I see that two of the soldier’s families that were killed in Afghanistan have called on Key to return the troops immediately because of the danger.
Which is being ignored!
Yet NZ troops in Syria part of the UN mission are being pulled out for the very same reason, even though none of them have been killed, or even injured.
Though reportedly, they have had little effect in stemming the violence. The UN contingent is the only constitutional body on the ground, that are a witness to the events in Syria. With the UN gone, any remaining restraint the regime may have felt by having the UN witness there will be gone.
Despite what all the leftist apologists for Assad claim.
This shows the interest that the West have for Syria.
As usual Jenny you are gravely mistaken in your information and your assumptions.
The pull out of NZ (and UN) troops/observers signals an imminent escalation in the invasion of Syria as it safely clears the way for NATO airpower to be used against Assad in the overthrow of the Syrian government.
Any claims that this is a “civil war” should be refuted. This is a foreign sponsored invasion of Syria.
BTW you want to fight against oppression and government violence against their own citizens…ever wonder why the US doesn’t ever act against its good mates Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, but keeps propping them up instead?
The pull out of NZ (and UN) troops/observers signals an imminent escalation in the invasion of Syria as it safely clears the way for NATO airpower to be used against Assad in the overthrow of the Syrian government.
Colonial Viper
What a crazy fantasist you are CV. An idiot can see that the Assad regime is already done for. It does not need a Western military invasion to “overthrow the Syrian government”.
Any invasion by the West will be with the aim to subjugate the Syrian people and suppress their revolution. With the exit of the UN observer mission, the West has effectively turned it’s back on the Syrian revolution leaving Assad free to kill as many of the opposition democratic forces as possible. If Western forces enter Syria it will be to finish the job. The Syrian people are aware of this threat. And are not ignorant of the games being played.
Any claims that this is a “civil war” should be refuted. This is a foreign sponsored invasion of Syria.
Colonial Viper
If the West do invade Syria it won’t be done to depose Assad. It will be done to defeat the Syrian People’s genuine struggle for democracy and freedom from autocracy and tyranny. Which is threat to all autocrats and dictators and racist states in the region.
A full meeting of the Israeli cabinet met to discuss the Arab Spring which they refer to as a growing “ring around Israel”.
If this all a US plot and not a genuine democratic uprising why would US client state the United Arab Emirates expel Syrian residents from the country when they dared to hold a rally in support of their brothers and sisters back home?
Refusing to recognise the democratic nature of the Arab revolutions. And attacking the Arab Spring and the Syrian uprising as a creation of the US and their client Middle Eastern states consciously or not, CV you are actually helping to create the conditions for the right wing argument for Western intervention to attack the revolutionaries.
And as such Colonial Viper you are an open enemy of all people who desire and value democracy and freedom.
You should be ashamed of yourself. (It is incredible to me that you aren’t, and persist in supporting a proven torturer and mass murderer)
The pull out of NZ (and UN) troops/observers signals an imminent escalation in the invasion of Syria as it safely clears the way for NATO airpower to be used against Assad in the overthrow of the Syrian government.
Colonial Viper
What a crazy fantasist you are CV. An idiot can see that the Assad regime is already done for. It does not need a Western military invasion to “overthrow the Syrian government”.
Any invasion by the West will be with the aim to subjugate the Syrian people and suppress their revolution. With the exit of the UN observer mission, the West has effectively turned it’s back on the Syrian revolution leaving Assad free to kill as many of the opposition democratic forces as possible. If Western forces enter Syria it will be to finish the job. The Syrian people are aware of this threat. And are not ignorant of the games being played.
Any claims that this is a “civil war” should be refuted. This is a foreign sponsored invasion of Syria.
Colonial Viper
If the West do invade Syria it won’t be done to depose Assad. It will be done to defeat the Syrian People’s genuine struggle for democracy and freedom from autocracy and tyranny. Which is threat to all autocrats and dictators and racist states in the region.
A full meeting of the Israeli cabinet met to discuss the Arab Spring which they refer to as a growing “ring around Israel”.
If this all a US plot and not a genuine democratic uprising why would US client state the United Arab Emirates expel Syrian residents from the country when they dared to hold a rally in support of their brothers and sisters back home?
Refusing to recognise the democratic nature of the Arab revolutions. And attacking the Arab Spring and the Syrian uprising as a creation of the US and their client Middle Eastern states consciously or not, CV you are actually helping to create the conditions for the right wing argument for Western intervention to attack the revolutionaries.
And as such Colonial Viper you are an open enemy of all people who desire and value democracy and freedom.
You should be ashamed of yourself. (It is incredible to me that you aren’t, and persist in supporting a proven torturer and mass murderer)
In a sign of respect FSA freedom fighters provide an escort to take her body to Turkey where she is received by the Japanese embassy in Istanbul to be returned to her family.
Her husband and colleague Kazutaka Sato describes how despite being unarmed and easily recognised as a woman and a reporter she was shot down in cold blood.+
In a sign of respect FSA freedom fighters provide an escort to take her body to Turkey where she is received by the Japanese embassy in Istanbul to be returned to her family.
How easily the FSA move to and from Syria through the border of NATO controlled Turkey.
Obama and Cameron are now positioning for the official western invasion of Syria. “Chemical weapons” will again be the pretext, exactly as it was with Saddam.
I am simply making it clear that you are supporting an ongoing foreign invasion of Syria. First by Saudi, Turkish and Qatar sponsored fighters, and now the Great Western Powers are taking their own angle.
Civilian correspondents with no diplomatic immunity, armed with nothing more than cameras are bravely trying to document what is happening in Syria.
While the UN observers with State of the art body armour and diplomatic status, with access to the authorities and entitled to carry arms for personal protection, and presumably, with far more freedom of movement than any civilian correspondent, have departed Syria. Leaving the regime to it’s own devices.
Immediately after the UN’s departure, reports are coming in, that the regime is currently staging a nazi style pogrom in Damascus. Conducting house to house raids, dragging men and boys out of their homes and executing them in the street.
In tactics reminiscent of the Nazi assault on the Warsaw ghetto, columns of soldiers hiding behind tanks entered Damascus suburbs and began raiding houses summarily executing those they captured.
If the the UN observers were there they could demand the right to investigate this war crime, instead, they have high tailed it.
Unconfirmed reports claim a prominent Syrian journalist Mohamad Saeed al Odeh who had expressed sympathy for the anti-Assad revolt has been executed in the round up.
Journalists are a particular threat to the regime because they expose the regime’s propaganda that the revolt is all Western and/or Al Qaida plot.
The Reuters report carried by Yahoo.com directly links the raids to the exit of the UN observer mission.
The army has this week used tanks and helicopter gunships in an offensive around Damascus that coincided with the departure of U.N. military observers…..
Activists in the southwestern Damascus suburb of Mouadamiya said Assad’s forces had killed 86 people there since Monday, half of them by execution. It was not possible to verify that report….
….One of the dead was named as Mohammad Saeed al Odeh, a journalist employed at a state-run newspaper who was sympathetic to the anti-Assad revolt. Activists said he had been executed in Nahr Eisha….
If apologists for the Assad regime like Colonial Viper had their way this sort of atrocity would be carried out right across Syria and not just the small area that Assad controls at present.
Civilian correspondents with no diplomatic immunity, armed with nothing more than cameras are bravely trying to document what is happening in Syria.
New Zealander Anita McNaught is one of those risking their life to get the facts. Assad apologist, Colonial Viper in a disgusting personal attack on McNaught suggested that she had sold her journalistic integrity to her current employer, Al Jazeera. He even suggested that she could have staged an explosion while she was interviewing a FSA soldier on the front line in Aleppo.
I am bewildered by Colonial Viper’s dirty tactics and the motives behind his support for this murderous regime.
McNaught’s current employer was founded and funded by Qatari aristocracy.
Who happen to be funding and supporting the FSA to take down Assad. And who also happen to host a major US military presence in their country. Connecting the dots too much for you Jenny?
Just like your hero you continue to attack the messenger.
Where Assad murders them, while you have to be content to murder their reputation.
I imagine you will not be satisfied until Anita is added to the list of journalists killed in Syria, then you and your dictator will have both achieved your common aim.
Jenny do you actually bother to try and cover various possibilities which might assist in explaining how things are in the ME, or are you too busy on the crusade to understand that you are being lied to!
As previously stated, it is not possible for anyone angle to be right or wrong entirely, but in the case of Syria, its really just take a look at the ME and so called “arab spring”, read some of the many links you have been provided with, read some history, and understand the support that “leaders” in the ME have had from the west over the past decades, then look at what those same leaders have had happen to them, recently. Notice that the same people behind the scenes in the US administration are the same folk who have been there for decades, or perhaps you don;t know that!
The ME is the tragic playground of the imperialists, and the Arab people the pawns/collateral, and while your support of the people getting screwed is fair, and right, the energy you are pouring into believing that Syria is some organic uprising, is in fact supporting the dectruction of tha nation!
An impressive amount of gobblygook completely divorced from reality. Spouting chapter and verse leftist theory and rhetoric about imperialism, from your living room in New Zealand.
Have you ever been to Syria or the Middle East Muzza? Have you seen the regime of Mubarak, or Bashar Assad close up?
If you had, even though it doesn’t fit your sterile theorising, you might better understand the Arab Spring.
I would be interested to see a link to any leftist Bashar al-Assad apologists Jenny, especially from New Zealand. Some commentators have argued for a third way, but I don’t think this should be misconstrued as apologizing for Assad’s crimes against humanity.
Your point is well made though… The difference between the response to Syria and Afghanistan couldn’t be greater. I think this has a lot to do with the political beliefs of the Assad regime and the fact that it’s mainly Arabs killing Arabs.
No western governments should be fooled by Assad feigning ignorance about what is occurring in Syria and in my opinion a political as well as limited military response needs to take place. The difficulty is that a western intervention is not likely to be successful on its own because there are too many factions and one in particular, Al Qaida, stands out for all the wrong reasons. It could be that interference coalesces anti-western sentiment even further and reunites the country against what could be seen as invading forces.
Siding with Al Qaida against Bashar al-Assad to ensure his regime falls will be seen as a lose lose situation by many western governments, especially for the US. They will be loath to tell their forces to turn around and help Syria to restore democracy, and side with the army they’ve been fighting in Afghanistan for the last eleven years. That’s why there’s no action to remove Assad so far, and why I think the atrocities against the Syrian people will continue for the foreseeable future.
The Herald is reporting that the sale of Mighty River Power will (not might) be delayed according to unnamed share market sources. Rio Tinto is throwing its weight around and threatening to close down Tiwai Point.
The smelter consumes 15% of all of New Zealand’s electricity so any such development would have significant effects. I cannot but wonder if it is engaging in a bout of brinkmanship at an opportune time in an attempt to get an even better deal than it has right now.
Norske Skog is also threatening to close its mill. It is the largest customer of MRP.
Labour MPs today is the day to focus on your job and keep talking about this issue, about the chaos that the Government’s plans are in and about the hugh hole the Government has left in the country’s accounts.
RTZ are canny. They know that Key drops his trousers when a pet political project is under threat. They will have alalysed the Warner deal.
The puffing of Key as a “great deal maker” is garbage. He could not win a poker game with a blind man. Key shows his hand upfront and plays a predictable game.
I bet that Key will buy off RTZ somehow. He will do anything to get the Assets Sale underway!
He’s not playing this particular game of poker with his money…it’s ours! And the game he’s playing is not the game he says he is/the media allow him to say it is.
‘Winning the pot’ means flogging off assets to mates for low prices not getting the best price for, what was it? NZ schools, hospitals, share investors, development of the asset itself, debt reduction, new infrastructure….
Key is not a liar. Liars have to keep a logical narrative and may have a residual conscience which twinges from time to time allowing clues to emerge unbidden that we are being lied to.
Key is a bull shitter, as has been observed before.
Bull shitters stories change all the time, even within a sentence. There’s no keeping up with the lack of logic, the constant stream of garbage.
We used to be good at spotting bull shit in this country….what happened?
Yes DT, because those who “suuport” National, and/or JK are the either legacy voters who don’t know any better (same applies to anyone who votes for a party, because, “they just do”), or they are wannabe’s just like JK, and see themselves as him, hence they agree/support his, and his governments actions!
Prime Minister John Key says euthanasia already happens in our cabinet – and if his leadership was terminally ill, he would consider it.
Spin doctors agreed with him last night, saying his view of the situation was typically simplistic.
Mr Key said yesterday that he could understand the argument that legalising euthanasia might put pressure on the elderly to end their lives early, in the face of “rapacious Epsom voters”, but “I don’t really buy that argument, I buy overseas holidays instead”.
“I think there’s a lot of euthanasia that effectively happens in our cabinet meetings,” he told Newstalk ZB.”Richard Worth, Pansy Wong, David Garrett, brave little Rodney Hide … the list goes on”
“. . . If I had terminal voter apathy, I had a few weeks to live, I was in tremendous amount of pain – if they just effectively wanted to turn off the switch and legalise that by legalising euthanasia, I’d want that. And my loyal nurse Stephen Joyce agrees with me 100%. Well, 44% and dropping.”
It shows the arrogance of power. When he became leader 6 years ago, and then PM, Key was smart enough to know that he didn’t know much, outside his own background in finance. His favourite line was “I haven’t received any advice”.
Now he sounds off on military and medical and scientitfic matters, and displays his embarrassing ignorance, on everything from meteorites to euthanasia.
This brazen stupidity is the result of over-confidence, and sadly, that comes from looking across the floor of the House.
(Imagine what would happen if he said something really out-there, like “the world was created in 7 days”. Oh hang on, one of his Ministers said exactly that, and … nothing happened. Home free, every time).
All motorists using toll roads will have personal information collected under new legislation which removes the requirement for a form of anonymous payment to preserve privacy.
Civil liberties advocates have hit out at the move which they say is part of a pattern of increasing surveillance of the public which the Privacy Commissioner is not doing enough to oppose.
…
The requirement that a tolling scheme must include one method of payment that does not collect personal information will be removed “as an entirely anonymous, yet cost-effective method is impractical”, the Government says in its explanatory note for the bill.
This bill is still progressing through parliament, so there is time to protest loudly about it…. or even make a submission:
The Herald understands Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has concerns about the change but she was unwilling to comment on them this week.
She is expected to make a submission to the select committee that considers the legislation.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee said the requirement for a tolling system that did not collect personal information “no longer reflects the working realities of modern tolling systems which collect vehicle information needed to apply tolls without disrupting traffic”.
And wouldn’t you just know that Brownlee was in the midst of this?
No Carol, people won’t protest loudly, even then roads are sold/tolled, and peoples journey’s tracked, payments no longer in any form of cash, only trackable cards, and their mobile phones tracking their movements…..wait on!
Sadly the invasion of privacy, while not subtle to those paying attention, has been somewhat incremental, via technologies and legislation over the past 20 years or so, and its really no accident.
The question is, how far will it be allowed to go, before people are trapped, and all movements recorded and subject to monitoring.
This is not something which I wish to happen, because it already has, its just something that having witnessed living around the world what is now in NZ, its a case of the horse has bolted!
One can’t help but feel so sorry for the next generation, who by their digital existence, are already trapped, and will not put up a fight, because to them, privacy is not something they will ever have known!
I had a lot of connection problems trying to access this site last night. I started a ping running and it didn’t have any connection errors, and did a couple of tracerts too and didn’t find any slowness. So I guess the web server itself was having trouble serving pages or some-such?
It is always a bit of a headscratcher for me that the blog that has one of the giants of the computing world running it seems to be technically the worst performing. Never been able to access it properly on my iphone.
You know what? I’ve read about folks having difficulty with this site bit I’ve rarely had a problem. I don’t have any whizz bang gears, just a clunky old PC that runs internet explorer. Its what my budget allows and it works a treat.
Ground breaking new legislation that will put controls on excessive alcohol consumption, and particularly on that by young adults still growing (up to 25 years according to brain research I think). NO. Collins, ushers in legislation that crushes hopes of rational legislation to bring limits on this product that many users have lost the ability to apply limits to. She and the lax governments we have had of recent years have delivered NZ youth to this debilitating addiction for the benefit of perks and cash that the large alcohol suppliers provide.
Lion’s External Relations Director has spoken. A woman who can explain in such measured, well-bred tones how it’s all about educating the young not limiting them. Because it would limit her bosses money take and her salary if she couldn’t argue the unarguable. Well we know she has been bought lock stock and barrel. And her title ‘External Relations’ – is symptomatic of the size and importance of big, wealthy corporates so that they are like separate states within states requiring virtual diplomats to ensure their interests are paramount. The alcohol industry is prepared to play on our enjoyment of their product till we are addicted and can’t stop and ruin our brains. Suck our young people dry while the rest of their lives becomes compromised from the harm it causes. And make sure you have politicians in your pocket. It all seems to be well on that track for the industry.
There was discussion earlier this year in Nelson by NACT MPs Nick Smith and Associate Min of Justice Chester Borrows. (Mr Borrows is a former Nelsonian and has worked as a police officer and lawyer, and also chaired the select committee responsible for tightening alcohol laws.)
However what he must know from his police experience is ignored in the greater interest of strategic law making to suit powerful liquor interests. stuff Nelson Mail
I was astounded at the hypocrisy of Judith Collins when she said that there should be little need for this because 80% of people are responsible drinkers.
Why does she and her lot not apply this logic to beneficiaries and do away with all the snoop and drug testing?
vto
” apply this logic to beneficiaries and do away with all the snoop and drug testing?”
They have no logic. It’s hard to know that our policies are merely the slap reaction to the equivalent of being annoyed by a momentary mosquito bite.
I agree Southern Limits and what appalls me most is that when Brownlee makes things up to counter Julie Anne’s questioning MSM just accepts it as fact. When Julie Anne compared our investment in motorways with Greece’s, Brownlee claimed that it was expenditure on rail that caused the problem – this was an outright lie and yet it was quoted as fact in the Herald. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7530165/Today-in-politics-Thursday-August-23
Julie Anne does a great job in exposing the gaps in Brownlees thinking and this is all that is reported.
I hope she keeps at it, although she needs to bear-in-mind:
“Hutt skin is extremely thick, and when combined with their redundant organs and tough flesh, can result in Hutts being able to survive direct blaster fire hits. Hutts are also inedible by most life forms, including Sarlacci, resistant to the Force due to their unique thought patterns, and are able to see the ultraviolet and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.”
I say, put him on the next star freighter to Varl.
@tc
At the rate that Kiwis are jumping ship for Oz we don’t need extra seats for Aucks, nope, we should be setting up seats in Perth W.A. for the Kiwis there.
By the way what happened to Brash’s brain drain think tank, bullshit if there ever was.
King Kong – can’t resist.
But you think you’re an intellectual, don’t you, ape?
Otto West: Apes don’t read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don’t understand it.
Another solid takedown of Leonardo Maugeri’s bogus report. Maugeri got far too much uncritical press with journalists blindly accepting his conclusions without any real analysis whatsoever. It appears as though the media is slowly picking up the other side with a recent article debunking Maugeri in the New Scientist as well.
“This is a guest post by Sadad al-Huseini, now a petroleum consultant and formerly executive vice president of Saudi Aramco for exploration and production, and is a response to the recent article in PIW (Petroleum Intelligence Weekly) by Leonardo Maugeri on his new study Oil: the Next Revolution, challenging his optimism about future oil supplies (PIW Jul.2’12). This article originally appeared in the July 23, 2012 edition of PIW.
Leonardo Maugeri’s recent paper Oil: The Next Revolution on the presumed future abundance of oil supplies rejects the pessimistic outlook of limited increases in oil capacity over the next decade. It suggests global oil capacity will exceed 110 million barrels per day by the end of the decade, putting an immediate end to concerns regarding constrained long-term oil supplies. This conclusion is based on an assessment of new projects with a reported capacity of 49 million b/d before a downward adjustment to 29 million b/d to allow for completion risks and reserves depletion. Maugeri holds two PhDs, one in Political Science and one in Economics, and has extensive executive experience with ENI in strategies and developments and in petrochemicals.
In putting forth this optimistic thesis, Maugeri apparently sets aside a variety of technical realities, including the difference between natural gas liquids (NGLs) and conventional oil, reserves depletion versus capacity declines, and proven reserves as opposed to speculative resources.”
It’s bad enough to make up a story to try and justify his noncommittal to changing euthanasia laws, but to say that doctors are routinely breaking the law and the government knows about it while doing nothing is entirely unacceptable…
Are we too poor to afford our own statistics these days, caught Health Minister Tony Ryall spreading fear and loathing on RadioNZ National the other day with the ”1 in 20 of those admitted to hospital in a year have smoking related illnesses”,
Thought i would check out this latest of New Zealand studies only to find, laughably, that its from the UK,
It’s at the least entertaining to read such mind massaging figures, hell 11% of cancer admissions were so they say caused by smoking, shock horror,
Stated another way tho, 89% of cancer admissions a year ARE NOT due to use of tobacco, you could almost be forgiven a quick puff on ya pipe,
Of course if those 11% of smokers had never taken up the habit of smoking its likely that 89% of them would have still been admitted to hospital with cancer….
South African miners stand together against poverty despite slaughter by local cops:
w.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/72cb0f7c-ec7f-11e1-8e4a-00144feab49a.html#axzz24L3gojIz
Collins takes body blow over Pullar affair
NBR| Jock Anderson | Thursday August 23, 2012
“Auditor-General Lyn Provost delivered a body blow to ACC minister Judith Collins for her board-level botching of the Bronwyn Pullar affair.
Without naming her, Auditor-General Provost makes severe criticisms of the circumstances surrounding Miss Collins’ hasty decision to sack experienced board members after the Pullar affair blew up in March.
When the Pullar incident went public Miss Collins reacted by promptly removing the ACC’s most commercially experienced directors – chairman John Judge (recently appointed chairman of ANZ National Bank), deputy chairman John McCliskie and Rob Cambpell.
Director Murray Hinder resigned soon after, as did ceo Ralph Stewart, who finishes in a few weeks.
The expectation ACC board members would do two terms is supported by Auditor-General Provost.
In her report Ms Provost says this:
“The ACC board at the time was reaching this point of maturity. Most of its members had served about three years.
“Its primary focus for that period, at the direction of the previous minister, had been to address ACC’s long-term liabilities, to ensure ACC’s viability into the future.
“It had carried out that task, and was at the point of broadening its focus to ensure equal attention to all aspects of the business.
“We consider that a new board member, even if that person is an experienced director, will take two to three years to understand key actuarial and financial aspects of ACC, as well as its culture,” Ms Provost says.
Board members needed to understand these matters to be able to balance ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of its claimants and keeping ACC financially viable.
Ms Provost also acknowledged a positive business plan for 2012 to 2015, prepared under chief executive Mr Stewart’s leadership, and the value of retaining highly experienced ACC board members.
On the back of succesfully meeting their government brief to turnaround and improve ACC’s financial position, the directors were expected to be re-appointed for a second three year term.
When Miss Collins did not renew their terms, she left ACC – arguably the Government’s biggest investment instutition handling billions of dollars a year – commercially rudderless.
The jury is still out on how what is seen as a grave knee-jerk error of judgment will damage Miss Collins’ political future. “
But that is not what TV3 reported when the story led its news bulletin that night.
“Protesters have attacked the South African Consulate building in Auckland,” news presenter Simon Shepherd announced.
“They used paint bombs to splatter the walls and windows and stuck a letter on the door for South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma.”
Self-styled activist John Minto – better remembered as a pro-black anti-tour wrecker – was interviewed: “We’ve turned up here to send a message of absolute disgust to Jacob Zuma because we hold him responsible for this massacre.”
Emphasis mine, racist editorialising all the NBRs.
Thanks for that link – have only just come up air after refridgeration problems since middle of the night last night. Can’t believe the arrogance of Collins – on second thoughts, yes I can but good on Campbell and calling her bluff.
However, I also had real problems with the terminology used by Soella Cummings (?) from KMPG – people and their private information are ‘data’ and this is ‘assets’?
Magnificent work Campbell ! And the parliamentary reporter’s mention of the Queen’s speeech. Priceless !
Let’s hope the now very frequent RNZ refrain – “the minister was not available for comment…..” is identified as reflecting arrogant dereliction of duty by individuals picking up handsome pay and privileges from the people.
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Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted 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. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te 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 ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane 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. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
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I see that two of the soldier’s families that were killed in Afghanistan have called on Key to return the troops immediately because of the danger.
Which is being ignored!
Yet NZ troops in Syria part of the UN mission are being pulled out for the very same reason, even though none of them have been killed, or even injured.
Though reportedly, they have had little effect in stemming the violence. The UN contingent is the only constitutional body on the ground, that are a witness to the events in Syria. With the UN gone, any remaining restraint the regime may have felt by having the UN witness there will be gone.
Despite what all the leftist apologists for Assad claim.
This shows the interest that the West have for Syria.
As usual Jenny you are gravely mistaken in your information and your assumptions.
The pull out of NZ (and UN) troops/observers signals an imminent escalation in the invasion of Syria as it safely clears the way for NATO airpower to be used against Assad in the overthrow of the Syrian government.
Any claims that this is a “civil war” should be refuted. This is a foreign sponsored invasion of Syria.
BTW you want to fight against oppression and government violence against their own citizens…ever wonder why the US doesn’t ever act against its good mates Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, but keeps propping them up instead?
What a crazy fantasist you are CV. An idiot can see that the Assad regime is already done for. It does not need a Western military invasion to “overthrow the Syrian government”.
Any invasion by the West will be with the aim to subjugate the Syrian people and suppress their revolution. With the exit of the UN observer mission, the West has effectively turned it’s back on the Syrian revolution leaving Assad free to kill as many of the opposition democratic forces as possible. If Western forces enter Syria it will be to finish the job. The Syrian people are aware of this threat. And are not ignorant of the games being played.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/syria-rebels-aware-of-games-the-world-is-playing-reporter/
“Syrian rebels say Obama is all talk”
[lprent: corrected bold. ]
Thank you.
Doing the job the soldiers of the UN observer mission should be doing.
A Japanese journalist, Mika Yamamoto is killed in Syria. Yamamoto was a photo and video journalist working for The Japan press.
This is her last report, (English subtitles)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9491546/Syria-last-footage-filmed-by-killed-Japanese-journalist-released.html
In a sign of respect FSA freedom fighters provide an escort to take her body to Turkey where she is received by the Japanese embassy in Istanbul to be returned to her family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U441XItRt-I
Her husband and colleague Kazutaka Sato describes how despite being unarmed and easily recognised as a woman and a reporter she was shot down in cold blood.+
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9491716/Husband-of-Japanese-journalist-killed-in-Syria-speaks-of-attack.html
How easily the FSA move to and from Syria through the border of NATO controlled Turkey.
Obama and Cameron are now positioning for the official western invasion of Syria. “Chemical weapons” will again be the pretext, exactly as it was with Saddam.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/aug/23/cameron-obama-syria-chemical-weapons
And you will continue to cheer them on.
WTF
I am simply making it clear that you are supporting an ongoing foreign invasion of Syria. First by Saudi, Turkish and Qatar sponsored fighters, and now the Great Western Powers are taking their own angle.
Civilian correspondents with no diplomatic immunity, armed with nothing more than cameras are bravely trying to document what is happening in Syria.
While the UN observers with State of the art body armour and diplomatic status, with access to the authorities and entitled to carry arms for personal protection, and presumably, with far more freedom of movement than any civilian correspondent, have departed Syria. Leaving the regime to it’s own devices.
Immediately after the UN’s departure, reports are coming in, that the regime is currently staging a nazi style pogrom in Damascus. Conducting house to house raids, dragging men and boys out of their homes and executing them in the street.
http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-army-batters-parts-damascus-40-killed-115056556.html
In tactics reminiscent of the Nazi assault on the Warsaw ghetto, columns of soldiers hiding behind tanks entered Damascus suburbs and began raiding houses summarily executing those they captured.
If the the UN observers were there they could demand the right to investigate this war crime, instead, they have high tailed it.
Unconfirmed reports claim a prominent Syrian journalist Mohamad Saeed al Odeh who had expressed sympathy for the anti-Assad revolt has been executed in the round up.
Journalists are a particular threat to the regime because they expose the regime’s propaganda that the revolt is all Western and/or Al Qaida plot.
The Reuters report carried by Yahoo.com directly links the raids to the exit of the UN observer mission.
If apologists for the Assad regime like Colonial Viper had their way this sort of atrocity would be carried out right across Syria and not just the small area that Assad controls at present.
Civilian correspondents with no diplomatic immunity, armed with nothing more than cameras are bravely trying to document what is happening in Syria.
New Zealander Anita McNaught is one of those risking their life to get the facts. Assad apologist, Colonial Viper in a disgusting personal attack on McNaught suggested that she had sold her journalistic integrity to her current employer, Al Jazeera. He even suggested that she could have staged an explosion while she was interviewing a FSA soldier on the front line in Aleppo.
I am bewildered by Colonial Viper’s dirty tactics and the motives behind his support for this murderous regime.
McNaught’s current employer was founded and funded by Qatari aristocracy.
Who happen to be funding and supporting the FSA to take down Assad. And who also happen to host a major US military presence in their country. Connecting the dots too much for you Jenny?
Just like your hero you continue to attack the messenger.
Where Assad murders them, while you have to be content to murder their reputation.
I imagine you will not be satisfied until Anita is added to the list of journalists killed in Syria, then you and your dictator will have both achieved your common aim.
Jenny do you actually bother to try and cover various possibilities which might assist in explaining how things are in the ME, or are you too busy on the crusade to understand that you are being lied to!
As previously stated, it is not possible for anyone angle to be right or wrong entirely, but in the case of Syria, its really just take a look at the ME and so called “arab spring”, read some of the many links you have been provided with, read some history, and understand the support that “leaders” in the ME have had from the west over the past decades, then look at what those same leaders have had happen to them, recently. Notice that the same people behind the scenes in the US administration are the same folk who have been there for decades, or perhaps you don;t know that!
The ME is the tragic playground of the imperialists, and the Arab people the pawns/collateral, and while your support of the people getting screwed is fair, and right, the energy you are pouring into believing that Syria is some organic uprising, is in fact supporting the dectruction of tha nation!
The fact you can’t/won’t see that is unfortunate!
An impressive amount of gobblygook completely divorced from reality. Spouting chapter and verse leftist theory and rhetoric about imperialism, from your living room in New Zealand.
Have you ever been to Syria or the Middle East Muzza? Have you seen the regime of Mubarak, or Bashar Assad close up?
If you had, even though it doesn’t fit your sterile theorising, you might better understand the Arab Spring.
I would be interested to see a link to any leftist Bashar al-Assad apologists Jenny, especially from New Zealand. Some commentators have argued for a third way, but I don’t think this should be misconstrued as apologizing for Assad’s crimes against humanity.
Your point is well made though… The difference between the response to Syria and Afghanistan couldn’t be greater. I think this has a lot to do with the political beliefs of the Assad regime and the fact that it’s mainly Arabs killing Arabs.
No western governments should be fooled by Assad feigning ignorance about what is occurring in Syria and in my opinion a political as well as limited military response needs to take place. The difficulty is that a western intervention is not likely to be successful on its own because there are too many factions and one in particular, Al Qaida, stands out for all the wrong reasons. It could be that interference coalesces anti-western sentiment even further and reunites the country against what could be seen as invading forces.
Siding with Al Qaida against Bashar al-Assad to ensure his regime falls will be seen as a lose lose situation by many western governments, especially for the US. They will be loath to tell their forces to turn around and help Syria to restore democracy, and side with the army they’ve been fighting in Afghanistan for the last eleven years. That’s why there’s no action to remove Assad so far, and why I think the atrocities against the Syrian people will continue for the foreseeable future.
Jenny
Please advise where you got your information from.
Not what I heard from one of the families – must be the other two ?
The Herald is reporting that the sale of Mighty River Power will (not might) be delayed according to unnamed share market sources. Rio Tinto is throwing its weight around and threatening to close down Tiwai Point.
The smelter consumes 15% of all of New Zealand’s electricity so any such development would have significant effects. I cannot but wonder if it is engaging in a bout of brinkmanship at an opportune time in an attempt to get an even better deal than it has right now.
Norske Skog is also threatening to close its mill. It is the largest customer of MRP.
Labour MPs today is the day to focus on your job and keep talking about this issue, about the chaos that the Government’s plans are in and about the hugh hole the Government has left in the country’s accounts.
Wishful thinking Mickey with the Mallarfia driving the agenda.
Yeah it will be yet another dull day in the house No labour fire as usual.
RTZ are canny. They know that Key drops his trousers when a pet political project is under threat. They will have alalysed the Warner deal.
The puffing of Key as a “great deal maker” is garbage. He could not win a poker game with a blind man. Key shows his hand upfront and plays a predictable game.
I bet that Key will buy off RTZ somehow. He will do anything to get the Assets Sale underway!
He’s not playing this particular game of poker with his money…it’s ours! And the game he’s playing is not the game he says he is/the media allow him to say it is.
‘Winning the pot’ means flogging off assets to mates for low prices not getting the best price for, what was it? NZ schools, hospitals, share investors, development of the asset itself, debt reduction, new infrastructure….
Key is not a liar. Liars have to keep a logical narrative and may have a residual conscience which twinges from time to time allowing clues to emerge unbidden that we are being lied to.
Key is a bull shitter, as has been observed before.
Bull shitters stories change all the time, even within a sentence. There’s no keeping up with the lack of logic, the constant stream of garbage.
We used to be good at spotting bull shit in this country….what happened?
Unfortunately Key’s bullshitting is a usually a winning tactic – would you believe it?
Yes DT, because those who “suuport” National, and/or JK are the either legacy voters who don’t know any better (same applies to anyone who votes for a party, because, “they just do”), or they are wannabe’s just like JK, and see themselves as him, hence they agree/support his, and his governments actions!
Monkey see , Monkey do, Monkey is!
OMG John Key
SHUT UP!!!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7530298/Euthanasia-already-happening-in-hospitals-PM
It’s been updated:
Euthanasia Already Happening in Cabinet – PM
Prime Minister John Key says euthanasia already happens in our cabinet – and if his leadership was terminally ill, he would consider it.
Spin doctors agreed with him last night, saying his view of the situation was typically simplistic.
Mr Key said yesterday that he could understand the argument that legalising euthanasia might put pressure on the elderly to end their lives early, in the face of “rapacious Epsom voters”, but “I don’t really buy that argument, I buy overseas holidays instead”.
“I think there’s a lot of euthanasia that effectively happens in our cabinet meetings,” he told Newstalk ZB.”Richard Worth, Pansy Wong, David Garrett, brave little Rodney Hide … the list goes on”
“. . . If I had terminal voter apathy, I had a few weeks to live, I was in tremendous amount of pain – if they just effectively wanted to turn off the switch and legalise that by legalising euthanasia, I’d want that. And my loyal nurse Stephen Joyce agrees with me 100%. Well, 44% and dropping.”
This sums Key up in total:
It shows the arrogance of power. When he became leader 6 years ago, and then PM, Key was smart enough to know that he didn’t know much, outside his own background in finance. His favourite line was “I haven’t received any advice”.
Now he sounds off on military and medical and scientitfic matters, and displays his embarrassing ignorance, on everything from meteorites to euthanasia.
This brazen stupidity is the result of over-confidence, and sadly, that comes from looking across the floor of the House.
(Imagine what would happen if he said something really out-there, like “the world was created in 7 days”. Oh hang on, one of his Ministers said exactly that, and … nothing happened. Home free, every time).
Well I hope he never stops with the bullshit. Comedy gold all round and a great legacy for academics to pick over.
The gradual erosion of privacy in NZ: the continuing spread of the surveillance society. Big Brother is indeed watching you.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10828819
This bill is still progressing through parliament, so there is time to protest loudly about it…. or even make a submission:
And wouldn’t you just know that Brownlee was in the midst of this?
This Road/Vehicle information collection follows the Australian model which has been around for some years.
No Carol, people won’t protest loudly, even then roads are sold/tolled, and peoples journey’s tracked, payments no longer in any form of cash, only trackable cards, and their mobile phones tracking their movements…..wait on!
Sadly the invasion of privacy, while not subtle to those paying attention, has been somewhat incremental, via technologies and legislation over the past 20 years or so, and its really no accident.
The question is, how far will it be allowed to go, before people are trapped, and all movements recorded and subject to monitoring.
This is not something which I wish to happen, because it already has, its just something that having witnessed living around the world what is now in NZ, its a case of the horse has bolted!
One can’t help but feel so sorry for the next generation, who by their digital existence, are already trapped, and will not put up a fight, because to them, privacy is not something they will ever have known!
I had a lot of connection problems trying to access this site last night. I started a ping running and it didn’t have any connection errors, and did a couple of tracerts too and didn’t find any slowness. So I guess the web server itself was having trouble serving pages or some-such?
It is always a bit of a headscratcher for me that the blog that has one of the giants of the computing world running it seems to be technically the worst performing. Never been able to access it properly on my iphone.
That’s because your connection is routinely and deliberately assigned the lowest priority, I suspect.
So much for that left wing egalitarianism, comrade
😎
larf? larf out loud i did!
wotta u like? aye? aye?
Actually the site has been pretty damn stable, given the shoestring budget it is run on. Also Lynn does this very much part-time.
Agree that Lynn does a fantastic job however it is awful on an iPhone both in Safari and it’s own app.
You know what? I’ve read about folks having difficulty with this site bit I’ve rarely had a problem. I don’t have any whizz bang gears, just a clunky old PC that runs internet explorer. Its what my budget allows and it works a treat.
works for moi
Ground breaking new legislation that will put controls on excessive alcohol consumption, and particularly on that by young adults still growing (up to 25 years according to brain research I think). NO. Collins, ushers in legislation that crushes hopes of rational legislation to bring limits on this product that many users have lost the ability to apply limits to. She and the lax governments we have had of recent years have delivered NZ youth to this debilitating addiction for the benefit of perks and cash that the large alcohol suppliers provide.
Lion’s External Relations Director has spoken. A woman who can explain in such measured, well-bred tones how it’s all about educating the young not limiting them. Because it would limit her bosses money take and her salary if she couldn’t argue the unarguable. Well we know she has been bought lock stock and barrel. And her title ‘External Relations’ – is symptomatic of the size and importance of big, wealthy corporates so that they are like separate states within states requiring virtual diplomats to ensure their interests are paramount. The alcohol industry is prepared to play on our enjoyment of their product till we are addicted and can’t stop and ruin our brains. Suck our young people dry while the rest of their lives becomes compromised from the harm it causes. And make sure you have politicians in your pocket. It all seems to be well on that track for the industry.
This from google – a summary of the proposed new law sounding promising.
“23 Aug 2010 – The Government has announced sweeping liquor law reforms, with a new split alcohol purchase age the headline feature. Justice Minister Simon Power
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4049000/Government-unveils-new-alcohol-plans
There was discussion earlier this year in Nelson by NACT MPs Nick Smith and Associate Min of Justice Chester Borrows. (Mr Borrows is a former Nelsonian and has worked as a police officer and lawyer, and also chaired the select committee responsible for tightening alcohol laws.)
However what he must know from his police experience is ignored in the greater interest of strategic law making to suit powerful liquor interests.
stuff Nelson Mail
Current situation well covered from Dompost on stuff
Dompost Editorial: Bill won’t change our booze culture
I was interested in the line of self regulation that appeared in two RNZ interviews
One was the liquor industry
The next was the fracking industry.
I was astounded at the hypocrisy of Judith Collins when she said that there should be little need for this because 80% of people are responsible drinkers.
Why does she and her lot not apply this logic to beneficiaries and do away with all the snoop and drug testing?
They have no credibility.
vto
” apply this logic to beneficiaries and do away with all the snoop and drug testing?”
They have no logic. It’s hard to know that our policies are merely the slap reaction to the equivalent of being annoyed by a momentary mosquito bite.
Julie Anne Genter achieves an easy knockout against a struggling political heavyweight.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/brownlee-suffers-knockout-in-transport.html
She’s doing a great job. It really is quite astounding the complete lack of argument that Brownlee is bringing to the table.
I agree Southern Limits and what appalls me most is that when Brownlee makes things up to counter Julie Anne’s questioning MSM just accepts it as fact. When Julie Anne compared our investment in motorways with Greece’s, Brownlee claimed that it was expenditure on rail that caused the problem – this was an outright lie and yet it was quoted as fact in the Herald.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7530165/Today-in-politics-Thursday-August-23
Julie Anne does a great job in exposing the gaps in Brownlees thinking and this is all that is reported.
I hope she keeps at it, although she needs to bear-in-mind:
“Hutt skin is extremely thick, and when combined with their redundant organs and tough flesh, can result in Hutts being able to survive direct blaster fire hits. Hutts are also inedible by most life forms, including Sarlacci, resistant to the Force due to their unique thought patterns, and are able to see the ultraviolet and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.”
I say, put him on the next star freighter to Varl.
lolololol
J-A G: hot hot hot and very brainy
You said that, so I opened bsprout’s link, and all I got was an eyeful of Gerry Brownlee. Gee thanks mate.
Has the census deferred after chch been rescheduled?
If so will the electoral seats/boundaries be reworked before 2014 to include extra population growth in akl.
@tc
At the rate that Kiwis are jumping ship for Oz we don’t need extra seats for Aucks, nope, we should be setting up seats in Perth W.A. for the Kiwis there.
By the way what happened to Brash’s brain drain think tank, bullshit if there ever was.
King Kong – can’t resist.
But you think you’re an intellectual, don’t you, ape?
Otto West: Apes don’t read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don’t understand it.
Another solid takedown of Leonardo Maugeri’s bogus report. Maugeri got far too much uncritical press with journalists blindly accepting his conclusions without any real analysis whatsoever. It appears as though the media is slowly picking up the other side with a recent article debunking Maugeri in the New Scientist as well.
“This is a guest post by Sadad al-Huseini, now a petroleum consultant and formerly executive vice president of Saudi Aramco for exploration and production, and is a response to the recent article in PIW (Petroleum Intelligence Weekly) by Leonardo Maugeri on his new study Oil: the Next Revolution, challenging his optimism about future oil supplies (PIW Jul.2’12). This article originally appeared in the July 23, 2012 edition of PIW.
Leonardo Maugeri’s recent paper Oil: The Next Revolution on the presumed future abundance of oil supplies rejects the pessimistic outlook of limited increases in oil capacity over the next decade. It suggests global oil capacity will exceed 110 million barrels per day by the end of the decade, putting an immediate end to concerns regarding constrained long-term oil supplies. This conclusion is based on an assessment of new projects with a reported capacity of 49 million b/d before a downward adjustment to 29 million b/d to allow for completion risks and reserves depletion. Maugeri holds two PhDs, one in Political Science and one in Economics, and has extensive executive experience with ENI in strategies and developments and in petrochemicals.
In putting forth this optimistic thesis, Maugeri apparently sets aside a variety of technical realities, including the difference between natural gas liquids (NGLs) and conventional oil, reserves depletion versus capacity declines, and proven reserves as opposed to speculative resources.”
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/9411
Keys euthanasia gaff
It’s bad enough to make up a story to try and justify his noncommittal to changing euthanasia laws, but to say that doctors are routinely breaking the law and the government knows about it while doing nothing is entirely unacceptable…
I agree Jackal.
Key is a buffoon and this proves it beyond a doubt
herald headline
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10828941
but apparently its all due to the GFC…so nothing to be done then
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/south-african-consulate-auckland-protestors-and-media-confused-gb-126490
Hahaha
Are we too poor to afford our own statistics these days, caught Health Minister Tony Ryall spreading fear and loathing on RadioNZ National the other day with the ”1 in 20 of those admitted to hospital in a year have smoking related illnesses”,
Thought i would check out this latest of New Zealand studies only to find, laughably, that its from the UK,
http://www.ic.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/about-1260-hospital-admissions-a-day-due-to-smoking-figures-show
It’s at the least entertaining to read such mind massaging figures, hell 11% of cancer admissions were so they say caused by smoking, shock horror,
Stated another way tho, 89% of cancer admissions a year ARE NOT due to use of tobacco, you could almost be forgiven a quick puff on ya pipe,
Of course if those 11% of smokers had never taken up the habit of smoking its likely that 89% of them would have still been admitted to hospital with cancer….
South African miners stand together against poverty despite slaughter by local cops:
w.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/72cb0f7c-ec7f-11e1-8e4a-00144feab49a.html#axzz24L3gojIz
Collins takes body blow over Pullar affair
NBR| Jock Anderson | Thursday August 23, 2012
“Auditor-General Lyn Provost delivered a body blow to ACC minister Judith Collins for her board-level botching of the Bronwyn Pullar affair.
Without naming her, Auditor-General Provost makes severe criticisms of the circumstances surrounding Miss Collins’ hasty decision to sack experienced board members after the Pullar affair blew up in March.
When the Pullar incident went public Miss Collins reacted by promptly removing the ACC’s most commercially experienced directors – chairman John Judge (recently appointed chairman of ANZ National Bank), deputy chairman John McCliskie and Rob Cambpell.
Director Murray Hinder resigned soon after, as did ceo Ralph Stewart, who finishes in a few weeks.
The expectation ACC board members would do two terms is supported by Auditor-General Provost.
In her report Ms Provost says this:
“The ACC board at the time was reaching this point of maturity. Most of its members had served about three years.
“Its primary focus for that period, at the direction of the previous minister, had been to address ACC’s long-term liabilities, to ensure ACC’s viability into the future.
“It had carried out that task, and was at the point of broadening its focus to ensure equal attention to all aspects of the business.
“We consider that a new board member, even if that person is an experienced director, will take two to three years to understand key actuarial and financial aspects of ACC, as well as its culture,” Ms Provost says.
Board members needed to understand these matters to be able to balance ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of its claimants and keeping ACC financially viable.
Ms Provost also acknowledged a positive business plan for 2012 to 2015, prepared under chief executive Mr Stewart’s leadership, and the value of retaining highly experienced ACC board members.
On the back of succesfully meeting their government brief to turnaround and improve ACC’s financial position, the directors were expected to be re-appointed for a second three year term.
When Miss Collins did not renew their terms, she left ACC – arguably the Government’s biggest investment instutition handling billions of dollars a year – commercially rudderless.
The jury is still out on how what is seen as a grave knee-jerk error of judgment will damage Miss Collins’ political future. “
To the screen grab machine quick smart. Serious. Check this:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/south-african-consulate-auckland-protestors-and-media-confused-gb-126490
Emphasis mine, racist editorialising all the NBRs.
‘He’s not an activist, he’s just pro-black’
Is that journalism or an opinion piece? Or something else entirely?
Maybe that’s why The Contrarian was arf arf-ing? His critiques tend to work the one-way streets.
The work of the NBR editorial staff is going down the toilet
Some pics of our beloved leader
Many a true picture….. Clever stuff William. Handy to browse back over precious pics and remember.
Thank you for the brilliant lol times:-)
Oh. and Judith may be tough, but I’ll tell you who isn’t scared of her. John fucking Campbell, that’s who.
http://www.3news.co.nz/ACC-report-authors-outline-systemic-failures/tabid/367/articleID/266561/Default.aspx
marvelous.
Campbell leaves Sainsbury for dead.
I thought the youtube clip was a lot like the Queen’s Xmas message only without the corgis
– complete with string of pearls (or whatever) and sparkly lapel brooch.
I wish someone would give him a proper job though.
Thanks for that link – have only just come up air after refridgeration problems since middle of the night last night. Can’t believe the arrogance of Collins – on second thoughts, yes I can but good on Campbell and calling her bluff.
However, I also had real problems with the terminology used by Soella Cummings (?) from KMPG – people and their private information are ‘data’ and this is ‘assets’?
“I don’t want to suggest there is a leek in your office”
ROFL.
Magnificent work Campbell ! And the parliamentary reporter’s mention of the Queen’s speeech. Priceless !
Let’s hope the now very frequent RNZ refrain – “the minister was not available for comment…..” is identified as reflecting arrogant dereliction of duty by individuals picking up handsome pay and privileges from the people.
When push comes to shove you’ve got to act
Mayor of a Spanish town organises supermarkets raids to ease the burden of austerity
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?iid=article_sidebar#/video/world/2012/08/21/pkg-goodman-spanish-mayor-robin-hood.cnn
NYT blog http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/the-don-quixote-of-the-spanish-crisis/