Underfunded apartment buildings around the country are set to fall into disrepair unless owners stump up the thousands of dollars required to fix them.
The law requires unit title complexes to have long term maintenance plans (LTMPs), but not long term maintenance funds to back them up.
It is more and more of an issue as Auckland in particular intensifies, according to Home Owners and Buyers Association (HOBANZ) president John Gray.
I was wondering that. I’ve been away for awhile and have come back to see that Te Reo Putake, CV and Stephanie haven’t been around. Mind you I haven’t read every single post.
Hopefully folks are ok and getting on with that life thing.
TRP last commented here on 12 August, but has not issued a post for quite some time. TRP is on Twitter and the last tweet is dated 19 Sept, and he/she has also been an active commentator on a certain Dunedinite’s blog – YourNZ – which I will not link to. Its starting to rival WO or Kiwiblog these days in terms of the nature of most comments. TRP’s latest comment there was just yesterday.
CV last commented here on 19 Sept, so only a few days ago. He has a Twitter account under his real name, but tweets infrequently with the latest on 2 Sept.
SR last commented here on 30 August, but has done so less frequently recently than earlier this year and last year. She is very active on her Twitter account including today.
Karol is the one that I have been concerned about for months. After her departure from here, she continued to post on her own blog Edge Times and on her Twitter account, but there has been no activity on either of these since March. I hope she is OK.
Hi veutoviper.
I recall karol mentioning not long before she withdrew from being a TS author that she had other projects she wanted to pursue. I had the impression they were not related to politics. She is sorely missed because her analytical ability was second to none.
I’m not on twitter, or fb for that matter either, so am self limiting with access to communications in the political world. Twittter seems to be a good platform for that kind of activity.
I also had been thinking of karol and had looked at her Edge Times blog but then everything went quiet.
karol seemed to put a lot of heart and soul into her thoughtful and intelligent writing. I hope this world we live in with it’s constant struggles hasn’t got on top of her. If so, I hope she is making the best of taking time out. I think this can be helpful to do at times. Our social – political world is more than an intellectual experience, it’s creates an emotive response and some times it’s personal.
If you’re listening karol, maybe say hi, let us know you’re ok. If you want.
And lols, TRP, don’t tell us you joined the beige brigade!!!
I heard they where concocting a stable far left political party that will provide a party to the missing miliion and not chase the biggest donor that comes along.
CV and Stephanie both went AWOL around the same time – late August/early September.
But neither could resist Jeremy Corbyn’s win – both resuming with a few comments on the day of his victory (Stephanie just using her first name which is why you won’t find these more recent comments in a search). Stephanie hasn’t been heard of since (apart, of course, from twitter and boots theory), and although Corby drew CV back, he seems to have become just an occasional commenter.
All of which is a bit of a shame. They both produced some very incisive posts.
I particularly miss CV’s concise, lucid, hard-hitting arguments, especially on the implications of Sanders/Corbymania.
Rightly or wrongly, I’m assuming there’s been some ructions behind the scenes at some point with the various authors (CV published my fairly blunt criticism of Rob Salmond’s Go to the Centre thesis as a post and I’m hoping that wasn’t the cause of any grief or fallout). Then, again, maybe given their heavy workload – writing/researching regular posts while simultaneously juggling demanding careers – they just need a bit of a break.
The very sharp, witty and incisive Felix, of course, has also gone absent-without-leave following fisticuffs with TRP in early June here… http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10062015/#comment-1028912
TRP was pretty heavy-handed and felix (whose been with The Standard right from the start) was obviously pissed off enough not bother returning from his brief ban. So, another important voice lost to us.
A couple of months later, TRP disappears off the face of the earth.
Go figure.
All of which leads me to express a great deal of thanks to 1prent, Bill, Tracey and, perhaps above all, Micky and Anthony for taking up the slack and producing well-written posts day-after-day over the last few weeks. Exhausting schedule when you also have heavy work commitments.
(Hoping not to cop a ban myself for all of this wild speculation)
No ban from that. That is just observation rather than making up stories (which is what the anti-conspiracy rules are about).
As usual (I have been around here for 8 years now), The Standard is in a state of transition at present. We always seem to be in the year after an election. We lose people who were heavily involved prior to the election. We have new people being brought on board and finding out that it is a pain in the arse and requires sheer bloody minded persistence to hang in and fading out. It has been particularly frustrating this time around from my perspective.
We have the usual problems with authors arguing and disagreeing about courses of action. It is more complicated over the last year by having a private authors area in which to do it. Some of the turnover will be from my expressing the side edge of my irritation as I see valuable time that has been invested in bringing authors and moderators up to speed on this site getting wasted by people not agreeing to disagree. (That comes from my family and my professional instincts, which are those from operations and production backgrounds where training other people to be effective is the hardest and most expensive task we do)
Historically, the site has had several different ‘management’ styles, which I have provided the semi-autocratic sysop technical and net-cultural underpinning for.
From my perspective, the main thing being discussed at present is the way to bring new authors and moderators on board without having the inevitable ideological and personality disagreements/backbiting driving them away. I neither have time nor the inclination to waste my effort and time trying to bring people up to speed unless that organisational issue is solved.
If it gets solved, then fine. If not, then we will have to execute an orderly shutdown to free up time to work on other things. The only thing really preventing that is the ever increasing popularity of the site.
According to google analytics, we are also having a hell of growth spurt in readership, the like of which we haven’t seen in percentage terms since startup. Umm, you like numbers…
Looking at the 6 month period from March to August across non-general election years. The page views are ‘corrected’ by me downwards because of a problem in 2011 with facebook async protocols causing excessive page lookups. (For the inevitable trolls, these are not Whaleoil style figures. These are close to being accurate for real humans and without paid for added readership boosters).
per month
year
corrected page views
sessions
users
2009
Election
2009
167k-206k
60k-70k
14k-18k
2010
218k-287k
72k-92k
17k-22k
2011
Election
2012
305k-403k
93k-112k
24k-33k
2013
333k-440k
103k-115k
21k-37k
2014
Election
2015
480k-530k
148k-165k
40k-50k
Since these are largely the winter months, they are pretty good for looking at base levels of readership. What we are getting is a lot more people reading the site, and most of them are either daily readers or they read several times per week. The levels of less than a few times per month readers hasn’t increased by anything as much. In other words we are less affected by the vagaries of google as our local base of readers has continued to rise.
Since these are largely the winter months, they are pretty good for looking at base levels of readership. What we are getting is a lot more people reading the site, and most of them are either daily readers or they read several times per week. The levels of less than a few times per month readers hasn’t increased by anything as much. In other words we are less affected by the vagaries of google as our local base of readers has continued to rise.
I’ve been thinking a bit lately about what it must be like for readers to read the comments and if this affects their willingness or otherwise to comment (eg long threads that are really in house conversations often bickering that won’t make sense to people who don’t understand the players). I’d like to see us (commenters) make more of an effort to wrote comments for everyone, readers as well as the people we are talking to. There is so much to learn here and one of the great values and potentials of ts is its ability to inform and encourage people to think.
A couple of questions then for admin/authors. Do you think that high readership is enough of a goal to keep ts going irrespective of what the commenters are doing (both in terms of content and numbers)?
Are readership stats important for you in why you write posts or continue to write posts?
can I suggest an acknowledgement email for submissions, with maybe a very rough timeframe for posting? And especially an email when it gets published.
At the moment it’s a bit like throwing it into a void, when if there was a plunk from the void they might throw another one (and yes, I’m tossing around an idea or two).
I recall someone else complaining that they’d sent something to the TS gmail and not heard anything back.
“wasted by people not agreeing to disagree…….the inevitable ideological and personality disagreements/backbiting…….”
Isn’t that always the way on the Left. We’re our own worst enemies.
“ever increasing popularity of the site…….a hell of a growth spurt in readership.”
Yep, the numbers tell the story. It’s easy for us regular commenters to forget that there’s a vast number of largely silent readers. Which almost certainly means that each of the few hundred of us who do regularly comment on the site probably have a massive fan-base out there.
All of which probably explains the scene I saw the other day driving along Lambton Quay. Down opposite the new District Court, a whole lot of drunken yobos suddenly poured out of a Sports Bar and started screaming and swinging wild punches at each other. Others were lying almost comatose in the gutter, surrounded by their own vomit. About half were wearing t-shirts with a large Purple Identicon with the word “Swordfish” below, the other half wore shirts with a bright Red Identicon and the name “Puckish Rogue”.
It slowly dawned on me that these two warring tribes were our respective fan-bases. They’d obviously all been watching The Standard posts and comments coming up Live on the big screen in the Sports Bar and presumably a particularly erudite reply I’d just posted to Puckers had caused an eruption of excitement and triumphant chanting among my own loyal followers (“Puckers, Puckers, Puckers, Out, Out, Out !!!”), leading, in turn, to total outrage and fisticuffs from Puckers’ loyalists.*
* The last 2 paragraphs may not entirely correspond with reality. But, then again, they just might.
Hi swordfish,
I recall that stoush between felix and TRP and was disappointed at the outcome. TRP was always entertaining to read, but on that occasion he overdid his responses to felix. An apology may have solved the problem – who knows. In the end we lost two commentators whose contributions for different reasons were highly valued.
Thanks swordfish. I’m still around but I’m not planning on posting here in the future. lprent has given his version of events. Long story short for me is I’m having a very busy year and don’t have the energy to keep running up against some of the shittier parts of this site’s community.
I could only bash my head against the brick wall trying to shift its position before realising it was far more comfortable posting in my own space where I’m not expected to put up with patriarchal bullying. Fewer readers maybe, fewer headaches definitely.
So anyone who’s interested in my posts can find them at bootstheory.wordpress.com or @bootstheory on Twitter. Peace.
Wouldn’t have been an issue if they stayed out of the flag process from day 1 with the clear message that there’s alot more important issues for $26m to be applied to.
I just hope the ones who at making all the noise about who did what to who are not the same ones who where making a lot of noise about getting the red rag added to the mix.
well i have been quite clear about not wanting this whole shebang to go ahead in the first place. I believe we have more pressing issues at hand. If I would have magical powers, i would go ‘Pouf, the magic dragon, we have never spoken about the tea towels in this fair land”. But i guess instead i will have to vote for Hypno Flag, and then NO.
lol. we are still gonna end up with an ugly, meaningless rag/towel.
Five Kiwi companies have missed out on buying the RNZAF’s Iroquois.
It was an opportunity to grow their business and add jobs, especially in places like Taranaki and Rotorua.
But instead the government selected a US bid – and the copters will be cut up for spare parts and sold back to NZ companies at a huge cost.
One company we know of bid $4.5 million – the winning bid was $3m-$5m, according to the government.
Why are Kiwi companies the losers?
Those Iroquois are old. I certainly wouldn’t buy one to use as the maintenance on them would probably cost more than simply buying a new helicopter of similar capability.
Then I suspect that there’s the avionics which the US probably has a say in who it can be sold to and without which the things couldn’t be flown. But if that’s the case then they shouldn’t have been made available to general tender.
Really, this is one of those times when it looks like NZ1st are making a mountain out of a molehill.
“But Mark Thomas, deputy chairman of Auckland Council’s Orakei local board, told the Local Government Commission earlier this month that, for all their concerns, the local boards were actually quite happy with the super-city structure.”
(Dominion Post 15 April 2015)
As a confirmed 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate – my proven track record is one of absolute opposition to the proposed Auckland ‘Supercity’ for NINE years – since 5 September 2006 – the day of the failed ‘Mayoral coup’.
Unlike any of the other 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidates (confirmed or not) my proven track record shows I have worked (successfully) with those opposing the proposed Wellington, Northland and Hawke’s Bay ‘Supercities’, by exposing what a disaster this (forced) Auckland amalgamation has been for the majority of Auckland regional citizens and ratepayers.
What did Phil Goff do to oppose the Wellington, Northland or Hawke’s Bay proposed ‘Supercities’?
What has Phil Goff ever done to oppose this disastrous Auckland ‘Supercity’ ( for the1%) ?
What, in my view, helped to wreck Auckland – were the ‘Rogernomics reforms’ – during which Phil Goff was a Cabinet Minister.
In my opinion, Phil Goff might keep his pants on in the Ngati Whatua room, but nothing else will fundamentally change.
Auckland, under Phil Goff as Mayor, in my opinion, will continue to be run ‘like a business, by business – FOR business’ – with the mechanism for this corporate takeover – Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) remaining intact.
Penny
Interesting comment. If you can keep future ones to that length and spaced like that so points separate and easy to read I think you will get more traction. And if you want to get excerpts of longer documents set that up as a separate comment with a link to the rest of the document. My feedback. Good politicking!
edited
What’s the bet that the Report on the awful state of CYF’s functions, is a deliberate strategy to prepare us for Privatisation? We will be soon made to understand that the State has failed so there is only one answer; privatise. Obvious I suppose. And cunning.
Yep, National will have another privatisation option similar to Social Bonds or they may just widen the scope of those bonds. Basically, we’ll be seeing a lot more government subsidies of the private sector.
There have been suggestions up to 75 New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders are being held on Christmas Island but Australian authorities refuse to discuss numbers.
Radio New Zealand News has been told more and more New Zealanders have been arriving, including about 20 in the past few days.
Prime Minister John Key said he wanted Australia to provide better information about the treatment of people it was deporting to New Zealand.
I listened to an Oz/NZer woman being interviewed the other day on this situation. She said last year there were 125 NZer’s in these detention centres and now it has ramped up to 400. That was on RNZ too, but there a big difference between those numbers and the one quoted above……..
One woman, a mother of two and a permanent resident of Australia who has been there since she was three years old, was put in a detention centre with the view to being deported back to NZ, a country she doesn’t know at all.
She had a small string of petty crimes she had been charged with, the last one being the theft of $1300 worth of cosmetics from a department store (thats just a few items of lancome for goodness sake). She was actually was put in jail for three months for this crime and was then sent on to the detention centre where she had been for six months.
The treatment of Oz/NZer’s is barbaric. It’s like Australia have regressed to their convict days.
Professional director Rob Campbell says the only ‘bubble’ economy the world has to worry about is the “sealed bubble in which most finance professionals work”, buoyed up by “their hangers on and mutual admiration society colleagues in the other professions and upper echelons of corporate and state management.”
Media Release: 25 September 2015
Issued by: TPPA Auckland Call to Action
I am Key/Groser – Anti-TPPA protesters gather at Britomart
A large group of Anti-TPPA protesters donned in suits wearing John Key and Tim Groser masks will gather outside Britomart from 4.30pm today to send a peaceful but strong message to the Prime Minister and Trade Minister in the lead up to next week’s TPPA Ministerial.
“There is a strong majority of New Zealanders who do not want our Government to sign the controversial deal without the text being released and people having a say.” says Chantelle Campbell co-organiser of today’s event.
“As Trade Minister Groser gathers in Atlanta next week along with the eleven other Trade Ministers negotiating the TPPA, we want to remind him that as the people’s representative we do not want him to agree to signing a deal that is going to be substandard and detrimental to our country for generations to come.”
Concerned citizen Kevin Hester says he will be attending today’s event as “Signing the TPPA will severely limit our ability to confront the threat of runaway global warming and the ongoing 6th great extinction as described by the WWF and National Geographic.”
Saturday sees Chief Negotiators from the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement gather in Atlanta, US, to reconvene the negotiations, with Trade Ministers joining them on Wednesday with the aim to conclude the controversial deal.
“If the TPPA is not gold star for New Zealand nor even gold plated for dairy according to Groser now, it will obviously be Tinpot so what is left to negotiate?” says aggrieved citizen Jacqueline Taylor.
The message is strong and clear – Walk Away from the TPPA!
For those familiar with the idea of a Sovereign Money System, the contrast between it and our current system makes clear an important reality of today’s power structure. This reality is that the privilege of private banks to create for profit the public currency represents a massive implicit subsidy to some of the world’s most powerful financial institutions at the expense of sovereign governments everywhere, and the people they represent. It is a lot like if your neighbourhood mafia chief dropped into your produce shop and informed you that all your inventory now belonged to him, and you now had to borrow it back from him in order to stay in business.
Is that National debt or Government debt? There’s a difference as National debt would also include all the private debt which is presently at ~100% of GDP and rising. Combine the two and our total indebtedness to the world is close to the fall over and play dead point.
Maybe when we sling National out in the next election Key can rebrand the party to “NATIONALCORP International” for hire, it cost you your democracy to have us run your country
Karen is nobody. And everybody. She’s a fictional crusader created in response to the Federal Government’s Radicalisation Awareness Kit designed for school students, that paints environmental activism and the alternative music scene as a gateway to terrorism.
In the 32-page booklet is this case study on violent extremism about a girl named Karen who was on the right track until she listened to alternative music and moved to a forest camp:
It’s amazing and truly disturbing the BS that the RWNJs paint as real.
Update on the “I am Key / Groser” anti-TPPA protest this evening, outside Btitomart.
The John Key / Tim Groser masks – particularly when worn with a suit and blue tie, are creepily effective ( as it were :).
Never been on a protest where the public stared so hard!
(Having been a ‘protestor ‘ since 18, and I’m now in my 61st year, that’s quite a thing to say 🙂
Signatures are now being collected for a new petition, addressed to PM John Key, MP for Helensville, which says;
“We the undersigned:
Are deeply concerned that as a key advocate for the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement’ (TPPA), you are a shareholder in the Bank of America, as detailed in the 2015 MPs Register of Financial Interests : (Pg 29)
” Rt Hon John Key (National, Helensville)
2 Other companies and business entities
………………………………………………..
Bank of America – banking”
We see this as a serious ‘conflict of interest’, given that big banks like the Bank of America, stand to benefit, and profit from this pro-corporate TPPA.
If this National Government, which you lead, does not ‘walk away from the secretive, undemocratic, ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement’ (TPPA), then we pledge to campaign vigorously amongst our friends, families, neighbours and workmates, for the voting public to ‘walk away’ from National.”
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For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
Apartment owners face maintenance timebomb
Underfunded apartment buildings around the country are set to fall into disrepair unless owners stump up the thousands of dollars required to fix them.
The law requires unit title complexes to have long term maintenance plans (LTMPs), but not long term maintenance funds to back them up.
It is more and more of an issue as Auckland in particular intensifies, according to Home Owners and Buyers Association (HOBANZ) president John Gray.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/72149091/apartment-owners-face-maintenance-timebomb
Where’s cv been hiding?
Haven’t seen him about for a while.
I am also concerned. I sent him an email yesterday afternoon asking if he was alright. I have had no reply yet.
I just heard from CV.
He is out of town but alive and well.
thanks for letting us know!
I was wondering that. I’ve been away for awhile and have come back to see that Te Reo Putake, CV and Stephanie haven’t been around. Mind you I haven’t read every single post.
Hopefully folks are ok and getting on with that life thing.
TRP last commented here on 12 August, but has not issued a post for quite some time. TRP is on Twitter and the last tweet is dated 19 Sept, and he/she has also been an active commentator on a certain Dunedinite’s blog – YourNZ – which I will not link to. Its starting to rival WO or Kiwiblog these days in terms of the nature of most comments. TRP’s latest comment there was just yesterday.
CV last commented here on 19 Sept, so only a few days ago. He has a Twitter account under his real name, but tweets infrequently with the latest on 2 Sept.
SR last commented here on 30 August, but has done so less frequently recently than earlier this year and last year. She is very active on her Twitter account including today.
Karol is the one that I have been concerned about for months. After her departure from here, she continued to post on her own blog Edge Times and on her Twitter account, but there has been no activity on either of these since March. I hope she is OK.
Could all be part of a right wing conspiracy..
Hi veutoviper.
I recall karol mentioning not long before she withdrew from being a TS author that she had other projects she wanted to pursue. I had the impression they were not related to politics. She is sorely missed because her analytical ability was second to none.
Thank you detective v!
I’m not on twitter, or fb for that matter either, so am self limiting with access to communications in the political world. Twittter seems to be a good platform for that kind of activity.
I also had been thinking of karol and had looked at her Edge Times blog but then everything went quiet.
karol seemed to put a lot of heart and soul into her thoughtful and intelligent writing. I hope this world we live in with it’s constant struggles hasn’t got on top of her. If so, I hope she is making the best of taking time out. I think this can be helpful to do at times. Our social – political world is more than an intellectual experience, it’s creates an emotive response and some times it’s personal.
If you’re listening karol, maybe say hi, let us know you’re ok. If you want.
And lols, TRP, don’t tell us you joined the beige brigade!!!
I imagine he’s there to stir up a hornets nest for the beige one. Not prepared to go there to check.
I heard they where concocting a stable far left political party that will provide a party to the missing miliion and not chase the biggest donor that comes along.
This may be a nasty rumour started by me.:-)
😀
amen to that Rosie.
Also…
…………….Philip…..
Ure………………………Hope……..hes-OK .
…….but…….don’t…….
miss…………him
…………….though
……………………. !
CV and Stephanie both went AWOL around the same time – late August/early September.
But neither could resist Jeremy Corbyn’s win – both resuming with a few comments on the day of his victory (Stephanie just using her first name which is why you won’t find these more recent comments in a search). Stephanie hasn’t been heard of since (apart, of course, from twitter and boots theory), and although Corby drew CV back, he seems to have become just an occasional commenter.
All of which is a bit of a shame. They both produced some very incisive posts.
I particularly miss CV’s concise, lucid, hard-hitting arguments, especially on the implications of Sanders/Corbymania.
Rightly or wrongly, I’m assuming there’s been some ructions behind the scenes at some point with the various authors (CV published my fairly blunt criticism of Rob Salmond’s Go to the Centre thesis as a post and I’m hoping that wasn’t the cause of any grief or fallout). Then, again, maybe given their heavy workload – writing/researching regular posts while simultaneously juggling demanding careers – they just need a bit of a break.
The very sharp, witty and incisive Felix, of course, has also gone absent-without-leave following fisticuffs with TRP in early June here…
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10062015/#comment-1028912
TRP was pretty heavy-handed and felix (whose been with The Standard right from the start) was obviously pissed off enough not bother returning from his brief ban. So, another important voice lost to us.
A couple of months later, TRP disappears off the face of the earth.
Go figure.
All of which leads me to express a great deal of thanks to 1prent, Bill, Tracey and, perhaps above all, Micky and Anthony for taking up the slack and producing well-written posts day-after-day over the last few weeks. Exhausting schedule when you also have heavy work commitments.
(Hoping not to cop a ban myself for all of this wild speculation)
No ban from that. That is just observation rather than making up stories (which is what the anti-conspiracy rules are about).
As usual (I have been around here for 8 years now), The Standard is in a state of transition at present. We always seem to be in the year after an election. We lose people who were heavily involved prior to the election. We have new people being brought on board and finding out that it is a pain in the arse and requires sheer bloody minded persistence to hang in and fading out. It has been particularly frustrating this time around from my perspective.
We have the usual problems with authors arguing and disagreeing about courses of action. It is more complicated over the last year by having a private authors area in which to do it. Some of the turnover will be from my expressing the side edge of my irritation as I see valuable time that has been invested in bringing authors and moderators up to speed on this site getting wasted by people not agreeing to disagree. (That comes from my family and my professional instincts, which are those from operations and production backgrounds where training other people to be effective is the hardest and most expensive task we do)
Historically, the site has had several different ‘management’ styles, which I have provided the semi-autocratic sysop technical and net-cultural underpinning for.
From my perspective, the main thing being discussed at present is the way to bring new authors and moderators on board without having the inevitable ideological and personality disagreements/backbiting driving them away. I neither have time nor the inclination to waste my effort and time trying to bring people up to speed unless that organisational issue is solved.
If it gets solved, then fine. If not, then we will have to execute an orderly shutdown to free up time to work on other things. The only thing really preventing that is the ever increasing popularity of the site.
According to google analytics, we are also having a hell of growth spurt in readership, the like of which we haven’t seen in percentage terms since startup. Umm, you like numbers…
Looking at the 6 month period from March to August across non-general election years. The page views are ‘corrected’ by me downwards because of a problem in 2011 with facebook async protocols causing excessive page lookups. (For the inevitable trolls, these are not Whaleoil style figures. These are close to being accurate for real humans and without paid for added readership boosters).
page views
Since these are largely the winter months, they are pretty good for looking at base levels of readership. What we are getting is a lot more people reading the site, and most of them are either daily readers or they read several times per week. The levels of less than a few times per month readers hasn’t increased by anything as much. In other words we are less affected by the vagaries of google as our local base of readers has continued to rise.
Have you considered changing you’re no advertising stance , so there is cash to pay someone to do some of the heavy lifting.
Since these are largely the winter months, they are pretty good for looking at base levels of readership. What we are getting is a lot more people reading the site, and most of them are either daily readers or they read several times per week. The levels of less than a few times per month readers hasn’t increased by anything as much. In other words we are less affected by the vagaries of google as our local base of readers has continued to rise.
I’ve been thinking a bit lately about what it must be like for readers to read the comments and if this affects their willingness or otherwise to comment (eg long threads that are really in house conversations often bickering that won’t make sense to people who don’t understand the players). I’d like to see us (commenters) make more of an effort to wrote comments for everyone, readers as well as the people we are talking to. There is so much to learn here and one of the great values and potentials of ts is its ability to inform and encourage people to think.
A couple of questions then for admin/authors. Do you think that high readership is enough of a goal to keep ts going irrespective of what the commenters are doing (both in terms of content and numbers)?
Are readership stats important for you in why you write posts or continue to write posts?
can I suggest an acknowledgement email for submissions, with maybe a very rough timeframe for posting? And especially an email when it gets published.
At the moment it’s a bit like throwing it into a void, when if there was a plunk from the void they might throw another one (and yes, I’m tossing around an idea or two).
I recall someone else complaining that they’d sent something to the TS gmail and not heard anything back.
Cheers, 1prent.
“wasted by people not agreeing to disagree…….the inevitable ideological and personality disagreements/backbiting…….”
Isn’t that always the way on the Left. We’re our own worst enemies.
“ever increasing popularity of the site…….a hell of a growth spurt in readership.”
Yep, the numbers tell the story. It’s easy for us regular commenters to forget that there’s a vast number of largely silent readers. Which almost certainly means that each of the few hundred of us who do regularly comment on the site probably have a massive fan-base out there.
All of which probably explains the scene I saw the other day driving along Lambton Quay. Down opposite the new District Court, a whole lot of drunken yobos suddenly poured out of a Sports Bar and started screaming and swinging wild punches at each other. Others were lying almost comatose in the gutter, surrounded by their own vomit. About half were wearing t-shirts with a large Purple Identicon with the word “Swordfish” below, the other half wore shirts with a bright Red Identicon and the name “Puckish Rogue”.
It slowly dawned on me that these two warring tribes were our respective fan-bases. They’d obviously all been watching The Standard posts and comments coming up Live on the big screen in the Sports Bar and presumably a particularly erudite reply I’d just posted to Puckers had caused an eruption of excitement and triumphant chanting among my own loyal followers (“Puckers, Puckers, Puckers, Out, Out, Out !!!”), leading, in turn, to total outrage and fisticuffs from Puckers’ loyalists.*
* The last 2 paragraphs may not entirely correspond with reality. But, then again, they just might.
Hi swordfish,
I recall that stoush between felix and TRP and was disappointed at the outcome. TRP was always entertaining to read, but on that occasion he overdid his responses to felix. An apology may have solved the problem – who knows. In the end we lost two commentators whose contributions for different reasons were highly valued.
I also miss felix and hope he returns at some point.
Thanks swordfish. I’m still around but I’m not planning on posting here in the future. lprent has given his version of events. Long story short for me is I’m having a very busy year and don’t have the energy to keep running up against some of the shittier parts of this site’s community.
I could only bash my head against the brick wall trying to shift its position before realising it was far more comfortable posting in my own space where I’m not expected to put up with patriarchal bullying. Fewer readers maybe, fewer headaches definitely.
So anyone who’s interested in my posts can find them at bootstheory.wordpress.com or @bootstheory on Twitter. Peace.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/285193/flag-'debate'-ideal-for-point-scoring
This article maps out how key played the red peak for all its worth ,and he got the added bonus of some from labour and the greens tearing at each others throats to there shame.
#cunning as a shit house ratkey
Wouldn’t have been an issue if they stayed out of the flag process from day 1 with the clear message that there’s alot more important issues for $26m to be applied to.
bing bing bing
we have a winner.
I just hope the ones who at making all the noise about who did what to who are not the same ones who where making a lot of noise about getting the red rag added to the mix.
it’s a tea towel, come on. Mind a rag is also a tea towel, just an older one?
I was leaning towards red rag to a bull as that’s what its become to some
well i have been quite clear about not wanting this whole shebang to go ahead in the first place. I believe we have more pressing issues at hand. If I would have magical powers, i would go ‘Pouf, the magic dragon, we have never spoken about the tea towels in this fair land”. But i guess instead i will have to vote for Hypno Flag, and then NO.
lol. we are still gonna end up with an ugly, meaningless rag/towel.
https://www.facebook.com/winstonpeters
Browneye doesn’t seem to be too forthcoming on what happened.
Those Iroquois are old. I certainly wouldn’t buy one to use as the maintenance on them would probably cost more than simply buying a new helicopter of similar capability.
Then I suspect that there’s the avionics which the US probably has a say in who it can be sold to and without which the things couldn’t be flown. But if that’s the case then they shouldn’t have been made available to general tender.
Really, this is one of those times when it looks like NZ1st are making a mountain out of a molehill.
“But Mark Thomas, deputy chairman of Auckland Council’s Orakei local board, told the Local Government Commission earlier this month that, for all their concerns, the local boards were actually quite happy with the super-city structure.”
(Dominion Post 15 April 2015)
As a confirmed 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate – my proven track record is one of absolute opposition to the proposed Auckland ‘Supercity’ for NINE years – since 5 September 2006 – the day of the failed ‘Mayoral coup’.
Unlike any of the other 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidates (confirmed or not) my proven track record shows I have worked (successfully) with those opposing the proposed Wellington, Northland and Hawke’s Bay ‘Supercities’, by exposing what a disaster this (forced) Auckland amalgamation has been for the majority of Auckland regional citizens and ratepayers.
What did Phil Goff do to oppose the Wellington, Northland or Hawke’s Bay proposed ‘Supercities’?
What has Phil Goff ever done to oppose this disastrous Auckland ‘Supercity’ ( for the1%) ?
What, in my view, helped to wreck Auckland – were the ‘Rogernomics reforms’ – during which Phil Goff was a Cabinet Minister.
In my opinion, Phil Goff might keep his pants on in the Ngati Whatua room, but nothing else will fundamentally change.
Auckland, under Phil Goff as Mayor, in my opinion, will continue to be run ‘like a business, by business – FOR business’ – with the mechanism for this corporate takeover – Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) remaining intact.
Penny Bright
Penny
Interesting comment. If you can keep future ones to that length and spaced like that so points separate and easy to read I think you will get more traction. And if you want to get excerpts of longer documents set that up as a separate comment with a link to the rest of the document. My feedback. Good politicking!
edited
What’s the bet that the Report on the awful state of CYF’s functions, is a deliberate strategy to prepare us for Privatisation? We will be soon made to understand that the State has failed so there is only one answer; privatise. Obvious I suppose. And cunning.
Yep, National will have another privatisation option similar to Social Bonds or they may just widen the scope of those bonds. Basically, we’ll be seeing a lot more government subsidies of the private sector.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5m5B_C2VB0
OZ detaining Kiwis on Christmas Island?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/285207/detaining-kiwis-in-australia-'displays-contempt‘
There have been suggestions up to 75 New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders are being held on Christmas Island but Australian authorities refuse to discuss numbers.
Radio New Zealand News has been told more and more New Zealanders have been arriving, including about 20 in the past few days.
Prime Minister John Key said he wanted Australia to provide better information about the treatment of people it was deporting to New Zealand.
oh well, surely nothing can be done about it.
I listened to an Oz/NZer woman being interviewed the other day on this situation. She said last year there were 125 NZer’s in these detention centres and now it has ramped up to 400. That was on RNZ too, but there a big difference between those numbers and the one quoted above……..
One woman, a mother of two and a permanent resident of Australia who has been there since she was three years old, was put in a detention centre with the view to being deported back to NZ, a country she doesn’t know at all.
She had a small string of petty crimes she had been charged with, the last one being the theft of $1300 worth of cosmetics from a department store (thats just a few items of lancome for goodness sake). She was actually was put in jail for three months for this crime and was then sent on to the detention centre where she had been for six months.
The treatment of Oz/NZer’s is barbaric. It’s like Australia have regressed to their convict days.
ausie rw goverment acting like the pricks they are
A great item in the Herald of all places:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11518824
Ironic that all it takes for the Left to start tearing itself apart is a flag design.
Or the GP working cross party like it’s always said it would.
See what I mean?
not really. Can you explain?
Yep, looks like we’ve finally reached “Peak Red” (TM)
Know about this folks? It will be FUN!
Media Release: 25 September 2015
Issued by: TPPA Auckland Call to Action
I am Key/Groser – Anti-TPPA protesters gather at Britomart
A large group of Anti-TPPA protesters donned in suits wearing John Key and Tim Groser masks will gather outside Britomart from 4.30pm today to send a peaceful but strong message to the Prime Minister and Trade Minister in the lead up to next week’s TPPA Ministerial.
“There is a strong majority of New Zealanders who do not want our Government to sign the controversial deal without the text being released and people having a say.” says Chantelle Campbell co-organiser of today’s event.
“As Trade Minister Groser gathers in Atlanta next week along with the eleven other Trade Ministers negotiating the TPPA, we want to remind him that as the people’s representative we do not want him to agree to signing a deal that is going to be substandard and detrimental to our country for generations to come.”
Concerned citizen Kevin Hester says he will be attending today’s event as “Signing the TPPA will severely limit our ability to confront the threat of runaway global warming and the ongoing 6th great extinction as described by the WWF and National Geographic.”
Saturday sees Chief Negotiators from the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement gather in Atlanta, US, to reconvene the negotiations, with Trade Ministers joining them on Wednesday with the aim to conclude the controversial deal.
“If the TPPA is not gold star for New Zealand nor even gold plated for dairy according to Groser now, it will obviously be Tinpot so what is left to negotiate?” says aggrieved citizen Jacqueline Taylor.
The message is strong and clear – Walk Away from the TPPA!
Ends
When Entire Economies are Held Hostage
Yes, our present monetary system actually subsidises the banks at our expense (Yes, it would be nice to have NZ research but we’ll have to make do). No wonder they keep brining in record profits. This isn’t a sign of the country doing well but of the country being ripped off for more and more with the increasing poverty in the country showing that the country is failing because of that theft.
And just so we are clear the National Debt is now
$66,886,200,000 and rising as we breath.
Is that National debt or Government debt? There’s a difference as National debt would also include all the private debt which is presently at ~100% of GDP and rising. Combine the two and our total indebtedness to the world is close to the fall over and play dead point.
Maybe when we sling National out in the next election Key can rebrand the party to “NATIONALCORP International” for hire, it cost you your democracy to have us run your country
Do we need to be thinking and being scared about WWIII now? The desperation seems so high and the leaders seem so incompetent.
#FreeKaren Explained: The Fictional Environmentalist Accused Of Terrorism
It’s amazing and truly disturbing the BS that the RWNJs paint as real.
Lords of the Dance
No. 2: TREVOR MALLARD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7_tdzKUyzI
“Lords of the Dance” is curated by Morrissey Breen, for Daisycutter Sports Inc.
Aficionados of such spectacles may also like to check out…..
No. 1 Rodney Hide
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24092015/#comment-1073954
Update on the “I am Key / Groser” anti-TPPA protest this evening, outside Btitomart.
The John Key / Tim Groser masks – particularly when worn with a suit and blue tie, are creepily effective ( as it were :).
Never been on a protest where the public stared so hard!
(Having been a ‘protestor ‘ since 18, and I’m now in my 61st year, that’s quite a thing to say 🙂
Signatures are now being collected for a new petition, addressed to PM John Key, MP for Helensville, which says;
“We the undersigned:
Are deeply concerned that as a key advocate for the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement’ (TPPA), you are a shareholder in the Bank of America, as detailed in the 2015 MPs Register of Financial Interests : (Pg 29)
” Rt Hon John Key (National, Helensville)
2 Other companies and business entities
………………………………………………..
Bank of America – banking”
We see this as a serious ‘conflict of interest’, given that big banks like the Bank of America, stand to benefit, and profit from this pro-corporate TPPA.
If this National Government, which you lead, does not ‘walk away from the secretive, undemocratic, ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement’ (TPPA), then we pledge to campaign vigorously amongst our friends, families, neighbours and workmates, for the voting public to ‘walk away’ from National.”
———————————————————————
Penny Bright