Note the unsubtle advertising for the National Party in the Herald article by Claire Trevett, titled “Syria to grab UN focus on Key’s visit.” The article is about the PM but the photo shows Key with the National Party logo on the rostrum in the forefront.
Actually, in Andrew Little’s case at least it is just an easy way for the paper to get around the dilemma that most New Zealand people would be hard pressed to actually identify the fellow.
Using this stock photo of AL saves then having to caption a neutral photo of him, without a background of the Labour party clue, with something like the following.
“Andrew Little ( currently the head of the New Zealand Labour Party in the NZ Parliament)”.
The background in the stock photo saves them having to explain who the little-known man in the photo is.
ps. And yes I did see the smiley face when I first read your comment.
fair enough the seccond link though the heather whatshername story is laughable this poor girl who looks like she has barely completed puberty is completely clueless and would probably be better off working at mcdonalds or pac n save than attempting to comment on politics
I never actually read any of these stories.
I just remembered that The Herald tends to use a lot of stock photo’s and that they had a particularly noticeable one of Andrew Little that they seemed to use on every story about him. I simply looked for Herald stories about him and linked the first three that had the standard photo.
I do agree with Lanthanide about the black and white on a plain background though. We could extend it to using standard slogans like the ones on cigarette packets as well.
Labour “Voting Labour is dangerous to your health”
National “Voting National will shorten your life”
Green “Voting Green will cause dementia”
NZF “Voting for Winston will give you nappy rash”
and so on.
Neoliberalism – it’s a word that often comes up in discussions of political theory; blamed or praised for creating the economic system we live in today.
But what are the values and ideas behind neoliberalism? Where did it come from and how did it spread? Is it still around today? And how could we do things differently?
The Committee, which contains a broad based group of world leading economists, includes:
• Mariana Mazzucato, Professor, University of Sussex
• Joseph Stiglitz, Professor, Columbia University, recipient of the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in economics.
• Thomas Piketty, Professor, Paris School of Economics
• Anastasia Nesvetailova, Professor, City University London
• Danny Blanchflower, Bruce V, Rauner Professor of Economics Dartmouth and Stirling, Ex-member of the MPC
• Ann Pettiffor, Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME), and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Political Economy Research Centre of City University
Should make for some interesting policy ideas coming out of it.
Is this the reason for the latest big distraction from Anne Tolley?
How convenient ……
————————————————————————-
Groups fighting TPP secrecy set for their day in court
|
Last updated 07:07 28/09/2015
HAMISH RUTHERFORD
Trade Minister Tim Groser has refused to give details of New Zealand’s position in TPP negotiations.ROBYN EDIE
A group of organisations wanting to cast light on Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations will tell the High Court on Monday that Trade Minister Tim Groser is acting unlawfully in refusing to outline New Zealand’s position.
Jane Kelsey, a Professor of Law and trade commentator has filed a statement of claim seeking a declaration that Groser breached the provisions of the Official Information Act.
In February Groser’s office issued a blanket refusal to release documents to Kelsey related to negotiations on the proposed 12 country trade deal, which is yet
Ann Tolley’s vicious ramblings about sterilizing the poor didn’t arise out of nothing.
Another National M.P. has denigrated “low-lifes”, “ferals” and “the handicapped” for years.
RadioLIVE, Friday 18 February 2011, 10:50 a.m.
In 1978 the late, great Larry Hagman had a choice to make. He’d been offered the lead role in two new television series: a comedy called The Waverly Wonders and a soap opera called Dallas. He eventually opted for the latter “because there’s not one redeeming nice character in the whole show.” Hagman explained that during a highly entertaining interview on National Radio in February 2011.
Later that same morning, listeners to another radio station had the dubious pleasure of hearing someone who, even in that cast of villains at Southfork, would have been an exceptionally nasty character….
MICHAEL LAWS: No. No. The government shouldn’t put another cracker in. The intellectually handicapped get enough money. I’m pretty reluctant to give them ANYTHING more. No more money should be thrown away on the intellectually handicapped. They’ve chosen the most expensive way of living. If they have to go back to large aggregations of them, so be it. Welcome to living within your means. …. I tell you what, that Indian chap that’s been given life, he should be given a BULLET. There are too many people alive in this country that should be dead. … We’ve got Margaret on the line.
CALLER MARGARET: Institutions are not good places. People deserve to have some kind of life.
MICHAEL LAWS: Yeah, but, uh, I went to a boys’ boarding school….
This is very interesting …whether you have a member of family or friend OR YOURSELF with an addiction…whether it be gaming or alcohol or drugs or anything else eg bloody blogs
‘Neuroscientist Mark Lewis – addiction is NOT a disease’
“Professor Marc Lewis is a former drug addict, who recovered and now specialises in addiction. His latest book, The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is not a Disease, has divided the medical profession, as refutes the medical view of addiction as a brain disease, arguing that it is simply a learned habit that can be broken.”
“I absolutely agree with what Matt said about Anne Tolley.”
That corpse Mike Williams is a waste of time every Monday morning. From the Left and From the Right, Radio NZ National, Monday 28 September 2015
Kathryn Ryan, Matthew Hooton, Mike Williams
Once again, Matthew Hooton did the lion’s share of the talking. Williams chuckled appreciatively and endorsed everything Hooton said. As usual, Kathryn Ryan didn’t seem to have much of a clue about anything.
First up, Hooton delivered a lengthy encomium on the eugenics fanatic Anne Tolley. Even by the abysmal standard of a Hooton speech, this was a cynical, depraved, and partisan expression of support for someone who has been openly voicing some of the most repellent views imaginable. After Hooton’s lengthy monologue, it was time for a response from “the Left”….
MIKE WILLIAMS: I absolutely agree with what Matt said about Anne Tolley. There were two superb performances on television over the weekend….
Williams (as usual) did not talk for long, allowing Hooton the opportunity to make some disparaging comments about a social worker who had spoken up for the rights of poor women. Williams said nothing to contradict him.
KATHRYN RYAN: Now, captain’s calls. Are you being a bit mischievous here, Matthew?
MIKE WILLIAMS:[chortling] Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm! Of course he is! Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm!
Everyday Madness
by ANDREY PANEVIN, Slavyangrad, 26 September 2015
Perusing the daily headlines has become somewhat like reading a prologue to global conflict, penned by a madman. Every day there is some new-found elaborate Russian plan to overrun the Ukraine, take control of Syria, or conduct programmes of genocide. It seems that every Western reporter has uncovered a conspiracy of their own that firmly pins the blame for the world’s troubles on Putin or the Russian people; the only problem being that all of their sources remain ‘anonymous’ and their stories cannot be confirmed.
These constant, and often contradictory, reports fill social media streams and television screens, and have become the basis for stock phrases such as ‘Russian aggression’ and ‘Western Values’, which politicians need only utter to convince their constituents that they are indeed righteous while the enemy is not. The insanity of Western political and cultural rhetoric is no longer an undercurrent, instead, with disconcerting ease, it has lodged itself into mainstream conversations. ….
putin seems a lot more straight up than most of the other world leaders too and from a russian perspective it cant feel very nice all those nukes pointed in yr dirrection from 800 or so bases arround the world and even the oceans damn neer seething with british french and american nuclear armed subs and aircraft carriers its a wonder russias as stable as what it seems .good on them for giving snowden assylem too
Rally for Kim! Save Kim Dotcom from Amerikkkan corporate oppression! Kim Dotcom is facing extradition based on trumped up evidence and betrayal by his former comrades (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11519489). If extradited he will be taken to Amerikkka and forced to face Amerikkkan (in)justice system. Let’s get organised comrades!
I think Puckish Rogue, you will find something like 90% of people have used a file website like You-Tube so the case is about Internet freedom and illegal spying. If Hollywood notice something illegal they just ask the file Website to remove it. NO DRAMAS – this is about oppression and control from Big Business in which even Sony’s lawyers confirmed they did not think their was a case and NZ government officials hoodwinked the facts to put a ‘positive’ spin on their bizarre actions of sending in 70 armed defenders to a family with young children to arrest and contain them.
even if he was its completly and utterly irrelavent next to the fact that the key government allowed and approved an fbi style raid on a nz citizen complete with helicopters and swat teams after illeagally using state intelligence agencys to spy on him for months .whether you like the man personaly or not is irrelevant to the fact that as a nz citizen he should have exactly the same rights as you or i.By continuing the key narrative of lets all hate kim .com you are simply letting them get completely away with a gross misuse of state power.Next time you feel like uttering key mantras go back and see the vid of kim dot com pleading pastionately against the gcsb bill in parilment .He was doing all of us a favour.
Go Dotcom. Hope you win! This is not about American corporate oppression it is about corporate welfare and oppression and lobbyists now controlling inter country armed defenders to do their dirty work – without a trial – instead of what they should be doing. The armed defenders and GCSB should not be a private security enforcement agency and spies for Hollywood. Nor should we be giving tax cuts and employment law changes for Hollywood.
Still drip feed of Dotcom communications without context. how long can they keep this up? Surely there must be some sort of actual crime that he committed? Cmon Crown you signed up to liability for billions in damages on our behalf ! You must have something? anything?
Rally for Kim?
So a few people with limited knowledge wave a few banners and chant a few chants, Yep, that is going to make a huge difference to the outcome
Gordon Campbell’s post today as linked by TMM above is a MUST READ!
In essence, based on information available overseas (eg US and Canadian news reports, Inside Trade etc referenced in the post), Campbell considers that a deal has possibly already been made re NZ diary exports to the US. Hence, Key’s statement last week that a TPPA may still be signed – compared to Groser’s strange remarks a few days ago that he will not be heading to the ministerial meeting underway in Atlanta unless a better deal is possible.
“…For the past week, the government has been actively downplaying the likely deal on dairy access to overseas markets that New Zealand may achieve via the TPP . Prime Minister John Key has warned that the dairy deal outcome will not be ‘gold-plated’ ; and on Friday Trade Minister Tim Groser told RNZ that if a better deal than the one hitherto on offer wasn’t available, it would hardly be worth his time attending the upcoming ministerial talks in Atlanta this week, which are expected to conclude the TPP deal. It was a peculiar renark. Surely if the dairy deal is on the ropes, should’t Groser be rushing to help push it over the line. Surely five years of negotiations deserve no less than 110 per cent effort at the finale. What’s going on here?
The likely explanation is that the dairy deal, has in fact, been done. Over the weekend, evidence has emerged that a new deal for NZ on dairy – and a solution to the previous impassae – has been reached, and is being reported on in North America. What our government has done is to talk down the likely outcome, so that it can maximise the gains of pulling the rabbit successfully out of the hat. Secrecy breeds the opportunities for this kind of spin. …”
Campbell then goes on to discuss the likely negative reaction of the US and Canadian dairy industries to such a deal re NZ dairy import access especially in the midst of the Canadian election; and other outstanding issues in the TPPA negotiations of concern – eg investor state disputes.
IMHO, Campbell’s article makes a lot of sense. The alarm bells have been going off in my head in the last week as to the reason for the distractions such as flags and pandas, and today Tolley’s latest beneficiary bashing. We can but hope that the overall negotiations fail …
Please note that I am not against improved export access for NZ products to other countries, particularly North America. In fact quite the opposite. I am not going to go into detail, but I actually spent a number of my teen years in that part of the world as a result of my father’s work involved in promoting and gaining access to NZ exports to those markets. BUT I am totally opposed to the loss of sovereignty issues etc that the TPPA appears to also entail, going on the little we know about it.
Snap. Having pressed submit and then left the computer to do its thing, came back to find a post had been put up on the Campbell article while I was drafting the above.
TPP COUNTRIES HEAD TO ATLANTA WITHOUT DEAL IN SIGHT ON AUTO ROO
Schewel, Matthew. Inside US Trade33.37 (Sep 25, 2015).
…
But there have been no publicly announced meetings between TPP countries on dairy or biologics since the Maui meeting. New Zealand’s trade ministry indicated in a Sept. 24 press release that negotiators were still far from laying out acceptable options on dairy market access.
It did so by implicitly threatening that Trade Minister Tim Groser would not attend the TPP ministerial scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Atlanta absent more progress on dairy market access. “Should negotiators make sufficient progress resolving outstanding issues, including dairy market access, to warrant ministerial engagement, Mr. Groser intends to travel to Atlanta to meet other trade ministers,” the ministry said.
However, the ministry said its officials would definitely attend the Sept. 26-29 chief negotiators meeting in Atlanta.
…
Both the Peruvian and New Zealand governments signaled this week in separate documents that the outstanding issues generally fall into the categories of intellectual property (IP), market access, rules of origin, textiles, and legal and institutional issues. New Zealand’s trade ministry said in a Sept. 22 letter responding to an official information request that it would send negotiators for these areas as well as state-owned enterprises to the Atlanta meetings.
Unfortunately, having studied the quality of jobs which many people in the UK are now doing, this is not entirely the case. The UK labour market is, indeed, performing well but we have a growing and potentially corrosive problem of poor quality, precarious and temporary work which threatens our productivity and competitiveness, levels of social inclusion and, ultimately, the health of the workforce.
I kwow I’ve been avoiding TS to make comments, it’s just that Idiot/Savant is above them (probably with justification – no doubt the evidence will appear soon); TDB is not that responsive due to delays in comments appearing – such that conversation is near impossible; and TS is very very tolerant of absolute imbeciles – I guess that’s democrissy).
I was just wondering if anyone new WHEN John Key is going to embarrass us all at the U.N. – going forwid?
I hope they’ve found suffishint Bunglish trenslaydis – although thinking about it it’s probably better they don’t
[lprent: We tend to the view that even imbeciles (and people with lousy spelling and grammar) can have a valid viewpoint and are entitled to express it. After all the Electoral Act generally holds to that viewpoint as well, which is a sufficient legal guideline.
What we don’t tolerate are idiotic behaviour that violates our behavioral policies. Then we act more like bouncers to discourage similar behaviour in the future. Surprisingly, most people respect that (and those who do not have to find other places to comment). ]
“I’m not sure it’s the rugby.”
Leading thinker tries to explain the huge RWC crowds in England The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 28 September 2015
Jim Mora, Gary McCormick, Wendyl Nissen
It is not at all controversial to point out that the standard of New Zealand rugby commentary is about as bad as commentary gets. The list of useless and/or offensive rugby commentators is a long one. Here are twenty of the worst:
1. Tim (“Someone might attack John Hart’s horse”) Bickerstaff (R.I.P)
2. Scott “Sumo” Stevenson
3. Murray (“Too many boofhead Islanders in the team”) Deaker
4. Martin “Moron” Devlin
5. Doug (“That black PIG Mugabe!”) Golightly
6. “Sir” John (“Too many Darkies”) Graham
7. Wynne “Sensible” Gray
8. Andy (“Too many Darkies”) Haden
9. Jim “Kadaverous” Kayes
10. David (“Too many dark faces for my taste”) Kirk
11. Paul “Lackwit” Lewis
12. Willy (“Gwaham Henwy can just PISS OFF!”) Lose, AKA Wiwwy Wose
13. John (“Are there too many darkies?”) Matheson (R.I.P.)
14. John (“Second Fiddle”) McBeth
15. Graham “Moods” Moody (R.I.P.)
16. Chris “Rat Shit” Rattue
17. Andrew (“Nothing to do in Cardiff”) Saveloy
18. Tony (“It wasn’t really me who hospitalized my fiancée”) Veitch, AKA “Veitchy”
19. Nigel (How many times can I say “Opportunity”?) Yalden
20. Spiro (“Rugby is ballet, it’s opera, it’s Swiss watch-making”) Zavos
This afternoon, sufferers of Jim Mora’s light chat show were inflicted with yet another member of this dismal fellowship….
JIM MORA: Mark, these crowds in England for the Rugby World Cup have been phenomenal. I see there was a record set for the Ireland-Romania match.
MARK REASON:[speaking slowly and carefully so as to convey deep thoughtfulness] I’m not sure it’s the rugby. It’s the occasion. …
Reason chuntered on in this deliberate, utterly ridiculous fashion for a long, long minute. Then he suddenly, thankfully, stopped talking.
JIM MORA: Shrewd analysis. That’s Mark Reason!
GARY McCORMICK: Really good analysis, Mark.
Aficionados of this kind of high-flown analysis should tune in tomorrow. Reason is on The Panel every day until the end of the tournament.
The proposed merger between M2 Group and Vocus Communications will create more competition in the market, according to its executives.
The two merged companies will be valued at more than $3 billion, creating the fourth biggest vertically aligned telco in the Australian market and third in New Zealand.
Vocus CEO and founder, James Spenceley, said the merger created more competition rather than less in the market.
So, two companies are merging to form one vertically integrated company, no new companies are being created by this move and they’re claiming that competition is increasing?
Matthew Palmer QC says TPPA opponents “not a bunch of wild-eyed radicals”;
He and his media parrots need to consider their words more carefully. Checkpoint, Radio NZ National, Monday 28 September 2015
About 6:10 p.m. ….
Talking about the government’s refusal to release information about the talks, Patrick O’Meara repeated the careless phrasing of Matthew Palmer QC that the groups seeking the judicial review were “not a bunch of wild-eyed radicals” and included such “reputable” organizations as Consumer New Zealand, Ngati Kahungunu and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists.
By using such irresponsible and cavalier words, Matthew Palmer and the journalists that parrot his words are (perhaps unwittingly) demeaning and even demonizing the people and organizations that have been trying to talk seriously about this assault on democracy for several years.
By the way, am I the only person to be gravely concerned at the recent steep decline in quality of Checkpoint? With Mary Wilson being kicked upstairs and no longer able to discomfit the likes of Bill English or Gerry Brownlee, the dominant voice there now is Jim Mora, who is simply not up to the job.
i thought checkpoints been crap for ages i cant even listen to it anymore yeah be great if mary really did get into brownlee and co but trying to make a mountain out of a molehill perpetualy is just a drag to listen to .Plus the guts of the content has been more than thoroughly turned over during the day ! Cam slater and the nats call it red radio i call it radio repetition and these days i can only handle it in small doses .really enjoy though your regurgitations for our entertainment good stuff youve obviously got a solid constitution.!1
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It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
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 ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
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Note the unsubtle advertising for the National Party in the Herald article by Claire Trevett, titled “Syria to grab UN focus on Key’s visit.” The article is about the PM but the photo shows Key with the National Party logo on the rostrum in the forefront.
Product placement is the inclusion of a branded product in media, usually without explicit reference to the product.
(The product being the National Party “brand”.)
How much did the Herald get for that or are they doing it free?
Yes, I agree, all photos of political leaders in newspapers should be completely and utterly devoid of their party branding, at all times.
🙄
I guess you think that The Herald is biased when it runs this story?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11520183
Or perhaps this one?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11519500
Or maybe this one?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11511627
Totes biased, you can tell by the way they have a party leader with their party branding in the same photo together.
Actually, in Andrew Little’s case at least it is just an easy way for the paper to get around the dilemma that most New Zealand people would be hard pressed to actually identify the fellow.
Using this stock photo of AL saves then having to caption a neutral photo of him, without a background of the Labour party clue, with something like the following.
“Andrew Little ( currently the head of the New Zealand Labour Party in the NZ Parliament)”.
The background in the stock photo saves them having to explain who the little-known man in the photo is.
ps. And yes I did see the smiley face when I first read your comment.
Down with party branding!
All party logos should be plain black font on a white rectangular background.
“Parties” with only single MPs in parliament must use Comic Sans for their party logo, all other parties must use Verdana.
fair enough the seccond link though the heather whatshername story is laughable this poor girl who looks like she has barely completed puberty is completely clueless and would probably be better off working at mcdonalds or pac n save than attempting to comment on politics
I never actually read any of these stories.
I just remembered that The Herald tends to use a lot of stock photo’s and that they had a particularly noticeable one of Andrew Little that they seemed to use on every story about him. I simply looked for Herald stories about him and linked the first three that had the standard photo.
I do agree with Lanthanide about the black and white on a plain background though. We could extend it to using standard slogans like the ones on cigarette packets as well.
Labour “Voting Labour is dangerous to your health”
National “Voting National will shorten your life”
Green “Voting Green will cause dementia”
NZF “Voting for Winston will give you nappy rash”
and so on.
sorry alwyn i missed the real point shouldnt have had the seccond gnt !
They do it reflexively and automatically. The Herald is, more than ever, a National Party publication.
A beginner’s guide to neoliberalism – listen now
UK Labour have put together their new Economic Advisory:
Should make for some interesting policy ideas coming out of it.
If VW made countries…
heh.
“Nothing to hide – nothing to fear?”
Is this the reason for the latest big distraction from Anne Tolley?
How convenient ……
————————————————————————-
Groups fighting TPP secrecy set for their day in court
|
Last updated 07:07 28/09/2015
HAMISH RUTHERFORD
Trade Minister Tim Groser has refused to give details of New Zealand’s position in TPP negotiations.ROBYN EDIE
A group of organisations wanting to cast light on Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations will tell the High Court on Monday that Trade Minister Tim Groser is acting unlawfully in refusing to outline New Zealand’s position.
Jane Kelsey, a Professor of Law and trade commentator has filed a statement of claim seeking a declaration that Groser breached the provisions of the Official Information Act.
In February Groser’s office issued a blanket refusal to release documents to Kelsey related to negotiations on the proposed 12 country trade deal, which is yet
Go Jane Kelsey.
Go freedom of Speech and accountability for government officials.
Ann Tolley’s vicious ramblings about sterilizing the poor didn’t arise out of nothing.
Another National M.P. has denigrated “low-lifes”, “ferals” and “the handicapped” for years.
RadioLIVE, Friday 18 February 2011, 10:50 a.m.
In 1978 the late, great Larry Hagman had a choice to make. He’d been offered the lead role in two new television series: a comedy called The Waverly Wonders and a soap opera called Dallas. He eventually opted for the latter “because there’s not one redeeming nice character in the whole show.” Hagman explained that during a highly entertaining interview on National Radio in February 2011.
Later that same morning, listeners to another radio station had the dubious pleasure of hearing someone who, even in that cast of villains at Southfork, would have been an exceptionally nasty character….
MICHAEL LAWS: No. No. The government shouldn’t put another cracker in. The intellectually handicapped get enough money. I’m pretty reluctant to give them ANYTHING more. No more money should be thrown away on the intellectually handicapped. They’ve chosen the most expensive way of living. If they have to go back to large aggregations of them, so be it. Welcome to living within your means. …. I tell you what, that Indian chap that’s been given life, he should be given a BULLET. There are too many people alive in this country that should be dead. … We’ve got Margaret on the line.
CALLER MARGARET: Institutions are not good places. People deserve to have some kind of life.
MICHAEL LAWS: Yeah, but, uh, I went to a boys’ boarding school….
More wit and wisdom from Michael Laws here….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22022012/#comment-439366
This is very interesting …whether you have a member of family or friend OR YOURSELF with an addiction…whether it be gaming or alcohol or drugs or anything else eg bloody blogs
‘Neuroscientist Mark Lewis – addiction is NOT a disease’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201772363/neuroscientist-mark-lewis-addiction-is-not-a-disease
“Professor Marc Lewis is a former drug addict, who recovered and now specialises in addiction. His latest book, The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is not a Disease, has divided the medical profession, as refutes the medical view of addiction as a brain disease, arguing that it is simply a learned habit that can be broken.”
“I absolutely agree with what Matt said about Anne Tolley.”
That corpse Mike Williams is a waste of time every Monday morning.
From the Left and From the Right, Radio NZ National, Monday 28 September 2015
Kathryn Ryan, Matthew Hooton, Mike Williams
Once again, Matthew Hooton did the lion’s share of the talking. Williams chuckled appreciatively and endorsed everything Hooton said. As usual, Kathryn Ryan didn’t seem to have much of a clue about anything.
First up, Hooton delivered a lengthy encomium on the eugenics fanatic Anne Tolley. Even by the abysmal standard of a Hooton speech, this was a cynical, depraved, and partisan expression of support for someone who has been openly voicing some of the most repellent views imaginable. After Hooton’s lengthy monologue, it was time for a response from “the Left”….
MIKE WILLIAMS: I absolutely agree with what Matt said about Anne Tolley. There were two superb performances on television over the weekend….
Williams (as usual) did not talk for long, allowing Hooton the opportunity to make some disparaging comments about a social worker who had spoken up for the rights of poor women. Williams said nothing to contradict him.
KATHRYN RYAN: Now, captain’s calls. Are you being a bit mischievous here, Matthew?
MIKE WILLIAMS: [chortling] Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm! Of course he is! Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm!
…..ad nauseam….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14092015/#comment-1070364
Everyday Madness
by ANDREY PANEVIN, Slavyangrad, 26 September 2015
Perusing the daily headlines has become somewhat like reading a prologue to global conflict, penned by a madman. Every day there is some new-found elaborate Russian plan to overrun the Ukraine, take control of Syria, or conduct programmes of genocide. It seems that every Western reporter has uncovered a conspiracy of their own that firmly pins the blame for the world’s troubles on Putin or the Russian people; the only problem being that all of their sources remain ‘anonymous’ and their stories cannot be confirmed.
These constant, and often contradictory, reports fill social media streams and television screens, and have become the basis for stock phrases such as ‘Russian aggression’ and ‘Western Values’, which politicians need only utter to convince their constituents that they are indeed righteous while the enemy is not. The insanity of Western political and cultural rhetoric is no longer an undercurrent, instead, with disconcerting ease, it has lodged itself into mainstream conversations. ….
Read more….
http://slavyangrad.org/2015/09/26/imperial-madness-2/
putin seems a lot more straight up than most of the other world leaders too and from a russian perspective it cant feel very nice all those nukes pointed in yr dirrection from 800 or so bases arround the world and even the oceans damn neer seething with british french and american nuclear armed subs and aircraft carriers its a wonder russias as stable as what it seems .good on them for giving snowden assylem too
#savekim
Rally for Kim! Save Kim Dotcom from Amerikkkan corporate oppression! Kim Dotcom is facing extradition based on trumped up evidence and betrayal by his former comrades (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11519489). If extradited he will be taken to Amerikkka and forced to face Amerikkkan (in)justice system. Let’s get organised comrades!
Save the 1%! Yes!
I think Puckish Rogue, you will find something like 90% of people have used a file website like You-Tube so the case is about Internet freedom and illegal spying. If Hollywood notice something illegal they just ask the file Website to remove it. NO DRAMAS – this is about oppression and control from Big Business in which even Sony’s lawyers confirmed they did not think their was a case and NZ government officials hoodwinked the facts to put a ‘positive’ spin on their bizarre actions of sending in 70 armed defenders to a family with young children to arrest and contain them.
I’m sure Kim will thank you from his mansion where hes underpaying and threatening the staff working for him
even if he was its completly and utterly irrelavent next to the fact that the key government allowed and approved an fbi style raid on a nz citizen complete with helicopters and swat teams after illeagally using state intelligence agencys to spy on him for months .whether you like the man personaly or not is irrelevant to the fact that as a nz citizen he should have exactly the same rights as you or i.By continuing the key narrative of lets all hate kim .com you are simply letting them get completely away with a gross misuse of state power.Next time you feel like uttering key mantras go back and see the vid of kim dot com pleading pastionately against the gcsb bill in parilment .He was doing all of us a favour.
Puckish Rogue, you’re out of your depth. You’ve made some foolish comments on this forum, but that must be about the stupidest of all.
Go Dotcom. Hope you win! This is not about American corporate oppression it is about corporate welfare and oppression and lobbyists now controlling inter country armed defenders to do their dirty work – without a trial – instead of what they should be doing. The armed defenders and GCSB should not be a private security enforcement agency and spies for Hollywood. Nor should we be giving tax cuts and employment law changes for Hollywood.
+100 saveNZ
Still drip feed of Dotcom communications without context. how long can they keep this up? Surely there must be some sort of actual crime that he committed? Cmon Crown you signed up to liability for billions in damages on our behalf ! You must have something? anything?
More lies against Dotcom:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11520205
Ha! If mega was paying people $50,000 to upload movies mega would have gone bankrupt! How stupid do they think we are?
#savekim
Rally for Kim?
So a few people with limited knowledge wave a few banners and chant a few chants, Yep, that is going to make a huge difference to the outcome
Maybe you would prefer a society where corporations have even more power of you.
+1 Maui
Have to wonder if the Pope’s protection crew is more of a threat to the Pope than any other threat.
https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2015/09/489847586-800×533.jpg&w=1484
Very interesting and scary.
“Gordon Campbell on New Zealand’s TPP done deal on dairy, and on investor-state disputes”
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2015/09/28/gordon-campbell-on-tpp-dairy-and-investor-state-disputes/
Gordon Campbell’s post today as linked by TMM above is a MUST READ!
In essence, based on information available overseas (eg US and Canadian news reports, Inside Trade etc referenced in the post), Campbell considers that a deal has possibly already been made re NZ diary exports to the US. Hence, Key’s statement last week that a TPPA may still be signed – compared to Groser’s strange remarks a few days ago that he will not be heading to the ministerial meeting underway in Atlanta unless a better deal is possible.
“…For the past week, the government has been actively downplaying the likely deal on dairy access to overseas markets that New Zealand may achieve via the TPP . Prime Minister John Key has warned that the dairy deal outcome will not be ‘gold-plated’ ; and on Friday Trade Minister Tim Groser told RNZ that if a better deal than the one hitherto on offer wasn’t available, it would hardly be worth his time attending the upcoming ministerial talks in Atlanta this week, which are expected to conclude the TPP deal. It was a peculiar renark. Surely if the dairy deal is on the ropes, should’t Groser be rushing to help push it over the line. Surely five years of negotiations deserve no less than 110 per cent effort at the finale. What’s going on here?
The likely explanation is that the dairy deal, has in fact, been done. Over the weekend, evidence has emerged that a new deal for NZ on dairy – and a solution to the previous impassae – has been reached, and is being reported on in North America. What our government has done is to talk down the likely outcome, so that it can maximise the gains of pulling the rabbit successfully out of the hat. Secrecy breeds the opportunities for this kind of spin. …”
Campbell then goes on to discuss the likely negative reaction of the US and Canadian dairy industries to such a deal re NZ dairy import access especially in the midst of the Canadian election; and other outstanding issues in the TPPA negotiations of concern – eg investor state disputes.
IMHO, Campbell’s article makes a lot of sense. The alarm bells have been going off in my head in the last week as to the reason for the distractions such as flags and pandas, and today Tolley’s latest beneficiary bashing. We can but hope that the overall negotiations fail …
Please note that I am not against improved export access for NZ products to other countries, particularly North America. In fact quite the opposite. I am not going to go into detail, but I actually spent a number of my teen years in that part of the world as a result of my father’s work involved in promoting and gaining access to NZ exports to those markets. BUT I am totally opposed to the loss of sovereignty issues etc that the TPPA appears to also entail, going on the little we know about it.
Snap. Having pressed submit and then left the computer to do its thing, came back to find a post had been put up on the Campbell article while I was drafting the above.
Happens. I was going to push a post on it myself, but then saw someone else had done so.
It is a very interesting read. I’ll have to have a peek at the links later in the evening.
TPP COUNTRIES HEAD TO ATLANTA WITHOUT DEAL IN SIGHT ON AUTO ROO
Schewel, Matthew. Inside US Trade33.37 (Sep 25, 2015).
…
But there have been no publicly announced meetings between TPP countries on dairy or biologics since the Maui meeting. New Zealand’s trade ministry indicated in a Sept. 24 press release that negotiators were still far from laying out acceptable options on dairy market access.
It did so by implicitly threatening that Trade Minister Tim Groser would not attend the TPP ministerial scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Atlanta absent more progress on dairy market access. “Should negotiators make sufficient progress resolving outstanding issues, including dairy market access, to warrant ministerial engagement, Mr. Groser intends to travel to Atlanta to meet other trade ministers,” the ministry said.
However, the ministry said its officials would definitely attend the Sept. 26-29 chief negotiators meeting in Atlanta.
…
Both the Peruvian and New Zealand governments signaled this week in separate documents that the outstanding issues generally fall into the categories of intellectual property (IP), market access, rules of origin, textiles, and legal and institutional issues. New Zealand’s trade ministry said in a Sept. 22 letter responding to an official information request that it would send negotiators for these areas as well as state-owned enterprises to the Atlanta meetings.
And what’s National been doing about this? Oh, that’s right – making sure that there’s more precariousness in work, that beneficiaries are getting forced off benefits that they’re entitled to and generally making things worse.
Dammit, forgot the main link: A bad job is harder on your mental health than unemployment
I kwow I’ve been avoiding TS to make comments, it’s just that Idiot/Savant is above them (probably with justification – no doubt the evidence will appear soon); TDB is not that responsive due to delays in comments appearing – such that conversation is near impossible; and TS is very very tolerant of absolute imbeciles – I guess that’s democrissy).
I was just wondering if anyone new WHEN John Key is going to embarrass us all at the U.N. – going forwid?
I hope they’ve found suffishint Bunglish trenslaydis – although thinking about it it’s probably better they don’t
[lprent: We tend to the view that even imbeciles (and people with lousy spelling and grammar) can have a valid viewpoint and are entitled to express it. After all the Electoral Act generally holds to that viewpoint as well, which is a sufficient legal guideline.
What we don’t tolerate are idiotic behaviour that violates our behavioral policies. Then we act more like bouncers to discourage similar behaviour in the future. Surprisingly, most people respect that (and those who do not have to find other places to comment). ]
“I’m not sure it’s the rugby.”
Leading thinker tries to explain the huge RWC crowds in England
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 28 September 2015
Jim Mora, Gary McCormick, Wendyl Nissen
It is not at all controversial to point out that the standard of New Zealand rugby commentary is about as bad as commentary gets. The list of useless and/or offensive rugby commentators is a long one. Here are twenty of the worst:
1. Tim (“Someone might attack John Hart’s horse”) Bickerstaff (R.I.P)
2. Scott “Sumo” Stevenson
3. Murray (“Too many boofhead Islanders in the team”) Deaker
4. Martin “Moron” Devlin
5. Doug (“That black PIG Mugabe!”) Golightly
6. “Sir” John (“Too many Darkies”) Graham
7. Wynne “Sensible” Gray
8. Andy (“Too many Darkies”) Haden
9. Jim “Kadaverous” Kayes
10. David (“Too many dark faces for my taste”) Kirk
11. Paul “Lackwit” Lewis
12. Willy (“Gwaham Henwy can just PISS OFF!”) Lose, AKA Wiwwy Wose
13. John (“Are there too many darkies?”) Matheson (R.I.P.)
14. John (“Second Fiddle”) McBeth
15. Graham “Moods” Moody (R.I.P.)
16. Chris “Rat Shit” Rattue
17. Andrew (“Nothing to do in Cardiff”) Saveloy
18. Tony (“It wasn’t really me who hospitalized my fiancée”) Veitch, AKA “Veitchy”
19. Nigel (How many times can I say “Opportunity”?) Yalden
20. Spiro (“Rugby is ballet, it’s opera, it’s Swiss watch-making”) Zavos
This afternoon, sufferers of Jim Mora’s light chat show were inflicted with yet another member of this dismal fellowship….
JIM MORA: Mark, these crowds in England for the Rugby World Cup have been phenomenal. I see there was a record set for the Ireland-Romania match.
MARK REASON: [speaking slowly and carefully so as to convey deep thoughtfulness] I’m not sure it’s the rugby. It’s the occasion. …
Reason chuntered on in this deliberate, utterly ridiculous fashion for a long, long minute. Then he suddenly, thankfully, stopped talking.
JIM MORA: Shrewd analysis. That’s Mark Reason!
GARY McCORMICK: Really good analysis, Mark.
Aficionados of this kind of high-flown analysis should tune in tomorrow. Reason is on The Panel every day until the end of the tournament.
Planet Key is expanding:
So, two companies are merging to form one vertically integrated company, no new companies are being created by this move and they’re claiming that competition is increasing?
Yeah, pull the other one, it’s got bells on.
Matthew Palmer QC says TPPA opponents “not a bunch of wild-eyed radicals”;
He and his media parrots need to consider their words more carefully.
Checkpoint, Radio NZ National, Monday 28 September 2015
About 6:10 p.m. ….
Talking about the government’s refusal to release information about the talks, Patrick O’Meara repeated the careless phrasing of Matthew Palmer QC that the groups seeking the judicial review were “not a bunch of wild-eyed radicals” and included such “reputable” organizations as Consumer New Zealand, Ngati Kahungunu and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists.
By using such irresponsible and cavalier words, Matthew Palmer and the journalists that parrot his words are (perhaps unwittingly) demeaning and even demonizing the people and organizations that have been trying to talk seriously about this assault on democracy for several years.
By the way, am I the only person to be gravely concerned at the recent steep decline in quality of Checkpoint? With Mary Wilson being kicked upstairs and no longer able to discomfit the likes of Bill English or Gerry Brownlee, the dominant voice there now is Jim Mora, who is simply not up to the job.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/285448/anti-tpp-campaigners-argue-text-ban-is-unlawful
i thought checkpoints been crap for ages i cant even listen to it anymore yeah be great if mary really did get into brownlee and co but trying to make a mountain out of a molehill perpetualy is just a drag to listen to .Plus the guts of the content has been more than thoroughly turned over during the day ! Cam slater and the nats call it red radio i call it radio repetition and these days i can only handle it in small doses .really enjoy though your regurgitations for our entertainment good stuff youve obviously got a solid constitution.!1