There is an old fashioned look to the Labour party now.
As David Shearer was out of NZ from 1989 to 2009 with a short retuen 2000 to 2002, it is understandable that he reference people and reference points are 80s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Shearer
Retaining old codgers like Mike Smith, Mike Williams and Ian Fraser is keeping him in touch with the 80s!.
Being advised on tactic by Aneetee King, Phil Goff and Trevor Mallars. (& Tamahere?)…not exactly the Social Medial Generation….
Keeping back talent like Little, Cunliffe, Wall and Chauvel compounds the problem .
David Shearer is running out of time to make Labour relevant to the 16, 17 , 18, 19 year olds who are voting the first time
David Shearer is running out of time to make Labour relevant to the 800,000 who did not see a reason to vote.
There is some time. David needs to get fresh youthful people (non- parliamentary staffers ffs) experienced in this NOW world.
Sadly, all too true KV. From the outside, the current Labour caucus seems to be drifting with the tide and totally lacking the guts and brains required to lead in Opposition. In contrast, the Greens are making waves with regular displays of analysis and initiative on a number of topics.
Intriguing to compare, on a daily basis, the posts and comments on NZ left wing blogs with actual Labour efforts. No wonder they claim not to read the blogs!
Certainly NZ deserves a better government. But it also deserves a better Labour opposition.
State owned Genesis Energy is being ready for the sales block. Announcing a 85 % rise in profit & a return of $72 million for the last 6 months. So what have their 265,000 customers got to say?
I am a customer and have this to say ” give us customers a rebate since your making such healthy returns, 85 % rise & 72 million says your over charging us.”
“Get rid of Chairwoman Jenny Shipley as I am uncomfortable with her recent failures.”
“I am giving my notice as a & customer & consumer in protest to state assets being sold.”
Genesis Energy have been up dating all their meters so they do not have to come out for a reading or do an estimate. The cost of upgrade would have cut into their profit.
Oh please. If you move to the state owned energy company with the lowest profits, and everyone else does, we would all be using our customer power to lower our power prices.
So which companies made the least profit???
Jackson could do a movie about the Hobbit deal and he could be nominated for an oscar, (best director, best lead male role). Key likes the camera and having the Crown Law emails released would add to the intrigue of the relationship between Key and Jackson.
The Artistic Taxi Driver on the disastrous U$K situation where the banks and the privateers are being bailed out with trillions, but the people especially the disabled, the sick, and unemployed are being screwed with workfare and sanctions. The Tory scum have abandoned ordinary brits in favour of the casino speculating banks. All this has been prepared with a press campaign on scroungers and the like. This is the NeoLiberal scumbag system of profit before people and KeyBoy is following the exact same path here. At this moment they’re taking advice from a Welsh Pommie Toffter on how to reduce the disabled roles here and it won’t be pretty. 🙁
Same crap happening in the U$ which is in depression. The bail out money received by the casino crook banks has been invested for profit in the BRIC countries NOT in the has been U$ economy. Refer Michael Hudson for this. The U$ and the U$K are fighting in the last ditch to avoid the inevitable: a socialist society as the UK had just after the end of WW11.Note that is NOT a communist society. The Market has clearly been shown to be a socially and environmentally a destructive force as a nuclear war.
“Australian corporate chief calls for major welfare cuts” Key’s mates are egging him on:
“The Australian corporate elite’s demands for the government to impose the kind of drastic austerity measures being implemented in Europe and the US were spelt out again on Saturday in a speech by Don Argus, the former chairman of mining conglomerate BHP Billiton and the National Australia Bank. Argus declared that public spending in Australia was “unsustainable” and demanded a “national conversation about our welfare budget and how it could be better calibrated for the challenging period ahead.”
Argus, a multi-millionaire who wants for nothing, stated that his view, which means millions of working people will suffer severe cuts to their living standards, was “common sense.” Government spending, he asserted, had “outpaced income” and therefore had to be reduced. Feigning concern over rising youth unemployment, Argus called for increases in productivity to create jobs. In reality, “productivity” is the corporate code word for lowering wages and working conditions, and destroying jobs in order to boost profits.”
So NZ signed a deal with the US with regards to our food safety. What does that mean? Well, for starters the second guy at the FDA is a Monzanto guy and guess what? We are going to cut some red tape with regards to “potential” regulatory burden: What does that mean? Watch Farmageddon and find out!
Funny how he is happy to accept the story about Muslims conspiring without a real shred of evidence while dissing real questions such as how come a building twice reinforced to withstand a nuclear blast collapsed in 6.5 seconds into its own footprint for the first and last time in history?
Now that awaths of North Island are being declared *state of drought*, this is the perfect opportunity for Monsanto, woops I mean the FDA to to come to rescue of NZ.
Health services in Northland and Manukau are pioneering school-based treatment for children, but they are exposing big gaps in health coverage, particularly rheumatic fever, and highlighting housing issues.
Dr Lance O’Sullivan says he would not see most of Kaitaia’s children with skin infections if he didn’t go into schools to look for them.
“Vulnerable children are not getting into doctors’ surgeries enough,” he says in the general practice clinic that he opened last year at Kaitaia Hospital, from which he visits children in 14 local schools.
“We can sit here in a particular role, or we can take health services to where people live, work and play,” he says.
“This is actually getting out of our rooms, getting off our butts and working through the schools and reaching the kids and getting them early.”
Dr O’Sullivan, until recently one of only two Maori general practitioners in Northland, has taken Health Ministry funding for tackling rheumatic fever and topped it up with money from the food charity KidsCan to put five nurses and health workers into the district’s schools.
A brilliant initiative but surely it is the job of government, not charity?
Yes, it is..but ultimately Northland is lucky to have Dr O’S. IMHO he looks as though he is crossing some boundaries BUT THANK GOD HE IS!
Without him these kids would just be someone else’s problem and would develop life long consequences of the gov’s health neglect.
Once they have a good model of delivering a service at low/no cost they would be in a much better position to obtain government funding (thanks again to Dr O’S and his supporters). Northland is really a crucible for the rest of the country who are following at a less noticeable pace.
Yes, it takes people like Dr O’S to shake the system up a bit. However the MoH should be funding a trial, not relying on a driven GP to seek out charity funding. It’s hard enough doing the work without having to sort out how to fund it.
To me it’s another example of the government’s lack of focus on primary care, population health and prevention of illness.
“but surely it is the job of government, not charity?”
I don’t think what O’Sullivan is doing is charity. It’s the community organising itself. We should all be doing this – it creates more stable communities, and better health services (locals know better than MoH in Welly). It also futureproofs communities in the face of teotwawki.
Yes, govt ‘should’ be providing health services to all NZ kids. But they’re not, and it’s been a long time now since we’ve had a comprehensive, accessible health system. Time to take things into our own hands.
O’Sullivan’s points about how GPs practice are pertinent. Doctors SHOULD be going into the community and making themselves accessible. The whole making people travel to the GP, sit and wait sometimes for a long time, for 10 minutes of the GPs time model… that’s an insane way to run primary health care, and it’s come about because the people with privilege have organised it that way to suit themselves, not the people in need.
As an aside to that, every GP I have had has worked less then full time. I’m sure this varies hugely depending on many factors, but many GPs get paid very well for what they do, and seem to be benefiting greatly from the state subsidy to primary health care. All my GPs trained pre-student loans though, so that’s another factor.
Well, they’d know the local conditions better but the ministry would have better knowledge of drugs and therapies available.
O’Sullivan’s points about how GPs practice are pertinent. Doctors SHOULD be going into the community and making themselves accessible. The whole making people travel to the GP, sit and wait sometimes for a long time, for 10 minutes of the GPs time model… that’s an insane way to run primary health care, and it’s come about because the people with privilege have organised it that way to suit themselves, not the people in need.
Agreed but it still comes down to resources – what resources are available and which option uses less.
Will the ‘HairDo from Ohariu’ Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne make it through to the 2014 election, the ‘skunk’ look has gone in favor of a totally white bouffant and seen yesterday Dunne has lost a hell of a lot of weight,
Perhaps another MP in the grip of vanity fear having had a stomach staple job, or has the piece of string which is the ‘Hairdo’s” lifeline come to an untimely end…
Lockdown’s Pelican Bay, that’s where the killers wanna’ be to “hone their skills”. Southern Mexicans certainly prepared amongst the BRIICS (beware the NLR). Silver Ants are expert at navigating by the sun and proportionately cross the desert at 450km/hr. It’s an Enigma, yet Joyce looked decidedly uncomfortable around The Hobbit.
Daniel Day-Lewis IS the “Greatest Actor of All Time” (Foot Supports Intl. is a registerd Work and Income supplier apparently; better put ya’ best foot forward while special offer lasts.
RNZ- Helen Kelly is Everywhere (spooky).
GB-“Bob the Builder”of Backbenchers seems more like Rob the Gilder and Tolley the smoking gun.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
What IF! What if after the next election National rule alone, Labour have less seats, the greens have more! Will we blame Shearer, will we blame policies or will we blame the poll and the press? just asking!
Greens get a proportion, When Labour voters vote Labour in constituent seats and Greens in the list vote then Labour get a overhang (like the Maori party now) – parliament is now 121 seats.
So if you are say Greens get more seats and Labour less, it means Labours vote has collapsed again!!! Which is what happened at the last election, Goffed.
Labour needs to get back in touch with NZ voters by standing up to and for policies that are good for NZ voters, and it still hasn’t been able to sell a CGT or a tax free threshold on income, why?
Because nobody believes they have rejected Rogernomics.
Hear this; you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet,
they lean upon the Lord and say “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” (the opening prayer of parliament always cracks me up). Therefore, because of you, Zion will be ploughed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound (interesting)
overgrown with thickets. 😉
Eccl. 5:* : If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things: for one official is engaged by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.
10: Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
11: As goods increase, so do those who consume. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them.
12: The sleep of a laborer is sweet whether he eats little or much, yet the abundance of a rich man often permits him no sleep.
I agree, if the Greens are on the ascendancy and Labour on the decline ,it’s not left wing policies that are at fault. It’s got to be that the higherarchy of the party is ineffective.
farewell sweet aotearoa … what a tragedy for us all. then gnats will also approve the destruction of milford sound courtesy of the ‘trusted’ nick smith … wow… miserable day. and the referendum is not binding is it ?
Werewolf is out. The article linked above is particularly interesting:
Its an example of how ingrained the culture of low pay has become in our society: it is now seen as a core duty of government to effectively subsidise corporate profits (and hence the incomes of the wealthy) by compensating for their sub-standard wages. We spend over a billion dollars a year doing this; meanwhile the idea of government regulating for decent wages (or even paying them itself) is apparently now politically unthinkable for the major parties.
“….So….where do we go from here in order to make the Living Wage become a reality? Not to mention to achieve a Universal Basic Income that can address the income/participation needs of the unwaged on benefits who could miss out on the Living Wage, just as they do not qualify for the Working For Families subsidies at present.
One way forward would be to vote for political parties who promise to regulate for a Living Wage and to increase the benefit levels. (Good luck with convincing the Labour Party to do either.) There is another avenue however. The political parties could be pressured to amend the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, in order to put social, cultural and economic rights on the same legal footing as the civil and political rights that we already recognize under BORA. That way, people would have a legal mechanism to seek a decent standard of living as a fundamental right, and not as an act of charity bestowed by employers and/or by benevolent governments. It would also mean that all future legislation would have to be vetted for its impact on the standard of living – and for the extent, for instance, to which it may contribute to economic hardship and income inequality. Any retrogressive socio-economic legislation would then need to justify its existence.
This may sound like airy-fairy stuff. It isn’t. It might be the only way to escape from the whims and expediency of the government of the day. And luckily, the intellectual spadework has already been done. Wellington-based lawyer Joss Opie wrote his law thesis on the subject, and that’s available online (click item 6 on the list here.)…”
I trust the link at the top of the page meets the requirements of all site regulations regarding linkage, Draco.
Hey Xtasy,
I saw this note from Gordon Campbell in today’s ‘Werewolf’ and thought of you*
Thanks to Lyndon for helping me post this online. And thanks to everyone who’s got this far, and shown an interest in reading Werewolf and keeping it going. Thanks a lot. If you want to be involved and want to talk over some story ideas, contact me at gordon@scoop.co.nz
just saying: I invite Gordon to read the Standard and get inspired! Thanks for the suggestion though. I have as of recent been a bit nocturnal, I am afraid, I have my bizarre “cycles” of activity.
Had a thought last night re getting NZ out of debt…
Would like to know if this is feasable…
This all needs to be relatively top secret if it were to be done
Have a series of SOEs. lets say 5 for good measure
Have a govt owned bank. (Reserve Bank)
Have a Govt owned bank that is customer facing
Set up a long list of fictitious customers via a data entry upload into SOE systems
Have the Reserve Bank secretly generate more money than National debt.
Funnel Money through SOEs via ficticious customers.
That money is then returned clean and clear to the Govt via dividend payments
Pay off overseas debt.
And yes I know what it is. 🙂
The question is, is it feasible at least in principle without tanking the dollar.
If not are there any tweaks that could be made so that it is.
To start off, perhaps do it the Argentine way, simply default and have it written off, to start anew? That is always a last option solution. But then the debt collectors inside and outside of NZ do not like this, do they?
RN: “Does the minister think it’s a laughing matter when a minister of the crown comes to this house and misleads this house, directly misleads this house by telling the house that there had been no pressure from Warner bros when the email traffic released just yesterday proves that there was very significant pressure from Warner bros to change our law?”
SJ: “Well Mr Speaker I think that what is a laughing matter is that this member talks constantly about creating jobs in the NZ economy, but opposes every hands on measure in which to do that.”
Norman objects that the question was not answered, and the Speaker denies him saying he should re-read his question and that Joyce answered the question “very adequately.” Is “Does the minister think…” not a good way to frame the question perhaps? Or am I missing something?
Anyway the whole 14 odd minutes is Joyce dodging Norman’s questions with responses like “I wasn’t the minister at the time,” “I haven’t read that speech,” “I’m not aware of the details of that question, but blah blah blah about something else.”
At one point the speaker agrees that Joyce hasn’t answered a question and asks Norman to repeat it. Joyce gives more of the same bollocks, and Norman is allowed to repeat the question again. Another non-answer. Norman objects, but the speaker rules that it’s simply time to move on. Cosgrove asks whether one can now ‘get off the hook’ to a question if one simply repeats a BS answer three times. The Speaker answers that it’s now for the public to judge Joyce’s answer. I’m so sure it will be all over Seven Sharp.
Thank goodness we have parliament’s ‘robust’ debates to keep our politicians in check in this perceived least corrupt country.
Perhaps the Speaker has been reminded ‘just who’s side He is on’, yesterday on a point of order from NZFirst’s Winston Peters who accused Slippery the Prime Minister of giggling like a school boy instead of answering a question from the Labour Benches the Speaker angrily directed Slippery to answer the question,
Slippery certainly didn’t look to happy about the rebuke…
No sorry i didn’t take note of the questions, it may have even have been a question asked by Russell Norman that had Winston telling the Speaker that Slippery’s answer was ”giggling like a schoolboy”,
That was yesterday’s question time just in case your confused…
Found it, near the end of question 2. The calmly speaker said it would be helpful if the PM could give concise answers, but equally helpful if the the opposition could cut out the loud interjections. Not much of a win for the left. I didn’t see Slippery bat an eyelid either.
The present “speaker” of the House is also a “speaker” for his favoured government, it sounds more and more like. I could not believe the crap that man came up with over recent days. He now so often asks opposition questioners to repeat their questions, frustrating the whole process, and then he lets off most of the government ministers with the slack comment, that he believed the question was answered totally satisfactorily.
This is the worst speaker in the House that I can remember. NO bias, yeah right, pull out yet another TUI board, thanks.
The dipshit from dipton, aka bill english, has just given the reserve bank the ability to make banks require larger deposits for mortgages. So now it’ll be even harder for kiwis to get into their first home.
If he doesn’t provide other complementary policies to go with this then he’s just screwed over NZers even more.
Those responsible for Labour’s 2011election defeat should be identified and make a “dignified exit’’ from the caucus, Charles Chauvel said in his valedictory speech today.
Chauvel said he wished to make public two thoughts he had shared privately with Labour Party Leader David Shearer
First – He sincerely wished Shearer would be the next Prime Minister and regretted he would not be the Attorney General.
Second – In an apparent reference to the recent reshuffle which had seen many of those supportive to David Cunliffe’s leadership aspirations demoted, he said it was unproductive to keep seeking the “supposed’’ enemy within.
Instead in order to stop history repeating there needed to be an open and honest look at why Labour suffered its worst ever defeat in 2011
“Those responsible for it should make dignified exits and all the undoubted talent and diversity should be included in the shadow Cabinet, Chauvel said’’.
True and i think Labour need look no further than having Phill Goff kick off the 2011 election campaign with the ‘raising of the age for super policy’ as the number one culprit,
What a thing to tell the 40 odd % of workers who struggle every day to pay the bills while at the same time expecting their vote…
Just trying to find out where the problem is. Just ignore it whilst I do work on it. Problem only seems to happen on the production platform so I have to test it here.
FOUR ANTI-CORRUPTION ‘WHISTLE-BLOWERS’ – WILL BE TAKING OUR CONCERNS ABOUT ALLEGED CORRUPT AUCKLAND COUNCIL ‘COVER-UPS’ DIRECTLY TO THE MAYOR AND ALL COUNCILLORS – 10 AM THURSDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2013:
Speaking Rights at Public Forum, Governing Body meeting of Auckland Council, Thursday 28 February 2013 have been confirmed for Penny Bright, (and other ‘anti-corruption whistle-blowers’, Grace Haden, Gary Osbourne, and Lisa Prager).
Time: 10.00am
Venue: Council Chamber
Manukau Civic Building
31-33 Manukau Station Road
Manukau
_____________________________________________________________________________
(25 February 2013)
Good afternoon Penny
Your request to be heard in the Public Input section of the 28 February Governing Body meeting at Manukau has been accepted. You will be allocated five minutes in which to make your presentation.
Should you wish to distribute any material in support of your presentation, please provide 25 copies.
The Public Input section is at the beginning of the meeting so I would advise that you should be in attendance from 10.00am.
The Mayor’s Office has noted reference in your request to variously the Serious Fraud Office or fraud. It would be appreciated if you do have concerns in this area to forward them to the relevant authorities via proper formal complaint processes. The Mayor’s Office cautions against making statements that impugn the reputation of individuals in a public forum.
Penny Bright’s subject matter will be: “WHO IS RUNNING AUCKLAND COUNCIL?”
This is, in my considered opinion, of SIGNIFICANT ‘Public Interest’, and needs to be dealt with by the Governing Body, because it appears that the Auckland Mayor and Councillors are NOT in control of Auckland Council.
As an ‘Anti-corruption whistle-blower’ – I wish to raise directly with the Mayor and ALL Councillors:
1) Their statutory duties arising from the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990; the Local Government Act 2002, and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, regarding the lawful rights of citizens to directly communicate with their elected representatives.
2) I also wish to cover, not only the lack of protection for ‘whistle-blowing’ citizens and ratepayers, trying to raise alleged corrupt ‘conflicts of interest directly with elected representatives, but the attempts by unelected Council staff to ‘block’ this information from getting directly to elected representatives.
3) Given there is evidence which confirms that the ‘blocking’ / ‘filtering’ of such information, has come directly from the ‘the top’, I also wish to request a ‘Special’ / ‘Extraordinary’ meeting of the CEO Strategy Review Committee, where the actions and performance of the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay are reviewed directly by the Mayor and Councillors, who, in my considered opinion, should request independent legal advice from competent, legal professionals who specialise in ‘human rights’ law – unlike – ( in my considered opinion), the current General Counsel for Auckland Council).
4) For your information, I shall be requesting the attendance of representatives of the NZ Police and Serious Fraud Office (the ‘lead agency’ dealing with alleged corruption) at this, and any subsequent meetings on this matter.
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Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
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There is an old fashioned look to the Labour party now.
As David Shearer was out of NZ from 1989 to 2009 with a short retuen 2000 to 2002, it is understandable that he reference people and reference points are 80s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Shearer
Retaining old codgers like Mike Smith, Mike Williams and Ian Fraser is keeping him in touch with the 80s!.
Being advised on tactic by Aneetee King, Phil Goff and Trevor Mallars. (& Tamahere?)…not exactly the Social Medial Generation….
Keeping back talent like Little, Cunliffe, Wall and Chauvel compounds the problem .
David Shearer is running out of time to make Labour relevant to the 16, 17 , 18, 19 year olds who are voting the first time
David Shearer is running out of time to make Labour relevant to the 800,000 who did not see a reason to vote.
There is some time. David needs to get fresh youthful people (non- parliamentary staffers ffs) experienced in this NOW world.
Sadly, all too true KV. From the outside, the current Labour caucus seems to be drifting with the tide and totally lacking the guts and brains required to lead in Opposition. In contrast, the Greens are making waves with regular displays of analysis and initiative on a number of topics.
Intriguing to compare, on a daily basis, the posts and comments on NZ left wing blogs with actual Labour efforts. No wonder they claim not to read the blogs!
Certainly NZ deserves a better government. But it also deserves a better Labour opposition.
State owned Genesis Energy is being ready for the sales block. Announcing a 85 % rise in profit & a return of $72 million for the last 6 months. So what have their 265,000 customers got to say?
I am a customer and have this to say ” give us customers a rebate since your making such healthy returns, 85 % rise & 72 million says your over charging us.”
“Get rid of Chairwoman Jenny Shipley as I am uncomfortable with her recent failures.”
“I am giving my notice as a & customer & consumer in protest to state assets being sold.”
Genesis Energy have been up dating all their meters so they do not have to come out for a reading or do an estimate. The cost of upgrade would have cut into their profit.
while we are on the subject of water (Hint: it’s not oil)
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/25/the-coming-water-wars/
as in the Days of Noah (who needs to be able to swim on The Beach? shoot!)
Oh please. If you move to the state owned energy company with the lowest profits, and everyone else does, we would all be using our customer power to lower our power prices.
So which companies made the least profit???
Time to change suppliers.
I wonder if peter jackson will be brave enough to admit he decieved the country
Sociopaths never admit to doing wrong.
Jackson could do a movie about the Hobbit deal and he could be nominated for an oscar, (best director, best lead male role). Key likes the camera and having the Crown Law emails released would add to the intrigue of the relationship between Key and Jackson.
The Artistic Taxi Driver on the disastrous U$K situation where the banks and the privateers are being bailed out with trillions, but the people especially the disabled, the sick, and unemployed are being screwed with workfare and sanctions. The Tory scum have abandoned ordinary brits in favour of the casino speculating banks. All this has been prepared with a press campaign on scroungers and the like. This is the NeoLiberal scumbag system of profit before people and KeyBoy is following the exact same path here. At this moment they’re taking advice from a Welsh Pommie Toffter on how to reduce the disabled roles here and it won’t be pretty. 🙁
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpctuA5OtLs&list=UUGThM-ZZBba1Zl9rU-XeR-A&index=2
Same crap happening in the U$ which is in depression. The bail out money received by the casino crook banks has been invested for profit in the BRIC countries NOT in the has been U$ economy. Refer Michael Hudson for this. The U$ and the U$K are fighting in the last ditch to avoid the inevitable: a socialist society as the UK had just after the end of WW11.Note that is NOT a communist society. The Market has clearly been shown to be a socially and environmentally a destructive force as a nuclear war.
“Australian corporate chief calls for major welfare cuts” Key’s mates are egging him on:
“The Australian corporate elite’s demands for the government to impose the kind of drastic austerity measures being implemented in Europe and the US were spelt out again on Saturday in a speech by Don Argus, the former chairman of mining conglomerate BHP Billiton and the National Australia Bank. Argus declared that public spending in Australia was “unsustainable” and demanded a “national conversation about our welfare budget and how it could be better calibrated for the challenging period ahead.”
Argus, a multi-millionaire who wants for nothing, stated that his view, which means millions of working people will suffer severe cuts to their living standards, was “common sense.” Government spending, he asserted, had “outpaced income” and therefore had to be reduced. Feigning concern over rising youth unemployment, Argus called for increases in productivity to create jobs. In reality, “productivity” is the corporate code word for lowering wages and working conditions, and destroying jobs in order to boost profits.”
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/02/26/aust-f26.html Key is trying to work up the nerve to serve his kleptocratic masters, you better believe it, he doesn’t serve ordinary kiwis who don’t exist to him! 🙁
So NZ signed a deal with the US with regards to our food safety. What does that mean? Well, for starters the second guy at the FDA is a Monzanto guy and guess what? We are going to cut some red tape with regards to “potential” regulatory burden: What does that mean? Watch Farmageddon and find out!
Perhaps Monsanto was behind the WTC attack?
Perhaps you’re a dickhead who likes his GMO breakfast cereals. Who knows! In the mean time
Contrario doesn’t think that human beings conspire. It has never happenned. It doesn’t happen.
Nope, never happened and never will!
What a silly strawman. Of course people conspire. Why some Islamic terrorist conspired to bring down the WTC centre
How do you decide when there has been a conspiracy? And how do you determine whether you would know or not?
Funny how he is happy to accept the story about Muslims conspiring without a real shred of evidence while dissing real questions such as how come a building twice reinforced to withstand a nuclear blast collapsed in 6.5 seconds into its own footprint for the first and last time in history?
Now that awaths of North Island are being declared *state of drought*, this is the perfect opportunity for Monsanto, woops I mean the FDA to to come to rescue of NZ.
Just think of the possibilities!
Say no to GM dope
What, no earthquakes.
http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2013/nrl-scientists-produce-densest-artificial-ionospheric-plasma-clouds-using-haarp
locally, could be the “worst drought in 50 years” though.
Whereabouts RT?
Here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8359060/Northland-in-drought-Government-declares
Would there be a drought if all the ground cover had not been burned off last century?
No Joe, no earthquakes…What was your comment about!
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/25/world/asia/japan-earthquake
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/02/us-quake-japan-idUSBRE91107T20130202
GPs rely on charity to ensure the basic health needs of children are met.
A brilliant initiative but surely it is the job of government, not charity?
Yes, it is..but ultimately Northland is lucky to have Dr O’S. IMHO he looks as though he is crossing some boundaries BUT THANK GOD HE IS!
Without him these kids would just be someone else’s problem and would develop life long consequences of the gov’s health neglect.
Once they have a good model of delivering a service at low/no cost they would be in a much better position to obtain government funding (thanks again to Dr O’S and his supporters). Northland is really a crucible for the rest of the country who are following at a less noticeable pace.
Yes, it takes people like Dr O’S to shake the system up a bit. However the MoH should be funding a trial, not relying on a driven GP to seek out charity funding. It’s hard enough doing the work without having to sort out how to fund it.
To me it’s another example of the government’s lack of focus on primary care, population health and prevention of illness.
Agree.
God this government makes me sick.
The New Zealand people have tasked the government with providing health care to all, regardless of wealth. But that just aint happening.
Perhaps that $400 million for businessmen farmers could go to looking after these children.
Bleeaaarrgh, vomit spew, cough splutter croak.
I have nothing but contempt for this government and even more so for their supporters.
“but surely it is the job of government, not charity?”
I don’t think what O’Sullivan is doing is charity. It’s the community organising itself. We should all be doing this – it creates more stable communities, and better health services (locals know better than MoH in Welly). It also futureproofs communities in the face of teotwawki.
Yes, govt ‘should’ be providing health services to all NZ kids. But they’re not, and it’s been a long time now since we’ve had a comprehensive, accessible health system. Time to take things into our own hands.
O’Sullivan’s points about how GPs practice are pertinent. Doctors SHOULD be going into the community and making themselves accessible. The whole making people travel to the GP, sit and wait sometimes for a long time, for 10 minutes of the GPs time model… that’s an insane way to run primary health care, and it’s come about because the people with privilege have organised it that way to suit themselves, not the people in need.
As an aside to that, every GP I have had has worked less then full time. I’m sure this varies hugely depending on many factors, but many GPs get paid very well for what they do, and seem to be benefiting greatly from the state subsidy to primary health care. All my GPs trained pre-student loans though, so that’s another factor.
Well, they’d know the local conditions better but the ministry would have better knowledge of drugs and therapies available.
Agreed but it still comes down to resources – what resources are available and which option uses less.
“They started it!” http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/national-needs-to-grow-up.html
Ha, ha, good one.
Will the ‘HairDo from Ohariu’ Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne make it through to the 2014 election, the ‘skunk’ look has gone in favor of a totally white bouffant and seen yesterday Dunne has lost a hell of a lot of weight,
Perhaps another MP in the grip of vanity fear having had a stomach staple job, or has the piece of string which is the ‘Hairdo’s” lifeline come to an untimely end…
form Echo Beach; (Rose, Maria and Time grow Where The Wild Things Are)
http://gwend0lynleigh.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/susanna-and-the-elders-4452-mid.jpg
O Susanna, don’t you cry for me, better wormwood than Wormtongue
Hotere (2001) http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/hotere-2001 may be our greatest artist Ever without doubt Francis
Lockdown’s Pelican Bay, that’s where the killers wanna’ be to “hone their skills”. Southern Mexicans certainly prepared amongst the BRIICS (beware the NLR). Silver Ants are expert at navigating by the sun and proportionately cross the desert at 450km/hr. It’s an Enigma, yet Joyce looked decidedly uncomfortable around The Hobbit.
Daniel Day-Lewis IS the “Greatest Actor of All Time” (Foot Supports Intl. is a registerd Work and Income supplier apparently; better put ya’ best foot forward while special offer lasts.
RNZ- Helen Kelly is Everywhere (spooky).
GB-“Bob the Builder”of Backbenchers seems more like Rob the Gilder and Tolley the smoking gun.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
**Same sex marriage bill recommended to be passed into law by committee**
What IF! What if after the next election National rule alone, Labour have less seats, the greens have more! Will we blame Shearer, will we blame policies or will we blame the poll and the press? just asking!
Greens get a proportion, When Labour voters vote Labour in constituent seats and Greens in the list vote then Labour get a overhang (like the Maori party now) – parliament is now 121 seats.
So if you are say Greens get more seats and Labour less, it means Labours vote has collapsed again!!! Which is what happened at the last election, Goffed.
Labour needs to get back in touch with NZ voters by standing up to and for policies that are good for NZ voters, and it still hasn’t been able to sell a CGT or a tax free threshold on income, why?
Because nobody believes they have rejected Rogernomics.
forMicah:
Hear this; you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet,
they lean upon the Lord and say “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” (the opening prayer of parliament always cracks me up). Therefore, because of you, Zion will be ploughed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound (interesting)
overgrown with thickets. 😉
fro Living In the FuTure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esp_hOlFqiM
Eccl. 5:* : If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things: for one official is engaged by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.
10: Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
11: As goods increase, so do those who consume. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them.
12: The sleep of a laborer is sweet whether he eats little or much, yet the abundance of a rich man often permits him no sleep.
WOW
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Wayne%27s_Musical_Version_of_The_War_of_the_Worlds#Track_listing
(’cause you’re not here)
I’ll blame Shearer and those who selected him as leader. If the greens have more seats than Labour I think I’d be right to do so.
I agree, if the Greens are on the ascendancy and Labour on the decline ,it’s not left wing policies that are at fault. It’s got to be that the higherarchy of the party is ineffective.
Doesn’t have to be just the hierarchy, the entire party could be out of touch with the majority of the populace and reality.
Getting people to vote is what has to happen. There has to be a good reason for people to vote. A policy for under 30s, those age 30 – 65 and over 65.
Shearer will not be the leader this time next year if Labour do not improve by at least 5%.
English admits there is a problem, and LVR will be used.( or maybe as it will become wheelers problem)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8358864/House-buyers-may-need-bigger-deposit
The first option should be the low hanging fruit ie taxing non resident housing investments.
The Bewitched, The Beguyled and The Bewildered Nichol in the palm is worth two in the Bush.
LPRENT: Have you fixed the mobile version? Page scrolling works sweetly for me now.
New Air NZ saftey video, this time with Bear G!
http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/bear-grylls-stars-in-air-new-zealands-new-safety-video/story-e6frfq80-1226586455323
No it doesn’t, i was just using the full version on my phone.
Via Twitter:
Vernon Small @VernonSmall
Chief justice Sian Elias says court unanimous on all issues and held crown actions are reviewable
Retweeted by Idiot/Savant
Via Twitter:
Adam Bennett @AdDeville
The Supreme Court has upheld the Maori Council’s legal challenge to the Government’s flagship asset sales policy.
Update:
Adam Bennett @AdDeville
Sorry, got that wrong!!!!
______________
Aw, stink.
Twitter is saying the Supreme Court has ruled against the Government and granted Maori’s application for an injunction …
Hold that …
Appeal dismissed …
Share float can go ahead.
Bugger !
farewell sweet aotearoa … what a tragedy for us all. then gnats will also approve the destruction of milford sound courtesy of the ‘trusted’ nick smith … wow… miserable day. and the referendum is not binding is it ?
Appeal dismissed.
Now on to the referendum.
http://werewolf.co.nz/2013/02/bringing-the-living-wage-to-life/
Werewolf is out. The article linked above is particularly interesting:
Its an example of how ingrained the culture of low pay has become in our society: it is now seen as a core duty of government to effectively subsidise corporate profits (and hence the incomes of the wealthy) by compensating for their sub-standard wages. We spend over a billion dollars a year doing this; meanwhile the idea of government regulating for decent wages (or even paying them itself) is apparently now politically unthinkable for the major parties.
I trust the link at the top of the page meets the requirements of all site regulations regarding linkage, Draco.
Damn, still no edit function. The first paragraph after its first sentence should be part of the block quote
[lprent: Tonight’s build at work is the production release. I start having time again. ]
Hey Xtasy,
I saw this note from Gordon Campbell in today’s ‘Werewolf’ and thought of you*
(emboldening mine)
*I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to follow this up in the middle of the night – just saying.
just saying: I invite Gordon to read the Standard and get inspired! Thanks for the suggestion though. I have as of recent been a bit nocturnal, I am afraid, I have my bizarre “cycles” of activity.
Had a thought last night re getting NZ out of debt…
Would like to know if this is feasable…
This all needs to be relatively top secret if it were to be done
Have a series of SOEs. lets say 5 for good measure
Have a govt owned bank. (Reserve Bank)
Have a Govt owned bank that is customer facing
Set up a long list of fictitious customers via a data entry upload into SOE systems
Have the Reserve Bank secretly generate more money than National debt.
Funnel Money through SOEs via ficticious customers.
That money is then returned clean and clear to the Govt via dividend payments
Pay off overseas debt.
And yes I know what it is. 🙂
The question is, is it feasible at least in principle without tanking the dollar.
If not are there any tweaks that could be made so that it is.
To start off, perhaps do it the Argentine way, simply default and have it written off, to start anew? That is always a last option solution. But then the debt collectors inside and outside of NZ do not like this, do they?
Question time:
RN: “Does the minister think it’s a laughing matter when a minister of the crown comes to this house and misleads this house, directly misleads this house by telling the house that there had been no pressure from Warner bros when the email traffic released just yesterday proves that there was very significant pressure from Warner bros to change our law?”
SJ: “Well Mr Speaker I think that what is a laughing matter is that this member talks constantly about creating jobs in the NZ economy, but opposes every hands on measure in which to do that.”
Norman objects that the question was not answered, and the Speaker denies him saying he should re-read his question and that Joyce answered the question “very adequately.” Is “Does the minister think…” not a good way to frame the question perhaps? Or am I missing something?
Anyway the whole 14 odd minutes is Joyce dodging Norman’s questions with responses like “I wasn’t the minister at the time,” “I haven’t read that speech,” “I’m not aware of the details of that question, but blah blah blah about something else.”
At one point the speaker agrees that Joyce hasn’t answered a question and asks Norman to repeat it. Joyce gives more of the same bollocks, and Norman is allowed to repeat the question again. Another non-answer. Norman objects, but the speaker rules that it’s simply time to move on. Cosgrove asks whether one can now ‘get off the hook’ to a question if one simply repeats a BS answer three times. The Speaker answers that it’s now for the public to judge Joyce’s answer. I’m so sure it will be all over Seven Sharp.
Thank goodness we have parliament’s ‘robust’ debates to keep our politicians in check in this perceived least corrupt country.
is the speaker elected by simple majority? 2/3 majority might be in order, given such shameless corruption described in your comment…
Where did I describe corruption?
Maybe think first next time.
Perhaps the Speaker has been reminded ‘just who’s side He is on’, yesterday on a point of order from NZFirst’s Winston Peters who accused Slippery the Prime Minister of giggling like a school boy instead of answering a question from the Labour Benches the Speaker angrily directed Slippery to answer the question,
Slippery certainly didn’t look to happy about the rebuke…
Ah Winnie… I don’t suppose you can remember which question that was bad12?
No sorry i didn’t take note of the questions, it may have even have been a question asked by Russell Norman that had Winston telling the Speaker that Slippery’s answer was ”giggling like a schoolboy”,
That was yesterday’s question time just in case your confused…
Found it, near the end of question 2. The calmly speaker said it would be helpful if the PM could give concise answers, but equally helpful if the the opposition could cut out the loud interjections. Not much of a win for the left. I didn’t see Slippery bat an eyelid either.
The present “speaker” of the House is also a “speaker” for his favoured government, it sounds more and more like. I could not believe the crap that man came up with over recent days. He now so often asks opposition questioners to repeat their questions, frustrating the whole process, and then he lets off most of the government ministers with the slack comment, that he believed the question was answered totally satisfactorily.
This is the worst speaker in the House that I can remember. NO bias, yeah right, pull out yet another TUI board, thanks.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/129230/reserve-bank-deal-on-house-price-controls-pending
The dipshit from dipton, aka bill english, has just given the reserve bank the ability to make banks require larger deposits for mortgages. So now it’ll be even harder for kiwis to get into their first home.
If he doesn’t provide other complementary policies to go with this then he’s just screwed over NZers even more.
From Scoop.co.nz …
Those responsible for Labour’s 2011election defeat should be identified and make a “dignified exit’’ from the caucus, Charles Chauvel said in his valedictory speech today.
Chauvel said he wished to make public two thoughts he had shared privately with Labour Party Leader David Shearer
First – He sincerely wished Shearer would be the next Prime Minister and regretted he would not be the Attorney General.
Second – In an apparent reference to the recent reshuffle which had seen many of those supportive to David Cunliffe’s leadership aspirations demoted, he said it was unproductive to keep seeking the “supposed’’ enemy within.
Instead in order to stop history repeating there needed to be an open and honest look at why Labour suffered its worst ever defeat in 2011
“Those responsible for it should make dignified exits and all the undoubted talent and diversity should be included in the shadow Cabinet, Chauvel said’’.
(I can only add – well said).
Burn him! He’s a witch!! etc.
True and i think Labour need look no further than having Phill Goff kick off the 2011 election campaign with the ‘raising of the age for super policy’ as the number one culprit,
What a thing to tell the 40 odd % of workers who struggle every day to pay the bills while at the same time expecting their vote…
Good on him, for being so civilised and so forthright. We have lost a fine mind with him going.
“Chauvel said he wished to make public two thoughts he had shared privately with Labour Party Leader David Shearer”
I would LOVE to the thoughts he that he shared with Shearer that he did not make public….today.
“A Party needs both wings to fly”
Charles Chauvel has made an excellent valedictory speech in Parliament:
Have a look here. http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/AboutParl/SeeHear/PTV/
Full text later:
http://thestandard.org.nz/charles-valedictory/
There is a discussion stream under another stream elsewhere.
Test the re-edit 3
Looking good!
But not for me … lol.
Just trying to find out where the problem is. Just ignore it whilst I do work on it. Problem only seems to happen on the production platform so I have to test it here.
Looks like a conflict in JQuery versions to sort out. That appears to be the problem.
Test the re-edit 7 – RSS Feed off
FOUR ANTI-CORRUPTION ‘WHISTLE-BLOWERS’ – WILL BE TAKING OUR CONCERNS ABOUT ALLEGED CORRUPT AUCKLAND COUNCIL ‘COVER-UPS’ DIRECTLY TO THE MAYOR AND ALL COUNCILLORS – 10 AM THURSDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2013:
Speaking Rights at Public Forum, Governing Body meeting of Auckland Council, Thursday 28 February 2013 have been confirmed for Penny Bright, (and other ‘anti-corruption whistle-blowers’, Grace Haden, Gary Osbourne, and Lisa Prager).
Time: 10.00am
Venue: Council Chamber
Manukau Civic Building
31-33 Manukau Station Road
Manukau
_____________________________________________________________________________
(25 February 2013)
Good afternoon Penny
Your request to be heard in the Public Input section of the 28 February Governing Body meeting at Manukau has been accepted. You will be allocated five minutes in which to make your presentation.
Should you wish to distribute any material in support of your presentation, please provide 25 copies.
The Public Input section is at the beginning of the meeting so I would advise that you should be in attendance from 10.00am.
The Mayor’s Office has noted reference in your request to variously the Serious Fraud Office or fraud. It would be appreciated if you do have concerns in this area to forward them to the relevant authorities via proper formal complaint processes. The Mayor’s Office cautions against making statements that impugn the reputation of individuals in a public forum.
Regards
Elaine Stephenson | Democracy Advisor |
Governance Support I Democracy Services
Ph 09 301 0101 | DDI 373 6328 | Fax 09 301 0100
Auckland Council, Level 14, Civic Building,
1 Greys Ave, Auckland 1142_
__________________________________________________________
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/SiteCollectionDocuments/aboutcouncil/governingbody/governingbodyag20130228.pdf
Penny Bright’s subject matter will be: “WHO IS RUNNING AUCKLAND COUNCIL?”
This is, in my considered opinion, of SIGNIFICANT ‘Public Interest’, and needs to be dealt with by the Governing Body, because it appears that the Auckland Mayor and Councillors are NOT in control of Auckland Council.
As an ‘Anti-corruption whistle-blower’ – I wish to raise directly with the Mayor and ALL Councillors:
1) Their statutory duties arising from the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990; the Local Government Act 2002, and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, regarding the lawful rights of citizens to directly communicate with their elected representatives.
2) I also wish to cover, not only the lack of protection for ‘whistle-blowing’ citizens and ratepayers, trying to raise alleged corrupt ‘conflicts of interest directly with elected representatives, but the attempts by unelected Council staff to ‘block’ this information from getting directly to elected representatives.
3) Given there is evidence which confirms that the ‘blocking’ / ‘filtering’ of such information, has come directly from the ‘the top’, I also wish to request a ‘Special’ / ‘Extraordinary’ meeting of the CEO Strategy Review Committee, where the actions and performance of the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay are reviewed directly by the Mayor and Councillors, who, in my considered opinion, should request independent legal advice from competent, legal professionals who specialise in ‘human rights’ law – unlike – ( in my considered opinion), the current General Counsel for Auckland Council).
4) For your information, I shall be requesting the attendance of representatives of the NZ Police and Serious Fraud Office (the ‘lead agency’ dealing with alleged corruption) at this, and any subsequent meetings on this matter.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’.
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OCCUPY-AUCKLAND-APPEAL-APPLICATION-BY-APPELLANT-BRIGHT-TO-ADDUCE-NEW-EVIDENCE-pdf.pdf
(2013 Auckland Mayoral Candidate).
THURSDAY 28 FEBRUARLY 2013 – LAST DAY FOR SUBMISSIONS TO THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT REFORM BILL!
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/SC/MakeSub/2/4/d/50SCLGE_SCF_00DBHOH_BILL11932_1-Resource-Management-Reform-Bill.htm
(Thanks for the ‘heads up’ Mels! )
Penny Bright
Awesome speech by Mr David Cunliffe about generations and fairness. I hope Trevor watches it. Real Labour.
http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/17360