In one breath they talk about investing but most of the article talks about them tendering for contracts. Unless they plan on bidding $3billion more than everyone else I can’t see where the gains are, if it’s just tenders ChCh will get the money whether this mob is involved or not.
“….if it’s just tenders ChCh will get the money whether this mob is involved or not.”
that is theproblem…..they arnt and wont….the appetite for investment in the ChCh rebuild has evaporated for a multitude of reasons, number one of which is the disastrous leadership(?) provided by Brownlee and his cabinet mates.
That was partly my point. Read down the article, ie;
“Rahme, a Guoxin founding partner, said several Christchurch projects had already been identified, but he would not name them.
Once projects went out for tender, Guoxin would submit bids for them.”
and…..
“Because of the company’s size, it could source materials from China and across the world at a cheaper cost, which could make projects more viable, Rahme said”
They’re talking there about projects which are going to be built whether this mob is in it or not. So where is the $3billion of investment?
the point is without the financing they may not be built, or at least not for some considerable time….you can say they are tendering for work that will happen anyway, but whether any of those tenders are accepted will depend on many factors….not least of which will be cost. The cost of construction currently does not allow a return in most instances from projected revenues and the Insurance monies are coming to an end and much is being redirected or sat on waiting for the inevitable fire sales
maybe we are going to try design build projects like used on the beautiful Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (Cooper River bridge) in South Carolina. In some ways I am a fan of such projects it puts all the responsibility to design and build on the firm doing the construction. If they get it wrong they carry the can.
And that “sourcing of materials” is going to impact on NZ steel manufacturers and building material providers (and resulting job losses) and trade workers.
These decisions are going to have more impact than the most immediate consideration of who can provide for the least cost – NZ company or overseas.
Tim Groser in Parliament yesterday delivered a totally mindless, utterly absurd speech following on from question time. Among other inanely rambling topics he discussed several examples of “why he thinks the number 7 is important”.
In keeping the spirit of mindless absurdity initiated by Groser (“if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”), I’d like to add to his examples seven reasons why the people of NZ voted for a panda as PM of New Zealand in the last election:
1. Pandas believe that they do enough for their country merely by sitting around eating or by lying around on their backs all day. They don’t need to do any useful work nor have a long-term strategy or a vision for the the future of their country. They merely exist to be adored by the public and fed by the taxpayer. However they are expensive for the taxpayer to keep and maintain.
2. They are shorter in stature than a full-grown man when standing on their hind legs. However they have rather strong arms and can deliver an awesome side-swipe to anyone who gets too close and is foolish enough to say something they don’t like.
3. They have quite unnecessarily big heads, given their short stature.
4. They also have a big mouth – bigger than is required for their bland diet of Green fodder. And pandas have quite sharp teeth that can inflict serious damage on their opponents at close range. However they do have a leerish grin that some members of the public find attractive.
5. They have rather small beady eyes that stare unblinkingly whenever a camera is aimed in their general direction.
6. They have a characteristically quite large, long nose.
7. Pandas can be good money-spinners in the short term. However the voting public soon become bored with them as zoo exhibits, due in part to their gross inactivity.
In short, we couldn’t have done worse for the future of this country if we’d voted for a snake instead of a panda.
If Key wants a panda badly enough he can afford one and charge what he likes for people to see it. He can also stick a flag of his preference at the entrance of the panda enclosure.
and
A panda and a flag are priorities for Key, while state housing is in ruins and supported housing is desperately needed for those with complex housing needs.
Where is the logic in making someone homeless, (selling off state homes) then housing a homeless person, (social housing)?
Nothing has been done in 4 years, because Key’s grand social housing plan is RIDDLED with holes because it relies on stripping state housing of assets.
I think its a warning shot from the Greens to Labour, the flag probably won’t change so supporting Red Peak means nothing but it does tell Labour that the Greens don’t want to be seen as Labours doormat anymore and if Labour want the Greens support they (Labour) will have to negotiate with them
quite frankly we did not need another choice to make this ‘shambles’ ‘flag debacle’ ‘rubbish designs’ etc etc more palatable or to give the PM more leg to stand on his vanity project.
the greens could have just simply sat that one out. Oh well, i guess they will be known hence forward as the ‘Aquamarine’ brigade….to the rescue of the national party when ever they need help. Not that that would feed the kids, or help the envirnoment, but it sure does feel good.
the greens, the labour party should have both done nothing else but lean back and watch the trainwreck that is the “Flag Change”.
no, the GP are mediating a solution to the clusterfuck that is the flag change process, and they’re doing so in a way that will probably pick up votes for them.
let people vote on the choices presented to them by dear leader, and frankly if the feathers win, than it is becasue people voted for it.
if the old flag stays, its because people voted for it.
for once, sorry Weka, but the greens fucked up big time here.
I find the whole thing stupid and dumb. Key talking about Labour failing to get Red Peak on the ballot, then breathless admiration for the Greens who “came through the middle”…WHO CARES??? IT IS A SIDESHOW. Nothing happened.
A question for all those eagle eyed economics whizzes that visit TS. (With apologies for the boring nature of the question).
Apparently economists anticipate there will be another cut in the OCR before the end of the year. Anyone have ideas as to exactly when another cut would be announced?
I want to refix my mortgage if the OCR goes down again and banks respond by lowering their lending rates. Currently the best offers are 4.35% for one year fixed. Am hoping they will drop further so I can take advantage.
It’s unlikely that it will drop any more than it has (2.75% is getting down to quite low), but this is dependent on economic indicators. Eg; if business confidence decreases more than expected, then the OCR will be likely to decrease too. If you want to get a general indication of whether the OCR will be set higher or lower, the main indicators to watch are inflation rates, business & consumer confidence levels, and employment trends.
Thanks odot. I got the feeling that those three indicators you mention were flat, at the moment, but then it’s not my area of knowledge.
Despite the unknown I’m going to hang out till 29th October with my current fixed rate.
After all, dear Leader showed his lack of faith in his governments ability to lift the economy by saying that “we could see mortgage rates with a 3 in front of them”. Not that he is to be believed on any topic.
After all, dear Leader showed his lack of faith in his governments ability to lift the economy by saying that “we could see mortgage rates with a 3 in front of them”.
Generally speaking, bank mortgage rates are usually around 1.5 to 2% higher than the OCR. To get mortgage rates with a 3 in front you’d have to have the OCR drop to 2.25% at the minimum and even then it would take the banks a few weeks to drop their interest rates. Hell, they may not even drop them.
Got that thanks Drac, re the mortgage rates to OCR ratio.
I think last time the OCR dropped the banks did drop quickly, within a few days. I guess they’re thinking there has to be some semblance of competitiveness. They never lose though, they get people on their obscenely huge break fee’s, which you have to fight them to avoid paying.
It is unlikely that business confidence will have any reason to head north in the foreseeable future. There will be an increase in unemployment numbers and inflation will likely remain less than .05%.
The dairy giant said its net profit after tax came to $506 million in the year to July 31, up 183 per cent from the previous year’s profit, and raised its forecast payout for the current season.
Yep, it’s called neoliberalism, maximising short term profits to give applause and profits payouts to the CEO and management team, while leaving the workers with less jobs and more work and the company weaker in the long term. The farmers themselves have had less payouts for milk but ‘supported’ by the co-operative instead of giving them the money for milk they used to get. Make it complicated too, like the Natz, take with one hand, and then give a little with the other their own money and keep the rest for yourself.
What has Jacinda Ardern done to warrant replacing Annette King apart from losing to Nikki Kaye twice and putting on makeup and apperaring in some womans magazines?
Annette King is one of the (very few) mps the Labour party has that can match it with National
If National could swop some of their mps for Labours they’d probably pick Annette King, Kelvin Davis, Stuart Nash and thats about it, thats how bare the cupboard is for Labour
Why Labour would want to demote one of thier best, most experienced mps for someone that can’t even win an electorate seat is beyond me
If you can’t convince an electorate to vote for you how can you convice a country? It was a strange (to me anyway) decision to make Andrew Little the leader of Labour but i guess when you scrambling for purchase you’ll grab onto anything
Kelvin Davis comes across very well, competent man-of the-people type and hes even managed to avoid any fallout from his hits on Serco ref: deaths in corrections run prisons so hes doing something right
Which goes to show that the voters of New Plymouth were blind to the likelihood of having the countries next Prime Minister as their local MP.
Oh well New Plymouths loss, the countries gain.
Actually, Little didn’t do too badly in a decidedly Right-leaning Provincial City seat like New Plymouth.
Particularly so in 2011.
2011 Split Vote
(CV = Candidate Vote)
(GE = General Electorates as a whole)
Party Vote……CV for Lab candidate (GE)…..CV for Little in New Plymouth
Labour……………………….83%…………………………………91%
National………………………5%…………………………………..9%
NZF…………………………….43%…………………………………65%
Green…………………………45%…………………………………61%
Cons…………………………..12%…………………………………27%
ACT……………………………..7%………………………………….14%
UF………………………………18%…………………………………34%
In other words, Little was able to attract far greater support from the voters of rival parties (and, indeed, from Labour voters) compared to your average Labour candidate. Remember, this was the first time he’d ever stood so it was a remarkable performance for a newbie candidate. Only the long-time MPs in the Labour leadership (Goff, King, Mallard) (as well as Helen Clark in previous elections) had the same ability to pull in the voters of other parties.
True, 2014 wasn’t quite such a good performance, but Little was still attracting more voters of other parties than the average Labour candidate, even if not to the same extent as his debut in 2011.
But the fact is: he was on a hiding to nothing in such a conservative,
right-leaning seat. Meanwhile, your favourite PM makes sure he initially gets selected for one of the safest and Bluest seats in he Country.
Nah, generally been a Tory seat since the advent of the modern Party system. And the 2011 and 2014 Elections took place during a particularly Blue period (in more ways than one) in the electoral cycle.
The only reason Labour’s Duynhoven held on for as long as he did was that he was basically a political freak. He was winning support from National voters (ie National Party-voters) massively – and I mean massively – out of proportion to other Labour candidates, including the popular leadership old-timers like Clark, Goff, King, Mallard.
The fact that a newbie candidate like Little was able to emulate Duynhoven’s pulling power (albeit to a lesser degree) remains impressive. Little might not have quite been the political freak Duynhoven was, but he was still up there with the Clarks and Goffs when it came to his ability to attract rival parties’ voters.
Thats your view of the world but it’s not mine and many others I speak with. There is plenty of time for Little to further his popularity with voters and I have huge confidence in his abilities to present himself as a Prime Minister in waiting over the next 18 months two years.
Little’s charisma bypass works hugely against him. He comes across as passionless and humourless. Contrast that with all the other party leaders and he’s uniquely boring.
I’d agree with much of that Grindle But please lay off the scorched earth approach to Labour and Little. Give them a chance to grow without cutting down those tall poppies. Find something to praise, however little!
Yup. But there were differences. Goff wasn’t really given a chance and blew it with the stunt on a motorbike that looked too big for him. Shearer was a ditherer and used to seem as surprised as everyone else to hear what he had to say once he’d said it. Cunliffe just didn’t look or sound genuine. Little’s just bland and boring.
“There is plenty of time for Little to further his popularity with voters and I have huge confidence in his abilities to present himself as a Prime Minister in waiting over the next 18 months two years.”
Which basically sounds like the old he just needs more time refrain
No. It’s the reality highlighted by the polls. Little has failed to significantly shine thus far. How that gives you confidence he will improve going forward is unclear.
Andrew Little is concentrating on creating cohesion between all the different strands of the Labour Party (a big job given it’s diversity) and moving around the country getting a sense of what is really going on out there in voter-land. He’s playing the long game and ensuring the building blocks are in place before he starts the job of winning over voters.
Why do you think the blowhard Key and his cohorts have upped the ‘dirty political’ rhetoric on Andrew Little T.C.? Because they know that when the time comes, he’s going to be a much harder opponent to beat that’s why.
Josie Pagani says Labour needs to upset some people (I’m taking that means people on the left) and take some risk.
She’s right about that, but I doubt she recognises that it is she (and others of similar ilk) who are going to be upset. Both Paganis are way out of the Labour loop and have been for a long time. Josie reminds me of that third way Blairite who stood for the UK Labour leadership. Forgotten her name already but she only managed 4.5% of the vote. In a similar situation here I doubt Josie would get 0.5% of the vote.
I think he was “happy” with her starting up an independent Think Tank but be assured she and her mates were given the thumbs down about involving the Labour Party. It seems to have died a natural death because there’s been no mention of it since.
She probably does have the ear of a few within Labour but that is all. She’s highly unpopular because of the way she has sniped at – and run down – Labour at every opportunity. She’s been doing it for a long time under various leaders and my sense is: it’s a revenge thing because she and her husband have not been afforded the reverence and appreciation of the party hierarchy she thinks they deserve.
The fact the Party hasn’t publicly disowned her suggests she may have more support within than we both believe.
Don’t agree. She’s a publicity seeking type and they don’t intend to accommodate her… is the more likely reason they don’t publicly disown her. Best to ignore her.
She is very outspoken and given her media status, her input is far reaching.
Therefore, if she was going against the Party’s wishes (potentially harming their public image) surely they would distance themselves from her, setting the media and public right.
The fact that they haven’t speaks volumes, IMO.
Ignoring someone so outspoken, potentially damaging and with such public reach is an inconceivable strategy.
She seeks publicity – and money – through her engagements with RNZ “The Panel” and other similar programmes on TV, but she doesn’t get news coverage as such. Since the audience for the above is limited then I guess they think she’s best ignored. I know of no-one who bothers to read her occasional written diatribes – confused and irrational as they so often seem.
RNZ, “The Panel” and other similar programmes on TV are generally related to news or political coverage, thus her public reach is rather wide. Not to mention potentially damaging.
Moreover, allowing her to hog the limelight robs Labour from getting their genuine message out. Hence, when all is considered, the ignoring her strategy being put forward just doesn’t wash, IMO.
Of course, that won’t be clear until Little makes his move, then we’ll see which way he decides to go and how well that resonates with voters/supporters.
We’ve come to an agreement – sort of. I don’t think Labour has a lot of choice at present because the MSM are going to use her no matter what. But yeah, she’s damaging – dare I say it – the party brand, and I’d like to see her sent packing. Indeed I’ve considered writing to the Labour Council about her but as yet haven’t had the time to do so.
Publicly distancing themselves from her (while putting forward their own genuine spokesperson) would severely knee cap her current status as an associated Labour spokesperson or commentator of the left. Turning the media off seeking comment from her as it would largely be considered irrelevant.
Labour has this choice, but to date, have decided against it. Leaving me and others questioning why?
Joise Pagani is not and never has been a recognised spokesperson for Labour. What point is there in putting forward a genuine spokesperson when the MSM will simply ignore them. They wouldn’t want Labour’s choice whoever it might be. Madame J suits their agenda well enough. She puts the boot into Labour and that’s how they like it.
Not for the first time, I heard her on Mora’s panel a few days ago talking a load of confused and irrational bullshit. Mora and co. must know it’s bullshit yet they continue to invite her. There’s your problem – not Labour.
i think youre right anne i think hes more of a man than anyone else in the pack and personaly id prefer someone that wasnt always doing that grimacing thing somepeople call smiling anyway ! Timing is everything hopefully he will come through
By praising Annette King? Its not sexist to point out that Jacinda acts (via the medium of print media) like a pretty face but when it comes to the business of politics shes lost against Nikki Kaye and got smacked down by Paula Bennet
When people try and slag off Jacinda Ardern they always bring up the fact that she lost to Kaye, but the reality is she lost by 600 votes last year, and 700 the election before that. In an electorate with between 27-33k voters that is an incredibly slim margin both times…
That’s not quite true – they’d pick all of the ABCs who should be in National anyway.
Also, this is MMP, electorate seats are not as important as popularity nation-wide
They’d only pick the ABCs that were any good (which doesn’t leave alot to choose) and yes electorate seats arn’t as important as they used to be but as I said before how can you expect a country to vote for you if you can’t convice an electorate to vote for you
Because people are tired of old Third Way Labour. They want fresh ideas and young faces. They only reason Ardern lost Central Auckland is because some Green Party voters can’t figure out how to vote strategically, and the party can’t seem to figure this out either. And I know, I’m a party member. Maybe I’ll light a fire under it… Also, I think by the end of this term Ardern will have served 3 terms. That’s 9 years. Is that enough experience? Key became Prime Minister with only 6 years in parliament.
“They ALWAYS give them Maori names.”
Paul Henry channeled the late Paul Holmes this morning. PAUL HENRY, TV3, Thursday 24 September 2015
shallow /ˈʃaləʊ/ adj.1. of little depth; 2. not exhibiting, requiring, or capable of serious thought.
This program gets worse every day. I tuned in this morning just as the 8 o’clock news was finishing….
HILLARY BARRY: ….And the new Cook Strait ferry the Kaiarahi has arrived in Wellington. It has been blessed by iwi, and will start services next month.
Now for most people that would have been an uncontroversial, even boring, little news item. But for Paul Henry, like it was for another hateful multi-media pontificator, Paul Holmes, Māori culture is intolerable, an affront, its very existence a provocation. So, in the mind of Paul Henry, naming a ferry the Kaiarahi was “political correctness” gone mad.
Intolerable!
After a short silence, he made his assault…..
PAUL HENRY: Would it be so hard for them to give the ferry an ENGLISH name? They ALWAYS give them Maori names.
HILLARY BARRY: I think it’s LOVELY!
PAUL HENRY: Do you? It must be all right then, if Hillary likes it. But honestly….
Henry’s slave Jim Kayes looked troubled, but kept his own counsel….
Shortly after that, it was time for the daily “Panel”. Today it featured a particularly gruesome twosome: Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, the self-described “children’s advocate” who believes in hitting children, and Bill Ralston’s ghastly wife Janet Wilson. I had better things to do than listen to three vicious and vacuous people chuntering on at the intellectual level you’d expect at a golf club booze-up, but I did catch the tail-end of it just before 8:30….
JANET WILSON: See, here’s the thing: Len still thinks he’s going to win. Quelle horreur! He’s got a hide like an elephant. PAUL HENRY: Yeah, he has. JANET WILSON: The problem for Phil Goff is that he comes from the same end of the political spectrum as Len Brown. The thing is: who would want to run for mayor, when you get paid two and six for it? CHRISTINE SPANKIN’ RANKIN:[speaking slowly to emphasize how serious she is] He failed as the leader of the Labour Party, and he will fail as mayor of Auckland. JANET WILSON: Christine Rankin and Janet Wilson, thank you very much for coming on the Panel this morning. SPANKIN’ RANKIN: Best Panel ever! JANET WILSON: Ha ha ha ha! Yeah!
+1 – as I’m assuming most people on this site, can’t bear to watch this crap, (and from the falling ratings more and more of the public) great to have the opportunity to have it dissected.
That “two and six” the mayor gets paid is many times the average wage. Methinks Janet Wilson needs to live on the average wage for a while to get some perspective.
funnily enough as far as morning ‘news’ goes there are some segments of Henrys show I dont mind…his interview with Ruby Wax for example and I must begrudgingly admit his SOH is not without appeal.I expect this show to be a winner.
I must begrudgingly admit his SOH is not without appeal.
Yes, Henry can be very funny. I heard him on radio in December 2013 telling Dom and J.J. and Mike Puru about the passive-aggressive glares he gets from people whenever he goes out in public; he was simply hilarious. Some of his antics on his present television show are also quite amusing.
However, the funny bits are less and less apparent now. What might have seemed like irreverance has hardened into the most extreme intolerance and hatefulness, whether directed at refugees, or at the victims of bombs and bullets, or (as it was this morning) at Māori.
I expect this show to be a winner.
It’s not. The ratings are in free fall, as they were when he had a breakfast show in Melbourne three years ago….
By the way apparently Saudi Arabia are planning a crucifixion and execution of a man they arrested as a child.
Saudi are one of our hopeful trading partners that we fly sheep bribes to. Hard to believe this can be happening in the modern world with a country our government loves to suck up to.
Don’t worry our government will be ‘comfortable’ with that.
You say “apparently Saudi Arabia are planning a crucifixion”
Where do you get the bit about a crucifixion from?
I don’t see anything about it in the item you link to.
Here alwyn. Google the name of the young man the daily blog item mentions and you’ll get plenty of sites detailing his sentence to be executed by beheading, then crucifixion.
“Overall, six out of every ten children in care are Maori children.”
“Horrifying” statistics show children under the care of Child Youth and Family are struggling to break free from a cycle of continued abuse and re-victimisation, a major report has found.
IMO this has been a disgraceful situation through a number of governments – now rebstock has written her review and the ‘business case’ is/has been put. What will emerge from this ‘modernisation’, this righting of wrongs, this fucking clusterfuck of a way to help children, especially Māori children – what will happen???
a big nothing apart from more misery and more cutting – I thank the gnats, labour and greens for their contributions to this misery – well done – red reek that one!!!
What will emerge from this ‘modernisation’, this righting of wrongs, this fucking clusterfuck of a way to help children, especially Māori children – what will happen???
National will make things worse by putting in ideological BS as policy and then cut the budget.
I stomached Tolley on the radio for a few minutes and she seemed to me to be saying the government removes these children too late from abusive situations. The implication I assume is that they are too damaged at that point for any of these so called foster homes to provide any sort of stable environment.
She then went on to say that New Zealanders offered their homes to Syrian refugees, then asked why can’t they offer their homes to our own (child) refugees?
This is the sort of thinking which should be confined to some sort of bizarre brainstorming session to then be discarded as ludicrous, not the sort of thing a Minister should be voicing to the public.
These two “Tolley-thoughts” linked make you wonder whether her plan is to remove (Maori) children from disadvantaged and strained families at an ever decreasing age in order to make the children more palatable to ordinary NZ families who might happen to give a fuck.
Here she seems to want to not only shift the responsibility from the government to the private sector, but she goes further – she wants to shift the responsibility to the private individual!
I would have thought any major overhaul would focus on making the homes these children go to better, more stable, and capable of giving the kids an environment which ensured they maximised their learning at school.
I would have thought any major overhaul would focus on making the homes these children go to better, more stable, and capable of giving the kids an environment which ensured they maximised their learning at school.
You would have thought that but that would require taxes on the rich to up rather than down and so there’s no way that National would do that.
i bet theres a lot of people would like to wave their magic wand and make your last paragraph come true mutonbird but it would truely take a miracle .violence like when you wack your kids repeatedly begets violence makes you when you become an adolt wack youre kids too .I think its so deeply ingrained in some cultures it,le take generations to sort out .sue bradfords bill is a good start but theres not a few would like to repeal it an drag us back to the good ole days where a little tap did noone any harm !!
Of course the right has all the answers to these problems which is just to ignore it and say these people need to be individually responsible for their actions. That means no one has to do anything, no surprise then when they don’t offer any solutions to these complex problems and the situation gets gradually worse. Truly inspiring…
absolute racket in Sth Auck and Mangere…30% interest and penalties on over priced goods…non disclosure is rife as is doorstop selling.Seen $500 items =total contract $3700 on rent to own.Creating debt and then enforcing attachment orders on the unfortunate .
Media Alert! ” If National don’t walk away from the TPPA – petitioners will campaign for voters to ‘walk away’ from National!”
This morning, the following petition was presented at the Electoral Office of Nikki Kaye – the National MP for Auckland Central:
Petition wording:
“To the MP for Auckland Central – Nikki Kaye
We, the undersigned state:
That if this John Key led National Government does not ‘walk away’ from the secretive, undemocratic, pro-corporate ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), then we pledge to campaign vigorously amongst our friends, families, neighbours and workmates, for the voting public to ‘walk away’ from National.”.
Nikki Kaye is a National Government Cabinet Minister – currently sitting on a 600 vote majority over Labour’s Jacinda Adern.
“AUCKLAND CENTRAL
Candidates Votes Received
ARDERN, Jacinda 11894
KAYE, Nikki 12494 ”
On the afternoons of Tuesday 22 September, and Wednesday 23 September, a tiny handful of determined ‘TPPA – WALK AWAY’ activists collected over 800 signatures for the above-mentioned petition, outside Auckland University (Symonds Street, Grafton Rd intersection), and on Ponsonby Rd.
Nikki Kaye is the Minister of Youth.
Most of whom signed this petition, were ‘youth’.
We look forward to citizens from all over New Zealand, who want to STOP this John Key led New Zealand National Government from signing the TPPA, to consider giving National Party MPs (particularly Cabinet Ministers) – this message which cannot be ignored.
Politicians understand ONE thing.
Votes.
We urge people to make your own version of this petition, address it to YOUR local National MP / Minister, and start collecting signatures!
This is a petition with sharp, pointy political teeth, which will help focus the minds of those to whom it is addressed, directly on the TPPA.
Thursday, 17 September 2015, 11:55 am
Press Release: Professor Jane Kelsey
” Last ditch TPPA Ministerial in 10 days – is Groser preparing to swallow the rat?
Canadian officials have confirmed rumours that the trade ministers from the twelve countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) plan to meet in Atlanta, US at the end of the month in a last ditch attempt to conclude the deal. The chief negotiators are set to meet on 26 September to try to clear the ground for the politicians. ….”
This petition will help to ‘hold the feet’ of National Party MPs ‘to the fire’ – regarding the potential political repercussions of signing the TPPA.
A beheading/crucifixion in the year of 2015, cause we are learned, and civilised and grown up and stuff.
I know, I know, some beheadings (inclusive post beheading crucifixation – a must have for shits n giggles or something) are just more equal and lawful then other beheadings.
“His punishment is a brutal one, even by Saudi Arabia’s standards. Not only was Mr Nimr, now 21, handed a death sentence, but the method of punishment was determined to be crucifixion, which rights groups say means he will be beheaded and then have his mutilated body displayed publicly.”
I was about to post this. Good to see Campbell hitting up the really important stories that actually matter. TV3’s loss is actually New Zealand’s loss.
“No apologies to you mate. And no apologies
for the fact your show has so few viewers.”
In 2012, on Channel 10’s doomed breakfast show, the disastrously unsuccessful host unwisely tried to bully a Melbourne trade union guy….
PAUL HENRY: Do you want to apologise to the taxpayers and the people of Melbourne who’d like to use that street and the taxpayers who’re funding the police activity there. Do you want to apologise to those people now?
DAVID NOONAN: Well you know Paul I think you’ve got a particular political view of the world. You were bought over in the last few months from New Zealand. Mate, construction workers in New Zealand earn a lot less than they do in Australia and the sort of right wing shock jock stuff you want to go on with really isn’t going to faze me. We have a right a right to peaceful protest. We’ve got an important issue here and cheap shots like that really aren’t going to impress anybody.
PAUL HENRY: Right, so no apologies. Thanks for joining us this morning, David.
DAVID NOONAN: So no apologies to you mate. And no apologies for the fact your show has so few viewers.
[An awkward pause follows, then the camera cuts away to a news headline update before Henry comes back onscreen]
PAUL HENRY: Alrighty. I disagree with almost everything he said with the exception of the too few viewers thing. That is a shame.
such a damned shame she didnt end up in parliment i know lprent gave us some of the reasons that didnt happen but its still a damn shame In a perfect world it ud be ALL HANDS ON DECK !!
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
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He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Can anyone make sense of this….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/72324474/chinese-investors-plan-3-billion-fund-to-help-city-rebuild
In one breath they talk about investing but most of the article talks about them tendering for contracts. Unless they plan on bidding $3billion more than everyone else I can’t see where the gains are, if it’s just tenders ChCh will get the money whether this mob is involved or not.
“….if it’s just tenders ChCh will get the money whether this mob is involved or not.”
that is theproblem…..they arnt and wont….the appetite for investment in the ChCh rebuild has evaporated for a multitude of reasons, number one of which is the disastrous leadership(?) provided by Brownlee and his cabinet mates.
That was partly my point. Read down the article, ie;
“Rahme, a Guoxin founding partner, said several Christchurch projects had already been identified, but he would not name them.
Once projects went out for tender, Guoxin would submit bids for them.”
and…..
“Because of the company’s size, it could source materials from China and across the world at a cheaper cost, which could make projects more viable, Rahme said”
They’re talking there about projects which are going to be built whether this mob is in it or not. So where is the $3billion of investment?
the point is without the financing they may not be built, or at least not for some considerable time….you can say they are tendering for work that will happen anyway, but whether any of those tenders are accepted will depend on many factors….not least of which will be cost. The cost of construction currently does not allow a return in most instances from projected revenues and the Insurance monies are coming to an end and much is being redirected or sat on waiting for the inevitable fire sales
maybe we are going to try design build projects like used on the beautiful Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (Cooper River bridge) in South Carolina. In some ways I am a fan of such projects it puts all the responsibility to design and build on the firm doing the construction. If they get it wrong they carry the can.
And that “sourcing of materials” is going to impact on NZ steel manufacturers and building material providers (and resulting job losses) and trade workers.
These decisions are going to have more impact than the most immediate consideration of who can provide for the least cost – NZ company or overseas.
Tim Groser in Parliament yesterday delivered a totally mindless, utterly absurd speech following on from question time. Among other inanely rambling topics he discussed several examples of “why he thinks the number 7 is important”.
In keeping the spirit of mindless absurdity initiated by Groser (“if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”), I’d like to add to his examples seven reasons why the people of NZ voted for a panda as PM of New Zealand in the last election:
1. Pandas believe that they do enough for their country merely by sitting around eating or by lying around on their backs all day. They don’t need to do any useful work nor have a long-term strategy or a vision for the the future of their country. They merely exist to be adored by the public and fed by the taxpayer. However they are expensive for the taxpayer to keep and maintain.
2. They are shorter in stature than a full-grown man when standing on their hind legs. However they have rather strong arms and can deliver an awesome side-swipe to anyone who gets too close and is foolish enough to say something they don’t like.
3. They have quite unnecessarily big heads, given their short stature.
4. They also have a big mouth – bigger than is required for their bland diet of Green fodder. And pandas have quite sharp teeth that can inflict serious damage on their opponents at close range. However they do have a leerish grin that some members of the public find attractive.
5. They have rather small beady eyes that stare unblinkingly whenever a camera is aimed in their general direction.
6. They have a characteristically quite large, long nose.
7. Pandas can be good money-spinners in the short term. However the voting public soon become bored with them as zoo exhibits, due in part to their gross inactivity.
In short, we couldn’t have done worse for the future of this country if we’d voted for a snake instead of a panda.
😀
Seven ticks. 🙂
Christine Lagarde gave a speech in 2014 with opening references to ‘why the number 7 is important’
If Key wants a panda badly enough he can afford one and charge what he likes for people to see it. He can also stick a flag of his preference at the entrance of the panda enclosure.
and
A panda and a flag are priorities for Key, while state housing is in ruins and supported housing is desperately needed for those with complex housing needs.
Where is the logic in making someone homeless, (selling off state homes) then housing a homeless person, (social housing)?
Nothing has been done in 4 years, because Key’s grand social housing plan is RIDDLED with holes because it relies on stripping state housing of assets.
Key likes Pandas because the are nearly All Black.
Can anyone tell me why the Greens backed National for the Red Peak?
Because apparently it was popular and liked by many people.
Personally I think it’s ugly, but if that’ what people want as our flag so be it.
I think its a warning shot from the Greens to Labour, the flag probably won’t change so supporting Red Peak means nothing but it does tell Labour that the Greens don’t want to be seen as Labours doormat anymore and if Labour want the Greens support they (Labour) will have to negotiate with them
Maybe
@ Nick The Greens were giving us one more option to vote for that clearly has some public support. What is the problem there?
Little should give Clare Curran a bollockling for (according to Morning report) tweeting against the Greens. When will she ever learn?
quite frankly we did not need another choice to make this ‘shambles’ ‘flag debacle’ ‘rubbish designs’ etc etc more palatable or to give the PM more leg to stand on his vanity project.
the greens could have just simply sat that one out. Oh well, i guess they will be known hence forward as the ‘Aquamarine’ brigade….to the rescue of the national party when ever they need help. Not that that would feed the kids, or help the envirnoment, but it sure does feel good.
the greens, the labour party should have both done nothing else but lean back and watch the trainwreck that is the “Flag Change”.
absolutely but new leader rashly keen to make his mark wow hes a real big deal
Steve Keen: Simple Complex Model of Great Moderation & Recession (Video)
A very important presentation DtB.
I’ve been following the details of this for some years now. (I even donated to Keen’s Kickstart to assist development of the software package.)
There is a bit to absorb, but the underlying concept makes complete engineering sense.
Ahhhh… I see, the Greens are voting for Red Peak
no, the GP are mediating a solution to the clusterfuck that is the flag change process, and they’re doing so in a way that will probably pick up votes for them.
and you know what,
they
don’t
need
to
do
this
they have no reason whatsoever to ‘mediate’.
let people vote on the choices presented to them by dear leader, and frankly if the feathers win, than it is becasue people voted for it.
if the old flag stays, its because people voted for it.
for once, sorry Weka, but the greens fucked up big time here.
Reinforcing our status as international laughing stock: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/anger-over-nazi-swastika-new-zealand-flag-entry-10514224.html
I find the whole thing stupid and dumb. Key talking about Labour failing to get Red Peak on the ballot, then breathless admiration for the Greens who “came through the middle”…WHO CARES??? IT IS A SIDESHOW. Nothing happened.
+1 – meanwhile TPP goes ahead with nothing meaningful done by opposition.
Tried to read what Audrey Young had to say about the Flag thingy but it won’t open. Wonder why?
Flag backdown won’t harm PM
A question for all those eagle eyed economics whizzes that visit TS. (With apologies for the boring nature of the question).
Apparently economists anticipate there will be another cut in the OCR before the end of the year. Anyone have ideas as to exactly when another cut would be announced?
I want to refix my mortgage if the OCR goes down again and banks respond by lowering their lending rates. Currently the best offers are 4.35% for one year fixed. Am hoping they will drop further so I can take advantage.
They have a schedule for OCR announcements ( http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary_policy/ocr/ – on the right) but no idea what the chances are of an actual cut on those days.
Excellent. Thank you Editractor. Learnt something new today.
It’s unlikely that it will drop any more than it has (2.75% is getting down to quite low), but this is dependent on economic indicators. Eg; if business confidence decreases more than expected, then the OCR will be likely to decrease too. If you want to get a general indication of whether the OCR will be set higher or lower, the main indicators to watch are inflation rates, business & consumer confidence levels, and employment trends.
Thanks odot. I got the feeling that those three indicators you mention were flat, at the moment, but then it’s not my area of knowledge.
Despite the unknown I’m going to hang out till 29th October with my current fixed rate.
After all, dear Leader showed his lack of faith in his governments ability to lift the economy by saying that “we could see mortgage rates with a 3 in front of them”. Not that he is to be believed on any topic.
Generally speaking, bank mortgage rates are usually around 1.5 to 2% higher than the OCR. To get mortgage rates with a 3 in front you’d have to have the OCR drop to 2.25% at the minimum and even then it would take the banks a few weeks to drop their interest rates. Hell, they may not even drop them.
Got that thanks Drac, re the mortgage rates to OCR ratio.
I think last time the OCR dropped the banks did drop quickly, within a few days. I guess they’re thinking there has to be some semblance of competitiveness. They never lose though, they get people on their obscenely huge break fee’s, which you have to fight them to avoid paying.
It is unlikely that business confidence will have any reason to head north in the foreseeable future. There will be an increase in unemployment numbers and inflation will likely remain less than .05%.
HUH
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11518089
And slashed the milk price forecast to $3.85 per kilogram of milk solids.
Yep, it’s called neoliberalism, maximising short term profits to give applause and profits payouts to the CEO and management team, while leaving the workers with less jobs and more work and the company weaker in the long term. The farmers themselves have had less payouts for milk but ‘supported’ by the co-operative instead of giving them the money for milk they used to get. Make it complicated too, like the Natz, take with one hand, and then give a little with the other their own money and keep the rest for yourself.
You really need to learn how business works.
That was the last financial year.
“So they sack 750!!!”
Yep and apparently another 200 will lose their jobs, There are a lot of worried people out there.
Latest political poll has Jacinda Ardern out in front for the position of the party’s deputy
Jacinda Ardern – 33 per cent support.
The option of “don’t know/don’t care” received 28 per cent.
King came in third at 25 per cent.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/72322764/jacinda-ardern-favourite-for-labour-deputy–poll
Thoughts?
What has Jacinda Ardern done to warrant replacing Annette King apart from losing to Nikki Kaye twice and putting on makeup and apperaring in some womans magazines?
Annette King is one of the (very few) mps the Labour party has that can match it with National
If National could swop some of their mps for Labours they’d probably pick Annette King, Kelvin Davis, Stuart Nash and thats about it, thats how bare the cupboard is for Labour
Why Labour would want to demote one of thier best, most experienced mps for someone that can’t even win an electorate seat is beyond me
Little failed to win his electoral seat – and now is the Party leader.
They say Jacinda Ardern gives the perception of a new face.
Kelvin Davis received 11 per cent.
The option of “don’t know/don’t care” receiving 28 per cent should be of concern.
If you can’t convince an electorate to vote for you how can you convice a country? It was a strange (to me anyway) decision to make Andrew Little the leader of Labour but i guess when you scrambling for purchase you’ll grab onto anything
Kelvin Davis comes across very well, competent man-of the-people type and hes even managed to avoid any fallout from his hits on Serco ref: deaths in corrections run prisons so hes doing something right
Which goes to show that the voters of New Plymouth were blind to the likelihood of having the countries next Prime Minister as their local MP.
Oh well New Plymouths loss, the countries gain.
He lost in New Plymouth twice so the electorate has had a good chance to see what he was all about and have voted accordingly
Actually, Little didn’t do too badly in a decidedly Right-leaning Provincial City seat like New Plymouth.
Particularly so in 2011.
2011 Split Vote
(CV = Candidate Vote)
(GE = General Electorates as a whole)
Party Vote……CV for Lab candidate (GE)…..CV for Little in New Plymouth
Labour……………………….83%…………………………………91%
National………………………5%…………………………………..9%
NZF…………………………….43%…………………………………65%
Green…………………………45%…………………………………61%
Cons…………………………..12%…………………………………27%
ACT……………………………..7%………………………………….14%
UF………………………………18%…………………………………34%
In other words, Little was able to attract far greater support from the voters of rival parties (and, indeed, from Labour voters) compared to your average Labour candidate. Remember, this was the first time he’d ever stood so it was a remarkable performance for a newbie candidate. Only the long-time MPs in the Labour leadership (Goff, King, Mallard) (as well as Helen Clark in previous elections) had the same ability to pull in the voters of other parties.
True, 2014 wasn’t quite such a good performance, but Little was still attracting more voters of other parties than the average Labour candidate, even if not to the same extent as his debut in 2011.
But the fact is: he was on a hiding to nothing in such a conservative,
right-leaning seat. Meanwhile, your favourite PM makes sure he initially gets selected for one of the safest and Bluest seats in he Country.
Good job at polishing a turd but New Plymouth has had its fair share of left wing mps representing it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Plymouth_(New_Zealand_electorate)
The fact is hes tried, twice, to win the seat and failed to convince the voters to vote for him
Why do you think he’ll be able to convince the rest of the country to vote for him instead?
Nah, generally been a Tory seat since the advent of the modern Party system. And the 2011 and 2014 Elections took place during a particularly Blue period (in more ways than one) in the electoral cycle.
The only reason Labour’s Duynhoven held on for as long as he did was that he was basically a political freak. He was winning support from National voters (ie National Party-voters) massively – and I mean massively – out of proportion to other Labour candidates, including the popular leadership old-timers like Clark, Goff, King, Mallard.
The fact that a newbie candidate like Little was able to emulate Duynhoven’s pulling power (albeit to a lesser degree) remains impressive. Little might not have quite been the political freak Duynhoven was, but he was still up there with the Clarks and Goffs when it came to his ability to attract rival parties’ voters.
Little has failed to significantly shine thus far.
Depth is a problem the Party faces (IMO)
Kelvin Davis had the Government on the back foot over the Serco debacle.
Word is Little favours a female deputy.
Thats your view of the world but it’s not mine and many others I speak with. There is plenty of time for Little to further his popularity with voters and I have huge confidence in his abilities to present himself as a Prime Minister in waiting over the next 18 months two years.
Little’s charisma bypass works hugely against him. He comes across as passionless and humourless. Contrast that with all the other party leaders and he’s uniquely boring.
I’d agree with much of that Grindle But please lay off the scorched earth approach to Labour and Little. Give them a chance to grow without cutting down those tall poppies. Find something to praise, however little!
The same thing was said about the Cunliffe, Shearer and Goff
Yup. But there were differences. Goff wasn’t really given a chance and blew it with the stunt on a motorbike that looked too big for him. Shearer was a ditherer and used to seem as surprised as everyone else to hear what he had to say once he’d said it. Cunliffe just didn’t look or sound genuine. Little’s just bland and boring.
True but I was more referring to this:
“There is plenty of time for Little to further his popularity with voters and I have huge confidence in his abilities to present himself as a Prime Minister in waiting over the next 18 months two years.”
Which basically sounds like the old he just needs more time refrain
@ Atiawa
No. It’s the reality highlighted by the polls. Little has failed to significantly shine thus far. How that gives you confidence he will improve going forward is unclear.
Andrew Little is concentrating on creating cohesion between all the different strands of the Labour Party (a big job given it’s diversity) and moving around the country getting a sense of what is really going on out there in voter-land. He’s playing the long game and ensuring the building blocks are in place before he starts the job of winning over voters.
Why do you think the blowhard Key and his cohorts have upped the ‘dirty political’ rhetoric on Andrew Little T.C.? Because they know that when the time comes, he’s going to be a much harder opponent to beat that’s why.
Playing the long-game is what they say, Anne.
However, I haven’t seen anything from Little that would have National overly concerned.
At this stage, National merely have to maintain voter confidence and they’ll probably sail through.
Can’t wait to see how Little plans to shift it up a gear and start winning over voters.
Josie Pagani says Labour needs to upset some people (I’m taking that means people on the left) and take some risk.
It will be interesting to see what Little actually decides to do.
She’s right about that, but I doubt she recognises that it is she (and others of similar ilk) who are going to be upset. Both Paganis are way out of the Labour loop and have been for a long time. Josie reminds me of that third way Blairite who stood for the UK Labour leadership. Forgotten her name already but she only managed 4.5% of the vote. In a similar situation here I doubt Josie would get 0.5% of the vote.
Josie Pagani was involved with setting up that Think Tank – and Little said he was happy with it.
Clearly she still has the ear of a few within Labour.
Lets hope you’re right, Anne.
I think he was “happy” with her starting up an independent Think Tank but be assured she and her mates were given the thumbs down about involving the Labour Party. It seems to have died a natural death because there’s been no mention of it since.
She probably does have the ear of a few within Labour but that is all. She’s highly unpopular because of the way she has sniped at – and run down – Labour at every opportunity. She’s been doing it for a long time under various leaders and my sense is: it’s a revenge thing because she and her husband have not been afforded the reverence and appreciation of the party hierarchy she thinks they deserve.
Died a natural death? Or merely keeping it on the down low? The launching isn’t till the end of the year.
My understanding was it’s independence is to enable it to make it easier to reach out to businesses.
The fact the Party hasn’t publicly disowned her suggests she may have more support within than we both believe.
The fact the Party hasn’t publicly disowned her suggests she may have more support within than we both believe.
Don’t agree. She’s a publicity seeking type and they don’t intend to accommodate her… is the more likely reason they don’t publicly disown her. Best to ignore her.
She is very outspoken and given her media status, her input is far reaching.
Therefore, if she was going against the Party’s wishes (potentially harming their public image) surely they would distance themselves from her, setting the media and public right.
The fact that they haven’t speaks volumes, IMO.
Ignoring someone so outspoken, potentially damaging and with such public reach is an inconceivable strategy.
She seeks publicity – and money – through her engagements with RNZ “The Panel” and other similar programmes on TV, but she doesn’t get news coverage as such. Since the audience for the above is limited then I guess they think she’s best ignored. I know of no-one who bothers to read her occasional written diatribes – confused and irrational as they so often seem.
RNZ, “The Panel” and other similar programmes on TV are generally related to news or political coverage, thus her public reach is rather wide. Not to mention potentially damaging.
Moreover, allowing her to hog the limelight robs Labour from getting their genuine message out. Hence, when all is considered, the ignoring her strategy being put forward just doesn’t wash, IMO.
Of course, that won’t be clear until Little makes his move, then we’ll see which way he decides to go and how well that resonates with voters/supporters.
We’ve come to an agreement – sort of. I don’t think Labour has a lot of choice at present because the MSM are going to use her no matter what. But yeah, she’s damaging – dare I say it – the party brand, and I’d like to see her sent packing. Indeed I’ve considered writing to the Labour Council about her but as yet haven’t had the time to do so.
Publicly distancing themselves from her (while putting forward their own genuine spokesperson) would severely knee cap her current status as an associated Labour spokesperson or commentator of the left. Turning the media off seeking comment from her as it would largely be considered irrelevant.
Labour has this choice, but to date, have decided against it. Leaving me and others questioning why?
Joise Pagani is not and never has been a recognised spokesperson for Labour. What point is there in putting forward a genuine spokesperson when the MSM will simply ignore them. They wouldn’t want Labour’s choice whoever it might be. Madame J suits their agenda well enough. She puts the boot into Labour and that’s how they like it.
Not for the first time, I heard her on Mora’s panel a few days ago talking a load of confused and irrational bullshit. Mora and co. must know it’s bullshit yet they continue to invite her. There’s your problem – not Labour.
That’s my last reply to this discourse.
i think youre right anne i think hes more of a man than anyone else in the pack and personaly id prefer someone that wasnt always doing that grimacing thing somepeople call smiling anyway ! Timing is everything hopefully he will come through
I’m more concerned about the policy package he plans to push.
Labour will need better policies if they want to get over the line.
effectively theyed have to promise to turn water into wine
Now now PR, your sexism is showing.
By praising Annette King? Its not sexist to point out that Jacinda acts (via the medium of print media) like a pretty face but when it comes to the business of politics shes lost against Nikki Kaye and got smacked down by Paula Bennet
maybe your troling was showing as well.
Disagreeing with something doesn’t make it trolling you know
I wasn’t commenting on your disagreement.
I can assure you that what I wrote isn’t trolling but my genuine thoughts on the matter
laugh of the day.
So genuine they have the stamp of approval from John Key himself.
Did Benefit sit on her?
When people try and slag off Jacinda Ardern they always bring up the fact that she lost to Kaye, but the reality is she lost by 600 votes last year, and 700 the election before that. In an electorate with between 27-33k voters that is an incredibly slim margin both times…
In the 2014 election, she lost by 600, but after the electorate was massively changed. The whole of Grey Lynn was excised and put into Mt Albert.
That’s not quite true – they’d pick all of the ABCs who should be in National anyway.
Also, this is MMP, electorate seats are not as important as popularity nation-wide
They’d only pick the ABCs that were any good (which doesn’t leave alot to choose) and yes electorate seats arn’t as important as they used to be but as I said before how can you expect a country to vote for you if you can’t convice an electorate to vote for you
Because people are tired of old Third Way Labour. They want fresh ideas and young faces. They only reason Ardern lost Central Auckland is because some Green Party voters can’t figure out how to vote strategically, and the party can’t seem to figure this out either. And I know, I’m a party member. Maybe I’ll light a fire under it… Also, I think by the end of this term Ardern will have served 3 terms. That’s 9 years. Is that enough experience? Key became Prime Minister with only 6 years in parliament.
‘Thoughts’
All polls can be rigged
People should consider what else they believe in also probably rigged
Politics
Economics / finance
Sport
etc
etc
etc
“They ALWAYS give them Maori names.”
Paul Henry channeled the late Paul Holmes this morning.
PAUL HENRY, TV3, Thursday 24 September 2015
shallow /ˈʃaləʊ/ adj. 1. of little depth; 2. not exhibiting, requiring, or capable of serious thought.
This program gets worse every day. I tuned in this morning just as the 8 o’clock news was finishing….
HILLARY BARRY: ….And the new Cook Strait ferry the Kaiarahi has arrived in Wellington. It has been blessed by iwi, and will start services next month.
Now for most people that would have been an uncontroversial, even boring, little news item. But for Paul Henry, like it was for another hateful multi-media pontificator, Paul Holmes, Māori culture is intolerable, an affront, its very existence a provocation. So, in the mind of Paul Henry, naming a ferry the Kaiarahi was “political correctness” gone mad.
Intolerable!
After a short silence, he made his assault…..
PAUL HENRY: Would it be so hard for them to give the ferry an ENGLISH name? They ALWAYS give them Maori names.
HILLARY BARRY: I think it’s LOVELY!
PAUL HENRY: Do you? It must be all right then, if Hillary likes it. But honestly….
Henry’s slave Jim Kayes looked troubled, but kept his own counsel….
Shortly after that, it was time for the daily “Panel”. Today it featured a particularly gruesome twosome: Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, the self-described “children’s advocate” who believes in hitting children, and Bill Ralston’s ghastly wife Janet Wilson. I had better things to do than listen to three vicious and vacuous people chuntering on at the intellectual level you’d expect at a golf club booze-up, but I did catch the tail-end of it just before 8:30….
JANET WILSON: See, here’s the thing: Len still thinks he’s going to win. Quelle horreur! He’s got a hide like an elephant.
PAUL HENRY: Yeah, he has.
JANET WILSON: The problem for Phil Goff is that he comes from the same end of the political spectrum as Len Brown. The thing is: who would want to run for mayor, when you get paid two and six for it?
CHRISTINE SPANKIN’ RANKIN: [speaking slowly to emphasize how serious she is] He failed as the leader of the Labour Party, and he will fail as mayor of Auckland.
JANET WILSON: Christine Rankin and Janet Wilson, thank you very much for coming on the Panel this morning.
SPANKIN’ RANKIN: Best Panel ever!
JANET WILSON: Ha ha ha ha! Yeah!
More on Janet Wilson….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22032013/#comment-607420
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17072013/#comment-664190
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03082014/#comment-859688
More on Christine Spankin’ Rankin….
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00213.htm
+1 – as I’m assuming most people on this site, can’t bear to watch this crap, (and from the falling ratings more and more of the public) great to have the opportunity to have it dissected.
That “two and six” the mayor gets paid is many times the average wage. Methinks Janet Wilson needs to live on the average wage for a while to get some perspective.
funnily enough as far as morning ‘news’ goes there are some segments of Henrys show I dont mind…his interview with Ruby Wax for example and I must begrudgingly admit his SOH is not without appeal.I expect this show to be a winner.
I must begrudgingly admit his SOH is not without appeal.
Yes, Henry can be very funny. I heard him on radio in December 2013 telling Dom and J.J. and Mike Puru about the passive-aggressive glares he gets from people whenever he goes out in public; he was simply hilarious. Some of his antics on his present television show are also quite amusing.
However, the funny bits are less and less apparent now. What might have seemed like irreverance has hardened into the most extreme intolerance and hatefulness, whether directed at refugees, or at the victims of bombs and bullets, or (as it was this morning) at Māori.
I expect this show to be a winner.
It’s not. The ratings are in free fall, as they were when he had a breakfast show in Melbourne three years ago….
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/ten-farewells-paul-henry-hamster-wheel-highlight-video-ck-133297
You know Paul hates Len and bags him pretty much daily. Nothing new here.
That fuckwit hates anybody that’s not a National supporter.
“That fuckwit hates anybody that’s not a National supporter.”
That is the most honest bit of wisdom I have read for ages. Cant make up my mind which bit is the most honest, so I settle for fuckwit.
Why would we give it an English name when we’re not English?
“Why would we give it an English name when we’re not English?”
How True
By the way apparently Saudi Arabia are planning a crucifixion and execution of a man they arrested as a child.
Saudi are one of our hopeful trading partners that we fly sheep bribes to. Hard to believe this can be happening in the modern world with a country our government loves to suck up to.
Don’t worry our government will be ‘comfortable’ with that.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/09/24/execution-in-saudi-arabia/
You say “apparently Saudi Arabia are planning a crucifixion”
Where do you get the bit about a crucifixion from?
I don’t see anything about it in the item you link to.
Here alwyn. Google the name of the young man the daily blog item mentions and you’ll get plenty of sites detailing his sentence to be executed by beheading, then crucifixion.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/72392125/young-saudi-man-ali-mohammed-alnimr-faces-crucifixion
Saudi Arabia, the country that does the most beheadings every year, has just been re appointed to the UN Human Rights panel. The US is ecstatic about this fundamental injustice.
Yeah, our world truly is that sick.
LORDS OF THE DANCE
No. 1: Rodney Hide
http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0605/bd0ebc1e64cf1a740e13.jpeg
Lords of the Dance is curated by Morrissey Breen, for Daisycutter Sports Inc.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/72363207/horrifying-outcomes-for-cyf-kids-warrant-a-whole-new-model–tolley
IMO this has been a disgraceful situation through a number of governments – now rebstock has written her review and the ‘business case’ is/has been put. What will emerge from this ‘modernisation’, this righting of wrongs, this fucking clusterfuck of a way to help children, especially Māori children – what will happen???
a big nothing apart from more misery and more cutting – I thank the gnats, labour and greens for their contributions to this misery – well done – red reek that one!!!
National will make things worse by putting in ideological BS as policy and then cut the budget.
I stomached Tolley on the radio for a few minutes and she seemed to me to be saying the government removes these children too late from abusive situations. The implication I assume is that they are too damaged at that point for any of these so called foster homes to provide any sort of stable environment.
She then went on to say that New Zealanders offered their homes to Syrian refugees, then asked why can’t they offer their homes to our own (child) refugees?
This is the sort of thinking which should be confined to some sort of bizarre brainstorming session to then be discarded as ludicrous, not the sort of thing a Minister should be voicing to the public.
These two “Tolley-thoughts” linked make you wonder whether her plan is to remove (Maori) children from disadvantaged and strained families at an ever decreasing age in order to make the children more palatable to ordinary NZ families who might happen to give a fuck.
Here she seems to want to not only shift the responsibility from the government to the private sector, but she goes further – she wants to shift the responsibility to the private individual!
I would have thought any major overhaul would focus on making the homes these children go to better, more stable, and capable of giving the kids an environment which ensured they maximised their learning at school.
You would have thought that but that would require taxes on the rich to up rather than down and so there’s no way that National would do that.
i bet theres a lot of people would like to wave their magic wand and make your last paragraph come true mutonbird but it would truely take a miracle .violence like when you wack your kids repeatedly begets violence makes you when you become an adolt wack youre kids too .I think its so deeply ingrained in some cultures it,le take generations to sort out .sue bradfords bill is a good start but theres not a few would like to repeal it an drag us back to the good ole days where a little tap did noone any harm !!
Of course the right has all the answers to these problems which is just to ignore it and say these people need to be individually responsible for their actions. That means no one has to do anything, no surprise then when they don’t offer any solutions to these complex problems and the situation gets gradually worse. Truly inspiring…
Massive spike in court-ordered debtor wage deductions
The number of people having money docked from their wage or benefits to repay debts has increased five-fold in the past year.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/72358546/massive-spike-in-courtordered-debtor-wage-deductions–commerce-commission
absolute racket in Sth Auck and Mangere…30% interest and penalties on over priced goods…non disclosure is rife as is doorstop selling.Seen $500 items =total contract $3700 on rent to own.Creating debt and then enforcing attachment orders on the unfortunate .
Vultures preying on the vulnerable, Les.
Seen this?
Media Alert! ” If National don’t walk away from the TPPA – petitioners will campaign for voters to ‘walk away’ from National!”
This morning, the following petition was presented at the Electoral Office of Nikki Kaye – the National MP for Auckland Central:
Petition wording:
“To the MP for Auckland Central – Nikki Kaye
We, the undersigned state:
That if this John Key led National Government does not ‘walk away’ from the secretive, undemocratic, pro-corporate ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), then we pledge to campaign vigorously amongst our friends, families, neighbours and workmates, for the voting public to ‘walk away’ from National.”.
Nikki Kaye is a National Government Cabinet Minister – currently sitting on a 600 vote majority over Labour’s Jacinda Adern.
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2014-au6200
“AUCKLAND CENTRAL
Candidates Votes Received
ARDERN, Jacinda 11894
KAYE, Nikki 12494 ”
On the afternoons of Tuesday 22 September, and Wednesday 23 September, a tiny handful of determined ‘TPPA – WALK AWAY’ activists collected over 800 signatures for the above-mentioned petition, outside Auckland University (Symonds Street, Grafton Rd intersection), and on Ponsonby Rd.
Nikki Kaye is the Minister of Youth.
Most of whom signed this petition, were ‘youth’.
We look forward to citizens from all over New Zealand, who want to STOP this John Key led New Zealand National Government from signing the TPPA, to consider giving National Party MPs (particularly Cabinet Ministers) – this message which cannot be ignored.
Politicians understand ONE thing.
Votes.
We urge people to make your own version of this petition, address it to YOUR local National MP / Minister, and start collecting signatures!
This is a petition with sharp, pointy political teeth, which will help focus the minds of those to whom it is addressed, directly on the TPPA.
Time is short.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1509/S00215/last-ditch-tppa-ministerial-in-10-days.htm
Last ditch TPPA Ministerial in 10 days
Thursday, 17 September 2015, 11:55 am
Press Release: Professor Jane Kelsey
” Last ditch TPPA Ministerial in 10 days – is Groser preparing to swallow the rat?
Canadian officials have confirmed rumours that the trade ministers from the twelve countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) plan to meet in Atlanta, US at the end of the month in a last ditch attempt to conclude the deal. The chief negotiators are set to meet on 26 September to try to clear the ground for the politicians. ….”
This petition will help to ‘hold the feet’ of National Party MPs ‘to the fire’ – regarding the potential political repercussions of signing the TPPA.
Contact details for MPs are available here:
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/00InknoMPsContact1/97a7145b141fd9d6c62adcf0ec68ea22c7163ce2
_________________________________________________________
‘TPPA – WALK AWAY’ signature collectors, who delivered the petition forms to Nikki Kaye’s Electorate Office:
Penny Bright
….
Jacquelyne Taylor
……
A beheading/crucifixion in the year of 2015, cause we are learned, and civilised and grown up and stuff.
I know, I know, some beheadings (inclusive post beheading crucifixation – a must have for shits n giggles or something) are just more equal and lawful then other beheadings.
“His punishment is a brutal one, even by Saudi Arabia’s standards. Not only was Mr Nimr, now 21, handed a death sentence, but the method of punishment was determined to be crucifixion, which rights groups say means he will be beheaded and then have his mutilated body displayed publicly.”
http://www.smh.com.au/world/looming-crucifixion-sparks-global-calls-to-spare-life-of-young-saudi-ali-mohammed-alnimr-20150923-gjtlhk.html
John Campbell has a new podcast with Radio NZ. This is his first episode, which looks at the working struggle in Auckland.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/radionz/programmes/first-person/audio/201771768/first-person-with-john-campbell-'pay-day-is-broke-day‘
I was about to post this. Good to see Campbell hitting up the really important stories that actually matter. TV3’s loss is actually New Zealand’s loss.
“No apologies to you mate. And no apologies
for the fact your show has so few viewers.”
In 2012, on Channel 10’s doomed breakfast show, the disastrously unsuccessful host unwisely tried to bully a Melbourne trade union guy….
PAUL HENRY: Do you want to apologise to the taxpayers and the people of Melbourne who’d like to use that street and the taxpayers who’re funding the police activity there. Do you want to apologise to those people now?
DAVID NOONAN: Well you know Paul I think you’ve got a particular political view of the world. You were bought over in the last few months from New Zealand. Mate, construction workers in New Zealand earn a lot less than they do in Australia and the sort of right wing shock jock stuff you want to go on with really isn’t going to faze me. We have a right a right to peaceful protest. We’ve got an important issue here and cheap shots like that really aren’t going to impress anybody.
PAUL HENRY: Right, so no apologies. Thanks for joining us this morning, David.
DAVID NOONAN: So no apologies to you mate. And no apologies for the fact your show has so few viewers.
[An awkward pause follows, then the camera cuts away to a news headline update before Henry comes back onscreen]
PAUL HENRY: Alrighty. I disagree with almost everything he said with the exception of the too few viewers thing. That is a shame.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/ten-farewells-paul-henry-hamster-wheel-highlight-video-ck-133297
Fucking shit hot. It is a pity no one would or could tackle this prat on television like that in NZ.
Actually, Laila Harré did last year, on a couple of occasions.
such a damned shame she didnt end up in parliment i know lprent gave us some of the reasons that didnt happen but its still a damn shame In a perfect world it ud be ALL HANDS ON DECK !!
Ok. Had a 15 minute power cut. Anyone notice?
Both UPS worked well.
Didn’t notice it go down but the server seems to have picked up another hamster or two. The site is faster now than it has been for some time.