I spent a couple of hours last night listening and watching him on utube last night.
We listened to him in the car in the great trip up north last weekend.
Truly an inspiring man, living a replete life.
Hone should demand at question time, that Key resign for not getting a penny out of him for being absent. Call Key weak over and over. Then bring up Dunne and how weak Key was to catch the leak.
However there was great fact that came out. Hone has been up and down the country touching skin, just like Peters who worked the rooms from North to South.
Those who are buying into the PM’s nonsense about MPs being absent and skivving off, have obviously not been watching Parliament since National took office.
If the sums being paid are the issue, the House of Representatives is where the criticism should be focused. The behaviour of the Government benches is a good place to start. We could begin with the PM himself.
The Prime Minister is the only representative who whilst sitting in the House, made a throat slitting gesture towards the opposition. This is a man whose own rampant absenteeism is for what? Photo ops and roundtable reach-arounds. A PM who has repeatedly refused to answer direct questions with direct answers. All the while being accommodated by a Speaker whose allowance to Ministers not to answer questions at all, makes Lockwood Smith’s loose interpretations of Ministers’ answers look responsible and fair.
Whoever does take the reigns later this year has to begin our nation’s recovery by reforming the behaviour of the House of Representatives. Without that vital step, even the best policy will flounder and our nation will continue to fail. We are better than the bleating of the backbenches. We are stronger than the rubber spine of our Speaker. We are a nation that once lead the world towards democracy and equality. New Zealand did not destroy that dream, politicians did.
This year, your vote has never been more important. Do not waste it on wishes. Offer it the care with which you would handle any taonga and hand it to someone you respect, someone you trust and someone you believe will build again the great nation of Aotearoa.
Labour should AXE the super toll motorways proposed by John Key ( no one wants them except John Key and his ‘ Chosen’ cronyist Capitalist mates….to line their pockets
…eg from what I have heard at least one of these motorways is proposed to be constructed by an Australian company ….AXE them !
…….. and and put the money into:
1.) free university education for young New Zealanders up to and including PhD level ( these young people are NZ’s future!)
2.)…..reinstating Continuing Education around the country( a great way for adults..from school leavers to 90 year olds….from Maori to Pakeha….from country to city….from new- comer immigrants to generational NZers to learn new skills and meet people…. and make life -long friends)
( John Key’s NACT axed Continuing Education!….. and gave the $90 million dollars directly to private schools… SHAME ON THEM!)
3)…..Free polytech education, apprenticeships and internships ( we owe it to our young to look after them and help them into employment…before allowing in workers from overseas)
( Hear that Winston….no dirty deals with the Key NACT desperate Banksters…as John Armstrong suggests!)
4) pour money into our starved STATE SCHOOLS ( better pay for All teachers not just John Key’s Ponzi few bullshit so called ‘excellent’ Principals)…Bring back the State School Inspectorate with very little extra cost ….Make all NZ schools genuinely run and funded by the State! ….not done on the cheap by unqualified, struggling and stressed parents
….Teaching is a Profession like Law and Medicine …..TREAT EDUCATION and TEACHERS with the RESPECT they deserve.!!!!!…this will raise education attainment levels to world class as in Finland)
These policies would be a huge vote winner for Labour/Greens from young New Zealanders ( our future) and their parents….as well as every other New Zealander who values education and social cohesion.
New Zealand has a proud record in Education which has been undermined by monetarism , Neo Liberal economics and John Key and his mates who would split it, undermine teachers and unions ……and privatise it a la USA charter school businesses and religious organisations…..This is not the New Zealand way! Hands off our New Zealand State Secular education system for ALL New Zealanders! ( the unions should be fighting for this)..
Crikey dick, she moves in mysterious ways alright.
After freeing up our most accomplished politician for wonderful world-serving roles at the UN, our wee interim manager is cracking glorious home goals (Hone 68 days off, the Keyster…..81!) and thus ensuring the ascendance of a genuine human for our leader once again.
And all at the very reasonable cost this time of only a few billions from workers and the poor to the rich, and a level of immiserating victim-bashing almost benign by historical tory standards.
Hone calls Slippery the Prime Minister ‘petty’ for His ridiculous attack,(obviously a hypocrite as well), i think Hone is being far too reserved in His riposte to the ‘used car salesman in charge’…
There was a wide-ranging embargo in place against Japan back then. Lack of domestic energy sources was one of the reasons they embarked on military expansion. Post WWII, that lack of oil, gas etc was behind the US and the UK slapping up nuclear power stations there…
Court cases defending defamation, a web-site that He has been unable to make work for 24 hours, and death threats from those close to a young man who tragically died while the back-seat passenger in a car,
Hell we could almost feel sorry for ‘Wail Oils’ Blubber boy, yes what the hell am i saying, as far as i can see Cameron Slater is simply getting the rewards of His own feral behavior in the vein of the old old adage ”you reap what you sow”,
It appears that there are many out in the real world who have had enough of Slater’s ugliness and feral attacks on those who havn’t the means of public reply,
In saying that we here at the Standard cannot support criminal behavior of any sort(said with a snigger)…
Slater’s sewage pond has tarnished all NZ blogs and his constant media appearances for opinion demonstrates how lazy and devoid of substance our news media is. If Labour do anything, our intrepid reporters go out and interview a deranged slob who sits online all day in his underwear eating chips and whose life is paid for by daddykins.
One day we might see a reporter interviewing real people affected by National’s sociopathic policies. But after National’s chilling response to the child poverty doco near the last election, our tired hack reporters are probably all scared of being sued or fired.
WhaleOffal is a nasty little man, when the Christchurch earthquakes were mentioned he goes (verbatim, to me) “Fuck Christchurch” and raves on about how they are freeloaders subsidised by Auckland. There is no logical response to this sort of wilful malice.
I”m guessing Slater said something incredibly rude and offensive (as usual) to offend the whole West Coast community.
Yes he did. A young man was killed in a car accident where his mate was driving. He’s the third and last son in that family to die (one was killed as a boy by a drunk driver, the other died in Pike River mine). Slater’s response to this was an article headlined “Feral dies in Greymouth, did world a favour”.
SCOOP:
Foreign power demands right to harpoon Whale boil for experimental purposes. “It is the only living example of an organisn with a zero blubber/ integrity ratio and needs further exploration” a foreign minsistry spokesman explained.
Can someone take David Clark aside and then swiftly lock him in a cupboard? Firstly, we had Clare Curran talking absolute nonsense on anything to do with technology and now we have David Clark threatening to ban websites like Facebook, Amazon and Google.
Firstly, it’s ridiculous. You can’t ban them. People get around it with ease. Secondly, really? That is such an easy hit for National now. The problem of these companies not paying tax is an important one to solve. And instead Labour suggests a stupid fix, which will also be mocked by National for the next few months.
I sighed too, but more at Clark’s media ineptness.
“Firstly, it’s ridiculous. You can’t ban them. People get around it with ease”
I get really sick of people saying this. It might be easy for some people to get around, but not all.
When the NZ Police raided Tuhoe and others, the Ao Cafe website got taken down. It’s never returned, and there is no trace of it in the Internet Archive (how is that possible?). Generic statements like ‘you can’t ban the internet’ are just as ridiculous as what Clark did.
While I agree with NRT that comparisons with child porn were stupid, it’s also stupid to use the example of child porn to say you can’t control the internet. It’s harder to access child porn now than if it was just left as a free for all.
Would also like to know the source of “2.2 million users in New Zealand” for FB. I’m guessing that it’s more like 2.2 million NZ based accounts, which is not the same thing.
Anyone got a link to the Labour press release that NRT refers to? Can’t find it on Labour’s website.
I think you may find that many in the IT sector would not agree everything Clare Curran said on technology was absolute nonsense considering that she worked closely with them on several issues…
lprent
Has the system changed from any comment that refers to another’s name showing up in that person’s archives? I have always used my archives to check on comments directed to or referring to me. Lately there have been none so perhaps no-one is bothering to read what I have written. It is interesting to see who is commenting within a numbered comment on a thread, but I haven’t got time to scroll through looking at each.
It actually is difficult as a double click on the thread for the particular comment in the list doesn’t take me to the actual comment position, just to the head of the site. To find the comment I have to go back to the list and click on the same place. But sometimes I can’t find where the comment is listed again.
I haven’t changed anything (but here is a reply to test with).
I had the code for the “Replies” section (next to comments) working two weeks ago. But it won’t go in until I have a holiday at home (Yay!!!!) next week. I have to tune the database so that it doesn’t chew too much CPU.
You may (haven’t tested it for anyone else) get the same effect by logging in using a wordpress.com account. Then the dashboard (under Site Admin on my screen) will have a little orange chat box highlighted. That shows people replying to you across a range of wordpress sites.
hi, while you are on tech issues, im using firefox & for some reason my standaRD page is tiny, the lettering is small, its like the margins are squeezed into the middle. other web page sites are normal size, just seems to be when i visit the standard. any idea what could be happening to my text? any remedies? thank you.
lprent
And here was I thinking it was all fun times for you. My son was sent over to France for his firm to assist with something in transition, and he said looking at his photos of Paris, doesn’t it look good, we were in that high, modern building which looks somehow luxurious.
And then showed us their working room. One of many that closed off on each side of a bare corridor, with 6-8 chairs and computers down each side of the room and just a narrow alley between the people in the chairs from the window one end to the door at the other, and blank concrete walls. Didn’t have any Matisses, or the Mona Lisa, or reproductions of anything.. inspiring. And walking along the corridor, all that could be seen was closed doors.
He did get to see a bit of Paree, but mostly it was soulless stuff. So if that was old times, you probably can get a lot done, but it isn’t too different from being in a battery hen farm.
I live in a cave at the top of a ridge. Actually a largish one bedroom apartment with a 10 ft stud and polished concrete floor.
The nice thing for a programmer is that you can place yourself so you don’t get the sun on your screens or on your eyes. It doesn’t get too hot or cold because it has near perfect insulation. If there is wind then there is always an airflow. If it is cold then the concrete by the 10ft high windows retains all heat that falls on it even in winter. I use a oil heater for maybe 30-40 days in the year. If there is no wind or it gets too muggy then there is aircond – which I usually use for about 10 days in Feburary when it goes really muggy.
I live next to the corner of Ponsonby and Newton Roads in Auckland. Right next to some major bus routes.Near enough to the motorways that I can get on them with ease.
I have had jobs in Albany and Manakau. Currently I work within 15 minutes walking distance. But I also spent 7 years working from home with monthly meetings for one company.
And if I get bored and/or stuck on whatever I was working on there was always the long streets of cafes up the road… Family tend to live pretty close apart from those offshore or my parents who retired and moved out of Auckland.
It is pretty damn comfortable for the type of lifestyle I have. Also a hell of a nice place to jump into the computer from. I can roll my set the fridge and the coffee machines! What can I say – I’m a geek
Of course having Lyn arrive into my life has caused a bit of adjustment for an “mature” bachelor like myself. Fortunately she is almost as much of a geek as I am in her own special, irritating and fun way.
But it was less of an adjustment than having to move out while the building was de-leaked and leak-proofed.
It’s a different life style working from home a lot isn’t it. You have been able to organise your own work surroundings for practical outcomes for you better than you would get probably in an office. My son lives within biking distance of his work and within child care close by for when they are both working.
So that’s pretty good too.
Thought so. When Key was using Hone as a target about absences from Parliament, he forgot the target on his own head. From Andrea Vanse on Stuff:
“Prime Minister John Key scored an embarrassing own goal yesterday after launching an attack on Hone Harawira’s attendance record.
Key accused the Mana party leader of “taking the mickey” over his frequent absences from Parliament. Mr Harawira has taken 68 days leave – all approved by the Speaker – since 2011. National, along with Labour and the Maori Party, refused yesterday to release the records of its own MPs.
However, the Green Party used Hansard, the official record of Parliament, to calculate that over the same period Mr Key was absent on 81 of 186 sitting days. Three of these were urgency days on a Friday or Saturday.
ianmac
Is that Andrea Vance A Good One then? What a jolly good piece from her.
And Hone made a dignified and reasoned and factual response to the mocking smarmy piece of political cowpat from apprentice dung beetle the Jokeyhen.
I must stop using that term perhaps my comments are so influential that he is getting a bad feedback loop or something! How one addresses people affects their response doesn’t it. So, sorry from me Mr Key. You can get on and be the good PM you always intended and I’ll withdraw from my evil influence. (Magical thinking from me.) Hah!
I have been away for a few weeks, so when I came back into “net” range I did a quick survey of the blogs etc.
Somethings caught my eye, first Max Keiser was talking about Tom Perkins, a multibillionaire who complained in the Wall St Journal that the 1% were being persecuted, Kristallnacht was invoked on their behalf…poor poor sods, so much money and so little perspective. Joe 90 was onto it, http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26012014/#comment-763280 I am surprised that this extravagant whinge elicited so little comment from Standardistas.
To top things off I read two Trotter articles, the first of which indicated that all is not well in the Labour caucus with the same old suspect neo lib leaning types doing their best to undermine Cunliffe and prop up their failed ideology. Goff and crew, must be thinking about the nice little roles they might garner post being an MP, at the WTO, or on some board of directors. Dont rock the boat…..
The second Trotter article I read pretty much confirmed the thinking of the first, that capitalism wont deliver to non capitalists because it is not meant to BUT DONT MENTION IT…and Trotter flays all of the party leaders including Cunliffe…….None of our political leaders has yet delivered an adequate response to the extraordinary statistic released by Oxfam on the eve of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland. According to the UK based aid organisation, the world’s 85 richest individuals control a sum of wealth equal to that of the poorest half of the world’s human population – 3.5 billion people.
i am pretty sure i heard David Cunlifffe make a reference to who controlled the wealth,(in a New Zealand sense), in His reply to Slippery the Prime Minister on the opening day of the Parliament,(yesterday), and, Chris Trotter might want to pay more attention because i have heard various Green MP’s including both Metiria and Russell include such details when speaking in the Parliament,
i don’t always agree with Trotter but always find Him a good read….
Ennui
We can’t think about that stuff at present – we are too busy thumbing our nose at the execrable
Slater, who has emerged from the woodwork a sadder but not wiser blogger or pilgrim of life.
Has Imperator Fish satire leaked over to the Herald or is this issue truly what Crosby Textor have told John Key will inspire the public in an election year?
From today’s articles: PM tests water for NZ flag change. (They forgot to add: – again)
With his usual concise and decisive language… “I’d like to see a change. But one of the problems is that firstly it’s not the single … biggest issue that we as a country face. And secondly, even with those who want to change there’s not universal support for what we should change to.”…
…The Prime Minister’s personal preference was for a silver fern on a black background, but he said it would be very difficult to get a consensus on a new design….
Guessing this will be difficult to get a consensus on because of the Rugby trademark associated with his personal preference.
Shades of Susan Devoy in the final sentences of the same article – (where is she by the way?) “…Mr Key had earlier said that he hoped Waitangi Day this year would be a day of celebration instead of being marred by protests.
He wished New Zealand’s national day was similar to Australia Day, with shows of patriotism such as flag-waving..”
Why do you think they picked Dame Susan Devoy ?? Silence. She will be like the Maori Party, sitting at the table, silent and smiling, happy with the trinkets that fall her way. In her case, a very nice case of “trinkets”.
Both the PPTA and NRT have blogged on this today, but it is worth re-iterating that those guardians of fiscal responsibility in NACT have in the last year managed to piss about $14 million against the wall for their ideological charter schools project (to educate 369 students).
“Our flag.
Great emotive topic to take attention away from anything and everything.
And Jesus wept.”
+1
…particularly to distract New Zealanders from the complete hash John Key and his cohorts are making of governing this country
…and hoping to distract New Zealanders from the delightful alternative being presented to the New Zealand public by Labour & the left
Distraction tactics are about the only hope to stay in government they have left, really – well that and horribly divisive hate politics that appeal to peoples’ worst nature….
It occurred to me that neo lib direction in NZ has come from experiencing duty free advantages when they went overseas all those years ago, and got special tax free advantages. So they thought why not go overseas and have tax free advantages all the time.
So therefore, the duty free economy and country where you are free to not do your duty, if you can pay your way out of it. (Here I’m thinking of paying fair tax on earnings, the higher then more, to a reasonable degree. and sharing that portion you do pay with everyone instead of trying to capture it back.)
The flag design is to be chosen by National. I think not. No way are they going to get away with giving us the opinion of either Key’s silver on black (and as someone says that is already probably trademarked), or another one chosen by the government.
The flag is a symbolic thing to wave in the breeze and carry at events etc. and we want one that is worthwhile and represents us with something meaningful. Though it is not the sacred icon that Helen Clark’s government raised it to, making it an offence to jump on it or burn it etc. What a dopey idea, it’s far better to vent at a symbol, hang it upside down, stick holes through it than more destructive actions to buildings or people. All the same we need to have a say, not this grimy bunch of charlatans take over.
I would suggest we have an on-line consultation with people being able to send designs in, which would be added to those already held over about two months, with a vote held every fortnight.
and the residual flags put in order of popularity. Any new ones would be shown alongside so they could be compared to the top ones to see if anything offered was better. At the end of the two months, the best twenty or thirty would go up for voting for a month and then the best four would go to the referendum which would be binding. After everyone had had time to form their opinion the result would go ahead and be instituted in say 6 months.
The Maori flag if that was not chosen, would become a second official flag, with the national flag to be flown outside NZ if there was only one to be flown, and within NZ it would be flown at the same height if it was up, and at times could be the only one flying if appropriate.
Key wants to leave a legacy – excuse me while I baff . Funny while we can “vote” on a flag but not on the supposed referendum to the changes that was supposed to take place within MMP.
As Hone said, is this just a distraction to mask the real issues at the general elections. I tend to concur.
And why should John Key think he should make the decision as to which flag we should have to replace our present one, if we do decide to replace it – the man’s self entitlement knows no bounds.
Abuse by the Salvation Army in Australia? and to a woman in Ireland when she was young was the topic of news tonight. The European Commission has said that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that children are safe, and that this remains throughout the years. The Irish woman has been awarded $30,000 for what was done when she was a child.
The ongoing nature of this unmet responsibility is going to be a matter in the future as we hear things about the charter schools that will be very regrettable because they were expected before the schools began. In 20 years or so we will start hearing the cases, and they will come to light for some time as people feel strong enough to make their protest and gain some solace from delayed justice.
The Electricity Authority spokesperson Carl Hansen has been talking about how they are judging the price which should be charged for power. They allow for a 10% return to the shareholders.
So the government has sold our electricity assets, and this is the profit that gets returned to the
shareholders by us, while we continue to pay more and more to others for what we used to own ourselves. And the more we pay the more the 15% GST amount will be, and the line charge goes up regularly and arbitrarily, now we are paying about $30 a month. And so it goes on.
And if the 10% is calculated on the assets, to give a satisfactory return to the shareholders.
And the assets are revalued, according to constantly rising market value, then we will have to pay more for the same amount of electricity.
Just to keep the books right in the market system which treats the system and the returns from it as if it was God-given prognostications chiselled in stone, instead of an approach to counting things, valuing things and dealing with one another in a rational symbolic way. This is just so that we don’t have to personally take a duck to the shops, or a sack of lemons to exchange for 5 loaves of bread, or whatever the going rate would be. And perhaps no-one wants lemons that day. Trouble is along the way, it is easier to get rorted.
I have been declined speaking rights at tomorrow’s Auckland Council Governing Body meeting:
(Thursday 30 January 2014
9.30am
Auckland Town Hall)
My response:
__________________________________________________________________________
29 January 2014
‘OPEN LETTER’
Dear Elaine,
Please be advised that I do NOT accept that the declining of my request for ‘speaking rights’ at the Auckland Council Governing Body upcoming meeting (to be held at the Auckland Town Hall on Thursday 30 January 2014) was lawful.
“3.21.3 Subjects of Public Input
Public Input is not to be used to speak to a matter:
(i) that has already been considered and determined.”
The FACT is that the (former) CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay, and his appointment of Ernst and Young to conduct this ‘Independent Review’ of Auckland Mayor Len Brown, did NOT follow the ‘due process’ as clearly outlined in the Auckland Council ‘Code of Conduct’ (s.8 Compliance), thus has NOT ‘already been considered and determined.’
Please be reminded that as an ‘anti-corruption’ campaigner, I attended a full-day specialist workshop on ‘How to Conduct an Inquiry’ at the recent 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference.
I now have a very comprehensive understanding of how such an inquiry should have been carried out, and the Ernst and Young ‘Independent Review’ was anything but, in my considered opinion.
I respectfully request that this decision to decline my speaking rights, is reconsidered as a matter of urgency.
Also, I do NOT consider it appropriate, or in keeping with the basic principles of ‘natural justice’, for Auckland Mayor Len Brown, to the one to make the ultimate decision on whether or not speaking rights should be granted in this case, for this matter, as he is a directly-affected party.
A fundamental principle of natural justice which states that no person can judge a case in which he or she is party or in which he/she has an interest.
Also known as:
nemo judex in sua causa; or
nemo debet esse judex in propria causa
__________________________________________________________
(As Auckland Mayor Len Brown has been a lawyer, I’m sure understands this fundamental principle).
Please also be reminded of the statutory duties arising from the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987:
(a)to provide for the availability to the public of official information held by local authorities, and to promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings of local authorities, in order—
(i) to enable more effective participation by the public in the actions and decisions of local
authorities; and
(ii) to promote the accountability of local authority members and officials,—
and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote good local government in
New Zealand:
(b) to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:
(c) to protect official information and the deliberations of local authorities to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.
Compare: 1982 No 156 s 4
____________________________________________________________________________
Please also be reminded of the rights of citizens to ‘freedom of expression’ as guaranteed under the NZ Bill Of Rights Act 1990:
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
__________________________________________________________________________
Please be advised that I shall be attending this Auckland Council Governing Body meeting to be held tomorrow, Thursday 30 January 2014, starting as 9.30am at the Auckland Town Hall.
Please finally be reminded that I have a proven track record of successfully defending my above-mentioned lawful rights as a citizen, in Court, in the (hopefully) unlikely event of these matters being taken to the point of arrest.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
Attendee : 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
geoff over on the Note to Media post suggested we do a mail out of Blip’s List
that is a hugely expensive undertaking, so i thought there may be a better cost to publicity stream we could tap into, so i posted the following, repeating it here for general consideration.
=================================================
maybe we crowd-source a basic and sporadic poster campaign and take Blip’s List to the people
pretty sure the companies who do the paste ups would be ok with it, and we know then they are pretty safe, (although for the dedicated poster grabber they become instant collector items)
they may even cut us a good $ deal too
so to get Blip’s List public we need:
; the data – check
; Layout and formatting
– I think i just saw a couple of dozen hands go up
– perhaps they all put one together and we have Standardistas choose the preferred design
– It would be good to print the links in full under each line
– people will snap images of the poster with their phones so it is useful to include the info
; a call to Sticky Fingers to fix a contract price & terms
– i think they cover paste ups for all the main centers now
; approximately a couple of grand for printing a whole bunch of posters,
– I am guessing that price would be generously supported by the printers
– posters can be printed in whatever center that they end up in so freight is not necessary
seems pretty doable to me
I pledge $20 here and now
(which is 9% of my income this week)
I think a separate new article is needed about Key’s flag urgent red herring. Wish one of the regular article writers of this site would consider writing it.
Here is my opinion on it:
[1] For National, the Warner Bros logo may be more appropriate.
[2] Key is trying desperately to raise a red herring to distract people during this election year because he is sensing that he and his party and coalition partners are going to lose this coming election and/or, Key is trying to create an immortal legacy for himself by pushing this issue forward now and wanting a referendum on it at the election this year!
[3] During this year, people should be more focused on political party policies and leaders and not be distracted by Key’s cunning tactics of introducing what is at present an unnecessary and absolutely non urgent ‘change of flag’ issue.
[4] In my opinion, the flag issue should be raised sometime in the near or distant future when the people are ready to change to a Republic.
[5] And at that time, it would be very fair and good to incorporate some Maori cultural aspect too in the design.
errr….. what happens when it is the PRIME MINISTER who fails to uphold, and is SEEN to fail to uphold, the ‘highest ethical standards’, as required by the ‘Cabinet Manual’?
Is Prime Minister John Key going to tell himself off, or stand himself down as a Minister, over his arguably disgraceful treatment of Mana MP and Leader, Hone Harawira?
When is New Zealand going to have an enforceable ‘Code of Conduct’ for Members of Parliament – given that we’re supposed to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ …. blah blah…… ?
2.50 To protect the integrity of the decision-making process of executive government and to maintain public trust in the Executive, Ministers and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries must conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to their office. Accordingly, the guidance in paragraphs 2.52 – 2.96:
explains the standards of personal conduct expected of Ministers;
assists Ministers to identify those personal interests that might be seen to influence their decision making;
sets out options for managing conflicts of interest where necessary.
2.51 The guidance on conduct, public duty, and personal interests applies to all Ministers (inside and outside Cabinet) and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries. References to Ministers in this guidance include Parliamentary Under-Secretaries.
Conduct of Ministers
2.52 A Minister of the Crown, while holding a ministerial warrant, acts in a number of different capacities:
in a ministerial capacity, making decisions, and determining and promoting policy within particular portfolios;
in a political capacity as a member of Parliament, representing a constituency or particular community of interest; in a personal capacity.
2.53 In all these roles and at all times, Ministers are expected to act lawfully and to behave in a way that upholds, and is seen to uphold, the highest ethical standards. Ultimately, Ministers are accountable to the Prime Minister for their behaviour.
…Changing the flag issue is a real red herring( and note John Key wants to be the final arbiter on the flag…..what an arrogant EGO ).
…As a strategy Key is trying to shore up his credentials as a real NZer for the people , by the people, of the people by waving the flag …… when he is nothing of the sort ……He is a NACT monetarist Neo Liberal rorter of NZers assets and way of life…he cares not a fig for NZers only his rich crony Capitalist Bankster mates overseas
Lets hope other politicians from Labour and the Greens don’t fall for this…… but keep their eye on the ball and the impetus going on the REAL issues for New Zealanders!….
….for example I dont think it will do the Greens vote any good if Russell Norman falls for this and gets distracted and swings in behind Key’s agenda for changing the the flag and also brings up the Republican anti -Royal issue….as I heard him do on radio
1) Norman doesnt understand NZers attachment to their flag and Queenie…there are very very few votes in this for the Greens no matter what Norman’s personal feelings ( and Charles is a Greenie!)
2) as an Australian it will backfire badly on Norman and the Greens..it will just remind NZers that Norman is an Australian ( Winnie will be the vote winner)
3) John key will have provided a successful red herring and undermined the Labour/Greens roller coaster on real issues concerning NZers….and if this issue is allowed to gather momentum Mana will have been sidelined also on the flag issue….Key will have grabbed the flag from the Maori and done a one- up-man-ship on Hone ( which for some reason he is keen to do….maybe because Hone Harawira is a real genuine NZer and he shows Key up as a Ponzi)
imo….Let John Key swing with the flag issue….and let him hang himself out to dry …in other words he should be ignored ….so people see it for what it is…as a red herring and a distraction to the most important issues facing New Zealanders
I think it would be good idea for the leaders of opposition parties to state that Key is simply trying to distract the voters from the important and urgent issues and the voters should not fall for it at this time.
A matter such as the change of flag of a country is a serious issue and needs some time, a few years of discussion and careful consideration, different designs incorporating history, aspirations and culture. The ideal time would be when and if the nation is ready to become a Republic.
Perhaps a campaign needs to be started to thwart Key’s cunning trick by pushing the point that it is too hasty to change the flag at this time. The discussion and debate needs at least a couple of years. If Key decides to have a referendum, among others, ONE of the choices in the vote should be
(..) This is not the right time to change the flag.
The fact that John Key is pushing for this flag change exposes him as a schill for the corporates.
Just like the TPPA it is all part of the plan to sell New Zealand down the river.
Money is his only loyalty if the British ensign in the corner of our flag is getting in the way of that, get rid of it.
In a contradiction to the flag issue, John Key has invited the Royal couple and their new born member of the British aristocracy to tour the country in election year. John Key supports the political concept of having a small privileged elite that the majority should bow and scrape to, Because sees himself as member and shyster for that same global elite.
(even though he comes off as a social climber in the Basil Fawlty mold.)
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
sue moroney was on tvone breakfast..
..and she did a good job..
phillip ure..
She always does a good job ,Phillip .Most likely the hardest working MP in the house. Cabinet post after the election a certainty .
pete seeger..sonny terry..and brownie mcghee..
‘down by the riverside’..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9eDU045u_E
..and this will take you to a pete seeger playlist..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzl1Sai4Y0&list=RDI9eDU045u_E
phillip ure..
I spent a couple of hours last night listening and watching him on utube last night.
We listened to him in the car in the great trip up north last weekend.
Truly an inspiring man, living a replete life.
Hone Harawira got it so right in his reponse to Key’s “taking the mickey’ comments about his (Harawira’s) speaker approved absences from Parliament:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11193245
He said Mr Key’s remarks were “just a continuation of his petty bickering about my going to South Africa.”
Clearly John Key still smarts about the fool he looked rushing off to South Africa with two architects of the anti-Anti-Tour Movement whom he chose.
Little Churchill asprayshins fucked up again.
Any way Key and English seemed to be missing on every Thursday in the last period.
Mandate
Hone should demand at question time, that Key resign for not getting a penny out of him for being absent. Call Key weak over and over. Then bring up Dunne and how weak Key was to catch the leak.
However there was great fact that came out. Hone has been up and down the country touching skin, just like Peters who worked the rooms from North to South.
Those who are buying into the PM’s nonsense about MPs being absent and skivving off, have obviously not been watching Parliament since National took office.
If the sums being paid are the issue, the House of Representatives is where the criticism should be focused. The behaviour of the Government benches is a good place to start. We could begin with the PM himself.
The Prime Minister is the only representative who whilst sitting in the House, made a throat slitting gesture towards the opposition. This is a man whose own rampant absenteeism is for what? Photo ops and roundtable reach-arounds. A PM who has repeatedly refused to answer direct questions with direct answers. All the while being accommodated by a Speaker whose allowance to Ministers not to answer questions at all, makes Lockwood Smith’s loose interpretations of Ministers’ answers look responsible and fair.
Whoever does take the reigns later this year has to begin our nation’s recovery by reforming the behaviour of the House of Representatives. Without that vital step, even the best policy will flounder and our nation will continue to fail. We are better than the bleating of the backbenches. We are stronger than the rubber spine of our Speaker. We are a nation that once lead the world towards democracy and equality. New Zealand did not destroy that dream, politicians did.
This year, your vote has never been more important. Do not waste it on wishes. Offer it the care with which you would handle any taonga and hand it to someone you respect, someone you trust and someone you believe will build again the great nation of Aotearoa.
Labour should AXE the super toll motorways proposed by John Key ( no one wants them except John Key and his ‘ Chosen’ cronyist Capitalist mates….to line their pockets
…eg from what I have heard at least one of these motorways is proposed to be constructed by an Australian company ….AXE them !
…….. and and put the money into:
1.) free university education for young New Zealanders up to and including PhD level ( these young people are NZ’s future!)
2.)…..reinstating Continuing Education around the country( a great way for adults..from school leavers to 90 year olds….from Maori to Pakeha….from country to city….from new- comer immigrants to generational NZers to learn new skills and meet people…. and make life -long friends)
( John Key’s NACT axed Continuing Education!….. and gave the $90 million dollars directly to private schools… SHAME ON THEM!)
3)…..Free polytech education, apprenticeships and internships ( we owe it to our young to look after them and help them into employment…before allowing in workers from overseas)
( Hear that Winston….no dirty deals with the Key NACT desperate Banksters…as John Armstrong suggests!)
4) pour money into our starved STATE SCHOOLS ( better pay for All teachers not just John Key’s Ponzi few bullshit so called ‘excellent’ Principals)…Bring back the State School Inspectorate with very little extra cost ….Make all NZ schools genuinely run and funded by the State! ….not done on the cheap by unqualified, struggling and stressed parents
….Teaching is a Profession like Law and Medicine …..TREAT EDUCATION and TEACHERS with the RESPECT they deserve.!!!!!…this will raise education attainment levels to world class as in Finland)
These policies would be a huge vote winner for Labour/Greens from young New Zealanders ( our future) and their parents….as well as every other New Zealander who values education and social cohesion.
New Zealand has a proud record in Education which has been undermined by monetarism , Neo Liberal economics and John Key and his mates who would split it, undermine teachers and unions ……and privatise it a la USA charter school businesses and religious organisations…..This is not the New Zealand way! Hands off our New Zealand State Secular education system for ALL New Zealanders! ( the unions should be fighting for this)..
+1 Chooky. When I read your posts, I feel as if I am reading my own thoughts exactly.
Crikey dick, she moves in mysterious ways alright.
After freeing up our most accomplished politician for wonderful world-serving roles at the UN, our wee interim manager is cracking glorious home goals (Hone 68 days off, the Keyster…..81!) and thus ensuring the ascendance of a genuine human for our leader once again.
And all at the very reasonable cost this time of only a few billions from workers and the poor to the rich, and a level of immiserating victim-bashing almost benign by historical tory standards.
Well done that wairua!
Hone calls Slippery the Prime Minister ‘petty’ for His ridiculous attack,(obviously a hypocrite as well), i think Hone is being far too reserved in His riposte to the ‘used car salesman in charge’…
Agreed.
Hone should call it like it is, race-baiting and being divisive.
+1, the lazy maori meme/dog whistle. national voters are treated like idiots, can they not see that?
This just goes from bad to worse.
http://dissentingdemocrat.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/fukushima-what-fukushima-there-is-no-fukushima/
A re-armed Japan is a worry. But a re-armed Japan with this type of power – mmm 1935 anyone.
http://naturalsociety.com/dead-sea-creatures-98-percent-ocean-floor/
1935? No.
There was a wide-ranging embargo in place against Japan back then. Lack of domestic energy sources was one of the reasons they embarked on military expansion. Post WWII, that lack of oil, gas etc was behind the US and the UK slapping up nuclear power stations there…
You must be hanging out at the RSA for too long mate. We have nothing to fear from Japan.
We should really be worried about the Chinese — though they seem to be happy with using chequebooks in leiu of guns ATM.
My point was that the restriction of democratic principles and rearmament have a historical comparison with Japan military Circa 1935.
Indeed Bill the forcing of Nuclear stations on Japan was a disgusting, especially as like her, NZ is another country directly on the ring of fire.
I think the fear of Chin is pushing a lot of crap Millsy, I just don’t think a rearmed Japan is a good response.
It is the removal of the ability to question the state which is the real problem.
Court cases defending defamation, a web-site that He has been unable to make work for 24 hours, and death threats from those close to a young man who tragically died while the back-seat passenger in a car,
Hell we could almost feel sorry for ‘Wail Oils’ Blubber boy, yes what the hell am i saying, as far as i can see Cameron Slater is simply getting the rewards of His own feral behavior in the vein of the old old adage ”you reap what you sow”,
It appears that there are many out in the real world who have had enough of Slater’s ugliness and feral attacks on those who havn’t the means of public reply,
In saying that we here at the Standard cannot support criminal behavior of any sort(said with a snigger)…
Slater’s sewage pond has tarnished all NZ blogs and his constant media appearances for opinion demonstrates how lazy and devoid of substance our news media is. If Labour do anything, our intrepid reporters go out and interview a deranged slob who sits online all day in his underwear eating chips and whose life is paid for by daddykins.
One day we might see a reporter interviewing real people affected by National’s sociopathic policies. But after National’s chilling response to the child poverty doco near the last election, our tired hack reporters are probably all scared of being sued or fired.
hahahaha poor old cam says its malicious I say its delicious
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2583839
WhaleOffal is a nasty little man, when the Christchurch earthquakes were mentioned he goes (verbatim, to me) “Fuck Christchurch” and raves on about how they are freeloaders subsidised by Auckland. There is no logical response to this sort of wilful malice.
I”m guessing Slater said something incredibly rude and offensive (as usual) to offend the whole West Coast community.
Yes he did. A young man was killed in a car accident where his mate was driving. He’s the third and last son in that family to die (one was killed as a boy by a drunk driver, the other died in Pike River mine). Slater’s response to this was an article headlined “Feral dies in Greymouth, did world a favour”.
It’s called karma. He’s getting back everything he deserves.
SCOOP:
Foreign power demands right to harpoon Whale boil for experimental purposes. “It is the only living example of an organisn with a zero blubber/ integrity ratio and needs further exploration” a foreign minsistry spokesman explained.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/not-credible-solution.html
Sigh.
Can someone take David Clark aside and then swiftly lock him in a cupboard? Firstly, we had Clare Curran talking absolute nonsense on anything to do with technology and now we have David Clark threatening to ban websites like Facebook, Amazon and Google.
Firstly, it’s ridiculous. You can’t ban them. People get around it with ease. Secondly, really? That is such an easy hit for National now. The problem of these companies not paying tax is an important one to solve. And instead Labour suggests a stupid fix, which will also be mocked by National for the next few months.
I sighed too, but more at Clark’s media ineptness.
“Firstly, it’s ridiculous. You can’t ban them. People get around it with ease”
I get really sick of people saying this. It might be easy for some people to get around, but not all.
When the NZ Police raided Tuhoe and others, the Ao Cafe website got taken down. It’s never returned, and there is no trace of it in the Internet Archive (how is that possible?). Generic statements like ‘you can’t ban the internet’ are just as ridiculous as what Clark did.
While I agree with NRT that comparisons with child porn were stupid, it’s also stupid to use the example of child porn to say you can’t control the internet. It’s harder to access child porn now than if it was just left as a free for all.
Would also like to know the source of “2.2 million users in New Zealand” for FB. I’m guessing that it’s more like 2.2 million NZ based accounts, which is not the same thing.
Anyone got a link to the Labour press release that NRT refers to? Can’t find it on Labour’s website.
I think you may find that many in the IT sector would not agree everything Clare Curran said on technology was absolute nonsense considering that she worked closely with them on several issues…
Uh, ill disciplined and stupid…
lprent
Has the system changed from any comment that refers to another’s name showing up in that person’s archives? I have always used my archives to check on comments directed to or referring to me. Lately there have been none so perhaps no-one is bothering to read what I have written. It is interesting to see who is commenting within a numbered comment on a thread, but I haven’t got time to scroll through looking at each.
It actually is difficult as a double click on the thread for the particular comment in the list doesn’t take me to the actual comment position, just to the head of the site. To find the comment I have to go back to the list and click on the same place. But sometimes I can’t find where the comment is listed again.
I haven’t changed anything (but here is a reply to test with).
I had the code for the “Replies” section (next to comments) working two weeks ago. But it won’t go in until I have a holiday at home (Yay!!!!) next week. I have to tune the database so that it doesn’t chew too much CPU.
You may (haven’t tested it for anyone else) get the same effect by logging in using a wordpress.com account. Then the dashboard (under Site Admin on my screen) will have a little orange chat box highlighted. That shows people replying to you across a range of wordpress sites.
lprent
Ta and I hope you have good weather for your holiday. Enjoy!!!
hi, while you are on tech issues, im using firefox & for some reason my standaRD page is tiny, the lettering is small, its like the margins are squeezed into the middle. other web page sites are normal size, just seems to be when i visit the standard. any idea what could be happening to my text? any remedies? thank you.
Doesn’t matter. I intend to (mostly) stay inside. I have some code to write and no socialising to do….
Be like old times.
lprent
And here was I thinking it was all fun times for you. My son was sent over to France for his firm to assist with something in transition, and he said looking at his photos of Paris, doesn’t it look good, we were in that high, modern building which looks somehow luxurious.
And then showed us their working room. One of many that closed off on each side of a bare corridor, with 6-8 chairs and computers down each side of the room and just a narrow alley between the people in the chairs from the window one end to the door at the other, and blank concrete walls. Didn’t have any Matisses, or the Mona Lisa, or reproductions of anything.. inspiring. And walking along the corridor, all that could be seen was closed doors.
He did get to see a bit of Paree, but mostly it was soulless stuff. So if that was old times, you probably can get a lot done, but it isn’t too different from being in a battery hen farm.
Hope all your eggs hatch.
I live in a cave at the top of a ridge. Actually a largish one bedroom apartment with a 10 ft stud and polished concrete floor.
The nice thing for a programmer is that you can place yourself so you don’t get the sun on your screens or on your eyes. It doesn’t get too hot or cold because it has near perfect insulation. If there is wind then there is always an airflow. If it is cold then the concrete by the 10ft high windows retains all heat that falls on it even in winter. I use a oil heater for maybe 30-40 days in the year. If there is no wind or it gets too muggy then there is aircond – which I usually use for about 10 days in Feburary when it goes really muggy.
I live next to the corner of Ponsonby and Newton Roads in Auckland. Right next to some major bus routes.Near enough to the motorways that I can get on them with ease.
I have had jobs in Albany and Manakau. Currently I work within 15 minutes walking distance. But I also spent 7 years working from home with monthly meetings for one company.
And if I get bored and/or stuck on whatever I was working on there was always the long streets of cafes up the road… Family tend to live pretty close apart from those offshore or my parents who retired and moved out of Auckland.
It is pretty damn comfortable for the type of lifestyle I have. Also a hell of a nice place to jump into the computer from. I can roll my set the fridge and the coffee machines! What can I say – I’m a geek
Of course having Lyn arrive into my life has caused a bit of adjustment for an “mature” bachelor like myself. Fortunately she is almost as much of a geek as I am in her own special, irritating and fun way.
But it was less of an adjustment than having to move out while the building was de-leaked and leak-proofed.
It’s a different life style working from home a lot isn’t it. You have been able to organise your own work surroundings for practical outcomes for you better than you would get probably in an office. My son lives within biking distance of his work and within child care close by for when they are both working.
So that’s pretty good too.
Thought so. When Key was using Hone as a target about absences from Parliament, he forgot the target on his own head. From Andrea Vanse on Stuff:
“Prime Minister John Key scored an embarrassing own goal yesterday after launching an attack on Hone Harawira’s attendance record.
Key accused the Mana party leader of “taking the mickey” over his frequent absences from Parliament. Mr Harawira has taken 68 days leave – all approved by the Speaker – since 2011. National, along with Labour and the Maori Party, refused yesterday to release the records of its own MPs.
However, the Green Party used Hansard, the official record of Parliament, to calculate that over the same period Mr Key was absent on 81 of 186 sitting days. Three of these were urgency days on a Friday or Saturday.
ianmac
Is that Andrea Vance A Good One then? What a jolly good piece from her.
And Hone made a dignified and reasoned and factual response to the mocking smarmy piece of political cowpat from apprentice dung beetle the Jokeyhen.
I must stop using that term perhaps my comments are so influential that he is getting a bad feedback loop or something! How one addresses people affects their response doesn’t it. So, sorry from me Mr Key. You can get on and be the good PM you always intended and I’ll withdraw from my evil influence. (Magical thinking from me.) Hah!
I have been away for a few weeks, so when I came back into “net” range I did a quick survey of the blogs etc.
Somethings caught my eye, first Max Keiser was talking about Tom Perkins, a multibillionaire who complained in the Wall St Journal that the 1% were being persecuted, Kristallnacht was invoked on their behalf…poor poor sods, so much money and so little perspective. Joe 90 was onto it, http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26012014/#comment-763280 I am surprised that this extravagant whinge elicited so little comment from Standardistas.
To top things off I read two Trotter articles, the first of which indicated that all is not well in the Labour caucus with the same old suspect neo lib leaning types doing their best to undermine Cunliffe and prop up their failed ideology. Goff and crew, must be thinking about the nice little roles they might garner post being an MP, at the WTO, or on some board of directors. Dont rock the boat…..
The second Trotter article I read pretty much confirmed the thinking of the first, that capitalism wont deliver to non capitalists because it is not meant to BUT DONT MENTION IT…and Trotter flays all of the party leaders including Cunliffe…….None of our political leaders has yet delivered an adequate response to the extraordinary statistic released by Oxfam on the eve of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland. According to the UK based aid organisation, the world’s 85 richest individuals control a sum of wealth equal to that of the poorest half of the world’s human population – 3.5 billion people.
Sigh, know your enemy.
i am pretty sure i heard David Cunlifffe make a reference to who controlled the wealth,(in a New Zealand sense), in His reply to Slippery the Prime Minister on the opening day of the Parliament,(yesterday), and, Chris Trotter might want to pay more attention because i have heard various Green MP’s including both Metiria and Russell include such details when speaking in the Parliament,
i don’t always agree with Trotter but always find Him a good read….
Ennui
We can’t think about that stuff at present – we are too busy thumbing our nose at the execrable
Slater, who has emerged from the woodwork a sadder but not wiser blogger or pilgrim of life.
This has niggled me for years…
The Open Mike intro ends with ‘Step right up to the mike.’ Maybe just ‘Step up to the mike’?
The ‘right’ is redundant. If the phrase was ‘Step right up…’ it might have a place but with ‘the mike’ there it’s unnecessary.
And, of course, it would be nice for a left blog not to have the word ‘right’ there.
Yes, I’m nitpicking. Yes, there are bigger problems in the world.
easy enough to fix…
+1 It’s a nice change not to have to worry about affairs of state all the time!
Has Imperator Fish satire leaked over to the Herald or is this issue truly what Crosby Textor have told John Key will inspire the public in an election year?
From today’s articles: PM tests water for NZ flag change. (They forgot to add: – again)
With his usual concise and decisive language…
“I’d like to see a change. But one of the problems is that firstly it’s not the single … biggest issue that we as a country face. And secondly, even with those who want to change there’s not universal support for what we should change to.”…
…The Prime Minister’s personal preference was for a silver fern on a black background, but he said it would be very difficult to get a consensus on a new design….
Guessing this will be difficult to get a consensus on because of the Rugby trademark associated with his personal preference.
Shades of Susan Devoy in the final sentences of the same article – (where is she by the way?)
“…Mr Key had earlier said that he hoped Waitangi Day this year would be a day of celebration instead of being marred by protests.
He wished New Zealand’s national day was similar to Australia Day, with shows of patriotism such as flag-waving..”
More confirmation that he does not read any newspapers – either here or from across the ditch, or watch tv.
Bingo: http://thestandard.org.nz/anti-democratic-tendencies/#comment-701020
Why do you think they picked Dame Susan Devoy ?? Silence. She will be like the Maori Party, sitting at the table, silent and smiling, happy with the trinkets that fall her way. In her case, a very nice case of “trinkets”.
Both the PPTA and NRT have blogged on this today, but it is worth re-iterating that those guardians of fiscal responsibility in NACT have in the last year managed to piss about $14 million against the wall for their ideological charter schools project (to educate 369 students).
http://ppta.org.nz/component/easyblog/entry/exorbitant-charter-schools-funding-revealed?Itemid=202
Does seem like a pretty useful counter against Nactional’s claims of left wing fiscal largesse?
All is good within NZ, as we must now have found a cure for the cold. Our next big issue is….
Our flag.
Great emotive topic to take attention away from anything and everything.
And Jesus wept.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9662819/Key-Silver-Fern-should-be-our-flag
@ Herodotus
“Our flag.
Great emotive topic to take attention away from anything and everything.
And Jesus wept.”
+1
…particularly to distract New Zealanders from the complete hash John Key and his cohorts are making of governing this country
…and hoping to distract New Zealanders from the delightful alternative being presented to the New Zealand public by Labour & the left
Distraction tactics are about the only hope to stay in government they have left, really – well that and horribly divisive hate politics that appeal to peoples’ worst nature….
It occurred to me that neo lib direction in NZ has come from experiencing duty free advantages when they went overseas all those years ago, and got special tax free advantages. So they thought why not go overseas and have tax free advantages all the time.
So therefore, the duty free economy and country where you are free to not do your duty, if you can pay your way out of it. (Here I’m thinking of paying fair tax on earnings, the higher then more, to a reasonable degree. and sharing that portion you do pay with everyone instead of trying to capture it back.)
The flag design is to be chosen by National. I think not. No way are they going to get away with giving us the opinion of either Key’s silver on black (and as someone says that is already probably trademarked), or another one chosen by the government.
The flag is a symbolic thing to wave in the breeze and carry at events etc. and we want one that is worthwhile and represents us with something meaningful. Though it is not the sacred icon that Helen Clark’s government raised it to, making it an offence to jump on it or burn it etc. What a dopey idea, it’s far better to vent at a symbol, hang it upside down, stick holes through it than more destructive actions to buildings or people. All the same we need to have a say, not this grimy bunch of charlatans take over.
I would suggest we have an on-line consultation with people being able to send designs in, which would be added to those already held over about two months, with a vote held every fortnight.
and the residual flags put in order of popularity. Any new ones would be shown alongside so they could be compared to the top ones to see if anything offered was better. At the end of the two months, the best twenty or thirty would go up for voting for a month and then the best four would go to the referendum which would be binding. After everyone had had time to form their opinion the result would go ahead and be instituted in say 6 months.
The Maori flag if that was not chosen, would become a second official flag, with the national flag to be flown outside NZ if there was only one to be flown, and within NZ it would be flown at the same height if it was up, and at times could be the only one flying if appropriate.
Key wants to leave a legacy – excuse me while I baff . Funny while we can “vote” on a flag but not on the supposed referendum to the changes that was supposed to take place within MMP.
As Hone said, is this just a distraction to mask the real issues at the general elections. I tend to concur.
And why should John Key think he should make the decision as to which flag we should have to replace our present one, if we do decide to replace it – the man’s self entitlement knows no bounds.
Abuse by the Salvation Army in Australia? and to a woman in Ireland when she was young was the topic of news tonight. The European Commission has said that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that children are safe, and that this remains throughout the years. The Irish woman has been awarded $30,000 for what was done when she was a child.
The ongoing nature of this unmet responsibility is going to be a matter in the future as we hear things about the charter schools that will be very regrettable because they were expected before the schools began. In 20 years or so we will start hearing the cases, and they will come to light for some time as people feel strong enough to make their protest and gain some solace from delayed justice.
The Electricity Authority spokesperson Carl Hansen has been talking about how they are judging the price which should be charged for power. They allow for a 10% return to the shareholders.
So the government has sold our electricity assets, and this is the profit that gets returned to the
shareholders by us, while we continue to pay more and more to others for what we used to own ourselves. And the more we pay the more the 15% GST amount will be, and the line charge goes up regularly and arbitrarily, now we are paying about $30 a month. And so it goes on.
And if the 10% is calculated on the assets, to give a satisfactory return to the shareholders.
And the assets are revalued, according to constantly rising market value, then we will have to pay more for the same amount of electricity.
Just to keep the books right in the market system which treats the system and the returns from it as if it was God-given prognostications chiselled in stone, instead of an approach to counting things, valuing things and dealing with one another in a rational symbolic way. This is just so that we don’t have to personally take a duck to the shops, or a sack of lemons to exchange for 5 loaves of bread, or whatever the going rate would be. And perhaps no-one wants lemons that day. Trouble is along the way, it is easier to get rorted.
FYI
I have been declined speaking rights at tomorrow’s Auckland Council Governing Body meeting:
(Thursday 30 January 2014
9.30am
Auckland Town Hall)
My response:
__________________________________________________________________________
29 January 2014
‘OPEN LETTER’
Dear Elaine,
Please be advised that I do NOT accept that the declining of my request for ‘speaking rights’ at the Auckland Council Governing Body upcoming meeting (to be held at the Auckland Town Hall on Thursday 30 January 2014) was lawful.
“3.21.3 Subjects of Public Input
Public Input is not to be used to speak to a matter:
(i) that has already been considered and determined.”
_____________________________________________________
The FACT is that the (former) CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay, and his appointment of Ernst and Young to conduct this ‘Independent Review’ of Auckland Mayor Len Brown, did NOT follow the ‘due process’ as clearly outlined in the Auckland Council ‘Code of Conduct’ (s.8 Compliance), thus has NOT ‘already been considered and determined.’
Please be reminded that as an ‘anti-corruption’ campaigner, I attended a full-day specialist workshop on ‘How to Conduct an Inquiry’ at the recent 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference.
I now have a very comprehensive understanding of how such an inquiry should have been carried out, and the Ernst and Young ‘Independent Review’ was anything but, in my considered opinion.
I respectfully request that this decision to decline my speaking rights, is reconsidered as a matter of urgency.
Also, I do NOT consider it appropriate, or in keeping with the basic principles of ‘natural justice’, for Auckland Mayor Len Brown, to the one to make the ultimate decision on whether or not speaking rights should be granted in this case, for this matter, as he is a directly-affected party.
http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/N/NemoJudexInParteSua.aspx
A fundamental principle of natural justice which states that no person can judge a case in which he or she is party or in which he/she has an interest.
Also known as:
nemo judex in sua causa; or
nemo debet esse judex in propria causa
__________________________________________________________
(As Auckland Mayor Len Brown has been a lawyer, I’m sure understands this fundamental principle).
Please also be reminded of the statutory duties arising from the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0174/latest/DLM122283.html
4 Purposes
The purposes of this Act are—
(a)to provide for the availability to the public of official information held by local authorities, and to promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings of local authorities, in order—
(i) to enable more effective participation by the public in the actions and decisions of local
authorities; and
(ii) to promote the accountability of local authority members and officials,—
and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote good local government in
New Zealand:
(b) to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:
(c) to protect official information and the deliberations of local authorities to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.
Compare: 1982 No 156 s 4
____________________________________________________________________________
Please also be reminded of the rights of citizens to ‘freedom of expression’ as guaranteed under the NZ Bill Of Rights Act 1990:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0109/latest/DLM225513.html
14 Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
__________________________________________________________________________
Please be advised that I shall be attending this Auckland Council Governing Body meeting to be held tomorrow, Thursday 30 January 2014, starting as 9.30am at the Auckland Town Hall.
Please finally be reminded that I have a proven track record of successfully defending my above-mentioned lawful rights as a citizen, in Court, in the (hopefully) unlikely event of these matters being taken to the point of arrest.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
Attendee : 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2010 Auckland Mayoral candidate
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
lprent, any chance of a button to expand/collapse comments, or a 5000 character limit??
cheers
Will do. I have code to put in a collapse for a comment or a whole comment thread.
It got stalled on how to persist this data for a individual user for some period of time.
Looks like the only effective way is via client supplied cookies.
geoff over on the Note to Media post suggested we do a mail out of Blip’s List
that is a hugely expensive undertaking, so i thought there may be a better cost to publicity stream we could tap into, so i posted the following, repeating it here for general consideration.
=================================================
maybe we crowd-source a basic and sporadic poster campaign and take Blip’s List to the people
pretty sure the companies who do the paste ups would be ok with it, and we know then they are pretty safe, (although for the dedicated poster grabber they become instant collector items)
they may even cut us a good $ deal too
so to get Blip’s List public we need:
; the data – check
; Layout and formatting
– I think i just saw a couple of dozen hands go up
– perhaps they all put one together and we have Standardistas choose the preferred design
– It would be good to print the links in full under each line
– people will snap images of the poster with their phones so it is useful to include the info
; a call to Sticky Fingers to fix a contract price & terms
– i think they cover paste ups for all the main centers now
; approximately a couple of grand for printing a whole bunch of posters,
– I am guessing that price would be generously supported by the printers
– posters can be printed in whatever center that they end up in so freight is not necessary
seems pretty doable to me
I pledge $20 here and now
(which is 9% of my income this week)
Welcome to New Keyland
The All Black’s Shirts
freedom
$20 rest don’t know
I think a separate new article is needed about Key’s flag urgent red herring. Wish one of the regular article writers of this site would consider writing it.
Here is my opinion on it:
[1] For National, the Warner Bros logo may be more appropriate.
[2] Key is trying desperately to raise a red herring to distract people during this election year because he is sensing that he and his party and coalition partners are going to lose this coming election and/or, Key is trying to create an immortal legacy for himself by pushing this issue forward now and wanting a referendum on it at the election this year!
[3] During this year, people should be more focused on political party policies and leaders and not be distracted by Key’s cunning tactics of introducing what is at present an unnecessary and absolutely non urgent ‘change of flag’ issue.
[4] In my opinion, the flag issue should be raised sometime in the near or distant future when the people are ready to change to a Republic.
[5] And at that time, it would be very fair and good to incorporate some Maori cultural aspect too in the design.
errr….. what happens when it is the PRIME MINISTER who fails to uphold, and is SEEN to fail to uphold, the ‘highest ethical standards’, as required by the ‘Cabinet Manual’?
Is Prime Minister John Key going to tell himself off, or stand himself down as a Minister, over his arguably disgraceful treatment of Mana MP and Leader, Hone Harawira?
When is New Zealand going to have an enforceable ‘Code of Conduct’ for Members of Parliament – given that we’re supposed to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ …. blah blah…… ?
http://cabinetmanual.cabinetoffice.govt.nz/2.50
Conduct, public duty, and personal interests
General
2.50 To protect the integrity of the decision-making process of executive government and to maintain public trust in the Executive, Ministers and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries must conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to their office. Accordingly, the guidance in paragraphs 2.52 – 2.96:
explains the standards of personal conduct expected of Ministers;
assists Ministers to identify those personal interests that might be seen to influence their decision making;
sets out options for managing conflicts of interest where necessary.
2.51 The guidance on conduct, public duty, and personal interests applies to all Ministers (inside and outside Cabinet) and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries. References to Ministers in this guidance include Parliamentary Under-Secretaries.
Conduct of Ministers
2.52 A Minister of the Crown, while holding a ministerial warrant, acts in a number of different capacities:
in a ministerial capacity, making decisions, and determining and promoting policy within particular portfolios;
in a political capacity as a member of Parliament, representing a constituency or particular community of interest; in a personal capacity.
2.53 In all these roles and at all times, Ministers are expected to act lawfully and to behave in a way that upholds, and is seen to uphold, the highest ethical standards. Ultimately, Ministers are accountable to the Prime Minister for their behaviour.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Not exactly ‘leading from the front’ on this one – Prime Minister John Key?
Penny Bright
+100 Penny
+100 Clemgeopin
…Changing the flag issue is a real red herring( and note John Key wants to be the final arbiter on the flag…..what an arrogant EGO ).
…As a strategy Key is trying to shore up his credentials as a real NZer for the people , by the people, of the people by waving the flag …… when he is nothing of the sort ……He is a NACT monetarist Neo Liberal rorter of NZers assets and way of life…he cares not a fig for NZers only his rich crony Capitalist Bankster mates overseas
Lets hope other politicians from Labour and the Greens don’t fall for this…… but keep their eye on the ball and the impetus going on the REAL issues for New Zealanders!….
….for example I dont think it will do the Greens vote any good if Russell Norman falls for this and gets distracted and swings in behind Key’s agenda for changing the the flag and also brings up the Republican anti -Royal issue….as I heard him do on radio
1) Norman doesnt understand NZers attachment to their flag and Queenie…there are very very few votes in this for the Greens no matter what Norman’s personal feelings ( and Charles is a Greenie!)
2) as an Australian it will backfire badly on Norman and the Greens..it will just remind NZers that Norman is an Australian ( Winnie will be the vote winner)
3) John key will have provided a successful red herring and undermined the Labour/Greens roller coaster on real issues concerning NZers….and if this issue is allowed to gather momentum Mana will have been sidelined also on the flag issue….Key will have grabbed the flag from the Maori and done a one- up-man-ship on Hone ( which for some reason he is keen to do….maybe because Hone Harawira is a real genuine NZer and he shows Key up as a Ponzi)
imo….Let John Key swing with the flag issue….and let him hang himself out to dry …in other words he should be ignored ….so people see it for what it is…as a red herring and a distraction to the most important issues facing New Zealanders
I think it would be good idea for the leaders of opposition parties to state that Key is simply trying to distract the voters from the important and urgent issues and the voters should not fall for it at this time.
A matter such as the change of flag of a country is a serious issue and needs some time, a few years of discussion and careful consideration, different designs incorporating history, aspirations and culture. The ideal time would be when and if the nation is ready to become a Republic.
Perhaps a campaign needs to be started to thwart Key’s cunning trick by pushing the point that it is too hasty to change the flag at this time. The discussion and debate needs at least a couple of years. If Key decides to have a referendum, among others, ONE of the choices in the vote should be
(..) This is not the right time to change the flag.
Desperate Key
The fact that John Key is pushing for this flag change exposes him as a schill for the corporates.
Just like the TPPA it is all part of the plan to sell New Zealand down the river.
Money is his only loyalty if the British ensign in the corner of our flag is getting in the way of that, get rid of it.
In a contradiction to the flag issue, John Key has invited the Royal couple and their new born member of the British aristocracy to tour the country in election year. John Key supports the political concept of having a small privileged elite that the majority should bow and scrape to, Because sees himself as member and shyster for that same global elite.
(even though he comes off as a social climber in the Basil Fawlty mold.)