Much gets made of the tax advantages of investing in property, leading to bizarre proposals to “fix it” like Gareth Morgan’s comprehensive capital tax. But the way investing in New Zealand businesses is like jumping into a viper pit is possibly a bigger reason why New Zealanders prefer property. Brain Gaynor explains some of the problems.
Yes. I wouldn’t dream of investing in NZ business rather than property, because it’s a game rigged in favour of the old boys’ club running it. The various fruitless attempts to deal with investment company owners who basically stole their investors’ money and got away with it, and the government’s complete lack of interest in doing something about it, makes it completely insane to invest in NZ business. Buy a house, at least some Grammar alumnus can’t steal that and face no consequences for it.
The NZX and kiwi business are a laughing stock amongst global fund managers.
Weldon did squat except fill his pockets and do as the boys club wanted. I recall Tony Gibbs broke ranks over one of Markys more avaricious remuneration proposals, probably because he wasn’t getting enough of the pie.
Rebstock, Weldon and Diplock presided over some of the most flagrant breaches of fiduciary duties and crony/insider behaviour handing out wet bus tickets to club members.
Now more recently against a backdrop of shonky dealer PM and his dealing cabinet room where they showed time and again that all you need is cash and nothing can’t be done for you.
We totally deserve to be shunned by savvy business investors because unless they are club members as they’ll not do so well. That’s the clear signal the NZX has been sending for a long time now.
Does anyone at about this time go into a major mall and, since you’ve done all your shopping, simply stand in the middle with an icecream and enjoy everyone else’s stress?
So now we are getting back to a nuclear arms race, courtesy of prime macho-posturers, Trump & Putin.
It means that younger generations, along with all the worries about climate change, global financial collapse, etc – also get to experience the nuclear fears that older generations experienced in their youth.
On a positive note, at least Sting’s “Russians” is now relevant once again. They may no longer be “Soviets”, but that’s about all that’s changed apparently. The circle of stupid is now complete. Welcome to Cold War 2.0 kids.
I don’t think that’s the case. Trumps a business man and so is his Sec of State. They’re not warmongers, and its likely the US and Russia will start working together in some way. The Middle east is likely to be a safer place too with less terrorism and US involvement. Our warhawk media would love to incite war by a Trump tweet or a Putin pic though.
I watched Putin do his live annual press meeting last night, it appears to me that some media are messing with his words a bit re nuclear. However it does appear that it is important to putin to be well armed as it makes him appear tough or strong, boys and their toys. Really interesting Q&A with Putin this year.
Yes war is great for business.
And Trump and Putin probably believe that the best way to ensure peace is to prepare for war. So money is still been made via military spending etc.
But the media was spinning the nuclear thing yesterday, like a bunch of warhawks. Bad news sells.
“Trumps a business man and so is his Sec of State. They’re not warmongers, and its likely the US and Russia will start working together in some way.”
mauī
War is business. by other means.
As usually happens with these things, Trump’s threatened trade war against China, will break out into a shooting war at some stage.
Yes, Mauī you are right, ‘the US and Russia will start working together in some way,’ but it won’t be a good way.
Trump is busy working to form an axis with Russia against China.
The joint arms race is to intimidate (or if that fails, anihilate) the Chinese when their economy collapses under US tarriff trade barriers. And in their desperation they to make some sort of military break out.
The most likely hot spots for this miltiary break out will be some sort of border dispute, leading to full scale invasion and territory grab, either Tibet/India, or the North vs South Korean peninsular. Or even Vietnam China border.
Not sure if I agree with that Jenny. Russia and China are much closer partners than the US and Russia. And I think the US economy, like lots of other well off western countries is reliant on China and they won’t want to see the global ponzi economy come under any additional pressures.
I don’t think you have been listening mauī.
Putin has Trump in his pocket – after all it was Russian money that has kept the “Trump” Empire afloat via Deutsche Bank, as Wall St would not lend to him anymore. His business affairs have heavily involved Russian interests, His intended Secretary of State has a Russian Honor presented to him by Putin himself. The meddling in the US election by Russia was not coincidental.
On the other hand.. Trumps hamfisted “diplomatic” incursions via Tweeting and the social media wrt to China have stirred up much resentment within China, and there has been a great deal of sabre rattling and increasing aggressive statements towards the US in the government sponsored Chinese Press in recent days. Statements calling for an early response to the Taiwanese situation include hinted threats of invasion.
The US should well remember that if there ever was to be conflict between China and the US, one of the first casualties would be their ability to cloth themselves. The US is actually clothed by China. Trump may have his suits hand made in NY – but for the rest of the population, their Levis are sewn in China.
Which is why I say that production of defence equipment should not be done by profiteering businesses and that means that it must fully be done by government.
Another nail in the coffin of those, like PM, who believe the lies about the rebels of Wast Aleppo.
6 independent journalists and now the ex-British Ambassador to Syria say it’s a lie.
PM, Peter Swift and a few other gullible victims of the msm say it’s not.
The ex-British Ambassador to Syria has accused the Foreign Office of lying over the country’s civil war and said British policy there has “made the situation worse”.
Peter Ford said the Whitehall department led by Boris Johnson and Philip Hammond before him had “gotten Syria wrong every step of the way”, and was now falsely claiming Bashar Assad could not control the country when he is “well on the way to doing so”.
It comes after the Syrian army reported that it had taken full control of Aleppo following weeks of heavy bombing and fighting in and around the city.
Mr Ford, who was Britain’s ambassador to Syria from 1999 to 2003, claimed that the UK had misread and misrepresented the situation in the country since the start of the conflict.
He said: “The British Foreign Office to which I used to belong, I’m sorry to say has gotten Syria wrong every step of the way.
“They told us at the beginning that Assad’s demise was imminent. They told us he’d be gone by Christmas. They didn’t say which Christmas, so they could still be proven correct.
“But then they told us that the opposition was dominated by these so-called moderates. That proved not to be the case and now they’re telling us another big lie – that Assad can’t control the rest of the country. Well I’ve got news for them – he’s well on the way to doing so.”
They say what’s a lie, Paul? You never actually say what you mean, merely posting other people’s opinions on the subject. How about actually saying something yourself for once? What lies are you claiming I believe, and what lies are you claiming have been exposed by the people you keep quoting every day as though there were some point to it?
You seem to misunderstand the burden of proof, but I’ll play along. I believe that a lot of the rebels in east Aleppo are people who’ve had enough of living under a despotic hereditary dictatorship, and have therefore had the Assad regime and the Russian air force bombarding their city for years as punishment. There are also some al-Qaeda-affiliated religio-fascist murderers in east Aleppo, but no-one has a definitive answer on what the proportion is (well, the regime, Russia and Iran are happy to put numbers on it, but there’s an obvious reason for that which has nothing to do with a great love of accuracy). I personally find it dissatisfying to see a brutal dictator and his great-power patron carrying out a massive bombing campaign against a civilian population, but apparently some people are fine with it – Paul included, judging by the regime propaganda he posts. As to where I get that belief from: everything I see and read on the subject. Even Paul’s pal Cockburn says the Syrian government settles for simply bombarding rebel-held areas because it doesn’t have the ground forces to do much else.
So the proof that you’re offering is:
“everything I see and read on the subject.”
Do you believe this account?
Do I believe an account by a regime shill? Er, no, and for fairly obvious reasons. Are you imagining the Assad regime is a source of truth on this subject? That said, it is worthwhile having a look through the stuff Vanessa Beeley and Eva Barrett are putting out, as it gives you an idea of how the regime would like you to view its actions.
You didn’t watch that link did you?
You are a funny fellow.
Now.
Which ‘regime shill’ have Paul or I quoted or offered links to their work?
Of those that you think are, you need to offer proof that they are a ‘regime shill’.
Oh yeah, I’m a laugh riot. Funny how you guys can never resist a personality assessment while you’re at it.
How do I know Vanessa Beeley is a regime shill? Well, let’s see – she entered east Aleppo courtesy of the Assad regime, talked to people the Assad regime let her talk to, and includes in her commentary only content that’s flattering to the Assad regime. Now, it could be that to you those are the hallmarks of independent journalism, but to me they’re hallmarks of a regime shill.
You’re al Qaeda. You’re being supported by the United States in your jihad to impose extremist rule on Syria, but you still have a PR problem; too many people remember all that unpleasant business from so long ago when you blew up a few buildings in the US. What can you do?
Well, first you change the name of your Syrian branch two or three times. You make sure your spokesmen — who actually get respectfully quoted in the US media! — say moderate things in English but speak with genocidal sectarian fury in Arabic. So far, so good. But what if your new US media buddies actually got a peek at how you operate on the ground in Syria — cutting off heads, hoarding food aid, colluding with ISIS, slaughtering religious minorities, oppressing women, etc.? That’s easy: as Patrick Cockburn noted this week, you simply make the zones you control so dangerous for reporters – killing them, kidnapping them, etc. — that they don’t go there anymore. Instead they “report” on your activities from far away, relying on you to provide their information, telling the story you want told.
And presto chango, that’s how those who murdered Americans have become America’s newest heroes, the brave defenders of freedom in Syria. What’s more, anyone who dares point out the true nature of your organization, and how you operate, are now denounced as apologists for the loathsome Assad regime, or as Putin-lovers, even as traitors! Think of it; just a few years ago, you were the most reviled and hated group Americans had ever known — and now Americans across the media and political spectrum hail you as heroes and defend you from all attacks!
Sure, you’ve lost your foothold in Aleppo, where for years you systematically persecuted people and forcibly prevented them from leaving. But America’s still got your back, AQ! Even when you attack relief convoys in an attempt to scuttle a peace deal that would allow anyone who wants to leave East Aleppo to go free, the American media will fudge the headlines so no one will know that it was you who did the deed.
[And hey, let’s not forget what America’s been doing for you in Yemen! Remember how the Houthis had you on the ropes, nearly ridding the country of your presence — and then the Americans stepped in with their Saudi allies, bombing the holy hell out of the place, choking off food and medicine supplies, destroying the infrastructure for basic survival, killing thousands of civilians and putting millions of people at dire risk of starvation! And suddenly you were back, making great gains, stronger than ever! You simply couldn’t ask for a better friend, could you?]
So buck up, AQ! With the full weight of the American media and political establishment behind you, no doubt there are still great days ahead! In fact, the president has just made it easier for you guys to get even more American weapons so you can carry on your noble quest! It’s just our way of saying Merry Christmas!
Umm, Paul you yourself quoted a report saying that AQ only made up around 11% of the insurgents in Aleppo. If that’s true how can you say that supporting the rebels was ipso facto supporting AQ?
Your quote;
“The reality is that al-Qaeda in Syria, now rebranded as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS) and ostensibly severed from al-Qaeda, had at most 900 fighters inside Aleppo City when this assault began, about 11% of a total insurgent force of 8,000, which has always been dominated in this area by nationalists. ”
There’s a maths problem to be worked out here. ISIS had no presence in Aleppo and the islamist Al Nusra are reported to have made up only 11% of the rebel forces in Aleppo. If the remaining 89% of the insurgents aren’t al-Queda or Daesh then what are they?
Lesser-known swamp things: politicians and lobbyists get the high profile attention. But the creatures that lurk in the shadows claiming “science” to legitimise their paid lies might be even more vile.
In this instance, I’m referring to economists. That just make up stories to justify monopoly-making mergers. Trading on their “credentials” as “scientific experts”. The harm these guys do goes way beyond just increasing corporate power to rip us all off, they also destroy confidence in actual expertise leading to the situation where leaders can just dismiss experts presenting irrefutable facts with a breezy “I can provide you with another one that will give you a counterview.”
Interesting twitter feed exploration on ‘Bana’ – the seven year old girl who allegedly tweeted from eastern Aleppo and who was then pictured on Erdoğan’s lap just the other day after apparently being evacuated from Aleppo along the terrorist’s corridor as opposed to the one used by civilians and moderates.
I notice you still haven’t been able to write down what you’re actually trying to say with all the posts you make about the Syrian civil war, Paul. What conclusions are you trying to lead us to? Or do you just post things at random as some kind of spam project?
The conclusion I have come to ( after reading and listening to Fisk, Cockburn, Oborne, Pilger, Bartlett, Hitchens and the ex-British Ambassador to Syria) is that we are being lied to by the western media about the events in Syria and in particular Aleppo.
I don’t know why the BBC, the Guardian, the New York Post and other news sources have become propaganda outlets. It could be, as Peter Hitchens generously says, that they don’t have the staff on the ground and innocently take those feeds. Or it could be that they are deliberately forming a pro-establishment narrative. The UK is heavily compromised by its relationship with Saudi Arabia; that I do know.
Anyway you have the right to come to your own opinion.
As do I.
“I don’t know why the BBC, the Guardian, the New York Post and other news sources have become propaganda outlets”…well they are ‘propoganda outlets’ on pretty much everything else..so why not Syria??
As you clearly know, the only way to even get a glimpse of ‘The Truth’, or something like it, is to engage in wide spread research from as many sources as possible.
Understanding Syria from the main News sources is about as realistic as flying to the moon in a 1968 Trekka.
Yes the Scots learnt how biased the BBC could be during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
As to Syria, I don’t know the exact motivation for the bias.
The conclusion I have come to ( after reading and listening to Fisk, Cockburn, Oborne, Pilger, Bartlett, Hitchens and the ex-British Ambassador to Syria) is that we are being lied to by the western media about the events in Syria and in particular Aleppo.
Well, it would be odd if we weren’t – the first casualty of war is truth. However, you seem to have come to the conclusion that, because the western media are lying to us (more accurately, haven’t dwelt to Robert Fisk’s satisfaction on the involvement of Islamofascists on the rebel side), the stuff that regime supporters are peddling must be the truth. It’s real face-palm stuff.
Also, it’s a spam project and getting really, really tedious. We all know that Syria is a hellhole and know where to read about it if we want to. Paul’s endless stream of fully quoted articles and videos is wrecking the conversation on TS.
I think you mean well, but give it a rest please Paul. You aren’t participating in dialogue, you are shouting and spamming content with no effort to state your own goddamn opinion. Please stop abusing this forum.
we are being lied to by the western media about the events in Syria and in particular Aleppo.
Yes, the most important thing is damning the media elites and their collaboration with western imperialism because, well, you can’t possibly do that and condemn Assad, Twelvers, and their Russian offsiders as murderous thugs intent on suppressing any and all opposition by whatever means necessary, can you.
/
Selling public assets for less than half their worth should have been a public scandal that brought down a government or at least halted the looting of NZ’s state houses. Instead the deal went ahead with barely a whimper from the opposition.
The UN got around to doing a Security Council vote on condemning Israeli settlements, with the US abstaining. Despite Trump and Netanyahu trying to delay it so it would go away later.
While it doesn’t even have the power of a wet bus ticket, it’s still a worthwhile symbolic move.
And immensly pleased to see that NZ was one of the four countries requesting the vote. At least we have done something positive in our term on the security council.
Of course the Chump immediately tweeted.
“As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20.”
🙄
However, nice to see a US official say:
that “that until Trump’s inauguration on 20 January there was one US president – Obama.”
🙂
Of course the Chump immediately tweeted.
“As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20.”
So this ugly, ignorant gorilla (as opposed to all the beautiful real gorillas) with the orange mop atop his head think he’s going to be in charge of the UN as well as the US? Because their HQ is domiciled in New York… does he think its an American institution? Wouldn’t surprise one little bit.
yep the chump is already the most idiotic pre-president ever and after he is in officially I am sure he will become the most idiotic president ever, if not the last one.
So if progressive states secede from the union, the progressive west coast will get most of the movie and IT industry. What’ll happen to the CIA & FBI given Virginia as fairly mixed state politically? Ditto Mayland home of the NSA?
“ugly, ignorant gorilla”
Hmmm a rather percipient choice of words there Anne..
Did you have Carl Paladino in mind as well?
I think he trumps Trump in disgusting
No Macro I didn’t. I have only just caught up with Master Carl Paladino comments. To be honest, I can’t think of a word in the English dictionary that suitably describes such a detestable specimen of humanity.
The Plight of New Zealand’s Freshwater Biodiversity
New Zealand, a land marketed as clean and green. A land of green lush fields for cows to graze on and beautiful drinkable fresh river water at every turn. In reality, this marketing campaign couldn’t be more of a lie.
A recent report led by two of New Zealand’s leading freshwater ecologists titled ‘The Plight of New Zealand’s Freshwater Diversity’ lists the following as contributors to New Zealand’s widespread pollution of freshwater waterways:
rapid intensification of lowland agriculture – dairy farming
increased urbanisation and development
rising nitrate and phosphate nutrient run off levels causing algal blooms
extraction of water
human and industrial waste discharged to waterways
Massey University’s Dr Mike Joy and Professor Russell Death helped conclude that 74% of our native freshwater fish, mussel and crayfish species are now listed as threatened with extinction, as well as the number of freshwater invertebrate species now at risk increasing from 17 in 2005, up to 82 in 2013.
On top of this, 96% of all lowland catchments and 100% of all urban catchments failed the current standard of pathogens for safe swimming, while 80% of sites exceeded current nutrient guideline levels.
The science here is very clear; we are allowing the systematic destruction of our waterways which so many people rely on for livelihoods, recreation, not to mention basic survival.
Penelope Cruz features in a very powerful short video called ‘Nature is Speaking’as the voice of water and says, “I am water. To humans, I am simply just there. I am something they just take for granted, but there’s only so much of me, and more and more of them every single day.”
The warning is clear. Freshwater sources are depleting very quickly around the world thanks to our actions.
Will we listen?
The recommendations from the report include:
Change legislation to adequately protect native and endemic fish species and invertebrates, including those harvested commercially and recreationally.
Protect habitat critical to the survival of New Zealand’s freshwater species.
Include river habitat health to protect ecosystem health in the National Objectives Framework for the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management.
Establish monitoring and recovery plans for New Zealand’s freshwater invertebrate fauna.
Develop Policy and best management practices for freshwater catchments which include wetlands, estuaries and groundwater ecosystems.
Establish, improve and maintain appropriately wide riparian zones that connect across entire water catchments.
Touted as a great leap forward by the Government, the latest national water quality standards are a scientific scam that will allow nitrate pollution to reach levels that will kill aquatic life and proliferate algal blooms, says Massey University ecologist and zoologist Dr Mike Joy.
Joy spoke of the current state and future poisoning of New Zealand’s waterways, and the associated cost to taxpayers and profits to the dairy industry, in a talk in Nelson last night.
In a separate interview, Joy said the Government’s new National Policy Statement of Freshwater Management, which comes into force on August 1, would see nitrate levels allowed to rise to 6.9 milligrams per litre – 10 times above current levels.
He also sounded a warning to the Tasman District Council saying plans to build the Waimea Community Dam would result in increased land intensification.
The NPS’s new nitrate level was “like increasing the suburban speed limit from 50 kilometres and hour to 500kmh. It would allow New Zealand’s rivers to become more polluted than the Yangtze in China, the Seine in France or the Thames in England”.
Joy said the first point was for New Zealanders to realise the lack of regulation helped increase pollution.
“If there are two farmers side by side and one does the least mitigation, he will make more money.”
Mitigation, such as fencing and planting streams reduced the rate of phosphate run-off but heavy nitrogen loading, produced by urine in quantity from intensive farming, could not be taken up by plants and ran into waterways creating algal growth and affecting aquatic life.
Joy said the current national nitrogen limit, which was already exceeded in a number of waterways, was low enough not to allow algal growth.
“But the industry and the Government want to double dairy production. To get around the science the bottom line for nutrients is only set at the toxicity limit for nitrogen – it’s a single-unit scam.”
He said the policy received a direct hit from the Ruataniwha Dam Board of Inquiry, which confirmed nitrogen leaching levels from agriculture at 0.8mg a litre, which would ensure the ability of rivers to sustain life.
By making toxicity the new national nitrogen bottom line in waterways the Ministry for the Environment was closing the door after the horse had bolted, Joy said.
“Before toxic level are reached, algal growth will have smothered a stream. The board of inquiry set a precedent. New Zealand cannot keep expanding its intensive farming.”
Not only was expansion costing the country’s waterways but it also cost taxpayers with the profits going to industry and individual farmers.
“Only a few are profitting from this and they are destroying our ability to maintain the Clean Green image.
“It costs $250,000 to clean one tonne of nitrates from Lake Rotorua, but only $6600 in lost profit for a farmer to not put that on his land.
“And the surprising thing is that our productivity has dropped in the past 10 years. Production has gone up – however the cost of imported inputs, such as palm kernel, have risen faster.”
However Guy Beatson, deputy secretary of policy at the Ministry for the Environment, said the NPS would not allow the degradation of rivers. “The bottom lines are not a minimum standard – instead the existing condition is the starting point for managing water quality, which in most cases is above the national bottom lines.”
And the NPS did not suggest or endorse a single nutrient management approach. “Regional councils will need to set an objective for periphyton ([slime] in their regional plans, and adopt appropriate management options to achieve that objective,” Beatson said. “Where necessary, this will require them to set limits on nitrogen and phosphorus and manage other factors that promote weed growth such as shade, temperature and flow levels.”
Councils have to enforce the new NPS standards by 2025.
Defending TDC is an interesting stance – considering the major conflicts of interest the mayor and several councillors have with regard to the Lee Valley Dam. They push the story that we will be in dire straits if there is another drought but fail to mention that those who benefit the most from the dam include themselves and their own properties and businesses.
yes his research is what he should use , but claiming all animals would / should be out of the food chain by 2050 just makes him look like a loony fool,
🙄
Ever heard of Phosphates?
Take a look at the Corn belts of North America and the effects they have had on groundwater and surface runoff into the Great Lakes.
We are not talking dairy – or beef – production. Purely intensive mono culture maintained by massive quanties of artificial fertilisers.
Interesting comment. And probably true.
If one does not ‘toe the Party line’ you tend to be on the out. Though to its credit Massey is now far more supportive. But anyway, its called having principles and stating the facts as you see them, oh, yeah, and the facts as can be proven with Science.. But hey, what would a Senior Lecturer in Ecology / Zoology know.
Then again you have the likes of Waikato University professor of agri-business Dr Jacqueline Rowarth (a favorite in the NBR) who has boldly claimed…”it was “naive” to expect water quality in waterways could be restored to pristine conditions when it was already safe to drink.”
I would like to extend a personal invitation to Dr Rowarth to come down to the Bay and have a nice cup of water from the Tukituki.
Comparing hort to dairying doesn’t mean that hort is non-polluting, you’re looking at the wrong scale. We are so far from anything resembling sustainable despite the fact that we already have sustainable farming and land use tech in NZ. Promotion of export hort is akin to saying bring on climate change.
elephant in the room…..irrespective of whether we control agri/hort/aqua culture to preserve water quality and subsequently the environment the problem remains the same.
The equation is incredibly simple and at the same time impossible….the planet cannot support 7 plus billion human beings regardless ….either the population degrades or the environment does.
ultimately the population will collapse either way.
Well,as we all know Greenwald is a paragon of balanced journalism.
Actually Paul, just about anything you post seems to entirely come from activists with an agenda, or journalists who are notoriously opposed to the West. So in your view anything by the BCC, CNN, the Guardian et al is simply propaganda, but if it is from RT then obviously it is the truth. In the old days you would have been seen as a fellow traveller.
Of course it is your world view, but don’t expect your posts (with their long quotes from people you deem to be “authorities”) to be seen as anything other than partisan.
You might want to read and research these journalists, Wayne. You should know of them given the fact you were a MP….
Or was that last entry just a spray and run away?
France on Thursday inaugurated the world’s first “solar highway”, a road paved with solar panels providing enough energy to power the street lights of the small Normandy town of Tourouvre.
The one-kilometre (half-mile) “Wattway” covered with 2,800 square metres (30,000 square feet) of resin-coated solar panels was hooked up to the local power grid as Environment Minister Segolene Royal looked on.
“This new use of solar energy takes advantage of large swathes of road infrastructure already in use… to produce electricity without taking up new real estate,” Royal said in a statement.
Such a scheme is certainly worth looking into especially when we consider just how much land area roads take up.
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Early in the COVID-19 days, the Boris Johnson government pressed a Big Red Button marked: act immediately, never mind about the paperwork.Their problem was: not having enough PPE gear for all the hospital and emergency staff. Their solution was to expedite things and get them the gear ASAP.This, along with ...
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The 2018 Social Security Act suggests that Labour may have retreated to the minimalist (neo-liberal) welfare state which has developed out of the Richardson-Shipley ‘redesign’. One wonders what Michael Joseph Savage, Peter Fraser and Walter Nash would have thought of the Social Security Act passed by the Ardern Labour Government ...
MPs are supposed to serve the public interest, not their own self-interest. And according to the New Zealand Parliament’s website, democracy and integrity are tarnished whenever politicians seek to enrich themselves or the people they are connected with. For this reason, the Parliament has a “Register of Pecuniary Interests” in ...
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Buzz from the Beehive The hacks of the Parliamentary Press Gallery have been able to chip into a rich vein of material on the government’s official website over the past 24 hours. Among the nuggets is the speech by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and a press statement to announce ...
When Labour was in power, they wasted time, political capital, and scarce policy resources on trying to extend the parliamentary term to four years, in an effort to make themselves less accountable to us. It was unlikely to fly, the idea having previously lost tworeferendums by huge margins - ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: When Whanau Ora chief executive John Tamihere was asked what his expectations for the Budget next Thursday were, he said: “All hope is lost.” Last year Whānau Ora was allocated $163.1 million in the Budget to last for the next four years ...
Nick Hanne writes – There’s a common malady suffered by bureaucracies the world over. They wish to save us from ourselves. Sadly, NZ officials are no less prone to exhibiting symptoms of this occupational condition.Observe, for instance, the reaction from certain public figures to the news ...
Peter Dunne writes – As the city of Tauranga prepares to elect a new Mayor and Council after three and a half years being run by government-appointed Commissioners, the case for replacing the Wellington City Council with Commissioners strengthens. The Wellington City Council has been dysfunctional for years, ...
This will be s short post. It stems from observations I made elsewhere about what might be characterised as some macro and micro aspects of contemporary collective violence events. Here goes. The conflicts between Israel and Palestine and France and … Continue reading → ...
It may be a relic of a previous era of egalitarianism, but many of us like to think that, in general, most New Zealanders are as honest as the day is long. We’re good like that, and smart as. If we’re not punching above our weight on the world stage, ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Why aren’t politicians taking more action on the housing affordability crisis? The answer might lie in the latest “Register of Pecuniary Interests.” This register contains details of the various financial interests of parliamentarians. It shows that politicians own real estate in significant numbers. The ...
I built a time machine to see you againTo hear your phone callYour voice down the hallThe way we were back thenWe were dancing in the rainOur feet on the pavementYou said I was your second headI knew exactly what you meantIn the country of the blind, or so they ...
Why aren’t politicians taking more action on the housing affordability crisis? The answer might lie in the latest “Register of Pecuniary Interests.” This register contains details of the various financial interests of parliamentarians. It shows that politicians own real estate in significant numbers. The register published on Tuesday contains a ...
Microsoft’s transparency about its failure to meet its own net-zero goals is creditable, but the response to that failure is worrying. It is offering up a set of false solutions, heavily buttressed by baseless optimism. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in ...
Another Friday, another Rāmere Roundup! Here are a few things that caught our eye this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, our new writer Connor Sharp roared into print with a future-focused take on the proposed Auckland Future Fund, and what it could invest in. On ...
Still Waiting: Māori land remains in the hands of Non-Māori. The broken promises of the Treaty remain broken. The mana of the tangata whenua languishes under racist neglect. The right to wear the huia feather remains as elusive as ever. Perhaps these three transformations are beyond the power of a ...
Posters opposing the proposed Fast-Track Approvals legislation were pasted around Wellington last week. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: One of the architects of the RMA and a former National Cabinet Minister, Simon Upton, has criticised the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals bill as potentially disastrous for the environment, arguing just 1% ...
There was less sharing of the joy this week than at the Chinese New Year celebrations in February. China’s ambassador to NZ (2nd from right above) has toldLuxon that relations between China and New Zealand are now at a ‘critical juncture’ Photo: Getty / Xinhua News AgencyTL;DR: The podcast ...
The importance of New Zealand’s relationship with China was surely demonstrated yesterday with the surprise arrival in the capital of top Chinese foreign policy official Liu Jianchao. The trip was apparently organized a week ago but kept secret. Liu is the Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) International Liaison ...
With a crushing 20-plus point lead in the opinion polls, all the signs are that Labour leader Keir Starmer will be the PM after the general election on 4 July, called by Conservative incumbent Rishi Sunak yesterday. The stars are aligned for Starmer. Rival progressives are in abeyance: the Liberal-Democrat ...
We returned last week from England to London. Two different worlds. A quarter of an hour before dropping off our car, we came to a complete stop on the M25. Just moments before, there had been six lanes of hurtling cars and lorries. Now, everything was at a standstill as ...
Buzz from the Beehive A triumvirate of ministers – holding the Agriculture, Environment and RMA Reform portfolios – has announced the introduction of legislation “to slash the tangle of red and green tape throttling development in key sectors”, such as farming, mining and other primary industries. The exact name of ...
The Social Services and Community Committee has called for submissions on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. Submissions are due by Wednesday, 3 July 2024, and can be made at the link above. And if you're wondering what to say: section 7AA was enacted because Oranga Tamariki ...
Michael Reddell writes – The Reserve Bank doesn’t do independent fiscal forecasts so there is no news in the fiscal numbers in today’s Monetary Policy Statement themselves. The last official Treasury forecasts don’t take account of whatever the government is planning in next week’s Budget, and as the Bank notes ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – We know the old saying, “Never trust a politician”, and the Charter School debate is a good example of it. Charter Schools receive public funding, yet “are exempt from most statutory requirements of traditional public schools, including mandates around .. human capital management .. curriculum ...
How Do We Silence Them? The ruling obsession of the contemporary Left is that political action undertaken by individuals or groups further to the right than the liberal wings of mainstream conservative parties should not only be condemned, but suppressed.WEB OF CHAOS, a “deep dive into the world of disinformation”, ...
Muriel Newman writes – As the new Government puts the finishing touches to this month’s Budget, they will undoubtedly have had their hands full dealing with the economic mess that Labour created. Not only was Labour a grossly incompetent manager of the economy, but they also set out ...
Today the British PM, Rishi Sunak, called a general election for the 4th of July. He spoke of the challenging times and of strong leadership and achievements. It was as if he was talking about someone else, a real leader, rather than he himself or the woeful list of Tory ...
This post marks the return of an old format: Photo of the Day. Recently I was in an apartment in one of those new buildings on Great North Road Grey Lynn at rush hour, perfect day, the view was stunning, so naturally I whipped out my phone: GNR 5pm Turns ...
The Government may struggle with the political optics of scrapping assistance for first home buyers while also cutting the tax burden on landlords, increasing concerns over the growing generational divide. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government confirmed it will dump first home buyer grants in the Budget next ...
Yesterday, the Reserve Bank confirmed there will be no free card for the economy to get out of jail during the current term of the Government. Regardless of what the Budget next week says, we are in for three years of austerity. Over those three years, we will have to ...
It doesn’t inspire confidence when politicians change their minds. But you must give credit when a bad idea is dropped. Last year, we reported on the determination of British PM Rishi Sunak to lead the world in regulating the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Perhaps he changed his mind after meeting ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Is carbon dioxide removal - aka "negative emissions" - going to save us from climate change? Or is it just a ...
Headed for the legislative wastepaper basket… Buzz from the Beehive It looks like this government is just as ready as its predecessor to dip into the public funds it is managing to dispense millions of dollars to finance – and favour – the parties it fancies. Or ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – National and Labour and ACT have at various times waxed on about their “vision” of NZ as a high value-added world tech centerWhat subject is tech based upon? Mathematics. A Chicago mathematician just told me that whereas last decade ...
Eric Crampton writes – Danyl McLauchlan over at The Listener on the recent shift toward more contestability in public policy advice in education: Education Minister Erica Stanford, one of National’s highest-ranked MPs, is trying to circumvent the establishment, taking advice from a smaller pool of experts – ...
Ele Ludemann writes – That Kāinga Ora is a mess is no surprise, but the size of the mess is. There have been many reports of unruly tenants given licence to terrorise neighbours, properties bought and left vacant, and the state agency paying above market rates in competition ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s being explained as an “inadvertent error”. However, National MP David MacLeod’s excuse for failing to disclose $178,000 in donations for his election campaign last year is not necessarily enough to prevent some serious consequences. A Police investigation is now likely, and the result ...
The scathing “independent” review of Kāinga Ora barely hit the table before the coalition government had acted on it. The entire Kāinga Ora board will be replaced, and a new chair (Simon Moutter) has been announced. Hmm. No aspersions on Bill English, but the public would have had more confidence ...
I'll light the fireYou place the flowers in the vaseThat you bought todayA warm dry home, you’d think that would be bread and butter to politicians. Home ownership and making sure people aren’t left living on the street, that’s as Kiwi as Feijoa and Apple Crumble. Isn’t it?The coalition are ...
Politics is about compromise, right? And framing it so the voters see your compromise as the better one. John Key was a skilful exponent of this approach (as was Keith Holyoake in an earlier age), and Chris Luxon isn’t too bad either. But in politics, the process whereby an old ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
It’s being explained as an “inadvertent error”. However, National MP David MacLeod’s excuse for failing to disclose $178,000 in donations for his election campaign last year is not necessarily enough to prevent some serious consequences. A Police investigation is now likely, and the result of his non-disclosure could even see ...
The relentless drone coming out of the Prime Minister and his deputy for a million days now has been that the last government was just hosing money all over the show and now at last the grownups are in charge and shutting that drunken sailor stuff down. There is a word ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to riot-torn New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. Today’s flight will carry around 50 passengers with the most ...
Precious declaration saysYours is yours and mine you leave alone nowPrecious declaration saysI believe all hope is dead no longerTick tick tick Boom!Unexploded ordnance. A veritable minefield. A National caucus with a large number of unknowns, candidates who perhaps received little in the way of vetting as the party jumped ...
Rex Ahdar writes – The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, likes to trace his political lineage back to the pioneers of parliamentary Maoridom. I will refer to these as the ‘big four’ or better still, the Four Knights. Just as ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Willie Jackson will participate in the prestigious Oxford Union debate on Thursday, following in David Lange’s footsteps. Coincidentally, Jackson has also followed Lange’s footsteps by living in his old home in South Auckland. And like Lange, Jackson might be the sort of loud-mouth scrapper ...
That is the only way to describe an MP "forgetting" to declare $178,000 in donations. The amount of money involved - more than five times the candidate spending cap, and two and a half times the median income - is boggling. How do you just "forget" that amount of money? ...
In this week’s “A View from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and spoke about the upcoming US elections and what the possibility of another Trump presidency means for the US role in world affairs. We also spoke about the problems Joe … Continue reading → ...
Hi,Two years ago I briefly featured in Justin Pemberton’s Web of Chaos documentary, which touched on things like QAnon during the pandemic.I mostly prattled on about how intertwined conspiracy narratives are with Evangelical Christian thinking, something Webworm’s explored in the past.(The doc is available on TVNZ+, if you’re not in ...
The Government is leaving the entire construction sector and the community housing sector in limbo. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government released the long-awaited Bill English-led review of Kāinga Ora yesterday, but delayed key decisions on its build plan and how to help community housing providers (CHPs) build ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Farmers who can’t sleep, worrying they’ll lose everything amid increasing drought. Youth struggling with depression over a future that feels hopeless. Indigenous people grief-stricken over devastated ecosystems. For all these people and more, climate change is taking a clear toll ...
New Zealand’s relationship with China is becoming harder to define, and with that comes a worry that a deteriorating political relationship could spill over into the economic relationship. It is about more than whether New Zealand will join Pillar Two of Aukus, though the Chinese Ambassador, more or less, suggested ...
Been hoping we would see something like this from Sir Geoffrey Palmer. This is excellent.The present Bill goes further than the National Development Act 1979 in stripping away procedures designed to ensure that environmental issues are properly considered. The 1979 approach was not acceptable then and this present approach is ...
He’s Got The Moxie: Only Willie Jackson possesses the credentials to meld together a new Labour message that is, at one and the same moment, staunchly working-class, union-friendly, and which speaks to the hundreds-of-thousands of urban Māori untethered to the neo-tribal capitalist elites of the Iwi Leaders Forum.IT’S ONE OF THE ...
Tree-huggers may well accuse the Government of giving them the fingers, after Energy Minister Simeon Brown announced new measures to protect powerlines from trees, rather than measures to protect trees from powerlines. It can be no coincidence, surely, that this has been announced at the same as Fisheries Minister Shane Jones ...
Willie Jackson will participate in the prestigious Oxford Union debate on Thursday, following in David Lange’s footsteps. Coincidentally, Jackson has also followed Lange’s footsteps by living in his old home in South Auckland. And like Lange, Jackson might be the sort of loud-mouth scrapper who could take over the Labour ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect New Zealanders' right of free speech. The “Protection of Freedom of Expression Bill” will ensure that no organisation or individual, when acting within the law, is unreasonably denied use of a public venue for an organised event or ...
The Green Party unequivocally condemns the governing parties’ attempts to limit the public’s say on the controversial Māori wards legislation, after the select committee considering the legislation set a deadline for submissions of just five days. ...
Disabled children and families nationwide have recently found out they’re no longer able to use disability support funding for programmes during school hours in another quiet update from the Government. ...
Following a horrific case of stalking that ended in tragedy, Labour’s police spokesperson Ginny Andersen has drafted a bill that would add stalking to the Crimes Act. ...
The Rt Hon Winston Peters, joined by Mike King, has announced $24 million over four years for the ‘I Am Hope Foundation’, and will provide young people aged between 5 to 25 years with free mental health counselling services. This funding will help I Am Hope’s ‘Gumboot Friday’ initiative give ...
Te Pāti Māori have launched a petition to stop the repeal of Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act. This announcement comes prior to the first reading of the Section 7AA repeal bill in Parliament today. “Section 7AA forces the Government to adhere to Te Tiriti o Waitangi with respect ...
The Government has yet again failed to do the one thing that needs to happen to ensure houses can be built – commit to ongoing funding, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Treasury officials have outlined many ways in which the Fast Track Approvals Bill is deeply flawed, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking says. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick used this year's State of the Planet to call on the Government to prioritise people and planet as the delivery of the Budget approaches. A full transcript of their speeches can be found below. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick have used their State of the Planet speeches to challenge the Government to prioritise people and planet over profit as the delivery of the Budget approaches. ...
The Government’s introduction of legislation that would enable landlords to end tenancies with no reason marks a dark day for the 1.4 million people who rent their home in Aotearoa. ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Over the next four years, Budget 24 will support the training and recruitment of 1,500 teachers into the workforce, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced today. “To raise achievement and develop a world leading education system we’re investing nearly $53 million over four years to attract, train and retain our valued ...
1. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters; Minister of Health and Minister for Pacific Peoples Hon Dr Shane Reti; and Minister for Climate Change Hon Simon Watts hosted Cook Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Hon Tingika Elikana and Minister of Health Hon Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown on 24 May ...
The Government has approved two-year extensions for four New Zealand Defence Force deployments to the Middle East and Africa, Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. “These deployments are long-standing New Zealand commitments, which reflect our ongoing interest in promoting peace and stability, and making active ...
The Climate Change Commission Chair, Dr Rod Carr, has confirmed his plans to retire at the end of his term later this year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Prior to the election, Dr Carr advised me he would be retiring when his term concluded. Dr Rod Carr has led ...
Nine highly respected experts have been appointed to the inaugural board of the new Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission is a new independent Crown entity which was established under the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act last year, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed today that Vote Foreign Affairs in Budget 2024 will balance two crucial priorities of the Coalition Government. While Budget 2024 reflects the constrained fiscal environment, the Government also recognises the critical role MFAT plays in keeping New Zealanders safe and prosperous. “Consistent with ...
New social housing funding in Budget 2024 will ensure the Government can continue supporting more families into warm, dry homes from July 2025, Housing Ministers Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka say. “Earlier this week I was proud to announce that Budget 2024 allocates $140 million to fund 1,500 new social ...
Introduction Today, we are sharing a red-letter occasion. A Blackball event on hallowed ground. Today we underscore the importance of our mineral estate. A reminder that our natural resource sector has much to offer. Such a contribution will not come to pass without investment. However, more than money is needed. ...
Increasing national and regional prosperity, providing the minerals needed for new technology and the clean energy transition, and doubling the value of minerals exports are the bold aims of the Government’s vision for the minerals sector. Resources Minister Shane Jones today launched a draft strategy for the minerals sector in ...
The coalition Government’s legislation to restore the rights of communities to determine whether to introduce Māori wards has passed its first reading in Parliament, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says. “Divisive changes introduced by the previous government denied local communities the ability to determine whether to establish Māori wards.” The ...
The coalition Government has today introduced legislation to slash the tangle of red and green tape throttling some of New Zealand’s key sectors, including farming, mining and other primary industries. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the Government is committed to unlocking development and investment while ensuring the environment is ...
The decision by Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to approve the continued use of hydrogen cyanamide, known as Hi-Cane, has been welcomed by Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay. “The EPA decision introduces appropriate environmental safeguards which will allow kiwifruit and other growers to use Hi-Cane responsibly,” Ms ...
Kia ora, Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou kātoa Tāmaki Herenga Waka, Tāmaki Herenga tangata Ngā mihi ki ngā mana whenua o tēnei rohe Ngāti Whātua ō Ōrākei me nga iwi kātoa kua tae mai. Mauriora. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the EMA for hosting this event. Let me acknowledge ...
The coalition Government is investing in social housing for New Zealanders who are most in need of a warm dry home, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. Budget 2024 will allocate $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places to be provided by Community Housing Providers (CHPs), not ...
Thousands more young New Zealanders will have better access to mental health services as the Government delivers on its commitment to fund the Gumboot Friday initiative, says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. “Budget 2024 will provide $24 million over four years to contract the ...
The Coalition Government’s Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, which will improve tenancy laws and help increase the supply of rental properties, has passed its first reading in Parliament says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The Bill proposes much-needed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 that will remove barriers to increasing private ...
Standing here in Cassino War Cemetery, among the graves looking up at the beautiful Abbey of Montecassino, it is hard to imagine the utter devastation left behind by the battles which ended here in May 1944. Hundreds of thousands of shells and bombs of every description left nothing but piled ...
I present a legislative statement on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill Mr. Speaker, I move that the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the Bill. Thank you, Mr. ...
The Bill to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has had its first reading in Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the care and safety of children in care, says Minister for Children Karen Chhour. “When I became the Minister for Children, I made ...
Kia ora koutou, good morning, and zao shang hao. Thank you Fran for the opportunity to speak at the 2024 China Business Summit – it’s great to be here today. I’d also like to acknowledge: Simon Bridges - CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. His Excellency Ambassador - Wang ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing them ...
The Coalition Government will introduce legislation this year that will enable roadside drug testing as part of our commitment to improve road safety and restore law and order, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. In ...
The Government has announced a series of immediate actions in response to the independent review of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “Kāinga Ora is a large and important Crown entity, with assets of $45 billion and over $2.5 billion of expenditure each year. It ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour is pleased that Pseudoephedrine can now be purchased by the general public to protect them from winter illness, after the coalition government worked swiftly to change the law and oversaw a fast approval process by Medsafe. “Pharmacies are now putting the medicines back on their ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Da jia hao. Good morning everyone. Prime Minister Luxon, your excellency, a great friend of New Zealand and my friend Ambassador Wang, Mayor of what he tells me is the best city in New Zealand, Wayne Brown, the highly respected Fran O’Sullivan, Champion of the Auckland business ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
Asia Pacific Report Pro-Palestinian protesters today condemned Google for sacking protesting staff and demanded that the New Zealand government immediately “cut ties with Israeli genocide”. Wearing Google logo masks and holding placards saying “Google complicit in genocide” and “Google drop Project Nimbus”, the protesters were targeting the global tech company ...
Fresh off the back of episode one of Married at First Sight NZ’s new season, Alex Casey and Tara Ward fire up the chat to dissect what the hell we all just watched. Alex Casey: Tara, are you still screaming? I’m screaming. Tara Ward: I started screaming the moment I ...
Fresh off the back of episode one of Married at First Sight NZ’s new season, Alex Casey and Tara Ward fire up the chat to dissect what the hell we all just watched. Alex Casey: Tara, are you still screaming? I’m screaming. Tara Ward: I started screaming the moment I ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan independence group has condemned French “modern-day colonialism in action” in Kanaky New Caledonia and urged indigenous leaders to “fight on”. In a statement to the Kanak pro-independence leadership, exiled United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) president Benny Wenda said the proposed electoral changes ...
“The situation in Gaza is desperate,” Will Alexander said. “It’s obvious to everyone that if Christopher Luxon truly cared, our government could do a lot more.” ...
ANALYSIS:By Nicole George, The University of Queensland New Caledonia’s capital city, Nouméa, has endured widespread violent rioting over the past three days. This crisis intensified rapidly, taking local authorities by surprise. Peaceful protests had been occurring across the country in the preceding weeks as the French National Assembly in ...
EDITORIAL:By Fred Wesley, editor-in-chief of The Fiji Times So 40 Fiji members of Parliament voted in favour of the Special Committee on Emoluments Report on the review of MPs’ salaries, allowances and benefits in Parliament on Friday. Now that’s not going down well with the masses, with many venting ...
First Hovel Grant Bishop Chris ventured out of the High Keep For his annual tour of the slums of the Holey Land. His litter bearers held his palanquin high Above the muck strewn and dilapidated alleys Of the Capital. The menials and peons swarmed around And pleaded for Alms from ...
Opinion: Following France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Caledonia on Thursday, attention has turned to the country’s political future beyond the ongoing crisis. The uprising, which began on May 14, has demonstrated the capacity and determination of those involved to shut down the country and to inflict extensive economic ...
Asia Pacific ReportBy a Kanak from Aotearoa New Zealand in Kanaky I’ve been trying to feel cool and nice on this beautiful sunny day in Kanaky. But it has already been spoiled by President Emmanuel Macron’s flashy day-long visit on Thursday. Currently special French military forces are trying to ...
RNZ Pacific The survivors of a massive landslide in a remote village in Papua New Guinea’s highlands are still waiting for official help, more than 24 hours after the disaster. Hundreds are feared dead in Yambali village in Enga province after the landslide bulldozed homes and buried families alive early ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby The United States has said it is “ready to lend a helping hand” to the people of Mulitaka, Enga province, after a devasting landslide swallowed an entire village in Papua New Guinea’s highlands yesterday. US President Joe Biden and his wife said in a ...
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Much gets made of the tax advantages of investing in property, leading to bizarre proposals to “fix it” like Gareth Morgan’s comprehensive capital tax. But the way investing in New Zealand businesses is like jumping into a viper pit is possibly a bigger reason why New Zealanders prefer property. Brain Gaynor explains some of the problems.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11772481
Yes. I wouldn’t dream of investing in NZ business rather than property, because it’s a game rigged in favour of the old boys’ club running it. The various fruitless attempts to deal with investment company owners who basically stole their investors’ money and got away with it, and the government’s complete lack of interest in doing something about it, makes it completely insane to invest in NZ business. Buy a house, at least some Grammar alumnus can’t steal that and face no consequences for it.
The NZX and kiwi business are a laughing stock amongst global fund managers.
Weldon did squat except fill his pockets and do as the boys club wanted. I recall Tony Gibbs broke ranks over one of Markys more avaricious remuneration proposals, probably because he wasn’t getting enough of the pie.
Rebstock, Weldon and Diplock presided over some of the most flagrant breaches of fiduciary duties and crony/insider behaviour handing out wet bus tickets to club members.
Now more recently against a backdrop of shonky dealer PM and his dealing cabinet room where they showed time and again that all you need is cash and nothing can’t be done for you.
We totally deserve to be shunned by savvy business investors because unless they are club members as they’ll not do so well. That’s the clear signal the NZX has been sending for a long time now.
You could be right about the viper pit image of NZX investing as an important influence on people putting their money into unlisted property.
The NZX has historically delivered steady growth and reliable dividends, and has outperformed in recent years.
https://milfordasset.com/2015-share-market-returns-kiwi-investors-the-big-winners/
https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/investing-in-nz/opportunities-outlook/economic-overview
Some of the successful (so far) IPOs not mentioned in Gaynor’s article
https://www.nzx.com/markets/NZSX/securities/PEB
https://www.nzx.com/markets/NZSX/securities/ATM
https://www.nzx.com/markets/NZSX/securities/XRO
Does anyone at about this time go into a major mall and, since you’ve done all your shopping, simply stand in the middle with an icecream and enjoy everyone else’s stress?
Nah. My family is having our Christmas meal today. Just not looking forward to the traffic getting across town to it.
Then tomorrow I’ll have a lie in and a laid back day.
A friend says it’s very European to celebrate on Christmas eve.
We had my side’s major dinner last night, then there’s the other half’s one on Christmas Day itself.
Similar reason for our family having it today – some family members have other families to be with tomorrow.
Was that your foot I ‘accidentally’ trod on the other day?
So now we are getting back to a nuclear arms race, courtesy of prime macho-posturers, Trump & Putin.
It means that younger generations, along with all the worries about climate change, global financial collapse, etc – also get to experience the nuclear fears that older generations experienced in their youth.
Merry Xmas, war is not over.
On a positive note, at least Sting’s “Russians” is now relevant once again. They may no longer be “Soviets”, but that’s about all that’s changed apparently. The circle of stupid is now complete. Welcome to Cold War 2.0 kids.
https://youtu.be/wHylQRVN2Qs
And Dylan’s “Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” was thought to be about a nuclear holocaust – but maybe also so much more. Good choice for the Nobel gig.
Patti Smith nailed it IMO, even when she messed up, made it all the more poignant
I don’t think that’s the case. Trumps a business man and so is his Sec of State. They’re not warmongers, and its likely the US and Russia will start working together in some way. The Middle east is likely to be a safer place too with less terrorism and US involvement. Our warhawk media would love to incite war by a Trump tweet or a Putin pic though.
Agree with you Maui about that.
I watched Putin do his live annual press meeting last night, it appears to me that some media are messing with his words a bit re nuclear. However it does appear that it is important to putin to be well armed as it makes him appear tough or strong, boys and their toys. Really interesting Q&A with Putin this year.
https://www.rt.com/news/371502-putin-conference-wrap-up/
Yes war is great for business.
And Trump and Putin probably believe that the best way to ensure peace is to prepare for war. So money is still been made via military spending etc.
But the media was spinning the nuclear thing yesterday, like a bunch of warhawks. Bad news sells.
War is business. by other means.
As usually happens with these things, Trump’s threatened trade war against China, will break out into a shooting war at some stage.
Yes, Mauī you are right, ‘the US and Russia will start working together in some way,’ but it won’t be a good way.
Trump is busy working to form an axis with Russia against China.
The joint arms race is to intimidate (or if that fails, anihilate) the Chinese when their economy collapses under US tarriff trade barriers. And in their desperation they to make some sort of military break out.
The most likely hot spots for this miltiary break out will be some sort of border dispute, leading to full scale invasion and territory grab, either Tibet/India, or the North vs South Korean peninsular. Or even Vietnam China border.
Not sure if I agree with that Jenny. Russia and China are much closer partners than the US and Russia. And I think the US economy, like lots of other well off western countries is reliant on China and they won’t want to see the global ponzi economy come under any additional pressures.
I don’t think you have been listening mauī.
Putin has Trump in his pocket – after all it was Russian money that has kept the “Trump” Empire afloat via Deutsche Bank, as Wall St would not lend to him anymore. His business affairs have heavily involved Russian interests, His intended Secretary of State has a Russian Honor presented to him by Putin himself. The meddling in the US election by Russia was not coincidental.
On the other hand.. Trumps hamfisted “diplomatic” incursions via Tweeting and the social media wrt to China have stirred up much resentment within China, and there has been a great deal of sabre rattling and increasing aggressive statements towards the US in the government sponsored Chinese Press in recent days. Statements calling for an early response to the Taiwanese situation include hinted threats of invasion.
The US should well remember that if there ever was to be conflict between China and the US, one of the first casualties would be their ability to cloth themselves. The US is actually clothed by China. Trump may have his suits hand made in NY – but for the rest of the population, their Levis are sewn in China.
Arm’s races are always good for business.
Unfortunately, so are wars.
Which is why I say that production of defence equipment should not be done by profiteering businesses and that means that it must fully be done by government.
Yep trump and Putin what a pair of arseholes and dirty warmongers as anyone with a brain knew.
The problem is the Americans had a choice between a known warmonger and a loose cannon.
That is no longer the problem.
True that.
The problem now is Trump’s Orwellian propaganda
Another nail in the coffin of those, like PM, who believe the lies about the rebels of Wast Aleppo.
6 independent journalists and now the ex-British Ambassador to Syria say it’s a lie.
PM, Peter Swift and a few other gullible victims of the msm say it’s not.
Former UK ambassador to Syria accuses Foreign Office of lying about the country’s civil war.
They say what’s a lie, Paul? You never actually say what you mean, merely posting other people’s opinions on the subject. How about actually saying something yourself for once? What lies are you claiming I believe, and what lies are you claiming have been exposed by the people you keep quoting every day as though there were some point to it?
What do you believe, and why do you believe it? What evidence (i.e.reportage from witnesses at the scene) can you provide to support what you believe.
I think his sources are the White Helmets.
Laugh Out rather Loudly
What do you believe, and why do you believe it?
You seem to misunderstand the burden of proof, but I’ll play along. I believe that a lot of the rebels in east Aleppo are people who’ve had enough of living under a despotic hereditary dictatorship, and have therefore had the Assad regime and the Russian air force bombarding their city for years as punishment. There are also some al-Qaeda-affiliated religio-fascist murderers in east Aleppo, but no-one has a definitive answer on what the proportion is (well, the regime, Russia and Iran are happy to put numbers on it, but there’s an obvious reason for that which has nothing to do with a great love of accuracy). I personally find it dissatisfying to see a brutal dictator and his great-power patron carrying out a massive bombing campaign against a civilian population, but apparently some people are fine with it – Paul included, judging by the regime propaganda he posts. As to where I get that belief from: everything I see and read on the subject. Even Paul’s pal Cockburn says the Syrian government settles for simply bombarding rebel-held areas because it doesn’t have the ground forces to do much else.
So the proof that you’re offering is:
“everything I see and read on the subject.”
Do you believe this account?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgnTskvdYi0
If not, why not?
You are wasting your breath, Brigid.
I have posted the accounts of 6 independent journalists ( you now make it 7) and the ex-British Ambassador to Syria, who all challenge the narrative.
But pm knows better.
What narrative? And in what way do they challenge it? You still haven’t said.
So the proof that you’re offering is:
“everything I see and read on the subject.”
Do you believe this account?
Do I believe an account by a regime shill? Er, no, and for fairly obvious reasons. Are you imagining the Assad regime is a source of truth on this subject? That said, it is worthwhile having a look through the stuff Vanessa Beeley and Eva Barrett are putting out, as it gives you an idea of how the regime would like you to view its actions.
You didn’t watch that link did you?
You are a funny fellow.
Now.
Which ‘regime shill’ have Paul or I quoted or offered links to their work?
Of those that you think are, you need to offer proof that they are a ‘regime shill’.
Otherwise who is likely to believe you?
Oh yeah, I’m a laugh riot. Funny how you guys can never resist a personality assessment while you’re at it.
How do I know Vanessa Beeley is a regime shill? Well, let’s see – she entered east Aleppo courtesy of the Assad regime, talked to people the Assad regime let her talk to, and includes in her commentary only content that’s flattering to the Assad regime. Now, it could be that to you those are the hallmarks of independent journalism, but to me they’re hallmarks of a regime shill.
How perfectly reasonable. Demanding someone tells you their beliefs and requiring them to provide reasons and links for their personally held views.
Personally held views being propagated publicly and violently expressed.
sorry, which side are you talking about again?
Also, you forgot to quote these bits:
Ford, who has been accused of being an apologist for the Syrian regime…
…argued that Assad would win because “repression works”.
Top bloke, I can see why you like him.
An al Qaeda Christmas: the Touching Tale of How Hate Figures Became American Heroes
Umm, Paul you yourself quoted a report saying that AQ only made up around 11% of the insurgents in Aleppo. If that’s true how can you say that supporting the rebels was ipso facto supporting AQ?
Your quote;
“The reality is that al-Qaeda in Syria, now rebranded as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS) and ostensibly severed from al-Qaeda, had at most 900 fighters inside Aleppo City when this assault began, about 11% of a total insurgent force of 8,000, which has always been dominated in this area by nationalists. ”
What looks to be the original source;
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-nusra-idUSKBN12E0R6
I am quoting sources to help you make an informed decision.
How about you answer the question Paul.
There’s a maths problem to be worked out here. ISIS had no presence in Aleppo and the islamist Al Nusra are reported to have made up only 11% of the rebel forces in Aleppo. If the remaining 89% of the insurgents aren’t al-Queda or Daesh then what are they?
Lesser-known swamp things: politicians and lobbyists get the high profile attention. But the creatures that lurk in the shadows claiming “science” to legitimise their paid lies might be even more vile.
In this instance, I’m referring to economists. That just make up stories to justify monopoly-making mergers. Trading on their “credentials” as “scientific experts”. The harm these guys do goes way beyond just increasing corporate power to rip us all off, they also destroy confidence in actual expertise leading to the situation where leaders can just dismiss experts presenting irrefutable facts with a breezy “I can provide you with another one that will give you a counterview.”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/these-professors-make-more-thousand-bucks-hour-peddling-mega-mergers
Another view on the strength of oligopolies in the US at present.
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/23/14052804/oligopoly-tim-wu
Interesting twitter feed exploration on ‘Bana’ – the seven year old girl who allegedly tweeted from eastern Aleppo and who was then pictured on Erdoğan’s lap just the other day after apparently being evacuated from Aleppo along the terrorist’s corridor as opposed to the one used by civilians and moderates.
https://twitter.com/BBassem7/status/811592983464198144
Don’t post other people’s opinions on the matter, Bill. It upsets pm.
He prefers to hear our own opinions- based on no evidence I guess.
Wow, that Bassem’s a real ugly piece of work.
I notice you still haven’t been able to write down what you’re actually trying to say with all the posts you make about the Syrian civil war, Paul. What conclusions are you trying to lead us to? Or do you just post things at random as some kind of spam project?
I have said this before.
The conclusion I have come to ( after reading and listening to Fisk, Cockburn, Oborne, Pilger, Bartlett, Hitchens and the ex-British Ambassador to Syria) is that we are being lied to by the western media about the events in Syria and in particular Aleppo.
I don’t know why the BBC, the Guardian, the New York Post and other news sources have become propaganda outlets. It could be, as Peter Hitchens generously says, that they don’t have the staff on the ground and innocently take those feeds. Or it could be that they are deliberately forming a pro-establishment narrative. The UK is heavily compromised by its relationship with Saudi Arabia; that I do know.
Anyway you have the right to come to your own opinion.
As do I.
“I don’t know why the BBC, the Guardian, the New York Post and other news sources have become propaganda outlets”…well they are ‘propoganda outlets’ on pretty much everything else..so why not Syria??
As you clearly know, the only way to even get a glimpse of ‘The Truth’, or something like it, is to engage in wide spread research from as many sources as possible.
Understanding Syria from the main News sources is about as realistic as flying to the moon in a 1968 Trekka.
Yes the Scots learnt how biased the BBC could be during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
As to Syria, I don’t know the exact motivation for the bias.
The fact Syria has so much coverage is bias in itself. Though I can guess why no one wants to talk about Yemen. .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyUX7e7g_Zs
https://www.theguardian.com/world/yemen
The conclusion I have come to ( after reading and listening to Fisk, Cockburn, Oborne, Pilger, Bartlett, Hitchens and the ex-British Ambassador to Syria) is that we are being lied to by the western media about the events in Syria and in particular Aleppo.
Well, it would be odd if we weren’t – the first casualty of war is truth. However, you seem to have come to the conclusion that, because the western media are lying to us (more accurately, haven’t dwelt to Robert Fisk’s satisfaction on the involvement of Islamofascists on the rebel side), the stuff that regime supporters are peddling must be the truth. It’s real face-palm stuff.
Also, it’s a spam project and getting really, really tedious. We all know that Syria is a hellhole and know where to read about it if we want to. Paul’s endless stream of fully quoted articles and videos is wrecking the conversation on TS.
I think you mean well, but give it a rest please Paul. You aren’t participating in dialogue, you are shouting and spamming content with no effort to state your own goddamn opinion. Please stop abusing this forum.
Read this, bullet points 5 and 6
https://thestandard.org.nz/policy/#banning
Yes, the most important thing is damning the media elites and their collaboration with western imperialism because, well, you can’t possibly do that and condemn Assad, Twelvers, and their Russian offsiders as murderous thugs intent on suppressing any and all opposition by whatever means necessary, can you.
/
Susie Ferguson acting as a propaganda outlet for the establishment narrative.
‘The regime MP for Aleppo defends its approach to liberating Aleppo – and laughs when asked about civilian deaths’
She does not like it when people question her parroting of propaganda on her twitter feed.
Bruce King
@SusieFergusonNZ
A reason why I feel like giving up voting;
“Government sells off Tauranga’s state housing portfolio to Accessible Properties”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=11771757
Selling public assets for less than half their worth should have been a public scandal that brought down a government or at least halted the looting of NZ’s state houses. Instead the deal went ahead with barely a whimper from the opposition.
Bomber sums up 2016 well.
Christmas 2016 – it’s a broken and cold Hallelujah
If you think this year has been bad – just wait until next year when the Chump takes office…
Then we surely will be on the Highway to Hell.
The UN got around to doing a Security Council vote on condemning Israeli settlements, with the US abstaining. Despite Trump and Netanyahu trying to delay it so it would go away later.
While it doesn’t even have the power of a wet bus ticket, it’s still a worthwhile symbolic move.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-un-idUSKBN14C1IV
Agreed Andre
And immensly pleased to see that NZ was one of the four countries requesting the vote. At least we have done something positive in our term on the security council.
Of course the Chump immediately tweeted.
“As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20.”
🙄
However, nice to see a US official say:
that “that until Trump’s inauguration on 20 January there was one US president – Obama.”
🙂
Of course the Chump immediately tweeted.
“As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20.”
So this ugly, ignorant gorilla (as opposed to all the beautiful real gorillas) with the orange mop atop his head think he’s going to be in charge of the UN as well as the US? Because their HQ is domiciled in New York… does he think its an American institution? Wouldn’t surprise one little bit.
yep the chump is already the most idiotic pre-president ever and after he is in officially I am sure he will become the most idiotic president ever, if not the last one.
What makes you think that he’d be the last president?
He’ll fuck it up so bad the place will disintegrate into fiefdoms.
California has already stated that it will protect its citizens should the federal government overstep its mandate
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-immigration-bills_us_5845f08ee4b02f60b02498e4
So if progressive states secede from the union, the progressive west coast will get most of the movie and IT industry. What’ll happen to the CIA & FBI given Virginia as fairly mixed state politically? Ditto Mayland home of the NSA?
It will never happen. Things are a bit more sophisticated than when the ‘Souixt’ happened in 1861.
Though when Trump takes his hands off that bible, all bets are pretty much off.
“ugly, ignorant gorilla”
Hmmm a rather percipient choice of words there Anne..
Did you have Carl Paladino in mind as well?
I think he trumps Trump in disgusting
Did you have Carl Paladino in mind as well?
No Macro I didn’t. I have only just caught up with Master Carl Paladino comments. To be honest, I can’t think of a word in the English dictionary that suitably describes such a detestable specimen of humanity.
God help America!
I heard on the 4 oclock news that Israel has withdrawn its Ambassador.
Oh Dear! How Sad! Never mind…
Fine by me. There’s no point in having any sort of relationship with such a despotic regime.
My thoughts entirely.
The Plight of New Zealand’s Freshwater Biodiversity
The Plight of New Zealand’s Freshwater Biodiversity
74 percent of freshwater life now threatened with extinction
NZ rivers will be ‘like Yangtze’
NZ rivers will be ‘like Yangtze’
Toxic algae found in Selwyn River at Glentunnel
Don’t tell me.
Is Russel Norman continuing his didymo spreading canoe tour of the South Island river systems?
Another rwnj happy with the destruction of our environment.
We need your hero president Assad to sort this out
Dr Joy should have a good walkabout of the Waimea Plains area before making pronouncements decrying all intensification.
The agricultural intensification that continues there is not dairy, it’s horticulture.
Hroticulture has far fewer downsides than dairy.
Also, a few years ago the area had a really intense drought, which would be pretty motivating.
Also, Tasman District Council appears to have done a far better job of public engagement than say Ruataniwha, so far.
Horticulture is on track to quickly surpass beef production as a New Zealand export earner.
Defending big ag.
That’s a brave stance.
OK…..
Nope, defending horticulture.
I made a clear distinction between dairy and horticulture.
Dr Joy does himself no favors sometimes.
Defending TDC is an interesting stance – considering the major conflicts of interest the mayor and several councillors have with regard to the Lee Valley Dam. They push the story that we will be in dire straits if there is another drought but fail to mention that those who benefit the most from the dam include themselves and their own properties and businesses.
Full list of the Tasman District Council Register of Interests, though still awaiting the new Council one from the new Councillors:
http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwig0pPnhIzRAhUCkJQKHarhD5QQFggoMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tasman.govt.nz%2Fdocument%2Fserve%2FInterest%2520Register%2520as%2520at%2520June%25202016.pdf%3Fpath%3D%2FEDMS%2FPublic%2FOther%2FCouncil%2F000000428249&usg=AFQjCNFnhEVyu7pHUGXnZ8SxRPFFclCCXw&sig2=lUL1_ZGpeXMaBbVr4pxKSg
Are there elected member interests that are missing that you can document?
Got research to back up what you say?
joy has lost all chance of being included with his grandstanding the man is a fool
Got research?
Because Joy does.
Course not
yes his research is what he should use , but claiming all animals would / should be out of the food chain by 2050 just makes him look like a loony fool,
If we want to maintain billions of people then he’s probably right.
🙄
Ever heard of Phosphates?
Take a look at the Corn belts of North America and the effects they have had on groundwater and surface runoff into the Great Lakes.
We are not talking dairy – or beef – production. Purely intensive mono culture maintained by massive quanties of artificial fertilisers.
+1
Then there is cropping to support the dairy industry. etc. It’s all just wrong.
Interesting comment. And probably true.
If one does not ‘toe the Party line’ you tend to be on the out. Though to its credit Massey is now far more supportive. But anyway, its called having principles and stating the facts as you see them, oh, yeah, and the facts as can be proven with Science.. But hey, what would a Senior Lecturer in Ecology / Zoology know.
Then again you have the likes of Waikato University professor of agri-business Dr Jacqueline Rowarth (a favorite in the NBR) who has boldly claimed…”it was “naive” to expect water quality in waterways could be restored to pristine conditions when it was already safe to drink.”
I would like to extend a personal invitation to Dr Rowarth to come down to the Bay and have a nice cup of water from the Tukituki.
Comparing hort to dairying doesn’t mean that hort is non-polluting, you’re looking at the wrong scale. We are so far from anything resembling sustainable despite the fact that we already have sustainable farming and land use tech in NZ. Promotion of export hort is akin to saying bring on climate change.
elephant in the room…..irrespective of whether we control agri/hort/aqua culture to preserve water quality and subsequently the environment the problem remains the same.
The equation is incredibly simple and at the same time impossible….the planet cannot support 7 plus billion human beings regardless ….either the population degrades or the environment does.
ultimately the population will collapse either way.
In depth journalism looking at our prison system.
Private business, public failure
Alec Baldwin feels sorry for Trump coz no one with any talent wants to go near his inauguration. So he’s offered to perform.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alec-baldwin-fires-one-hell-of-a-zinger-at-donald-trumps-inauguration_us_585d549be4b0eb58648622b5
Glenn Greenwald: The State Of Journalism In The US
Well,as we all know Greenwald is a paragon of balanced journalism.
Actually Paul, just about anything you post seems to entirely come from activists with an agenda, or journalists who are notoriously opposed to the West. So in your view anything by the BCC, CNN, the Guardian et al is simply propaganda, but if it is from RT then obviously it is the truth. In the old days you would have been seen as a fellow traveller.
Of course it is your world view, but don’t expect your posts (with their long quotes from people you deem to be “authorities”) to be seen as anything other than partisan.
Do you trust ………
Patrick Cockburn?
Peter Hitchens ?
Robert Fisk ?
John Pilger ?
Peter Oborne ?
Or the ex-British Ambassador to Syria Peter Ford?
Would you describe these people as ‘ activists with an agenda, or journalists who are notoriously opposed to the West.’
Just wondering……
No I don’t trust them, they all have an axe to grind one way or another
Do you know who they are?
You might want to read and research these journalists, Wayne. You should know of them given the fact you were a MP….
Or was that last entry just a spray and run away?
Food for thought.
What did you think about the final analysis of the new cabinet?
More proof that private ownership which returns money without doing anything (otherwise known as usury) is simply bad for society.
Road paved with solar panels powers French town
Such a scheme is certainly worth looking into especially when we consider just how much land area roads take up.