Well it was exactly the tradeoff that tax group suggested. They wanted to extend the lowest tax bracket @10.4% from its current level of 14k up to between ~22 or ~30k. That gives a tax reduction to everyone paying personal income tax.
So I wouldn’t say that the question was loaded, it is exactly what is on the table.
I imagine the list is very long. The national anthem and to speak in parliament are the most obvious ones. Probably too to greet people when they come to her office.
How long before NZ’s idiotic ‘adventure tourism’ industry gets such a bad Health & Safety reputation that it goes bust?
Apart from the lost jobs, I wouldn’t be sad to see it go. Nothing more irritating than oblivious fools compelled to race across the landscape and jump off bits of it, rather than being content to merely be in it.
What a typical leftist view of the World – “I don’t like what other people want to do with their free time so I want them to stop it despite it providing tens of thousands of jobs that pay more than anything I’m
offering as an alternative.”
Evolution made the young (especially men) into risk takers . The riskiest thing most get in their day to day lives is crossing the road . That is the y of adventure tourism .
Was surprised to find out when the fatality at Tree Adventures took place a few years ago, that they don’t have to be reviewed on safety procedures to start operations.
World total debt now stands at $250 trillion dollars and we can never pay this amount back.
“Global debt levels soared over the past decade, with the vast majority accumulated by emerging market nations.
According to figures from the Institute of International Finance (IIF), global levels of debt held by households, governments, financials and non-financial corporates jumped by over $US70 trillion in the past decade to a record high of $US215 trillion, equating to 325% of global GDP.
Here’s what that increase looks like, looking back not only over the past decade but also to the decade before.”
Global Debt is now 10 x times what it was in the last GFC, through Qualitative Easing and money printing by the Federal Reserve it would appear their will be another correction at some stage in the future, it may be 10 x times as big as the last GFC. Interested know how Gossie reads the situation hopefully he can advise us tomorrow ?
Any chance you can explain why the opposition keep killing black Venezuelans in their violent night protests? Or can you explain why the opposition keeps violently attacking security forces and police?
And more importantly, why do you personally oppose a democratically elected President?
Maduro has said they will have new election and has asked the opposition to participate.
Also the UN special envoy found no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
Maduro is not the democratically elected President of Venezuela as his election did not meet the criteria set down for a free and fair democratic election.
Are you by any chance Venezuelan or have you even been to Venezuela in the last 3 years? Just trying to establish your credibility for making such an unsubstantiated claim.
Wow Gosman, all you got is lies. What he won exactly the same percentage of votes as Obama, in a system way more honest than the US one. So I’m going to say Bullshit on your statement or what normal people would call it – a lie.
Caught out on your lying again, how about you do the world a favour and stop lying.
“Under the Venezuelan constitution, the CNE is the official independent body responsible for overseeing and guaranteeing the transparency of all elections.
The opposition says it is dominated by Maduro allies. It is made up of five members. The opposition alleges that four of the five are government stooges and therefore does not trust the body to be independent.
Luis Emilio Rondón, the one CNE member which has been critical of the government, said he did not recognise the results because “Venezuelans’ freedom to vote” had not been respected.”
The one member of the so called “independent” electoral body that is not a government appointed stooge called the election not free and fair. Was there something similar in the US during the last election?
Funny that the only one of the so called “independent” electoral body that wasn’t appointed by the Maduro regime was the only one that had a problem with the election don’t you think adam?
Do you believe electoral bodies should be regarded as independent by the political parties in the country or do you think the government of the day can appoint anyone they like without reference to the opposition? I’m just asking next time you complain about a National lead government appointing someone to say the board of RNZ.
Evidently the US have been flooding Venezuela with weapons to effect some kind of Civil War ?
Cuba have traditionally been one of Venezuela’s main trading partners, Cuba supply Venezuela with Doctors in exchange for oil to get around the USA embargo on Cuba which has been in effect since 1959 when Castro & Guevera took back Cuba after it was annexed by the USA in 1900.
In general Gosman conducts himself with a great deal more dignity and intellectual consistency than almost everyone here who berates him like children having tantrums …
The forces collapsing Venezuela are coming from outside, not from with in its domestic economy. Venezuelas food production is privately owned. There is nothing that would support gooies ideoical possesion.
Never though it possible until now but I just gave less of a fuck about what gooie has to say. You didn’t catch any more feelings or reasons did you logic?
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.”
Your own linked article states Venezuela imports 70% of it’s food yet you want to claim Maduro is responsible for the actions of private companies being dicks with Venezuelan food, you fake. What’s even more distasteful is how any one would stick up for you, let alone allow your fake news bullshit opinions to go unchallenged just pisses me off to no end (is there no one here with a set of balls?)
Since at least 2002 after the failed military coupe against Chavez, America has issued Terrorism-Related Sanctions, Drug Trafficking-Related Sanctions, Trafficking in Persons Sanctions, Targeted Sanctions Related to Antidemocratic Actions, Human Rights Violations, and Corruption, Sanctions on Holding Companies, Additional Financial Sanctions. None of which has any evidence, just concerns from Whitehouse spokespeople who’ve never set foot in Venezuela in there life’s.
Correction: The link stated Venezuela used to make 70 % of it’s own food BEFORE Chavez took over and did stupid things like nationalise the agricultural inputs businesses. Did you not read the article?
Your questions are insulting. Now you blame Chavez for foreign interests meddling in the affairs of another nation during a military coup but what ever.
You obviously did not read the link I posted in any depth.
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.
Timing is crucial and producers say the government is not delivering.
Corn is a government staple, meaning farmers have to sell it at regulated prices
This year, Ronald did not get fertiliser in time for his corn crop, so it suffered.
The corn he does grow he has to sell at regulated prices because it is a government staple. He can only just keep the farm afloat.
“We have to go it alone to try and make things better but the situation is so bad,” he says. “The country’s financial situation and what we have now is tough.” ”
In 2010 Chavez was still in power. It was his decision to nationalise the Agricultural supply company.
This decision has contributed mightily to the collapse in farming as did the decision to impose price controls and the hyper-inflation caused by excessive government spending.
You ignore countries forign to Venezuela meddling in there affairs, organising military coups and basically being shit bags because of what the largest oil reserve nation in the world, Venezuala, may one day represents a threat to U.S interests by virtue of economic sovereignty and standing on there own to feet. Still amazed at how you could gender such love from a self professed left wing site as the Standard. Amazed and angry self proffered smart people can’t even see it.
I don’t ignore them. I discount them because by far the biggest damage to the Venezuelan economy was done by the Chavista regime. This is what YOU are ignoring in your attempts to place the blame anywhere but on left wing policies.
So Chavez was elected in 1999, and was succeeded by his deputy Maduro. That’s about 20 years, and, nope, still zip nada skeletons in the closet. The numbers are just not on your side.
The sharp cold snap will have horticulturalists out with the smudge pots and other tools to defeat frost on crops, some not quite ready yet. Thought of you Robert and your grapes etc Hope you were ok. We too had rain last night Cinny, and were delighted after a long dry spell has sent the younger trees to autumn colour early.
No worries, Patricia – is was a bit chilly but today’s sunny and warmer. Your trees have assumed their autumn coats – yikes! Too soon, too soon! I need a long summer for our plans to come to fruition. One of our guests is a winemaker trained in Italy in an ancient style where the grapes are mushed into huge clay amphora. He’s going to teach me how, having seen the lovely big crop we have here this year 🙂
How long before it is drinkable? Do the vines have to have age?
My father made fijoa wine, it was beautiful. He said the trees were mature so the fruit was flavoursome and sweet.
Venezuelan socialism seems to be working just fine. Perhaps our resident Venezuelan reporter or Dick Brandson will be able to explain the humanitarian crisis over there lol.
Yes and the fact that an average meal costs over 12,500 Bolívar Soberano and that this is tied to the USD officially at a rate of 60 to 1 must mean that Venezuelans are doing wonderfully well to afford a lunch worth over 200 US dollars.
Perhaps you can report back from Venezuela how the millions there can afford $200 dollar lunches? Sure you’re not getting confused with how much you spend for lunch down at the Viaduct?
You two are such numpties. The average price of a basic meal in Venezuela is not really the equivalent of 200 USD. The Bolívar Soberan’s value has been set articifically high by the dunderheaded Venezuelan regime. The ACTUAL value is probably about 1 or 2 USD however that is likely to be out of reach for the vast majority of Venezuelans as they don’t make even that amount per day as a result of the collapse of the Venezuelan economy.
The US should invade NZ, as we have had more kiwis leave these shores (as a percentage) than people who have left Venezuela. Just following your logic stunned mullet.
That was certainly true between 1999 and 2008 I suppose.
On the other hand in 2008 we had an election that got rid of the incumbent lot of idiots and the flow reversed.
The New Zealand Military accepted the result of the poll and didn’t, like the Venezuelan lot, keep the rejected junta in power.
Lucky for that wasn’t it? Otherwise we might have continued with the massive exodus and been invaded.
Gee isn’t this sort of history fun? I see why you indulge Adam.
I love your ideological wankery alwyn. You’re consistent at least.
As for the military keeping a junta in power – man you so detached from reality with that line, I’m going to suggest you put down the crack pipe. But I’m not sure you can.
If I heard correctly on RNZ this morning that there is a suggestion that all rental properties should heave a heater to bring them up to 18C ????
Franly a silly suggestion however well intended..
The trouble people, some idiots, seem to think you can swan around in light clothing as they see in Hollywood etc movies.
I am a house owner and over the years I have double glassed a house I built which was insulated to start with … I also wasted money on a heat pump which rarely gets run as I am a firm believe in “personal’ as opposed to ‘general’ heating and from an experiment learnt that using the heat pump would reduce or cripple my life style so I keep warm with personal heating.
I guess that is only what an adult can do and difficult for children, or safe for them to be near heaters
Some ti,me ago the suggestion was 16C now its is 18C …. how high will these folk want it to go?.
I can only guess where this suggestion comes from which helps to confirm my opinion that they are hopelessly impractical and a menace to the well-being of the country.
If this government wants to improve conditions they should build and run more state houses so that everyone can have a good basic standard of accomdation and only have to ‘private rent’ if they want better for themselves and are prepared to pay for it.
Further to my last point … my son has central heating in the States where he lives these days but I remembering his wife telling me hat the price of electricity is much less there.
I do not know the details but it seems to me that Govt should reduce the price of power rather than gouging folk with current high prices.
It is probably not surprising really that their power is cheaper in the USA.
Did you know that 32% of US electricity is generated using Natural Gas, which is a clean method of production?
And that 30% is by coal?
And also that 20% is from Nuclear power plants? https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_in_the_united_states
Now who was it that won’t let us explore for natural gas anymore?
And has demanded that any coal fired stations be shut down?
And never allowed us to have nuclear power, which is probably the greenest of all the electricity generation methods?
And you act all surprised that our electricity is more expensive than in the US?
Our power assets were stolen by incompetent, venal scumbags – who can’t run the companies efficiently, and don’t want to anyway.
The coalition seems to be considering a few steps other than the lameass populism the Key kleptocracy embraced to try to stay in power at any cost. Reform of the power companies would enjoy a strong mandate, particularly if it includes significant punishment for non-performing PPPs that lie about outcomes to steal public assets.
Without that reform, rental landlords and employers will face another round of controls, because NZ’s poor cannot save for housing while being simultaneously rack rented and squeezed by utility companies.
Yes, both he and the companies should face some kind of consequence for their lies, and for their professional irresponsibility.
In Korea, PPPs know they’d better deliver what they promise – or their CEOs will be in jail, and the companies will be restructured until they deliver, or sold off to make good on the penalty provisions that were part of the agreement.
STANDARD 9 – ACCURACY
9e
whether the broadcaster sought and/or presented comment, clarification or input from any relevant person or organisation
STANDARD 8 – BALANCE
8c The assessment of whether a reasonable range of other perspectives has been presented includes consideration of the following, where relevant;
-whether the programme was narrowly focused on one aspect of a larger, complex debate
-the nature of the issue/whether listeners could reasonably be expected to be aware of views expressed in other coverage, including coverage in other media (eg, is it an ongoing topic of debate, such that listeners can reasonably be expected to have a broad understanding of the main perspectives on the issue)
”Venezuela: Growing condemnation of Maduro’s aid refusal’ RNZ Morning Report 25/02/2019 7.30am
This segment, does not inform the public of the following information in regards to aid/Venezuela, thereby misinforming the public through an lack of accuracy and balance in it’s reporting.
1. Both the Red Cross and the UN have declined to participate in the US/Lima Group aid programme, in large because of the politicized nature of the aid programme.
The right wing are in control of RNZ now, ever since the Labour Coalition Government took over in 2018, National moved to install their own CEO to control RNZ.
That CEO has damaged the brand beyond repair now, and forced John Campbell out after that right wing CEO was installed there .
Claire Curran did much of the damage as she fucked the whole RNZ system up for good.and should have removed him from CEO immediately.
We placed an official complaint with the RNZ after Labour took it over in november 2017 and got a dismissive letter back from Curran saying she would not dismiss the National appointed CEO.
Claire Curran is public enemy number one now, for her causing our loss of free speech.
That is a good example of how a CGT would affect a hypothetical business owner with no relevance to how small business (or any business) works. It is a terrible example of real life.
How, for instance, is leaving $600K of profit in the bank over 20 years reinvesting in the business? Her accountant would advise her against this.
No, Farrar’s think-piece is not based on any practical example. The businessperson in the article spent nothing at all on new equipment or vehicles and because all profit went to the bank. So she finished with the same tools and van she started with 20 years earlier. That is so hard to believe that the entire premise lacks any kind of validity whatsoever.
I definitely do not want to enter any discussion or argument about vaccinations but it is rather amusing that an article about measles includes the statement “…there has been a rash of recent cases in the South.”
They seem to be thinking the decades of their free market financial neo-liberalism has something to do with the marked state of societal decline, which is obviously a cover for rabid anti-semitism.
The other end of the street, fortified by surveiliance and private security, are more like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, while they embark on a grand destination of hard power and expansion, & the league of nations last century didn’t exist yet their colonies do!
China is one of the biggest methamphetamine manufacturers in the world, doubt whether production and export sales are monitored very closely. They now call Tonga the “Ice Kingdom” due to the amount of methamphetamine available in Tonga, this is one of the gateways into NZ.
I automatically laugh when I see a photo of soimon bridges in an article. I don’t bother reading it, because of his mind numbing “I will say anything to get elected” drivel contained within. Anyone else?
I seen this story on Stuff website at first it looks like a positive spin for The big 2 fertiliser companys Eco Maori totally agrees with the video on most points but big money has limited the positive data on Organic farming price will be a bit higher but if the whenua is worked correctly prouduction need not drop .The video do my mahi for me
Greenpeace wants to ban nitrogen fertiliser
Ka kite ano links below https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/110844298/nitrogen-fertilise-is-not-a-fundamental-part-of-nz-dairy-farming
Its a illision that New Zealand is one of the least corrupt countrys in the world if they can standby and let the cops break all my and my whanaus rights interfering in my grandchildrens futures playing games with my children getting people to play with my wife her psychologist is in on the game trying to tell her to do dumb shit for a 52 year old grandpearent because some cop from Gisborne Gisborne man has a big chip on his sholders because this savage is not stupid like he has stereotype me as has the whole justice system of the world at his disposal . Every time I go some were these clowns have a play in action WTF THE positive thing is I,m Not stupid and they are gracing Eco Maori with Mana and they are scared of me and te tangata can see with there OWN eyes that the systems are corrupt so they will keep out of the SHIT Lost his marbles try to intimadate Eco Maori he was a dirty RAT that one he got what he deserved he restated the Eco Maori man hunt framing me with his lies P.S I can thank the FOOLS FOR the Mana that I have now LOL One would be supprised at the amount of undercover cops they have spieing on KIWIS They swarm thats why they get the name sandflys
Kia ora Newshub That’s a cheap air fair price from Air NZ I still won’t be flying.???
Wow the injustice system is hounding me and can’t even keep a REAL CRIMINAL in the country for prosecution Te muppets show.
Mike its dry all right have not seen it this dry since 2013 I feel for those farmers and horticultural croppers affected by the drought in Tasman and down south island. It would be logical to have a walkway and cycle lanes under the Auckland Harbour Bridge surely the transport agency will pay those people who have invested so much in to designing the under bridge walking way and cycling Lane.
That very unusual weather fish getting blown out of the the Wai and being caught mid air by people. The great lakes in Canada and America had a huge ice wall being blown on land I think it was about 3mtrs high it has happened before. I think that all the private contractors who lost money on the Mainzeal company going bust stinks.
Mercury Energy creaming kiwis it is shocking how high power price are its not on that private house holders are paying a higher price for power than commercial consumers.?????.
Ka kite ano
Kia James and Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild.
Congratulat to the coach.
Nothing wrong with being nice
I try not to sound like the open Mike houling person but the Tamariki Mokopunas and Wahine issues + the sandflys one has to hold it down but when one see what I see most people will break In a few weeks as I don’t tell you everything.
That was a good catch by the dog 83 mtrs is that a record.
Eco Maori could do with a hinaki I would catch all of the buggers
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show yea you must have a nice spun out lieing dirt file on me and its growing everyday.
A America train stuck in the Snow for 2 days I wonder if trump can smell the Roses and change his neanderthal attitude towards climate change and stop backing carbon as it looks like he is the only one who has not figured out that the tipping point on climate change is here and now.
The Auckland council is trying to get traffic jam sorted out you sound like a blue flag wavering person. The public transport problems is being minupulated by blue flags wavers to get one of there carbon Pro m8 in the Auckland Mayor’s office. We need to get people onto buses and trains to lower our carbon footprint .
As for the cops carrying guns all the time a big Know.
You cannot even make a complaint at a police station you need to get a lawyer who cost $20.000 to be able to get justice against the cops otherwise its impossible to
lay a complaint why because they don’t want the public to know of all the dumb shit that they do to the common public you see they discrimination against the common people they intimidat they won’t go and break the rights of a person driving a $50.000 car they will get sued. The cops just want to use the fact if they get to carry guns as a intimidation device.
They are crying foul that I am damaging there reputation. But know they are the ones breaking the laws of the land breaching my whanau rights. All they have to do is FUCK OFF and leave my Whanau alone but know they are like a HALFWIT who keeps pushing a button and they get a punch blood nose they are just to stupid to learn to stop pushing that BUTTON.
A carbon tax is need Jamie yes the foolish neanderthal like duncan keep rubbishing any tax from the polluting people like him they think its OK that property owners make millions of untaxed money while the common people carry the tax burden.
Wars are started by wealthy people they still have the cups of tea together play sports but the stupid Wars they start is fought by the poor common people doesn’t matter if we die.
With your poll did the cops know the poll was run this morning polls are use to minupulate people into thinking that the majority think some thing is OK when in reality it is not a majority and most people are like SHEEP and will just follow the majority.
What idiot takes his child out of a house on to a footpath to watch a car chase and put himself and his child in danger very foolish or A SET Up to get cops guns.
Durr a house is accommodation I have said your small brain does not let you think about other people situation mark there is a housing crisis caused by national party so that people like you can cream the common people.
All the big country’s of Europe have been control by big businesses they love most people to rent off them they get the rent and capital gains to for Equality we need more people to own houses or the rich will get richer and the poor will be milked dry by the wealthy.
Ka kite ano
Here is the proff that global warming is here and now and still some neandathals keep there heads stuck in a pile of money blocking OUR True reality .
The reality is if we do not change our ways asap our grandchildren are going to have a big MESS
They were everywhere in London on the weekend. The people in short sleeves or sandals. The ones with sunglasses ostentatiously hanging from the front of their shirts or balanced on top of their heads. The beer gardens and riverside pubs of the capital were heaving; corner shops ran out of ice-cream. Outside it was 17C (62F).
Monday was another warm day, without a cloud in the sky, and in the late afternoon the light took on a magical, honey-coloured hue. It brought to mind one of those summer evenings you remember from childhood, when you’d be in the park all day and your parents let you stay out until bedtime, and you felt like you were doing something deliciously naughty just by being there.
‘I can’t help but be concerned’: early spring worries UK readers
Read more
Except it isn’t early summer: it’s February. And the entire developed world has not so much been doing something slightly naughty as systematically attacking the global ecosystem over a period of decades, and that’s how we go into this mess.
We should try to hold on to this fact as young, posh men the nation over develop a strange delusion that anyone would want to see their elbows; this is not supposed to be happening. Less than a month ago, there was video footage of extreme cold weather coming out of Chicago. Forks supported in midair by suddenly frozen noodles, water poured from kettles instantly freezing on its way to the ground: you know the sort of thing. OK, that was on the other side of the world, and was extreme and terrifying enough. But at least it was terrifying in the right direction.
On Monday, though, the temperature hit 20.3C in Ceredigion, west Wales: the highest February temperature ever recorded in Britain and the first time the thermometer had breached 20C in winter. The BBC weather account tweeted it out with a gif of the sunshine icon and the same excitable breathlessness with which Springwatch would announce it had found a new type of vole. My response contained a single word, repeated seven times. It began with F. Ka kite ano Links below
Eco Maori says people should unite across the World as the big companys here in NZ pay shit money no guarantee 40 hour week just enough money to servive but all one can afford to do is work and rest no money for leasure time we are acturly slipping backwards. When I was a young fellow any tep work no guaranted hours was payed 30 % more +holiday pay on top now that is not the case.
The big companys should be forced to pay the people who make there money a living wage.
It would be nice to know how much corporate welfare the BIG COMPANIES get in New Zealand besides family support that subserdizes there labour rates in the long run.
Cities across America should unite against big corporations
New York’s resistance to Amazon’s HQ2 is a model for a new kind of politics for cities to follow
Julia Salazar and Shaun Scott
We are from New York City and Seattle respectively. What unites us – and other major cities across the country – is that we are forced to make hard choices about equity, taxes, and jobs in the age of mega-corporations.
Seattle is the birthplace of Amazon. The city government has catered to corporations by refusing to tax them in ways that could benefit working people. When the Seattle city council repealed the Employee Head Tax in June 2018, it said goodbye to $47.5m of revenue that could have gone toward deeply affordable housing. The people of New York City, on the other hand, chose a different path. Despite a full-court press from the mayor, the governor, and business interest groups, a grassroots movement of ordinary people defeated the richest man in the world. Amazon’s lauded HQ2, which would have allowed the company to usurp millions of dollars in public funds, was rejected by the people of Queens who correctly saw the deal as the blatant giveaway that it waS
On one hand, Seattle’s actions were the latest act of political surrender to big business; on the other, activists across the country rightly took New York’s resistance as proof that a better world without capitalist extortion of public resources is possible.
There was a time when organized labor underwrote the most socio-economically equal period in American history. From the end of World War II until the mid-1970s, trade and factory workers could count on stable pay and reliable benefits in places like Seattle. The federal government played a major part in this post-war prosperity by subsidizing both urban and suburban housing, so that working families could save money and get ahead. After a corporate backlash in the 1970s, the free-market philosophy of Reagan-era America combined with widespread deindustrialization to dismantle this redistributive policy framework.
Using mass layoffs and casualized (“flexible”) labor, corporate America has kept the working class in a state of perpetual anxiety for the last four decades. The declining fortunes of working families is the result of capitalism’s war on organized labor, with the percentage of unionized workers in America dramatically decreasing from 33 percent in 1955, to 20 percent in 1983, to 10.7 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, federal housing investments have also declined sharply since since the 1970s. As professor Jason Hackworth wrote in his 2010 book The Neoliberal City, “gone are the days of the federal government providing direct subsidies to house the most acutely poor.” Stagnating wages combined with mounting costs-of-living have spelled doom for working people.
If we stand firm, major corporations will have to change how they do business. They might have to discontinue the kind of union-busting activity that Amazon has been known for. Like Microsoft, they might increase the philanthropic contributions they make towards local housing solutions. Or maybe they’ll finally pay their fair share of taxes. As any labor organizer will tell you, direct action gets the goods. When cities stand up for themselves, they stand up for each other.
We can live in cities that marshal public space and resources for the common good. To do so, we’ll have to band together. We’ll have to resist forfeiting the public trust for the private gain of a few. Ka kite ano Links below P.S Eco Maori Has these ultra wealthy people ————Ana to kai we just want a fair deal
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Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
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Capital Gains Tax Polls
https://sub-zero-politics.blogspot.com/2019/02/cgt-polls.html
The Colmar Brunton question is loaded – “Would you Support or Oppose the Capital Gains Tax if there was a Cut in Personal Income Tax ?”
That’s a bit like asking “would you like to pay less tax and someone else pay more tax’?
Even them only 46% supported “the Capital Gains Tax’ – something that is not even defined yet let alone agreed on by Government parties.
Well it was exactly the tradeoff that tax group suggested. They wanted to extend the lowest tax bracket @10.4% from its current level of 14k up to between ~22 or ~30k. That gives a tax reduction to everyone paying personal income tax.
So I wouldn’t say that the question was loaded, it is exactly what is on the table.
Meanwhile … the Feb 2019 Newshub Reid Research Poll question asked “Do you Support or Oppose the Government imposing a Capital Gains Tax”
(shades of the frequent use of Tax Burden as a deliberate rhetorical device laden with negative connotations)
(Note: client Newshub – rather than pollster Reid Research – devise the questions … as does One News rather than Colmar Brunton)
A simple question – what does Jacinda Ardern actually stand for? Can you explain that?
Sometimes you act like a political neophyte – don’t know if genuine or disingenuous but certainly silly.
What does Jacinda Ardern stand for?
All that is not grey.
Beige I meant beige!!
Have you wondered what would happen if PG joined the Labour Party?
https://www.santamargherita.net/us/product/beige-stardust/
I imagine the list is very long. The national anthem and to speak in parliament are the most obvious ones. Probably too to greet people when they come to her office.
🙂
And probably when elderly people enter the room also.
i heard that she does not stand for the No Mates Party, if that helps with your decision making?
the National Anthem.
Simple answer: read her opening address to Parliament.
it’s there in black and white.
Equity
How long before NZ’s idiotic ‘adventure tourism’ industry gets such a bad Health & Safety reputation that it goes bust?
Apart from the lost jobs, I wouldn’t be sad to see it go. Nothing more irritating than oblivious fools compelled to race across the landscape and jump off bits of it, rather than being content to merely be in it.
What a typical leftist view of the World – “I don’t like what other people want to do with their free time so I want them to stop it despite it providing tens of thousands of jobs that pay more than anything I’m
offering as an alternative.”
Gosman;
So what is the “typical rightist view of the world”?
let it be full of ‘plunder and extortion’?
Gossie left wing views of Democratic Socialists is equitable distribution of wealth and income.
Typical leftie I don’t like it when businesses kill their customers whiny bleating eh gozzer.
Evolution made the young (especially men) into risk takers . The riskiest thing most get in their day to day lives is crossing the road . That is the y of adventure tourism .
Was surprised to find out when the fatality at Tree Adventures took place a few years ago, that they don’t have to be reviewed on safety procedures to start operations.
Something I was not aware of at the time.
Killing people for trying to bring in humanitarian relief supplies. Bravo Venezuelan Socialism.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/23/venezuela-border-latest-maduro-guaido
Weaponising humanitarian aid is killing people. Bravo USA, bravo.
Perhaps the Venezuelan government is getting advice from Hamas.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/06/gaza-un-aid-hamas
Gosman your right wong lot will get your chance to plunder very soon now;
Global Debt is now 200% worse than when the last GFC came in 2008.
We are now on the edge of the financial cliff that is about to crumble.
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/global-debt-levels-hit-an-eye-watering-215-trillion-last-year-2017-4
World total debt now stands at $250 trillion dollars and we can never pay this amount back.
“Global debt levels soared over the past decade, with the vast majority accumulated by emerging market nations.
According to figures from the Institute of International Finance (IIF), global levels of debt held by households, governments, financials and non-financial corporates jumped by over $US70 trillion in the past decade to a record high of $US215 trillion, equating to 325% of global GDP.
Here’s what that increase looks like, looking back not only over the past decade but also to the decade before.”
Read more at;
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/global-debt-levels-hit-an-eye-watering-215-trillion-last-year-2017-4
I don’t see what this has got to do with Venezuela other than the Socialist regime was very good at running up debts.
Gosman;
You are so bloody thick!!!
Read where I said ‘Global’ not ‘Socialist’ – get some new glasses.
Yes and what has “Global” debt got to do with “Socialist” Venezuela?
Agree + 100% the guy is as thick as pig shit
You are just trying to derail the comment thread.
You’re trolling Gozzie – go and have a cup of tea.
This is Open Mike. You can’t troll here.
That is manifestly untrue, though you may dodge the ban hammer here slightly longer.
Global Debt is now 10 x times what it was in the last GFC, through Qualitative Easing and money printing by the Federal Reserve it would appear their will be another correction at some stage in the future, it may be 10 x times as big as the last GFC. Interested know how Gossie reads the situation hopefully he can advise us tomorrow ?
More propaganda from Gosman.
Any chance you can explain why the opposition keep killing black Venezuelans in their violent night protests? Or can you explain why the opposition keeps violently attacking security forces and police?
And more importantly, why do you personally oppose a democratically elected President?
Maduro has said they will have new election and has asked the opposition to participate.
Also the UN special envoy found no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
https://chicagoalbasolidarity.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/un-report-on-venezuela-and-ecuador-alfred-de-zayas.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2V_GVz6O7hF2E403rHokyK1crm5s3tH0dnpuPg_SI2UPSNKf9h_B50fgQ
You need more proof – or you going to keep up your B.S. Gosman and spreading lies.
https://www.unspecial.org/2018/09/successful-un-mission-to-venezuela/?fbclid=IwAR0WxhfcbNMBovNGgZz5Bi-DhTv4TbtscIE4gmqVJaNJ26J5isGNygs2TCM
Maduro is not the democratically elected President of Venezuela as his election did not meet the criteria set down for a free and fair democratic election.
Are you by any chance Venezuelan or have you even been to Venezuela in the last 3 years? Just trying to establish your credibility for making such an unsubstantiated claim.
CIA and US Sympathizer ?
Gooie can’t handle straying to far outside of his intellectual comfort zone, best to keep it PG for him, might have another tantey.
Wow Gosman, all you got is lies. What he won exactly the same percentage of votes as Obama, in a system way more honest than the US one. So I’m going to say Bullshit on your statement or what normal people would call it – a lie.
Caught out on your lying again, how about you do the world a favour and stop lying.
A system way more honest than the US – Really???
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-44187838
“Under the Venezuelan constitution, the CNE is the official independent body responsible for overseeing and guaranteeing the transparency of all elections.
The opposition says it is dominated by Maduro allies. It is made up of five members. The opposition alleges that four of the five are government stooges and therefore does not trust the body to be independent.
Luis Emilio Rondón, the one CNE member which has been critical of the government, said he did not recognise the results because “Venezuelans’ freedom to vote” had not been respected.”
The one member of the so called “independent” electoral body that is not a government appointed stooge called the election not free and fair. Was there something similar in the US during the last election?
“The opposition says…”
The same ones who have staged how many coup attempts now?
I put the UN link above it also proves the elections are robust and fair. But facts are an inconvenient truth to you ah gossy.
Funny that the only one of the so called “independent” electoral body that wasn’t appointed by the Maduro regime was the only one that had a problem with the election don’t you think adam?
Do you believe electoral bodies should be regarded as independent by the political parties in the country or do you think the government of the day can appoint anyone they like without reference to the opposition? I’m just asking next time you complain about a National lead government appointing someone to say the board of RNZ.
As always just more spin and lies from you.
Why can’t you answer my simple question adam?
When you answer mine, I’ll reciprocate.
Weren’t they trespassing gozzer? You’d think they could’ve left the supplies at the border to be picked up. I guess Guiado wanted to play Santrump.
The UN and the Red Cross were also opposed to the US backed ‘humanitarian’ relief effort, seeing it as a political gimmick.
Evidently the US have been flooding Venezuela with weapons to effect some kind of Civil War ?
Cuba have traditionally been one of Venezuela’s main trading partners, Cuba supply Venezuela with Doctors in exchange for oil to get around the USA embargo on Cuba which has been in effect since 1959 when Castro & Guevera took back Cuba after it was annexed by the USA in 1900.
Wrong on so many levels.
You ducking or did you concede earlier?
In general Gosman conducts himself with a great deal more dignity and intellectual consistency than almost everyone here who berates him like children having tantrums …
Oh certainly, he’s a real sweetheart
I didn’t say you had to agree with him, or even like him …
Suppose I could be a little more concrete then. Venezuela seeks to repatriate $550 million of gold from Britian>>> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-gold-exclusive/exclusive-venezuela-seeks-to-repatriate-550-million-of-gold-from-britain-sources-idUSKCN1NA1Q7
The forces collapsing Venezuela are coming from outside, not from with in its domestic economy. Venezuelas food production is privately owned. There is nothing that would support gooies ideoical possesion.
Never though it possible until now but I just gave less of a fuck about what gooie has to say. You didn’t catch any more feelings or reasons did you logic?
Wrong.
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-latin-america-42398814
Your own linked article states Venezuela imports 70% of it’s food yet you want to claim Maduro is responsible for the actions of private companies being dicks with Venezuelan food, you fake. What’s even more distasteful is how any one would stick up for you, let alone allow your fake news bullshit opinions to go unchallenged just pisses me off to no end (is there no one here with a set of balls?)
Since at least 2002 after the failed military coupe against Chavez, America has issued Terrorism-Related Sanctions, Drug Trafficking-Related Sanctions, Trafficking in Persons Sanctions, Targeted Sanctions Related to Antidemocratic Actions, Human Rights Violations, and Corruption, Sanctions on Holding Companies, Additional Financial Sanctions. None of which has any evidence, just concerns from Whitehouse spokespeople who’ve never set foot in Venezuela in there life’s.
Correction: The link stated Venezuela used to make 70 % of it’s own food BEFORE Chavez took over and did stupid things like nationalise the agricultural inputs businesses. Did you not read the article?
Your questions are insulting. Now you blame Chavez for foreign interests meddling in the affairs of another nation during a military coup but what ever.
Maduro is in charge.
You obviously did not read the link I posted in any depth.
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.
Timing is crucial and producers say the government is not delivering.
Corn is a government staple, meaning farmers have to sell it at regulated prices
This year, Ronald did not get fertiliser in time for his corn crop, so it suffered.
The corn he does grow he has to sell at regulated prices because it is a government staple. He can only just keep the farm afloat.
“We have to go it alone to try and make things better but the situation is so bad,” he says. “The country’s financial situation and what we have now is tough.” ”
In 2010 Chavez was still in power. It was his decision to nationalise the Agricultural supply company.
This decision has contributed mightily to the collapse in farming as did the decision to impose price controls and the hyper-inflation caused by excessive government spending.
You ignore countries forign to Venezuela meddling in there affairs, organising military coups and basically being shit bags because of what the largest oil reserve nation in the world, Venezuala, may one day represents a threat to U.S interests by virtue of economic sovereignty and standing on there own to feet. Still amazed at how you could gender such love from a self professed left wing site as the Standard. Amazed and angry self proffered smart people can’t even see it.
I don’t ignore them. I discount them because by far the biggest damage to the Venezuelan economy was done by the Chavista regime. This is what YOU are ignoring in your attempts to place the blame anywhere but on left wing policies.
Blaming policy is the gospel of liars, thieves, con-artists, and imbeciles who can’t handle the fact that forign policy is beyond them.
Ignoring the effects of bad policy is the domain of the moronic.
So Chavez was elected in 1999, and was succeeded by his deputy Maduro. That’s about 20 years, and, nope, still zip nada skeletons in the closet. The numbers are just not on your side.
Gossie is a lovely little boy, he is a real little sweetie his mum tells me.
US, relief supplies come with guns.
Ask Argentina….
USA actively trying to destabilize Venezuela IMHO
Gossie have a read of this and get back to me.
http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-war-on-venezuela-is-built-on-lies?fbclid=IwAR1T6XyELZ4JQa3N5jFHPlYUjmh_31bn7bTuPKmKKQH83YXD1szRDHMYEEs
Sad to see Pilger lose whatever was left of his journalistic integrity.
Caught some more feelings? So what.
The sharp cold snap will have horticulturalists out with the smudge pots and other tools to defeat frost on crops, some not quite ready yet. Thought of you Robert and your grapes etc Hope you were ok. We too had rain last night Cinny, and were delighted after a long dry spell has sent the younger trees to autumn colour early.
No worries, Patricia – is was a bit chilly but today’s sunny and warmer. Your trees have assumed their autumn coats – yikes! Too soon, too soon! I need a long summer for our plans to come to fruition. One of our guests is a winemaker trained in Italy in an ancient style where the grapes are mushed into huge clay amphora. He’s going to teach me how, having seen the lovely big crop we have here this year 🙂
You may be shit out of luck there bobs. Short cold summer this time.
substantive regime change
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/daily_ao_index/aao/aao_index.html
Gossie is a lovely little boy, he is a real little sweetie his mum tells me.
Arrived at work this morning after riding (mostly down) the 3.3km – not sweating. Arrived up the hill this evening panting but not sweaty…
I wish I could say it was because I was getting so fit. However it was just today’s Auckland weather.
How long before it is drinkable? Do the vines have to have age?
My father made fijoa wine, it was beautiful. He said the trees were mature so the fruit was flavoursome and sweet.
Autumn is nearly here, enjoying the cooler nights some what.
Venezuelan socialism seems to be working just fine. Perhaps our resident Venezuelan reporter or Dick Brandson will be able to explain the humanitarian crisis over there lol.
😆 Yes the exodus of people from Venezuela must just be due to their holiday season.
Yes and the fact that an average meal costs over 12,500 Bolívar Soberano and that this is tied to the USD officially at a rate of 60 to 1 must mean that Venezuelans are doing wonderfully well to afford a lunch worth over 200 US dollars.
https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/venezuela
http://fortune.com/2018/08/22/venezuela-redenomination-sovereign-bolivar/
200usd will buy two people an all they can eat Sunday buffet from the top hotel in Hawaii and will cover the tip as well.
Bloody USA, weaponising Aid so that it’s neighbours can eat for less than the price of weekly rent in small town
America.
Perhaps you can report back from Venezuela how the millions there can afford $200 dollar lunches? Sure you’re not getting confused with how much you spend for lunch down at the Viaduct?
You two are such numpties. The average price of a basic meal in Venezuela is not really the equivalent of 200 USD. The Bolívar Soberan’s value has been set articifically high by the dunderheaded Venezuelan regime. The ACTUAL value is probably about 1 or 2 USD however that is likely to be out of reach for the vast majority of Venezuelans as they don’t make even that amount per day as a result of the collapse of the Venezuelan economy.
Are you in Venezuela currently, Gosman?
Have you ever been to the nations which you piss all over in your diatribes?
One two;
Gosman is employed obviously to just annoy people as he/she just talks diatribe with every single post.
I now ignore his/hers rubbish trash.
Thanks cg..
Gosmans recorded archive speaks for itself…
Gossie is on the Gook Nationalist Payroll, he is a Professional RWNJ Troll IMHO ????
Gook?
Fuck you, you racist mother fucker.
yep that fucker should be banned
He/she annoys the f%#k out of me, I am sure he/she must be a faggot ?
Ever lived in a socialist nation? I notice the most starry eyed about socialism have never been or lived near a socialist nation, let alone in it.
Evidently women are more sexual in socialist societies.
Yes. I lived in New Zealand before the 80‘s.
The US should invade NZ, as we have had more kiwis leave these shores (as a percentage) than people who have left Venezuela. Just following your logic stunned mullet.
🙄 😆 🙄
More stunning logic from stunned mullet.
That was certainly true between 1999 and 2008 I suppose.
On the other hand in 2008 we had an election that got rid of the incumbent lot of idiots and the flow reversed.
The New Zealand Military accepted the result of the poll and didn’t, like the Venezuelan lot, keep the rejected junta in power.
Lucky for that wasn’t it? Otherwise we might have continued with the massive exodus and been invaded.
Gee isn’t this sort of history fun? I see why you indulge Adam.
I love your ideological wankery alwyn. You’re consistent at least.
As for the military keeping a junta in power – man you so detached from reality with that line, I’m going to suggest you put down the crack pipe. But I’m not sure you can.
If John Key was still here I am sure we would have had a US Airforce Military Base here by now.
USA have got their grubby little fingers in there somewhere.
Monsoon season in Venezuela they normally migrate down to Uruguay and Argentina for about six weeks until the rainy season finishes.
If I heard correctly on RNZ this morning that there is a suggestion that all rental properties should heave a heater to bring them up to 18C ????
Franly a silly suggestion however well intended..
The trouble people, some idiots, seem to think you can swan around in light clothing as they see in Hollywood etc movies.
I am a house owner and over the years I have double glassed a house I built which was insulated to start with … I also wasted money on a heat pump which rarely gets run as I am a firm believe in “personal’ as opposed to ‘general’ heating and from an experiment learnt that using the heat pump would reduce or cripple my life style so I keep warm with personal heating.
I guess that is only what an adult can do and difficult for children, or safe for them to be near heaters
Some ti,me ago the suggestion was 16C now its is 18C …. how high will these folk want it to go?.
I can only guess where this suggestion comes from which helps to confirm my opinion that they are hopelessly impractical and a menace to the well-being of the country.
If this government wants to improve conditions they should build and run more state houses so that everyone can have a good basic standard of accomdation and only have to ‘private rent’ if they want better for themselves and are prepared to pay for it.
Further to my last point … my son has central heating in the States where he lives these days but I remembering his wife telling me hat the price of electricity is much less there.
I do not know the details but it seems to me that Govt should reduce the price of power rather than gouging folk with current high prices.
jcuknz
Yes I lived in Canada and US for a decade and today the price of power is half the cost of NZ still.
Today we are now being robbed by extortionists called ‘power companies’ here in NZ now and it must stop!
Power Companies have to generate a good return for the investors & shareholders.
They arranged for their suited smootharsed mates in the private sector to do the gouging jucky.
It is probably not surprising really that their power is cheaper in the USA.
Did you know that 32% of US electricity is generated using Natural Gas, which is a clean method of production?
And that 30% is by coal?
And also that 20% is from Nuclear power plants?
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_in_the_united_states
Now who was it that won’t let us explore for natural gas anymore?
And has demanded that any coal fired stations be shut down?
And never allowed us to have nuclear power, which is probably the greenest of all the electricity generation methods?
And you act all surprised that our electricity is more expensive than in the US?
We’re not surprised at all.
Our power assets were stolen by incompetent, venal scumbags – who can’t run the companies efficiently, and don’t want to anyway.
The coalition seems to be considering a few steps other than the lameass populism the Key kleptocracy embraced to try to stay in power at any cost. Reform of the power companies would enjoy a strong mandate, particularly if it includes significant punishment for non-performing PPPs that lie about outcomes to steal public assets.
Without that reform, rental landlords and employers will face another round of controls, because NZ’s poor cannot save for housing while being simultaneously rack rented and squeezed by utility companies.
Max Bradford told us that privatizing our Electricity Companies was going to bring down power prices, lying thieving c&%t ?
Yes, both he and the companies should face some kind of consequence for their lies, and for their professional irresponsibility.
In Korea, PPPs know they’d better deliver what they promise – or their CEOs will be in jail, and the companies will be restructured until they deliver, or sold off to make good on the penalty provisions that were part of the agreement.
Yes, it is surprising, considering most of ours is generated by hydro power stations that were fully paid for, from taxation, decades ago.
With a free energy input.
The fact we are paying twice, is because ideological idiots, gave them away in a fire sale.
And we are having to pay back the private sector borrowing, to buy them.
Formal Complaints
Formal Complaint Submitted
STANDARD 9 – ACCURACY
9e
whether the broadcaster sought and/or presented comment, clarification or input from any relevant person or organisation
STANDARD 8 – BALANCE
8c The assessment of whether a reasonable range of other perspectives has been presented includes consideration of the following, where relevant;
-whether the programme was narrowly focused on one aspect of a larger, complex debate
-the nature of the issue/whether listeners could reasonably be expected to be aware of views expressed in other coverage, including coverage in other media (eg, is it an ongoing topic of debate, such that listeners can reasonably be expected to have a broad understanding of the main perspectives on the issue)
”Venezuela: Growing condemnation of Maduro’s aid refusal’ RNZ Morning Report 25/02/2019 7.30am
This segment, does not inform the public of the following information in regards to aid/Venezuela, thereby misinforming the public through an lack of accuracy and balance in it’s reporting.
1. Both the Red Cross and the UN have declined to participate in the US/Lima Group aid programme, in large because of the politicized nature of the aid programme.
Alexandra Boivin, ICRC delegation head for the United States and Canada, said Friday that the ICRC had told U.S. officials that whatever plans “they have to help the people of Venezuela, it has to be shielded from this political conversation.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/red-cross-warns-u-s-about-risks-of-sending-aid-to-venezuela
https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14316
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/red-cross-warns-u-s-about-risks-of-sending-aid-to-venezuela
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-un/un-warns-against-politicizing-humanitarian-aid-in-venezuela-idUSKCN1PV2GF
2, The fact that Aid has been delivered from other country’s was (and is) never mentioned
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/aid-wars-in-venezuela-russian-medicine-arrives-as-maduro-blocks-us-aid-141387
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Receives-933-Tons-of-Medical-Aid-From-Allies-Abroad-20190214-0025.html
Please also note that RNZ, as far as I know, have never included this information in any of it’s reporting on this subject.
Adrian I am with you there, RNZ is useless now.
The right wing are in control of RNZ now, ever since the Labour Coalition Government took over in 2018, National moved to install their own CEO to control RNZ.
That CEO has damaged the brand beyond repair now, and forced John Campbell out after that right wing CEO was installed there .
Claire Curran did much of the damage as she fucked the whole RNZ system up for good.and should have removed him from CEO immediately.
We placed an official complaint with the RNZ after Labour took it over in november 2017 and got a dismissive letter back from Curran saying she would not dismiss the National appointed CEO.
Claire Curran is public enemy number one now, for her causing our loss of free speech.
Curran f%$ked it up big time trying to play secret squirrel stuff around Wellington, she was extremely wet behind the ears.
There is a good example of CGT and how it would effect a small business owner on Kiwiblog today.
That is a good example of how a CGT would affect a hypothetical business owner with no relevance to how small business (or any business) works. It is a terrible example of real life.
How, for instance, is leaving $600K of profit in the bank over 20 years reinvesting in the business? Her accountant would advise her against this.
Yes with CGT coming in there will be a high demand for good accountants to structure affairs to avoid as much CGT as possible.
No, Farrar’s think-piece is not based on any practical example. The businessperson in the article spent nothing at all on new equipment or vehicles and because all profit went to the bank. So she finished with the same tools and van she started with 20 years earlier. That is so hard to believe that the entire premise lacks any kind of validity whatsoever.
Farrar – almost always lies by omission of pertinent facts. The resulting trash gets gobbled up by the same old morons who can’t think.
They have about the same discrimination as stray dogs eating garbage.
Yeah, ‘blog blinkers’, tasty chestnuts plucked from the whole story.
I like the toleration of a contrary view here, albeit a thick-skin required, I think it fuels interesting debate.
Quality journalism used to be about ‘This is the ‘for’ argument and this is the ‘against’ argument. Make up your own mind.
Farrar’s blog of ‘Feel this way or be necklaced’ does little to make NZ a better place to live. I think this blog does, thank-you lprent.
Sigh… Damn you Wakefield.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/officials-race-identify-measles-patients-contacts
I definitely do not want to enter any discussion or argument about vaccinations but it is rather amusing that an article about measles includes the statement “…there has been a rash of recent cases in the South.”
😆
Well spotted !!!!
Rash is probably prickly too.
Deputy Leader issues a direct challenge to Corbyn to improve the internal conflicts within Labour. Not pretty:
https://www.politico.eu/article/tom-watson-uk-opposition-in-crisis-deputy-leader-admits-jeremy-corbyn-anti-semitism/
They seem to be thinking the decades of their free market financial neo-liberalism has something to do with the marked state of societal decline, which is obviously a cover for rabid anti-semitism.
The other end of the street, fortified by surveiliance and private security, are more like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, while they embark on a grand destination of hard power and expansion, & the league of nations last century didn’t exist yet their colonies do!
Just a reminder, this guy was considered one of the serious, responsible Repug contenders in 2016.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/02/marco-rubio-tweet-qaddafi-gaddafi.html?via=homepage_recirc_recent
Two more Chinese Methamphetamine Importers caught bringing in the substance into NZ in Golf Carts do we really need this breed of people in NZ ?
JK’s & National Party new imports no doubt ?
Lucky for them they weren’t caught smuggling at the Chinese end.
That’s why they bring it into NZ as they know the consequences are minimal for a very lucrative return on investment (ROI)
China is one of the biggest methamphetamine manufacturers in the world, doubt whether production and export sales are monitored very closely. They now call Tonga the “Ice Kingdom” due to the amount of methamphetamine available in Tonga, this is one of the gateways into NZ.
Tamati Tautuhi, A Thai on a business visa and an illegal Chinese immigrant.( on tv 1.)
Apologies only one Chinaman and a Thai I wonder who his mother was ?
I automatically laugh when I see a photo of soimon bridges in an article. I don’t bother reading it, because of his mind numbing “I will say anything to get elected” drivel contained within. Anyone else?
Nick Yes and Yes.
I seen this story on Stuff website at first it looks like a positive spin for The big 2 fertiliser companys Eco Maori totally agrees with the video on most points but big money has limited the positive data on Organic farming price will be a bit higher but if the whenua is worked correctly prouduction need not drop .The video do my mahi for me
Greenpeace wants to ban nitrogen fertiliser
Ka kite ano links below
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/110844298/nitrogen-fertilise-is-not-a-fundamental-part-of-nz-dairy-farming
Its a illision that New Zealand is one of the least corrupt countrys in the world if they can standby and let the cops break all my and my whanaus rights interfering in my grandchildrens futures playing games with my children getting people to play with my wife her psychologist is in on the game trying to tell her to do dumb shit for a 52 year old grandpearent because some cop from Gisborne Gisborne man has a big chip on his sholders because this savage is not stupid like he has stereotype me as has the whole justice system of the world at his disposal . Every time I go some were these clowns have a play in action WTF THE positive thing is I,m Not stupid and they are gracing Eco Maori with Mana and they are scared of me and te tangata can see with there OWN eyes that the systems are corrupt so they will keep out of the SHIT Lost his marbles try to intimadate Eco Maori he was a dirty RAT that one he got what he deserved he restated the Eco Maori man hunt framing me with his lies P.S I can thank the FOOLS FOR the Mana that I have now LOL One would be supprised at the amount of undercover cops they have spieing on KIWIS They swarm thats why they get the name sandflys
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute .P.S They won`t beable to break my Wairua.
Kia ora Newshub That’s a cheap air fair price from Air NZ I still won’t be flying.???
Wow the injustice system is hounding me and can’t even keep a REAL CRIMINAL in the country for prosecution Te muppets show.
Mike its dry all right have not seen it this dry since 2013 I feel for those farmers and horticultural croppers affected by the drought in Tasman and down south island. It would be logical to have a walkway and cycle lanes under the Auckland Harbour Bridge surely the transport agency will pay those people who have invested so much in to designing the under bridge walking way and cycling Lane.
That very unusual weather fish getting blown out of the the Wai and being caught mid air by people. The great lakes in Canada and America had a huge ice wall being blown on land I think it was about 3mtrs high it has happened before. I think that all the private contractors who lost money on the Mainzeal company going bust stinks.
Mercury Energy creaming kiwis it is shocking how high power price are its not on that private house holders are paying a higher price for power than commercial consumers.?????.
Ka kite ano
Kia James and Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild.
Congratulat to the coach.
Nothing wrong with being nice
I try not to sound like the open Mike houling person but the Tamariki Mokopunas and Wahine issues + the sandflys one has to hold it down but when one see what I see most people will break In a few weeks as I don’t tell you everything.
That was a good catch by the dog 83 mtrs is that a record.
Eco Maori could do with a hinaki I would catch all of the buggers
Ka kite ano
That’s excellent Mana Wahine Ad boys Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show yea you must have a nice spun out lieing dirt file on me and its growing everyday.
A America train stuck in the Snow for 2 days I wonder if trump can smell the Roses and change his neanderthal attitude towards climate change and stop backing carbon as it looks like he is the only one who has not figured out that the tipping point on climate change is here and now.
The Auckland council is trying to get traffic jam sorted out you sound like a blue flag wavering person. The public transport problems is being minupulated by blue flags wavers to get one of there carbon Pro m8 in the Auckland Mayor’s office. We need to get people onto buses and trains to lower our carbon footprint .
As for the cops carrying guns all the time a big Know.
You cannot even make a complaint at a police station you need to get a lawyer who cost $20.000 to be able to get justice against the cops otherwise its impossible to
lay a complaint why because they don’t want the public to know of all the dumb shit that they do to the common public you see they discrimination against the common people they intimidat they won’t go and break the rights of a person driving a $50.000 car they will get sued. The cops just want to use the fact if they get to carry guns as a intimidation device.
They are crying foul that I am damaging there reputation. But know they are the ones breaking the laws of the land breaching my whanau rights. All they have to do is FUCK OFF and leave my Whanau alone but know they are like a HALFWIT who keeps pushing a button and they get a punch blood nose they are just to stupid to learn to stop pushing that BUTTON.
A carbon tax is need Jamie yes the foolish neanderthal like duncan keep rubbishing any tax from the polluting people like him they think its OK that property owners make millions of untaxed money while the common people carry the tax burden.
Wars are started by wealthy people they still have the cups of tea together play sports but the stupid Wars they start is fought by the poor common people doesn’t matter if we die.
With your poll did the cops know the poll was run this morning polls are use to minupulate people into thinking that the majority think some thing is OK when in reality it is not a majority and most people are like SHEEP and will just follow the majority.
What idiot takes his child out of a house on to a footpath to watch a car chase and put himself and his child in danger very foolish or A SET Up to get cops guns.
Durr a house is accommodation I have said your small brain does not let you think about other people situation mark there is a housing crisis caused by national party so that people like you can cream the common people.
All the big country’s of Europe have been control by big businesses they love most people to rent off them they get the rent and capital gains to for Equality we need more people to own houses or the rich will get richer and the poor will be milked dry by the wealthy.
Ka kite ano
Here is the proff that global warming is here and now and still some neandathals keep there heads stuck in a pile of money blocking OUR True reality .
The reality is if we do not change our ways asap our grandchildren are going to have a big MESS
They were everywhere in London on the weekend. The people in short sleeves or sandals. The ones with sunglasses ostentatiously hanging from the front of their shirts or balanced on top of their heads. The beer gardens and riverside pubs of the capital were heaving; corner shops ran out of ice-cream. Outside it was 17C (62F).
Monday was another warm day, without a cloud in the sky, and in the late afternoon the light took on a magical, honey-coloured hue. It brought to mind one of those summer evenings you remember from childhood, when you’d be in the park all day and your parents let you stay out until bedtime, and you felt like you were doing something deliciously naughty just by being there.
‘I can’t help but be concerned’: early spring worries UK readers
Read more
Except it isn’t early summer: it’s February. And the entire developed world has not so much been doing something slightly naughty as systematically attacking the global ecosystem over a period of decades, and that’s how we go into this mess.
We should try to hold on to this fact as young, posh men the nation over develop a strange delusion that anyone would want to see their elbows; this is not supposed to be happening. Less than a month ago, there was video footage of extreme cold weather coming out of Chicago. Forks supported in midair by suddenly frozen noodles, water poured from kettles instantly freezing on its way to the ground: you know the sort of thing. OK, that was on the other side of the world, and was extreme and terrifying enough. But at least it was terrifying in the right direction.
On Monday, though, the temperature hit 20.3C in Ceredigion, west Wales: the highest February temperature ever recorded in Britain and the first time the thermometer had breached 20C in winter. The BBC weather account tweeted it out with a gif of the sunshine icon and the same excitable breathlessness with which Springwatch would announce it had found a new type of vole. My response contained a single word, repeated seven times. It began with F. Ka kite ano Links below
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/26/terrified-warm-weather-global-warming-london
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Eco Maori says people should unite across the World as the big companys here in NZ pay shit money no guarantee 40 hour week just enough money to servive but all one can afford to do is work and rest no money for leasure time we are acturly slipping backwards. When I was a young fellow any tep work no guaranted hours was payed 30 % more +holiday pay on top now that is not the case.
The big companys should be forced to pay the people who make there money a living wage.
It would be nice to know how much corporate welfare the BIG COMPANIES get in New Zealand besides family support that subserdizes there labour rates in the long run.
Cities across America should unite against big corporations
New York’s resistance to Amazon’s HQ2 is a model for a new kind of politics for cities to follow
Julia Salazar and Shaun Scott
We are from New York City and Seattle respectively. What unites us – and other major cities across the country – is that we are forced to make hard choices about equity, taxes, and jobs in the age of mega-corporations.
Seattle is the birthplace of Amazon. The city government has catered to corporations by refusing to tax them in ways that could benefit working people. When the Seattle city council repealed the Employee Head Tax in June 2018, it said goodbye to $47.5m of revenue that could have gone toward deeply affordable housing. The people of New York City, on the other hand, chose a different path. Despite a full-court press from the mayor, the governor, and business interest groups, a grassroots movement of ordinary people defeated the richest man in the world. Amazon’s lauded HQ2, which would have allowed the company to usurp millions of dollars in public funds, was rejected by the people of Queens who correctly saw the deal as the blatant giveaway that it waS
On one hand, Seattle’s actions were the latest act of political surrender to big business; on the other, activists across the country rightly took New York’s resistance as proof that a better world without capitalist extortion of public resources is possible.
There was a time when organized labor underwrote the most socio-economically equal period in American history. From the end of World War II until the mid-1970s, trade and factory workers could count on stable pay and reliable benefits in places like Seattle. The federal government played a major part in this post-war prosperity by subsidizing both urban and suburban housing, so that working families could save money and get ahead. After a corporate backlash in the 1970s, the free-market philosophy of Reagan-era America combined with widespread deindustrialization to dismantle this redistributive policy framework.
Using mass layoffs and casualized (“flexible”) labor, corporate America has kept the working class in a state of perpetual anxiety for the last four decades. The declining fortunes of working families is the result of capitalism’s war on organized labor, with the percentage of unionized workers in America dramatically decreasing from 33 percent in 1955, to 20 percent in 1983, to 10.7 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, federal housing investments have also declined sharply since since the 1970s. As professor Jason Hackworth wrote in his 2010 book The Neoliberal City, “gone are the days of the federal government providing direct subsidies to house the most acutely poor.” Stagnating wages combined with mounting costs-of-living have spelled doom for working people.
If we stand firm, major corporations will have to change how they do business. They might have to discontinue the kind of union-busting activity that Amazon has been known for. Like Microsoft, they might increase the philanthropic contributions they make towards local housing solutions. Or maybe they’ll finally pay their fair share of taxes. As any labor organizer will tell you, direct action gets the goods. When cities stand up for themselves, they stand up for each other.
We can live in cities that marshal public space and resources for the common good. To do so, we’ll have to band together. We’ll have to resist forfeiting the public trust for the private gain of a few. Ka kite ano Links below P.S Eco Maori Has these ultra wealthy people ————Ana to kai we just want a fair deal
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/26/cities-america-unite-against-big-corporations