Panama-based company Ceol & Muir which is owned by Italy-based Rafael Grozovsky and his Argentina-based brother Federico Grozovsky, purchased the 1317-hectare Onetai Station in Awakino, Taranaki in 2014, for $6 million. In Argentina, their company was charged with discharging carcinogenic waste from their tanneries into the nearby river. However, regarding the sale of Taranaki land, the OIO has found the purchasers have met their ‘good character’ requirements.
“Maybe he has been watching how his colleague finlayson q c manages to so accurately display his nonsensical sense of place…”
Ain’t that the truth. I often wondered what happened to the guy. At one time he was half reasonable (for a Gnat) – then I realised …. Key happened and he became an arse licking woose. So much for principle
John Key ramming through TPPA – we all know that it is for the benefit of his cronies and the 0.1% who don’t feel the need to pay taxes, and can pollute at will.
“The latest country to be hooked under ‘free trade’ agreements is Colombia, writes Pete Dolack, sued for tens of billions of dollars by US and Canadian gold mining companies for valuing its national parks and the high-altitude Andean wetlands that provide 70% of the nation’s water above the profits of foreign corporations. Free trade or clean water? You can’t have both.”
“TTIP: UK Government found secret courts in trade deal have ‘lots of risk and no benefit’ in its only assessment
Stark warning against agreement disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request”
A visit by US officials could be used to pressure the government into further concessions on the Trans Pacific Partnership deal, a long time critic of the trade pact says.
RNZ reports that Corbyn has demoted Ken Livingstone for suggesting zionism had a connection with nazism. I like some of the things Corbyn has done, but on this one he is wrong.
“The WZO leaders said as little as they could about Germany in as much as they knew that negotiations were proceeding to work out a trade agreement with Hitler. Jabotinsky brought forth a motion to support the embryonic anti-Nazi boycott, but it had no chance of success. The delegates were totally put off by the fascist character of Revisionism. During the Congress, Jewish Telegraphic Agency dispatches told of the police discovering Jabotinsky’s letter to Achimeir denouncing him for his pro-Nazi articles. [24] The vast majority of the delegates believed that the Biryonim had murdered the Political Secretary of their movement and the letter could only serve to reinforce their opinion. They could only think that their own Hitler was denouncing the WZO leaders for being pro-Nazi. The resolution calling for action against the Hitlerites was soundly defeated, 240 to 43. [25] (In fact the Nazis announced, during the Congress, that a trade agreement had been reached with the WZO’s Anglo-Palestine Bank.)”
There seems to quite a lot of bullshit being pushed, including by a number within UK Labour, that antisemitism is a trait of the more left leaning people within UK Labour.
I agree that Corbyn should have faced it down but…over a few years I’ve noticed a more general ‘getting up in arms’ about supposed antisemitism in the UK media. For example, I’ve been aware of the BBC running (to me) incongruous reports on the threat to the Jewish community off the back of terrorist attacks or apparent imminent likelihood of some terrorist attack.
Yes with lots of compost and nitrogenous matter they have cultivated a lot of deadly nightshade.
Israel at one time showed the world how to use water very effectively for irrigation.
Now they should turn their hands back to teaching the world how to use their human resources in a more effective way than making other people miserable and desperate in enclosed apartheid-like homelands. This would honour their people who suffered the same sort of treatment in WW2 and before.
Bullenglish is blabbing about low interest rates, good potential investors out there, plenty of cash around, when the parameters are right…. Then you realize he’s talking about mental health services
Can someone – a political scientist type of person (but not that fellow in the Herald, Edwards !) provide us with some sort of analysis of the more recent polls please.
An analysis that includes the numbers of “Don’t Know” who they’ll vote for, and also what sort of questions are being asked in the polls. Plus the PM’s rating each time.
It looks to me like the PM’s rating is dropping, but that’s not being picked up by the media. And I cannot figure out why there is so much confidence in the NAct govt when so much is happening that is obviously negative : the TPPA, the known corruption, the PM supporting the 1%, climate change issues, housing, unemployment, beggars in the streets, dairying going down, etc.
Why isn’t all this showing in the polls?
And I don’t want to be given the glib answer that we don’t have a Bernie Sanders or Corbyn – we have Winston Peters and that’s more than enough for one little country and yes – his poll rating has gone up, and I’m assuming that’s because he’s the spokesperson for everything in NZ First, and now he is Northland MP, he has a lot to make a noise about.
Afaik the incumbent PM usually rates higher than all other party leaders as preferred PM. I think the whole focus on that is part of the manufacture of the Teflon Key myth. Myself I think it’s irrelevant.
Most polls don’t report or account for the don’t knows/undecideds, nor the people that won’t answer their questions or don’t even answer the phone. That and the margins of error, and the fact that results are often close make me think much of what we do will polls is spin rather than reality. I think polls tend to reflect many things including what the MSM are doing, esp close to an election.
We should be looking at the poll of polls, not individual ones, because the poll of polls shows trends over time and that’s more important. Individual polls with commentary are highly speculative. We can use that, but I don’t think we should get too hung up on it at this stage. Closer to the election it’s an issue (I believe polls should be banned for some weeks pre-election). But we’re not there yet.
(as an aside, Peters isn’t our Corbyn or Sanders. He’s a centrist, authoritarian power-monger. Yes, he’s charismatic, knows how to play the political power game very well, has done some good things for NZ (think Winebox) and NZF has some good policies, but he’s also damaged MMP and democracy in NZ. Not even close to being a Corbyn or Sanders)
Peters is his own political tour de force. Unfortunately he is on the last term or two of his career. There is no one else of his calibre politically once he is gone. Cunliffe had the potential but that’s all over now.
But this term National and Labour will continue to weaken while he benefits.
NZ will be better off politically and societally once Peters is gone from parliament. I can name good things he has done, but they don’t outweigh how much he has damaged MMP and democracy. I don’t care how good he is at macho politics beyond how much power that garners him to keep on with the bullshit game. You and I obviously rate good politics quite differently.
He is entertaining though so I guess there is that.
Actually I think that describes Peters. But it’s interesting that that’s what you resort to, trying to make out that I’m something or other rather than addressing the points. Let’s try again,
“enjoy you talking about democracy and MMP, while simultaneously wishing gone one of the most popular and effective political figures of the decade.”
Yes, because the underpinnings of MMP and democracy aren’t popularity or even political effectiveness, which can obviously be used in anti-democratic ways. The underpinnings are representation and fairness. Peters has demonstrably worked against those things at times.
Peters is popular for sure, but he never got his party permanently out of the sub 10%. He fucked up a couple of times and lost his votes, so we can say that historically he’s been popular and unpopular depending on his behaviour. Like I said, I can name the good things he’s done, but I can name the mistakes too and the problems.
Weka, Do you hate Peters more than the national party supporters and tax cheats who had to pay millions to our government that they had successfully swindled past the IRD …………….. until Winston and his wine box extracted back to new zealand some of their stolen loot. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8515361/Money-trail-leads-home-to-New-Zealand
Winne cost the nat party votes and their rich criminal supporters money, so they hate him very much ……………
And look at what Winston did to Key in the Northland bye-election when Nationals expert solution to the P problem and future police minister Mike Sabin had to leave parliament ……………..
Key performed like a limp dick trying to hammer a nail against Winston 🙂
National are now engaged in working with rich tax cheats and other criminals to such an extent that the architect of a multi BILLION dollar tax swindle is the guy that Key picked to be the judge on ‘New Zealand Tax Haven Inc’ ……………. The tax haven that key accidentally created and then after many talks and meetings with people like his bent ex lawyer mate accidentally kept going …………… Against IRD advice.
No doubt our prime ministers Keyzheimers disease will kick in even worse than it has so far ……. he won’t really remember what that advice was ………. at the end of the day.
But enough waffling and lets get pratical.. which is where I desperately need your smarts puckish….Your cleaver, cognitive and know whats what so…… could you please do some sums for me ……….. I wouldn’t bother asking any of the ‘leftie’ peeps around here….. because just like me they cant do math either …. and many are barking mad.
Sherwan who selected by key was the prime mover in a 2.2 billion dollar ( or more) tax scam by the aussie banks who were gouging New Zealanders for record profits at the time.
We have benefit fraud tip lines and a government that uses racism and every stereotype smear to encourage hatred of the worst off and most disadvantaged in society ………. that helps generate the phone calls for their attack ‘the poor welfare policy’….. and the privatisation of and evictions from state housing.
But back to the numbers ……
“Benefit fraud cost New Zealand $22 million in 2010″* ……now lets assume after another six years of national people are twice as dishonest…. because they are copying people like Bill English ( cheated the mp’s housing allowance with a false declaration …. Or JK with his ‘charity’ games of golf, Judith collins who can’t tell a kauri log from a Kauri stump and accidentally makes millions from her ignorance.
So presuming a National government makes the people more dishonest we’ll double the 22 million benefit fraud up to 44 million ….. And we’ll round that up to $50 million to account for the acceleration of corrupt behavior lately.
How many years of benefit fraud by ALL the beneficarys would it take to reach the amount that the ONE SINGLE Nact man John Sherwan had a go at ……….. How many years please wise one???, I bet your much better at maths than me.
BUT how much of the benefit fraud was detected due to the haters tip line …………. 40% , 30% 25%.
Because you are so cleaver could you also work out how many years of the benefit tip line running would you need before reaching the amount that John Sherwin tried to steal on the Aussie banks behalf ????
I can’t work it out …….
Which leads me to concede that John sherwan must be very cleaver to not go to jail for an attempted theft of 2.2 billion dollars of government revenue…….. which admittedly pays for silly stuff like hospitals and schools.
But those financial types must all be geniuses as no one went to jail for the wholesale fraud of Billions ( or was it trillions) , directly leading to the GFC and much suffering world wide ………..for the poor.
I can see why you support such intelligence …… to do otherwise would be stupid of you.
I’ll never be that smart …………. can’t even do math 🙁
I’m going to ask you one last final thing….. it’s probably something you could be uncomfortable with and I can’t recall you ever doing it on here……… I need your common sense to tell me who to vote for.
Hell if you can work out those unsolvable mathematical impossibility I threw your way ………….. then you’d be justified in telling all of us fools here te standard who to vote for.
“The banks will not pay penalties and the full details of the settlement are confidential, although they are paying 80% of the total tax owed plus interest. The amount was enough to boost New Zealand’s current account into a surplus in the September quarter for the first time in almost 21 years.”
I remember this well. Dumped just prior to Xmas if I remember correctly – Photo of smiling individuals in the MSM – declaring the settlement of the tax dispute and I was incensed.
Proud of themselves for caving in and politically negotiating a Debt to the IRD.
Not the sort of outcome any ordinary Kiwi falling foul of the IRD can expect.
Reason, have you read my actual comments and thought about them? I’ve already said that I think Peters has done good things and I gave the Winebox as an example. I don’t hate Peters, and if you think this is about that then you’re not listening.
He stopped the Bolger government in it’s tracks. He stopped a third wave of hard neo-liberalism, by getting free health care for the under 5’s. The gold card, fighting for changes to the power of attorney, and enduring power of attorney. He enforced ring fencing for health. He has been out spoken in his criticism of neo-liberalism.
Winston has actually done quite a bit of good weka. Been a bit of a nob about it in a macho way I agree, and is as social conservative as they come. He and the greens are the only ones who openly want to end the neo-liberal game at present. I’d hate to say this, but making him PM to get rid of neo-liberalism, is a price I’m willing to pay.
IMO the biggest contribution of Peters and NZF is the increase in minimum wage to $12/hr (from 9.50) while in govt from 2005 – 2008. That set the scene for regular minimum wage rises, which wasn’t really something that happened before that.
“And I cannot figure out why there is so much confidence in the NAct govt when so much is happening that is obviously negative”
Because interest rates are low, business confidence is high, employment is low and steady, more kiwis are returning home then ever before, Exports are likely to increase through trade
Leader Favourability Ratings
(Net positive Rating – the percentage point gap between those holding a Favourable and Unfavourable view of Key)
2009 +58
2010 +51
2011 +48
2012 +25
2013 +19
2014 +27
2015 1/2 +19
2015 2/2 +13
(2015 broken down on a quarterly basis:
2015
1/4 +22,
2/4 +15,
3/4 +10,
4/4 +16)
Latest UMR puts Key on his lowest everFavourability rating of +2
As you can see, what was once a gaping chasm has shrunk to a narrow fissure as views on the PM have become as polarised as they were on Muldoon by the early 80s.
The Reid Research Leader Performance ratings confirm Key’s significant decline (particularly steep after the 2011 Election and, again, over the last 2 years)
Andrew Little’s net Favourability rating compared to Key – 2015
…………………1/4…………2/4……….3/4………4/4
Key…………..+22….+15….+10…+16
Little………..+24…..+25…+16…+15
So, while Little may be badly trailing Key on the Preferred PM measure (which, as weka has rightly said, usually involves a significant incumbency effect), the Labour Leader actually led the PM throughout most of 2015 on the net Favourability ratings – by 2, 10 and 6 points during the first three-quarters, before slipping only slightly behind Key in the final quarter.
In stark contrast, Little’s 3 Labour Leader predecessors were always well behind Key.
As you’ve implied, Jenny, we keep hearing (in the MSM over the last 12 months) that Key is vastly more popular than Clark was at the same point in her Third Term.
In fact, Helen Clark’s Favourability (UMR) and Performance (Reid Research) ratings were significantly better than Key’s is now. It’s true that she was slightly down on his rating as Preferred PM (but only slightly).
2/2 2006 Clark averaged 37% Preferred PM
2/2 2015 Key averaged 39% Preferred PM
Dang, I’ve been trying to edit the above comment … not least to make that Key vs Little table look a wee bit more respectable and ship shape.
But I’m being told (in quite an authoritative – almost scolding – way) that You do not have permission to edit this comment, with the advice that I should therefore Close immediately or, presumably, I’ll be in for a bit of a kick up the arse.
Let’s try it again and see if I can make that table look a little less messy …
I haven’t walked down Lambton Quay on a week day morning for a few years. Place is empty, slow and lifeless almost like a ghost town. Not what I remember it being at all. What the hell have you guys done with the place???
Meetings must be over… they all stepped out at lunchtime – Lambton Quay seemed as busy to me today as the last time I was here.
The thing that bothers me the most is the Big Brand sector of Cuba Mall. They all moved in a few years ago, amid lots of protest, to apparently upscale the place and now that’s the most awful bit of the whole central city.
He’s getting more money. Wellington ratepayers are funding his film museum that going inside the convention centre we are also funding. What PJ wants, PJ gets as long as he doesn’t have to pay for it.
Wellingtonians know what’s going on in govt because they work in the civil service. When Lambton Quay goes empty, when Wellingtonians stop spending, it’s because they see big trouble ahead.
It’s been sad to see shops that have been around for decades closing down – I was working in one that closed down! Having worked in retail and distribution round Wgtn I’ve seen first hand the decline, since the GFC, but it never really picked up. One store owner that was a customer of the distributor I worked for blamed the increase in GST and cut backs in the public service for killing his business. He closed down after 30 years in business.
Now it’s all just “pop up” shops selling container loads of crap and the expansion of dollar shops in the burbs. There is a sense of the temporary and vaguely desperate.
What shops that are left often are part of Aussie chains. The high end, boutiquey stores selling creative and unique items are almost all gone.
There is a sense of the temporary and vaguely desperate.
I was thinking exactly that when I was walking around yesterday. A year or two ago the caravans and pop-ups added vibrancy now there and an air of despondency about them with sense of what comes next.
As an aside I’m also not keen on the commercialisation of public space. It might be ok for small start-ups but it takes no time at all for the big brands to move on in if a retail start-up space proves viable.
Maybe the MediaWorks owners noticed that too many cheerleaders of the right has left a huge gap for the left media to fill, ha ha and falling ratings for the right…
When it comes to Campbell Live though, the average audience of 281,669 viewers in 2013 was the best they’ve ever been.
– In 2013 the average viewers was the best its ever been, in 2013.
In 2014, the average audience for Campbell Live fell 22% to 219,406 viewers per night.
– That’s a big drop in numbers so the show is bringing in less money and remember its a private company NOT another make-work scheme for tired lefties
So far in 2015, the average audience is down a further 13% to 191,432. Overall, this equates to a 32% drop in the average nightly audience.
So yes people were watching it but not enough people were watching it so instead of losing money on the program the company, as is their right, dropped Campbell Live
Not a utopia but certainly in the top 10 countries to live in the world (probably top 5 but why argue semantics), the National party aren’t perfect (WFF should be scrapped for one thing) but certainly way out in front of any opposition and John Key as god…well I wouldn’t go that far I mean as this pic clearly states hes in the water not walking above it
You are being unfair to Paul. The problem is he isn’t really up to debate.
He tends to make some unsubstantiated comment and when asked why he said it refuses to give any reason because he “Can’t be bothered”. Most frustrating
I happily debate with people on this site I do not identify as trolls.
I substantiate comments with evidence when discussing points with fellow standardisas. I even sometimes add evidence for trolls. See below at 18.2.1.1.1.
I have contributed to the discussion in areas that intrigue me. Evidence below.
Back in my day I think he would have been a milk monitor.
They were back in the days before (I think) 1967 when kids had to drink a half pint of milk that had been sitting in the sun all morning. The milk monitor’s job was to make kids drink the horrible stuff. Proper little prats they were.
Alwyn …… about the only Wellingtonian who does not like the Zealandia bird sanctuary and the HUGE explosion of native birds spreading out from it…….. Got something against natives Al ?
Spending any small part your precious wealth giving some protection to creatures whose habitats we have trashed and changed to the point of near extinction for many of them is barking mad and a crime against your money.
Ayn Rand told the truth to those who would listen ……..money determines those who are winners ………. losers deserve what they get, be they bird, child or whatever ….WARNING TRIGER https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/ TRIGGER TRIGGER …..this Ayn Rands natural world photo lead to the photographer committing suicide ….. which is a good thing as they both self identified as undeserving losers by not having the individual drive to take advantage of the freedom of money.
John Key deserves his 50-100 million-from working as a goldman sachs merchent banker and its natural because he’s a winner ……. Poor family s and other people around the world deserve to pick through rubbish to survive, with no sanitation or medicines and associated high death rates for their loser children ….. they and their impoverished governments must pay the crippling interest on corruptly lent money…. because they are losers………… It’s the natural order of things and if they did not pay how could Godman sachs and the John Keys of this world express themselves as the winners that they naturally are.
It should be a crime to subvert the natural logic of winners taking all……….. I hope I’ve clearly shown to all the empathy clowns that those parasite birds are trying to get away with stealing Alwyns small change when really they should die as they are meant to.
Its also natural that Alwyn wins all arguments around here so its best Paul wakes up and recognizes Alwyns superiority here at this site ….. and John Keys superiority over everyone in NZ ………. apart from those who are richer of course……… Talleys, Myers, Harts,Fays and Richwhites are all amongst the best of the best we have in this country…. we should stop all losers stealing from them too…… birds included
Thank god for tax havens to preserve our natural orders …. as I’m sure you agree Alwyn.
“John Key deserves his 50-100 million-from working as a goldman sachs merchent banker”.
Really? Just when was it that he worked for Goldman Sachs?
I have nothing against bird sanctuaries, which is what Zealandia really is.
What I object to is that the council poured something like $17million into a visitor centre because they accepted the bs that it would increase patronage hugely and the $10 million loan would be repaid. That sort of thing was typical of the idiots we have as councillors. If we want to protect native birds what is wrong with Mt Bruce?
I really can’t be bothered reading through the rest of your rave.
And in the land of ‘no surprises’ …and given that the SNP is on track to win another clear majority in a voting system geared to prevent majorities…
More than 10,000 Scots have used a Voter Guidance toll being run by researchers from Strathclyde University. Labour voters prove to be less likely than SNP supporters to give a left-wing response..
In total, 73 per cent of SNP voters can be classified as left wing, while 44 per cent of Labour supporters fall into this category.
Looks like a self selecting poll and there’s a lot of subjectivity in deciding what’s ‘left wing’, but still… 10 000 respondents must be suggesting something worth considering, no? (And yet various Labour Parties in the English speaking world seem hell bent on continuing to accommodate market fundamentalism or neo-liberalist b/s)
Listened to this fascinating interview by Brian Crump with a chap who has written a book on how the world’s military have been and still are giving their troops all sorts of drugs to desensitize them, give them courage, make their reactions faster and basically be better at killing. For the ancient Greeks it was wine. During World War II both the German and the Allied soldiers were stoked to the eyeballs with amphetamines which is the drug of choice for contemporary wars. Cocaine was common during World War I, mixed with rum. Montgomery gave out 100,000 pills before the battle of El Alamein so that means New Zealand soldiers were popping their version of “P” while fighting along with everyone else. Obviously it is still going on today in all theatres of war. As the author points out, this is something that is barely acknowledged but is an integral part of all war environments.
Syria’s war is being fueled by a drug called Captagon
“A powerful amphetamine tablet based on the original synthetic drug known as “fenethylline,” Captagon quickly produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing Syria’s fighters to stay up for days, killing with a numb, reckless abandon.”
‘He’s done it. Word is slowly seeping out that Key has granted an American Warship access to our harbour.
We must not allow this.
In November this year, an American warship will be entering Auckland Harbour for the first time in 32 years for the 75th anniversary of the NZ Navy. I remember protesting against the last warship visit when I was ten years old and I’m damned if I’ll simply sit quietly by while National and their corrupt followers cheerlead the American empire back into our waters!’
On 21 September, visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Royal New Zealand Navy ships would be allowed onto Defence Department or Coast guard facilities both within the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. “These changes make it easier for our militaries to engage in discussions on security issues and to hold co-operative engagements that increase our capacity to tackle common challenges. [We will work together despite] differences of opinion in some limited areas.” At the same time, however, New Zealand had not changed its stance as a nuclear-free zone.
On the 29th of October 2013 it was announced that “The United States and New Zealand will resume bilateral military cooperation after a near-total 30-year interruption” by New Zealand Defence minister Jonathan Coleman and United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
So if the ships not carrying nuclear weapons whats the big deal?
Better than a cruise ship for local economy, especially if an air craft carrier, let them in I say, Paul can get his old placard out, no problem, every one happy Strange Paul your views have not really evolved since you where 10, the old saying if your not a socialist in your teens you have no heart, if your still a socialist as an adult you are a fool may have some purchase here
made with the outside help of Nobel Peace prize winners like Kissinger who fought the dirty socialist and stopped the diabolical plans like improved health care, meager pay rises for exploited workers,land rights or any other communist plots disguised as fairness.
Gangster states who kill with impunity and where the police stations are rape and torture centers are the price we must pay to protect the great freedoms of money.
Fairness is evil when you think about it …… can I send you money for your educational services you do here Reddellusion……. you could donate it to research on the scary sounding “deranged Key syndrome” you were trying to warn me about…… thanks for the early warning of this creepy disease …. I was rude and didn’t thank you before.
I stupidly thought you were an obnoxious troll with your own sad problems ..,. sorry bro
Socialism had done a fairly good job in killing, I think Cambodia, China and USSR out surpassed by a million miles any US war, all in the name of ideology Venezula Cuba, North Korea all these great socialist paradise all rate highly as desirable countries to live, I also see the refugees of the world flocking to the socialist paradise of the evil money hungry west, strange that
those times in those countries had nothing to do with “socialism”, just like the current version of the financial and economic system has little to do with “capitalism”.
The left really has their work cut out for them because of the ideological alignment between Key and the Crown. The only way they can form an effective opposition is to become anti-establishment. Of course then they are then faced with the problem of finding common ground, since opposing something isn’t of itself a source of shared values.
‘About 300 people carrying signs with slogans including ‘Stop the slop’ staged a protest today about the quality of Dunedin Hospital food.
The protest, organised by the Real Meals Coalition, called on the Southern District Health Board to cancel its food service contract with the Compass Group.’
“sense of entitlement” you say?, compare people who have paid taxes throughout their lives and in need of the healthcare they have paid for, to those pompous fat cats swanning around like the flash harries they are, being served by people that can’t afford to have a decent home.
Beggars belief you dare to suggest the masses have a “sense of entitlement” against your Tory lot. The masses are entitled to a decent home and a decent job, Tories prefer to avoid taxes so that hey have more than everyone else, yet do not work harder for it.
No responsibility, all the perks, like starting a game of monopoly with an extra $1,000,000 and sneering when the other players lose.
nz is a welfare state. what the hell you going on about, 10 percent of population pay net tax, who are these rich harries, I suggest they are fairies at the bottom of your garden
This compass bollocks is a political stunt by the Political left taking advantage of the Dunedin deluded for thier own interests and power,,
How about you talk about the food Reddelusion? I would have thought getting people out of hospital in a timely and healthy manor was a corner stone of a good health system.
So in your mind when bad decisions are made, people should just say nothing?
Your hatred is showing, spewing up all over this page. Try getting some love in your heart.
What’s with Dunedin lefties and thier extreme sense of entitlement
It’s a bit sad that the radical right has become so inhuman lately they can’t even respect democracy, nor recognise the human right for decent food which doesn’t resemble prison rations.
Looking forward to tonight’s “The Friday Story”….
Shits and giggles and Dunk’s mud loif crisis all laid bare (going forward).
Interesting tho’….. Dunk and Ms duP…yA are (I think) starting to notice the Natzi’s fading star (housing bubbles, pathetic greenwashing, indebtedness et al).
I guess Dunk’s beginning to realise the kuds are growing up and about to face a shit future, and Heather dearest is beginning to realise she’s put all her hopes of wealth on a raspy voice – that really isn’t all that crash hot. Hopefully Dunk’s looking out for her
Oh dear! what a con! No duP..-yA, and something pathetic, appropriately dressed in yellow (going forward) giving me supposedly SAGE advice about the pressing ussyouse of the Nayshun (going forwid)…. and the Wherl.
Congrats Dunk! Worth a celery increase don’t you think?
Health minister Coleman quoted on TV1 news says the 2 million New Zealanders receiving hospital food from Compass, the Auckland company sending frozen food muck to Dunedin hospital are mostly happy with the food quality.
If as he says, there are 2 million people in hospital out of our population of about 4.7 million then something’s wrong with our ‘healthy’ lifestyle..or someone’s lying.
The patients in Dunedin who are supposed to eat the food (sic) still say it is crap.
Given how difficult it is to get into a hospital I find the 2 million rather on the high side – 40% of us are in hospital – I don’t think so .
Send him back to pass his NCEA levels maybe??
At 100% bed capacity and 100% of them being fed by Compass, that’s still a month or two of meals.
Basically, Coleman was probably referring to the total number of meals dished out by Compass so far. And the devil is in “mostly happy”, too – how many people actualy like the meals, as opposed to putting up with them or filling in the middle circle on a survey box?
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Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
Panama-based company Ceol & Muir which is owned by Italy-based Rafael Grozovsky and his Argentina-based brother Federico Grozovsky, purchased the 1317-hectare Onetai Station in Awakino, Taranaki in 2014, for $6 million. In Argentina, their company was charged with discharging carcinogenic waste from their tanneries into the nearby river. However, regarding the sale of Taranaki land, the OIO has found the purchasers have met their ‘good character’ requirements.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/302593/oio-satisfied-with-foreign-owners-of-taranaki-farm
Fuertísimas emanaciones ponen en el tapete el accionar de la curtiembre Magromer http://www.noticiasmercedinas.com/100120magromer.htm
There’s a post up about it now.
http://thestandard.org.nz/mossack-fonseca-bites-national-on-the-arse/
https://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.noticiasmercedinas.com/100120magromer.htm&prev=search
Has anyone noticed how easily Key’s “relaxed about that” screwing up of his nose is so easily read now as uncaring arrogance??
With his foreign trusts and foreign owners he is entirely coming across as “I know best, stop wasting my time”
Maybe he has been watching how his colleague finlayson q c manages to so accurately display his nonsensical sense of place…
+1
“Maybe he has been watching how his colleague finlayson q c manages to so accurately display his nonsensical sense of place…”
Ain’t that the truth. I often wondered what happened to the guy. At one time he was half reasonable (for a Gnat) – then I realised …. Key happened and he became an arse licking woose. So much for principle
John Key ramming through TPPA – we all know that it is for the benefit of his cronies and the 0.1% who don’t feel the need to pay taxes, and can pollute at will.
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2987560/colombia_theres_no_place_for_clean_water_under_free_trade.html
“The latest country to be hooked under ‘free trade’ agreements is Colombia, writes Pete Dolack, sued for tens of billions of dollars by US and Canadian gold mining companies for valuing its national parks and the high-altitude Andean wetlands that provide 70% of the nation’s water above the profits of foreign corporations. Free trade or clean water? You can’t have both.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ttip-uk-government-only-did-one-assessment-of-trade-deal-and-found-it-had-lots-of-risks-and-no-a6999646.html
“TTIP: UK Government found secret courts in trade deal have ‘lots of risk and no benefit’ in its only assessment
Stark warning against agreement disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/302324/us-officials-heading-to-nz-to-talk-tpp
A visit by US officials could be used to pressure the government into further concessions on the Trans Pacific Partnership deal, a long time critic of the trade pact says.
RNZ reports that Corbyn has demoted Ken Livingstone for suggesting zionism had a connection with nazism. I like some of the things Corbyn has done, but on this one he is wrong.
“The WZO leaders said as little as they could about Germany in as much as they knew that negotiations were proceeding to work out a trade agreement with Hitler. Jabotinsky brought forth a motion to support the embryonic anti-Nazi boycott, but it had no chance of success. The delegates were totally put off by the fascist character of Revisionism. During the Congress, Jewish Telegraphic Agency dispatches told of the police discovering Jabotinsky’s letter to Achimeir denouncing him for his pro-Nazi articles. [24] The vast majority of the delegates believed that the Biryonim had murdered the Political Secretary of their movement and the letter could only serve to reinforce their opinion. They could only think that their own Hitler was denouncing the WZO leaders for being pro-Nazi. The resolution calling for action against the Hitlerites was soundly defeated, 240 to 43. [25] (In fact the Nazis announced, during the Congress, that a trade agreement had been reached with the WZO’s Anglo-Palestine Bank.)”
http://www.marxists.de/middleast/ironwall/08-fascter.htm#30s
There seems to quite a lot of bullshit being pushed, including by a number within UK Labour, that antisemitism is a trait of the more left leaning people within UK Labour.
I agree that Corbyn should have faced it down but…over a few years I’ve noticed a more general ‘getting up in arms’ about supposed antisemitism in the UK media. For example, I’ve been aware of the BBC running (to me) incongruous reports on the threat to the Jewish community off the back of terrorist attacks or apparent imminent likelihood of some terrorist attack.
Israel has been actively cultivating media contacts, I reckon.
Colonial Viper, You are not far wrong.
Colonial Viper, You are not far wrong!
Yes with lots of compost and nitrogenous matter they have cultivated a lot of deadly nightshade.
Israel at one time showed the world how to use water very effectively for irrigation.
Now they should turn their hands back to teaching the world how to use their human resources in a more effective way than making other people miserable and desperate in enclosed apartheid-like homelands. This would honour their people who suffered the same sort of treatment in WW2 and before.
So Israel can make more of the desert bloom using permaculture and leave some land for Palestinians to live in peace. This article explains how:
http://permaculturenews.org/2013/03/01/recycling-animal-and-human-dung-is-the-key-to-sustainable-farming/
Bullenglish is blabbing about low interest rates, good potential investors out there, plenty of cash around, when the parameters are right…. Then you realize he’s talking about mental health services
Are mental health services a growth market under this administration ?
Can someone – a political scientist type of person (but not that fellow in the Herald, Edwards !) provide us with some sort of analysis of the more recent polls please.
An analysis that includes the numbers of “Don’t Know” who they’ll vote for, and also what sort of questions are being asked in the polls. Plus the PM’s rating each time.
It looks to me like the PM’s rating is dropping, but that’s not being picked up by the media. And I cannot figure out why there is so much confidence in the NAct govt when so much is happening that is obviously negative : the TPPA, the known corruption, the PM supporting the 1%, climate change issues, housing, unemployment, beggars in the streets, dairying going down, etc.
Why isn’t all this showing in the polls?
And I don’t want to be given the glib answer that we don’t have a Bernie Sanders or Corbyn – we have Winston Peters and that’s more than enough for one little country and yes – his poll rating has gone up, and I’m assuming that’s because he’s the spokesperson for everything in NZ First, and now he is Northland MP, he has a lot to make a noise about.
Afaik the incumbent PM usually rates higher than all other party leaders as preferred PM. I think the whole focus on that is part of the manufacture of the Teflon Key myth. Myself I think it’s irrelevant.
Most polls don’t report or account for the don’t knows/undecideds, nor the people that won’t answer their questions or don’t even answer the phone. That and the margins of error, and the fact that results are often close make me think much of what we do will polls is spin rather than reality. I think polls tend to reflect many things including what the MSM are doing, esp close to an election.
We should be looking at the poll of polls, not individual ones, because the poll of polls shows trends over time and that’s more important. Individual polls with commentary are highly speculative. We can use that, but I don’t think we should get too hung up on it at this stage. Closer to the election it’s an issue (I believe polls should be banned for some weeks pre-election). But we’re not there yet.
(as an aside, Peters isn’t our Corbyn or Sanders. He’s a centrist, authoritarian power-monger. Yes, he’s charismatic, knows how to play the political power game very well, has done some good things for NZ (think Winebox) and NZF has some good policies, but he’s also damaged MMP and democracy in NZ. Not even close to being a Corbyn or Sanders)
Peters is his own political tour de force. Unfortunately he is on the last term or two of his career. There is no one else of his calibre politically once he is gone. Cunliffe had the potential but that’s all over now.
But this term National and Labour will continue to weaken while he benefits.
NZ will be better off politically and societally once Peters is gone from parliament. I can name good things he has done, but they don’t outweigh how much he has damaged MMP and democracy. I don’t care how good he is at macho politics beyond how much power that garners him to keep on with the bullshit game. You and I obviously rate good politics quite differently.
He is entertaining though so I guess there is that.
I enjoy you talking about democracy and MMP, while simultaneously wishing gone one of the most popular and effective political figures of the decade.
I guess you prefer democracy done your way.
“I guess you prefer democracy done your way.”
Actually I think that describes Peters. But it’s interesting that that’s what you resort to, trying to make out that I’m something or other rather than addressing the points. Let’s try again,
“enjoy you talking about democracy and MMP, while simultaneously wishing gone one of the most popular and effective political figures of the decade.”
Yes, because the underpinnings of MMP and democracy aren’t popularity or even political effectiveness, which can obviously be used in anti-democratic ways. The underpinnings are representation and fairness. Peters has demonstrably worked against those things at times.
Peters is popular for sure, but he never got his party permanently out of the sub 10%. He fucked up a couple of times and lost his votes, so we can say that historically he’s been popular and unpopular depending on his behaviour. Like I said, I can name the good things he’s done, but I can name the mistakes too and the problems.
Weka, Do you hate Peters more than the national party supporters and tax cheats who had to pay millions to our government that they had successfully swindled past the IRD …………….. until Winston and his wine box extracted back to new zealand some of their stolen loot. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8515361/Money-trail-leads-home-to-New-Zealand
Winne cost the nat party votes and their rich criminal supporters money, so they hate him very much ……………
And look at what Winston did to Key in the Northland bye-election when Nationals expert solution to the P problem and future police minister Mike Sabin had to leave parliament ……………..
Key performed like a limp dick trying to hammer a nail against Winston 🙂
National are now engaged in working with rich tax cheats and other criminals to such an extent that the architect of a multi BILLION dollar tax swindle is the guy that Key picked to be the judge on ‘New Zealand Tax Haven Inc’ ……………. The tax haven that key accidentally created and then after many talks and meetings with people like his bent ex lawyer mate accidentally kept going …………… Against IRD advice.
No doubt our prime ministers Keyzheimers disease will kick in even worse than it has so far ……. he won’t really remember what that advice was ………. at the end of the day.
But enough waffling and lets get pratical.. which is where I desperately need your smarts puckish….Your cleaver, cognitive and know whats what so…… could you please do some sums for me ……….. I wouldn’t bother asking any of the ‘leftie’ peeps around here….. because just like me they cant do math either …. and many are barking mad.
Sherwan who selected by key was the prime mover in a 2.2 billion dollar ( or more) tax scam by the aussie banks who were gouging New Zealanders for record profits at the time.
We have benefit fraud tip lines and a government that uses racism and every stereotype smear to encourage hatred of the worst off and most disadvantaged in society ………. that helps generate the phone calls for their attack ‘the poor welfare policy’….. and the privatisation of and evictions from state housing.
But back to the numbers ……
“Benefit fraud cost New Zealand $22 million in 2010″* ……now lets assume after another six years of national people are twice as dishonest…. because they are copying people like Bill English ( cheated the mp’s housing allowance with a false declaration …. Or JK with his ‘charity’ games of golf, Judith collins who can’t tell a kauri log from a Kauri stump and accidentally makes millions from her ignorance.
So presuming a National government makes the people more dishonest we’ll double the 22 million benefit fraud up to 44 million ….. And we’ll round that up to $50 million to account for the acceleration of corrupt behavior lately.
How many years of benefit fraud by ALL the beneficarys would it take to reach the amount that the ONE SINGLE Nact man John Sherwan had a go at ……….. How many years please wise one???, I bet your much better at maths than me.
BUT how much of the benefit fraud was detected due to the haters tip line …………. 40% , 30% 25%.
Because you are so cleaver could you also work out how many years of the benefit tip line running would you need before reaching the amount that John Sherwin tried to steal on the Aussie banks behalf ????
I can’t work it out …….
Which leads me to concede that John sherwan must be very cleaver to not go to jail for an attempted theft of 2.2 billion dollars of government revenue…….. which admittedly pays for silly stuff like hospitals and schools.
But those financial types must all be geniuses as no one went to jail for the wholesale fraud of Billions ( or was it trillions) , directly leading to the GFC and much suffering world wide ………..for the poor.
I can see why you support such intelligence …… to do otherwise would be stupid of you.
I’ll never be that smart …………. can’t even do math 🙁
I’m going to ask you one last final thing….. it’s probably something you could be uncomfortable with and I can’t recall you ever doing it on here……… I need your common sense to tell me who to vote for.
Hell if you can work out those unsolvable mathematical impossibility I threw your way ………….. then you’d be justified in telling all of us fools here te standard who to vote for.
“The banks will not pay penalties and the full details of the settlement are confidential, although they are paying 80% of the total tax owed plus interest. The amount was enough to boost New Zealand’s current account into a surplus in the September quarter for the first time in almost 21 years.”
http://www.interest.co.nz/news/40814/banks-settle-structured-finance-tax-disputes-ird-nz22-bln-update-1
Sherwan who WAS selected by key was the prime mover in a 2.2 billion dollar ( or more) tax scam
I remember this well. Dumped just prior to Xmas if I remember correctly – Photo of smiling individuals in the MSM – declaring the settlement of the tax dispute and I was incensed.
Proud of themselves for caving in and politically negotiating a Debt to the IRD.
Not the sort of outcome any ordinary Kiwi falling foul of the IRD can expect.
Reason, have you read my actual comments and thought about them? I’ve already said that I think Peters has done good things and I gave the Winebox as an example. I don’t hate Peters, and if you think this is about that then you’re not listening.
Well would you look at that, we agree on something
He stopped the Bolger government in it’s tracks. He stopped a third wave of hard neo-liberalism, by getting free health care for the under 5’s. The gold card, fighting for changes to the power of attorney, and enduring power of attorney. He enforced ring fencing for health. He has been out spoken in his criticism of neo-liberalism.
Winston has actually done quite a bit of good weka. Been a bit of a nob about it in a macho way I agree, and is as social conservative as they come. He and the greens are the only ones who openly want to end the neo-liberal game at present. I’d hate to say this, but making him PM to get rid of neo-liberalism, is a price I’m willing to pay.
Would you vote for NZF in 2017?
IMO the biggest contribution of Peters and NZF is the increase in minimum wage to $12/hr (from 9.50) while in govt from 2005 – 2008. That set the scene for regular minimum wage rises, which wasn’t really something that happened before that.
“Cunliffe had the potential but that’s all over now.”
Wins tons been written of once or twice in the past ,and look at him now.
Exactly – a week’s a very long time in politics! David Cunliffe is feared by the Natz for good good reason!
“And I cannot figure out why there is so much confidence in the NAct govt when so much is happening that is obviously negative”
Because interest rates are low, business confidence is high, employment is low and steady, more kiwis are returning home then ever before, Exports are likely to increase through trade
“Employment is low and steady”
Yeah about right
@ Ms Jennifer Kirk
I’m slowly but surely completing some detailed poll analysis for my blog .. but unfortunately not finished yet.
In the meantime, here’s some PM/Leadership stats …
Preferred PM Averages – John Key
(Colmar Brunton / Reid Research – combined)
…………………………Average……………High……….Compare 2/2 2015-16
2/2 2015-16………..39………………………40…………………………..-
1/1 2015……………..42………………………44…………………..Down 3 Points
2014…………………. 45………………………48……………………Down 6 Points
2013…………………..41………………………44……………………Down 2 Points
2012…………………..43………………………48……………………Down 4 Points
2011…………………..53………………………59……………………Down 14 Points
2010…………………..49………………………54……………………Down 10 Points
2009…………………..52………………………56……………………Down 13 Points
Leader Favourability Ratings
(Net positive Rating – the percentage point gap between those holding a Favourable and Unfavourable view of Key)
2009 +58
2010 +51
2011 +48
2012 +25
2013 +19
2014 +27
2015 1/2 +19
2015 2/2 +13
(2015 broken down on a quarterly basis:
2015
1/4 +22,
2/4 +15,
3/4 +10,
4/4 +16)
Latest UMR puts Key on his lowest ever Favourability rating of +2
As you can see, what was once a gaping chasm has shrunk to a narrow fissure as views on the PM have become as polarised as they were on Muldoon by the early 80s.
The Reid Research Leader Performance ratings confirm Key’s significant decline (particularly steep after the 2011 Election and, again, over the last 2 years)
Andrew Little’s net Favourability rating compared to Key – 2015
…………………1/4…………2/4……….3/4………4/4
Key…………..+22….+15….+10…+16
Little………..+24…..+25…+16…+15
So, while Little may be badly trailing Key on the Preferred PM measure (which, as weka has rightly said, usually involves a significant incumbency effect), the Labour Leader actually led the PM throughout most of 2015 on the net Favourability ratings – by 2, 10 and 6 points during the first three-quarters, before slipping only slightly behind Key in the final quarter.
In stark contrast, Little’s 3 Labour Leader predecessors were always well behind Key.
As you’ve implied, Jenny, we keep hearing (in the MSM over the last 12 months) that Key is vastly more popular than Clark was at the same point in her Third Term.
In fact, Helen Clark’s Favourability (UMR) and Performance (Reid Research) ratings were significantly better than Key’s is now. It’s true that she was slightly down on his rating as Preferred PM (but only slightly).
2/2 2006 Clark averaged 37% Preferred PM
2/2 2015 Key averaged 39% Preferred PM
Dang, I’ve been trying to edit the above comment … not least to make that Key vs Little table look a wee bit more respectable and ship shape.
But I’m being told (in quite an authoritative – almost scolding – way) that You do not have permission to edit this comment, with the advice that I should therefore Close immediately or, presumably, I’ll be in for a bit of a kick up the arse.
Let’s try it again and see if I can make that table look a little less messy …
……………….1/4……….2/4……….3/4……..4/4
Key………….+22………+15………+10……..+16
Little……….+24……….+25……..+16……..+15
Thanks Swordfish, that helps clarify things a bit more. I’ll await your more considered analysis. Let us know when you put it up, please.
Greens go down three points in polls for exposing corrupt Prime Minister. New Zealand First goes up three
Which poll are you looking at?
This:
I haven’t walked down Lambton Quay on a week day morning for a few years. Place is empty, slow and lifeless almost like a ghost town. Not what I remember it being at all. What the hell have you guys done with the place???
Everyone’s busy consulting their trust lawyers?
Meetings must be over… they all stepped out at lunchtime – Lambton Quay seemed as busy to me today as the last time I was here.
The thing that bothers me the most is the Big Brand sector of Cuba Mall. They all moved in a few years ago, amid lots of protest, to apparently upscale the place and now that’s the most awful bit of the whole central city.
Good point, CV. Not *like* a ghost town – it is one.
Did you catch the tumbleweed the Weta film crew left behind ?
Memo to self: must give Peter Jackson more money
He’s getting more money. Wellington ratepayers are funding his film museum that going inside the convention centre we are also funding. What PJ wants, PJ gets as long as he doesn’t have to pay for it.
He’s nothing more than a parasite.
Wellingtonians know what’s going on in govt because they work in the civil service. When Lambton Quay goes empty, when Wellingtonians stop spending, it’s because they see big trouble ahead.
It’s been sad to see shops that have been around for decades closing down – I was working in one that closed down! Having worked in retail and distribution round Wgtn I’ve seen first hand the decline, since the GFC, but it never really picked up. One store owner that was a customer of the distributor I worked for blamed the increase in GST and cut backs in the public service for killing his business. He closed down after 30 years in business.
Now it’s all just “pop up” shops selling container loads of crap and the expansion of dollar shops in the burbs. There is a sense of the temporary and vaguely desperate.
What shops that are left often are part of Aussie chains. The high end, boutiquey stores selling creative and unique items are almost all gone.
There is a sense of the temporary and vaguely desperate.
I was thinking exactly that when I was walking around yesterday. A year or two ago the caravans and pop-ups added vibrancy now there and an air of despondency about them with sense of what comes next.
As an aside I’m also not keen on the commercialisation of public space. It might be ok for small start-ups but it takes no time at all for the big brands to move on in if a retail start-up space proves viable.
The GST increase to 15% was what really seemed to empty the shops of customers and start the closures
Define “morning” … if it was 4a.m then the answer is kind of obvious 🙂
Cantabrian cyclists with twitter access might be interested in this questionaire. Or any cyclist.
NZTA Canterbury/WC
@NZTACWC
Thinking about cycling to work? What would make you consider giving it a go?
Bike-friendly office
Safe cycle route
Having a cycle buddy
Bike and Helmet access
https://twitter.com/NZTACWC/status/725810110543462400
This is about the LNP in Aussie – but you get the feeling it could have easily been about the national party here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6GxEjBnwCg
Because it’s Friday, you should giggle more.
The quality of video is poor, but the content is great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6uZgYdFeqU
ta adam
John Drinnan: MediaWorks owner tightens reins –
Maybe the MediaWorks owners noticed that too many cheerleaders of the right has left a huge gap for the left media to fill, ha ha and falling ratings for the right…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11630411
no mention of canning Cambell Live and John Cambell. But never let the facts get in the way of reporting in Granny.
Like the fact that Campbell Lives ratings had been falling for years and that’s why it was axed, because the public didn’t want to watch it
That is a barefaced lie.
You are a lie faced bear
http://www.throng.co.nz/2015/04/ratings-how-campbell-live-ended-up-on-the-block/
Your link shows hundred of thousands of NZers were watching CL up until it was axed. How does that equate to ‘the public didn’t want to watch it?’.
Where are the figures for online viewing?
Let me spell it out for you:
When it comes to Campbell Live though, the average audience of 281,669 viewers in 2013 was the best they’ve ever been.
– In 2013 the average viewers was the best its ever been, in 2013.
In 2014, the average audience for Campbell Live fell 22% to 219,406 viewers per night.
– That’s a big drop in numbers so the show is bringing in less money and remember its a private company NOT another make-work scheme for tired lefties
So far in 2015, the average audience is down a further 13% to 191,432. Overall, this equates to a 32% drop in the average nightly audience.
So yes people were watching it but not enough people were watching it so instead of losing money on the program the company, as is their right, dropped Campbell Live
I found the ratings most interesting at the time – CL’s only issue seemed to me that the 3news lead-in was the weak link.
TV3’s having subsequent programming successes would have justified the decision, but it’s still in the doldrums.
So what is the audience in that timeslot now?
Under 100k?
Funny response scared one.
Put it all in context TV3 had falling in the rating all over the place, it still does.
And before you blow a gasket – look at the trend post Campbell live, and also the viewer-ship numbers falling right across the medium.
So the shrill argument of ratings is just that, shrill.
I just can’t be bothered debating with pr.
That’s because you can’t debate with Puckish Rouge.
To Puckish Rouge, NZ is a utopia, the national party are perfect, and John Key is a god.
And we should all bow down to J.K and suck it up.
So you can’t argue or debate with Puckish Rouge – you just trade words that Puckish Rouge will take out of context to justify any old cods wallop.
Yes dear.
Not a utopia but certainly in the top 10 countries to live in the world (probably top 5 but why argue semantics), the National party aren’t perfect (WFF should be scrapped for one thing) but certainly way out in front of any opposition and John Key as god…well I wouldn’t go that far I mean as this pic clearly states hes in the water not walking above it
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/John-Key-Swimming-Pool-Metro-2006-300×224.jpg
You are being unfair to Paul. The problem is he isn’t really up to debate.
He tends to make some unsubstantiated comment and when asked why he said it refuses to give any reason because he “Can’t be bothered”. Most frustrating
An example is here. I would still like to know what he thinks “correct” exchange rates should be, and why.
http://thestandard.org.nz/if-you-need-a-good-laugh-this-morning/#comment-1166228
.
I happily debate with people on this site I do not identify as trolls.
I substantiate comments with evidence when discussing points with fellow standardisas. I even sometimes add evidence for trolls. See below at 18.2.1.1.1.
I have contributed to the discussion in areas that intrigue me. Evidence below.
http://thestandard.org.nz/keep-calm-and-carry-on/
You weren’t a high school prefect by any chance?
Back in my day I think he would have been a milk monitor.
They were back in the days before (I think) 1967 when kids had to drink a half pint of milk that had been sitting in the sun all morning. The milk monitor’s job was to make kids drink the horrible stuff. Proper little prats they were.
Alwyn …… about the only Wellingtonian who does not like the Zealandia bird sanctuary and the HUGE explosion of native birds spreading out from it…….. Got something against natives Al ?
Spending any small part your precious wealth giving some protection to creatures whose habitats we have trashed and changed to the point of near extinction for many of them is barking mad and a crime against your money.
Ayn Rand told the truth to those who would listen ……..money determines those who are winners ………. losers deserve what they get, be they bird, child or whatever ….WARNING TRIGER https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/ TRIGGER TRIGGER …..this Ayn Rands natural world photo lead to the photographer committing suicide ….. which is a good thing as they both self identified as undeserving losers by not having the individual drive to take advantage of the freedom of money.
John Key deserves his 50-100 million-from working as a goldman sachs merchent banker and its natural because he’s a winner ……. Poor family s and other people around the world deserve to pick through rubbish to survive, with no sanitation or medicines and associated high death rates for their loser children ….. they and their impoverished governments must pay the crippling interest on corruptly lent money…. because they are losers………… It’s the natural order of things and if they did not pay how could Godman sachs and the John Keys of this world express themselves as the winners that they naturally are.
It should be a crime to subvert the natural logic of winners taking all……….. I hope I’ve clearly shown to all the empathy clowns that those parasite birds are trying to get away with stealing Alwyns small change when really they should die as they are meant to.
Its also natural that Alwyn wins all arguments around here so its best Paul wakes up and recognizes Alwyns superiority here at this site ….. and John Keys superiority over everyone in NZ ………. apart from those who are richer of course……… Talleys, Myers, Harts,Fays and Richwhites are all amongst the best of the best we have in this country…. we should stop all losers stealing from them too…… birds included
Thank god for tax havens to preserve our natural orders …. as I’m sure you agree Alwyn.
“John Key deserves his 50-100 million-from working as a goldman sachs merchent banker”.
Really? Just when was it that he worked for Goldman Sachs?
I have nothing against bird sanctuaries, which is what Zealandia really is.
What I object to is that the council poured something like $17million into a visitor centre because they accepted the bs that it would increase patronage hugely and the $10 million loan would be repaid. That sort of thing was typical of the idiots we have as councillors. If we want to protect native birds what is wrong with Mt Bruce?
I really can’t be bothered reading through the rest of your rave.
yes dear
And now Hillary Barry has gone.
And in the land of ‘no surprises’ …and given that the SNP is on track to win another clear majority in a voting system geared to prevent majorities…
Looks like a self selecting poll and there’s a lot of subjectivity in deciding what’s ‘left wing’, but still… 10 000 respondents must be suggesting something worth considering, no? (And yet various Labour Parties in the English speaking world seem hell bent on continuing to accommodate market fundamentalism or neo-liberalist b/s)
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/study-finds-labour-voters-less-left-wing-than-snp-supporters-1-4114150
Listened to this fascinating interview by Brian Crump with a chap who has written a book on how the world’s military have been and still are giving their troops all sorts of drugs to desensitize them, give them courage, make their reactions faster and basically be better at killing. For the ancient Greeks it was wine. During World War II both the German and the Allied soldiers were stoked to the eyeballs with amphetamines which is the drug of choice for contemporary wars. Cocaine was common during World War I, mixed with rum. Montgomery gave out 100,000 pills before the battle of El Alamein so that means New Zealand soldiers were popping their version of “P” while fighting along with everyone else. Obviously it is still going on today in all theatres of war. As the author points out, this is something that is barely acknowledged but is an integral part of all war environments.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/201798782/shooting-up-drugs-and-war
Syria’s war is being fueled by a drug called Captagon
“A powerful amphetamine tablet based on the original synthetic drug known as “fenethylline,” Captagon quickly produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing Syria’s fighters to stay up for days, killing with a numb, reckless abandon.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/19/the-tiny-pill-fueling-syrias-war-and-turning-fighters-into-super-human-soldiers/
Wonder if that was the drug that was found on the plane of a Saudi royal family member recently? A huge huge haul was found!
But but…all the cool kids are doing it…
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/superman/2013/05/sleep_deprivation_in_the_military_modafinil_and_the_arms_race_for_soldiers.html
Something coming down the interwebs about rich Britons and NZ domiciled trusts – Farrar’s posted about half of Britons paying no income tax.
‘He’s done it. Word is slowly seeping out that Key has granted an American Warship access to our harbour.
We must not allow this.
In November this year, an American warship will be entering Auckland Harbour for the first time in 32 years for the 75th anniversary of the NZ Navy. I remember protesting against the last warship visit when I was ten years old and I’m damned if I’ll simply sit quietly by while National and their corrupt followers cheerlead the American empire back into our waters!’
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/04/29/to-the-barricades-kiwis-key-is-letting-a-filthy-us-war-ship-into-our-waters-rage-and-prepare-to-fight-now/
Hmm, haven’t we had non-nuke ships when the US relaxed its neither confirm nor deny stance?
On 21 September, visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Royal New Zealand Navy ships would be allowed onto Defence Department or Coast guard facilities both within the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. “These changes make it easier for our militaries to engage in discussions on security issues and to hold co-operative engagements that increase our capacity to tackle common challenges. [We will work together despite] differences of opinion in some limited areas.” At the same time, however, New Zealand had not changed its stance as a nuclear-free zone.
On the 29th of October 2013 it was announced that “The United States and New Zealand will resume bilateral military cooperation after a near-total 30-year interruption” by New Zealand Defence minister Jonathan Coleman and United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
So if the ships not carrying nuclear weapons whats the big deal?
It’s the ‘muricans!!!! It’s the ‘muricans!!!!
Some countries don’t share your enthusiasm for the Yanks and their military machine.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/list-of-countries-the-usa-has-bombed-since-the-end-of-world-war-ii/24626
Namely….
List of countries the USA has bombed since the end of World War II till 2011.
China 1945-46
Korea 1950-53
China 1950-53
Guatemala 1954
Indonesia 1958
Cuba 1959-60
Guatemala 1960
Belgian Congo 1964
Guatemala 1964
Dominican Republic 1965-66
Peru 1965
Laos 1964-73
Vietnam 1961-73
Cambodia 1969-70
Guatemala 1967-69
Lebanon 1982-84
Grenada 1983-84
Libya 1986
El Salvador 1981-92
Nicaragua 1981-90
Iran 1987-88
Libya 1989
Panama 1989-90
Iraq 1991
Kuwait 1991
Somalia 1992-94
Bosnia 1995
Iran 1998
Sudan 1998
Afghanistan 1998
Yugoslavia – Serbia 1999
Afghanistan 2001
Iraq 2003
Libya 2011
The Americans have a neither confirm nor deny policy.
You should know that.
and NZ has a no nuclear armaments policy so again whats the issue here
You should know.
Better than a cruise ship for local economy, especially if an air craft carrier, let them in I say, Paul can get his old placard out, no problem, every one happy Strange Paul your views have not really evolved since you where 10, the old saying if your not a socialist in your teens you have no heart, if your still a socialist as an adult you are a fool may have some purchase here
And your a supporter for actors Reddellusion ……
The actors in”The Act of Killing” …. http://www.actofkilling.com/
made with the outside help of Nobel Peace prize winners like Kissinger who fought the dirty socialist and stopped the diabolical plans like improved health care, meager pay rises for exploited workers,land rights or any other communist plots disguised as fairness.
Gangster states who kill with impunity and where the police stations are rape and torture centers are the price we must pay to protect the great freedoms of money.
Fairness is evil when you think about it …… can I send you money for your educational services you do here Reddellusion……. you could donate it to research on the scary sounding “deranged Key syndrome” you were trying to warn me about…… thanks for the early warning of this creepy disease …. I was rude and didn’t thank you before.
I stupidly thought you were an obnoxious troll with your own sad problems ..,. sorry bro
Socialism had done a fairly good job in killing, I think Cambodia, China and USSR out surpassed by a million miles any US war, all in the name of ideology Venezula Cuba, North Korea all these great socialist paradise all rate highly as desirable countries to live, I also see the refugees of the world flocking to the socialist paradise of the evil money hungry west, strange that
Cheers comrad bro
those times in those countries had nothing to do with “socialism”, just like the current version of the financial and economic system has little to do with “capitalism”.
“I also see the refugees of the world flocking to the socialist paradise of the evil money hungry west, strange that”
…you mean those money hungry western countries like Turkey,Lebanon.Jordan,Iraq and Egypt?……oh and around 10% of them try for europe.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/02/syrias-refugee-crisis-in-numbers/
The left really has their work cut out for them because of the ideological alignment between Key and the Crown. The only way they can form an effective opposition is to become anti-establishment. Of course then they are then faced with the problem of finding common ground, since opposing something isn’t of itself a source of shared values.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/11/20/all-wars-are-bankers-wars/
http://rense.com/general63/tcs.htm
‘About 300 people carrying signs with slogans including ‘Stop the slop’ staged a protest today about the quality of Dunedin Hospital food.
The protest, organised by the Real Meals Coalition, called on the Southern District Health Board to cancel its food service contract with the Compass Group.’
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/381452/food-protest-stop-slop
What’s with Dunedin lefties and thier extreme sense of entitlement
What’s with reactionary fools supporting the 0.01% with trite slogans and inflammatory statements?
Yea slogan master, just to get my slogans right is it the 1 percent or the 0.01pc who are the problem or the 0.001pc
the smaller the percentage, the bigger the problem
Saves on guillotine blades though.
“sense of entitlement” you say?, compare people who have paid taxes throughout their lives and in need of the healthcare they have paid for, to those pompous fat cats swanning around like the flash harries they are, being served by people that can’t afford to have a decent home.
Beggars belief you dare to suggest the masses have a “sense of entitlement” against your Tory lot. The masses are entitled to a decent home and a decent job, Tories prefer to avoid taxes so that hey have more than everyone else, yet do not work harder for it.
No responsibility, all the perks, like starting a game of monopoly with an extra $1,000,000 and sneering when the other players lose.
nz is a welfare state. what the hell you going on about, 10 percent of population pay net tax, who are these rich harries, I suggest they are fairies at the bottom of your garden
This compass bollocks is a political stunt by the Political left taking advantage of the Dunedin deluded for thier own interests and power,,
How about you talk about the food Reddelusion? I would have thought getting people out of hospital in a timely and healthy manor was a corner stone of a good health system.
So in your mind when bad decisions are made, people should just say nothing?
Your hatred is showing, spewing up all over this page. Try getting some love in your heart.
Food looks fine to me, again this just a beat up by a few leftie crazies
From what you find acceptable, anything would beat the 3 day old slops you must swill on at your own table.
Sad.
It’s a bit sad that the radical right has become so inhuman lately they can’t even respect democracy, nor recognise the human right for decent food which doesn’t resemble prison rations.
IN CELEBRITY (?) NEWS …..
Looking forward to tonight’s “The Friday Story”….
Shits and giggles and Dunk’s mud loif crisis all laid bare (going forward).
Interesting tho’….. Dunk and Ms duP…yA are (I think) starting to notice the Natzi’s fading star (housing bubbles, pathetic greenwashing, indebtedness et al).
I guess Dunk’s beginning to realise the kuds are growing up and about to face a shit future, and Heather dearest is beginning to realise she’s put all her hopes of wealth on a raspy voice – that really isn’t all that crash hot. Hopefully Dunk’s looking out for her
Oh dear! what a con! No duP..-yA, and something pathetic, appropriately dressed in yellow (going forward) giving me supposedly SAGE advice about the pressing ussyouse of the Nayshun (going forwid)…. and the Wherl.
Congrats Dunk! Worth a celery increase don’t you think?
How big’s the mortgage btw?
Health minister Coleman quoted on TV1 news says the 2 million New Zealanders receiving hospital food from Compass, the Auckland company sending frozen food muck to Dunedin hospital are mostly happy with the food quality.
If as he says, there are 2 million people in hospital out of our population of about 4.7 million then something’s wrong with our ‘healthy’ lifestyle..or someone’s lying.
The patients in Dunedin who are supposed to eat the food (sic) still say it is crap.
Given how difficult it is to get into a hospital I find the 2 million rather on the high side – 40% of us are in hospital – I don’t think so .
Send him back to pass his NCEA levels maybe??
Duh,,,he means they prepare 2m meals of which are eaten 2m times by people, think a little more laterally
That is still 666,666 bed days of meals
This news article on bed numbers from last year says NZ had 2.8 hospital beds per thousand people in 2012.
At 100% bed capacity and 100% of them being fed by Compass, that’s still a month or two of meals.
Basically, Coleman was probably referring to the total number of meals dished out by Compass so far. And the devil is in “mostly happy”, too – how many people actualy like the meals, as opposed to putting up with them or filling in the middle circle on a survey box?
Yep 59 days.
No! That’s not what he said. Duh! Try another sideways spin. Different from lateral. Nice try but.