I’d be immensely surprised if those TV types haven’t all been into the old dak more or less at some stage, if not still. I know/have known a number of them and the answer is “Yes !”. That’s not to say anything other than this……..our betters in the middle classes are right into it. Which then is to say that it’s not a big fat deal anyway. Wonder if the ShonKey’s ever swayed off to bed laffing ?
This is what happens when you sell a country’s assets to foreign corporations.
How much reminding do we need?
The last sentence I quoted is the most telling..
The neoliberal traitors who sold and are selling this country need to be tried for treason.
“The foreign owners’ agenda has eclipsed the rights and interests of the New Zealand taxpayer and workforce, this is not a sustainable forest policy.”
New Zealand exported a record 3 million cubic metres of logs to China in the September quarter, a 40 per cent increase on the same period a year earlier and log prices approached record highs during the period.
Jon Tanner, chief executive of the Wood Processors’ Association, said the increasing proportion of the wood harvest being exported as raw logs was “getting to be quite a serious situation”.
“We’re really just becoming a plantation for other countries’ interests.”
And not that difficult to see the way our deep sea oil assets will end up!
And we will also end up bearing the costs and losses in relation to environmental disasters.
Wake up New Zealand!
1.) Foreign ownership is bad for NZ as it caters only to the desires of the foreign owners
2.) Exporting raw resources is bad for NZ as it prevents development of our own economy
New Zealand exported a record 3 million cubic metres of logs to China in the September quarter, a 40 per cent increase on the same period a year earlier and log prices approached record highs during the period.
I am not a catholic but this made interesting reading. One comment ” “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?” is something I often wonder myself .
Pope Francis has attacked unfettered capitalism as “a new tyranny” as he beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church.
In it, economic inequality features as one of the issues Francis is most concerned about, and the 76-year-old pontiff calls for an overhaul of the financial system and warns that unequal distribution of wealth inevitably leads to violence.
Francis is a ray of light in the worlds oldest longest lasting institution. The longevity of the church may be down to it being ultra conservative but it does have a history of accommodating the times, albeit reluctantly. I laughed at the comments on this column when he was announced, damning the RC church for what it is (i.e not liberal and leftist, and perhaps quite reactionary). What the hell did we expect?
Consequently, Francis appeal to the church to become pastoral and his moves to redirect / reform the RC church appear rather remarkable. Who has noted his canvassing the laity on issues of homosexuality, divorce etc? The whole idea that orthodoxy can be challenged is quite amazing. He appears to me more open and accepting than the doctrinaire Lefties over here.
Ennui
I think it is a bold move and one to be congratulated. He had better watch his back. There are people in sinecures in the Vatican in the country that bred Machiavelli and his cynical observations of practices there.
And remember…Cardinals from around the world decided it was time for Francis…
Francis is a ray of light in the worlds oldest longest lasting institution. The longevity of the church may be down to it being ultra conservative but it does have a history of accommodating the times, albeit reluctantly.
I’m fairly confident that the Catholic Church will long outlast all the left wing political parties and activist groups of today.
The Pope, as King/President/Prime Minister equivalent, and all in one, of the Catholic Church is getting more concerned about the financial assets, investments and wealth of the Catholic Church increasingly being raided by the bankster class.
Once upon a time, the Church could rely on a positive monetary feedback loop into the Vatican’s coffers, but now no longer with the banksters in charge and growing stronger.
People shouldn’t think that the Pope is speaking out against the current system on moral, let alone, religious grounds and definitely not the public/common people’s interest.
You may be right BUT to quote Darth Vader “I find your lack of faith disturbing”.
My take is that this Pope is both a Franciscan and a Jesuit…neither of which paths lead toward the money. In the words of Francis of Assisi…”I have come to rebuild a church”.
Well said Ennui. I hope your take is right. The world needs more genuine, caring leadership and the Pope is in a very powerful position. I never thought I’d be aware of any of his teachings and here we are discusing his statements. Time will tell.
Happy to, RT! Back in the bay tomorrow as it happens. It’s all a bit full on till late in the arvo, but if you know of a suitable place to catch up after 5, I’m keen. I’m working in Hastings, but staying in Napier, so either works.
Pope Francis has attacked unfettered capitalism as “a new tyranny”
Nothing new about it at all. We saw the same tyranny in Ancient Rome and Greece, we saw it under feudalism in Europe and Britain and now we’re seeing it again as a few people gather all the wealth and power to themselves.
No, nothing new about it – it was inevitable and always will be under hierarchical systems that hold private ownership of the commons as its saviour.
54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.
Good stuff.
The whole encyclical is here. As a Catholic, I like this pope.
‘may many wealthy catholics digest this bread’. RT, if you meant Catholics then I certainly hope Bill English will digest this bread. Or, perhaps, choke on it?
someone could perform the ‘manoeuvre’ 😀 then (my first aid certificate has expired; know what that means to officialdom? no longer able to save lives).
Not to mention that earlier this year a drunk driver took out a fence and part of a house at 11am one Sunday, just a few doors down from the supermarket.
From what I’ve observed, supermarkets have been opening on New Years Day in the last few years, where as previously they didn’t, so yes, one less day that their workers get to enjoy the festive time with friends and family, or any social time – with only three and half days of the year where they are guaranteed a holiday day!
The Warehouse always opened on New Years day since I started working there in 2001. I think the opening time might have been 9-10am instead of the usual 8:30.
As mentioned, I had noticed New World had started opening on NY Day a few years ago, approximately ’07 but they may well have been opening on NY Day for some time. Traders, especially those that are profitable during the festive season (such as the warehouse) will chose to open this day – it’s a trend that is evolving. Meanwhile other retailers choose to stay closed because it’s not worth it for them.
My main observation about their opening hours sign however, and without wanting to sound like a party pooper, is that they are promoting hangover products to their customers. Probably this is nothing more than a joke, but it’s a bad taste one given the harm (eg, increases domestic violence) alcohol does over Xmas and New Year.
Hmm. Was that a supplier/distributor to trade only or a retail outfit? I wonder if businesses back then could open for non trade operations?
My foggy memory is going back to that time (I was about 20) and I recall that when the Bolger govt came in retail opening hours were relaxed in conjunction it seemed with the employment contracts act coming in, and suddenly we were working all day Saturday and then on Sundays.(except I refused to work Sundays) I’m not sure what law around opening hours existed or if there was even one but I had thought, back then the NY Day public holiday was still in the same league as Xmas Day, kinda untouchable. Shops always closed on the 2nd Jan Holiday too, and now they are often open and I wonder if folks actually forget that is a public holiday.
Looks like it was section 3 of the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal Amendment Act 2001 that narrowed it down to only three and a half days of shop closure annually.
On the news -And now we are having tax payer money financing the wine industry to create low calorie and alcohol content wine whilst the next item was about a child suffering cancer having to raise money! If that is not corrupt I don’t know what is. If people want less calories and alcohol put some mineral water into the wine like they do in Europe, have a Gespritzten.
greywarbler — pretty sure it’s the magical david dobbyn and the dudes .. “drink yourself more bliss” .. as the word piss could not be used publicly in those days on the radio !! ( how times have changed !!)
Yes despite being a great rocking party song , too many kiwis have taken it too literally. I fear also that impressionable young took the NZ band Deja Voodoo song “P” as an endorsement as well.
The people from Kiribati being refused residency should be allowed to stay as part of a gradual resettlement of those people here and in Australia. We know that they are under threat from rising sea levels, huge storms, and crop killing weather changes. What about the NZ Government acting responsibly in this matter. We occasionally do something fair, intelligent and responsible – this is time to repeat it if not make it the first for the year or longer?
russel norman on rnz this morning, who gave the gcsb dotcoms phone records? the nsa! so much for john keys reasurances… (if true, but if not nsa then who?)
That was an excellent interview by Norman. He was very articulate and set out the situation/his views very clearly and succinctly – using logic to ask who could have given the GCSB Dotcom’s phone records and by a process of elimination, suggesting – rather than emphatically concluding – the NSA through Five Eyes.
Here is a link to the interview for anyone interested
On a related note, I checked the Auckland High Court lists for today. As well as the Banks judicial review at 10am before Justice Heath (in unlucky Court 13),Justice Helen Winkelmann was also holding a one hour case management conference at 9am with the legal beagles involved in the Dotcom case.
Yesterday I attended a VERY productive workshop at the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference – ‘How to do a fact-finding internal anti-corruption inquiry’.
VERY relevant to the Len Brown ‘inquiry’……
Mixing and mingling with all sorts of anti-corruption folks from a wide range of areas, (Public Sectors and geographically).
My situation is quite unique in that I am a self-funded ‘Public Watchdog’, helping to make a difference by making a FUSS!
ie: my role is EXTERNAL not INTERNAL – so the tactics and strategies are quite different. (Polar opposites in fact )
A very experienced and long-serving investigator from ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption NSW) described me as a ‘Private Ombudsman.’
(I met some of these ICAC and other anti-corruption folk when I attended the 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Confernence in Brisbane).
Anyway – have learned that there are now anti-corruption bodies in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
It is SO time for New Zealand to have an Independent Commission Against Corruption- tasked with preventing and investigating corruption.
Looking forward to seeing photos of the Not-So-Honorable John Banks (un) welcoming reception outside the Auckland High Court this morning!
Still awaiting a decision from the NZ Serious Fraud Office (SFO) re: the request for an investigation into Mayor Len Brown and Sky City for alleged bribery and corruption.
Having some fascinating discussions with all sorts of anti-corruption experts on this matter!
Also on the failure of OFCANZ (Organised and Financial Crime Agency of NZ) to do ‘due diligence’ on the increased risk of money-laundering arising from the NZ International Convention City (or- as I prefer to call it – the Sky City MONEY-LAUNDERING) Act 2013.
Still awaiting confirmation from the NZ Auditor-General that she is going to carry out an investigation into this one……
I hope to have more discussion with anti-corruption experts who deal with money-laundering, and seek their considered opinions about the proven complete lack of ‘due diligence’ on the increased risk of money-laundering arising from the NZ International Convention City Act 2013, from the NZ Prime Minister John Key, Minister of Economic Developement Steven Joyce, OFCANZ, Auckland Council and Auckland Central Police….
Presumably, at some point mainstream media may pick this one up?
Given that, in my considered opinion, Sky City has effectively been given the go-ahead to set up a money-laundering FACTORY, in the heart of Auckland, (in NZ – ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world) – don’t you think that somebody might be a lttle bit interested?
We are and have been for decades one of the top 3 least corrupt countries in the world.
In NZ there are now plenty of people in jail and disgraced due to the Securities Commission, Serious Fraud Office, Audit NZ etc and plenty of corporates and local governments wrinsed out through the Audit Office.
Try your hand at the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, or indeed any country in the pacific with an actual world-ranking problem in corruption.
Having read the links you’ve provided, I can’t see what the flap is. So, he wants to test the waters to see if there’s any appetite for a shift in Green Party focus next June. Big deal. There may be a vote that indicates a desire for a shift, or they may not be. And I guess the Party then responds accordingly.
True, but I was thinking more of what the MSM will do*, and the resources it will take from the election campaign.
* re the instability of the GP having a leadership challenge that close to the election, plus the MSM having a field day with the anti-growth economics. On the other hand, when Norman gets re-elected as leader, maybe it sends the message that the GP aren’t dangerous kooks after all, Norman is so reasonable!, so more people will vote for them.
“Humanity has overshot the capacity of Earth’s ecosystem to sustain our long-term existence. We must do whatever we can to address that issue. Our immediate priority must be the rapid de-carbonisation of our energy system. Ultimately we must “de-grow” the economic system and share society’s resources more equitably.”
but still don’t understand the timing of the challenge. If he wants to move the GP in that direction, wouldn’t it make more sense to go through the election with the best chance of gaining the most seats and the best deal with Labour, and then challenge later?
A cynic might suggest that “Co-leader re-elected in landslide” would be a useful headline in election year, accompanied by the opinion piece: “Moderate Greens in control, eye Treasury benches”.
Well, let’s say (just for the sake of argument) that he wants degrowth and Green Party penetration in S. Auckland to be serious discussion points as opposed to a leadership position. Isn’t this a good way to ensure that? Breaks through any smash that might sit in the Green Party structure when it comes to generating discussion or elevating topics.
As in, the conservative element of the GP is getting too entrenched, therefore something radical needs to be done to keep the party in the right direction? I would have thought that the membership could still bring up serious discussion points, it’s a worry if that’s no longer true.
And if your point is right, then how to assess the risks, and whether the timing is useful for the overall strategy? The GP has a history of either fucking up at election time (corn gate), or just not doing that well, or being undermined by the MSM, so I’m a bit nervous about things that rock the boat in that time period.
I know next to nothing about internal Green Party structures and how easy it is for membership to generate traction/discussion on particular issues. I’m just putting it out there as a possibility.
Also (and this is a personal perspective) I can’t remember seeing degrowth mentioned by politicians before and New Zealand, as opposed to just the Green Party, desperately needs that discussion. So if the media jump on this non-challenge next June, then the Greens can demonstrate that they are not afraid of democracy (a leadership vote) as well as underscore Norman’s leadership and a bloody serious issue that everyone has shied away from might get some oxygen.
Good point, Bill. It’ll be interesting to see how much of an airing “de-growth” gets during the co-leadership contest, and the Greens’ conference next year.
“But maybe I’m just being oddly positive today 😉 ”
Crikey 😉
Me on the other hand… I suppose I see potential for all sorts of problems. What if the degrowth conversation sparks a great controversy within the GP (as it should) and the MSM go beserk? Do we want that happening at that time?
I suppose I need to understand more about the man himself and where he is coming from.
..and if hay is doing what bill surmises..well and good..
..but isn’t hay from the right/free-market-solutions wing of the greens..?
..(once again..can be argued for or against..i’m all for a mix..me..)
..as in..essentially more right than norman..?
..just saying/asking..!
..(mind you..norman is pretty gung-ho on the continuation of the animal-concentration-camps/charnal-houses..still sees a future for nz based on the blood/suffering of animals..
..and his co-leader has a penchant for strutting around wrapped in shining/glistening dead-animal skins..)
..they are both hardly ‘deep/dark’-green..
..and of course as the consequences of our past/current polluting actions become more and more apparent..a much more ‘radical’ green party/thought/ideas/prescriptions will be called for..
..but norman seems to be the person for this particular moment in the green party arc….
Sounds to me like cold feet – Labour and Greens could win? Well, this is like a bit of chicken dance, lets just withdraw a bit here its getting scary… if there is any more of this I am sure we will have a third term of Nats – absolutely sure to be exact.
David Hay, a political analysist works for the Auckland City Council, he contested the Rodney electorate seat for the Green Party in 2008 and the Epsom seat for the same party in 2011,
There were enough ‘votes’ in the Epsom electorate between Hay and Labour’s David Parker to have, if those 2 had of convinced voters to vote for the National candidate, kept John Banks out of the Parliament,
The Green Party did tho pick up a very healthy 4,424 Party votes from Epsom up from 2,662 in 2008 when Keith Locke contested the seat,
Rodney, where Hay stood in 2008 gaining 1,969 party votes recorded 3,265 party votes for the Green Party in 2011 so the ‘Green-swing’ is more likely to be party centric rather than based around any particular candidate,(as it should be),
i see it as entirely healthy for the Green Party to have ‘leadership challengers’ appear at any AGM while hoping that this is only a small part of the gathering and would much rather be pushing my barrow of having the Green Party put far more effort into ‘farming’ the growing Green vote from within safe National held seats,(every vote from there is worth 2 votes when it comes to counting up the Party Votes),
Dr Norman who it took me a while to warm to has certainly in the past 18 months come into His own in the political arena seriously spanking Slippery’s Ministers on a number of occasions and i don’t really see a threat in David Hay’s challenge…
Welcome, what has worried me for a while about the Green Party is as it has grown a very healthy amount of it’s vote is coming from amidst the ‘middle class’, i find this a bit of a damned if you do damned if you don’t situation for a party with one of it’s arms firmly mired in ‘Social Justice’ with my underlying suspicion that sooner or later with the lure of increasing that ‘middle class’ vote ‘Social Justice’ may within the party die a quiet and unheralded death,
Perhaps this is the first attempt from within the Green Party membership for that ‘middle class’ to wield it’s political muscle,(and not knowing David Hay personally my apologies for any unintended slur),
What the upward numbers tho do allow some of us to do is migrate our votes to the Mana Party in an attempt to bolster that parties number in the House, a final decision i will leave for the months around November 2014 when the polling will be furiously delivering us ‘political junkies’ numbers by the day,
i wonder how much analysis by Party strategists in both the Labour and Green Parties has been applied to the Epsom 2011 result where the train wreckage strewn across the New Zealand landscape might have at the least been lessened had both parties cooperated to invite their voters to hold their noses and vote for the National candidate in order to shut Banks out of the Parliament,
Hopefully, with hindsight, both parties have learned a valuable lesson from Epsom 2011 and are prepared to cooperate within whatever electorate Colon Craig stands to gain the National party candidate as many votes as possible so as to shut that loose wheel out…
is he related to Keith Hay (would be his grandson) and David Hay (his father)? I ask because both of those guys were quite christian in their views and impositions on night classes at Mt Roskill Grammar (no yoga for example)
What??? NO Yoga, start the revolution right now, how dare they, as to your question i personally don’t know any of the Hay’s mentioned so cannot comment on any family connections…
Dream a little longer and it will be Nats having the next election. The pols do not look THAT good to play a bit around. People are looking for certainty and know what to expect, getting familiar with the candidates. Dr Russel is highly capable but he is not a mongrel and if that is a problem I for one will not vote at all.
Yes that is what is funny about the whole ‘un-correct’ cartoon, it is masterfully sick, a lampoon if you will of all the sick attitudes society has or ever will exhibit,
Obviously if anyone took a cartoon of this or any other nature to be an exemplar of acceptable behavior that too would be sick…
I had thought that most people would see the cartoon in this light.
I mean, the opening credits feature extreme domestic violence, and there’s a rapist living next door that the whole community just turns a blind eye toward, giggity.
The Commonwealth Games are to be held in Glasgow next year I think. I was just thinking about the Brit-Yank club and who heads those respective countries. Republic or Monarchy thoughts. When thinking of the Monarchy I have a picture of someone with dignity and respect for the elevated position that Royalty has and that this holder of the position has shown all her life.
(Apparently Buckingham Palace was hired out for many millions for the venue of some rich guy’s
event! Or was that a satirical item?)
Compare that to an elected leader from the people of Toronto. When the position is open to unseemly jockeying and fraud and all comers with sufficient dosh can buy into being top dog you can get Rob Ford. Forget how much money the Queen has (which irks many who somehow thinks this tips the argument for a republic), just look at the way the Queen represents the people in an intelligent, thoughtful and careful way. Then look at Rob Ford as buffoon leader who would never be elected as Republic leader but is of the type that would be contenders.
Qantas shouldered NZ out years ago, resulting in us feeling we had to buy Ansett to gain the feeder services we needed. Feeling being the important word here, thinking hard did not trump the feeling impulse. Now we have an interest with other airlines, in Virgin and it seems that it is good business sense to expand the business somewhat, Qantas is calling on national sentiment as a way of combatting the competition. They have been the most profitable airline in the world at times, may still be.
I wish our government could be so supportive of our enterprises. But NZ gets gutted and thrown to the wolves. And Australians have no warm feelings when it comes to business or country to country dealings. They don’t give up their advantages without a fight. We need more teeth and attitude like Oz but it would be good if we had more integrity with it. Oz government did agree apparently, that we could have the right for Airnz to fly around Oz, or to combine with domestic airlines, then they withdrew that on Qantas advice, a country to country agreement just cancelled.
That’s the respect they have for us – negotiable.
And now quantas can even buy a spoiler stake of Airnz shares on the share market which will be more effective with the govt share at 52% Thank you John , not.
Why on earth is John Key getting so personally involved in the Anadarko / Greenpeace ding dong?
Politically I would have thought it would be best to stay well away and say something like … “they are two private organisations and how they attend to their matters is their business, not the governments.”
However, I suppose Key is tied all up with them given he gave Anadarko special legislation to suit (like Hollywoods Warner Bros), and given Key and the National Party get their money from Anadarko and Warner Bros.
… conflicted all to hell ….
… big business is running the new Zealand government ….
From where i sit it looks like National on the defensive with falling poll numbers have got the ‘spin-miesters’ working overtime on ‘Brand-Slippery’,
Yesterday it was the ‘i can piss higher up the toilet wall’ challenge to David Cunliffe to openly say that as Prime Minister He,(Cunliffe), would be buying back the parts of the State Owned Assets that Slippery and Co, doing their best to imitate any seedy back-street used car salesman,(and failing), have flogged off to the 25 of wealthiest Ma’s and Pa’s in the land,
The latest comment from He who will be out the door next November on the deep sea drilling was to start the conversation about Green-Peace and then less than subtly connect the Green Party with the protest yachts and the Court action,
That connects with National’s core and might for a while keep the numbers above 39% but less and less of the voting public are so enamored of our Prime Minister these days you might say that Slippery can’t dance no more…
I saw him con -fillate “Greens” with the Greenpeace action; slippery or what? That is one deliberate politician; self-belief ya see, belief in himself.
Talking about drilling for oil, an interesting point is about the cost of the externalities for the test drilling on land sites being borne by the ratepayers in the area, and no doubt the owners of the property on which the sites and the access roads to them.
A USA? Mayor said that they had about 6.000? (a lot) of drilling many of which involved fracking. Fracking requires a lot of water. Water is heavy. It has to be trucked in and the load destroys roads. Big carriers on small roads mean big expense repairing, and there have been a lot of extra accidents which have resulted from this extra traffic.
(This is without saying about how scarce water is now, and its being utilised by these rent-seeking companies.) And they are not taking responsibility for the damage caused on the roads. This is what I heard this morning on Radionz so for the facts rather than my hearsay have a listen to them.
You only need to go and read some of the Greenwald pieces to answer your questions. The agencies can share info. So, one agency (eg, MI6) can do stuff in the US that the US agencies can’t…so requests are made, info gathered and then shared back to whoever wants it. And no laws are broken.
Australian explorer Douglas Mawson 1913 expedition to Antarctica is being remembered by a team of scientists. While people are thinking of this great mean, another should be remembered who was a prime reason for Shackleton and his team’s survival – Henry (Chippy) McNish from Glasgow, shipwright, (and his cat Mrs Chippy) . His family have been agitating for him to be remembered with a Polar Medal like most of his compatriots.
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_McNish says – He spent 23 years in the Navy in total during his life, but eventually secured a job with the New Zealand Shipping Company.[2] After making five trips to New Zealand he moved there in 1925, leaving behind his wife[d] and all of his carpentry tools. He worked on the waterfront in Wellington until his career was ended by an injury. Destitute, he would sleep in the wharf sheds under a tarpaulin and relied on monthly collections from the dockworkers……he worked on the docks in Wellington until poor health forced his retirement. He died destitute in the Ohiro Benevolent Home in Wellington….He was buried in Karori Cemetery, Wellington, on 26 September 1930, with full naval honours; HMS Dunedin (which happened to be in port at the time) provided twelve men for the firing party and eight bearers.
However, his grave remained unmarked for almost thirty years;[22] the New Zealand Antarctic Society (NZAC) erected a headstone on 10 May 1959.[3] In 2001, it was reported that the grave was untended and surrounded by weeds,[28] but in 2004, the grave was tidied and a life size bronze sculpture of McNish’s beloved cat, Mrs. Chippy, was placed on his grave by NZAC. His grandson, Tom, believes this tribute would have meant more to him than receiving the Polar Medal.[22]
But McNish’s skill and ingenuity in events which followed is still remembered. After 16 months trapped on the ice, the men set sail in the three small boats for Elephant Island. Eight days after their arrival, one of the vessels, the 20ft whale boat James Caird, struck out for South Georgia – a journey of 670 miles – with six men on board, including McNish. It was only possible because, during their time trapped on the ice, McNish worked tirelessly to ensure the seaworthiness of the escape craft.
He had devised his own mixture of flour, oil paint and seal blood to caulk the seams of the boats, raised the gunwales to make them safer in the high seas and and fitted small decks fore and aft to the Caird. Before Shackleton, and two others, set off for the final 36 hour traverse of South Georgia’s mountain ranges, he fashioned crampons out of the boat’s two inch brass screws. “We certainly could not have lived through the voyage without it”; Shackleton wrote later of his carpenter’s efforts.
Like Shackleton, McNish was never to recover his health fully. He returned to the Merchant Navy but suffered severe pain brought on by the months stranded at the Pole. He eventually died in Wellington Hospital in New Zealand where he was treated as a hero and given a funeral with full naval honours paid for by the New Zealand government.
And not to forget NZ Frank Worsley who died in Surrey in 1943. Frank Arthur Worsley DSO OBE RD (22 February 1872 – 1 February 1943) was a New Zealand sailor and explorer who served on Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916, as captain of the Endurance. He also served in the Royal Navy Reserve during the First World War.
The MPs said Mr Smith resembled a dictator, was a puppet for the government and his occupation of the speakership was a travesty of democracy….
When Mr Shaw, who has previously expressed no confidence in the Speaker, left the house, Mr Smith used his casting vote to suspend Labor MP Jacinta Allan for six days – the remainder of the parliamentary year – for rowdy behaviour.
Deputy Opposition Leader James Merlino was also suspended for six days.
The suspensions give the government a majority in the house….
The parliament heard Labor MPs had indicated they would support deputy speaker Christine Fyffe being installed as Speaker.
But Premier Denis Napthine expressed his support for the Speaker saying he had shown tremendous patience amid an organised stunt by the opposition.
I’m more hopeful amirite. After all, it is the Solicitor General who is acting as Crown Prosecutor on this occasion. He carries a lot of weight. The judge will be dotting his i’s and crossing his t’s so that there’s no further claims of factual errors – no matter how irrelevant they may be to the case.
Solicitor-General Michael Heron QC, who has taken over the case from private prosecutor Graham McCready, said any factual errors were matters to be decided at trial, and not by judicial review.
I am also more hopeful than amirite, Anne, having followed the case closely over the months. IMO the public interest is such that a whitewash dismissal would attract massive reaction, including from the legal beagles. Justice Gittos, the AKL District Court judge who considered it should go to trial is not the only one with this opinion. Earlier, in Nov 2012 and in April 2013, Judge Mill of the Wellington DC also appeared to consider it should, before the case was transferred to Auckland.
If you haven’t already read it, Graeme Edgeler’s post two days ago on Public Address is worth reading for the legal ins and outs of both the case iteslf and the legal processes underway, eg the judicial review.
I also note that both the Herald article that amirite linked to at 19, and this Stuff article have been edited since they first appeared earlier in the afternoon.
The earlier Stuff article included quite a bit more detail of what happened in court, including Michael Heron stating that he would not be leading the prosecution if it went to trial, but naming the QC who would. Can’t remember the name, unfortunately.
Another reason I think that there won’t be a whitewash dismissal of Banks’ case is the connection to the Dotcom saga.
It was quite a day in the Auckland High Court today, with this and a case management hearing on Dotcom’s compensation case for the raid., with another hearing scheduled for two weeks’ time.
And this TV3 News item gives more detail of the line Heron took at the Banks judicial review hearing – in essence the facts should be argued in a trial before a jury.
“Mr Banks encouraged donations, encouraged cheques to be split, knew that they were being made, knew that they had been received, communicated receipt of donations, and at the same time made it clear his intentions and desire that these donations be anonymous,” Mr Heron told the court.
“Whether or not he gave the return a great deal of scrutiny won’t be at the heart of the Crown case. The Crown will, I expect, say things turned out precisely as Mr Banks intended, with the return saying donations were anonymous which Mr Banks asked to be anonymous.”
This is the bit that bothers me. Doesn’t it strike to the heart of what Bank;s is charged with and it’s being sidelined?
“Whether or not he gave the return a great deal of scrutiny won’t be at the heart of the Crown case. “
RedBaronCV – on the contrary it heartens rather than bothers me. At this point Heron is simply saying that Banks’ claim that he did not appreciate the falseness of the document because he gave it only cursory attention is not a sufficient ground for halting the prosecution, having regard to the rest of the evidence signalled.
Heron is actually saying that in the round there is sufficient evidence going to the falseness of Banks’ claim of haplessness as to require a credibility determination by a jury. That is unremarkable. Credibility of a witness is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary hearing.
I note that Justice Heath in the course of the hearing alluded to the question being whether on the already disclosed pool of evidence a jury could reasonably convict. That too heartens me. There’s always been a sense of farce about Banks’ protestations. A helicopter ride to probably the grandest pad in the land. To score big secret bucks off the unforgettable KDC. He can’t remember ? In a Monty Pythonesque way and out of his own mouth the septic wee Banks has put his credibility in issue. Credibility is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary.
I expect the Crown using the disclosed pool of evidence to robustly attack Banks’ credibility for the purpose of painting the claim “I’m a busy man, I didn’t read it” is a desperate last gasp to get away with using the document as a device to maintain the cloak of secrecy he always sought.
RedBaronCV – on the contrary it heartens rather than bothers me. At this point Heron is simply saying that Banks’ claim that he did not appreciate the falseness of the document because he gave it only cursory attention is not a sufficient ground for halting the prosecution, having regard to the rest of the evidence signalled.
Heron is actually saying that in the round there is sufficient evidence going to the falseness of Banks’ claim of haplessness as to require a credibility determination by a jury. That is unremarkable. Credibility of a witness is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary hearing.
I note that Justice Heath in the course of the hearing alluded to the question being whether on the already disclosed pool of evidence a jury could reasonably convict. That too heartens me. There’s always been a sense of farce about Banks’ protestations. A helicopter ride to probably the grandest pad in the land. To score big secret bucks off the unforgettable KDC. He can’t remember ? In a Monty Pythonesque way and out of his own mouth the septic wee Banks has put his credibility in issue. Credibility is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary.
I expect the Crown using the disclosed pool of evidence to robustly attack Banks’ credibility for the purpose of painting the claim “I’m a busy man, I didn’t read it” is a desperate last gasp to get away with using the document as a device to maintain the cloak of secrecy he always sought.
I agree, North. What was quoted of Heron’s arguments yesterday also heartened me – but I am still not holding my breath ….
IMO, the sentence “Whether or not he gave the return a great deal of scrutiny won’t be at the heart of the Crown case. “ has to be read in the context of the whole quote in my 20.1.1.
I was also interested that Heron was advocating for the case to go forward as a jury trial. IIRC from reading Graeme Edgeler and others, the trial could be either a judge only or a jury trial.
IMHO, a judge only trial would focus on legal technicalities with the possibility that it could be dismissed on a technicality ; whereas a jury might focus on the bigger picture, as Heron seemed to be suggesting – eg Banks’ intentions in asking for donations and for these to be anonymous, broken down etc to maintain a ‘cloak of secrecy’ as you so succinctly put it.
Green Party is doing so well.
Russel Norman is a recognized a face of Green leadership. Greens are stable when all about them aren’t.
Then Hay tries to take the leadership.
Has he not seen what has been happening in Labour?
Why, David, why? Personal ambition?
It certainly isn’t for the good of the party.
I reckon the Greens are mature enough to handle the process as well as Labour did (when they finally got around to putting their cards in the open).
Interested about the “Auckland representation” angle, though – seems to me that encouraging regionalist pressures while seeking nation-wide leadership might be shooting the dead horse in the foot before the stable door has been bolted.
No they are not, you watch that spot – this attempt will derail any possibility to get a green/labour coalition and therefore Nats will be back in the seat. I just wonder whether this is deliberate or just stupidity.
To nuke a labgrn coalition the options are for grns to piss in the tent because lab ain’t green enough, or to go between labs and nat.
I don’t get either vibe from hay at this stsge, just a fair punt for the chair.
At a guess I’d suggest the Greens saw how much publicity Labour got with their leadership battle and probably want a piece of that plus they then got to trumpet Normans mandate for even more publicity
Political egos have a habit of clouding good judgement WJ. See Labour’s leadership battle Dec. 2011.
He wants to get high enough on the list to be elected next year. First he has to get his name out there and what better way to do that than challenge a leader. If I was a Green member I would not vote for him on principle because, as you suspect, he’s putting himself first?
edit: just seen Chris 73. What a load of bollocks. And you accuse lefties of being conspiracy theorists
well, if tories didn’t suggest that lefties were constantly up to sleazy politics and contrived manipulations of the system, then they wouldn’t be able to defend the nats’ abuses with the line “but everyone does it, you’re naive if you think otherwise”
Te Tai Hauauru Maori Party members have met at Whangaehu Marae to select a replacement for Tariana Turia from 6 candidates,
i have yet to hear of what resulted from the meeting(perhaps it’s still going), but it looks from where i sit to be a call for volunteers to go down with the Maori Party ship,
i do have to wonder what the members found so difficult in selecting a woman to stand,(the Maori Party would seem to need a woman as the constitution says there is to be both a male and female leader),
Hell it’s more than an open secret that Maori Party Prez Ken Mair wants the nomination for Aunty Tari’s seat,(and jolly good laugh failed to get the constitution changed), my view is whack Him in a dress, change His name to Kendra and hey Bobs your Uncle…
No, I agree, it did not, hence ‘the hard road’ in the prevailing conservatism.
An example of why in politics it is not helpful to throw the label “dickhead” at people we do not understand.
Just viewed some tacky photo’s of the proposed Basin Reserve Flyover in Wellington.
At a city council election meeting recently and looked at some of the younger crowd – thought “they would struggle to afford a car, struggle even more to put petrol in it, so remind me again, just why do they want to fund a flyover? dinosour thinking.
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
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“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
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Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
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With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
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There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
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Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
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TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
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Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
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Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
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On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
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The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
tvone breakfast spreading lies about cannabis..again/still..
..(astounding logic:..because people don’t present for ‘treatment’ for cannabis use..this means there is a problem..)w.t.f..!..)
..lying bastards..!
..and that mindless-muppet compere just plays/nods along..
phillip ure
“debate” (not) was acted out on Seven Sharp night before. Hands Up, baby hands up, those who have died suddenly or violently from cannabis use…
I’d be immensely surprised if those TV types haven’t all been into the old dak more or less at some stage, if not still. I know/have known a number of them and the answer is “Yes !”. That’s not to say anything other than this……..our betters in the middle classes are right into it. Which then is to say that it’s not a big fat deal anyway. Wonder if the ShonKey’s ever swayed off to bed laffing ?
This is what happens when you sell a country’s assets to foreign corporations.
How much reminding do we need?
The last sentence I quoted is the most telling..
The neoliberal traitors who sold and are selling this country need to be tried for treason.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11163233
“The foreign owners’ agenda has eclipsed the rights and interests of the New Zealand taxpayer and workforce, this is not a sustainable forest policy.”
New Zealand exported a record 3 million cubic metres of logs to China in the September quarter, a 40 per cent increase on the same period a year earlier and log prices approached record highs during the period.
Jon Tanner, chief executive of the Wood Processors’ Association, said the increasing proportion of the wood harvest being exported as raw logs was “getting to be quite a serious situation”.
“We’re really just becoming a plantation for other countries’ interests.”
Thanks Paul +100
This is very disturbing. And our assets, most vulnerably those that supply the essential service of power, continue to be sold!
And not that difficult to see the way our deep sea oil assets will end up!
And we will also end up bearing the costs and losses in relation to environmental disasters.
Wake up New Zealand!
+1
There’s two points to be made from that article:
1.) Foreign ownership is bad for NZ as it caters only to the desires of the foreign owners
2.) Exporting raw resources is bad for NZ as it prevents development of our own economy
How many houses could that have made?
they’re making ‘houses’ from our recycling.
a ‘nana plantation.
I am not a catholic but this made interesting reading. One comment ” “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?” is something I often wonder myself .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/9447074/Pope-attacks-killer-economy
Pope Francis has attacked unfettered capitalism as “a new tyranny” as he beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church.
In it, economic inequality features as one of the issues Francis is most concerned about, and the 76-year-old pontiff calls for an overhaul of the financial system and warns that unequal distribution of wealth inevitably leads to violence.
How will this be received?
Like this Pope. 🙂
Francis is a ray of light in the worlds oldest longest lasting institution. The longevity of the church may be down to it being ultra conservative but it does have a history of accommodating the times, albeit reluctantly. I laughed at the comments on this column when he was announced, damning the RC church for what it is (i.e not liberal and leftist, and perhaps quite reactionary). What the hell did we expect?
Consequently, Francis appeal to the church to become pastoral and his moves to redirect / reform the RC church appear rather remarkable. Who has noted his canvassing the laity on issues of homosexuality, divorce etc? The whole idea that orthodoxy can be challenged is quite amazing. He appears to me more open and accepting than the doctrinaire Lefties over here.
PS I am neither religious, nor an RC.
Ennui
I think it is a bold move and one to be congratulated. He had better watch his back. There are people in sinecures in the Vatican in the country that bred Machiavelli and his cynical observations of practices there.
And remember…Cardinals from around the world decided it was time for Francis…
I’m fairly confident that the Catholic Church will long outlast all the left wing political parties and activist groups of today.
Follow the money.
The Pope, as King/President/Prime Minister equivalent, and all in one, of the Catholic Church is getting more concerned about the financial assets, investments and wealth of the Catholic Church increasingly being raided by the bankster class.
Once upon a time, the Church could rely on a positive monetary feedback loop into the Vatican’s coffers, but now no longer with the banksters in charge and growing stronger.
People shouldn’t think that the Pope is speaking out against the current system on moral, let alone, religious grounds and definitely not the public/common people’s interest.
🙂
You may be right BUT to quote Darth Vader “I find your lack of faith disturbing”.
My take is that this Pope is both a Franciscan and a Jesuit…neither of which paths lead toward the money. In the words of Francis of Assisi…”I have come to rebuild a church”.
hee hee, love it!
Well said Ennui. I hope your take is right. The world needs more genuine, caring leadership and the Pope is in a very powerful position. I never thought I’d be aware of any of his teachings and here we are discusing his statements. Time will tell.
This pope also argues for a vow of poverty for the church – this now doubt will not go well down for some. Another succession in the making?
or assassination Focke Wulf Uhu
Didn’t want to be that blunt…
somebody else always comes along… and brightens your day 😀
I’m expecting (sadly) Pope Francis will be assassinated before too long.
Well, he’s already lasted longer than the last Pope who forgot the script:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I_conspiracy_theories
Star wars – this generations pop bible
http://www.searchquotes.com/quotation/You_can't_win_Darth._If_you_strike_me_down,_I_shall_become_more_powerful_than_you_can_possibly_imagi/273441/
Uh…you mean the generation who is in their 40’s and 50’s…
that’s an informative link TRP; drop by for ‘confessions’ next time you are “driving round the bay” We can break bread…and etc 😀
Happy to, RT! Back in the bay tomorrow as it happens. It’s all a bit full on till late in the arvo, but if you know of a suitable place to catch up after 5, I’m keen. I’m working in Hastings, but staying in Napier, so either works.
k. BP Stortford; I’ll wait from 5-6 (newspaper under arm, slight squint 😉 )
Good as gold, I’m sure you’ll suss me no prob!
ae
Nothing new about it at all. We saw the same tyranny in Ancient Rome and Greece, we saw it under feudalism in Europe and Britain and now we’re seeing it again as a few people gather all the wealth and power to themselves.
No, nothing new about it – it was inevitable and always will be under hierarchical systems that hold private ownership of the commons as its saviour.
Good stuff.
The whole encyclical is here. As a Catholic, I like this pope.
same: may many wealthy catholics digest this bread.
‘may many wealthy catholics digest this bread’. RT, if you meant Catholics then I certainly hope Bill English will digest this bread. Or, perhaps, choke on it?
someone could perform the ‘manoeuvre’ 😀 then (my first aid certificate has expired; know what that means to officialdom? no longer able to save lives).
Fully. me too.
He’s the bizzo.
on reflection, i believe the Society would-have found a suitable candidate 😀
His name was Tony Blair
Jacques Ellul would have been an interesting pope – a Christianarchist, no less
Booze culture
Seen on the New World festive season opening hours signage yesterday
“Wednesday, 1st January, 2014 Open for all your hangover needs!”
Er, nice community message there NW
Maybe bear this is mind in regard to those hungover drivers you are inviting into your store
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9445531/Hungover-motorists-as-risky-as-driving-drunk
Not to mention that earlier this year a drunk driver took out a fence and part of a house at 11am one Sunday, just a few doors down from the supermarket.
Plus: workers, if you think you were going to have a nice New years eve and new years day holiday – too bad!!!
From what I’ve observed, supermarkets have been opening on New Years Day in the last few years, where as previously they didn’t, so yes, one less day that their workers get to enjoy the festive time with friends and family, or any social time – with only three and half days of the year where they are guaranteed a holiday day!
Yep it’s crap. A guaranteed half day holiday and double time for the rest of it should be mandatory.
The Warehouse always opened on New Years day since I started working there in 2001. I think the opening time might have been 9-10am instead of the usual 8:30.
I don’t think this is a ‘new’ change.
As mentioned, I had noticed New World had started opening on NY Day a few years ago, approximately ’07 but they may well have been opening on NY Day for some time. Traders, especially those that are profitable during the festive season (such as the warehouse) will chose to open this day – it’s a trend that is evolving. Meanwhile other retailers choose to stay closed because it’s not worth it for them.
My main observation about their opening hours sign however, and without wanting to sound like a party pooper, is that they are promoting hangover products to their customers. Probably this is nothing more than a joke, but it’s a bad taste one given the harm (eg, increases domestic violence) alcohol does over Xmas and New Year.
When I was running the inventory at Cargo King in the very early 90’s, I’m pretty sure that we opened on new years day. We did stop for Xmas day.
Hmm. Was that a supplier/distributor to trade only or a retail outfit? I wonder if businesses back then could open for non trade operations?
My foggy memory is going back to that time (I was about 20) and I recall that when the Bolger govt came in retail opening hours were relaxed in conjunction it seemed with the employment contracts act coming in, and suddenly we were working all day Saturday and then on Sundays.(except I refused to work Sundays) I’m not sure what law around opening hours existed or if there was even one but I had thought, back then the NY Day public holiday was still in the same league as Xmas Day, kinda untouchable. Shops always closed on the 2nd Jan Holiday too, and now they are often open and I wonder if folks actually forget that is a public holiday.
Here we go:
Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal Act 1990
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0057/latest/whole.html
Looks like it was section 3 of the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal Amendment Act 2001 that narrowed it down to only three and a half days of shop closure annually.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2001/0016/latest/DLM90158.html
On the news -And now we are having tax payer money financing the wine industry to create low calorie and alcohol content wine whilst the next item was about a child suffering cancer having to raise money! If that is not corrupt I don’t know what is. If people want less calories and alcohol put some mineral water into the wine like they do in Europe, have a Gespritzten.
Can’t find $3.4M for miners families tho
It was a retail chain. Basically the competitor for the Warehouse.
Started there in start of 1990? Left in late 91? or early 92
…“forget about the last one get yourself another,”…
Oh No! Now I have an ear worm for the day
TM
Cryptic. Which?
greywarbler — pretty sure it’s the magical david dobbyn and the dudes .. “drink yourself more bliss” .. as the word piss could not be used publicly in those days on the radio !! ( how times have changed !!)
yes, yeshe!
Yes despite being a great rocking party song , too many kiwis have taken it too literally. I fear also that impressionable young took the NZ band Deja Voodoo song “P” as an endorsement as well.
A Better Track
Better Still.
Oh god. I think I have still have that cool banana’s vinyl somewhere in the in the not yet organised music room
Ahh.. the Windsor…
‘the island of real’…
phillip ure..
that’s an informative link TRP; drop by for ‘confessions’ next time you are “driving round the bay” We can break bread…and etc 😀
GABA GABAA Hey!
The people from Kiribati being refused residency should be allowed to stay as part of a gradual resettlement of those people here and in Australia. We know that they are under threat from rising sea levels, huge storms, and crop killing weather changes. What about the NZ Government acting responsibly in this matter. We occasionally do something fair, intelligent and responsible – this is time to repeat it if not make it the first for the year or longer?
whoar..!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/27-animals-died-during-filming-of-hollywood-blockbuster-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-says-report-8965357.html
“..Agency tasked with monitoring safety – ‘covered up injuries and deaths on movie sets’..”
(nb..this does not include the animals killed so the cast/crew could eat them..eh..?..
..that number is much higher than ’27’..eh..?
..and did they hand the dead bodies of those animals killed on set over to the cooks..?
..so they could have them for lunch..?
..if not..why not..?)
phillip ure
russel norman on rnz this morning, who gave the gcsb dotcoms phone records? the nsa! so much for john keys reasurances… (if true, but if not nsa then who?)
That was an excellent interview by Norman. He was very articulate and set out the situation/his views very clearly and succinctly – using logic to ask who could have given the GCSB Dotcom’s phone records and by a process of elimination, suggesting – rather than emphatically concluding – the NSA through Five Eyes.
Here is a link to the interview for anyone interested
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2577767/greens-say-police-handled-gcsb-and-teapot-cases-differently
On a related note, I checked the Auckland High Court lists for today. As well as the Banks judicial review at 10am before Justice Heath (in unlucky Court 13),Justice Helen Winkelmann was also holding a one hour case management conference at 9am with the legal beagles involved in the Dotcom case.
Hi folks!
Yesterday I attended a VERY productive workshop at the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference – ‘How to do a fact-finding internal anti-corruption inquiry’.
VERY relevant to the Len Brown ‘inquiry’……
Mixing and mingling with all sorts of anti-corruption folks from a wide range of areas, (Public Sectors and geographically).
My situation is quite unique in that I am a self-funded ‘Public Watchdog’, helping to make a difference by making a FUSS!
ie: my role is EXTERNAL not INTERNAL – so the tactics and strategies are quite different. (Polar opposites in fact )
A very experienced and long-serving investigator from ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption NSW) described me as a ‘Private Ombudsman.’
(I met some of these ICAC and other anti-corruption folk when I attended the 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Confernence in Brisbane).
Anyway – have learned that there are now anti-corruption bodies in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
It is SO time for New Zealand to have an Independent Commission Against Corruption- tasked with preventing and investigating corruption.
Looking forward to seeing photos of the Not-So-Honorable John Banks (un) welcoming reception outside the Auckland High Court this morning!
Still awaiting a decision from the NZ Serious Fraud Office (SFO) re: the request for an investigation into Mayor Len Brown and Sky City for alleged bribery and corruption.
http://www.pennybrightformayor.org.nz
Having some fascinating discussions with all sorts of anti-corruption experts on this matter!
Also on the failure of OFCANZ (Organised and Financial Crime Agency of NZ) to do ‘due diligence’ on the increased risk of money-laundering arising from the NZ International Convention City (or- as I prefer to call it – the Sky City MONEY-LAUNDERING) Act 2013.
Still awaiting confirmation from the NZ Auditor-General that she is going to carry out an investigation into this one……
I hope to have more discussion with anti-corruption experts who deal with money-laundering, and seek their considered opinions about the proven complete lack of ‘due diligence’ on the increased risk of money-laundering arising from the NZ International Convention City Act 2013, from the NZ Prime Minister John Key, Minister of Economic Developement Steven Joyce, OFCANZ, Auckland Council and Auckland Central Police….
Presumably, at some point mainstream media may pick this one up?
Given that, in my considered opinion, Sky City has effectively been given the go-ahead to set up a money-laundering FACTORY, in the heart of Auckland, (in NZ – ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world) – don’t you think that somebody might be a lttle bit interested?
Have a GREAT day!
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
You are sounding very invigorated, Penny! Enjoy!
Rifle through those Unmentionables Penny.
Not sure why we need another regulator at all.
We are and have been for decades one of the top 3 least corrupt countries in the world.
In NZ there are now plenty of people in jail and disgraced due to the Securities Commission, Serious Fraud Office, Audit NZ etc and plenty of corporates and local governments wrinsed out through the Audit Office.
Try your hand at the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, or indeed any country in the pacific with an actual world-ranking problem in corruption.
Green democracy
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/111596166-challenge-to-green-party-co-leadership
He wants to challenge the leadership 6 months out from a General Election? If that is true, he shouldn’t even be on the party list.
Would like to see more information to make sure the zb report is correct.
It’s reported on Stuff, too.
i was just trying to find out David Hay’s background. I’m not sure if there are more than one of him in Auckland?
This is what the Green Party site says about him.
So I guess this ex-Auckland Cits&Rats deputy mayor is not him?
He’s definitely not the professor of auditing at Auckland Uni.
I’ve never been totally into Norman as Green co-leader. So far, I can’t see anything about Hay to think he’d be an improvement on Norman.
Having read the links you’ve provided, I can’t see what the flap is. So, he wants to test the waters to see if there’s any appetite for a shift in Green Party focus next June. Big deal. There may be a vote that indicates a desire for a shift, or they may not be. And I guess the Party then responds accordingly.
Agreed, Bill. From what I have briefly found about the challenger, my conclusion is Norman will have his co-leadership confirmed.
True, but I was thinking more of what the MSM will do*, and the resources it will take from the election campaign.
* re the instability of the GP having a leadership challenge that close to the election, plus the MSM having a field day with the anti-growth economics. On the other hand, when Norman gets re-elected as leader, maybe it sends the message that the GP aren’t dangerous kooks after all, Norman is so reasonable!, so more people will vote for them.
But why do that going into an election? It doesn’t really make sense.
“So, he wants to test the waters to see if there’s any appetite for a shift in Green Party focus next June.”
I think it’s an actual leadership vote, not just testing the waters for a shift in focus.
Can’t really fault his politics.
“Humanity has overshot the capacity of Earth’s ecosystem to sustain our long-term existence. We must do whatever we can to address that issue. Our immediate priority must be the rapid de-carbonisation of our energy system. Ultimately we must “de-grow” the economic system and share society’s resources more equitably.”
but still don’t understand the timing of the challenge. If he wants to move the GP in that direction, wouldn’t it make more sense to go through the election with the best chance of gaining the most seats and the best deal with Labour, and then challenge later?
Some are tweeting that Hay is trying to improve his list chances/place.
A cynic might suggest that “Co-leader re-elected in landslide” would be a useful headline in election year, accompanied by the opinion piece: “Moderate Greens in control, eye Treasury benches”.
Of course I am not that cynic … 😉
Well, let’s say (just for the sake of argument) that he wants degrowth and Green Party penetration in S. Auckland to be serious discussion points as opposed to a leadership position. Isn’t this a good way to ensure that? Breaks through any smash that might sit in the Green Party structure when it comes to generating discussion or elevating topics.
As in, the conservative element of the GP is getting too entrenched, therefore something radical needs to be done to keep the party in the right direction? I would have thought that the membership could still bring up serious discussion points, it’s a worry if that’s no longer true.
And if your point is right, then how to assess the risks, and whether the timing is useful for the overall strategy? The GP has a history of either fucking up at election time (corn gate), or just not doing that well, or being undermined by the MSM, so I’m a bit nervous about things that rock the boat in that time period.
I know next to nothing about internal Green Party structures and how easy it is for membership to generate traction/discussion on particular issues. I’m just putting it out there as a possibility.
Also (and this is a personal perspective) I can’t remember seeing degrowth mentioned by politicians before and New Zealand, as opposed to just the Green Party, desperately needs that discussion. So if the media jump on this non-challenge next June, then the Greens can demonstrate that they are not afraid of democracy (a leadership vote) as well as underscore Norman’s leadership and a bloody serious issue that everyone has shied away from might get some oxygen.
But maybe I’m just being oddly positive today 😉
Good point, Bill. It’ll be interesting to see how much of an airing “de-growth” gets during the co-leadership contest, and the Greens’ conference next year.
“But maybe I’m just being oddly positive today 😉 ”
Crikey 😉
Me on the other hand… I suppose I see potential for all sorts of problems. What if the degrowth conversation sparks a great controversy within the GP (as it should) and the MSM go beserk? Do we want that happening at that time?
I suppose I need to understand more about the man himself and where he is coming from.
“..it’s a worry if that’s no longer true..”
..it never was true weka..
top-down/central-command..
(which can be argued for or against..)
..it has always been thus..
..and if hay is doing what bill surmises..well and good..
..but isn’t hay from the right/free-market-solutions wing of the greens..?
..(once again..can be argued for or against..i’m all for a mix..me..)
..as in..essentially more right than norman..?
..just saying/asking..!
..(mind you..norman is pretty gung-ho on the continuation of the animal-concentration-camps/charnal-houses..still sees a future for nz based on the blood/suffering of animals..
..and his co-leader has a penchant for strutting around wrapped in shining/glistening dead-animal skins..)
..they are both hardly ‘deep/dark’-green..
..and of course as the consequences of our past/current polluting actions become more and more apparent..a much more ‘radical’ green party/thought/ideas/prescriptions will be called for..
..but norman seems to be the person for this particular moment in the green party arc….
phillip ure..
Sounds to me like cold feet – Labour and Greens could win? Well, this is like a bit of chicken dance, lets just withdraw a bit here its getting scary… if there is any more of this I am sure we will have a third term of Nats – absolutely sure to be exact.
It appears that he has been a local body policy staffer previously, not a politician.
David Hay, a political analysist works for the Auckland City Council, he contested the Rodney electorate seat for the Green Party in 2008 and the Epsom seat for the same party in 2011,
There were enough ‘votes’ in the Epsom electorate between Hay and Labour’s David Parker to have, if those 2 had of convinced voters to vote for the National candidate, kept John Banks out of the Parliament,
The Green Party did tho pick up a very healthy 4,424 Party votes from Epsom up from 2,662 in 2008 when Keith Locke contested the seat,
Rodney, where Hay stood in 2008 gaining 1,969 party votes recorded 3,265 party votes for the Green Party in 2011 so the ‘Green-swing’ is more likely to be party centric rather than based around any particular candidate,(as it should be),
i see it as entirely healthy for the Green Party to have ‘leadership challengers’ appear at any AGM while hoping that this is only a small part of the gathering and would much rather be pushing my barrow of having the Green Party put far more effort into ‘farming’ the growing Green vote from within safe National held seats,(every vote from there is worth 2 votes when it comes to counting up the Party Votes),
Dr Norman who it took me a while to warm to has certainly in the past 18 months come into His own in the political arena seriously spanking Slippery’s Ministers on a number of occasions and i don’t really see a threat in David Hay’s challenge…
bad12
Thanks for background on Hay.
Welcome, what has worried me for a while about the Green Party is as it has grown a very healthy amount of it’s vote is coming from amidst the ‘middle class’, i find this a bit of a damned if you do damned if you don’t situation for a party with one of it’s arms firmly mired in ‘Social Justice’ with my underlying suspicion that sooner or later with the lure of increasing that ‘middle class’ vote ‘Social Justice’ may within the party die a quiet and unheralded death,
Perhaps this is the first attempt from within the Green Party membership for that ‘middle class’ to wield it’s political muscle,(and not knowing David Hay personally my apologies for any unintended slur),
What the upward numbers tho do allow some of us to do is migrate our votes to the Mana Party in an attempt to bolster that parties number in the House, a final decision i will leave for the months around November 2014 when the polling will be furiously delivering us ‘political junkies’ numbers by the day,
i wonder how much analysis by Party strategists in both the Labour and Green Parties has been applied to the Epsom 2011 result where the train wreckage strewn across the New Zealand landscape might have at the least been lessened had both parties cooperated to invite their voters to hold their noses and vote for the National candidate in order to shut Banks out of the Parliament,
Hopefully, with hindsight, both parties have learned a valuable lesson from Epsom 2011 and are prepared to cooperate within whatever electorate Colon Craig stands to gain the National party candidate as many votes as possible so as to shut that loose wheel out…
is he related to Keith Hay (would be his grandson) and David Hay (his father)? I ask because both of those guys were quite christian in their views and impositions on night classes at Mt Roskill Grammar (no yoga for example)
What??? NO Yoga, start the revolution right now, how dare they, as to your question i personally don’t know any of the Hay’s mentioned so cannot comment on any family connections…
Some religious types see yoga, tai-chi and the like as being quite anti-Christian activities…
Hey Dude! had to fish this out of the actual “recycle bin” ; Wind turbines; Good Enough for the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to invest in…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11163739
lol…lol…lol
lol
lol. 😀
Dream a little longer and it will be Nats having the next election. The pols do not look THAT good to play a bit around. People are looking for certainty and know what to expect, getting familiar with the candidates. Dr Russel is highly capable but he is not a mongrel and if that is a problem I for one will not vote at all.
Helpful
(this one is for the comedy-heretic who yesterday claimed that ‘family guy ‘is not funny’..(i know..!..i know..!..)..
..it’s a collection of brian best-of vid-clips..
..fill yer boots..!..eh..?
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/video-after-brian-griffin-dies-family-guy-dogs-best-moments-8964448.html
phillip ure..
I’ve never thought that the treatment the daughter Meg receives to be very funny, quite sick actually.
(sigh..!..)..fender…where to start..?
phillip ure..
Futurama would be a good place.
Are you implying we are all one-eyed?
not at all Cyclops
Yes that is what is funny about the whole ‘un-correct’ cartoon, it is masterfully sick, a lampoon if you will of all the sick attitudes society has or ever will exhibit,
Obviously if anyone took a cartoon of this or any other nature to be an exemplar of acceptable behavior that too would be sick…
+1
I had thought that most people would see the cartoon in this light.
I mean, the opening credits feature extreme domestic violence, and there’s a rapist living next door that the whole community just turns a blind eye toward, giggity.
My personal favourite for “wrong” comedy is Robot Chicken
Destroying your childhood memories one sketch at a time!
‘Stretch Armstrong’ ’til he crumbles.
The Commonwealth Games are to be held in Glasgow next year I think. I was just thinking about the Brit-Yank club and who heads those respective countries. Republic or Monarchy thoughts. When thinking of the Monarchy I have a picture of someone with dignity and respect for the elevated position that Royalty has and that this holder of the position has shown all her life.
(Apparently Buckingham Palace was hired out for many millions for the venue of some rich guy’s
event! Or was that a satirical item?)
Compare that to an elected leader from the people of Toronto. When the position is open to unseemly jockeying and fraud and all comers with sufficient dosh can buy into being top dog you can get Rob Ford. Forget how much money the Queen has (which irks many who somehow thinks this tips the argument for a republic), just look at the way the Queen represents the people in an intelligent, thoughtful and careful way. Then look at Rob Ford as buffoon leader who would never be elected as Republic leader but is of the type that would be contenders.
Qantas is appealing to the Australian government to maintain their own specialised form of free market business practice in the airlines business.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/228795/qantas-appealing-to-nationalism-against-virgin
Qantas shouldered NZ out years ago, resulting in us feeling we had to buy Ansett to gain the feeder services we needed. Feeling being the important word here, thinking hard did not trump the feeling impulse. Now we have an interest with other airlines, in Virgin and it seems that it is good business sense to expand the business somewhat, Qantas is calling on national sentiment as a way of combatting the competition. They have been the most profitable airline in the world at times, may still be.
I wish our government could be so supportive of our enterprises. But NZ gets gutted and thrown to the wolves. And Australians have no warm feelings when it comes to business or country to country dealings. They don’t give up their advantages without a fight. We need more teeth and attitude like Oz but it would be good if we had more integrity with it. Oz government did agree apparently, that we could have the right for Airnz to fly around Oz, or to combine with domestic airlines, then they withdrew that on Qantas advice, a country to country agreement just cancelled.
That’s the respect they have for us – negotiable.
And now quantas can even buy a spoiler stake of Airnz shares on the share market which will be more effective with the govt share at 52% Thank you John , not.
Why on earth is John Key getting so personally involved in the Anadarko / Greenpeace ding dong?
Politically I would have thought it would be best to stay well away and say something like … “they are two private organisations and how they attend to their matters is their business, not the governments.”
However, I suppose Key is tied all up with them given he gave Anadarko special legislation to suit (like Hollywoods Warner Bros), and given Key and the National Party get their money from Anadarko and Warner Bros.
… conflicted all to hell ….
… big business is running the new Zealand government ….
From where i sit it looks like National on the defensive with falling poll numbers have got the ‘spin-miesters’ working overtime on ‘Brand-Slippery’,
Yesterday it was the ‘i can piss higher up the toilet wall’ challenge to David Cunliffe to openly say that as Prime Minister He,(Cunliffe), would be buying back the parts of the State Owned Assets that Slippery and Co, doing their best to imitate any seedy back-street used car salesman,(and failing), have flogged off to the 25 of wealthiest Ma’s and Pa’s in the land,
The latest comment from He who will be out the door next November on the deep sea drilling was to start the conversation about Green-Peace and then less than subtly connect the Green Party with the protest yachts and the Court action,
That connects with National’s core and might for a while keep the numbers above 39% but less and less of the voting public are so enamored of our Prime Minister these days you might say that Slippery can’t dance no more…
I saw him con -fillate “Greens” with the Greenpeace action; slippery or what? That is one deliberate politician; self-belief ya see, belief in himself.
Talking about drilling for oil, an interesting point is about the cost of the externalities for the test drilling on land sites being borne by the ratepayers in the area, and no doubt the owners of the property on which the sites and the access roads to them.
A USA? Mayor said that they had about 6.000? (a lot) of drilling many of which involved fracking. Fracking requires a lot of water. Water is heavy. It has to be trucked in and the load destroys roads. Big carriers on small roads mean big expense repairing, and there have been a lot of extra accidents which have resulted from this extra traffic.
(This is without saying about how scarce water is now, and its being utilised by these rent-seeking companies.) And they are not taking responsibility for the damage caused on the roads. This is what I heard this morning on Radionz so for the facts rather than my hearsay have a listen to them.
I heard yesterday he was leaving it to the police… like he did with the tea cup tapes, john banks and GCSB…
“Police had asked GCSB for help in December 2011 as they gathered evidence for a joint police-FBI raid on Dotcom’s rural Auckland home.”
How on earth do the FBI get to undertake this sort of action in our country?
What was the basis for their physical involvement on the ground?
Where did the authority come from?
You only need to go and read some of the Greenwald pieces to answer your questions. The agencies can share info. So, one agency (eg, MI6) can do stuff in the US that the US agencies can’t…so requests are made, info gathered and then shared back to whoever wants it. And no laws are broken.
Thanks Bill, but I meant the actual raid. FBI boots on the ground at a New Zealand home, not the info gathering.
How is that legal or authorised? How does the FBI have ‘jurisdiction’ in our country?
Observers or tactical advisors, and/or providing of specialist equipment.
But even that is physical presence and acts of a kind. Where does the authority or legality come from?
Australian explorer Douglas Mawson 1913 expedition to Antarctica is being remembered by a team of scientists. While people are thinking of this great mean, another should be remembered who was a prime reason for Shackleton and his team’s survival – Henry (Chippy) McNish from Glasgow, shipwright, (and his cat Mrs Chippy) . His family have been agitating for him to be remembered with a Polar Medal like most of his compatriots.
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_McNish says – He spent 23 years in the Navy in total during his life, but eventually secured a job with the New Zealand Shipping Company.[2] After making five trips to New Zealand he moved there in 1925, leaving behind his wife[d] and all of his carpentry tools. He worked on the waterfront in Wellington until his career was ended by an injury. Destitute, he would sleep in the wharf sheds under a tarpaulin and relied on monthly collections from the dockworkers……he worked on the docks in Wellington until poor health forced his retirement. He died destitute in the Ohiro Benevolent Home in Wellington….He was buried in Karori Cemetery, Wellington, on 26 September 1930, with full naval honours; HMS Dunedin (which happened to be in port at the time) provided twelve men for the firing party and eight bearers.
However, his grave remained unmarked for almost thirty years;[22] the New Zealand Antarctic Society (NZAC) erected a headstone on 10 May 1959.[3] In 2001, it was reported that the grave was untended and surrounded by weeds,[28] but in 2004, the grave was tidied and a life size bronze sculpture of McNish’s beloved cat, Mrs. Chippy, was placed on his grave by NZAC. His grandson, Tom, believes this tribute would have meant more to him than receiving the Polar Medal.[22]
But McNish’s skill and ingenuity in events which followed is still remembered. After 16 months trapped on the ice, the men set sail in the three small boats for Elephant Island. Eight days after their arrival, one of the vessels, the 20ft whale boat James Caird, struck out for South Georgia – a journey of 670 miles – with six men on board, including McNish. It was only possible because, during their time trapped on the ice, McNish worked tirelessly to ensure the seaworthiness of the escape craft.
He had devised his own mixture of flour, oil paint and seal blood to caulk the seams of the boats, raised the gunwales to make them safer in the high seas and and fitted small decks fore and aft to the Caird. Before Shackleton, and two others, set off for the final 36 hour traverse of South Georgia’s mountain ranges, he fashioned crampons out of the boat’s two inch brass screws. “We certainly could not have lived through the voyage without it”; Shackleton wrote later of his carpenter’s efforts.
Like Shackleton, McNish was never to recover his health fully. He returned to the Merchant Navy but suffered severe pain brought on by the months stranded at the Pole. He eventually died in Wellington Hospital in New Zealand where he was treated as a hero and given a funeral with full naval honours paid for by the New Zealand government.
And not to forget NZ Frank Worsley who died in Surrey in 1943. Frank Arthur Worsley DSO OBE RD (22 February 1872 – 1 February 1943) was a New Zealand sailor and explorer who served on Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916, as captain of the Endurance. He also served in the Royal Navy Reserve during the First World War.
overlooking Sartre for a moment, here’s a Booklist
Challenge.
Poof. Motorcycles – noisy smelly dangerous things.
What makes them so dangerous tho??? cars and trucks perhaps???…
The Press had a good list of information that house sellers, particularly in Christchurch, could make available to assist buyers in decisions. Things are not as simple as they used to be anywhere in NZ so worth noting.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/your-property/9446093/Vendors-should-disclose-details
I seem to have a lot to say today. I will eschew! the blog for rest of week.
Ructions in Victorian Parliament OZ, over the Speaker. This could happen here. And is an indication of a weakness in the system if the various Parties are not happy with the Speaker and have no right to ask for an alternative.
http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/news/two-suspended-dramatic-day-vic-075818098–spt.html
The MPs said Mr Smith resembled a dictator, was a puppet for the government and his occupation of the speakership was a travesty of democracy….
When Mr Shaw, who has previously expressed no confidence in the Speaker, left the house, Mr Smith used his casting vote to suspend Labor MP Jacinta Allan for six days – the remainder of the parliamentary year – for rowdy behaviour.
Deputy Opposition Leader James Merlino was also suspended for six days.
The suspensions give the government a majority in the house….
The parliament heard Labor MPs had indicated they would support deputy speaker Christine Fyffe being installed as Speaker.
But Premier Denis Napthine expressed his support for the Speaker saying he had shown tremendous patience amid an organised stunt by the opposition.
eschew away. Be good.
I have a dreadful feeling that the dirty rat Epsom MP will be let off free again, no I dont have much faith in our judiciary.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11163685
I’m more hopeful amirite. After all, it is the Solicitor General who is acting as Crown Prosecutor on this occasion. He carries a lot of weight. The judge will be dotting his i’s and crossing his t’s so that there’s no further claims of factual errors – no matter how irrelevant they may be to the case.
I am also more hopeful than amirite, Anne, having followed the case closely over the months. IMO the public interest is such that a whitewash dismissal would attract massive reaction, including from the legal beagles. Justice Gittos, the AKL District Court judge who considered it should go to trial is not the only one with this opinion. Earlier, in Nov 2012 and in April 2013, Judge Mill of the Wellington DC also appeared to consider it should, before the case was transferred to Auckland.
If you haven’t already read it, Graeme Edgeler’s post two days ago on Public Address is worth reading for the legal ins and outs of both the case iteslf and the legal processes underway, eg the judicial review.
http://publicaddress.net/legalbeagle/qa-john-banks-judicial-review/
I also note that both the Herald article that amirite linked to at 19, and this Stuff article have been edited since they first appeared earlier in the afternoon.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9448744/Banks-trial-decision-next-week
The earlier Stuff article included quite a bit more detail of what happened in court, including Michael Heron stating that he would not be leading the prosecution if it went to trial, but naming the QC who would. Can’t remember the name, unfortunately.
Another reason I think that there won’t be a whitewash dismissal of Banks’ case is the connection to the Dotcom saga.
It was quite a day in the Auckland High Court today, with this and a case management hearing on Dotcom’s compensation case for the raid., with another hearing scheduled for two weeks’ time.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/30004775/nsa-fingered-in-dotcom-scandal
(Another Stuff article that has been edited since it first appeared earlier today in both cases, probably to protect them – the newspapers – legally.)
And this TV3 News item gives more detail of the line Heron took at the Banks judicial review hearing – in essence the facts should be argued in a trial before a jury.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Banks-trial-decision-due-next-week/tabid/423/articleID/323049/Default.aspx
A taste
“Mr Banks encouraged donations, encouraged cheques to be split, knew that they were being made, knew that they had been received, communicated receipt of donations, and at the same time made it clear his intentions and desire that these donations be anonymous,” Mr Heron told the court.
“Whether or not he gave the return a great deal of scrutiny won’t be at the heart of the Crown case. The Crown will, I expect, say things turned out precisely as Mr Banks intended, with the return saying donations were anonymous which Mr Banks asked to be anonymous.”
This is the bit that bothers me. Doesn’t it strike to the heart of what Bank;s is charged with and it’s being sidelined?
“Whether or not he gave the return a great deal of scrutiny won’t be at the heart of the Crown case. “
RedBaronCV – on the contrary it heartens rather than bothers me. At this point Heron is simply saying that Banks’ claim that he did not appreciate the falseness of the document because he gave it only cursory attention is not a sufficient ground for halting the prosecution, having regard to the rest of the evidence signalled.
Heron is actually saying that in the round there is sufficient evidence going to the falseness of Banks’ claim of haplessness as to require a credibility determination by a jury. That is unremarkable. Credibility of a witness is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary hearing.
I note that Justice Heath in the course of the hearing alluded to the question being whether on the already disclosed pool of evidence a jury could reasonably convict. That too heartens me. There’s always been a sense of farce about Banks’ protestations. A helicopter ride to probably the grandest pad in the land. To score big secret bucks off the unforgettable KDC. He can’t remember ? In a Monty Pythonesque way and out of his own mouth the septic wee Banks has put his credibility in issue. Credibility is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary.
I expect the Crown using the disclosed pool of evidence to robustly attack Banks’ credibility for the purpose of painting the claim “I’m a busy man, I didn’t read it” is a desperate last gasp to get away with using the document as a device to maintain the cloak of secrecy he always sought.
RedBaronCV – on the contrary it heartens rather than bothers me. At this point Heron is simply saying that Banks’ claim that he did not appreciate the falseness of the document because he gave it only cursory attention is not a sufficient ground for halting the prosecution, having regard to the rest of the evidence signalled.
Heron is actually saying that in the round there is sufficient evidence going to the falseness of Banks’ claim of haplessness as to require a credibility determination by a jury. That is unremarkable. Credibility of a witness is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary hearing.
I note that Justice Heath in the course of the hearing alluded to the question being whether on the already disclosed pool of evidence a jury could reasonably convict. That too heartens me. There’s always been a sense of farce about Banks’ protestations. A helicopter ride to probably the grandest pad in the land. To score big secret bucks off the unforgettable KDC. He can’t remember ? In a Monty Pythonesque way and out of his own mouth the septic wee Banks has put his credibility in issue. Credibility is ultimately for a jury, not for a judge sitting in preliminary.
I expect the Crown using the disclosed pool of evidence to robustly attack Banks’ credibility for the purpose of painting the claim “I’m a busy man, I didn’t read it” is a desperate last gasp to get away with using the document as a device to maintain the cloak of secrecy he always sought.
I agree, North. What was quoted of Heron’s arguments yesterday also heartened me – but I am still not holding my breath ….
IMO, the sentence “Whether or not he gave the return a great deal of scrutiny won’t be at the heart of the Crown case. “ has to be read in the context of the whole quote in my 20.1.1.
I was also interested that Heron was advocating for the case to go forward as a jury trial. IIRC from reading Graeme Edgeler and others, the trial could be either a judge only or a jury trial.
IMHO, a judge only trial would focus on legal technicalities with the possibility that it could be dismissed on a technicality ; whereas a jury might focus on the bigger picture, as Heron seemed to be suggesting – eg Banks’ intentions in asking for donations and for these to be anonymous, broken down etc to maintain a ‘cloak of secrecy’ as you so succinctly put it.
Thanks veutoviper. Seen the Stuff articles and will read Edgeler later.
Typical of MSM news outlets. Run a mile from controversial truths in case they get bitten. Is it any wonder Mr & Mrs Voter are so uninformed…
Green Party is doing so well.
Russel Norman is a recognized a face of Green leadership. Greens are stable when all about them aren’t.
Then Hay tries to take the leadership.
Has he not seen what has been happening in Labour?
Why, David, why? Personal ambition?
It certainly isn’t for the good of the party.
I reckon the Greens are mature enough to handle the process as well as Labour did (when they finally got around to putting their cards in the open).
Interested about the “Auckland representation” angle, though – seems to me that encouraging regionalist pressures while seeking nation-wide leadership might be shooting the dead horse in the foot before the stable door has been bolted.
always wise, situated above the muster Flockie
To me it kinda makes them less of the prissy passive-aggressive haute-bourgeoise avoiders, into something more politically real and in fact human.
No they are not, you watch that spot – this attempt will derail any possibility to get a green/labour coalition and therefore Nats will be back in the seat. I just wonder whether this is deliberate or just stupidity.
To nuke a labgrn coalition the options are for grns to piss in the tent because lab ain’t green enough, or to go between labs and nat.
I don’t get either vibe from hay at this stsge, just a fair punt for the chair.
At a guess I’d suggest the Greens saw how much publicity Labour got with their leadership battle and probably want a piece of that plus they then got to trumpet Normans mandate for even more publicity
Sleazy by the Greens if true but good politics
Too Much Information, you have for one mortal chris73. Always this and that; a hard-worker nonetheless.
Piss73……..the ease with which you conflate “sleazy” and “good”………seems like your brand old boy. Sure your name’s not PissTextor73 ?
Political egos have a habit of clouding good judgement WJ. See Labour’s leadership battle Dec. 2011.
He wants to get high enough on the list to be elected next year. First he has to get his name out there and what better way to do that than challenge a leader. If I was a Green member I would not vote for him on principle because, as you suspect, he’s putting himself first?
edit: just seen Chris 73. What a load of bollocks. And you accuse lefties of being conspiracy theorists
No worse then suggesting the best way to get a high list placing is to challenge the face of the party
well, if tories didn’t suggest that lefties were constantly up to sleazy politics and contrived manipulations of the system, then they wouldn’t be able to defend the nats’ abuses with the line “but everyone does it, you’re naive if you think otherwise”
But tactically a shot in the head…
Te Tai Hauauru Maori Party members have met at Whangaehu Marae to select a replacement for Tariana Turia from 6 candidates,
i have yet to hear of what resulted from the meeting(perhaps it’s still going), but it looks from where i sit to be a call for volunteers to go down with the Maori Party ship,
i do have to wonder what the members found so difficult in selecting a woman to stand,(the Maori Party would seem to need a woman as the constitution says there is to be both a male and female leader),
Hell it’s more than an open secret that Maori Party Prez Ken Mair wants the nomination for Aunty Tari’s seat,(and jolly good laugh failed to get the constitution changed), my view is whack Him in a dress, change His name to Kendra and hey Bobs your Uncle…
Credit to Ken Mair, yet, Moutoa Gardens was a hard road to hoe.
Not so sure about ‘credit’ have to do the maths on whether the pain equaled the gain? from that little exercise…
No, I agree, it did not, hence ‘the hard road’ in the prevailing conservatism.
An example of why in politics it is not helpful to throw the label “dickhead” at people we do not understand.
Ooooh, who has been so naughty as to attach such an epithet, pray tell me…
to the back of the class where I usually had to sit my chatty arse it is for you young man!
Product of The Week: ( Pork Crackle (well, the last three years ackshully).
NB: qualifier: only taste tests carried out.
Just viewed some tacky photo’s of the proposed Basin Reserve Flyover in Wellington.
At a city council election meeting recently and looked at some of the younger crowd – thought “they would struggle to afford a car, struggle even more to put petrol in it, so remind me again, just why do they want to fund a flyover? dinosour thinking.