It may well be that the money is a complete waste.
Or, it might be money well spent.
But without enough information to assign value to the spend, we have no way of knowing.
And honestly, if you want to criticise ACC and Len Brown, there’s no shortage of policy and leadership failures.
You could start with why Tony Gibson still has a job.
Flinging ignorance around like a demented chimp does faeces makes you look hysterical and it’s difficult to take you seriously.
This is old news. Both roles have finished. http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/72200702/Auckland-axes-man-in-London-post-amid-claims-of-a-backdown
You guys would have a point if you were also focused on the deteriorating transparency under our current government and their increased abuse of OIA’s. BUT making it as though only Penny is abusing the system is just laughable.
That eliminates anyone with a net worth of over about ten million bucks then…
Thumbs up to that comment Tracey (2.2) 🙂
Claire Trevett has been briefed by Robertson’s camp to rubbish Carmel Sepuloni in an article on the upcoming reshuffle.
What’s that about? Sepuloni has been an excellent performer. Does sleezy Grant see Sepuloni as a threat?
“Claire Trevett has been briefed by Robertson’s camp to rubbish Carmel Sepuloni in an article on the upcoming reshuffle.”
How do you know that?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11548766
Can’t see any evidence that Trevett has been briefed to rubbish Carmel in that article. All Trevett says is Carmel has failed to fire………there is some evidence of that.
BIll Dress you have to do better than that.
Agreed. It was quite a good article, but nothing even hinting at dissent and dirty tricks in the ranks.
Trevett was briefed by a senior source in the Labour Office.
Someone is trying to influence Little’s reshuffle.
Little has already back tracked on replacing King, the godmother to the ABC faction that has undermined the party for seven years.
Little was elected over Robertson to bring an end to this shit.
Who briefed Trevett?
It was clearly not Sepuloni, Mahuta or Cunliffe who briefed Trevett.
Grants back on form pulling the strings and ensuring Labour do as well Nationally as they did in Wellington central.
Wake up and smell the coffee. The same arses who fucked thinks up are now running the shop. And they have Lusk’s friend Nash helping them.
Labour are not doing well in the polls.
If we leave Robetson in charge of the shop we will continue to loose.
Nice theories, and I can’t say that that would surprise me if it were true. Problem is, there doesn’t appear to be any reason to believe you other than that you say we should.
Nobody “briefed Trevett” because there would be no reason to do so even if your half- baked conspiracy theory of a Robertson plot had any basis apart from in your head.
The cabinet shuffle will be decided by Little based on the performance of his MPs, just as the deputy leadership was. He said the deputy job would be reviewed in a year – it was and King is doing a good job in that role so she is staying.
Little is quite capable of assessing who should get each role without advice from Trevett or Robertson. To suggest otherwise is laughable. Little is pragmatic, a good manager of people and he has managed to get the various factions within the caucus working well together for the first time since Helen left.
He was hiding under Grant Robertson’s bed and listened to the phone calls made to Claire Trevett?
If you have evidence/information Bill Drees then spit it out. Otherwise I will regard it as yet another attempt to discredit Labour and treat it with the contempt it deserves.
Robertson briefed Dom Post to undermine colleagues during
1. Goff’s reign
2. Shearer’s reign
3. Cunliffe’s reign
and he is back doing it under Little’s nose.
Evidence?
http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Duncan-Garner-Narcissistic-Labour-proves-voters-were-bang-on/tabid/674/articleID/55918/Default.aspx
Well, if Duncan Garner says so in Oct 2014, it must be true. he would never put 1 and 1 together and get 3.
Nonetheless even that link doe snot prove that Robertson
“briefed Dom Post to undermine colleagues during
1. Goff’s reign
2. Shearer’s reign
3. Cunliffe’s reign
and he is back doing it under Little’s nose.”
proof aside, it’s pretty much the case. Robertson wants that leadership position, either sooner or later.
Of course he does. He ran for the job, didn’t he?
But his support of Little since the leadership contest has been unequivocal.
I get that the oster (Drees) appears to have something firmly in his mind supporting his view. BUT specifically can you point to a public act that has Robertson’s fingerprints on it? And if he has a cabal of support, it doesn’t appear to me to be a cabal wanting to move left of Little (who is pretty middle right now)?
Troll alert!!! Bit of an agenda here it seems.
RWNJs desperately trying to stir up division with no actual evidence of anything. Trevett is a right leaning political journalist who is quite capable of making her own assessments of who she thinks should be in the shadow cabinet without needing a “leak”. We need better RWNJs – the ones we have are too transparent
Robertson is the troll in this situation. He is arranging briefings against colleagues to undermine them and to elevate his own supporters.
Robertson is trying to shape Little’s reshuffle.
Can you provide any evidence to support this statement? Anything other than your own opinion?
No? Than what you are doing her is a bit like mental masturbation, wanting it to be true, but nothing to base it on, but it gives you ten seconds of pleasure and relieve.
Ahhh, whats a lonely man to do on a rainy sunday morning.
Bill Drees, when we click on your name it goes to an unavailable webpage. Can you please unlink your name to save people the bother.
I say this as an author here at TS
He did the same thing in student politics all the time. I don’t think he’s a good human.
I think you have hit the nub of the issue, Karen. Even if Bill Drees is right in his assessment, and I am in no position to make a judgement on that, anyone tempted to leak to media friends in order to weight things in this or that direction should be aware by now that this method has passed its use-by date. One only has to look at the downhill slide of TV3 since the demise of Campbell Live to see how things have changed. Right wing approval of Labour people has always raised the suspicions of many Standard commentators, but that suspicion is becoming much more widespread. The old “x is so good that even right wing journalists admire them” or “y is so bad that even right wing journalists have noticed” no longer washes much with anyone.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11549222
National wants to more than double the fine for littering ,two thoughts pop into mind one is do they actually ever fine people for it and two can you imagine the howls of outrage if labour suggested it.
1. I’ve never known it to happen
2. If Labour suggested it the right-wing would be calling it ‘revenue gathering’ as they do with speed cameras this despite the fact that they always call for harsher penalties on crims (They just don’t want harsher penalties for when they break the law)
I have put my freehold home on the line to defend my (and all citizens and ratepayers) LAWFUL rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ local government.
OPEN THE BOOKS!
Make the following information about awarded contracts, available for public scrutiny:
The NAME of the consultant/ contractor.
The SCOPE of the contract.
The TERM of the contract.
The VALUE of the contract.
Whether the contract was awarded through a public tender process.
If the statutory ‘third party Public Watchdogs’ had done their job, and ensured that Auckland Council was held accountable to the RULE OF LAW – regarding citizens and ratepayers’ LAWFUL rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ local government – then – as an ordinary person, I would not be making this ‘extraordinary’ stand?
Penny Bright
CITIZEN not SLAVE!
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
You are lucky they didnt come for you, unlike that poor woman who was duped and has her house sold out from under her…
As Mayor, other than be an amateur forensic accountant, what do you want to achieve for Auckland?
@Ad.
Not quite relevant to Penny but certainly to the mayoralty.
I have added a comment later in this post you may be interested in.
It is comment 14.
She’s standing for Mayor Alwyn.
Please be specific in your responses Penny. Tearing things down is only ohe part of a plan.
errr…. how on earth is ‘OPENING THE BOOKS’ – so that citizens and ratepayers can find out exactly where their public monies are being spent (invested and borrowed) ‘tearing things down’?
Nothing to hide – nothing to fear – (sort of thing)?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
That is your whole plan for Auckland?
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22112015/#comment-1099209
You can then stand atop Mount Eden and shout every line item down to 49 cents, by heart, for days, and then what?
What will you build in three years? What will you spend on transport for example?
Or would you like to continue your line-by-line recitation of the accounts before something useful actually starts?
How would publishing the details you have specified help ratepayers assess the relative value of spending on contractors vs staff?
Which trusted agency would be continually pulling together the required contextual information, including comparisons with other councils, state organisations and businesses? Who would pay for that work to be done, and how would you go about ensuring it is enacted?
Because they’d actually have the information necessary to make the comparison themselves.
I meant the value (cost/benefit), not the dollar amounts. You really think the public have the other details needed to make sense of those figures?
The only outcome would be the Taxpayers Onion and other neolib nutjobs trumpeting that any public spending is bad and rates should be reduced immediately. That’s exactly how Auckland ended up with broken sewers after decades of penny-pinching from C&R.
The idea is to make all of the information available.
And I’ve asked Penny how she intends to make that happen, given the limited powers of the office she is seeking.
How can you ‘follow the dollar’ – if you don’t know where exactly the ‘dollar’ is being spent in the first place?
How can you do any form of ‘cost-benefit’ analysis, if you don’t first know where exactly the ‘costs’ fall?
Are you aware Sacha, that there is no such thing as ‘Public’ transport in the Auckland region?
It is privately-provided ‘passenger transport’.
Also, Auckland Transport are refusing to reveal exactly how much has been spent on public subsidies of private passenger transport providers since 1 November 2010, on the basis that information is ‘contractually sensitive’?
Yet Auckland Council has introduced a ‘Transport Levy’, without enforcing the disclosure on monies spent on public subsidies of private passenger transport providers?
You ok with that?
I’m not.
I think it STINKS.
FYI – here is the information I provided to the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting of 25 June 2015, attached to the minutes:
http://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2015/06/GB_20150625_MAT_5792.PDF
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Not being one to just bleat on blogs – FYI – here’s the ‘live-streaming’ on my presentation to the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting on 25 June 2015, just before the vote was taken on Auckland rates and the ‘Transport Levy’.
http://councillive.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/video/250615-governing-body-items-7-part-2-11
(Scroll through to 7.30 minutes for the start.)
Anyone else asking these HARD questions about transparency and democratic accountability, when it comes to the spending of public monies on private passenger transport services in the Auckland region?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Questions are for critics. Mayors should have answers.
So seriously, once you’ve finished doing what a 6th tier Council or CCO accountant does every day doing line by line forensics drafting new draft Annual Plans like the Act Party’s butler, what will Mayor Bright do to improve Auckland?
Publish articles with capitalised words?
Anything.
Transport provision like so many other things is determined by government legislation not the whim of local councillors.
Council’s regular financial statements and plans seem to show what money is spent on to the satisfaction of most citizens. Not clear exactly what you think you will uncover by demanding line item accounting but I’m convinced there are better causes for you to pursue for the benefit of our city and our country.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11549204
Maybe Audrey has had a change of heart about Mr Key?
“Key climbs aboard the Boeing 757-200, kissing the cheeks of familiar Air Force cabin crew who have fed and watered him over thousands of air miles on other trips.”
And yet he claimed he didn’t remember the chap being detained in Aussie?
How do you get a change of heart out of that? She paints him as both statesman-like and an ordinary bloke?
Tracey…..just an opinion re Audrey and John Key. She talked about his bloody mindedness and no apology. I thought the underlying tone showed a little bit of cynicism, but maybe that just how I read it.
Young’s world view is similar to that of John Armstrong – they’re old school conservatives occasionally discomforted by the way Key operates.
Just why this engenders excited comment on the Standard is beyond me.
Yup which is why her issues is with him not apologising rather than what he said
I think when John Key displays his true attitude to women, Audrey Young gets uncomfortable. She was critical of the pony tail episode as well.
However, she is also true to her roots. Her father, Vern Young, was a National Party cabinet minister and her brother Simon is a current National Party MP and I have seen footage of Audrey with John Key that indicated a very chummy relationship with him.
Her brother Jonathan is the MP for New Plymouth. Simon is her brother but is not a MP.
At the local pak-n-slave last night I saw an immigrant who felt the need to advertise the fact the she wasn’t a Muslim by wearing a fucking big cross.
sigh..
How do you know that was why she was wearing it?
Never seen her wearing one before.
It sounds like you might be jumping to a conclusion.
Or perhaps someone living in a small community might be familiar with their community.
I am sure all these country boundary changes have nothing to do with any of the problems in the world today.
https://www.facebook.com/leoneed.antonov/videos/363851147087486/
Not sure what you mean by your comment, but that was an interesting link.
I guess boundary changes reflect the ”problems” (i.e that humans are rather horrible and rapacious) rather than those changes in themselves being the cause.
That graphic could give an illusion of progress given the relative stability of borders in the last century, compared with earlier centuries.
Having a sense of belonging is important to people. When boundaries constantly change so does what they thought they belonged to…
But the graphic would make it seem as if the world’s becoming a more stable place.
Geographic conquest was largely replaced by other forms (such as economic) of imperialism.
I also wonder what the concept of ”belonging” means in the context of those earlier empires.
stable for whom?
I tried to put that in context with my second sentence Tracey.
So Tracey – you think that Auckland Council should not be held accountable to the RULE OF LAW?
You think that citizens and ratepayers should just tug their forelocks and ‘do as they’re told’ – irrespective of whether Auckland Council has complied with its statutory duties arising from the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002, the Local Government Act 2002, and the Public Records Act 2005?
(For starters ….)
I might be many things – but ‘gutless’ is not one of them.
How can you have transparency, or democratic accountability – without proper written records available for public scrutiny?
Don’t you agree Tracey, that citizens and ratepayers have a LAWFUL right to know exactly where public monies are being spent?
How can you check for cost savings or ‘cost-effectiveness’ – if you don’t know exactly where the ‘costs’ fall?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Why is it so hard for you to use the reply button? See how my comment is attached to yours? That is what the reply button is for.
You realise you have received preferential treatment by Auckland City don’t you? Otherwise YOUR house would have been forceably sold, like that other poor woman.
Why put “gutless” in quotations. I didn’t call yout hat.
I have commented before on here, to you, about how you and Grace Haden don’t care if you are right or wrong, and who gets hurt amongst your conspiracy theories.
You have some valid points but you are also patently wrong at other times.
Yeah Penny, I am just a head-nodder, you are the only person fighting the good fight 🙄
I have never criticised this government, or challenged their lack of transparency. YOU are the only hero out there.
I won’t vote for you because you will destroy innocent folks along with the deserving, believing everyone of them was guilty.
There are several reasons I wouldn’t vote for Penny but a big one is that she evidently doesn’t believe in man made climate change:
http://localelections.generationzero.org.nz/auckland/mayor/penny-bright
That’s like not believing in gravity.
holy shit, that’s a daming read (good on Gen Zero too for the site).
Thnx for this
And now we are getting to the truth of Penny Bright.
She has no transport policy.
Auckland actually needs elected members who know what they are going to do.
Penny Bright lacks accountability and transparency for all to see.
She will never ever answer any questions put to her about her public affairs.
After all, she is running to be Mayor of Auckland council ?
Not true Stigie.
Penny Bright
Tracey, I am now accessing ‘The Standard’ from my computer, and am now able to use the ‘reply’ option, which appears to be unavailable to me when I post from my iphone.
[lprent: That is because I have never had the time to add and test the code required to make that happen on the mobile version (I have tried to do it 4 times thus far and got interrupted mid-stream after 2-3 days all 4 times).
Flip from Mobile to Desktop using a page from the menu on the top right. ]
A couple of points:
First – I request that you provide EVIDENCE of where I have ever stated, on any matter, anything that has been FACTUALLY inaccurate?
Second – I most definitely DO care, if I am wrong, which is why I am asking you to prove where I have been ‘wrong’?
Third – please be advised that I WILL defend my reputation as an ‘investigative activist’, who actually spends a considerable amount of time and effort, in carefully researching issues, in order to make sure that I am factually accurate in what I am stating.
(Currently, I have proceedings on foot in the High Court, against Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town for alleged defamation.)
Penny Bright
Anytime you agreed with grace hayden in wells v haden you were supporting a wrong. You thinking you are right is not the same as being right. Several judges have told you where you have been factually wrong in the past but you decided the judges were corrupt. I am not playing your games anymore
How is asking for YOU to please provide evidence of where I have ever MADE ANY STATEMENT about anything – that was FACTUALLY inaccurate ‘a game’?
I respectfully suggest that you ‘quit while you’re behind’ Tracey?
Defamation proceedings in the High Court are definitely NOT a game …..
Penny Bright.
Do you think you would have better luck than you did with John Banks?
Or anyone?
Whilst they are NOT a game – do you think that would be esier to “win” if you were able to turn up for the court cases?
Do while it may be factual when you say “(Currently, I have proceedings on foot in the High Court, against Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town for alleged defamation.)”
It might be more HONEST to say Currently, I have proceedings on foot in the High Court, against Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town for alleged defamation, but my case is looking shit and will probably be thrown out.?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/73705000/auckland-rates-protester-penny-bright-fails-to-show-up-for-defamation-case
Seems a game to you Penny, you never turned up to court for the last defamation proceedings ?
Wow Penny… threatening people with defamation to shut down criticism. Classy for a Mayoral.aspirant.
I quoted you a case where you were wrong. The judgment is EVIDENCE
You sat with grace hayden in court whispering in her ear and every one of her defences was shot down By the Judge. Haden refused to pay costs and judgment. Are you saying you thouht her defences to that claim were wrong?
” 15. It is not necessary to refer in detail to the Judgment other than perhaps to note the Judge’s conclusion that it was necessary to grant relief against the defendants, referring to the dispute as a “sorry saga” (paragraph 143) and in relation to certain pleaded acts of defamation that Mrs. Haden had “made mountains out of a molehill” and that Mrs. Haden and her company Verisure had engaged in conduct that was “remarkable for their plain vindictiveness”. ”
https://dnc.org.nz/sites/default/files/content/399.html
Haden v Wells DC Auckland CIV-2012-004-696, 10 May 2013 at [14] and [16]. This finding was upheld on appeal: Haden v Wells [2013] NZHC 2753 at [25]-[26].
You can put your phone in desk top mode. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see the options. Then you can click reply.
It is easiest not to do it from the front page. That has infinite scrolling. Nothing quite as irritating as trying to hit the Mobile->Desktop transition and finding you have just selected a posts author as the infinite scroll loaded more posts.
OK people, in honour of The Phantom Menace being released within weeks, Stephanie Rodgers is watching the entire series, in sequence, and is live-tweeting it blow by blow.
https://storify.com/bootstheory/stephanie-watches-the-phantom-menace-2015
If any person in New Zealand thinks they can out-nerd Stephanie on this subject, then join the hashtags, but I warn you now children, The Force Is Strong In This One.
As Winston Churchill might have said “Jaw jaw is better than Jar jar”.
Oh dear, that got me reading this:
It helps if you’ve played pen and pencil RPG games and watched Star Wars.
I like to think of Jacinda as a slightly older Padme, but that’s just me.
And if it had better mood lighting, Parliament would pass well as a half-buried Death Star.
Yeah, that is the general effect of all of that green leather.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11549347
Bloody good of use to subsidise keys golf course.
What a ridiculous article.
The golf course thing is a bit of a stretch I’ll admit . But landlords are definatly getting subsidised which is insane as rents would be cheaper if they where left to the all powerful market.
I agree about the landlords.
The golf course part of the article was complete bollocks.
‘Argumentum ad lapidem’
You want to say why it’s ridiculous, BM?
He needs to read another site before he knows why
I think BM is about “Spray and Go Away”, actually.
So, on this reasoning Cornwall Park should be subdivided for what would be high end million dollar homes from which rates can be dragged?
For all his ills I thank Logan Campbell for that Trust Deed.
Cornwall is freely accessible by the general public. No private members fees required.
Another sky scraper on fire that did not collapse.
So still the only ones that ever have collapsed are the 3 that did so on 9/11
What an amazing coincidence.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/74280403/chicagos-john-hancock-centre-fire-on-50th-floor
break out the tinfoil.
Ad hominems do not constitute an argument.
How many aircraft have crashed into it? If the answer is zero, your comparison is invalid.
No plane crashed into Building 7.
But you knew that, didn’t you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD06SAf0p9A
lol Paul…I believe you …..
( as do many others …including many engineers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architects_%26_Engineers_for_9/11_Truth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_controlled_demolition_conspiracy_theories )
where is AOB lurking?
Yes, two falling towers crashed around Building 7. What falling tower crashed around the burning building in Chicago?
Around, not onto. It was not damaged.
But, hey, I sense no evidence will persuade you.
You believe George Bush’s government line.
Now that’s a ‘tinfoil’ conspiracy theory, if ever I heard one.
No. Buildings, the higher they get, were never meant to be loaded with a modern passenger jet.
Seeking the inner tin foil. The US, oil, oil money and terrorism, all became aligned after G.Bush junior declared famously the axis of evil. A line from Libya to Afghanistan, all now under going regime change except Iran which is in talks.
This is the most powerful, most beautiful response to the Paris terrorist attacks I have seen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ-1iA-56k0
For the benefit of Ad.
A few days ago I offered a wager that Goff would not resign from Parliament if he chose to run for Mayor. You assured me that
“Yes I am willing to bet on that statement.
I would expect the resignation within 48 hours after his actual announcement of candidacy this weekend.
I’ve been wrong before, but he’s experienced enough to know you can only be one thing at a time. The campaign will be all-consuming. ”
This was in http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-fundraising/#comment-1096991
Phil has now announced and he says, according to The Herald, that
“Mr Goff said that if elected Mayor next October, he would immediately resign as an MP.
“I was elected MP for Mt Roskill for three years and I would resign that role and force a by-election with reluctance. I intend taking a leave of absence from Parliament once I embark on intensive campaigning next year. Until then, just as I balanced being a Cabinet Minister and MP for many years, I will continue serving my constituents full-time as their MP as I have done for more than 30 years.””
I fear that I will not be eating humble pie as I said I would if your prediction came true.
Never get between a pig and a trough. You should remember that in the future.
Humbly, I’m ready to start chewing.
And a very gracious response.
I am probably a great deal more cynical about politicians, all politicians, than you are.
I find that they are, with only a few exceptions, dedicated to eating their fill at the trough. They seem to be worst if they enter Parliament at a young age and stay for a long time. Goff qualifies on both counts. Apart from anything else most of these ones are basically unemployable
The least greedy are those who enter at an older age and have been successful in some other occupation. Clarkson, who beat Winston in Tauranga, is a prize example. He couldn’t get our quick enough at the end of one term. It probably helped that he could say that he was wasting his time there and could make more money in a week outside Parliament than he did in a year as an MP.
ps. I wonder what “humble” pie really is?
Google and Wikipedia is your friend
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humble_pie
I am now in two minds. Should I wish I had lost the wager?
It actually sounds pretty good and eating humble pie doesn’t sound like something to be avoided. I am a fan of heart, liver and kidneys, although generally lamb or beef rather than deer which I haven’t tried, so most of it appears to be rather tasty.
He needs to stand down now ! Hes just handing the nats a club to beat labour with.
I might be wrong about the nats using it against labour but I guess this below from key could be the start of a classic bit of two track DP!
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11549402
“”Mr Key did not believe the big commitment needed for the upcoming campaign meant Mr Goff should resign as an MP.
“The history is not of people resigning … he won’t be in the House as much, I don’t know what his schedule will be, but in terms of his constituency, which is Mt Roskill, that is sort of the heart of Auckland, I think he will argue pretty strongly he will continue to serve his constituents.”
Even if Mr Goff was successful, Mr Key said there was precedent for him to remain in Parliament until the next election, as long as he didn’t take both salaries.
Such a move could avoid the expense of a byelection, Mr Key said.
Asked if Mt Roskill was unwinnable from National’s perspective, he said no incumbent Government had ever won a byelection for a seat it did not hold.
“I don’t think we would be claiming we were the frontrunners. But, in the end, if there is a byelection, we are happy to fight it…I’m just simply saying we are not trying to railroad him out of their””
I suspect he will be shifted to the backbench but really, I think he should resign as an MP when the campaign proper starts.
So do I key himself says an incumbent government has never taken a seat that wasn’t theirs in a by election and it would give a new labour mp time to get out into the comunity pre 2017.
If it’s all looking good for him I think he will resign when the official campaign starts. He’s hedging his bets at this stage in case it all turns topsy turvy. I guess you can’t blame him for that.
I was with you alwyn. he will suck on the taxpayer teat until he cans uck on the ratepayer teat. That’s how much Goff cares about the vulnerable of NZ, he will take every last dollar from them.
From CLEANGREEN (on the Daily Blog)
Are our Auckland housing bubble caught up in this corruption charges coming out of arrests of criminal Chinese investors laundering illegal bank money here now?
https://www.rt.com/business/322822-china-illegal-bank-crackdown/
“China busts biggest “underground Bank”
Beijing has announced a crackdown on the country’s biggest “underground bank” which handled $64 billion (410 billion yuan) of illegal foreign-exchange transactions. China is currently boosting efforts to curb capital outflows and fight corruption.
The bank transferred money overseas using non-resident accounts, exploiting regulatory loopholes and bypassing oversight, according to the government.
More than 370 people have been arrested, some face lawsuits or criminal charges, the People’s Daily reports citing police officials.
“Chinese authorities started raiding underground banks in April. Since then they have revealed over 170 cases of money laundering and illegal fund transfers totalling more than 800 billion yuan ($125.34 billion). Police have shut down 37 banks.”
– See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/11/22/the-daily-blog-open-mic-sunday-22nd-november-2015/#sthash.rpYQPH4y.dpuf
( The New Zealand Nact government must be aware of this…but the last time the Labour Party brought the housing crisis up in Auckland it was accused of “crude racial profiling” by both John Key and the Greens….!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70186455/Greens-accuse-Labour-of-crude-racial-profiling-on-housing-sales
http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/wall-of-chinese-capital-buying-up-australian-properties-20150628-ghztdf.html )
Chooky, I’m too sleep deprived to comprehend and discuss but thought you might be interested to know that Al Jazeera, (freeview chanel 16) had a news story about this issue last night. Quite fascinating, and I also wondered if the Ak property boom has been affected in part by the activities of these underground banks…………..
You can probably find their story on their website. I think they will continue to investigate too.
thanx
“Phil Twyford tweeted: Phil Goff is a legend: one of the hardest working, most capable and decent people in politics. @Forabetterakld ”
Give me a break ….
I first encountered Phil Goff in 1985, when Phil Goff was the Minister of Housing in the 1984-87 ‘Rogernomic$’ Labour Government, which lifted the rent freeze, making life tough for low-income renters.
Please be reminded that for the 9 years under Helen Clark’s Labour Government, (in which Phil Goff was a Cabinet Minister) the underpinning legislation upon which the Rogernomic$ neo-liberal reforms were based, was left basically untouched.
It was under a Labour Government, (lest we forget), that the process for the current Auckland ‘Supercity’ (for the 1%) was started.
(5 September 2006, to be precise, the date of the ‘failed Mayoral coup’, where the four (then) Auckland City Council Mayors, wrote an ‘Open Letter’ to PM Helen Clark, calling for the abolition of the ARC, and its urgent replacement with an Auckland ‘Supercity’.)
It was the Labour Government which appointed the ‘Royal Commissioners’ for Auckland Regional Governance, which recommended the mechanism for the effective corporate takeover of the Auckland region – the Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) model for Auckland major trading and infrastructure services.
Please don’t ask Aucklanders to have a collective ‘frontal lobotomy’?
In my considered opinion, Phil Goff will be a safe pair of hands for the business community, in whose interests the Auckland region is currently being run.
In comparison, my Mayoral campaign will be a full, frontal assault on the neo-liberal ‘Rogernomic$’ model, of which citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region, have now had TWO doses.
Who has benefited?
Follow the dollar …..
Oh – that’s right.
You CAN’T – because the ‘books’ are not open, and we the public cannot find out exactly where public monies have/ are being spent.
How convenient …..
Because I am openly attacking the ‘commercialise, corporatise, PRIVATISE’ agenda – I expect a lot more more effort will be made to ‘demonise’ and attack what I am saying and what I am doing.
So be it.
But as a proven ‘anti-privatisdation / anti-corruption Public Watchdog/ whistle-blower’ – where am I FACTUALLY INACCURATE in anything I am saying?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
What experience in elected office do you have to propose running Auckland Council?
Do you propose to reverse the amalgamated Auckland into some other structure?
What’s the point in asking someone about an action the role she is contending for has no power to make? Government sets the rules. If Ms Bright is genuinely concerned, that’s what she would be standing for or at least seeking to influence through other methods.
As you well know Penny, the Royal Commission’s report was thrwn in the dustbin by Rodney Hide and the NACTS and the Super City legislation was what they wanted and not what the Commission recommended.
Penny has also been told that the previous councils all had CCOs as well, but facts which do not suit her conspiracy-minded rants seem to go in one ear and out the other.
Thnks Visubversa took the words out of my mouth. Penny needs to read the history again.
where the children sleep – a picture diary
http://darbarnensover.aftonbladet.se/chapter/english-version/?utm_content=buffer6f2e8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Sabine. Haunting. Reality. Makes me weep. Will these kids ever recover?
no.
Spend 5 watching artisans create.
https://www.facebook.com/kurmancirudaw/videos/930751850312427/
And wow Joe! Having seen many examples of mosaics in mosques and other places it is just too easy to walk all over them without realising the craft and patience and commitment to create these works of art. Next time I am in a museum I will stop and look harder.
And in the middle east a drone somewhere will destroy the mosaics and the artisans. Poof. A Crime!
Thanks joe, that’s the best thing I’ve seen all weekend.
Sorry it looked like soul-sucking low-skilled OOS-inducing drudgery set to Trade Aid shop music.
Nothing low-skilled about the way those guys went about their work. Incredibly accurate without any wasted motion was all I saw.
+1. That guy with the hammer was incredibly skilled.
Whether it’s drudgery or not will depend on how well they get paid and who they’re making them for.
Spoken like someone who’s never handled ceramics.
And should you ever find yourself in Morocco you’ll notice a distinct lack of manufacturing plant.
So far today on Open Mike we have had 9 posts from mayoral candidate Penny Bright.
She has been asked:
1. “That is your whole plan for Auckland?
No response
2. In a similar vein, different author: “What do you want to achieve for Auckland?”
No response
3. “What will you spend on transport for example?”
No response
4. “What will Mayor Bright do to improve Auckland?”
No response
5. “Do you propose to reverse the amalgamated Auckland into some other structure?”
No response
6. “Why is it so hard for you to use the reply button?”
No response
7. When confronted by her flat denial of human-caused climate change:
No response
8. “Do you think you would have better luck than with John Banks?”
No response
9. “Do you think it would be easier to win if you turned up for your court cases?
No response
10. When a specific legal case she lost was cited, she was asked, “Are you saying you thought her defenses to that claim were wrong?”
No response
This is today’s measure of Penny Bright as a candidate to be Mayor of Auckland.
it looks like your regular day at “Question Time in Parliament” all you got to do is replace Penny Wrigth with Bill English, Pulyer Benefit, the Ponytail puller and the rest of the National Posse.
In fact, i would suggest you should admire her for not revealing any policies before the election, its so National 2014 🙂
Good summary Ad.
yep, thanks Ad.
Probably best to leave it up to the ‘experts’ and just keep whinging about the lack of change
Seeing as open mike seems to have developed into a pick on Penny thread I would like to say she would make a far better mayor than that double dipping fair weather friend John Banks ever did.
like many new zealanders who do not live in Auckland I think the place is poorly planned shit hole with an over abundance of rude show boating wankers …. rich white trash like Hosking and Key thrive there.
But having got that out of the way that I do remember watching the mayoralty of John Banks from afar and thinking what the fuck is wrong with that place electing a horrible semi fascist authoritarian prick like that
I remember watching John Banks using the police a lot at council meetings … they were like his own personal heavies ….. the red squad was in the chambers .
At that when the police were acting as Johns Banks personal heavies one Clint Rickards was the Auckland districts police commander …..
John Banks had a very high regard for Clint Richards and they worked really well together ………… they had this special understanding going on …..you could just see it at the council meetings.
Penny has my admiration and although she may not be a practical choice for Aucklands Mayor ……. I think without people like her the mongrels like Banks/Hide etc would be even more blatant in their quest to privatize council services like water and generally loot ratepayers for the enrichment of the few.
She believes in democracy and open government ……. Unlike your next Auckland Mayor to be.
It’s completely unconscionable to have a major city Mayor who is a climate change denier. Whether that’s Banks or Bright.
You have quite a distinctive writing style reason. If you read the objections to Ms Bright they are pretty well set out. She has no plan for Auckland, she is anti corruption BUT she and those in her group have a very particular view of corruption which is based on what they believe and damn the evidence and damn the innocent that they besmirch and whose reputations they wrongly demolish through mass emails to employers etc.
So, no, I don’t think she would make a good Mayor. Do we need people on the sidelines shouting the odds about corruption and transparency. Yes, we do. She can use the Mayoral vehicle for that but to suggest she actually be mayor is, I think, even beyond her own expectations in running.
A recent definition from my dictionary, for the word capricious.
“Capricious”
(adj.) 1. determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; “Authoritarian rulers are frequently capricious”, impulsive, whimsical;
2. Changeable:
You know who this reminds me of!!!!!!!
The russian war room.
https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/files/2015/11/RTS7KP4-1024×661.jpg&w=1484
and that’s only one of them:
http://russia-insider.com/en/military/look-inside-putins-massive-triple-deck-military-command-and-control-center/ri11349
Are you talking about Rodney hide weka ???????
Or bill english perhaps …………..
Penny has a sub zero chance of being Mayor as everyone knows ….
But she does keep certain democratic ideals like open government and transparency from being totally disregarded and buried.
Personally I feel the Auckland disease is the biggest threat to New Zealand and its spreading …………..
If Phil Goff is the answer your already fucked
Is Weka a Phil Goff supporter? I would need a link for that cos it seems very unlikely to me. (Weka not trying to put words in your typewriter)